Famine, Affluence, and Morality Essay

Whilst reading Singers ideas of a global village in which a person is obligated to aid someone in need regardless of proximity, has moral bearing, but also portrays a rather one sided view of what we consider as â€Å"helping† other starving nations in need. For example, approximately 1 in 8 Americans live below the poverty line, in saying this; the question comes to mind, why we should be concerned with poverty in other nations without first worrying about our own problems. When presented with Singers views concerning helping other third world nations and the guilty spirit he implies through his article, it is imperative that the reader not get so wrapped up into what’s best for the global community and start thinking what’s best for each sovereign nation. I do not fully disagree with the points presented by Peter Signer, but, I feel that industrialized nations such as America are facing their own problems that must be resolved first before we can start worrying about other nations. For example, American families are being forced to pay interest on a debt that was created out of thin air, by this I am referring to the current economic institution known as the Federal Reserve which has been a â€Å"thorn† in the side of every taxpaying American, it was the federal reserve act of 1913, which would force the American people into Inflation, Deflation, never ending debt, slavery, and bondage through money created out of thin air and sold to the treasury, at interest, for its bonds, which are guaranteed by the American taxpayer. According to the Human poverty index, the United States ranked 16th, which is one rank below the United Kingdom (Thoren & Warner, pg. 23). I feel these problems should be solved first, before we concern ourselves with what is happening with other countries around the world. Whilst arguing what I feel will be of the most benefit to the country in which I live, I feel that once these problems are solved, it would be wise to help other nations, not just because of the business relationships that could develop through such processes, but also because of the global image such feats would produce. For example, during World War two, America developed a weapon that’s strength was unknown until its time, the Atomic Bomb. The Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, and in an effort to reduce tension between the United States and those notions within the region of Hiroshima, the United States helped rebuild Hiroshima. The point in all this being that by helping other nations the United States can acquire new allies and develop lasting business relationships. Furthermore, Peter Singer claims that although there is a common distinction between duty and supererogation, this does not justify such a distinction. I feel that it is morally right to contribute to those nations which are less fortunate than we are, but this view of morality must be in accordance with a moral code the ordinary man can relate to. For instance, the ordinary man, being asked to do things he/she considers unnecessary, could result in a general breakdown of compliance amongst the citizens of that particular country. As stated earlier, there must be a balance between the amount of aid we permit other countries to have, and the amount of aid we give ourselves. How can one nation help another, if that nation is suffering from the same conditions? It is imperative to the survival of America that its economic system is sound, and its industry provides enough decent paying jobs for its citizens. Considering Americas current situation, I strongly feel that certain major problems, such as unemployment and the country’s economic system should be the first priority, then helping other countries in need would be the second most important priority. Singer’s article contains many parallels with the pervious viewpoints discussed, on page six he state â€Å"We ought to be preventing as much suffering as we can without sacrificing something else of comparable value (Singer, pg 5).† This statement contains much wisdom. Singers view point considering those citizens who have accumulated extraordinary amounts of wealth, and the need for them to give there surplus wealth to the less fortunate closely resembles the theology of many religious institutions. While although I believe that those citizens that are more fortunate than others should be more swayed to donate an amount greater than those individuals who are less fortunate, I do not believe they should be obligated to do so. If those individuals, who worked hard, and accumulated an extraordinary, amount of wealth, were forced to donate more than those who are less fortunate, the system itself would be incredibly flawed. Many people forget that many of those individuals who have accumulated vast amounts of wealth did so through running a successful business, which, in some instances, employs a great number of people. When forcing such individuals to donate more, employee wages could be affected. In conclusion, while I do not agree with every point made by Mr. Peter Singer, I feel that helping developing nations is an essential aspect in developing peaceful relationships amongst nations. Furthermore, it is essential that citizens involved in helping developing countries should not be forced to pay more than they can afford without reducing their standard of living. It is imperative that underdeveloped nations receive the help needed, but also the citizens contributing to those nations donate an amount that can be agreed upon. References Thoren & Warner. The Truth in Money Book. Chagrin Falls: Ohio, 1986 Signer, Peter. Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs 1972

Modern approach to teen substance abuse help and management methodologies Essay

Teen drug and alcohol abuse management is aimed at arresting adverse indulgence that lead to clinical cases. Serological evidence on sub-clinical cases of depression and alcoholism show preventive counseling is effective in managing depression and alcoholism. About 51% of teens within a random cluster of 20 males and 10 females are actively involved in alcoholism. Clinical cases are on the rise within Hispanic and Black teens. Arresting the cases within their early stages is feasible with the institution level M. Rosenbaum (2003). Teachers should identify effective means for recreational and rehabilitative timetables. Alcoholism often takes place between 3pm and 7pm are on the rise among teen students (www. samhsa. gov). Students indulge outside the school compound or homestead, or in the most neglected and limitedly visited areas. The commonly abused alcohol is beer and spirits (www. samhsa. gov). Factors leading to alcoholism need to be identified so as to limit any sub-clinical measures. This will facilitate to find a consistent approach to arrest alcoholism in its early stages. Factors such as stress, abuse, stereotyping lead to depression. Aping friends, parents or some public figures. Also, interest in alcohol, searching identity in age mates and friends and proving maturity and sexuality lead to indulgence M. Rosenbaum (2003). Socio-economic backgrounds contribute to alcoholism. Teens from poor families are less aggressive in alcoholism while those from rich families are indulgent. A sample of six middle income families and six high level income families responded to a questionnaire about if their teenage children were involved in alcoholism. Only two of the middle level parents admitted to alcoholism in their teens while out of the six respondents from the higher income family five admitted their teens were into mild and profound alcoholism (www. nida. nih. gov). Teen alcoholics admit they drink due to peer pressure, to be identified and to fit in their peer groups and avoid isolation. Others admit they are aping the movie stars, their idols and role models, having fun, self redemption, thwarting stress and problems and seeking a unique position in the society. Social integration in this age level and addressing this plight in a concerted effort is necessary in school level and beyond. On a cross cultural-community approach, more black and Hispanic teens are engaging in alcoholism. Increased exposure to wages in the low level income families has upped the level of substance abuse and alcoholism in teenagers. Teenage girl alcoholics are on the rise within the low level income families. A certain portion of this group is involved in irresponsible sexual behavior and prostitution while some are working as young prostitutes. This constant rise in alcoholism and depression is seen in the context of declining literacy in the teens. Hispanic teens collectively have made less progress in graduating from high school compared to their Black counterparts. Up to 28% Hispanic teens are dropping out in comparison to 15% Blacks. Teen alcoholics have problems in the society. The creation of a positive social interaction environment in a friendly and unrestrictive atmosphere offers the proper environment for therapy and manageable counseling. It’s aimed at improving collective social behavior so as to inspire and correct the students. The school counselor should counsel based on teaching pedagogical approaches. This instills discipline and encourages the students to share their problems. Within the recreational context the teacher should initiate recreational activities like playing chess, bridge, and other in-house games (Ken & David 2007). Through a cognitive-control system the teacher manifests self analysis, self recognition, and self help so as to regulate behavior. The student reads materials wherein the teen reads her problem and follows a set of procedures like, playing with her pet, watching an inspiring video, etc. The procedure is used in the environment created by the school teacher (above). The objective is to create competing system within the brain and make adolescents lessen brain capacity to want physical engagement with substances. The counselor has a role to comparatively review the potential of the students and assess their capacity. Authoritatively, he should embark to make impact on their socio-academic well being. The perspectives borne within this context are purported to limit clinical interventions incase of adverse depression and alcoholism. Involvement of capacity building and establishment of more positive youth groups so as to build on youths’ strengths, (through advising on developing positive mental attitude towards their abilities in education and entrepreneurship). The school counselor should as often as possible make groups which consist of most disciplined students to act as the role models. These role model groups actively integrate incorporate the students who have depression or alcoholism problems M. Rosenbaum (2003). This makes these students sociable and gradually makes them feel acceptable in these groups and most important, desists from substance abuse. The teacher should invite the community to lead in playing a role of advisors while he is the active leader. These community members and the school counselors have the obligation to present appropriate role-models and opportunities for remediation for young people growing up in the school community. The message to young adults and their peers must be that they understand the dangers of substance abuse and make appropriate choices when confronted with opportunities of drug use. A school counselor should address the teen alcohol problem through an educative perspective; He gives complete clinical views on use and abuse of substances. He should comprehensively emphasize the importance of the context through giving cases study projections on serological outcomes and clinical intervention risks and impacts on human health. This perspective scope is on teenage cases who are supposed to actively attend and play roles in the education and during the classes. The concept is to keep these teens safe from alcohol and to stop substance abuse. The school counselor should give social and drug life education to enable teenagers to make responsible decisions by providing honest information. The novelty of the advice and counseling will discourage the teens from excessive or partial indulgence. The counselor is also supposed to advise the students to understand their place in the society and their future as citizens in the educative approach (Flannery, 2007). Students tend to have various social networks where they interact. The school counselor should integrate these networks as extracurricular activities by allocating time to be with the students. According to research, drug abuse takes place mostly after school and evening hours as stated above (Bachman, Johnston & O’Malley 1990). As a school counselor it is important to be involved in participating, and listening to what students express and how they relate with their peers. In a group setting, I would encourage the students to speak freely, express their views, thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. I will intervene only while asking them why they feel or think a certain way, then offer my support. Students can have a friend or family member participate in order to improve the advice being offered. The setting should be a homely, conducive, and well equipped with communication and research tools to help these students research their problem with guidance from the school counselor. This is a very effective method and creates a backbone for the gradual and even instant ceasing of alcohol habits. According to (Rosenbaum, 2003), the after school programs form the basis of a communal approach to the problem. The students are able to understand their problem through guidance. If a student’s drug use becomes a problem, the after-school drop-in program enables her to make informal contact with a professional, even if she is not ready for formal treatment. If problems escalate, a referral to the appropriate agency can be made (Rosenbaum 2003). Conclusion Safety and correction to reduce harm and to reconstitute behavior and perception in the teens is important. The school counselor can actively and consistently provide extra attention and consideration to the teens with the problem and follow up their recovery. Counselors should encourage discussion of trauma experience among the peers and the counseling group. Over weekends, they should refer these teens with the problems to active involvement in community recovery work, church and sporting activities. Counselors should urge participation in sports and athletics and encourage resumption of regular social-recreational activities like in-house games and sport. This way the traumatized and the recovering teens will become social figures who’ll be symbolic role models and successful and responsible people in the future. Sources (Ken & David 2007), Social-economic decline due to substance abuse by teens: An intelligence approach to teen physiology through counter brain measures. Goldman Intelligence, Nairobi p1-5 Barbra Flannery, (2007) International Research Institute, Baltimore Hser, Y-I. ; Grille, C. E. ; Hubbard, R. L. ; et al (2002). An evaluation of drug treatment for adolescents in four U. S. cities: Archives of General Psychiatry; Volume 17, pp 1 M. Rosenbaum, â€Å"‘Just Say No’ Wins Few Points with Ravers,† Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2001: A13. M. Rosenbaum (2003) Safety first: A reality based approach to teen’s drugs and drug education. Drug Policy Alliance www. safety1st. org (J. G. Bachman, L. D. Johnston and P. M. O’Malley 1990), â€Å"Explaining the Recent Decline in Cocaine use Among Young Adults: Further Evidence That Perceived Risks and Disapproval Lead to Reduced Drug use: Journal of Health and Human Social Behavior 31. 2 (1990): 173-184 Texas drug and rehabilitation center http://www. drugfree. org www. samhas. gov www. nida. nih. gov

Research on medical ethics Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

On medical ethics - Research Paper Example The present usage of best-practice anti-malaria drugs, optimal forms of pilot training in high-G environments, and some forms of optimal fitness training for the soldiers are also examples of the end results of military medical research. Ethics has always been an integral component of every walk of life. The profession of arms, like any profession, lays down codes of conduct for medical too that bind members of a ship, a regiment, or a squadron, or an entire service or nation. Many tenets of military medical ethics at the national or international level are understood as the Laws of War, most formally codified in the Geneva Conventions. (Pearn, 2005, 10) By contrast, at the individual level, issues of medical ethical import are a recent phenomenon. (Day, 2005, 349) Military dictates of discipline, control by line of command, and the subservience of any individual rights for the greater aim-all are themes that, at least in the historical context, have made medical ethics questions irrelevant. The core doctrines on which the discipline of medical ethics is built beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice often represent the antithesis of what service members are required to do. (Gillon, 2004, 186) Historically, a parallel system of loyalty, respect, courtesy, and chivalry has evolved to form an alternative modus operandi that binds those who command to those who obey. According to Pearn (2006) since the Second World War, and specifically since the Nuremberg Trials of 1945 and 1946, the medical ethics responsibilities, indeed some medical ethics rights, of service members have been specified. The International Military Tribunal was established by the London Agreement of August 8, 1945. Representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union (and with the provisional membership of France) formed the Tribunal. Subsequently, 19 other nations accepted the provisions of its

Strategy Implementation in an International Food and Beverage Company Case Study

Strategy Implementation in an International Food and Beverage Company - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that one of the strategic plans adopted by the company under the leadership of Frank is market control and dominance that has enabled the company’s presence to be felt in different parts of the world. In line with this strategy, the company has been involved in a number of partnerships and mergers with different food companies in different parts of the world. In 2007, the company entered into partnership with Kraft Company to market its products especially the biscuits. This partnership enabled the company to make significant inroads into different markets in Europe. In the same year also witnessed the opening of new markets for its baby and clinical nutrition products when it entered into a marketing partnership with Numico, a Dutch-based company. Frank relates their acquisition strategic plan to the significant increase in sales that the company has enjoyed especially in 2012. The transformation of the company’s geographical profile and areas th at it continues to lay emphasis in has also resulted into changes in its market shape. Frank confirms that currently, majority of their sales come from different parts of Europe and this accounts for 40%. ... Today, food and beverage products from different multinationals including Danone are shipped to global markets. The prices of such products are determined by the global market demand and supply and such determines the strategies adopted by these multinationals. Operations within the global arena have a number of benefits to a business that holds significant potential in the success of such organizations. It creates new market and niche for the companies as they venture into new regions thus increasing a company’s international presence. Global market operation also increases the publicity and dominance of a company’s brand that increasing recognition and acceptance across different regions in the globe. Cross-border integration as practiced by Danone has opened up new markets for its products in different regions including the Dutch markets. As most of these products target nutritional and clinical markets, Danone has been enabled to increase its services to different parts of Europe. However, a slight variation may exist between the receptions that the four products produced and marketed by the company may receive in the global market. Fresh dairy products and water has met stiff competition in the international market from other companies that specialize in similar goods within the global markets. However, the baby and medical nutrition products marketed by the company have received a much different reception due to the strategy the company has adopted in the global market. For example, while introducing the products in the Netherlands, the company used Numico, a Dutch-based FMCG company to introduce its products into the market.

Good Grief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Good Grief - Essay Example Grief is a process that individuals go through when they lose or realise they are about to lose something or someone they hold dear in life. This could be a spouse, relative, friend, their own life, property, income among others. These situations subject one into a state of disbelief where the individuals are unable to concentrate in their lives as they used to before as they preoccupy their thoughts with the loss they have suffered. The model’s stages sequence as follows denial stage, anger stage, bargaining, depression stage and the final one of acceptance (O’Rourke 2010). The model can also be used to interpret and come up with explanations for the tendencies associated with people going through rather mild situations than death for example break-up of a relationship, bankruptcy, relocation and many others. This is because these situations are similar in nature in that they all revolve around the loss of something or someone which one has a big attachment with. The s tages as described in KÃ ¼bler-ross’s book of 1969, On Death and Dying, are quite important to many who are grieving. They explain the various processes that one goes through and the reasons for that happening at a certain stage in life and not in another. The big question that seeks to be answered is whether there is really a better way to be bereaved and this is quite well illustrated in this lady’s work. To bereaved is quite a natural process that befalls many and that it is important for one to go through some experiences for them to harden and face life as it is and is supposed to be here on earth. Death in particular of a close person is quite heartening and it makes one to go through a process of grief that at times may not come to an end no matter how they try. The person leaving their loved ones is also at a bad state knowing that they shall leave them behind and takes all the time they have remaining in trying to interact with them so as to

Employee motivation and Incentives Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee motivation and Incentives - Coursework Example Positive recognition is another very important factor, if an employee comes up with a great solution to a problem, he should be rewarded and appreciated for his creativity, this will also make the organization competition and the other employees will also put their thinking caps on. The fourth and the last method is by providing stock options to the employees, they will not only work for the same organization but they will start going that extra mile to ensure their growth, these are some of the best ways to hold on to employees who perform well in an organization. The most lucrative of all is the employee stock option, employees start working very hard after buying the shares of an organization and that organization grows by leaps and bounds. Part 2: The most common type of compensation is salary, almost every organization compensates its employees by paying them their salaries, organizations who think out of the box give their employees regular performance related bonuses which is the second type of compensation.

Technology and education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Technology and education - Essay Example Ethical issues, however, surround some technologies especially the collection and management of information. The internet, for instance, has immensely contributed to the corrosion of morals but yet an important learning platform that has been used to standardize and globalize knowledge acquisition. This article will explore the dilemma of incorporating technology in education and training. Significantly, technology itself can process moral and ethical qualities, but the issues to be considered are how application of technology in education creates ethical conflicts. According to Shilton et al. (2014), design decision affordance and social norms are part of engineering. Social aspects of a design process will, therefore, involves ethical issue (Shilton, et al., 2014 7). Technology has modified the approach to education and learning modes. Online-Based learning and virtual schools is a result of incorporating technology in education. More people are benefiting since classes are more flexible and affordable. There is no all evil in technology. â€Å"Regardless of a student’s socioeconomic status, the number of students carrying their own mobile devices is growing exponentially every year† (Antonioli et al., 2014. 99). This means the platform communication will be available for almost every student in the future. Advancement in technology has increased the use of energy in most cases the oil reserves. This has led to global warming and exposure of radioactive waste on people and the environment. Responsible technologies aim to reduce energy requirements of equipment and generation of environmentally friendly energy. Incorporating technological aspects of learning creates a generation that is receptive to technology, and these create a risk of the irresponsible implementation of the technologies in the future. Technologically oriented education will create efficiency-oriented work that will consider

Gendered-Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gendered-Language - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss aspects of gendered language. Through this, the paper will focus on sociolinguistic variations and the varying aspects employed during conversations. Sociolinguistics is the study of society and language. Sociolinguistics attempts to analyze the social factors which leading to the diversity of human languages, whereas many linguists concentrate on exploring unity under the diversity of human languages. In a nut shell, sociolinguists focus on the differences in languages and variation within a particular society language. As stated earlier, this paper will focus on the aspects of sociolinguistic variations in terms of gender based conversations. For instance, in the past few days when I was walking around, I heard two women chatting and discussing their issues. Naturally, I have never been interested in listening to them sharing their views but on this occasion, their subject attracted my attention. I listened keenly how they were praising their mode of presentation. The first woman was commenting on how her colleague had plaited her hair. â€Å"Jane! You look smart. Who plaited your hair? I like it! † The second woman laughed, showing a sense of appreciation. â€Å"My husband took me out over the weekend where I was plaited. Imagine am proud of him.† The first woman was so curious, â€Å"Do you mind giving me directions so that I may go too? I should be as cute as you look!† â€Å"Oh please, I am not sure of the place, but it was so far that you can’t make it alone. It cost me good money to achieve this. I doubt if can afford. Probably you can look for another salon within this town.† The other woman seemed to break the heart of her colleague so that she could not trace the salon. â€Å"No, I don’t care! I need the same even it means selling part of my other belongings.† The woman replied with a lot of determination. Their conversation continued but I didn’t bother to listen more (Li, 2002). On another occasion when I had gone for a ride to my nearest shopping centre, I engaged in a discussion with my friends who were shaving. At some point, they began discussing on the recent men hair styles. I was keen on the on their dialogue. â€Å"Martin, have you seen my friend’s hair style who arrived recently from abroad? The guy is smart!† One gentleman came up. â€Å"Yeah! But that style isn’t all that new. I’ve seen many people shave like him.† Jack replied with very cool voice. â€Å"In fact I don’t see any need of one straining to cope that style. It may cost you a lot for nothing, after all our nearest barb er shop can do it. You can save that money and do other things other than just shaving.† Most men in the discussion agreed on Jack’s opinion and all seem not to be interested on the topic again. They switched to discussing other issues (Chambers, 2003). From the set of the conversations, it is evident that women and men have different language of approach. Although they could have the same subject of discussion, women could approach differently as men could. In the instance above, women are seen to be admiring each other in the way they have dressed. One could realize how her colleague has plaited her hair and show admiration up to an extent of digging out where and how it can be done. Women are seen to invest much of their time on what the outsiders can see. Although the other woman wants to look beautiful as her fellow, it is clear that the first woman is possessive and wants to own the beauty alone. She tries all the impossibilities to ensure that the efforts

Alcohol and Drugs in College Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alcohol and Drugs in College - Research Paper Example Although leaders of institutions have a major role to curb the abuse that compromises student’s grades and leads to poor public health, they have solely left the responsibility to students. The paper discusses the extent of the problem, causes, and the solution to this problem. Statistics and Prevalence Unlike in the past, taking drugs and consumption of alcohols has become an acceptable culture in many colleges in America. After some years of struggling with the issue, deans and parents seem to have given up, empowering students to continue. Recent statistics reveals that 49.4% of fulltime students between the age 18-22 binge alcohol and abuse other illegal drugs. From a research done in the year 1993 and another done in 2005, levels of abuse have not changed greatly. However, cases of excessive drinking continue to escalate as students consume alcohol more frequently and o higher levels. The same researches reveal that more students have taken up to drugs with an alarming ra te of more than 100%. For instance, marijuana users have doubled, while heroin and cocaine users went up by 52%. Apparently, female students match up their male student counterparts in drinking although women have a bigger share in drinking. Men college students have a bigger share in illicit drug abuse with women more likely to become heavy smokers Many college students start drinking and abusing drugs in junior high school and in high school. They take in small portions because the environment restricts usage can lead to discontinuation if one is caught with this behaviour. On joining college, such students are happy to find an environment that fosters drug abuse and more so, gives the students the freedom to attend or not to attend lectures. Arguably, students who use drugs and alcohol in high school use them twice as often-on joining colleges. The first factor that accelerates this behaviour is that on joining colleges, students experience a wide range of demands on individual, interpersonal, leaving home, peer pressure, and making new friends. In the course of making new friends, they meet with their peers who use drugs and alcohol and get lured into drugs. At the college level, experimenting with illegal drugs is a normal occurrence and an accepted routine done by students ignoring the negative effects of drugs. (Blum 65-7 0). Some students consume alcohol to lessen the stress they go in the process of adapting or to correct some psychological problems they might have. The second cause of drug and alcohol abuse in colleges is genetics and family history. Casa survey found out that 70% of college students confessed that their parent’s expectations influence them on whether how much they drink or use drugs (CASA web). College students with proper upbringing stand against the testing times of their peers and the pressure from their age. In the current America, most parents are absent and do not have time to advice their kids on proper behaviour in school. In addition, they themselves consume a lot of alcohol, from the bars or at times in the house, playing an inspirational role to their college students. The role of parents in fostering abuse comes in where some parents give too much money to their children. Therefore, they have enough to feed on, cloth, pay hostel and buy expensive illegal drugs. Others do not question their children usage of money. They just send them money as and when their

Internet Addiction Essay Example for Free

Internet Addiction Essay Abstract Problematic computer use is a growing social issue which is being debated worldwide. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) ruins lives by causing neurological complications, psychological disturbances, and social problems. Surveys in the United States and Europe have indicated alarming prevalence rates between 1.5 and 8.2% [1]. There are several reviews addressing the definition, classification, assessment, epidemiology, and co-morbidity of IAD [2-5], and some reviews [6-8] addressing the treatment of IAD. The aim of this paper is to give a preferably brief overview of research on IAD and theoretical considerations from a practical perspective based on years of daily work with clients suffering from Internet addiction. Furthermore, with this paper we intend to bring in practical experience in the debate about the eventual inclusion of IAD in the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).Problematic computer use is a growing social issue which is being debated worldwide. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) ruins lives by causing neurological complications, psychological disturbances, and social problems. Surveys in the United States and Europe have indicated alarming prevalence rates between 1.5 and 8.2% [1]. There are several reviews addressing the definition, classification, assessment, epidemiology, and co-morbidity of IAD [2-5], and some reviews [6-8] addressing the treatment of IAD. The aim of this paper is to give a preferably brief overview of research on IAD and theoretical considerations from a practical perspective based on years of daily work with clients suffering from Internet addiction. Furthermore, with this paper we intend to bring in practical experience in the debate about the eventual inclusion of IAD in the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Keywords: Addiction, Computer, Internet, reSTART, Treatment. INTRODUCTION The idea that problematic computer use meets criteria for an addiction, and therefore should be included in the next iteration of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), 4th ed. Text Revision [9] was first proposed by Kimberly Young, PhD in her seminal 1996 paper [10]. Since  that time IAD has been extensively studied and is indeed, currently under consideration for inclusion in the DSM-V [11]. Meanwhile, both China and South Korea have identified Internet addiction as a significant public health threat and both countries support education, research and treatment [12]. In the United States, despite a growing body of research, and treatment for the disorder available in out-patient and in-patient settings, there has been no formal governmental response to the issue of Internet addiction. While the debate goes on about whether or not the DSM-V should designate Internet addiction a mental disorder [12-14] people currently suffering from Internet addiction are seeking treatment. Because of our experience we support the development of uniform diagnostic criteria and the inclusion of IAD in the DSM-V [11] in order to advance public education, diagnosis and treatment of this important disorder. CLASSIFICATION There is ongoing debate about how best to classify the behavior which is characterized by many hours spent in non-work technology-related computer/Internet/video game activities [15]. It is accompanied by changes in mood, preoccupation with the Internet and digital media, the inability to control the amount of time spent interfacing with digital technology, the need for more time or a new game to achieve a desired mood, withdrawal symptoms when not engaged, and a continuation of the behavior despite family conflict, a diminishing social life and adverse work or academic consequences [2, 16, 17]. Some researchers and mental health practitioners see excessive Internet use as a symptom of another disorder such as anxiety or depression rather than a separate entity [e.g. 18]. Internet addiction could be considered an Impulse control disorder (not otherwise specified). Yet there is a growing consensus that this constellation of symptoms is an addiction [e.g. 19]. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) recently released a new definition of addiction as a chronic brain disorder, officially proposing for the first time that addiction is not limited to substance use [20]. All addictions, whether chemical or behavioral, share certain characteristics including salience, compulsive use (loss of control), mood modification and the alleviation of distress, tolerance and withdrawal, and the continuation despite negative consequences. DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR IAD The first serious proposal for diagnostic criteria was advanced in 1996 by Dr. Young, modifying the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling [10]. Since then variations in both name and criteria have been put forward to capture the problem, which is now most popularly known as Internet Addiction Disorder. Problematic Internet Use (PIU) [21], computer addiction, Internet dependence [22], compulsive Internet use, pathological Internet use [23], and many other labels can be found in the literature. Likewise a variety of often overlapping criteria have been proposed and studied, some of which have been validated. However, empirical studies provide an inconsistent set of criteria to define Internet addiction [24]. For an overview see Byun et al. [25]. Beard [2] recommends that the following five diagnostic criteria are required for a diagnosis of Internet addiction: (1) Is preoccupied with the Internet (thinks about previous online activity or anticipate next online session); (2) Needs t o use the Internet with increased amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction; (3) Has made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use; (4) Is restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use; (5) Has stayed online longer than originally intended. Additionally, at least one of the following must be present: (6) Has jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet; (7) Has lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet; (8) Uses the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression) [2]. There has been also been a variety of assessment tools used in evaluation. Young’s Internet Addiction Test [16], the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) developed by Demetrovics, Szeredi, and Pozsa [26] and the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) [27] are all examples of instruments to assess for this disorder. PREVALENCE The considerable variance of the prevalence rates reported for IAD (between 0.3% and 38%) [28] may be attributable to the fact that diagnostic criteria and assessment questionnaires used for diagnosis vary between countries and studies often use highly selective samples of online surveys [7]. In their  review Weinstein and Lejoyeux [1] report that surveys in the United States and Europe have indicated prevalence rates varying between 1.5% and 8.2%. Other reports place the rates between 6% and 18.5% [29]. â€Å"Some obvious differences with respect to the methodologies, cultural factors, outcomes and assessment tools forming the basis for these prevalence rates notwithstanding, the rates we encountered were generally high and sometimes alarming.† [24] ETIOLOGY There are different models available for the development and maintenance of IAD like the cognitive-behavioral model of problematic Internet use [21], the anonymity, convenience and escape (ACE) model [30], the access, affordability, anonymity (Triple-A) engine [31], a phases model of pathological Internet use by Grohol [32], and a comprehensive model of the development and maintenance of Internet addiction by Winkler Dà ¶rsing [24], which takes into account socio-cultural factors (e.g., demographic factors, access to and acceptance of the Internet), biological vulnerabilities (e.g., genetic factors, abnormalities in neurochemical processes), psychological predispositions (e.g., personality characteristics, negative affects), and specific attributes of the Internet to explain â€Å"excessive engagement in Internet activities† [24]. NEUROBIOLOGICAL VULNERABILITIES It is known that addictions activate a combination of sites in the brain associated with pleasure, known together as the â€Å"reward center† or â€Å"pleasure pathway† of the brain [33, 34]. When activated, dopamine release is increased, along with opiates and other neurochemicals. Over time, the associated receptors may be affected, producing tolerance or the need for increasing stimulation of the reward center to produce a â€Å"high† and the subsequent characteristic behavior patterns needed to avoid withdrawal. Internet use may also lead specifically to dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens [35, 36], one of the reward structures of the brain specifically involved in other addictions [20]. An example of the rewarding nature of digital technology use may be captured in the following statement by a 21 year-old male in treatment for IAD: â€Å"I feel technology has brought so much joy into my life. No other activity relaxes me or stimulates me like technolo gy. However, when depression hits, I tend to use technology as a way  of retreating and isolating.† REINFORCEMENT/REWARD What is so rewarding about Internet and video game use that it could become an addiction? The theory is that digital technology users experience multiple layers of reward when they use various computer applications. The Internet functions on a variable ratio reinforcement schedule (VRRS), as does gambling [29]. Whatever the application (general surfing, pornography, chat rooms, message boards, social networking sites, video games, email, texting, cloud applications and games, etc.), these activities support unpredictable and variable reward structures. The reward experienced is intensified when combined with mood enhancing/stimulating content. Examples of this would be pornography (sexual stimulation), video games (e.g. various social rewards, identification with a hero, immersive graphics), dating sites (romantic fantasy), online poker (financial) and special interest chat rooms or message boards (sense of belonging) [29, 37]. BIOLOGICAL PREDISPOSITION There is increasing evidence that there can be a genetic predisposition to addictive behaviors [38, 39]. The theory is that individuals with this predisposition do not have an adequate number of dopamine receptors or have an insufficient amount of serotonin/dopamine [2], thereby having difficulty experiencing normal levels of pleasure in activities that most people would find rewarding. To increase pleasure, these individuals are more likely to seek greater than average engagement in behaviors that stimulate an increase in dopamine, effectively giving them more reward but placing them at higher risk for addiction. MENTAL HEALTH VULNERABILITIES Many researchers and clinicians have noted that a variety of mental disorders co-occur with IAD. There is debate about which came first, the addiction or the co-occurring disorder [18, 40]. The study by Dong et al. [40] had at least the potential to clarify this question, reporting that higher scores for depression, anxiety, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, and psychoticism were consequences of IAD. But due to the limitations of the study further research is necessary. THE TREATMENT OF INTERNET ADDICTION There is a general consensus that total abstinence from the Internet should not be the goal of the interventions and that instead, an abstinence from problematic applications and a controlled and balanced Internet usage should be achieved [6]. The following paragraphs illustrate the various treatment options for IAD that exist today. Unless studies examining the efficacy of the illustrated treatments are not available, findings on the efficacy of the presented treatments are also provided. Unfortunately, most of the treatment studies were of low methodological quality and used an intra-group design. The general lack of treatment studies notwithstanding, there are treatment guidelines reported by clinicians working in the field of IAD. In her book â€Å"Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, and Treatment†, Young [41] offers some treatment strategies which are already known from the cognitive-behavioral approach: (a) practice opposite time of Internet use (discover patientâ €™s patterns of Internet use and disrupt these patterns by suggesting new schedules), (b) use external stoppers (real events or activities prompting the patient to log off), (c) set goals (with regard to the amount of time), (d) abstain from a particular application (that the client is unable to control), (e) use reminder cards (cues that remind the patient of the costs of IAD and benefits of breaking it), (f) develop a personal inventory (shows all the activities that the patient used to engage in or can’t find the time due to IAD), (g) enter a support group (compensates for a lack of social support), and (h) engage in family therapy (addresses relational problems in the family) [41]. Unfortunately, clinical evidence for the efficacy of these strategies is not mentioned. Non-psychological Approaches Some authors examine pharmacological interventions for IAD, perhaps due to the fact that clinicians use psychopharmacology to treat IAD despite the lack of treatment studies addressing the efficacy of pharmacological treatments. In particular, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been used because of the co-morbid psychiatric symptoms of IAD (e.g. depression and anxiety) for which SSRIs have been found to be effective [42-46]. Escitalopram (a SSRI) was used by Dell’Osso et al. [47] to treat 14 subjects with impulsive-compulsive Internet usage disorder. Internet usage  decreased significantly from a mean of 36.8 hours/week to a baseline of 16.5 hours/week. In another study Han, Hwang, and Renshaw [48] used bupropion (a non-tricyclic antidepressant) and found a decrease of craving for Internet video game play, total game play time, and cue-induced brain activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex after a six week period of bupropion sustained release treatment. Methylphenidate (a psycho stimulant drug) was used by Han et al. [49] to treat 62 Internet video game-playing children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. After eight weeks of treatment, the YIAS-K scores and Internet usage times were significantly reduced and the authors cautiously suggest that methylphenidate might be evaluated as a potential treatment of IAD. According to a study by Shapira et al. [50], mood stabilizers might also improve the symptoms of IAD. In addition to these studies, there are some case reports of patients treated with escitalopram [45], citalopram (SSRI)- quetiapine (antipsychotic) combination [43] and naltrexone (an opioid receptor antagonist) [51]. A few authors mentioned that physical exercise could compensate the decrease of the dopamine level due to decreased online usage [52]. In addition, sports exercise prescriptions used in the course of cognitive behavioral group therapy may enhance the effect of the intervention for IAD [53]. Psychological Approaches Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centered yet directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving client ambivalence [54]. It was developed to help individuals give up addictive behaviors and learn new behavioral skills, using techniques such as open-ended questions, reflective listening, affirmation, and summarization to help individuals express their concerns about change [55]. Unfortunately, there are currently no studies addressing the efficacy of MI in treating IAD, but MI seems to be moderately effective in the areas of alcohol, drug addiction, and diet/exercise problems [56]. Peukert et al. [7] suggest that interventions with family members or other relatives like â€Å"Community Reinforcement and Family Training† [57] could be useful in enhancing the motivation of an addict to cut back on Internet use, although the reviewers remark that control studies with relatives do not exist to date. Reality therapy (RT) is supposed t o encourage individuals to choose to improve their  lives by committing to change their behavior. It includes sessions to show clients that addiction is a choice and to give them training in time management; it also introduces alternative activities to the problematic behavior [58]. According to Kim [58], RT is a core addiction recovery tool that offers a wide variety of uses as a treatment for addictive disorders such as drugs, sex, food, and works as well for the Internet. In his RT group counseling program treatment study, Kim [59] found that the treatment program effectively reduced addiction level and improved self-esteem of 25 Internet-addicted university students in Korea. Twohig and Crosby [60] used an Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) protocol including several exercises adjusted to better fit the issues with which the sample struggles to treat six adult males suffering from problematic Internet pornography viewing. The treatment resulted in an 85% reduction in viewing at post-treatment with results being maintained at the three month follow-up (83% reduction in viewing pornography). Widyanto and Griffith [8] report that most of the treatments employed so far had utilized a cognitive-behavioral approach. The case for using cognitive-behavioral therap y (CBT) is justified due to the good results in the treatment of other behavioral addictions/impulse-control disorders, such as pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating-disorders [61]. Wà ¶lfling [5] described a predominantly behavioral group treatment including identification of sustaining conditions, establishing of intrinsic motivation to reduce the amount of time being online, learning alternative behaviors, engagement in new social real-life contacts, psycho-education and exposure therapy, but unfortunately clinical evidence for the efficacy of these strategies is not mentioned. In her study, Young [62] used CBT to treat 114 clients suffering from IAD and found that participants were better able to manage their presenting problems post-treatment, showing improved motivation to stop abusing the Internet, improved ability to control their computer use, improved ability to function in offline relationships, improved ability to abstain from sexually explicit online material, improved ability to engage in offline activities, and improved ability to achieve sobriety from problematic applications. Cao, Su and Gao [63] investigated the effect of group CBT on 29 middl e school students with IAD and found that IAD scores of the experimental group were lower than of the control group  after treatment. The authors also reported improvement in psychological function. Thirty-eight adolescents with IAD were treated with CBT designed particularly for addicted adolescents by Li and Dai [64]. They found that CBT has good effects on the adolescents with IAD (CIAS scores in the therapy group were significant lower than that in the control group). In the experimental group the scores of depression, anxiety, compulsiveness, self-blame, illusion, and retreat were significantly decreased after treatment. Zhu, Jin, and Zhong [65] compared CBT and electro acupuncture (EA) plus CBT assigning forty-seven patients with IAD to one of the two groups respectively. The authors found that CBT alone or combined with EA can significantly reduce the score of IAD and anxiety on a self-rating scale and improve self-conscious health status in patients with IAD, but the effect obtained by the combined therapy was better. Multimodal Treatments A multimodal treatment approach is characterized by the implementation of several different types of treatment in some cases even from different disciplines such as pharmacology, psychotherapy and family counseling simultaneously or sequentially. Orzack and Orzack [66] mentioned that treatments for IAD need to be multidisciplinary including CBT, psychotropic medication, family therapy, and case managers, because of the complexity of these patients’ problems. In their treatment study, Du, Jiang, and Vance [67] found that multimodal school-based group CBT (including parent training, teacher education, and group CBT) was effective for adolescents with IAD (n = 23), particularly in improving emotional state and regulation ability, behavioral and self-management style. The effect of another multimodal intervention consisting of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), family therapy, and CT was investigated among 52 adolescents with IAD in China. After three months of treatment, the scores on an IAD scale (IAD-DQ), the scores on the SCL-90, and the amount of time spent online decreased significantly [68]. Orzack et al. [69] used a psychoeducational program, which combines psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral theoretical perspectives, using a combination of Readiness to Change (RtC), CBT and MI interventions to treat a group of 35 men involved in problematic Internet-enabled sexual behavior (IESB). In this group treatment, the quality of life increased and the level of depressive symptoms decreased  after 16 (weekly) treatment sessions, but the level of problematic Internet use failed to decrease significantly [69]. Internet addiction related symptom scores significantly decreased after a group of 23 middle school students with IAD were treated with Behavioral Therapy (BT) or CT, detoxification treatment, psychosocial rehabilitation, personality modeling and parent training [70]. Therefore, the authors concluded that psychotherapy, in particular CT and BT were effective in treating middle school students with IAD. Shek, Tang, and Lo [71] described a multi-level counseling program designed for young people with IAD based on the responses of 59 clients. Findings of this study suggest this multi-level counseling program (including counseling, MI, family perspective, case work and group work) is promising to help young people with IAD. Internet addiction symptom scores significantly decreased, but the program failed to increase psychological well-being significantly. A six-week group counseling program (including CBT, social competence training, training of self-control strategies and training of communication skills) was shown to be effective on 24 Internet-addicted college students in China [72]. The authors reported that the adapted CIAS-R scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group post-treatment. The reSTART Program The authors of this article are currently, or have been, affiliated with the reSTART: Internet Addiction Recovery Program [73] in Fall City, Washington. The reSTART program is an inpatient Internet addiction recovery program which integrates technology detoxification (no technology for 45 to 90 days), drug and alcohol treatment, 12 step work, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), experiential adventure based therapy, Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), brain enhancing interventions, animal assisted therapy, motivational interviewing (MI), mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP), Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR), interpersonal group psychotherapy, individual psychotherapy, individualized treatments for co-occurring disorders, psycho- educational groups (life visioning, addiction education, communication and assertiveness training, social skills, life skills, Life balance plan), aftercare treatments (monitoring of technology use, ongoing psychotherapy and group work), a nd continuing care (outpatient treatment) in an individualized, holistic approach. The first  results from an ongoing OQ45.2 [74] study (a self-reported measurement of subjective discomfort, interpersonal relationships and social role performance assessed on a weekly basis) of the short-term impact on 19 adults who complete the 45+ days program showed an improved score after treatment. Seventy-four percent of participants showed significant clinical improvement, 21% of participants showed no reliable change, and 5% deteriorated. The results have to be regarded as preliminary due to the small study sample, the self-report measurement and the lack of a control group. Despite these limitations, there is evidence that the program is responsible for most of the improvements demonstrated. CONCLUSION As can be seen from this brief review, the field of Internet addiction is advancing rapidly even without its official recognition as a separate and distinct behavioral addiction and with continuing disagreement over diagnostic criteria. The ongoing debate whether IAD should be classified as an (behavioral) addiction, an impulse-control disorder or even an obsessive compulsive disorder cannot be satisfactorily resolved in this paper. But the symptoms we observed in clinical practice show a great deal of overlap with the symptoms commonly associated with (behavioral) addictions. Also it remains unclear to this day whether the underlying mechanisms responsible for the addictive behavior are the same in different types of IAD (e.g., online sexual addiction, online gaming, and excessive surfing). From our practical perspective the different shapes of IAD fit in one category, due to various Internet specific commonalities (e.g., anonymity, riskless interaction), commonalities in the underlying behavior (e.g., avoidance, fear, pleasure, entertainment) and overlapping symptoms (e.g., the increased amount of time spent online, preoccupation and other signs of addiction). Nevertheless more research has to be done to substantiate our clinical impression. Despite several methodological limitations, the strength of this work in comparison to other reviews in the international body of literature addressing the definition, classification, assessment, epidemiology, and co-morbidity of IAD [2-5], and to reviews [6-8] addressing the treatment of IAD, is that it connects theoretical considerations with the clinical practice of interdisciplinary mental health experts working for years in the field of Internet addiction. Furthermore, the current work gives a good  overview of the current state of research in the field of internet addiction treatment. Despite the limitations stated above this work gives a brief overview of the current state of research on IAD from a practical perspective and can therefore be seen as an important and helpful paper for further research as well as for clinical practice in particular.

Analysis of Where have all the parents gone

Analysis of Where have all the parents gone   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the movie, Child of Divorce, a young girls parents got divorced; this affected her physically and mentally. This is an example in the society today, as each child sees their parents fighting and arguing, which lead to divorcing, it will affect them as they grow older because a child has to choose between two parents to live with. Nowadays, there is a higher percentage of divorce of a childs parents and others just stayed single. What aspects should of a childs life should be a Parent control? All aspects should be control until a child reaches an independent stage of making the right decisions in his or her life. In addition, what happened to the loving parents? All parents are too busy to have time for their children or have a family dinner every night. Furthermore, what are parents job descriptions? One would be being a role model to their kids so as they grow each kid would be able to follow their parents footsteps to be successful. Another would be to training them as grown, mature and independent person. In the article, Where Have All the Parents Gone? by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, she talked about the social issue towards children being our future and she expressed her opinions about parents should be responsible for raising their children because most parents are too busy working to be involve in their own childs life, which will cause them to make wrong decisions. Also, as the generation grows, little by little the society changed because parents became brutally murderers to their own children and children rebelled. As a result, I agree with Whiteheads article because parents are responsible for their own childrens actions for them to be independent, spending time with their children will built up a relationship, and teaching them their values will make them appreciate what parents do for them. First, children should be independent by their parents guiding them through their life. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] virtually every child in America grows up in a family with one or more parents. Parents house children. Parents feed children. Parents clothe children. Parents nurture and protect children. Parents instruct children in everything from using a fork to driving (Whitehead 224). This demonstrates that parents are guiding their children from being an immature child to a mature grown up by making feel them the love that parents give them. As the children grows older, they will eventually realized what their parents taught them will be useful and helpful. They could be independent without relying on their parents. Furthermore, it is important that teaching their children from right and wrong, helping them with their decisions from right and wrong will lead to having a trust within themselves, so that they could go on with their own lives with what they learned from their parents. Second, if the parents spend more time with their kids, it will build up a stronger family relationship. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] a second income became essential. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] struggling to pay the bills, l parents seems to be short-changing their children in another way. They werent spending enough time with their kids [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] (Whitehead 226). This demonstrates that parents should be able to balance their time for work and family because even though they need to make salary to pay for their bills. There should not be a reason why they can not have time to spend time with their children. Each parents decided to have children for a reason, which is to build a family on their own and to be proud parents when their kids succeed on becoming a doctor, nurse and so forth. In addition, being a parent is not a easy job; however they should think it thoroughly having kids because what is the use of having kids when a parent all he or she does is work and not have time to spend with t heir kids. For example, the parents should be able to teach their kids how to cook, how to bake, help them with their homework and so forth. Therefore, in the future, when their own kids have children, they will imitate what their parents did to them to their children, which is always working and not have time for their children. Third, parents should be teaching their values to their children, so their children will appreciate what parents do for them. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] most important, they werent teaching good values (Whitehead 226). This demonstrates that parents does not have time to even teach their children their values, so how can their children learn from them when they are suppose to be their role models. For example, each parent has different culture or history background, they should teach their children the values of their religion/culture and history of they originated from. In addition, many young women gets pregnant at a young age, which shows that parents should watch over their children more often and protect them for their own safety plus educate them how education is important to finish for their future. Also, it is important to show the significance of the parents values because when the parents die, their children will be able to carry this values and pass it to their future children, so it will be pass through generation by generation. In conclusion, Parents should be able to show their values to their children so they would be more appreciated from their children. There should not be excuses or reasons why parents do not have time for their children. Even though, parents are struggling, they should be able to show their children how they can face their problems without committing crime. Also, parents should be able to express their love for their children, so they can feel the love of their parents. Lastly, educating their children will make them successful, teaching them their values will make them appreciate their parents and have a future. Work Cited Whitehead, Barbara Dafoe. Where Have All The Parents Gone? 75 Readings: An Anthology. 11th ed. Ed. Santi V. Buscemi, Charlotte Smith. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2010.222-229.Print.

The French Revolution :: European Europe History

The French Revolution Gradually after the American Revolution, France had it's own Revolution in 1789. The French were very unhappy with their current status, jobs, and living conditions. They saw what the Americans did to achieve liberty, and how successful they were. Many of them had also read the writings of the philosophers and believed that change was necessary. Nevertheless, the main problems that led to the French Revolution were deep debt, competition between social classes, and the unlawful conduct of the king. Debt was one of the problems that led France toward a Revolution. France was badly in debt after participating in the American Revolution and after Kings Louis XIV's and Louis XVI's enormous expenses. In order to save France from bankruptcy, Louis XVI called on the Estates General for help. The Estates General was made up of the First (clergy), Second (nobility), and Third (everyone else) Estate. However there was a lot of conflict within the Third Estate, because it was made up of everyone who was not part of the royal family, clergy, or nobility. The Third Estate was very unsatisfied because although it contained over 80 percent of the population, it still had the same one vote as the other two Estates with fewer people. Thus it re-named itself the National Assembly in June of 1789 and claimed itself the representative body of the people. The Assembly did not aid the King in his financial troubles, yet it demanded many changes to France's absolute monarchy and legislative system. Many of the laws that were passed in France had also become extremely burdensome to the common people because they excluded the clergy and nobility from paying taxes. Louis XVI tried to help the economy, by raising taxes in 1786. But this only made matters worse, because peasants were unable to pay. Harvest was also poor and food very expensive. People were enraged of hearing stories of lavish parties at the fine houses and palaces, where a lot of food was served, which was either wasted or given to the dogs afterwards. The demand for manufactured goods fell, and many artisans, traders and farmers were without work. People were angry and began to revolt. In July of 1789, they stormed the Bastille killing many people, and in October of 1789 angry middleclass women marched to Versailles demanding that the royal family move to Paris and action be taken to help feed the people.

Politics In The Gilded Age Essay -- essays research papers

Politics in the Gilded Age Discuss Politics in the Gilded Age. Include major political events and issues, and the roles of the â€Å"bloody shirt,† corruption, patronage, and reform movements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term Gilded Age was named for a Mark Twain book. It meant covered with gold, and was applied to this period as a whole. This was a period of corruption in sordid politics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Republicans and Democrats didn’t really have strong opposing beliefs during this period. The Republicans supported high tariffs and sound money. The Democrats supported lower tariffs and expanded currency. Both rural and urban classes supported each party. They worked with spoils and local issues. Both parties worked to please everyone, and to attract voters. Since both parties were so close in strength, it caused the elections to be fought harder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Republicans used the waving of the bloody shirt tactic. This meant that they brought back the past in order to avoid the real issues. They portrayed the Democrats as rebel traitors. The Republicans were against alcohol. The Stalwarts were led by Senator Conkling from New York and were the hard core machine of elections. Senator Blaine led the Half-Breeds from Maine, and they wanted to be in control of it all. The mugwumps were a group that turned Democrat because of the corruption of the Republican presidential nominee, Senator Blaine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &nbs...

nuclear bomb history :: essays research papers

The United States stored nuclear weapons in 27 countries and territories around the globe during the Cold War, according to "Where They Were," the cover story in the November/December issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The article, by three noted nuclear weapons analysts, is based upon a newly declassified Pentagon history released under a Freedom of Information Act request originally filed in 1985. During the Cold War, 18 sovereign nations and nine former or current American territories or possessions hosted U.S. nuclear weapons. Today, the United States is the only nuclear power that deploys nuclear weapons overseas. U.S. bombs remain stationed in Belgium, Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. "We can now fill in many gaps in the history of the arms race and the Cold War," says Robert S. Norris, a Natural Resources Defense Council senior analyst and a co-author of the article. "Until now, there has never been official information on where, when, and what kinds of nuclear weapons were deployed overseas, and finally we have authoritative information about their presence in such surprising places as Japan, Greenland, Iceland and Taiwan." The authors also found that during the peak years in the early 1970s, the United States had more than 7,000 nuclear weapons in NATO countries in Europe, and more than 2,000 on land in the Pacific. A variety of naval vessels, including aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates and attack submarines, routinely carried another 3,000 nuclear weapons. Altogether, the United States deployed 38 types of nuclear weapon systems abroad. Germany was home for 21 U.S. weapon systems, which were first installed in 1955. Guam hosted 20 types and the Japanese island of Okinawa, while under U.S. occupation, hosted 19. William M. Arkin, a co-author of the article, points out that while historians knew that nuclear weapons were stored in some countries, they were unaware about others and knew nothing of the details. The Pentagon document, he says, fundamentally revises post-war nuclear history. "There isn’t a nuclear analyst alive who didn’t believe that the first U.S. nuclear weapons deployed overseas were sent to Britain," he says. "Now we know they actually went to Morocco first." Arkin also is the co-author of "Nuclear Battlefields" (1985), the first book to document the worldwide nuclear infrastructure. "Where they Were" is based upon the formerly top secret study, "History of the Custody and Deployment of Nuclear Weapons: July 1945 through September 1977," which was prepared by the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1978.

Revenue Recognition Convergence

Holzmann, Oscar J. â€Å"Revenue recognition convergence: The contract-based model. † Journal Of Corporate Accounting & Finance (Wiley) 22, no. 6 (2011): 87-92. The article â€Å"Revenue Recognition Convergence: The Contract-Based Model† is all about revenue recognition. It begins by explaining the conceptual background information to give you an overview of what revenue recognition is both in the US and internationally. Part of this section also discusses what problems have been found with revenue recognition. Because of these problems, the international and US boards have proposed an adoption of the â€Å"contract-based revenue recognition model. This standard would apply to all contacts between companies and their customers, with some exceptions. There are five steps to this revenue recognition model. These steps are discussed individually within the article. The steps are (1) identify the contract, (2) identify the performance obligation(s), (3) determine the trans action price, (4) allocate the transaction price to separate performance obligations, and (5) recognize revenue. After the descriptions of each step, the article goes on to explain onerous performance obligations, contract cost, presentation, and disclosure.Each of these are important topics and will be on the re-exposure of the exposure draft in the coming years. The book for this class begins talking about revenue recognition in chapter five on page 197. The section of the book that more closely relates to this article starts on pages 203 and its called IASB-FASB Revenue Recognition Project. This explains a little about the joint exposure draft from the IASB and FASB. Also, like the article it discusses the five steps in recognizing revenue. These steps are listed in the above paragraph.It explains each of the steps just enough to understand what it is without confusing you. The section finishes by giving a little more information on the exposure draft. I was in the class group th at did our presentation over revenue recognition, so a lot of this information looked very familiar. It is good to see the same information in different reliable sources. Overall I find this article to be very informative and easy to read and understand. If I didn’t do the group project over the same topic, I would have still been able to understand and comprehend the information in the article.

Human Linguistics and the Importance of Second Language Learning in Modern Living Essay

Language is among the most basic necessities for a person to live. Be it thru oral or written communication, it is inherent in every person to connect with the world. As the world becomes more complicated with all the things that are written about speech, language, and communication in general, it reveals itself as an indispensible part of human life. Now, it implicates more needs than the usual. The basic need for understanding and being understood has branched out to issues about global interconnectedness, political and economic dealings, and cultural relations among others. And it continues to take on several roles in nation-building and for the promotion of social mobility and employment. The advent of technology only makes it even harder for people to stop communicating with the rest of the populace. There is a wide variety of languages in the world right now. â€Å"Biologists studying communication among living beings in general [may think that]—all are relatively minor variations on the single theme of Human language† (Anderson, 2005). But from the point of view of a linguistics expert, the variations in types of sentence construction, pronunciation, and other rules governing languages are very important differences that imply causes yet undiscovered. These examples delineate the function of the biologists’ view of communication and the linguists’ of the same process. It is true indeed that there are more than one ways to look at something but seeing the communication process through different lenses provide more a single way to understand the phenomena. In doing so, people are able to form a holistic view of the process of communication and how it affects human life. The Role of Human Language At this point, language takes on bigger roles which may affect greater humanity. From simply being a medium of sharing how people think of or feel as of the moment, it has become rather an important part of creating human identity. And with the individual identities created by language, it becomes the precursor in creating a national identity (through the shared identities of many individuals living in the same geographical location). People might begin to wonder: why human identity? These may be two separate ideas but in fact they are closely related to each other. Language is directly related to the person and his country of origin. We were given the basic knowledge that those who speak Chinese came from China, people who speak Russian are from Russia, and so on. When our ancestors devised names for the different languages around the world, the name of the country speaking that language was used to identify the language spoken. It might not have any implication during those times and was only done to make things easier for people to remember. But now that people have taken the time to analyze the effect of this naming convention, language has indeed become instrumental to creating identity for people. The prevailing notion of people â€Å"’having’ a language, which is equated to ‘belonging’ to an origin group† (Urciuoli, 1995) is perfectly logical. But then again, because of the proliferation of foreign language studies, specific languages cannot be exclusive to just one place or country any more. In particular, English is not only for the people in England or America. English varieties have come about which decentralized the use of the language. While language origins can still be identified, other nationalities already have the capacity to speak the same. This concept will be discussed further in the latter pages. Human Beings in Terms of a Speaker of a Language Unique to Them Being able to speak a language means mastering the abstractions of the language codes. Semantics, as the study of signs, is an important tradition of thought in communication theory† (Stephen W, 2008). Often times, the theory of semantics are used to explain why words are not really the images that we think of but are rather representation of truth. â€Å"The meaning is arbitrarily assigned† (What is Language, 2006). Therefore, the speaker of a particular language is a person who was able to understand and make sense of the abstraction. This abstraction contributes to the creation of the person’s perception and language skills. And if you will notice, the primary language that a person learned is vital in the subsequent languages that he will study. For example, native Korean speakers might be able to study and speak the English language but often times they are not able to eliminate the â€Å"e† sound after every English word they say. This only proves that the prior language learned by a non-native English speaker is able to influence subsequent languages studied throughout his lifetime. Notwithstanding the presence of Language Acquisition Devices, a person may or may not be successful in learning a new language but if he is then the prior influence will be evident in the newly learned language. The Role of Second/Foreign Language Foreign language becomes even more important now that the world is geared towards globalization. With much concerted effort to adopt a common language, which is English as of the moment, all other countries strive to educate their citizens in communicating using that foreign language. â€Å"Marshall McLuhan was the first person to popularize the concept of a global village and to consider its social effects† (Stewart, 2010). Those who fail to appreciate this effort do not acknowledge the fact that in the global village, the barrier-less communication paves the way for three phenomena: 1. Global information dissemination for improved understanding between nations. 2. It is also the appreciation of cultures other than your own. 3. Aids in the self-actualization of the second language learner. The first phenomenon is plain and simple. If you are going to look at the job of the ambassadors, it looks as if it’s all prestige and fun. In fact, it is predominantly driven by hard work. It is extremely difficult to make great relationships with other countries because there will always be a reason to be skeptical of something you are not familiar with. That is the reason why ambassadors find time to learn the language of the countries where they will be assigned: because insisting on speaking a different language might take its toll upon the relations of the ambassador’s country to the country of assignment. The second phenomena are also something simple which has profound implications at the end of the day. Reasons for Speaking Foreign Language Using the logic that language is culture, learning another language is therefore a way to expose one’s self to another group of people’s way of living. As you immerse yourself in the language, the culture goes with it and in a matter of months the foreign language learner will know whether he likes and would want to continue studying that foreign language. The satisfaction As of today, learning a foreign language has become a necessity. It doesn’t have to be a â€Å"dominant† language for it to be learned by anyone. Although English has become a very popular language to study (considering the political and economic influence of the United States to the rest of the world), studying the language of a small country with not much of an influence to the world can happen because of various reasons. For one, travelling often to a particular place would make a person want to study the language of the person. Or probably, a person who plans to study or work abroad needs to learn the language of the country first before he is cleared at the immigration office. And still, there are underlying reasons behind this. It is probably caused by the need to communicate in the native tongue of the people in that country. Communicating through their native language lends them the feeling of being part of the place. Whereas, not knowing the language alienates the person—it becomes obvious that he is an â€Å"outsider† because he doesn’t know how to speak the language. Another reason for studying a foreign language is to increase the cultural capital of a person. This concept was proposed by Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist. He argued that â€Å"these ‘advantages’ stem from the institutionalization of ‘criteria of evaluation’ in schools†¦ which are favorable to a particular class or classes† (Bourdieu, 1977). It must be noted that a couple of decades back, learning a second language is exclusive for those in the upper class of the social triangle—being able to speak another language becomes a status symbol. But that was true in the past years. Nowadays, there are many ways for a person to learn another language without having to spend a lot of money. One way is by subscribing to free online language tutorials. Nevertheless, even if this language skill is already available to most people, the concept of cultural capital is still there. And the person who knows more languages has the advantage. A rather intrinsic motivation for learning a new language is the appreciation of that particular language and the culture that is associated with it. Adopting this kind of perspective will make the process of learning a language enjoyable and â€Å"less results-oriented† (Tender, 2008). The motivational approach of this kind of learning allows the second language learner to appreciate the value of the language prior to learning it. It is rather encouraging for the person to learn the language continuously because the benefit is achieved intrinsically. The Role of the Second Language Teacher Apparently, there are â€Å"benefits and advantages to those who take the time to explore the language of a culture different than their own† (What is the Importance of Learning a Second Language? ). And whatever these benefits and advantages are, it is the duty of the second language teacher to make his/her students realize it. The role of a second language teacher takes on a support role which motivates the student every step of the way. By doing so, the students therefore realize the importance of what they are doing and will adopt a learning mechanism in which the rewards are rather intrinsic. It is also not enough for the second language teacher to stop at teaching grammar and syntax rules. More important than teaching the language is teaching them why they wanted to study the language in the first place. Often times, those teachers who elicit a compelling need for their students to study the language are the ones who are most successful with their teaching career. They do not stop at the superficial level of teaching a language but rather delve on the subjective inferences of asking the question â€Å"why†. Also, like any other teacher, a second language teacher is an agent of change. The author says that these people are agents of change because they are able to arm the students with the right kind of knowledge to face the global village. A person who knows how to speak a language other than his native tongue is able to communicate more effectively. And by doing so, they are also able to spur changes in their surroundings. Suppose that a foreign exchange student is well adept at using the language of his/her host country. That student is empowered to make a difference in the lives of his host family and host institution by sharing his thoughts and ideals through the language used in that place. And he/she will only be able to do so if his/her foreign language teacher was able to act as an agent of change to the student. As a final word, different teachers can assume different roles in different situations. It may be that at one point a teacher is task-oriented (meaning the teacher is focused on how each activity or lesson will improve the language skills of the students). Another is that the teacher can also be a counselor or a colleague which are both supportive in nature. Their mindset is to join the students along the way and help them as if they are both on the same ground. Lastly, the motivational teacher is focused on how he will be able to create more value out of the student’s learning experience. Often times, the motivational teacher does not teach the language concepts in isolation with the benefits and necessity of learning such. These two ideas are intertwined to create more significance for every lesson. As of today, we are still on the lookout for teachers who are able to balance the different facets of teaching roles. But â€Å"generally, all the teachers are preoccupied with task-related functions, treating the aspect of motivation and interpersonal roles as a useful but not an indispensable addition† (The role of the foreign language teacher in the classroom — the teachers† beliefs and role behavior versus the students† expectations. , 2002) Conclusion Ultimately, language will be an important part of our lives. No matter what differences will come about in the upcoming years it will continue to become the medium by which people are to express their thoughts and ideas. Moreover, this will significantly increase the need for people to use language in nation-building purposes and for the betterment of the society where they belong to. Bibliography Anderson, S. R. (2005, April). How Many Languages are There in the World? Retrieved July 10, 2010, from Linguistics Society of America: http://www. lsadc. org/info/pdf_files/howmany. pdf Andrea A. Lunsford, j. J. (2001). Everything’s an Argument. Massachusetts: Bedford St. Martin’s. Bourdieu, P. (1977). Cultural Reproduction and Social Reproduction. New York: Oxford University Press. Davis, W. (1952). Practical World Language. The Science News-letter , 10-11. Met, M. (n. d. ). Improving Student’s capacity on Learning Foreign Language. Phi Delta Kappan , 214-218. Mulford, G. W. (1989). Semantic Processing for Communicative Exercises in Foreign-Language Learning . Computers and the Humanities , 31-44. Rampton, B. (2002). Ritual and Foreign Language Practices at School . Language in Society , 491-525. Stephen W, L. K. (2008). Theories of Human Communication. California: Thomson Wadsworth. Stevens, G. (1999). Age at Immigration and Second Language Proficiency among Foreign-Born Adults. Language in Society , 555-578. Stewart, B. (2010, March 13). Marshall McLuhan Foresees The Global Village. Retrieved July 9, 2010, from Living Internet: http://www. livinginternet. com/i/ii_mcluhan. htm Tender, A. M. (2008). About The Linguistic Constitution of Social Space: The Case of Estonia. TRAMES , 151-182. The role of the foreign language teacher in the classroom — the teachers† beliefs and role behavior versus the students† expectations. (2002). Studia Anglica Posnaniensia: international review of English Studies . Urciuoli, B. (1995). Language and Borders. Annual Review of Anthropology , 525-546. What is Language. (2006, August 31). Retrieved July 9, 2010, from Language and Culture: http://anthro. palomar. edu/language/language_2. htm What is the Importance of Learning a Second Language? (n. d. ).

Racism, Asian American, and Everything in Between Essay

Have you ever watched the news about racism on television? News on racism on a certain race of people has been a news breaker a couple of times this last few years. This issue is now global and is concerning quite a lot of people. Imagine if you are suffering the same faith as this people. We don’t need people with IQ level of 160 to conclude that it is not the situation most people want to be at. If you then think that racism is only limited to the harassment of African American, then you are definitely wrong. Racism is universal; it could be done to any group or type of people. Yes, this matter is definitely not off-limit to the Asian American group. You might be asking, as you have read the paragraph above, what is racism? Racism is when someone believes that one or more person is less than human (Anti-Defamation League). Cases of racism are big trouble in America nowadays. The averages of 20000 racial discrimination cases were filed every year (Racial Discrimination). And in 2009, number of Asian American bullying incident in Fels High school reached the number of 138. These large numbers have increase 60 percent from the amount of assault that happen last year (Miller). On October 6 2009, massive incident involving Asians students broke out at South Philadelphia High. Around 30 kids simultaneously attack five Asians students at the Synder Avenue subway station. This attack sends a couple of victims to the hospital. Asians students continued living in fear after that incident (Miller). These types of assault didn’t only happen in the 20th century. One of the most famous cases was probably the case of Vincent Chin in 1982. Two white American, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz beat Vincent to death. He was mistaken to be a Japanese, although he was actually a Chinese American. The two men who murdered Vincent were put on trial but came out of court with no time in jail at all. They were only told to pay $3.700 fine and two years probation. Even though what they did was equivalent to second-degree murder, the judge reduced the charges of manslaughter, leaving them free out of jail (Asian Nation). The many cases involving racism to the Asian American have brought a birth  of a couple organizations. One of them is the Asian American Justice Center, found in 1991. Their goal is to move forward the human and civil right of Asian American. They are also struggling to create an equalize society for everyone. Their programs include, Anti-Asian Violence & Race Relations, emergency preparedness, health issues, and many more (Asian Justice). Other organizations include Yellow Face, Asian Law Caucus, Asian Nation and others (National Resources). Every problem in this world must have they own resolution. Problems need to be brought to closure and not be left hanging without a solution. We had seen a couple of organization working towards this problem. One of the actions is the campaign that had been done by the Asian American Justice Center. They conduct classes to taught adult English, watch out for lawsuit that is showing injustice to all Asian American (Asian Justice). School in Philadelphia have switch staffs and strictly prohibited racism in the school. Assaults involving Asian students have now been acknowledged and it was a forbidden act that will not be repeated. Parents, teachers and students that had been harassed all gathered and talk about these problems together (Miller). This is a very clever solution, where everyone then could work together to bring an end to these racial issues. Cases involving the racial assault toward Asian American are a definitely tremendous problems. These problems have now gone too far, and a proper settlement is needed to stop this complication. Unresolved matter like this will only drag people deeper to the hole. Numbers of cases involving racism will just keep on piling up. People who are hurt and is living in fear will be forced to do that longer. If we don’t stop this mess then it will keep on entangling people in it. We can help and fix this problem. We can fight it back, and we can then one day shout freedom right at the ears of those Asian American. Works Cited Anti Defamation League. Anti Defamation League, 2011. Web. 22 Sept 2011. Advancing Equality. Asian American Justice Center, 2011. Web. 22 Sept 2011. Civil Rights Law Firms. Civil Rights Law Firms, 2011. Web. 22 Sept 2011. Embracing The Oneness of Humankind. The National Resource Center for the Healing of Racism. Web. 22 Sept 2011. Le, C.N. Anti Asian Racism and Violence. Asian Nation, 2011. Web. 22 Sept 2011. Miller, G.W. Philadelphia Weekly. Philadelphia Weekly, 1 Sept 2009. Web. 15 Sept 2011.

European Women’s History Essay

The role of women in society has greatly evolved. Prior to the emergence of today’s modern world, women were restricted and confined by the norms and dictates of society. Gender inequality greatly prevailed especially during the early societies. There was little room for progress for women. More often than not, women were prohibited from pursuing careers. Such personal growth was attributed solely to men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, with the evolution of the society came the change in perception of the role of women. It can be said the change in society’s perception with regards to the role of women was initiated by the querelle des femmes, or the debate over women. Such debate began in the 14th century and lasted until the 18th century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the said period, various questions were raised with regards to how women should be viewed or treated in society. The status of women in society became the center of the debate. Questions regarding the rights of women as well as their capabilities were likewise raised. Misogyny was likewise an important issue that continuously raged on in the debate. Primarily, the basic question that emerged was regarding the capability of women for rational thought. Men and women argued on whether women are rational beings who could determine what is logical and rational. In other words, such question dealt with whether women have the ability to make decisions on their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From such debate emerged the changes in society’s perception over the role and status of women. Various assumptions were developed and were brought about the long debates and arguments. Among the most vital assumptions that were developed was one that concluded that women were indeed rational beings. Women were capable of rational thought and thereby had the inherent ability to make decisions for themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To supplement such nature of women, education for women was encouraged. Many philosophers argued that educating women was vital in order to establish their place in society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, it is not only with the querelle des femmes that questions over the role and status of women were argued upon. Such questions were continuously discussed even with the emergence of the enlightenment period. In both cases though, gender equality was the main point of debate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another assumption that emerged from such debates dealt with the fact that the role of women is society is a product not just of misogyny of men but with the education of women. Before the said period, women were educated in such a way that they would become submissive to men. Such mindset is one of the reasons why women were viewed as inferior beings in society. With the emergence of women writers in the aforementioned periods, the call for a change in the education of women began to emerge. The15th to 18th centuries saw an abundance of literary works that called for equal education between men and women. As previously mentioned, education was one of the key questions in the debate. Moreover, such literary pieces called for society to treat women as intellectual equals of men. In other words, the proponents of the movement demanded that women be considered intellectuals and thus be given intellectual education. It was no longer enough that women be trained to become mere housewives. The debate changed the type of education that women usually received. The debate reformed the view that women were ignorant and that they were only capable of performing household duties. With the many arguments raised in the centuries-long debate, such perceived nature of women was changed. The pro-women stand had several proponents. Each of them took on the battle using their pen and paper. It is through literature that women combated the misogynists of the time. Various literary works emerged that tackled the many questions that arose from the querelle des femmes. Women writers were at the forefront of the battle for a reformation of women’s rights and more importantly, the nature and role of women in society. The negative view of women was tackled directly and indirectly through prose and poetry. In each literary work, women writers such as Pizan and Wollstonecraft signified women’s desire to be considered as equal of men. More importantly, such works pinpointed the wanting of women to be viewed as intellectuals who deserve the proper training and education that will allow them to pursue further personal growth and development. The pen served as the weapon of choice for women. Through the pen, women were able to prove that they were intellectually capable of rational thought. Through the pen, women were able to voice out their dislike for the manner by which men and society in general viewed their importance and role.