Symbolic Interaction My Favorite Sociological Theory

My Favorite Sociological Theory Authors name Authors institutional affiliation Authors note My Favorite Sociological Theory There were several theories that I found interesting as a part of the course, yet the theory that I connected with most personally was Symbolic Interaction. This theory was established first by George Herbert Mead, who coined the phrase symbolic interactionism first. The theory has been present in the field of sociology for several decades, and after the death of Mead, other sociologists took on the theory in their own works, studies, and theories. This theory is one of my favorites for a few reasons, one of which is because I believe I have seen it at work in my own life and in the interactions of others in their lives. I also agree with the validity of this theory because I feel that it coincides with other theories in other fields, such as psychology. There are psychologists, such as Freudian psychologists and Lacanian psychologists that have theories that are similar or analogous to the sociological theory of symbolic interaction. The similarities I see with such theories in psychology are those that argue about language, behavior and the unconscious. Everything we say and do is an expression of the unconscious, mostly without our conscious knowledge. Every word we speak and every action we take is dense with meanings, including the ones we intend and the ones we do not intend or of which we are unaware. Furthermore, these theoriesShow MoreRelatedSociologial Analysis of Christmas844 Words   |  4 PagesTITLE- SOCIOLOGIAL ANALYSIS OF CHRISTMAS In this paper I will discuss Social Theories such as Structural Functionalism, Conflict theory; with emphasis on Karl Marx’s early work and how it relates to the conflict theory and Symbolic interaction. I intend to define and discuss relevant sociological terms of these theories and how these theories could apply to my favorite holiday which is Christmas. Structural Functionalism as defined by Functionolists such as Auguste Comte and Herbert SpencerRead MoreMajor Theoretical Sociological Perspectives: Similarities and Differences1507 Words   |  7 Pagesregards to social issues? They are Symbolic Interactionism perspectives, Functionalism perspectives, and Conflict Theory perspectives. These perspectives offer sociologists abstract examples for explaining how society affects people, and vice versa. Each perspective individually theorizes society, social forces, and human behavior. Keyword’s: Social Issues, Human Behavior Introduction This paper will explain the three known theoretical sociological perspectives in science today;Read MoreWhat I Have Learned From A Social Theory Class1240 Words   |  5 Pagessociology paper I will present what I have learned from this social theory class. We learned about many miraculous theorists such as Karl Marx, Auguste Comete, Herb Spencer, Emile Durkheim and many more theorists. I will present what I have learned by comparing and contrasting George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley. This paper will examine what both of these great theorists studied, some of their background info and theory. George Herbert Mead George Herbert Mead was born on February 27Read MoreExperience Grief, Grief And All Arrangements Are Made983 Words   |  4 Pagesyou and teaches how to hold yourself in place. When I was flying to Pakistan, I knew my grandfather was on his death bed and I knew I had to say my goodbye, but I was in denial and scared. When I reached Pakistan, first thing was I went to the hospital and saw him. He was breathing! It gave me a comfort feeling and I talked to him even if he was in a coma, but I believed he was listening. As I sat next him, I saw my dad in the distance talking to someone and telling them, â€Å"I found a spot in the graveyardRead MoreThe Blind Side Follows The True Story Of Michael1535 Words   |  7 Pagesmotives and he realizes that he is truly part of the Tuohy family. He later tells the investigator that the reason he chose Ole Miss was because that was the school his family went to. Two sociological theories that I think play well with The Blind Side is symbolic interactionism and the modernity theory. Symbolic interactionism is concerned with the ability of humans to see themselves through the eyes of others and to enact social roles based on other’s expectations. Actions, not words, provide theRead MoreTeaching Reading Comprehension And Fluency1044 Words   |  5 Pagessupport reading comprehension. As a STEM lab instructor and lover of children’s literacy, I am intrigued by the, Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading, program referenced in chapter three. I am continuously looking for ways to use literature to introduce my STEM topics. Not only are world knowledge and exposure to various genres essential elements in reading comprehension, but students should also be motiviated! Students should enjoy what they read. I appreciate how the authors refer to this as theRead MoreQualitative Research and Celebrity Endorsement24767 Words   |  100 Pageshas been targeted in this research. The research undertaken on celebrity endorsement in this paper will be useful on both academic and professional platform, as it looks into the perception of Indian consumers on celebrity endorsement, providing theory for scholarly and directives for managers and professionals 1.3  Research  Question   How does celebrity endorsement impact the perception of Indian consumers? How does it impact their buying behaviour? 8 1.4  Synopsis  of  the  Chapters   Read MoreBranding in Clothing Industry22425 Words   |  90 PagesQuantitative versus qualitative analysis 3.2.3 Reliability and validity of data 3.3 Justification of research method 3.4 Sampling 3.5 Interview schedule 3.5.1 Stage one 3.5.2 Stage two 3.5.3 Stage three 3.6 Administration 3.7 Analysis strategy 3.7.1 Grounded theory and its relationship to qualitative data analysis 3.7.2 Within-case and cross-case analysis 3.7.2.1 Within-case analysis 3.7.2.2 Cross-case analysis 3.8 Summary 24 24 24 24 25 26 27 29 31 31 32 34 34 34 34 35 36 37 37 Chapter 4: ResearchRead MoreA Study on Enhanced Employee Performance Through Soft Skills20707 Words   |  83 Pagessuccess. My heartfelt gratitude to Dr A. Xavier Mahimaraj, Co-ordinator of twinning program, Loyola College for his valuable contribution and continued support which he rendered to me while pursuing my MBA in this esteemed institution. I extend my sincere gratitude to Dr.P.Amuthalakshmi MA M.Phil, MBA Phd who motivated and guided me in each step of this project and who was always the source of motivation for visualisation and presentation for this project. No words would suffice to express my gratitude

The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock by T.S. Eliot Free Essays

â€Å"The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock† is a poem written by T. S. We will write a custom essay sample on The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock by T.S. Eliot or any similar topic only for you Order Now Eliot, who introduces to the readers an overwhelming question, which pertains to whether the main character, Alfred Prufrock, should overcome his indecisiveness and fear or continue in his comfortable and dull existence. Prufrock is not happy with the decisions he has made in life, and that fact is very clear, as he tortures himself with internal conflict throughout the poem. In the beginning lines of the poem, he enthusiastically invites the reader, or possibly his alter ego, on a journey in the night. However, he later describes â€Å"half deserted streets† holding â€Å"insidious intent;† this hardly paints a pleasant picture (Eliot 4,9). The streets seem to represent Prufrock’s internal debate; an internal debate that prevents him from taking action in the conflict Eliot uses to portray Prufrock’s struggle, opening up to a women. Unfortunately, Prufrock’s tendency is to have â€Å"a hundred visions and revisions,† and eventually â€Å"turn back and descend the stair† (Eliot 33,39). This refusal to act is the consequence of his apparent fear of rejection and failure. His fear is simply a product of thought as he overly calculates his life, leaving a life unlived. To justify his decision, Prufrock says that he has â€Å"known them all already,† suggesting that all the women are the same, but in making the decision to not act, he delves deeper into a depleting future with no purpose (Eliot 49). Essentially, Prufrock convinces himself that he is satisfied with a secondary role in his own life, based on the fear that he will fail and be rejected. Therefore, Prufrock answers his question in a very unsatisfying way, as he chooses to remain comfortable. How to cite The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock by T.S. Eliot, Papers

Appraisal of Capital Investment Decisions - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Appraisal of Capital Investment Decisions. Answer: Introduction The capital investment decisions involve huge sum of money therefore it is of paramount importance for the management to make these decisions after carrying out the analysis effectively. There are various tools and techniques being applied for the purpose of analyzing the financial viability of a capital investment, the most prominent among them is the net present value technique (NPV) (Atrill and McLaney, 2008). The other techniques involve internal rate of return (IRR), payback period, and accounting rate of return. In this context, the report presented here provides discussion on various techniques of capital investment analysis such as NPV, IRR, Payback period etc. Further, the report also demonstrates the practical application of NPV technique in analyzing the machine replacement decision (Atrill and McLaney, 2008). Watleys is considering replacing the old machine with the automated new machine which is expected to reduce the manufacturing cost to a large extent over the period of four years. The machine will initially cost 60,000 and require a sum of 2,000 being incurred per year on maintenance. The new machine is expected to reduce the manufacturing labor cost by 22,000 for four years. In order to analyze that whether this replacement decision would be financially worthwhile or not, the NPV has been computed as below: NPV of Project Year Cash Flows PVF@10% PV 0 (60,000.00) 1.000 (60,000.00) 1 20,000.00 0.909 18,181.82 2 20,000.00 0.826 16,528.93 3 20,000.00 0.751 15,026.30 4 20,000.00 0.683 13,660.27 NPV 3,397.31 It can be observed from the computations shown in the table given above that the NPV of replacement is 3,397.31. The positive NPV of replacement decision reflects that it would be worthwhile to implement the replacement of the machine. Thus, it is advised that the company should go for replacement of old machine with the new automated machine. There are three crucial elements found in any capital investment decisions such as cash inflows, outflows, and discount rate. In order to compute cash inflows, outflows, and discount rate, there are made a number of assumptions. The capital investment decision is futuristic and thus, assumptions are made about the future outlook in respect of these three crucial elements (Rhrich, 2014). The computation of cash inflows requires estimation about the sale units and unit price. Similarly, estimations are made in respect of costs to arrive at the cash outflows. Further, the determination of discount rate requires various assumptions about the risk and expected return of the investors (Rhrich, 2014). The discounting of cash flows is normally done at the desired rate of return of the investors which in the case of a company is taken as WACC. Further, the computation of WACC is based on the estimations of cost of equity and after tax cost of debt. The estimation of cost of debt is however simple and requires less assumptions but the same is not the case with cost of equity. The cost of equity is computed based on various assumptions, for example, assumption about future dividend payment, growth rate, risk free rate, and market risk premium. Further, the assumptions are also required to be made about the life span of the project in which capital investment is being made (Rhrich, 2014). In regards to the replacement of old cutting machine with the new automated machine, the two crucial assumptions are savings in the labor cost and useful life of machine. It has been assumed that the new machine will cause savings in the labor cost of 22,000 annually. Further, it has been assumed that the machine will require annual maintenance incurring a sum of 2,000. These assumptions are based on the initial estimates only and thus, there always remains possibility of variance (Drury, 2008). It may be possible that the maintenance cost is increased in future and thus, the company may incur additional money or it may decrease also resulting in increase in savings. Further, it has been assumed that the new machine will be in a workable condition for 4 years. However, it may or may not or it may end up with more years (Drury, 2008). It is essential to note that the assumptions should be made in such a way that the possibility of variance is reduced. If the assumptions are made precisely, the possibility of achieving the desired outcome is increased. For example, if the life of new machine is not estimated precisely and suppose if the machine is retired from use after three years, the resultant NPV would be less than 3,397.31 which might make the replacement decision less attractive. Thus, it is crucial to make the assumption precisely considering the past and future performance (Chapman, Hopwood, and Shields, 2011). It has already been discussed that there are various capital investment appraisal method/techniques. Some of them involve the use of time value of money and some do not. For example, the NPV and IRR techniques use the concept of time value of money while the payback period and accounting rate of return are the techniques that do not implicate the use of time value of money (Chapman, Hopwood, and Shields, 2011). The net present value technique requires the calculation of present value of net cash inflows and comparing the same with the initial capital outlay. If the initial capital outlay is less than the present value of net cash inflows, the NPV is positive and hence the project becomes acceptable. On the other hand, if the initial capital outlay is greater than the present value of net cash inflows, the NPV is negative and hence the project is liable to be rejected. Keeping the NPV aside, the project can also be appraised using the IRR technique. The internal rate of return is the breakeven return that the project must earn in order to be called financially worthwhile. The internal rate of return is compared with the cost of capital and if the IRR is greater than the cost of capital, the project is accepted else it is rejected (Chapman, Hopwood, and Shields, 2011). The internal rate of return technique is also widely used but it suffers from certain limitations which restricts its use in the special circumstances. For instance, when the series of cash flows involves cash outflows at more than one occasion, it may result in multiple IRRs giving conflicting views (Gotze, Northcott, and Schuster, 2016). However, when it comes on comparing more than one mutually exclusive project with each other; the IRR is considered better than NPV. Further, the payback period is also used in analyzing the financial viability of the project. The payback period computes the time duration within which the amount of initial investment would be recovered. In most of the cases, the payback period method is used in conjunction with other methods such as NPV and IRR. The payback period used singly in analyzing the projects financial worth would be less useful (Gotze, Northcott, and Schuster, 2016). In the current case, there is single project under consideration. The financial viability of a single project could be assessed applying any of the three methods such as NPV, IRR, and payback period. The results of all three methods would lead to same conclusion about acceptance or rejection of the project. The NPV method has been applied in assessing that whether the replacement decision is financially worthwhile or not. If the IRR or payback period is applied, the result would be same i.e. the project would be acceptable (Gotze, Northcott, and Schuster, 2016). Conclusion In analyzing the projects financial viability, the management of the company may consider applying a number of methods such as NPV, IRR, and payback period. The management should consider that these methods have different characteristics and some specific situations may require use of specific method. However, the NPV method is commonly applied and it is considered as one of the most appropriate and suitable to all conditions method. In analyzing the replacement decision of Watley, the NPV method has been applied which shows a positive NPV of 3,397.31. References Atrill, P. and E. J. McLaney. 2008. Accounting and Finance for Non-specialists. Prentice Hall Financial Times. Chapman, C.S., Hopwood, A.G., and Shields, M.D. 2011. Handbook of Management Accounting Research. Elsevier. Drury, C. 2008. Management and Cost Accounting. Cengage Learning EMEA. Gotze, U., Northcott, D. and Schuster, P., 2016.Investment appraisal. Springer-verlag berlin an. Rhrich, M. 2014. Fundamentals of Investment Appraisal: An Illustration based on a Case Study. Walter de Gruyter GmbH Co KG.

The Non

The Non-executive Directors and Corporate Governance Essay In twentieth century 80years, in order to guarantee equity and transparence of board operations, reconstructing investor assurance. UK introduced the non-executive manager system. The intent of non-executive managers system is to cut down the bureau costs, overcome the failing of internal control, prevent the maltreatment of insider control rights. Besides this system can protect the legitimate rights and involvements of all stockholders, keeping the company s involvements and beef uping the supervising of the company s direction. However, the eruption of Enron, WorldCom and several large company s fiscal dirts shook the universe s finance and society. These dirts make people began to doubt the system of corporate administration, particularly the efficaciousness of non-executive managers. We will write a custom essay on The Non-executive Directors and Corporate Governance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Based on such state of affairs, this essay aims to through analyzing several instances: Enron, WorldCom and The Equitable to look into the strengths and failing of sensed administration. Then it may exemplify what s the function of non-executive in good corporate administration and give some suggestion. Outline1 Cases analysis2 Enron3 WorldCom4 The Equitable5 The non-executive managers6 The independency of non-executive managers7 The responsibility of attention8 4.Conclusion Cases analysis Enron In December 2001, the largest U.S. energy bargainer, the market value up to 60 billion U.S. dollars-Enron went insolvent. His dramatic bankruptcy exposed that the independent manager system of Unite State is non perfect ( Brickey,2003 ) . As the most U.S. companies, Enron s board was consisted of five sub-committees. On the surface, all of those commission operated really efficaciously and moderately, the overall corporate administration construction seemed so flawlessness . However, the truth is the independency of managers was non as the Enron disclosed before. There was a figure of independent managers had involvement relationship with Enron, these delicate ties of cooperation impacted their place as an outside managers. For case, the audit commission should measure and supervise the company s internal controls, accounting independency and accounting criterions. But when the Enron hired Arthur Andersen as external audit and adviser, they besides created a series of partnership s with Andersen s CFO and carried out a big figure of complex minutess and manipulated net incomes to cover up immense debts. This action seemingly damage the company s internal control system. Incredibly, the audit commission has non questioned it, the individualistic attitude on the issue was so obvious ( Palepu and Healy,2003 ) . The other illustration is Enron s 17 board members, except the president and main executive officer, the staying 15 managers are all independent managers. But there were about 10 people signed a confer withing contract with the company and have a common nexus with charitable organisations. The board of Enron was clearly like a nine which has strong internal links. All these groundss indicate that the independent managers are non competent at work, they did non seriously carry out the duty on behalf of public stockholders and at a certain degree acquiesced the fraud of Enron s high-ranking executive. The independent managers have been seen as an of import function who is standing at an nonsubjective and impartial place, protecting the involvements of the company. It is widely expected that they can direct a signal when the company has operation hazard, besides can use warning to company s non-compliance and misconduct action. The bankruptcy of Enron exposed an of import issue that the managers were deficiency of independency, the independent managers is non independent ( Black et al,2003 ) . And there exist the insufficiencies and failing of independent managers system, this system necessitate to be reformed and improved. How to specify the independency of non-executive and how to keep such independency become a large job. WorldCom If the Enron dirt is merely the beginning, the WorldCom was no uncertainty the biggest fiscal dirts in the U.S history. In order to confront the ferocious competition in the telecommunications market, endeavoring to turn capital strength to maintain the technological publicity and implementing the outreach enlargement scheme, the WorldCom adopted deceitful accounting method to run into Wall Street net incomes appraisal ( Sidak,2003 ) . WorldCom s board contained three specialised commission: audit commission, wage commission and nomination commission. However, the audit commission was fundamentally merely an empty rubric. There was none of the members had the specialized background of accounting and auditing, all of the members were formed by non-professionals individuals. The monitoring effectivity by such audit commission is can be imaged. .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 , .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .postImageUrl , .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 , .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79:hover , .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79:visited , .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79:active { border:0!important; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79:active , .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79 .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u45dd5ce66f98796e904a0f607d1f8d79:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Computer Science at the University of Arizona EssayFurthermore, the internal control besides existed job. The internal auditing does non straight response to scrutinize commission, but straight accepted the CFO s leading. Such behaviour was deficiency of the minimal independency and increased the hard of WorldCom Internal Audit Department to implement the accounting supervising, while deprived the power of the internal audit on the fiscal audit. The internal audit is chiefly engaged in operating public presentation audit and audit of budget execution, but the internal fiscal audit maps was outsourced to the Andersen. The fiscal accounting auditing and supervising has been weakened from dual scrutinizing and supervising to a individual 1. Because of the defect of WorldCom administration mechanisms, the fraud confederacy was frequently win. The Equitable If the above instances were about the delinquency of responsibility of non-executive managers, so in 21st century, the most influential instance in UK is the Equitable, this instance indicates the more rigorous duty criterions. In 2003, The Equitable life confidence society v. Roger Bowley and other 14 Directors was no uncertainty dropped a heavy bomb to the UK non-executive manager who was confronting the judicial proceeding. As the non-executive managers of insurance companies, they trust the company s statistician was ruthlessly hit by the Court and presumed to be unreasonable. The Court judged the non-executive managers violated the responsibility of attention. However, the non-executive managers believed that their attack is right from start to complete and in such fortunes any of the rational non-executive managers would make the same thing as them. They argued that they are entitled to trust on the articles of incorporation and actuary, while the latter function to do recommen dations on the issues about warrants and dividend, besides pulling them attending to the related jobs. They debated that the statisticians dispel their concerns and assured them that if selected DTBP algorithm, there was no jobs about the contract, and will non impact the outlooks of insured. However, evidently the justice did non accept this account, he stated that the non-executive managers have duty to carry on an independent opinion and supervise the direction, they besides should make more to guarantee that the undertaking is legitimate and will non do the insured s fright. In this instance the responsibility of non-executive manager has been promoted to a really rigorous degree, the non-executive managers can non merely trust on executive managers and senior functionaries to transport out their ain responsibilities. They must keep their function as a proctor and exercising independent opinion on company s behaviour. Apparently, this instance seems a spot overkill, in this instance if the non-executive managers trust statistician is non sensible, so what the bound of sensible trust? The non-executive managers Based on above three instances, we will from three facets to analyze how the non-executive managers play their function in good corporate administration. The independency of non-executive managers We can see that there exist a common point in above two instances, they all emphasize the necessity of independency by non-executive managers. The independency means that the non-executive managers have to be independent with the company s direction when they doing determination and must consistent with the involvement of house s stockholders. The independency of non-executive managers makes them plays an of import function in corporate administration construction and play a particular function in supervising corporate direction, commanding and equilibrating the right of stockholders and directors, besides can protect the stockholder s rights and involvements ( Enrione et al. , 2006 ) . Compared to the executive managers, the non-executive managers may stand more nonsubjective and just place. For illustration, they can offer the added value proposals and suggestion by utilizing their experience and cognition when the company doing scheme, besides they will advance the company to foll ow the good corporate administration codification. .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 , .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .postImageUrl , .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 , .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744:hover , .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744:visited , .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744:active { border:0!important; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744:active , .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744 .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2182d3153ce147f2f7a7031c194be744:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Journey With Breast Cancer EssayHowever, in most instances, the non-executive managers can non accomplish the existent independency. Due to the interaction between non-executive managers and direction, it may do several issues for the operation of company ( Daily et al. , 2003 ) . We can see this job signifier Enron and WorldCom s instances. The non-executive managers may be hard to pull out of control by direction, which makes them non merely loss the regulative maps, but besides allow the external investors cut down the necessary review of companies by swearing the non-executive managers repute and experience. Finally, doing the direction fraud easy to win. Therefore, the independency should chiefly reflect in two facets. First, the non-executive managers should be independent of major stockholders, viz. , they should go the guardian of the little stockholders. The 2nd is they should be independent of operators, that is they should be the guardian of the involvements of all stockholders. To keep the independency, they company should build a sensible vote regulations, to guarantee that the election of non-executive managers are genuinely non affected by major stockholders and existent accountants. But on the other manus, the one hundred per centum independent besides has defects, the direction should neer be wholly herding outside the board, if the managers and the company can non link in a appropriate degree, the investors will besides experience concern. So the most important point is to happen a balance point between them. The responsibility of attention Beside the independency, the responsibility of non-executive managers besides become another argument point. When the non-executive managers enjoy the rights, at the same clip they should besides hold a corresponding responsibility. Rights and responsibilities are complementary symbion ( Wade,2002 ) . The responsibility of attention is the basic factor for non-executive managers. There are two significances for responsibility of attention: First, as the non-executive managers of listed companies, their clip and energy may be limited and may easy to pretermit their responsibilities, so they should be assigned to the responsibility of attention which can advance them due diligence services for companies. Second, the responsibility of attention besides requires the non-executive managers must hold the suited ability and cognition to supply protection for their function ( Rousseau,2005 ) . However, in fact, there exist a hard and doubt on opinion of whether the responsibility of attentio n is plenty or non. For case, in the Equitable instance, the justice adopted the more rigorous criterion on responsibility of attention and this cause the contention of instability between non-executive manager s wages and responsibility. By contrast, the excessively loose responsibility of attention will besides take to the delinquency of responsibility, such as Enron and WorldCom instances. The non-executive managers are non the company s ornament, but the substantial elements of corporate administration. A manager who accepted the place whether the executive or non-executive managers have the duty to understand the character of their duty ( Atkins,2004 ) . But it must be stressed that the extent of responsibility of attention depends on the peculiar company s regulations mode and range of operations, every bit good as the accomplishments and expertness of single managers. In other word, a qualified non-executive managers should hold professional making, experience and cognition. And merely at a non-executive manager does his best attempts that can be considered to carry through the responsibility of attention. 4.Conclusion The non-executive manager is built-in constituent of the board, the debut of non-executive manager system is trusting that it can cut down the mistakes through the company s decision-making procedure and forestalling the single major stockholders encroach the community and little stockholders involvements. The general status of corporate administration in Europe, U.S. and other states are instead good, we can non because some failure instances to contradict the whole. Because the non-executive managers have the particular map which can non be replaced by other monitoring mechanisms. But the system of non-executive demand to reform, better and beef up. The non-executive manager is non merely an award, more of a duty.

Child Abuse Problems and Its Effects on a Future Childs Life

Child Abuse Problems and Its Effects on a Future Childs Life Several Challenges in Writing the Literature Review Writing a literature review is not an easy task for many students; still, in case certain instructions are given and taken into consideration, the task can be properly completed in time.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Child Abuse Problems and Its Effects on a Future Child’s Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are the three steps that should be followed while writing a review: to conduct research, create a structure, and keep in mind the main idea of the investigation (Ridley, 2012). Each step may have the challenges a writer can face in completing this kind of work; this is why it is necessary to remember that as soon as a theme and subject are identified (Oliver, 2012), the work should begin. The study under analysis focuses on the problems of child abuse and parental neglect and their effects on a future child’s life (Moylan, Herrenkohl, So usa, Tajima, Herrenkohl, Russo, 2010). In fact, the topic is widely discussed around the whole world; this is why many literary sources, statistics, and other interesting material can be found online as well as in libraries. The task is not to lose the main idea and use the up-to-date sources in order to prove that the chosen topic is worth attention and investigation. In fact, there were the three main challenges in writing the literature review just completed that were overcome due to the ability to organize the work, follow the suggestions of the experts, and keep in mind the necessity to meet the deadlines and academic expectations. One of the hardest tasks was to understand how to narrow down the topic and choose the most appropriate research questions to be discussed in the literature review.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Stalker and McArthur (2012) under line that little research has been made on the questions about the support and care for children, who suffer from home abuse; this is why it was necessary to prove that the effects of child abuse were considerable indeed to think about the methods of treatment. Another challenge took place as soon as the necessity to comprehend the effects of child abuse and identify them properly was discovered. Different researchers offer their own ideas about the child abuse effects. Gloud, Clarke, Heim, Harvey, Majer, and Nemeroff (2012) talk about the cognitive development of a child and seem to be the powerful developers of their ideas about the emotional challenges children face with and behavioral problems. And Fang, Brown, Florence, and Mercy (2012) introduce the economic aspect of child abuse effects that seem to be an interesting topic for discussion. This is why the challenge was to integrate a variety of effects in one common topic and introduce it properly. Finally, it was difficult to organize the whole paper so that the introductory part, the body, and the concluding part were logically connected and clear. Still, all these challenges have been successfully overcome due to the ability to organize the work, plan the most crucial steps beforehand, and ask for help before making mistakes or wrong decisions. In general, the work has been done, and the literature review has been properly written. It helps to realize what kind of work should be done the next time and how it is necessary to investigate the effects of child abuse and parental neglect in a society. Reference List Fang, X., Brown, D.S., Florence, C.S., Mercy, J.A. (2012). The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention. Child Abuse Neglect, 36(2), 156-165.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Child Abuse Problems and Its Effects on a Future Child’s Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gloud, F., Clarke, J., Heim, C., Harvey, P.D., Majer, M., Nemeroff, C.B. (2012). The effects of child abuse and neglect on cognitive functioning in adulthood. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 46(4), 500-506. Moylan, C.A., Herrenkohl, T.I., Sousa, C., Tajima, E.A., Herrenkohl, R.C., Russo, M.J. (2010). The effects of child abuse and exposure to domestic violence on adolescent internalising and externalising behaviour problems. Journal of Family Violence, 25(1), 53-63. Oliver, P. (2012). Succeeding with your literature review: A handbook for students. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education. Ridley, D. (2012). The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students. London: SAGE. Stalker, K McArthur, K. (2012). Child abuse, child protection and disabled children: A review of recent research. Child Abuse Review, 21(1), 24-40.

Traditional Vs. Roth IRA Your Ultimate IRA Guide

Traditional Vs. Roth IRA Your Ultimate IRA Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips IRAs, or independent retirement accounts, are tax-advantaged savings accounts that help you save money for retirement. There are two main types, traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, and they work in slightly different ways. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about traditional and Roth IRAs and help you decide which type of account is better for you. Before delving into the differences, let’s go over what you need to know about independent retirement accounts in general. What Is an IRA? An IRA is a type of savings account designed to help you save for retirement. IRAs offer a major tax advantage wherein your money is only ever taxed once. In a brokerage account, your money can be taxed twice. An IRA is made up of financial products like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. The money you contribute will slowly grow over time as a result of annual compound interest. Typically, savings in IRAs grow at a rate of 5% to 7% each year. While this growth won’t look like much at first, it can add up significantly over the decades. If you start saving in your twenties rather than your thirties, you’ll see a huge difference in returns. When it comes to saving for retirement, you’re much better off the earlier you start. While you can start contributing to an IRA at any time, you must abide by an IRA contribution limit. Read on to find out how much money you can put each year into your IRA. By putting your money in a protected environment, it can grow significantly bigger over time. How Much Can You Contribute to an IRA? Whether you have a traditional IRA or Roth IRA, you can only contribute up to $5,500 per year. This was the IRA contribution limit for 2015 and 2016. It could change in years to come due to inflation. If you’re over 50 years old, then you can contribute $1,000 more for a yearly total of $6,500. This extra $1,000 added to the IRA contribution limits is considered a â€Å"catch up† contribution to help out those who didn’t max out their limits in earlier years. Most people contribute to their IRAs via automatic monthly payments. You can put in as much or as little as you like, but you’ll see the greatest long-term benefit by contributing up to the $5,500 limit. Now that you have a general sense of IRAs and how they help you save for retirement, let’s look closer at the differences between a traditional vs. a Roth IRA. People 50 and over can contribute an additional $1,000 per year to catch up as they round the bases toward retirement. Roth vs. Traditional IRA: How Are They Different? The major difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA has to do with how your money is taxed. By learning about the different tax structure, you can figure out which one is more advantageous to you, depending on your age and financial profile. The second difference when you look at Roth vs. traditional IRA has to do with when you can withdraw money. Consider the tax and withdrawal rules for traditional IRAs, followed by the tax and withdrawal Roth IRA rules. Tax Advantages of a Traditional IRA Traditional IRAs allow your money to grow completely un-taxed until you take it out. You contribute pre-taxed money, which grows in your account until you withdraw. While your money is tax deductible when you contribute to a traditional IRA account, it’s taxed normally when you withdraw. You’ll pay all the taxes that you didn’t pay before, but you may find that you’re saving money on taxes overall. Why? You may be in a lower tax bracket when you retire than you were when you were working and contributing money to your IRA. Traditional IRA Withdrawal Rules When you contribute money to a traditional IRA, you can’t touch it until you’re 59  ½ without penalty. If you withdraw money before, then you’ll have to pay a hefty 10% penalty. It’s recommended that you take out about 4% of your savings per year during retirement. Some accounts also have required minimum withdrawals (RMDs) that compel you to take out a certain amount of money once you hit 70  ½. Even if you’re still working at age 70  ½, you’ll be required to start withdrawing money from your IRA. the amount of the RMD varies by individual and is calculated based on your account balance and age. When you contribute to a traditional IRA, your money is basically kept under lock and key until you’re 59  ½. Tax Advantages of a Roth IRA While traditional IRAs are taxed later, Roth IRAs are taxed now. In other words, you contribute money that’s already been taxed to a Roth IRA. You don’t get any tax breaks for your contributions, but you won’t have to pay any taxes when you withdraw. Basically, a Roth IRA works in the exact opposite way of a traditional IRA. You pay taxes when you contribute and not when you withdraw, whereas with a traditional IRA you pay taxes when you withdraw and not when you contribute. Roth IRA Withdrawal Rules Roth IRA rules are more flexible than those of traditional IRAs about when you can withdraw your money. You can take out money from a Roth IRA at any time without penalty as long as you’ve held the account for at least five years. Technically, you can only withdraw money you’ve contributed without penalty. You can’t touch any earnings on your contributions until you retire. Roth IRAs also don’t have any RMDs, so you’re not required to take out your money once you surpass a certain age. With a Roth IRA, you could withdraw all your funds after five years to buy that pleasure yacht you’ve had your eye on. But, you probably shouldn’t. Traditional IRA vs. Roth Ira- Which One Should You Choose? Given the difference between Roth IRA rules and traditional IRA rules, which account would be more beneficial to you? The answer to that question largely depends on your age and current tax bracket. Younger people typically benefit more from a Roth IRA. They have plenty of time for their money to grow until retirement, and they’re usually in a lower tax bracket than they will be in 10 or 20 years. If you’re in your twenties and your tax bracket is 20% or lower, then you’ll probably benefit from a Roth IRA. People who are older and/or in a high tax bracket will probably do better with a traditional IRA. They can contribute more money, since it’s not taxed, and pay taxes when they’re in a lower tax bracket after retirement. To see how tax brackets affect your savings in an IRA account, consider the chart below. If your tax rate is lower in retirement Traditional Roth Current tax rate 25% Tax rate in retirement 15% Annual investment $5,500 $5,500 After-tax value in retirement* $613,313 $598,444 *Based on moderate growth (around 8% annual return) over 30 years If your tax rate is higher in retirement Traditional Roth Current tax rate 25% Tax rate in retirement 33% Annual investment $5,500 $5,500 After-tax value in retirement* $505,593 $598,444 *Based on moderate growth (around 8% annual return) over 30 years If your tax rate goes down in retirement, then you’ll have more money from a traditional IRA. If your tax rate goes up, then you’ll end up with more savings from a Roth IRA. A secondary factor to consider when deciding between a traditional and Roth IRA is your financial self-control. As you read above, the two types of IRAs have different withdrawal rules. Will you be able to resist withdrawing money from a Roth IRA before retirement? Since there’s no penalty for withdrawing after five years, you’ll need to set limits on your spending so you don’t end up splurging on a luxury vacation to Fiji with your hard-earned money that was supposed to go toward retirement. If you don’t have clear cut answers to either of these considerations, then you might consider opening both types of IRAs. Choosing between a traditional IRA and Roth IRA requires that you consider the balance between your tax bracket and years until retirement. Can You Choose Both Types of IRAs? If you’re unsure which account is more advantageous to you, then you could consider setting up both a traditional and a Roth IRA. If you start to see real advantages to one over the other, then you could roll your money over to one account. Before opening both types, you should carefully consider the implications of taxes. If you opt for the Roth IRA, then you’ll have to pay taxes on any money that you roll over from a traditional IRA. This money would have otherwise grown untaxed until you withdrew it at age 59  ½. You should also note that opening both types of accounts won’t increase your yearly contribution limit. If you choose both types of IRAs, then the $5,500 limit applies to both. You can only contribute $5,500 collectively to your retirement savings accounts per year. Choosing both types of accounts is unnecessarily complicated for the majority of people. You should only do so if you’ve done some serious calculations and feel that it would be financially beneficial to you in the long term. For most of us, choosing one type of account based on our age and current tax bracket is the better way to go. Once you’ve chosen your type of IRA, how do you get about setting up an account? If you're having trouble deciding between types of IRAs, you could hedge your bets and open both. How to Set Up an IRA There are a number of IRA providers with whom you can set up an account. Most require a minimum investment up front, but some are a lot lower than others. When you set up an account, you can either set it on auto-pilot or take a hands-on approach to choosing your investments and designing your portfolio. Below are six recommendations for the best IRA providers, but first, let’s go over the factors you should consider when choosing an IRA provider. What to Look for When Choosing an IRA Provider The best IRA providers offer some or all of the following: Low account fees Low account minimums Good customer service and educational resources for new investors Low fees for trading stocks (this mostly applies to people looking to take an active approach to building their portfolio) If you fall in the majority of people who want someone else to manage their account, then you should look for a managed account or a target-date fund. In these types of account, you’ll pretty much only have to set your estimated date of retirement. A broker will do the rest. Now that you know what to look for in an IRA account and provider, check out the suggestions for the top six IRA providers. When choosing an IRA account, you should look for low account fees and low account minimums. Best IRA Providers for 2016 Based on the factors listed above, these six providers rose to the top for their low account fees, strong customer service, and other offerings. TD Ameritrade - popular provider with strong resources and support for new investor. TD Ameritrade doesn’t require any minimum balance, and it has a large selection of funds to choose from. One downside is that its trade commission fees are higher than usual at $9.99. TD Ameritrade, then, is a better choice for the new or hands-off investor, but not as popular among active traders. Vanguard - another popular low-cost provider with a $0 minimum balance. Vanguard is especially strong when it comes to target-date funds, where you set your date of retirement and don’t have to do much else. E*Trade - a provider with a large selection of funds and no account minimums. E*Trade stands out for its user-friendly website. Wealthfront - this provider manages accounts of up to $10,000 for no fee. Wealthfront, then, is good for the average investor who wants to take a hands-off approach. Betterment - like Wealthfront, Benefit is appealing to the hands-off investor. It tends to cater to people with large balances of $100k or more. Options House - best for active traders. Options House has a lower than average per trade fee of just $4.95. Once you’ve decided between a traditional and Roth IRA and chosen your provider, how do you open your account? When it comes to choosing an IRA provider, you've got options. Delicious, delicious options. How to Open an IRA Account Opening an IRA account is an easy, online sign-up process. Just head to the website of your chosen provider and fill out the IRA application. You’ll enter personal information, including your social security number and employment information. Most providers offer a different kinds of accounts, so you'll choose the one you want to open. Here's an example from TD Ameritrade's "Open New Account" page. Source: TD Ameritrade You’ll also indicate how you’ll fund the account, e.g., through automatic monthly transfer from your bank account. You can also transfer money from an existing IRA or 401k (an employer-sponsored retirement account). Depending on your funding choice, you may need your account and routing number or the account number of a separate account. The best way to make the most of your IRA is to deposit money on a monthly basis, to max out your annual contribution limit, and to start as early as you can. If you start saving in your twenties, then you could have a savings account with hundreds of thousands of dollars by the time you retire. In closing, let’s go over the key points you need to remember about IRAs. Opening your IRA account is the first step toward a secure retirement! Saving for Retirement in an IRA: Key Takeaways When it comes to saving for retirement, it’s never too early to start. Because your money grows in an IRA, you’ll see significantly more earnings the longer your money is invested in the account. IRA accounts are especially beneficial because of their tax advantages. Your money will only ever be taxed once, either when you withdraw it, as in a traditional IRA, or when you contribute it, as in a Roth IRA. Both accounts have advantages, and the one you choose should largely depend on your age and current tax bracket. While you should figure out which account will maximize your savings, in truth, you can’t go wrong with either. Both are tax-advantaged accounts that will help you save up money that you’ll rely on later in life. By opening and contributing to an IRA, you invest in your future and let your money work for you. What's Next? What is ROA, and how can looking at it provide you with helpful investment information? We discuss the meaning of ROA (return on assets) and how you can use it in this article. Not ready to open up an IRA but still looking for ways to save? Try the 365-day penny challenge!

UK LAND LAW (question is in the instructions box) Essay

UK LAND LAW (question is in the instructions box) - Essay Example on relates to whether the lease transferred by Troy to Ai-Ai was in conformity or in breach of Lakshmis covenants in the initial lease agreement or not. The second issue relates to Troys position in the contract after the property is transferred to Ai-Ai. Is Troy bounded by his guarantee to check performances of new assignees or not. What is the position of the guarantee in relation to Lakshmi and can be held responsible for the actions of Ai-Ai and Boo? The third issue relates to the possibility of Ai-Ais transfer of the property to Boo. Is the extended holiday in Thailand tantamount to abandonment and is Boos usage of the property tantamount to an assignment? This is an issue because Ai-Ai does not have the right to assign the property without Lakshmis consent. Hence, there is a clear breach. But what are the legal implications? Can Lakshmi sue for forfeiture? The final pointer that will be examined is the legal position of Boos breaking down of the wall in the property to allow in more air. Alterations on the property is a covenant in the lease. Does Lakshmi have the right of forefeiture? And a possible request for damages? A leasehold covenant is a clause in a lease specifying specific obligations on the part of either party2. This include express terms about how things will occur and how the lease is to be regulated. An assignment occurs when a tenant transfers whole or part of his remaining interest in the property to someone else who is an assignee. An assignment is somewhat like a three tier arrangement between a landlord who hands over to the tenant who also hands over to an assignee. In some cases, leases forbid assignments because landlords do not want their property to be transferred to assignees they do not know3. However, in a case where the lease agreement forbids tenants from assignments, a tenant can transfer interest in the lease to another person with the consent of the landlord and this transferee becomes a sub-tenant4. When a tenant

RE-WRITING SWOT ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIOns Essay

RE-WRITING SWOT ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIOns - Essay Example (1) For over thirty years that Etisalat has been in operation, the company has been on the forefront in being innovative and providing reliable services. This has been possible due to its heavy investment in infrastructure which is the best within the Middle East region. Some of the services provided by Etisalat include money transfer services which are very sensitive and without a secure network, the services may be compromised thus lowering the integrity of the company. It suffices to say that the optimization of security program within Etisalat is quite quintessential in the view of the planned expansion. This notwithstanding, the company has been expanding at a phenomenal rate of the last few years which necessitates special attention to the security details. However due to the sensitive information of the whole company’s operational system it was very hard to delve deeper into more details and that’s why we had the one and only access to the security section to allow as further investigate how the security operation management that protects the whole company assets following international standards and best practices. This paper summarizes the operation of security assurance system in Etisalat, the design and strategy of new services, the difficulties associated with the security operation, and the future of Etisalat. An interview was conducted with 2 security engineers due to the tight time we had to ensure the completion of the operation management research. Collin& Roger (2003) favor qualitative methods, for example, interviewing, because these methods are considered as particularly helpful in the generation of an intensive, detailed examination of a case. First and foremost, operation management (OM) has been widely studied recently to measure the profound impact of it on the various firms around the globe. Productivity, processes, customer service, competitive

Race-Ethnicity and Diagnosis as Predictors Essay Example for Free

Race-Ethnicity and Diagnosis as Predictors Essay The purpose of this article was to understand and examine the number of outpatients for patients with substance abuse or mental health problem. The data was collected from 12 outpatient mental health and substance abuse facilities in four U. S. Census Regions. The authors put forward three hypotheses that guided the way that they will approach the research problem. The first hypothesis was by keeping all social-demographic information constant e. g. , sex and age, the condition of non-Latino blacks and Latinos was worse when compared with non-Latino whites. The second hypothesis was that the patients with dual medical conditions e. g. mental problems and substance use disorders could be expected to visit the hospital more times when compared with patients with single medical condition. Lastly, the third hypothesis was that the number of non-Latino blacks and Latinos would have visited the hospital less frequently when compared to non-Latino whites. The target population was outpatients in the United States. The study sample of 1,899 patients with mental health and substance abuse problems was obtained from 12 outpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment centers within a period of two months (May 2001 – June 2002). Out of this number, diagnoses for 1807 patients were obtained from the medical facilities. Patients who had substance and psychiatric problems were included in the study factoring the racial-ethnicity criterion: non-Latino black, Latino and non-Latino whites. The response rate of the study was 95. 26%. This rate of success may be attributed to the fact that information was retrieved from health facilities databases. Nevertheless, specifying that the sample come from only health facilities reduces the relevance of the study because there are patients with medical and substance abuse problems and they do not visit the health facilities. External validity plays a crucial role in defining the extent of success of the project. Some information and data were missing and thus the authors had to approximate the missing data utilizing technological capabilities. However, since the data was obtained from both the public and private medical facilities indicates that all social class population was factored into the consideration. The data that were utilized were obtained from records that the medical facilities keep; hence, the data was specific and applicable in solving the hypotheses. This means that the sampling plan was appropriate to some extent (because they analyzed hospital records and not analyzing the entire community) for analyzing the effect of substance abuse and psychiatric problems. Nevertheless, the sample was not fully representative of the entire population because the sample was only picked from only 12 health facilities. Some people with psychiatric problems and substance abuse do not visit medical facilities. In the case of substance abuse, the authors could have picked additional sample from counseling and other corrective facilities such as jails. The type of study was descriptive because it tries to show the link that exists between race-ethnicity and medical conditions: mental health and substance abuse. The main threats to external validity are the extent of analysis and acquisition of the sample. The data of 92 patients was missing. However, through calculations and approximations these data was obtained, which to some extend jeopardize validity of the research. The study shows that there is some racial and ethnicity difference in substance abuse and psychiatric problems in population of non-Latino black, non-Latino white and Latinos. The study should have extended to other population type such as Hispanics and African-Americans to understand the real extent of mental conditions and substance abuse to the entire population. The independent variables were the group of the targeted population e. g. Non-Latinos white, non-Latino black and Latinos. The dependent variables are the medical conditions that were being analyzed e. g. substance abuse and psychiatric conditions. The intervening variables are the link and relationship that exists between the medical conditions and patients who accessed the medical facility. The authors were able to balance and analyze dependent, independent and intervening variables in achieving the goals of the study. The authors collected the data from outpatient facilities in twelve medical facilities. The data was obtained from the hospital databases and other recordings. Moreover, additional data was obtained through approximation of missing sample data. The authors were able to visit both public and private facilities to ensure for some external credibility. This strategy ensured that specific data was utilized in the study. Obtaining the data from medical facilities increased its validity and reliability. However, the approximation of the missing data was the main weakness and specifying the population that is analyzed e. g. obtaining data from medical facilities rather than obtaining additional data from other agencies. The data that was obtained was grouped into six parts utilizing the BASIS-24 domains with the help of PROC MI in obtaining the missing data. The authors obtained diagnosis for 1,807 patients out of the 1,899 patients. From the analysis, the authors found out that Latino and Non-Latino black patients reported worse symptoms of substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders when compared with non-Latino white. The authors found out that there was no relation between race-ethnicity with medical conditions. The study also showed that Latinos reported greater emotional liability, self-harm symptoms and interpersonal functioning compared with non-Latino blacks and non-Latino whites. Additionally, the study found out that self-harm symptoms were greater in non-Latino black when compared with non-Latino whites. The unique difference that existed between the Latinos and non-Latino blacks is that the severity of substance use disorders in non-Latino blacks is greater than that of the Latino. The authors found that the relationship that exists among the three populations types was depressive symptoms and their (population) functioning capabilities. The findings of the study differed with evidence that indicates lower rates of mental health problems between the Latino and non-Latino black populations in the treatment of substance abuse. The authors have clearly explained strengths and shortcomings that may occur. The strength of the methodology was the ability of the authors to pick specific data in hospitals and utilizing it to understand the medical condition of the population. The methodology that was utilized had various weaknesses, especially in collecting the data and analyzing it. The population that was utilized did not define the entire population because the authors utilized medical records. They could have incorporated other institutions in understanding substance abuse and psychiatric conditions. Moreover, they obtained some missing data through utilization of technological machines. This increase chances of errors in the final analysis. The authors were able to compare their findings with previous research and the conclusion indicates the entire study has achieved its goals.

Romanesque and Gothic Architecture Essay -- History Architectural goth

Romanesque and Gothic Architecture The 11th to 15th centuries saw a great surge of the Christian Church within Europe which was emphasized by the persuasiveness of the Crusades. The growing population of the Church increased the demand for the increased presence in architectural monuments and during the Romanesque and Gothic periods, a great cathedral construction boom occurred across Europe. The Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles were distinctive in not only the massiveness of the Romanesque monuments and the introduction of the cruciform plan but also for the introduction of the Gothic era art within the Cathedrals which included the inclusion of art the radiating Rose Window, column figures and the gargoyle among many others. Within Europe, there was a progression of architectural styles, many of which are still evident in the monuments today. The major styles are considered as Carolingian (800-900 AD); Ottonian (1000s); Romanesque (1000s-1100s); Gothic (late 1100s-1400s). While Romanesque is considered as the architectural style which preceded the Gothic, many of the distinct Romanesque features found within the great cathedrals of Europe were lost to the greater Gothic movement. However, many Romanesque features, as well as the earlier Carolingian reside within the Gothic-built monuments. The Romanesque name is deliberate in its direct relation to the styling designs found in Rome and there most distinctive feature is their massiveness as opposed to the much more thin monuments of the Gothic era which followed. An important structural development during the Romanesque period was the origin of the vault. The vault was originally designed as an alternative to the more fire prone wooden roofs but soon became a major architectural feature in all cathedrals. The Romanesque era and style also refers to the Norman variations in the church architecture which also occurred in the late 12th century. The Twin towers are considered examples of the typical Norman facade developed during the Romanesque period and which are now considered a standard of medieval cathedrals. Another development during the relatively short Romanesque period was the origins of the cruciform structure of the church in that church plans (as seen from above) are in the form of a crucifix; a feature usually associated with the later Gothic styles but which had originate... ..., which was obviously influenced by Roman architecture saw the development of massive structures and Cathedrals and also included the introduction of the architectural features of the vaulted roofs. The Gothic period and saw the development of the Cathedral construction boom in which several innovative art forms were also introduced in the Church design. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cedron, R. Romanesque: Foundations Stones of Learning. Earthlore. http://www.elore.com/Gothic/Learning/romanesque.htm. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cedron, R. Blackford, N. (2001). Gothic Dreams: Appreciating a Cultural Legacy. Earthlore. http://www.elore.com/Gothic/introduction.htm. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cedron; Blackford, N. (2002). Art Periods and Styles related to Gothic Architecture. Earthlore.http://www.elore.com/Gothic/Glossary/periods.htm. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  KMLA: Korean Minjok Leadership Academy. (2001, September 17). Basilicae, Cathedrals, Abbeys - Large Scale Ecclesiastic Architecture. World History at KMLA. http://www.zum.de/whkmla/art/hma/cathedrals.html. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neagley, L. Gothic and Romanesque Architecture. Rice University, Humanities Electronic Studio Project. http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~hart205/Cathedrals/Plan/plan.html.

Community News Article: Promoting Health Drinks and Lifestyle Essay

Resumen: This article discusses how in the Appalachian areas of the United States children as young as 6 month are given this high-sugar, highly caffeinated cheap soda to drink called Mountain Dew. This may be because Mountain Dew is cheaper than milk. Parents are allowing far too much caffeine in their systems which cause potential bone damages and mailing causing teeth to rot in the toddlers as young as age two. Lemon and Lime drinks are very damaging to the teeth and Mountain Dew has both. Citric acid is in a lot of lemon or lime- flavored beverages and all carbonated beverages have phosphoric acid that which erode the teeth. Many dentist have tried to educate families and have offered free services to help but these programs can’t work if parents refuse to carry good dental hygiene. The Organization of Public Health Law Research says that West Virginia is so bad that legal action may be necessary, such as implementation of an excise tax on soda, limiting purchases of the drinks with food stamps, educating young mothers and making dental care part of the well-baby visit, especially since many don’t visit dentist until they are 5 years old. Reversing this problem is what health providers are trying to do especially since in West Virginia tooth decay and rotten teeth is normal. Opinion After reading this article, I was very shocked that mothers are given toddlers soda to drink, especially because they find soda cheaper than milk. Parents need to think about their children’s health and their future. I use to love drinking Mountain Dew and I am so glad I don’t drink it anymore. Promoting health drinks and lifestyle is very important to do especially in this century where parents have no time to feed or give children a healthy meal and just solve the solution with fast food or soda. As nurses this is something we must always try to educate families about. If we don’t teach children how to take good care of themselves who will?

Islam †The Life of Muhammad Essay

A prophet is someone through whom Allah speaks. The Qur’an names 25 prophets, but tradition says there have been 124,000 in all. For Muslims, Muhammad in Allah’s last prophet, known as the ‘seal of the Prophets.’ The exact date of Muhammad’s birth in Mecca is unknown, but it is thought to have been no later than 570 AD. His father was called Abdullah, which means ‘servant of God’ and his mother Aminah- ‘peaceful’. Both were members of the Hashim clan, a sub-division of the Quraysh tribe which had lately abandoned its nomadic life as desert Bedouins and risen to dominate the trading city of Mecca. Muhammad had a sorrowful early childhood. The name Muhammad is said to have been given to him as a result of a dream his grandfather had. He is also said to have had other names, such as Abul-Qasim, Ahmad, and Mustafa. There were many legends about Muhammad. One said that before his birth his mother Aminah heard a voice telling her the child would be a great leader. Another told of a heavy shower of rain, a blessing that ended a long drought. Yet another legend was that two angels removed Muhammad’s heart, washed it clean, then weighed it against first one man, then ten, then a hundred , then a thousand. Finally they said ‘Let it be. Even if you set the whole community in the scale, he would still outweigh it.’ These stories show that Allah was preparing Muhammad for his prohetetic mission in future. His father was dead by the time of his birth and his mother died before he was six, meaning he was raised as an orphan. According to Quraysh law he was to be given to a Bedouin foster mother and sent of into the desert, and would be unable to inherit from his father’s estate. So almost from the beginning of his life he was both poor and something of an outcast from Meccan society. This shows that muslims are taught to trust in Allah’s goodness, and to accept death as a stage in their life and not the end of it. It is, however, known for certain that when he was eight Muhammad was sent to live with his uncle, a merchant called Abu Talib. From the age of 12 Abu Talib took him with him on his long trading trips, which sometimes lasted for many months. A number of stories surround Muhammad in this period of his life. One tells how he and his uncle stopped at a Christian monastery on their travels, and a monk named Bahira recognised the mark of a prophet on Muhammad’s shoulder.His future prophetic status was indicated by certain marks on his body and by miraculous signs in nature. Muhammad first worked as a camel driver, but as both his horizons and business acumen expanded, he became known as The Trusted One (al-Amin) for being fair in his dealings and honoring his obligations. The most important hadith about his early life, and the ones with some of the largest degree of unanimity, are about a trip to Syria, where he was recognised by a Christian monk as Shiloh – the non-Jewish Prophet whose coming was foretold in the book of Genesis. It seems that Muhammad, from an early age, believed himself to be Shiloh, the first and last non-Jewish Prophet who would bring the final message and warning to mankind in the last days before the end of the world. It may have been for this reason that he became something of a mystic, spending long periods of isolated meditation in the desert. From his early twenties onwards he began to have religious experiences and visions of various sorts, but was on the whole confused by their significance. He is also reported to have become a expert on the Jewish and Christian religions and to have engaged in long religious debates with both monotheists and pagans. At the age of 25 Muhammad’s social status changed markedly. He had been employed by a wealthy widow, Khadijah, to run her trading interests and, after they had prospered, she asked him to marry her. He accepted, even though she was to prove faithful, understanding and supportive wife and the marriage was happy. They had six children-two sons, Qusim and Abdullah, and four daughters, Zainab, Ruqaiyyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima. The two boys died in infancy. The couple had only one surviving child, a daughter called Fatima who in later life became a fanatical Muslim. After her death he had several others, perhaps the best known of whom was the young Aisha. Muhammad’s uncle Abu Talib fell on hard times, and Muhammad repaid his kindness by taking responsibility for his little son Ali. Another child in the house was Zaid ibn Haritha, a slave boy given to Khadijah as a present. One day Zaid’s father, who had been searching for him for years, discovered where he was and offered to buy him back. Zaid was asked what he wished to do and chose to stay with Muhammad. Muhammad was so moved that he freed the boy instantly, and raised him as his own son. At that time Mecca was tumultuous melting pot of Christianity, Judaism, and the various pagan religions practiced by the desert tribes and Meccan clans. Khadijah’s family had been exposed to monotheism, which was growing in popularity in its various forms and it is known that her uncle was a practicing Christian. In contrast, the pagan clan cults of the Qursysh in the city had become decadent, especially in their shameless worship of material goods and worldly wealth and the consequent huge disparities between rich and poor, which Muhammad, with his varied background, was able to appreciate. These problems, springing from the difficult transition of the Quraysh from nomadic poverty to sedentary merchant wealth, concerned him greatly, and social injustice-especially the treatment of orphans like himself-is the theme of many of the early surahs of the Qur’an. The cults of the pagan deser t Bedouin clans, who visited Mecca only occasionally, were equally divisive, degenerate and cruel. Human sacrifice and female infanticide were widely practiced. Each Arab tribe had its own gods and worshiped idols. The most important of these was the House of God (Ka’bah), located in Mecca itself. When Muhammad was a young man it contained 360 pagan idols, worshipped by dozens of separate tribes and clans. His clan, the Hashemites, had the honour of guarding it, through tradition which held that the monument had been re-built by their ancestors Ibrahim and Isma’il after the original- believed to have been built by Adam at the beginning of time- had fallen into disrepair. The Quyrash’s wealth was based on the dozens of pagan cults who used the Ka’bah as their central shrine. They sold idols, and Mecca’s position as a trading city was largely based on contacts made with the visiting tribes. New religions were welcomed as good for business. At first Islam was seen as just another money-making cult and Muhammad was encouraged to use the Ka’ba alongside the others in a spirit of fair and toleration. But in 613 Muhammad began preaching to the public at large, rejecting all other religions, demanding the removal of idols from the Ka’ba and therefore threatening trade. As Quyrash hostility grew Muhammad showed himself to be skillful politician as well as a learned theologian. Steadily he gathered around him the elders of minor clans and middle ranking merchants through preaching a return to the religion of Ibrahim. Whilst the Quyrash continued to ridicule him, called him a madman and an impostor. Muhammad had begun to receive Allah’s final message to mankind in the form of the Qur’an through miraculous revelations which did not come until he was – by the standards of the time- already an old man. The Qur’an Muhammad received his first revelation during the month of Ramadan in the year 610 AD when he was about 40 years old. He was engaged in one of his regular periods of solitary meditation in a cave known as Hira near the top of Mount Jabal Nur, near Mecca, when he received a visitation from the angel Gabriel(Jibreel). Muhammad had experienced religious visions before, but this was quite different. Angel Gabriel (Jibreel) commanded him to ‘Recite in the name of your Lord’, and the Prophet lost control of himself and, Muslims believe, began to speak the actual words of Allah. Eventually he was told to recite what is now the beginning of Chapter 96 of the Koran: Recite in the name of your Lord who created, created man from blood congealed. Recite! Your Lord is the most beneficent, who taught by the pen, taught men that which they did not know. After a short period during which he received no further revelations, they then began again and continued until the end of his life. In the 23 remaining years of his life Muhammad received a total of 114 separate revelations which were compiled as the Qur’an after his death. Muhammad was illiterate so he would repeat each revelation afterwards. Some were written down on whatever was available, from parchment to palm leaves and animals bones, but the majority, in the tradition of the times, were memorized. A year after Muhammad’s death they were collected together by his secretary, Zayd, under the supervision of a committee, shown to many of the Prophet’s companions, and agreed to be accurate. But by about thirty years after his death a number of different versions were circulating and being recited, so a definitive ‘canonical’ version was issued and sent to the four main Islam cities of Basra, Damascus, Kufh and Medina. Two of these original copies still exist today. One is in Tashkent in Soviet Uzbekistan and other is in the Topkapi palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The text is divided into 114 surahs, each containing the words of one revelation. The number of verses, or ayahs, in each surah varies from three to 286 and totals 6,239. Each has a title, and 86 have sub-headings indicating they were received in Mecca, whilst another 28 were received in Medina. The Meccan surahs are shorter, more mystical and warn about the dangers of paganism, marked by vigorous semi-poetic language, and concerned with warnings that men would inevitably be judged by God for their behaviour in this world and severely punished if they did not mend their ways. The Medinan surahs are in general longer, less urgent in tone, and deal in great detail with aspects of Allah’s law such as the rules for declaring war, accepting converts, divorce proceedings and the mandatory punishments for various crimes – more concerne d with the solution of practical problems facing him and his followers. The structure of the Qur’an is unusual and, apparently, illogical. In general the longer Medinan surahs, given last, are at the front of the Book and shorter Meccan surahs, the earliest, at the back. There is no logical explanation for their order but at the same time Western scholars, attempting to reorganise them on this basis, have found that no other order works without splitting the surahs up into scattered verses. Sunni Muslims hold that the order was dictated by Jibree to give the Qur’an an esoteric inner meaning reflecting the Divine rather than human order of things. Acceptance of every word of the Qur’an as the literal word of Allah is a binding obligation on all Muslims. The idea that Muhammad was the author of the Qur’an, or any part of it, is rejected absolutely. At the heart of the Qur’an is the simple, repetitive warning that mankind must renounce paganism, accept Allah as the one God of all mankind and live according to his laws. The message is directly addressed to the pagans, Jews and Christians of Mecca, amongst whom Muhammad lived, complete with threats of dire consequences if they failed to mend their polytheistic ways. The first revelation received by Muhammad deals with this very theme. In another early revelation Allah openly threatens Muhammad’s brother-in-law Abu Lahab, who, as head of his Hashemite clan, had disowned Muhammad and annulled the marriage between his son and Muhammad’s daughter Fatima. Allah also shows himself to be equally angry with Abu Lahab’s wife, who had ridiculed the idea of Muhammad’s Prophethood. The Hijah Muhammad’s flight into exile is the most significant episode in the Prophet’s life apart from the revelations he received which made up the Qur’an. It marks the point in the Prophecy when Allah demanded not just a reform of the religious life of Mecca, but a total break with it. It also marks the start of jihad (Holy War – both spiritual and physical) against the pagan Quyrash and, ultimately, all those oppressing Muslims and opposing by force the spread of Allah’s word. The date of this declaration of war was later chosen as the first day of the Muslim calendar, with 622 the first year of the Age of Hijrah. By this time most of Medina’s population regarded themselves as his followers. Many, in addition, had signed military treaties with his followers in Mecca promising military aid. They now eagerly awaited Muhammad’s declaring of war. But instead, after receiving fresh revelations, he decided to first convert the nomadic Bedouins in the surrounding desert. Between 622 and 628 Muhammad set in motion the biggest tribal avalanche Arabia had ever seen. The tribal chieftains rapidly converted to Islam and joined Muhammad’s army. The process was helped by Islam’s being an entirely new religion free from the feuding assocations of both the localised pagan cults and the ‘foreign’ monotheist doctrines of Judaism and Christainity. Muhammad showed himself to be a brilliant military leader in early skirmishes with the Quyrash and this, along with further revelations promising Allah’s support and certain victory, is likely to have persuaded yet more shayks to join. In just six years Muhammad assembled an army of 10,000 Arabs – a huge force for those times – and marched with the people of Medina against Mecca. The force was so overwhelming the city was taken without resistance. Muhammad issued a general amnesty to the Quyrash and urged them, without pressure, to convert to Islam, which they slowly did. The conquest of Mecca also gave him control of the Ka’bah and he resumed his preaching to pagan pilgrims as they visited the shrine. Conversion was rapid and only nine months after the occupation of Mecca his army had grown to 30,000. More clans and tribes converted to Islam. Muhammad died at Mecca on June 8th 11 AH/632 AD. Respect is shown towards Muhammad by saying peace be upon him (PBUH). He was respected as a man who was close to God, who thought deeply and was kind and wise. Muhammad had known the Ka’ba all his life, with it’s many shines. He had also known the greed, exploitation, lack of compassion of the rich merchants. Muhammad spent his life searching for spiritual guidance, drawing ever closer to God. Islam is not just a matter of ritual prayers or fasting or feasts. It is the conscious bringing of every moment of the day, every decision, every detail of the muslim’s thoughts and actions, into deliberate line with what they accept as being the will of Allah. How is the will of Allah known? The muslim bases all decisions on the revealed words of the Holy Qur’an, the messages that were delivered, over a period of 23 years, to the inspired prophet Muhammad. Not one word in the Qur’an is believed by muslims to be the thought or teaching of Muhammad himself- although he is refered above all human beings as one od the most perfect of Allah’s messengers. Other messengers were Abraham, Moses, Jesus and, in fact, at least 24,000 prohets. Muhammad’s ministry was not based on any mircles other than the receiving of the Qur’an. Muhammad is so important to muslims because be was the last prophet, the seal of all that was revealed to the prophets before him. Muslims family life The Qur’an speaks about the family more than any other topic and deals with the rights and responsibilities of husbands and wives, divorce, orphans, inheritance and so on. The Sunnah also deals with relationships within the family: in one tradition, the Prophet says that a man is the guardian of his family and a women is guardian of her husband’s home and children. Two particular Qur’anic verses underline the Islamic view of the family: . . . he created for you mates that you may dwell in tranquillity with them and he has put love and mercy between your hearts . . . 30:21 We created you from a simple pair of a male and a female. . . that you may know each other (not that you may dispise each other) 49:13 This declares the essential equality between men and women but Islam does not see this as contradicting different roles played by men and women. For example, muslim men carry the heavy burden of family maintenance and are supposed to be the only, or the main, breadwinners supporting not only their wives and children but other married or widowed women in the family. If a man’s wife does not wish to live with his family or anyone else, he must respect her wishes. The major responsibility which falls to the woman is creating a harmonious family atmosphere and bringing up the children. Women may kake up paid work outside the home but it is not expected of them as part of the equal partnership and many muslims feel women should only do so if there is a real need for the money. Mature muslim men and women are allowed to mix at work, in public places and social gatherings. Divorce Islam allows divorce if circumstances warrant or necessitate it. Islam has permitted divorce reluctantly, neither liking nor recommending it. The Prophet of Islam has said: â€Å"Among lawful things, divorce is most disliked by Allah† Islam has not made it necessary that the grounds of divorce should be publicized. It, however; does not mean that Islam views divorce lightly. In fact, publicity of grounds may not be of any positive consequence. The grounds may not be pronounced but genuine. On the other hand, the grounds may be stated and may in reality be false. Islam does not also want washing dirty linen of private affairs in public or in the court except in exceptional circumstances. It is for this reason that court comes in as a last resort in the Islamic scheme of separation of husband and wife. The Quran states as regards grounds of divorce in very general terms: â€Å"And if you fear that the two (i.e husband and wife) may not be able to keep the limits ordered by Allah, there is no blame on either of them if she redeems herself (from the marriage tie) † (2 : 229). The general ground of divorce in the Quran, therefore, is hopeless failure of one or both parties to discharge their marital duties and to consort with each other in kindness, peace and compassion. Long absence of husband without any information, long imprisonment, refusal to provide for wife, impotence etc. are some of the grounds on which wife can ask for divorce. Either party may take steps to divorce in case of chronicle disease, insanity, deceptive misrepresentation during marriage contract, desertion etc. A Muslim male is allowed three chances, that is to say, acts of divorce on three different occasions provided that each divorce is pronounced during the time when the wife is in the period of purit y. A husband may divorce his wife once and let the Iddat (the period of waiting after divorce) pass. During the waiting period the two have the option of being reconciled. If however the waiting period passes without reconciliation, they stand fully divorced. If after the first divorce the husband is reconciled with his wife but the hostility and conflict begins all over again, he may divorce her a second time in the same manner as stated above. In this case also he can return to her during the Iddat (or waiting period). If however, after second reconciliation, he divorces the wife the third time, he can not take back the wife during the Iddat. She is totally prohibited for him. The lady, thereafter can marry any person she likes according to her choice. The wife can divorce her husband if this condition is stipulated in the marriage contract. This kind of divorce is called ‘Delegated Divorce’ (Talaq Taffiz). Marriage can also be dissolved through mutual consent. This is called Khula in the technical language of Islamic law. Marriage can also be dissolved by judicial process through the court on complaint of the wife on the grounds explained before. One of the consequences of the divorce is the commencement of waiting period for the wife. This usually lasts three months. If there is a pregnancy, it lasts as long as pregnancy lasts. The waiting period is basically a term of probation during which reconciliation can be attempted. It is also required to establish whether the wife has conceived. It also allows time for planning the future. Maintenance of wife during the waiting period is on husband. The wife can not be expelled from her place of residence and he can not in any way harass her. These will constitute moral as well as criminal offence. In case of divorce, the young children remain in the custody of their divorced mother. However, the father has to provide the cost of maintenance of young children though they remain under the custody of mother. Islamic law of divorce is based on practical considerations. The process of separation is basically a matter of husband and wife. However; when conflict arises, attempts should be made for reconciliation. It has not made judicial process obligatory in divorce for reasons explained earlier. The intervention of court has nowhere reduced the number of divorce. Judicial process in Islam is the last resort in so far as divorce is concerned. Islamic law on divorce if followed in true spirit will enhance the dignity of man and woman, reduce conflict and ensure justice. The Holy Qur’an explicitly prohibits the divorcing husbands from taking back their marriage gifts no matter how expensive or valuable these gifts might be In the case of the wife choosing to end the marriage, she has to return the marriage gifts or money to her husband. Returning the marriage gifts in this case is a fair compensation for the husband who is keen to keep his wife while she chooses to leave him. But the majority of ulamma’ have agreed that to act unfairly against the husband is not allowed and the marriage cannot be annulled by such way. The Holy Qur’an has instructed Muslim men not to take back any of the gifts they have given to their wives except in the case of the wife choosing to dissolve the marriage. Also, a woman came to the Prophet Muhammad seeking the dissolution of her marriage, she told the Prophet that she did not have any complaints against her husband’s character or manners. Her only problem was that she honestly did not like h im to the extent of not being able to live with him any longer. The Prophet asked her: â€Å"Would you give him his garden (the marriage gift he had given her) back?† she said: â€Å"Yes†. The Prophet then instructed the man to take back his garden and accept the dissolution of the marriage. The children usually stay with their mother unless she is shown to be incapable or unsuitable but she loses the right of custody of her children if she remarries. Marriage The most important ingredients in a Muslim marriage are shared values and beliefs, so that even if a couple come from different cultures and backgrounds they possess the same basic world view, attitudes and habits which will bind them together. Many Muslims seem to marry their cousins, Islam neither encourages nor refuses this practise. The prophet’s seventh wife, Zaimab bint Jahsh, was his cousin, but he only married her when she was 39 after his foster son Zaid divorced her. Cousin marriages inbreeds genetic disorders, and makes it very hard for a couple to divorce from a failed marriage if other close relatives will be offended. Muslim boys may marry Christians and Jews, but Muslim girls are not permitted to marry non- Muslims because in Islam the children have to take the religion of the father, and so w ould become non-Muslims. The prohet said : ‘A woman should only be married to a person who is good enough for her or compatible to her.’ The prophet permitted marriages between people of vastly different social status and financial backgrounds, knowing it was not these factors which made for compatibility, but what they were like in their hearts. Do not marry only for a person’s looks, their beauty might become the cause of moral decline. Do not marry for wealth, since this may become the cause of disobedience. Marry rather on the grounds of religious devotion. ( Haddith) Islam sees marriage as the only moral and legal status for a sexual relationship as it provides in public for the security and well being of man and woman. The ceremony itself is extremely simple and takes the form of a basic contract set in a social gathering. It can take place anywhere usually in a home in Muslim countries but in Britain it is most likely to be in a mosque. The imam does not need to be present and there is no fixed formula but it must be clear that both man and woman agree to the marriage and there may be readings from the Qur’an on the theme of married life. The contract- Aqd nikah- is written, as well as spoken, and bride and groom sign three copies. They keep one each and, in a Muslim country, the third is kept by officials. The Qur’an requires that the groom give the wife mahr- a sum of money or property or some other gift of value. It remains hers, whatever happens, and they agree between them what it is to be and when it is to be given. Jihad Arabic for â€Å"exerting one’s utmost efforts to a determined objective†, such objective normally being the struggle against anything that is not good. Two kinds of jihad traditionally exist for mainstream Muslims: the â€Å"greater† (al-jihad al-akbar) and the â€Å"lesser† ( al-jihad al-asghar). The greater jihad is also known as jihad al-nafs, and is understood as an individual’s inner, spiritual struggle against vice, passion, and ignorance. The lesser jihad is defined as meaning â€Å"holy war† against infidel (non-Muslim) lands and subjects. It has both legal and doctrinal significance in that it is prescribed by the Koran and mainstream Muslim hadiths (recorded sayings and actions ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad and accorded a status on a par with revelation). â€Å"Holy war† is the sole form of war that is theoretically permissable in mainstream Islam. Muslim law has traditionally divided up the world into dar al-Islam (abode of Islam) and dar al- harb (abode of war, that is, of non-Muslim rule). As Islam is the last, most superior and universal of man’s divinely ordained religions, it is believed that the entire world must ultimately surrender to its rule and law, if not its faith. Until that time, a jihad against non-Muslim neighbours and neighbouring lands is the duty of all adult, male, and able-bodied Muslims. According to this traditional view, Muslims who die in jihad automatically become martyrs of the faith and are awarded a special place in Paradise. According to the law-books, two kinds of non-Muslim enemies exist, kafir (pagans) and ahl al- kitab (people of the book). The term â€Å"people of the book† originally meant only Jews and Christians, but later on it included other groups such as followers of Zoroastrianism. â€Å"People of the book† need only submit to Muslim political authority to avoid or end jihad and may keep their original faith: their status, defined as dhimmi (a â€Å"protected† non-Muslim), is inferior to that of a Muslim and they must pay the prescribed â€Å"jizya† (poll tax). As for pagans, that is, those whom Muslims do not recognize as a â€Å"people of the book†, such as Buddhists and Hindus, they must either convert to Islam or suffer execution. This drastic alternative, however, was rarely enforced in practice. There can be no going back for a convert to Islam-be that person a dhimmi or pagan-since it is a capital offence to abandon Islam, even for a former religion with a recognized revelation. However, ways of avoiding the strict enforcement of the law were often found. Jihad can also be defensive, that is, for the purpose of protecting Muslim lands from non-Muslim incursions such as, for example, the crusades of the Christians in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages or the Spanish Reconquista. Some modern Muslim scholars have stressed the defensive aspect of jihad above others. In contrast to the Sunnis, some Muslim groups like the Imami and Bohora-Ismaili Shiites are forbidden from participating in offensive jihad. This is because for both sects the only person legitimately capable of conducting an offensive jihad is their Imam, and he is presently in occultation (that is, in hiding and incommunicado until the end of time). The two sects, however, are permitted participation in defensive jihad. I have been asked to evaluate the following statement ‘The Qur’an would be more useful to everyone if it were translated into modern English. Whether the Qur’an may be translated from its original Arabic into another language, and, if so, under what circumstances a translation may be used, has also been a matter of dispute. Nevertheless, it has been translated by Muslims and non-Muslims into a variety of languages. Today there are many versions available in English and the other major languages of the world. Although it can now be read in at least 40 languages, all translations lose part of the inspiration and meaning, and are not treated with the same respect as the original. Since the Qur’an is believed to be from Allah, every word, every letter, is sacred to muslims. It is therefore considered very important to keep the Qur’an in the language in which it was first spoken i.e. Arabic. Muslims were taught to recite it, and it must still be learnt in Arabic. As Islam spread from Arabia, its language was adopted by a number of Islamic countries, and is still spoken in these countries today. Muslims in these countries should find the Qur’an quite easy to read, even though the style of modern Arabic has naturally changed since Muhammad’s time. In other countries, muslims need to learn enough Arabic to take part in their worship and to read the Qur’an. You can find translations of the Qur’an for people who do not know Arabic, or copies with both Arabic and another language for those who do not have Arabic as their first language, but muslims do not accept these translations as proper Qur’ans. The main argument used to defend the Divine authorship of the Qur’an is the incomparable quality of writing. Much of it is composed in rhyming Arabic and the language is particularly beautiful and graceful. The surahs were given in Arabic and, since it would be a sin to alter the word of Allah, Arabic remains the sacred language of Islam. Non- Arabic speaking muslims can use translations but the Qur’an is so important to them that many learn Arabic just so they can read it in its original form. Muslims and non-believers alike agree the full power and beauty of its writing can only be appreciated in the original. But for muslims it goes further than that. Translations can only be interpretations which cannot truly say what is said in Arabic. The combination of the words and rhythms in the original language- the way the Qur’an sounds when recited- is also an important part of its power. Muslims think of the Qur’an as a complete philosophy, a comprehensive description of the universe and the entirety of the law by which people must live. The longer and later Medina surahs stress Allah’s merciful nature more fully, with extensive friendly practical advice on personal and family matters. The Qur’an is also the focus of Islamic art. Many individuals copies of the Book are major works of art in their own right – with sublime Arabic calligraphy on superb hand-made paper, and high quality decorative leather and metal work. Figurative art is forbidden by classical Islam, especially the creation of images of Allah and the Prophets, and the astonishingly fine decorative art found in many mosques is largely based on Arabic calligraphy, woven into patterns repeating passages from the Book. Even the most sceptical non-believer, Muslims insist, is forced to admit that the Qur’an is a book of immense beauty and importance – not least because it has now almost certain become the most widely read and memorised book in the world. The preface to one of the most widely available Qur’an in English, the Tahrike Tarsile translation, puts it like this: ‘The Qur’an’s miracle lies in its ability to offer at least something to non-believers and everything to believers’. Learning large parts of the the Qur’an by heart is an important part of Muslim religious devotion and children start memorising it at an early age. In many Muslim countries learning the Qur’an by heart forms the basic curriculum of primary school education. Muslims who memorise its contents in their entirety are given the honourable title of al-hafiz.