Sophocles Use of Social Commentary in Antigone - 1334 Words

Art has the power to reach people across space and time. Although artists primarily use creative media to disseminate their ideas and emotions to a contemporary audience, great art has the ability to reach whoever appreciates it no matter their origin. In Antigone, Sophocles does this by creating a fictionalized Thebes in which he reflects upon the politics, religion, and societal norms of his own world. He creates a ruler, Creon, whose tyrannical actions serve to promote the merits of democracy and criticize the contemporary government. He also creates a protagonist, Antigone, who challenges the validity of the social structure while upholding ancient traditions. This social commentary allows Sophocles to connect with his both the†¦show more content†¦In this way, Sophocles presents the universal consequences of unresponsive and unaccountable government, whether led by Creon or Pericles. This analysis of both timeless issues and current political conditions would have helpe d Antigone to reach its audience. Sophocles also reaches his audience by using Antigone to defy societal norms and promote social change, while upholding other cultural traditions. From the start, she is presented as a strong and stubborn character with little regard for the authority of the established government. â€Å"[H]er intensity of feeling, the single-mindedness of her devotion to her family, her unbending will, her readiness to defy the entire city in the name of what she believes, her involvement with the dead, and her willingness to face death if necessary† (7), all fuel her eventual suicide in the name of justice. Her personality alone is sufficient to spark hostilities. Her civil disobedience takes on another dimension due to her protest of gender roles. Women typically stayed home to cook, clean, and raise the family, while men protected and financially supported the family. Only men participated in politics. Her very public defiance of Creon demonstrates her forward-thinking notions of gender ro les. The dissolution of the boundaries between the male and female worlds creates an ideological conflict between Antigone and Creon. This would make her especially threatening to Creon, who accuses Haimon ofShow MoreRelatedRoles of Women in Antigone1976 Words   |  8 PagesRoles of Women in the Greek Tragedy Antigone Despite the male dominant society of Ancient Greece, the women in Sophocles’ play Antigone all express capabilities of powerful influence and each individually possess unique characteristics, showing both similarities and contrasts. The women in the play are a pivotal aspect that keeps the plot moving and ultimately leads to the catharsis of this tragedy. Beginning from the argument between Antigone and Ismene to Eurydice’s suicide, a male takes his ownRead MoreSummary Of The Brien S. Brien s Antigone Essay2182 Words   |  9 Pagespeace in an unacceptable trade, and Paulin vehemently counters O Brien s arguments. He adopts, as his own, Hegel s view of Antigone, a view in which neither the right of family, nor that of the state is denied; what is denied is the absoluteness of the claim of each, and Paulin continues his attack by applying O Brien s logic to Irish grounds, noting that Here Antigone (i.e. Bernadette Devlin and the Civil Rights movement) becomes respo nsible for all those funerals . This means that the UnionistRead MoreGreek Tragedy By Euripides Medea1646 Words   |  7 Pagestopics as duty, honor, kingship, gender roles, and the other. Greek tragedy authors tend to use their writings as a means of social, political, and religious commentary. Both of the authors we read of, use their characters and the storyline development to test their reader’s moral boundaries. On the one hand, Euripides’ Medea emphasizes Greek thoughts concerning foreigners, and denounces Athenian social bases through his character’s traits and actions. First of all, from a Greeks’ point of viewRead MoreThe Psychological Connection to Oedipus the King1387 Words   |  6 Pagesfirst man? Where do souls go after death?’†¦The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and account for traditional rites and customs.† Oedipus the King written by Sophocles in 430 B.C. focuses around the second function that Graves noted. The play has been around for centuries, has evoked psychological theories, and will remain a classic. Sophocles has managed to touch on social, ethical, psychology, and more importantly philosophical issues in one play. Perhaps one of theRead More Comedic Violence in The Medea, The Oresteia, and Antigone Essay2353 Words   |  10 PagesComedic Violence in The Medea, The Oresteia, and Antigone      Ã‚  Ã‚   Almost no Greek tragedy escapes the use of violence. The Medea, The Oresteia, Antigone, and other classic works of Grecian tragoidia all involve huge components of violence in many prominent places, and for all of these stories, violent action is an integral part of the play. Medea, especially, is a character worthy of note in this regard; her tumultuous life can be plotted accurately along a path of aggression and passionate fitsRead MoreTheater in Ancient Greece1631 Words   |  7 Pages(Fonseca Web). The prologue of the tragedy served to introduce the circumstances around the play. This would often be in the form of a dialogue where the topic of the tragedy was revealed. This was then followed by a chorus which delivered lyrical commentary in a section known as the parados. Proceeding these introductory performances, the main parts of the play were divided into episodes. These episodes contained dialogue that drove the plot and the events of the play. After every se ction of dialogueRead MoreAn Analysis of Two Key Passages in Antigone2661 Words   |  11 PagesAn Analysis of Two Key Passages in Antigone During the Nazi occupation of France, Jean Anouilh produced an adaptation of Sophocles’ tragedy, Antigone, as a representation of the struggle between those collaborating with the occupants and those resisting them. While it is possible to read Anouilh’s Antigone as a ‘texte de la Resistance’, it can also be interpreted as an apologia for the Nazis’ severe, authoritarian behavior. The two key passages selected are crucial to the development of the playRead MoreLysistrat A Political Satire Written By Aristophanes2014 Words   |  9 Pagesattention to the craziness that had consumed society. It also contributed to the idea of women having a social or political power and, more importantly, having worth and a voice. Although it is impossible to know exactly which social aspects Aristophanes was trying to comment on, through historical documents and contexts, it is clear that statements were made condemning war through the satirical use of subverting gen der norms to reinforce the foolishness in society and fighting. The fighting and devastationRead MoreHistory of Theatre Lesson Notes Essay5401 Words   |  22 Pagesunderstanding of its relationships to the powers that govern its well-being and its own interrelationships (include elements that entertain and give pleasure). Much that is found in ritual, also in theatre (must be actors/directors, both use performing and viewing areas, may use same elements but the distinction between them ultimately depends on their functions). Explain the most significant theories of the origins of theatre: most widely known theory is championed by anthropologists in the late 19th and

Trade Protectionism Is A Policy That Restricts The Imports...

Trade protectionism is a policy that restricts the imports of goods. The purpose of protectionism is to protect domestic industries from imports , the products coming into the country , increase exports ,products coming out the country ,and improve the countries economy . One of the most effective method of protectionism is the tariff. The tariff is a form of taxation on imports ,it increase the price of imports and is taken in the receiving country, for example if the goods coming by the sea , the tariff will be taken in the port on the country . Other forms of protectionist include five major non-tariff barriers (NTBs) such as quotas, subsidies , currency control , administrative regulation and voluntary export restrains. Quotas is a trade restriction that limits and regulate the number and value of imported goods in specific period of time. For example strawberries, during the winter season we don’t see as much of them in the market, however if you happen to find some t he value of the produce significantly increased. Another NTB is subsidies, the government provides money to new industries to become competitive in the global market. This include depreciation allowance , cash grants , and tax holidays (p.110) to help reduce cost and improve their position. For instance if a company is too small and is unable to to compete int the global market , the government would offer them financial aid for them to get back in business. Currency control is used to limitShow MoreRelatedInternational Trade Policy And Economic Development776 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction In today s world economy, international trade policy plays an important role in national economic growth and economic development, it has become an important part of the international trading environment. Based on the historical research, free trade policy and protectionism are the two main catalogues of international trade policy. Free trade is a system in which the trade of goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions and interventionsRead MoreAnalysis of Arguments For and Against U.S. Trade Protection Essay1039 Words   |  5 PagesIn this paper I will summarize the arguments for and against trade protection for United States industries. Among the measures that can be used to restrict foreign trade are tariffs and trade quotas. Industries can also get nontariff barriers, miscellaneous legislation which give domestic products an advantage. In general, experts agree that restricted foreign trade benefits workers and domestic businesses, while under free trade consumers have a greater quantity and quality of choices availableRead MoreEconomic Growth and Public Policy of the Uk: Does the Protectionism Help?2525 Words   |  11 PagesEconomic Growth and Public Policy of the UK: Does the protectionism help? Introduction The effects of globalization have touched all the aspects of life and business today. One aspect is the trading policies between countries. Since the late nineteenth century, the collision started between domestic and foreign industries, which ask governments for measures that could protect local industries, without discouraging the country’s trade relations. The term ‘Protectionism’ was thus introduced inRead MoreThe Impact Of Foreign Policy On International Trade Essay1494 Words   |  6 Pagesinternational trade, many people have posed their opinion about what the role of government should be in it. Different factors are involved when it comes to deciding what this should be. It impacts a lot of people, so in order to do that, trade policy must be properly defined, identify what the roles of government currently are, and their involvement in it, and then analyse what should be their role. Trade policy is how a country carries out trade with other countri es (Commercial Policy, n.d). EvenRead MoreThe Speakers Speech on Trade Issues1454 Words   |  6 PagesSpeaker of the House: Speech on trade issues Give me jobs...or give me cheap, imported goods from China? It is this question that an increasing number of the American population fears that it is facing, regarding the US-Chinese trade deficit. America and American jobs are perceived as falling prey to what is called the Wal-Mart effect. This so-called Wal-Mart effect refers to the fact that when consumers are delighted at the cheap prices they can obtain at big box retailers, they are unintentionallyRead Morefree trade and protectionism1169 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Free trade and protectionism Free trade: It takes place between countries when there are no barriers to trade put in place by governments or international organization. Good and services are allowed to move freely between countries Pros Cons Protecting domestic employment Protecting the economy from low cost labour Protecting an infant (sunrise) industry To avoid the risks of over-specialization Strategic reasons To prevent dumping To protect product standards To raise government revenues Read Morecustoms and trade957 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Customs and Trade Much of the history of international relations and trade concerns efforts to promote free trade among nations. The 17th century saw the growth of restrictive policies that later came to be known as mercantilism. The mercantilists held that economic policy should be nationalistic and should aim at securing the wealth and power of the state. Governments were led to impose price and wage controls, promote exports of finished goods and imports of raw materials, and prohibit the exportsRead MoreImpact Of Trade Relations On International Trade1485 Words   |  6 Pagesdependant on international trade and the government plays a big role in this through forming their trade policy (Miller, 2010). In the past smaller countries have relied on trading with bigger nations, but in the mid-1960’s a lot of countries looked to pursue independence in their foreign policy. Even though we live in this new technological and global age, forming trade relations is vital to our economy. Every countr y has different trade policies which determine how trade occurs between themselvesRead MorePA 315 Final study guide Essay1288 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Question 1 Which of the following arguments states that a country should restrict trade to protect industries that provide social usefulness, such as domestic RD? Spillover effects Question 2 World Bank primarily loans money to countries that need short-term credit to shore-up their economies. False Question 3 One form of protectionism is to place limit on the amount of an incoming product. This is called Import quota Question 4 Neoliberalism refers to a political movement thatRead MoreGlobalization Of The United States1513 Words   |  7 Pagesdoes this stand true. As of March 10,2016 Pope stated that, â€Å"the trade deficit in goods was approximately $930 billion, or 1.3 percent of gross domestic product† (Pope, 2016). This trade deficit that we are experiencing is of course business as usual. Specifically, this deficit has occurred since 1975 (Pope, 2016). However, the United States can highlight certain industries that we are positively growing well in. These specific goods are within the technology intensive industries (high-tech metals

Stereotyping Using Racial Profiling Free Essays

Kiara Jacobs Dr. Benie Colvin English 1101 M, W, F 4 November 2012 Stereotyping using Racial Profiling As a society, people play into the looks, culture, and beliefs of a person and within minutes people make an assumption of who they are. Society takes one look at a person and based on their race, instantly draw a conclusion upon them without even asking them their name. We will write a custom essay sample on Stereotyping Using Racial Profiling or any similar topic only for you Order Now Stereotyping has been around for centuries; the most commonly used stereotypes involve race. People use racial stereotyping based on what society deems that race to be, without first getting to know that person in order to draw individual valid conclusions about them. When people are using racial stereotypes, they often think that they are better than the other person based on the color of their skin. In the article â€Å"Stereotypes† by Saul McLeod, he uses research on stereotypes by Katz and Braly which states, â€Å"Not surprisingly, racial stereotypes always seem to favor the race of the holder and belittle other races† (McLeod,Katz,Braly). A person who is set on pre-judging someone is that they are better than someone of another race. Some feel as though no one of another racial background can equal to them or is not even worthy to sit and eat with them, all because they do not have the same skin color. People cannot choose what race they want to be. As people belittle each others races, those that they belittle may be left thinking, together they are really better because they are black, white, Latino, or Indian. The media also plays a significant role in racial stereotyping. It is known to influence the minds of many from children to adults. They set forth an image of different racial backgrounds and portray it to the public. In a hosted article by New York Amsterdam news called â€Å"Media Blamed for Negative Stereotyping of Black Males,† it states, â€Å"This false image not only affects race relations†¦ can be predetermined for them by suggestions in the media†(Media Blamed for Negative Stereotyping of Black Males. ). The media adds to racial stereotyping because it gives people more reason to continue to judge a person from of their skin color. It also gives the motive for judgment because the media reflects how contemporary society is shaped. They categorize African Americans with drugs and crime, Caucasians with living the life of luxury, and all Hispanics with being in the United States illegally. Societies may absorb these opinions in their head by viewing television, and automatically think they know a person. The media puts different racial backgrounds in certain categories and makes it hard to change the perception of that racial background because that is all they portray them to be. However, the images that may be shown on television, in a magazine, or on the news does not define a whole set of people. Regrettably, stereotyping someone seems much easier than actually getting to know them. People look at an individual race and quickly identify the characteristics that are forced upon them, when in actuality they are nothing like the label society has associated them with. As a society, people should take the time and opportunity to get to know a person as an individual instead of placing them into a category. Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions,† an article from the Boston College states , â€Å"Just like when people are stereotyping you, you should get to know them better because there is a lot more to a person than first impressions† (Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions. ) Taking time out to get to know person intimately as an individual may be difficult for some in their head they already have drawn a conclusion about them. How ever, few minutes of conversation can change a person’s perspective. A barrier can be broken and opinions can change allowing realization to set in and determine that all people who have the same racial background are not the same. A person may look at all African Americans as rude and illiterate. Their entire perception of African Americans may change after getting to know one who is the opposite of what society claims them to be. Therefore, taking a couple of minutes to get to know someone can break a person’s racial stereotypical barrier. Stereotypes in general are hard to overcome. People who are used to hearing stereotypes repeatedly conform to them. Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions† also states, â€Å"One thing to be careful of is becoming more like the stereotype because another person labeled you† (Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions). Conformity to stereotypes may occur because individuals may feel that they are destined to be the way society has claimed them to be. Racial stereotyping is very diffic ult to defeat. Individuals have to stand up and claim that they will not be what society may label them to be. Individuals have to prove that they are their own person and not what someone has labeled them to be. It is a difficult task trying to defy the odds of conforming to a stereotype, especially when it is everywhere. Racial stereotyping has a significant impact on the world. It affects the way individuals may treat one another and how communication and ideas may deteriorate just because two people do not represent the same race. Some individuals miss a good opportunity of getting to know different aspects of good people. They are blind to the fact that learning new things about a different culture or race could broaden their knowledge in the world. No one should be looked at differently because of their skin color. For society to make a change for the better, people have to be smart and strong to form their own opinion. People should not let the media, other people or family members influence their thought on a person just because they do not look like them. Works Cited â€Å"Stereotypes. † Stereotypes. Trustees of Boston College, 29 Mar. 20010. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. http://www. simplypsychology. org/katz-braly. html. Media blamed for negative stereotyping of Black males. New York Amsterdam News [serial online]. May 31, 1997:13. Available from: MAS Ultra – School Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 5, 2012. How to cite Stereotyping Using Racial Profiling, Papers

Corporate Finance Horseshoe Corporation

Question: Discuss about theCorporate Financefor Horseshoe Corporation. Answer: Introduction:- Horseshoe Corporation is planning to issue the fresh capital by issuing common stock. Initial public offering is a difficult process. The corporation is intending to make the public issue and the desired process for issuing the shares is underwriting cash offer. The company shall appoint the underwriter in accordance with the Maldives stock exchange. If the entity is to underwrite the issue, then there is a need on its part to furnish the financial capabilities to purchase the shares. The corporation underwriting should be an institutions that is duly authorized to underwrite the securities by capital market development authority. Underwriting Cash Offer for Raising Equity Capital:- If the company is making the public issue through the process of book building, the issue needs to be underwritten by the runner of books. The corporation needs to enter into the underwriting agreement with the book runner and subsequently the book runner would enter into the underwriting with the syndicate members. The corporation should also indicate the number of securities to be issued in the event of the description in the issue of the shares and specify the predetermined price. If the syndicate members do not fulfill the underwriting agreements, the runner of book shall fulfill the obligations of underwriting. The syndicate member and the book runner shall not subscribe to the issue except the manner for fulfilling the obligations of underwriting. Before the opening of the bids, the copy of the agreement with the syndicate members shall be filed with the boards. The lead book runner or the merchant banker shall undertake the underwriting obligations in the event of every underw ritten issue. This has to be done as per the specification of the Maldives stock exchange. The obligation of underwriting will be for the entire hundred percent of the offer through the document. This should not be restricted to the minimum subscription level (Fernando et al., 2015). In case of right issues if the company once announced the rights issue could not cancel it except with the permission of Maldives stock exchange. The permissions will be granted by the stock exchange except in the case where trading has not taken place between the date on which the right issues has been announced and on the date on which the variation or cancelation is made (De Carvalho et al., 2015). The cost of underwriting is most important item in the total initial public offering cost .The shares issued as an underwriting cash offer and the entity having the underwriting services would be able to build the relationship that would help in improving the probability of securing the current and future business with the firm. Cost reduction under underwriting are more pronounced as the financing cost are reduced. The relationship between the underwriter and the entity receiving the underwriter services will help in reducing the cost of financing by way reducing the fees (Dubovyk Chala, 2013). The company gets the assurance of the success of issue as the underwriter takes over the risk of uncertainty of the public issue of shares of the company. They play and active role in underwriting of the shares of the public corporation. Issue of Shares by offering Rights to Shareholders:- Another mode of equity financing is to offering rights to the current shareholders directly. In such procedure, companies offer its current shareholders to purchase the new shares directly in proportion to the numbers of shares, held by the individual shareholders. The new shares are offered the shareholder at lower rates in comparison to the prevailing market price. The existing shareholders are not obliged to accept the offer. Moreover, they are free to trade the newly acquired shares in the stock market (Fong Lam 2014). Companies use to follow this practice for various reasons. By offering rights to the existing shareholders directly, the company can reduce the cost of issuing new shares and do not have to bear any underwriting fees for the same. In the time of economic depression, the investors do not want to invest in new stocks. The underwriting agencies also ignore to take risk of selling of new shares. In such circumstances, raising equity capital through offering rights to existing shareholders can be proved very beneficial (Massa et al., 2013). However, it has been noticed that sometimes this procedure may create negative impact in the market. The stakeholders of the company may think that the financial condition of the company has become unstable and therefore, it is offering its new shares at a discounted rate. Moreover, if most of the existing shareholders would sell their shares in the market, then the value of the outstanding shares would be diluted. It may affect the current market price of the price quite significantly (Holderness Pontiff 2016). Recommendation:- The primary objective of Horseshoe Corporation is to raise equity capital. The corporation can fulfill its objective either by underwriting cash offer or by offering rights to existing shareholders. However, the corporation may not be able to sell all the new shares to its existing shareholders, as; many of them may not accept the offer. Whereas, in underwriting cash offer, if the underwriter cannot sell all the shares in public, then the company may force the underwriter to purchase the balance number of shares through firm commitment deal (Chen Wu, 2015). Hence, it can be stated that if the corporation wish to raise capital only, then the underwriting cash offer will be more preferable and secure. However, the management of the company wants to maximize the wealth of the current shareholders as well. In that case, if the corporation issue new shares through underwriting cash offers, then, as discussed earlier, the value of the current shares will be diluted and the stock market price of the company will fall downwards (Ginglinger et al., 2013). On the other hand, if the existing shareholders accept the rights, offered, and do not re-sell the rights in the market, then the market price of the stocks will not be affected so highly. Moreover, as the numbers of shares under each existing shareholder will increase, they will get higher amount of dividends. Hence, it can be stated that if Horseshoe Corporation wish to fulfill both the objectives, then it should offer rights to its existing shareholders, as through this process it can raise capital, as well as, maximize the current shareholders wealth. References:- Chen, H. C., Wu, S. C. (2015). Who Makes the Choice on IPO Underwriting Methods? Issuers Versus Underwriters.Financial Management,44(4), 753-783 De Carvalho, A. G., Amaro de Matos, J., Pinheiro, D. B., Mello, M. (2015). Conflicts of Interest in the Underwriting of IPOs and Price Stabilization Dubovyk, S., Chala, Y. (2013). A conceptual model of the optimal underwriting contract choice by the issuer developing. -, (11-12 (1)), 106-109 Fernando, C. S., Gatchev, V. A., May, A. D., Megginson, W. L. (2015). The Value of Reputation: Evidence from Equity Underwriting.Journal of Applied Corporate Finance,27(3), 96-112 Fong, W. M., Lam, K. C. (2014). Rights Offerings and Expropriation by Controlling Shareholders.Journal of Business Finance Accounting,41(5-6), 773-790 Ginglinger, E., Matsoukis, L., Riva, F. (2013). Seasoned equity offerings: Stock market liquidity and the rights offer paradox.Journal of Business Finance Accounting,40(1-2), 215-238 Holderness, C. G., Pontiff, J. (2016). Shareholder nonparticipation in valuable rights offerings: New findings for an old puzzle.Journal of Financial Economics,120(2), 252-268 Massa, M., Vermaelen, T., Groen-Xu, M. (2013). Rights offerings, trading, and regulation: A global perspective

Lotus NJ, Essay 2 Essays - English-language Films, Film,

Lotus NJ, Essay 2 Character Analysis of Benedick and Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing" In Much Ado About Nothing, most of the characters had interesting relationships with each other. For example, Hero and Claudio, were deeply in love. Also, Don Juan, and Don John were fighting with each other. Another example was the close friendship between Benedick, Claudio, and Don Juan. But the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice was different than the others. In their relationship, they hated each other, that brought them together. Their personalities were so similar, that it made them sick of each other, but the similarities in their personalities is also what brought them together. Benedick was a smart, good-looking, and funny guy. He was very witty, and always had a response to anyone's comments. For example, when he was talking to Beatrice, he always had a comment to finish off the conversation. He also didn't like the idea of marriage. Benedick thought that marriage led to the trapping of men. When he heard about Claudio getting married, Benedick thought that Claudio was crazy, because Benedick felt that marriage was going to change the way Claudio lived. Benedick was also very stubborn. He never wanted to give into other people's ideas, and that was why he didn't want to give into the idea that marriage could be a good thing in a person's life. Beatrice was a character very similar to Benedick. She was a very independent person, and didn't want to rely on anyone for support. She also was very smart. She enjoyed reading poetry, and thought about things a lot. She also was against marriage. During one conversation, she even said that she would rather die than get married. Another characteristic of Beatrice was that she was very emotional. She often changed her mood all of a sudden for no apparent reason. Also, Beatrice kept many of her feelings inside her. Sometimes she would be angry but wouldn't show it,because she always had to feel strong, and look like she didn't need anyone. The traits and characteristics of Beatrice and Benedick were what brought them together, and also what separated them. Beatrice and Benedick were separated because, they always thought that they had to be independent, and not need each other. Another factor that kept them from coming together was that they always fought with each other. In trying to seem strong, they were actually fighting with each other, and hurting each other's feelings. The final thing that kept Benedick and Beatrice from coming together was that they both thought that marriage was a stupid institution. If neither of them wanted to get married, it would be very hard for them to have a relationship. Some factors brought Benedick and Beatrice together though. First, they never got bored of each other. because they disagreed on many issues, and were both able to argue well. Secondly, Benedick and Beatrice had very similar personalities. They both were strong and independent. They both were against marriage, and both were happier alone, or so they thought. Finally Benedick and Beatrice needed each other. They would be bored and somewhat lonely if they didn't have each other around, even if they were arguing. Benedick and Beatrice both had very strong personalities, and for a while it kept them from coming together. Both of them were independent, and thought that marriage was for the birds. But really both of them were lonely, but hiding it in order to look strong, and eventually with a little help, they realized that love and marriage were a great thing. Also, they both were so similar that they were the perfect match but didn't want to admit it, and when they finally did they were much happier.

Computer Law The WritePass Journal

Computer Law Introduction Computer Law Introduction1.Background2. Judicial Process in U.K1)  Adversarial2)  Inquisitorial3.  European Law4.  Presenting Digital Evidence in the Court5.  Case Scenario6.  Laws Broken by Accused7.  The phone hacking case happened in the UK8.  ConclusionReferencesRelated Introduction 1.Background Computer crimes are increasing day by day all over the world, internet is the prime medium for commit the crime both domestic and international activities. Criminals are targeted by using electronic tools like computer and other programmable devices. Computer Crime could affect any electronic device vulnerable attacks through the network which may be personal computer or protected computers. Today’s nature of the computer and internet mean that the criminal activities easily can carry out across the nation border. These kinds of crimes create problem over the jurisdiction and investigating the crime, different countries using different low and enforcement for the relevant crimes took place over the country. Older computer crimes was conducted using computer as tool such as illegally store images in the hard disk using mobile phone for harassment, download music, videos illicitly, software piracy, forgery and fraud these kind of computer crimes prosecute other relevant laws rat her than computer law. New type of cyber-crime is very different than older, now the attackers are using specific technologies or programmes which may be virus, malware, Trojan, worms and spyware; these programmes are very dangerous, effective and accurate to commit cyber-crimes. Attacks are now common against financial companies, banks and identity theft; some electronic attacks are using terrorist attack to the targeted computer and network through remotely. Unauthorised access, delete or modify the stored data in the computer system; these activities are prosecuted under computer crime legislation. According to the British Crime Survey showed that most of the computers are affected by virus in the house hold using internet in the U.K about 62 % in 2006 because of increase of the computers and broad band connection. Computer related activities are very complex to be prosecuted; law makers and the security consultants frustrated these kinds of activities are very difficult to legislate without affecting others. The legislation authority of UK recently clamping down on computer crime fell under some sort of trap; such kind of trap can avoid providing the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 which provision provides massive surveillances in the computer networks and the users. The news of the world phone hacking has been investigating since 2005, this case is very popular and on-going case; and here some suspicious people include news of the world Chief editors, reports, investigator, celebrities and politician. According to some popular newspaper report; I would like to explain this case, who all are the suspicious and guilty person in this case and which laws they are broken. 2. Judicial Process in U.K European communities include England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in this judiciary system has three courts of jurisdiction system arranged according to the cases which brought before the court.in U.K has two main type of judiciary system.[9] The European laws from the European Union, the legal system in the UK largely based on the judge here judge will made law and decide the cases and this cases brought before the judge this process is until 17th century this system is called common law or case law. But the Scotland totally dissimilar form this jurisdiction process at that time there has been a new law implemented the Act of Parliament that was policies of Government of the day. At that time a judge made law according to the case and the public need to follow this law this pronouncement technically known as precedent. The precedent plays very significant role in the common law this ensure logical progress, certainty, consistency and law development.[9] Legislation or statutory new law act in the parliament has become common, it reform in the 17th century; the modern time laws applied in the jurisdiction at any combination of jurisdiction in the U.K. but the common law has limited jurisdiction in the public general act. it may limited geographical location in the jurisdiction for a person and organisation. The most significant Act in the legislation in the parliament known as Primary legislation this primary legislation made by the parliament act 1911 -1949 in the House of Lords and then it accepted by the Royal assent from the Queen. This legislation is laid under Government Ministers and it come today’s greater volume.[9] The category of criminal law considers with Most of the criminal cases in the England and Wales called prosecutions. The Court prosecution on the basis of indictment document, here most of the case prosecution instituted by prosecutor on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, the case takes over form the police the specified crime accused with whom   in the state. The first stage of the case answer is called prime face and this process is called committal. In this document magistrate disclose some papers which are based on the evidence submitted by the prosecutor, these cases have heard in the Crown court. Crown Court only one but there nearly 70 jurisdiction centres in this country. [9] The litigation process before the judge and the jury they preside over the whole trail prosecution the judge and the jury justify the fairness about the case at the same time the prosecutors need to submit all the evidences these evidences admissible by jury at this time the jury give the accurate view and relevant law to this case. Finally, the jury decide who will be the culprit and who will be the innocent. [9] Magistrates’ court deal with fewer amounts of criminal cases, there is no committal and jury for jurisdiction. Here trial bench has three magistrates deal with the cases are lay person. Magistrates court appeal to the Crown Court some criminal cases such most criminal cases taken to the divisional court in the High Court. Finally, these matters may be appeal to the House of Lords. [9] The civil cases trial is begun by a plaintiff, the plaintiff; it may be a company or a person or government. Most of the civil cases deal with the country court typically claim cases choice of the value of the property for claim a person; in addition, the country court also deal with divorce cases and bankruptcy cases. Moreover, the claim cases has limitation up to  £3000 could be handled by the country court. [9] The High Court has three sub division to deal cases, Family Division, Chancery Division and Queen’s Bench Division [9] Family Division usually considers family matters like divorce cases and child welfare cases, child protection is the aim of this court, and sometimes they brought child to some agencies for the protection of the child. The High court has some difficulty to do divorce cases so country court deal with these matters, the family division has deal with the overseas cases like administration of wills process known as probate. [9] The Chancery Division deal with difficult matters like bankruptcy, copyright and patent, settlement, land law, trust and corporate laws. Most of the cases consider in the subdivision of this court which division is highly skilled specialists deal with this cases. [9] The Queen’s Bench division consider business cases about land and contracts torts , in this division has some specialised sub division al so commercial court in this court consider most difficult cases in the part of the business torts. [9] The European community was developed under the Treaty of Rome in the year of 1957, the judges could be appointed by 15 member stated of the court called Luxembourg in this sits comprised one British Judge. English legal system made the Court in the European Community Act 1972 section three in this states. [9] The Interference could raise Treaty of Rome under article 177; firstly, the jurisdiction give introductory decision would be taken by the justice in this court for the interpretation from the Treaty of Rome. The tribunal may be questioned before the tribunal’s member of the state the court of justice ruling the any civil cases and criminal matters in the U.K courts can ask any judgment points about the dispute the court will give necessary decision as soon as possible, the court of justice is peak court in this nation. [9] The Scotland follows own legal system based on Edinburgh of the court the Act Union of England and Wales in 1707, Scotland holds so many law system form English. 1)  Adversarial Adversarial judicial System, which legal system the two advocates would be represent for the suspected and petitioned parties, in this system there usually have a jury or judge for   decide whether the accused person is guilty or not. 2)  Inquisitorial Inquisitorial legal system totally opposite to the adversarial legal system, here the court would investigate the case, this legal system some countries use only for civil cases and they use common laws. 3.  European Law English law falls in to Criminal Law and Civil Law, offence related to person and the property and affecting the whole community is under the criminal law and it is called prosecution this law is applicable for computer related crimes. The wrong relating confliction between individuals with in the community which action for claim the case is under the civil case. Most Effective Computer Laws in U.K/European Union [10] Computer Misuse Act 1990 Police and Justice Act 2006 Telecommunication regulations 2000 Communications Act 2003 Human rights Act 1998 Privacy and electronic communication regulations 2003 European Laws Data Protection Act 1998 Anti-Terrorism, crime and security Act 2001 Regulation of investigatory powers Act 2000 Wiretap Act Pen / Trap Act Electronic Communication Privacy Act 4.  Presenting Digital Evidence in the Court The Digital Evidences such as floppy disk, USB, CD, an Image, log files, MAC time, which evidences supports the claim or that rejects the claim. The evidences are significant and need to maintain integrity and confidentiality is very important. The integrity means that the digital evidence has been not tampered and the confidentiality means that make sure the process or the content of the evidence must not view unauthorised person but only the authorised person. For integrity maintaining need to create MD5 or SHA-1 check sum value using lawful authority approved tools. The collecting evidence and making report is very important this process is called Chain of Custody, to prove the case need to prepare detailed report   and to make sure that the evidence handled step should be follow. What is the evidence? How did you get it? When was it collected? Who has handled it? Why did that person handle it? Where has it travelled, and where was it ultimately stored? When the evidence is electronic form it becomes two dimensional types of objects tangible and intangible this need to be preserved and tracked in the chain of custody. The physical evidence is called tangible objects such as laptop, hard drives, CD’s, backup tapes, digital cameras. Intangible data like documents, email and metadata. Authentication of the digital evidence is significant and the evidence is multi faced and it must be verified the digital authenticity of the digital evidence. For the integrity need to use digital signature technology which can maintain the evidence integrity. 5.  Case Scenario The News of the World (NoW) phone voice message hacking case is on-going case in the UK, the News of the World case was complained on November 2005 against the three royal staffs’ members, after reporting the story about Price William’s phone voicemail interception, and this case was registered at the Metropolitan Police on November 2005. The accused Clive Goodman was the royal editor Edmondson was the assistant editor of the NoW and Glenn Mulcaire is a private investigator. Goodman was jailed four months and Glen Mulcaire was jailed six months in January 2007. The NoW current executives and the current chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck 50 and former new editor Lan Edmonson 42 ware arrested suspiciously by the Metropolitan Police in April for illegally intercepted private telephone conversation, this unlawful offence under section 1 of the RIPA 2000(Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) and Criminal law Act 1977 Section 1 (1) has been charged the police. They were released on bail in September. After two and half years latter one of the famous newspapers in the UK claimed that the world-famous phone mailbox hacking case has involved NoW journalists and politician, sports stars, celebrities.[2,4,11] In July 2009, some newspapers reported that Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott,singer George Michael, celebrity cook Celebrity Nigella Lawson, London Mayor Boris John, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Comedian Lennny Henry, Late reality TV start Jade Goody and Coulson also includes in the phone hacking list; a chief executive of professional football’s association Gordon Taylor, Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes, sports agent Sky Andrew and Model Elle Macpherson had been victims.[3] In July 9th 2009 The News of the World apologised in the court actress sienna Miller was not committed this crime and the NoW she was not attend the prosecution and high court settled for this case  £100,000 legal cost ant damages.[13] September 2009, the owner of the News Group Newspaper paid  £1 million for settle the case three subjected people in this phone hacking case such as professional footballers Association Chairman Gordon Taylor, who had been settled this case out of the court said the Guardian newspaper report and they had this evidence, which evidence exposed that of illegal activities and they published that the NoW staffs were used around 1000 of mobile phone. This year the Scotland Yard claimed that they identified the suspected victims they are royal, military, police and government bodies. After a few days the PCC (Press Complaints Commission) said that about the phone hacking allegation they have not get any Evidence so this case is going on.[3] In February 2010, there was a report in the newspaper The Guardian; the 3 mobile phone company revealed that nearly 100 of customers have had hacked answer phone messages. And Police had found that around 91 PIN codes in their investigation, these PIN Codes they had been used for accessing voice mail to some others these information collected form the Clive Goodman and Glen Mulcaire.by the March 2010, Max Clifford intercepting the voice mail case was found the settlement details about  £1 million payment was done by News of the World, this case found that Clive Goodman had had involved another phone hacking case. After that the New York Times published in September 2010 the NoW journalist attempted to hack one of the television personality’s voice message. Then in December 2010, Crown Prosecution Service judged according to the Scotland Yard Police Inquiry report, they have not found any admissible new evidence whether they hacked the phone or not.[2] In January 2011, Lan Edmonson was suspended form the NoW after claiming phone hacking, one of the 91 victims, the Actress Sienna Miller have had relationship with Mr Jude Law from 2003 – 2005.Mr Justice Vos notice that Sianna Miller was appeared in some article in News of the Word from 2003 -05 year this may be consider she might have involved in this phone hacking case.[4] In 10th April 2011, the News of the world apologised the phone hacking case they are ready to pay compensation to those individual has been accused in this phone hacking case, this news was published in News of the World newspaper.[7] 6.  Laws Broken by Accused According to the BBC news these accused persons were committed unlawful interception of public communication under the UK law RIPA 2000(Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) of Section and the unauthorised access computer and gaining any stored data from the hard disk / voice messages from the computer against the UK law Computer Misuse Act 1990 section 1 (1) have been violated these proposed guilty people in the News of the World Phone Hacking case 2005 -2011. 7.  The phone hacking case happened in the UK â€Å" Morgans v Director case This case was in December 1998 to 2000; Morgan was hacked British Telephone computer Monolog telephone call logger for making some international calls. This case the prosecutor charged CMA 1990 section 1 (1) and Section 11 (2), But this case was quashed.† [6] â€Å"R v Moody case In this case ex-employee of the IT specialist he accessed remote maintenance port in the local authorities computerised telephone, he could not made any outgoing calls but he routed incoming calls to single extension. The police sized his pc and hard disk which has been corrupted by previous police investigation, so the court had stayed indictment. He was violated CMA 1990 section 3 and Admissibility Pace section 69s† [6] â€Å"R v Malcolm Farquharson case In this case was happened in 1993, the accused person was committed mobile phone cloning, the accused person convicted unauthorised access he had been sentences nearly six month imprisonment.† [6] â€Å"R v Emma Pearce case This case was registerd 1993, this case also phone cloning he accessed telephone records so the court sentenced  £300 fine only.† [6] â€Å"Gold and Schifreen In 1985, two journalists were hacked British Telecom computer and they were accessed prince Philip’s voice mail box at that time for the investigation proved that these two people were committed activity but there was no computer misuse act to punish them. At that time they created a new law computer misuse act in 1990.† [6] 8.  Conclusion According to the BBC news and other popular Newspaper report claimed that, the News of the World chief editor, reporter and private investigator was committed this phone hacking case the police has some evidence against them according to this evidence the Court had imprisoned these three people in 2006 around 6 months, after one year this case was reopened by Met police UK; but the police investigation is going on and they yet to be find any solid evidence against them and rest of the 3000 suspicious person, during this investigation 10th April 2011 the news of the world apologised to all accused suspected people and they are willing to give compensation to all this people. Even though they withdraw the case it is crystal clear that some of the NoW staffs were involved and committed this case. In my point of view these suspicious persons violated UK laws above mentioned, but this case was withdrawn why because of the pressure from the political leader, they need to hide some professi onal or celebrities, Politicians involvement in this case; most of the suspicious people were settled this case out of the court with billions of money this deal are very secret. This is clear that most of the computer related cases fail because of investigation problem or computer evidences are very easy to be damage and sometimes there would not be proper evidences to prove. I believe References adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_rights/legal_system/courts_of_law.htm [Accessed: 8th June 2011]. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11195407 [Accessed: 9th June 2011]. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11930168 [Accessed: 8th June 2011]. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12253968 [Accessed: 8th June 2011]. charlesrussell.co.uk/UserFiles/file/pdf/Reputation%20Management/phone_hacking.pdf [Accessed: 8th June 2011]. computerevidence.co.uk/Cases/CMA.htm [Accessed: 9th June 2011]. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1374946/Rupert-Murdochs-News-World-apologizes-sets-victims-compensation-fund.html [Accessed: 9th June 2011]. internetrights.org.uk/briefings/irtb08-rev1-draft.pdf [Accessed: 20th May 2011]. leeds.ac.uk/law/hamlyn/courtsys.htm[Accessed: 4th June 2011]. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/23/contents [Accessed: 8th June 2011] mediaspy.org/report/2011/04/06/uk-police-arrest-news-of-the-world-phone-hacking-suspects/ [Accessed: 9th June 2011]. mishcon.com/news/articles/phone_hacking_the_news_of_the_world_04_2011/ [Accessed: 8th June 2011]. newsoftheworld.co.uk/notw/public/nol_public_news/1266448/News-International-statement-News-of-the-World-says-sorry.html [Accessed: 8th June 2011]. parliament.uk/documents/post/postpn271.pdf

Race and Representation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Race and Representation - Essay Example At the same time the celebration has its own pit falls as it might retrogress into violence and killing at the slightest trigger. "This is a delicate situation, and â€Å"race† remains fissile material." (Gilroy, 2004, p. 14). There have been many studies centered on most races of the world. But the images of whiteness have not been placed under the microscope as much as other images of race especially that of blackness. The purpose of this study is to make a cursory glance of the images of whiteness that evolved over the years. Representation and study of racial images or stereotypes are having many sensitive issues. The visual representation of racial stereotypes might force people to re-live and freshen old memories, which might jeopardize inter-racial relation. However, academic pursuits cannot be neglected for the sensitivity of a few. In fact the study might throw light on the subliminal foundations for the formation of stereotypes and provide us the escape routes for the mounting racial and ethnic tensions that has resulted in the loss of many human lives. The idea of race itself is questionable, as Appiah has put it: There is nothing in the world that can do all we ask race to do for us†¦. Talk of race is particularly distressing for those of us who take culture seriously. For, when race works-in places where â€Å"gross differences† of morphology are correlated with â€Å"subtle differences† of temperament, belief, and intention-it works as an attempt at metonym for culture, and it does so only at the price of biologizing what is culture, ideology. (Appiah 1992:45) The central thesis of this paper is the essential nature of the image of whiteness as a historical construct developed over many years similar to its foil blackness. This study focuses on the works of Richard Dyer. Whiteness is essentially a body of knowledge, ideologies, behavioral norms, and many practices constructed over the history

Research paper on a problem pertinent to my academic major

On a problem pertinent to my academic major (chemistry). Discuss and the problem and danger of being exp - Research Paper Example These accidents notwithstanding, Chemistry remains a fulfilling career and is, indeed, one of the best in today’s labor market as well as in the future. Introduction Though Chemistry is a mature and risk-laden discipline, it is an exciting, interesting and intellectually stimulating as well as financially rewarding career. Chemistry as a science deals with the investigation of the properties, composition and structure of matter, the transformation matter undergoes, and the energy changes associated with the transformation (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 2011). Chemistry has played and is playing a crucial role in conquering diseases, solving energy problems, addressing environmental problems, providing the discoveries that lead to new industries, and developing new materials and technologies for defense and global security. These represent some of the major issues that confront our society today and chemistry occupies a central position in resolving these issues. Thus the chemist re mains a relevant member of today society and will occupy that position as long as life exists on our planet. Apart from the reputation of being a chemist, is the fact that with a median annual salary of $90,000, the chemistry profession remains one of the best in the labor market (Peter, 2010). Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of today’s chemistry, offers the chemist the opportunity to connect with other members of the scientific community such as biologist, physicists, environmental scientist, geologist, geneticists, and even government policy makers. Thus the chemist is not an isolated individual rather a well-connected personality collaborating with others to make life on our planet exciting and interesting. The nature of current research in chemistry is another plus to the profession; indeed, today’s chemistry is interesting as well as intellectually stimulating. As chemist work in collaboration with biologist and physicist and other scientist to unveil na ture’ secrets, surprising yet interesting facts are gathered. Each answer creates more problems that need to be solved. This makes Chemistry the ideal science for anyone with creativity, intelligence, and persistence. As promising and fulfilling as Chemistry is as a profession, the profession has its other side. Chemistry has killed a lot of chemists even the most careful ones. Working in a chemistry laboratory is laden with risks. Exposure to chemicals has immediate as well as chronic effects. Injuries have been reported from implosion as well as explosion in the chemistry laboratory. Chemists have caught fire in the laboratory while some have died gradually without knowing due to exposure to ionizing radiation and toxic chemicals. It is worth mentioning that most of these accidents in laboratory are preventable if precautionary measures are followed. Given these risks associated with Chemistry, one cannot help but ask if Chemistry is worth practicing. This article seeks to answer that question. Discussion The benefits of being of chemist Key among the factors that influence career choices is economic & personal satisfaction, personal esteem, and society recognition (Bolles, 2008). With a median salary of $90,000, which is higher than the national $29,000 median salary, chemistry is a paying profession (Peter, 2010). According to the

Kierkegaard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Kierkegaard - Essay Example This aesthetic stage is criticized and held up as facile against the duty-bound nature of the ethical, but Kierkegaard did not favor one over the other. In fact, his progression of the self involved the transformation of the first two stages (aesthetic and ethical) into the third (religious) in such a way that they are both retained and yet, annulled. This higher synthesis is achieved through what Kierkegaard calls â€Å"absolute choice.† The absolute choice or decision that the individual makes at a point of crisis in their life is akin to the common phrase â€Å"leap of faith.† Both the ethicist and the aesthete find themselves questioning their mode of living at a certain point of time and it is here that Kierkegaard sees them as either taking the leap into the religious state or not. It is not necessary for the aesthete to pass through the ethical stage before reaching the religious state of Christianity, and vice versa although an individual may exist through both stages in the course of his lifetime. The decision to leap into religion, Christianity for Kierkegaard, is taken for different reasons by the ethicist and the aesthete. The aesthete, represented by A, detects irony in his lifestyle and in society around him. He is not unaware of the dangers and pitfalls of leading a hedonistic lifestyle.

Impact of Instant Messaging on Society

Impact of Instant Messaging on Society Instant messaging can be defined as a type of internet communication tool that holds up two or more people logged on to an instant messaging service. (Jiang, 2006) In early 1990s, many people started using internet and creative developer created a chat-room like software for people around the world to communicate with each other in real time. Thats when Instant Messenger started to be popular after a well-known company, Mirabilis, introduced ICQ stands for I seek you in November 1996, a free instant-messaging utility that allows people to chat whenever the client is running and on-the-line. In 1997, American Online (AOL), considered the pioneer of the online service community, gave its users the ability to talk in real time with each other through chat rooms and instant messages and acquired Mirabilis and ICQ in June 1998. In general, the ICQ model is the basis for most instant messaging utilities on the market today. (Tyson Cooper, 2001) Due to the extensive use of instant messagin g, it is so beneficial to people to build relationship and extend their social network around the world. However, IM could cause some negative effects to the society which by then affects the industry eventually. Most of the instant messenger has fundamental functions that include instant messages, file-sharing, voice conversations, sounds and streaming content. Instant messages allow two or more online parties to engage in correspondence. File-sharing allows people to share files with their peers by sending the files directly through IM windows. Voice conversations provide the feature of communicating through microphone in the internet. Sounds function allows user to play the sound for entertainment purpose. Streaming content is where recent news and events happen to notify user through video contents. (Jiang, 2006) Example of instant messaging are MSN messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, etc that are available for free downloads today. Instant messenger exists as a great communication tool and affects directly towards the society and industry. The implication of IM maybe for IT industry is because of instant messaging is so popular; it affects mobile phone industry to acquire the application for user convenience. Smart phone is the evolution from mobile phone that has the Instant Messaging feature. (Beale, 2005) For example, Blackberry Messenger is one of the mobile IM applications that allow users to communicate with each other as long as it is connected to the BlackBerry Pin System. (Dannenfield, no date) Technically, one of the implications of IM maybe for the industry is the lesser productivity of workers in the workplace if they were distracted by the IMs interruption. Due to the presence awareness, indicating whether other users are connected to the network in IM, workers tend to get interrupted by the availability of their peers. Besides, IM encourages polychromic communication that it might contribute to an environment in which people frequently engage in multiple simultaneous conversations. By then, it would lead to mass disruptive of message notification and chatting conversation that would greatly reduce workers opportunities to focus the task at hand. (Garrett Danziger , 2007) Thus, once workers productivity is affected, it leads to the downside of industry. Although interruption is the main source of concern, not all forms of interruption are harmful and certain interruptions are beneficial to the work. Garrett and Danziger (2007) listed the example of Hudson saying that managers often prefer the timely if disruptive delivery of critical information over delayed delivery, because it allows them to make more informed decisions and to intervene before an issue in the work domain becomes unmanageable On the other hand, Security and confidentiality are also at risk when using freely-available IM software. (Garrett Danziger, 2007) Most of the IM does not implement the enterprise-ver sion to the business around the world. Thus, most of the corporations would be at risk because consumers IM application would bypass corporate authentication through the network and allow malicious threat to penetrate if intended attacks or stealing information are planned by the anonymous. For example, messages log can be recorded or even voice conversation can be eavesdropped that includes sensitive data (Stone Merrion, 2004) Instant Messaging is undoubtedly causing big impacts whether its good or bad to the society today. Having a conversation through the medium (IM) that could result in misunderstanding of opposed participant message due to the lack of non-verbal language. However, user tends to be more open during the conversation in IM compared to talking over a phone. It is because chatting through IM medium is more relax and does not need facial expression that create uncomfortable feeling for those users who lack of social skills. (Garrett Danziger, 2007) Instant messaging affects student academic performance too. According to OConour(2006) in Instant Messaging: Friend or foe of student writing? claims that students use inappropriate English as in bad grammar, poor punctuation and improper abbreviation in academic writing. For example, word like you is substituted with u and are is substituted with r. This problem occurred is because of students are already used to the word they used in IM subcons ciously. Additionally, procrastination tends to be another problem to the students. Nachbour(2003) supported one of the views of Cooper saying that students procrastinate by chatting with college friends even those who live within walking distance. Student tends to get lazy based on what Cooper has described and in fact affects their academic performance. On the other hand, instant messaging fosters the ability of multitasking on students. College students are very busy people who need to do a lot of work in a day including, assignments, sports, events, or even eating dinner with a book while talking with people. (Marquez, 2003) According to Grinter (2003, p.25) supported by Marquez, IM conversations do not require that the student focus all of his/her attention on the conversation at hand which allows the student to multitask and talk to other students in multiple IM conversations. By that example, it is true that instant messaging helps the students to multi-task their daily work . Some report says that instead of having to physically visit their friends or call them on the telephone, they can simply send a quick message and expect a timely response. (Nachbour, 2003) while other says that College teens reported using IM to communicate with roommates and housemates rather than meeting face-to face or overtly disrupting them (Grinter Palen, 2002) Additionally, during the workplace, the software developer turns off the auto-idle features, because often he is around yet not using the computer, incorrectly creating the impression that he is away from desk. (Patil Kobsa, 2004) That cause another conflicts among co-workers. Based on the availability of IM whether they are on the status of available, busy, away, Guidry (2004) supported the view of Whittaker and Bradner that those who use IM often believe they have a more intimate knowledge of their fellow IM users schedules and habits due to this automatic monitoring and reporting. It is clear that IM has affected the users so much in their everyday life. In conclusion, Instant Messaging intension is to benefit the people around the world to communicate with each other. However, it is based on how the user is going to use it. Some people like students use it to communicate with friends for long distance conversation while others use it to procrastinate their assignment by chatting with their friends. Some corporate use it to communicate among co-workers to produce efficient work while other workers use it for stealing time from work. Things we can prevent like security issue confidential information should not be sent using IM to prevent anonymous attacks. Instant Messaging is so varies as if its good or bad depends on the choice of human being. Reference Beale R. (2005) Supporting Social Interaction with Smart Phone. Available at: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.132.2620rep=rep1type=pdf (Accessed: 7 Nov 2010) Dannenfield, D (no date) How BlackBerry Messenger Works. Available at: http://communication.howstuffworks.com/blackberry-messenger.htm (Accessed: 03 Nov 2010) Garrett, R. K., Danziger, J. N. (2007) IM=Interruption Management? Instant Messaging and Disruption in the Workplace. Available at: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/garrett.html (Accessed: 04 November 2010) Grinter E.R Palen L.(2002) Instant Messaging in Teen Life. Available at :http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~palen/Papers/grinter-palen-IM.pdf (Accessed: 04 November 2010) Guidry, K.R.(2004) Instant Messaging: Its Impact on and Recommendations for Student Affairs, Student Affairs Online, vol.5 no.4 Fall2004[Online]. Available at http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/fall_2004/instantmessaging.html (Accessed: 4 Nov 2010) Jiang R.(2006) Instant Messaging Its Effects on Student Life Available at : http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~yrjiang/index.htm (Accessed: 1 Nov 2010) Marquez J. (2003) The Effect of Instant Messaging on the Social Lives of Students Within a College Dorm. Available at: http://www.stanford.edu/class/pwr3-25/group2/pdfs/IM_Social.pdf (Acccessed : 2 Nov 2010) Microsoft Corp. (1999a) MSN Messenger Service Marks Beginning of New Era in Instant Messaging. News Press Release. Available at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/1999/07-22messenger.mspx (Accessed: 04 November 2010) Microsoft Corp. (1999b) Microsoft Launches MSN Messenger Service. News Press Release. Available at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1999/jul99/messagingpr.mspx (Accessed: 04 November 2010) Microsoft Corp. (1999c) Microsoft to Publish MSN Messenger Protocol to Industry. News Press Release. Available at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1999/aug99/Protocolpr.mspx (Accessed: 3 Nov 2010) Mondok,M(2006) 60% of IM users prefers MSN Messenger. Available at: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2006/04/3557.ars (Accessed: 04 November 2010) Nachbaur A. (2003) College Students and Instant Messaging: An Analysis of Chatting, Flirting, Using Away Messages. Available at: http://www.stanford.edu/class/pwr3-25/group2/pdfs/IM_Flirting.pdf (Accessed: 04 November 2010) OConour A. (2006) Instant Messaging : Friend or foe of student writing?Available at: http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/oconnor.htm (Accessed: 03 November 2010) Patil,S Kobsa A.(2004)Instant Messaging and Privacy. Available at: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.2.1389 (Accessed: 04 November 2010) Stone.J Merrion s. (2004) Instant Messaging or Instant Headache? Available at: http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/990000/988410/stone.pdf?key1=988410key2=9486669821coll=DLdl=ACMCFID=29733676CFTOKEN=51420973 (Accessed: 04 November 2010) Tyson J. Cooper A. (2001)ÂÂ  How Instant Messaging Works. Available at: http://communication.howstuffworks.com/instant-messaging.htm ÂÂ  (Accessed: 03 November 2010)

Christopher Columbus Essay -- Christopher Columbus Essays

The skills and qualities required of Christopher Columbus in order for him to lead a safe and successful voyage to undiscovered and unexplored lands weighed heavily on him, as he was initially placed in a headship position in the course of the planning of the journey because he originated and entertained the idea of finding a passage to China through unmarked waters. With his assiduousness and persistence, his appeal and intelligence, he was able to convince the King and Queen of Spain to fund his trip. These issues, along with the fact that he had never been a captain on a ship, began the fulfillment of a dream built on nothing. These steps taken were the foundation of what would be a great hero and leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One valuable attribute in any man in who is put into a dangerous position of both power and responsibility is the ability to keep a close connection between the leader and the follower, which often determines the success of the leader’s mission. In Columbus’ case, it was the capability to unite a crew, who, through storms, shipwrecks, disease, dissension, and even death, remained united enough to make several voyages to the â€Å"New World.† He, and leaders in general, must give an additional effort to motivate to cohorts in order to initiate and expand this alliance that is crucial to the attainment of goals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another essential quality considered necessary for Columbus to command his expedition was a secure code...

Who is contributer

The young Narendranath Dutta (later Swami Vivekananda) A man comes; you know he is very learned, his language is beautiful, and he speaks to you by the hour; but he does not make any impression. Another man comes, and he speaks a few words, not well arranged, ungrammatical perhaps; all the same, he makes an immense impression. Many of you have seen that. So it is evident that words alone cannot always produce an impression. Words, even thoughts contribute only one-third of the influence in making an impression, the man, twothirds.What you call the personal magnetism of the man † that is what goes out and impresses you. Life Snapshot 2 Meeting his Guru, Sri Ramakrishna Dakshineshwar Temple, Kolkata In his college years, Narendra went about asking many religious leaders of the time whether they had a direct experience of God, but could not get answers which satisfied him. His quest brought him finally to Sri Ramakrishna. Thus began a guru-disciple relationship which is quite uniq ue in the history of spiritual masters. 2 OF 27 Ancestral home of Swami Vivekananda in North Kolkata Narendranath, was known for his keen intellect and prodiguous memory.He acquired a thorough grasp of various subjects during his school and college years, especially Western logic, philosophy and history. He questioned the validity of superstitious customs and discrimination based on caste and refused to accept anything without rational proof and pragmatic test. In our families there are the heads; some of them are successful, others are not. Why? We complain of others in our failures. The moment I am unsuccessful, I say, so-and-so is the cause of the failure. In failure, one does not like to confess one's own faults and weaknesses.

4 Steps to Creating Great Thesis Statements for Undergraduate Research Papers

4 Steps to Creating Great Thesis Statements for Undergraduate Research Papers 4 Steps to Creating Great Thesis Statements for Undergraduate Research Papers Writing a great thesis statement for your undergrad research paper can be one of the most daunting parts of any paper. While students often become very frustrated, it helps to break your thesis statement down into its five basic parts. The first part of a thesis statement is the topic. Some students have this assigned to them while other students must create their own. If you are allowed to choose your own topic, then choose something that you already know about and think others would find fascinating. Alternatively, choose a topic that you want to learn more about because you will be spending some time exploring that idea. The second part of a thesis statement is your position. In order to arrive at your position, make a list of debatable topics within the topic area that you have chosen. Now, choose one position that you think you would like to support. Remember that your position is not a fact that you are supporting. Instead, it is your opinion. Now, look at your position and ask yourself if your answer is always true. If it is not, now is the time to qualify your thesis statement. It often helps to write the word although on your paper and follow it with your exception. Do not worry if your idea here is not a complete sentence. The next part of writing your thesis statement is to list the reasons that you believe your position is correct. Even though you may have to do a little research, you should be able to list four or five reasons to support your opinion. If you come up with a whole list of reasons, then you need to narrow your thesis statement. Alternatively, if you cannot come up with that many reasons then you may need to try a different position. You have now written your thesis statement in parts so all you have to do is put it together. Often, the easiest way to do this is to start with your exception. Teachers and professors often like to see this listed first because it lets them know quickly that you are interested in accuracy. Continue by presenting your general reason for your position and then close by stating your position. After creating your thesis statement, you will need to edit it for grammar and for correct punctuation. If you are allowed, show your thesis statement to your teacher or professor before you begin working on it. If you do not have the time to write your own paper, then contact at 800-573-0840 who have been helping undergraduate students create outstanding papers that are sure to get great results.

IBS essays

IBS essays IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is characterized as a common disorder of the intestines with symptoms of cramps, excessive gas, bloating, diahrrea, and constipation. Many patients diagnosed with IBS, suffer from at least two or three of these symptoms. More people suffer from IBS than either asthma or diabetes. Doctors have misdiagnosed IBS for years, labeling it as a form of disease of the colon. Such a diagnoses is inaccurate because colitis causes inflammation and IBS does not. What actually causes ulcerative colitis is unknown, and while there are theories none so far have been proven. The most popular theory is that the body's immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestinal wall. People with ulcerative colitis have abnormalities of the immune system, but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease. What we know about ulcerative colitis is that it is not caused by emotional distress or sensitivity to certain foods or food products, but these factors may trigger symptoms in some people. Such factors are also found among IBS sufferers. However unlike IBS, ulcerative colitis may also cause problems such as arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis), osteoporosis, skin rashes, and anemia. Scientists think these complications may occur when the immune system triggers inflammation in other parts of the body. Some of these problems go away when the colitis is treated. The reason for this theory that IBS is a form of colitis is because the irritation takes place in the colon as fecal materials pass through on their way toward the anus. The contractions and movement of materials through the colon is called colon motility. These contractions are controlled by nerves and hormones, and by electrical activity in the colon muscle. Researchers have found that the colon muscle is more e...

Norways Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Norways Economy - Research Paper Example Answer # 1. Norway has the highest VAT and Cooperate tax rate in the Europe. The reason behind such high taxes is its social welfare programs. The standard rate of VAT in Norway is 25% and it is charged on every VAT goods and services. The corporate tax is about 28% in Norway. Despite that it has decreased in last several years but still it is the country with having the heavy taxes in whole Europe. The proper utilization of resources and amount receive from taxes are the key factors boosting Norway’s economy (Scottish Enterprise). Answer # 2. Norway has only one stock exchange at Oslo. The statistics as per May01, 1997 shows that the total number of firms affiliated with Oslo Stock Exchange was 179. We get to know while having a deeper look in this figure that 166 of the total listed companies were Norwegian, 13 of them were foreign where as 3 companies were listed in small and medium size business in which the 96.9% of market capitalization is of the domestic market. (Chapter 7—Banking and finance) Answer # 3.The estimated unemployment rate till 2006 was 3.5% and the inflation rate till the same year was 2.3%. Answer # 4. According to the survey done in July 2007 the total estimated population of Norway are 4,627,926. The age structure in Norway population is categorized in three parts. The first of the total population is the people till the age 14 year. Second part is comprised of people between 15 to 64 and last part is of people with the age of 65 and above. A big majority of people is in the age structure of 15 to 64 is around 66.1% then the age till 0 to 14 years take around 19% and age group of 65 and above is around 14.8%. The median age of the people is around 38.7 years in Norway. The median age of men is 37.9 years and women are 39.6 years. (The World Factbook- Norway 2007) Answer # 5.According to Norway law it requires general disclosure under the securities trading act as well some other requirement of industries. The law of legal entitles ship of holding not more than 10% has been amended in 2003. The acquisition of more than 10% can be taken place with prior government permission. A license will be issued if the permission is granted. (Norway: Securities) Answer # 6.The television advertisement that is focusing on children and adolescents for marketing purpose is banned in Norway. The young people are the biggest market for them and play a vital as consumers. The advertisements that make feel children about the identity and self esteem affects them badly. The minors takes the effects of several things faster especially if some actions are shown it them. The government has put restriction on television advertisements during children's program to prevent them from bad affects. The minors take the affect of things bit faster. The government banned the advertisements in 2002 after the proposal report submitted by committee. In the result companies banned from advertising their products on the children programs in television and radio both. (Ban on Advertising to Children - Norway) Answer # 7.There are many companies actively investigating the market. One of which is TNS Gall up. It provides the research services in various sectors i.e. Bank & Finance, Post, Tourism, Automotive, Telecom, Internet, Media, FMCG, and Public Services. (TNS Gallup).Hugin Online also provides the services for financial information. It provides annual reports, press releases and financial statements of the listed with OSE. (Norwegian Stock Market) Answer # 8.Norway has the great employment rate of 70%. Its 71.9% of the total population is its workforce and 7.3% are absent due to sickness. The Norway enjoys the sufficient number of women employment that constitutes such employment rate. Approximately in every 10 women seven are employed while in men it's every 7 out of 8. There were few percentage of women were employed in 1970. The sound economic policies create a number of job opportunities for both men and women. There are also a number of men and women work part time.

Do Socially-Responsible Mutual Funds Perform better than Conventional Research Paper

Do Socially-Responsible Mutual Funds Perform better than Conventional Mutual Funds - Research Paper Example In addition, it includes incorporation of local communities in order to further its aim to achieve its goals (Schepers, 2009). Socially responsible investment has for years been viewed as the practice for individuals who are interested in social change and who aim to yield much profit at the end. There was a time when it was hard or difficult to establish a socially responsible portfolio that was competitive on market because the socially responsible investing universe was not large. But that is the past since time have changed in that in modern day there are more than 100 mutual funds that incorporate social screens in their management decisions which aim to improve their profits. Investors are in a position to create portfolio that is competitive and real to their social concerns. In addition, there exist more direct investment opportunities such as buying certificates of deposits with local or community banks (Vogel, 2006). Mutual funds Mutual funds are said to be investment capit al of distinct type. In this regard, investment fund refers to the variety of investments such as stocks, bonds and other types of funds. Mutual funds are different from most of distinct types of funds present. In this sense, mutual funds are referred to as open-ended meaning that as the number of people investing in the funds rises, the funds also increases its units in the market. Mutual funds concentrate on specific category of investment such as large firms stocks and government bonds of certain Nations. In addition, few of the mutual funds might slightly invest in combination of stocks and bonds in distinct mutual funds. For many years, investing in mutual funds has been viewed as safe mode of investment as it incorporates both individual capitals with many different investors, which makes investors to invest in different types of investment at less cost (Renneboog et al 2008). There are two different types of mutual funds investment namely; socially responsible mutual funds an d conventional mutual funds. The socially responsible mutual funds involve certain factors to consider while making decision concerning the firm to invest in. Socially responsible funds perform better because the funds apply their ownership rights to manipulate management via policy alteration or change suggestions. They ensure that this advocacy is attained through attending shareholders meetings, exercising voting rights in companies, writing letters to top management, and filing proposals. In most scenarios, it is very hard for shareholders to hold and exercise their voting rights. Therefore voting are attained via proxy. Many investors advocate socially responsible funds because they have strict policy that aim to maintain transparency in decisions and disclose all proxy voting procedures, policies and conducting voting rights of its shareholders (Schepers, 2009). On the other hand, the conventional mutual funds is concerned with the prospects and financial performance of firms combined with significant factors while investing. Discussion Over the years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of socially responsible mutual funds. The issue of social investment has been subject of debate for many years. However, the modern manner of investment has been because of financial crisis that began in 1930s. At that time, there were many issues available

Organisation of Engineering Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Organisation of Engineering Business - Essay Example They offer these services both in the private and the public sector (Interforum, 2003). D&W provides services in several development sector including energy performance and analysis, site infra structure and master planning, in the commercial and residential establishments, and in the health and the education centre. Apart from where their offices are located, D&W has also carried out work in Russia, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. D&W has recently received the ISO 14001 accreditation because of a balanced approach towards sustainable development and socially responsible design in all their projects. They attempt to create inherently low energy buildings and use low carbon technology as a vital part of the modern design. Because of their contribution towards a greener environment, D&W has received The Green Organization Award from greenbusiness.ie for the year 2009. This demonstrates the company’s commitment to a sustainable environment. D&W has also invested in information technology, which is essential for their core business. Until 1994, technology was used only sparingly but the management realized that technology could help to streamline its business processes. This in turn would help them to provide enhanced service to their customers. To improve staff communication, they installed a Wide Area Network (WAN) which could link its computers and the telecommunication system across all its offices (UKonline, 2003). All the sites now work as a team, exchanging information, and they also use technology to discuss CAD drawings with clients. The company has substantially reaped the benefits of their IT investment. It has helped to reduce their print and travel cost by  £500 per month (Interforum, 2003). Because of their ability to share information, productivity has enhanced by 20 percent. The process of change at D&W has been incremental and has not taken

Potato Salad Americans Essay Example for Free

Potato Salad Americans Essay 1. Go to the Cooking Light website or any other website that gives you healthy recipes and chose a recipe you would like to try. Website you used: Cooking light . com Recipe you chose ? copy and paste the recipe including nutrition information in the space below. How to Make Potato Salad Americans can definitely agree on one thing: Potatoes are our favorite veggie. Each of us eats about a whopping 130 pounds per year. During the summer months (if not year-round), you can safely bet that loads of potatoes find their way into the ubiquitous potato salad. Honestly, can you have a cookout or picnic without one? Despite regional interpretations, theres really one basic way to make this popular dish. And here, well show you how to master the technique and turn out a variety of unique, healthy salads. Step One: Cut to Size Cut potatoes into uniform shapes and sizes so theyll cook evenly. If theyre different sizes, some will become mushy while others still have an undesirable crunch. Low-starch varieties, like red potatoes, work best in potato salads. Step Two: Start in Cold Water. Be sure to start with cold water when boiling potatoes. This works to solidify the outer surfaces and helps prevent them from getting too soft as the interior cooks, so the potatoes will hold their shape nicely in a potato salad. Step Three: Add Dressing Make the dressing while the potatoes cook, and toss them with the dressing while theyre still warm so theyll absorb maximum flavor. If using dairy products, like sour cream, allow the potatoes to cool slightly before tossing to prevent curdling. Step Four: Add Additional Flavors and Ingredients Customize your salad. For example, add your favorite veggies, fresh herbs, or salad greens. You can even give the salad an international flair: Lemongrass adds Thai flavor; chutney lends an Indian taste. 2. Try out the recipe, take a picture of you with the prepared meal and report back to class what you thought of this recipe. Would you recommend it? Will you make it again? Anything you would change the next time? To get full credit for this assignment, you need to show your picture to your instructor. Initial of instructor.

Cause and Effects of the Rise in Cohabitation

Cause and Effects of the Rise in Cohabitation Recent decades have witnessed a dramatic rise in cohabitation in much of Western Europe including the United Kingdom (Ermisch 2005; Ermisch and Francesconi 2000a; Haskey 2001; Kiernan 2001; Murphy 2000). This rise has taken place against a dramatic decline in marriage rates. A so-called golden age of marriage that prevailed in the United Kingdom from the 1950s up to the 1970s (Festy, 1980), has been eroded. Marriage is no longer the exclusive marker of first union nor the pre-eminent context within which children are born; (Kiernan, 2001). The decline in the popularity of marriage indicates that no longer is marriage seen as the only organizing principle for relationships (Hall, 1993: 8) and therefore legal marriage has given way to a variety of optional non-traditional forms of living together (Boh, 1989: This essay will seek to examine whether the rise in cohabitation will witness a decline in marriage to a point where marriage is a rare phenomenon. This will entail an analysis of statistical evidence on both cohabitation and marriage and the explanations that have been provided. These include notions of selfish individualism (Morgan, 2000), notions of the democratic, consensual and pure relationship (Giddens, 1992; Beck-Gernsheim, 2000), Beckers (1973, 1981) model of marriage, the common-law marriage myth, commitment in cohabiting partnerships, and the use of lived law to create a DIY variety of marriage (Duncan et. al. 2005). The 1960s and the early 1970s was a golden age of marriage in the United Kingdom during which marriage was highly popular among the young ages (Kiernan Eldridge 1987) and a record peak of 480,285 marriages was recorded in 1972 (ONS, 2008). However, since the 1970s there have been considerable changes amounting to a structural shift in individuals demographic behaviour and societal norms (Haskey, 2001) and among these are increases in divorce and in cohabitation, that is, in couples who live together in intimate relationships without being legally married. Similarly, Ferri et al. (2003) have documented several demographic changes which led social commentators to lament the end of marriage. These include significant rises in cohabitation, divorce, lone parent families, single parent households, children born out of marriage and age of marriage.   These changes, it was assumed, led to the disintegration of traditional structures and codes and ultimately to the end of marriage. Statistical evidence indeed shows that there has been a long-term decline in marriage rates and a significant rise in cohabitation. From 1971 to 1995 first marriage rates fell by 90% for teenage women and 80% for women aged 20-24. Median age at first marriage rose from 23.4 to 27.9 yrs for men and 21.4 to 26.0 years for women (Murphy and Wang 1999). The decline in remarriage rates has been even more pronounced. For divorced men, the remarriage rate has fallen by 75% since 1971 (Murphy and Wang 1999). There were 311,000 marriages in the UK in 2004 and this figure fell to 270,000 in 2007. This represents almost half the number of marriages that took place in 1972 when marriage peaked (ONS 2009). On the other hand, cohabiting is the fastest growing family type in the UK (with the proportion of cohabiting couple families increasing from 9% to 14% between 1996 and 2006), (ONS, 2009). Among single women marrying during the latter part of the 1990s, 77% had cohabited with their future husband, compared with 33% of those marrying during the late 1970s, and only 6% of those marrying in the late 1960s (Haskey 2001). During the 1960s, 40% of remarriages were preceded by a period of cohabitation; and this figured had soared to around 85% in 2000. (Murphy 2000). The 2001 Census recorded just over 2 million cohabiting couples in England and Wales (a 67% increase from 1991). When the new form of cohabitation arrived in the 1970s it was mainly a child-free prelude to marriage. Increasingly, children are being born to cohabiting couples. In 2006, 56% of births in England and Wales were outside of marriage compared with 8% in 19z71. (ONS, 2009). Between 1996 and 2006, the number of cohabiti ng couples in the UK increased by over 60%, from 1.4 million to 2.3 million, ONS, 2009). The number of cohabiting couples in England and Wales is projected to almost double to 3.8 million by 2031 (which will be over one in four couples on this projection). (ONS, 2009). Social theorists have conceptualized these trends in terms of individualization theory. The theory which includes notions of the democratic, consensual and pure relationship (Giddens, 1992; Beck-Gernsheim, 2000) and notions of selfish individualism (Morgan, 2000), has emerged as the dominant contested theoretical approach in explaining whether the rise in cohabitation means the end of marriage. According to the former, modern society is viewed as having entered a late modern epoch of de-traditionalisation and individualisation in which traditional rules and institutional frameworks have lost ground, only to be replaced by more modern and rational rules (Beck, 1992 and Giddens, 1992, 1994). Institutional forces such as education, the modern economy and the welfare state have freed individuals from externally imposed constraints, moral codes and traditional customs, a development which Beck (1994) says is a disembedding of individual lives from the structural fabric of social instituti ons and age-specific norms. According to Brannen and Nilsen (2005), social class no longer has the same structuring role that it once had.   Individuals who used to have a standard biography no longer have pre-given life trajectories but are instead compelled to reflexively make their own choices and hence create their own biographies. At the same time, the project of self, with an emphasis on individual self-fulfillment and personal development, comes to replace relational, social aims. This results in families of choice which are diverse, fluid and unresolved, constantly chosen and re-chosen (Weeks 2001) and which Hardill, (2002) refer to as the postmodern household. In families of choice all issues are subject to negotiation and decision making (Beck and Beck- Gernsheim1995, Beck-Gernsheim 2002). Individuals are seen as preferring cohabitation to marriage because they wish to keep their options and their negotiations open ( Wu, 2000). The individualisation theory sees modern relationships as being based on individual fulfillment and consensual love, with sexual and emotional equality, replacing formal unions based on socially prescribed gender roles. Sexuality is largely freed from institutional, normative and patriarchal control as well as from reproduction, producing a plastic sexuality, which serves more as means of self-expression and selfactualisation rather than as a means to reproduction and cementing institutionalized partnership (Giddens, 1992). Giddens argues that that such plastic sexuality as part of the project of self is realized in pure relationships an ideal type that isolates what is most characteristic for intimacy in reflexive modernity, Giddens (1991, 1992).   This is pure because it is entered into for its own sake and for the satisfaction it provides to the individuals involved. The pure relationship must therefore be characterized by openness, involvement, reciprocity and closeness, a nd it presupposes emotional and sexual democracy and equality, Giddens (1991, 1992). According to Cherlin (2004:853), the pure relationship is not tied to an institution such as marriage or the desire to raise children. Rather, it is free-floating, independent of social institutions or economic life. The individualisation theory asserts that these changes in relationships contribute towards the decentring of the married, co-resident, heterosexual couple. It no longer occupies the centre-ground statistically, normatively, or as a way of life (Beck-Gernsheim, 2002; Roseneil and Budgeon, 2004). Instead other forms of living such as cohabitation, living alone, lone parenting, same-sex partnerships, or living apart have become more common and are both experienced and perceived as equally valid. However, most English-speaking commentators (e.g. Morgan, 1995, 2000, 2003; Bellah et al., 1985; Popenoe, 1993; Dnes and Rowthorne, 2002) have developed a pessimistic view of family change. In cohabitation they have seen a moral decline and its harmful effects on society, a loss of family values, individual alienation, social breakdown, rise in crime and other social ills and social, emotional and educational damage to children. For them, the trend in statistics is clear evidence of selfish individualism and have thus advocated for turning the clock back by promoting marriage among other things. Morgan (1995) for instance, argues that without the traditional family to socialize children and in particular to provide role models and discipline for young men, delinquency and crime will escalate and society as a whole will be at risk. To avoid this social policy should seek positively to support marriage and promote traditional gender roles for men and women. According to Morgan (2003), cohabiting relationships are fragile. They are always more likely to break up than marriages entered into at the same time, regardless of age or income. On average, cohabitations last less than two years before breaking up or converting to marriage. Less than four per cent of cohabitations last for ten years or more. She also believes that cohabitation should be seen primarily as a prelude to marriage but increasingly it is part of a pattern which simply reflects an increase in sexual partners and partner change (Morgan, 2003:127). Morgan (1999) also argues that cohabitation is concentrated among the less educated, less skilled and the unemployed. The individualization theory in its various versions, has been seen as having its merit in terms of indicating trends in post-modern societies, but has been criticized for lacking reliable methodologies and for lacking empirical and historical evidence. According to Thernborn (2004), individualisation theory should be seen as a geographically and historically limited exaggeration among the variety and long durà ©es of socio-sexual systems. Individualisation theory is seen as largely resting on the evidence of qualitative work using purposive samples of particular social groups in particular contexts and localities. They do not often use representative samples or total population figures which can accurately portray overall social patterns. According to Sayer (1992) individualization theorists have used intensive research design which are indeed in-depth and able to access social process more directly, and understand its context but points out that such work needs to be complemented by extensive research on patterns and distributions, using representative survey for example. Duncan and Edwards (1999) share the same view that the use of both intensive and extensive research designs will enable generalizations to be made. In addition intensive work will enable better interpretation of the representative patterns revealed by extensive work and to link process to pattern directly rather than depending upon post-hoc deduction, (Duncan and Edwards 1999). Critics of the individualisation theory have argued that the theory underplays the significance of the social and geographical patterning of values and behaviour and neglects the importance of local cultural and social contexts. According to Duncan and Irwin structures of economic necessity, social groups and moral codes have not gone away, although they may have changed. Family forms are still deeply influenced by local structural conditions or contexts and although people might be less constrained by older traditions, this does not necessarily mean individualisation. The traditional structures of class, gender, religion and so on have a continuing importance, (Duncan and Irwin, 2004, 2005). Individualisation theory assumes that individuals can exercise choice and shape their lives. However, the theory has been criticized for taking insufficient account of the context in which individuals make their choices. Critics of individualisation have pointed out, peoples capacity to make choices, for example in respect of separation and divorce, must depend in large measure on their environment, whether for example, on the constraints of poverty, social class and gender, or, more positively, on the safety net provided by the welfare state (Lasch, 1994; Lewis, 2001a). In addition, the context in which people are making their choices is constantly shifting. Thus the meaning of what it is to be married, or to be a parent has changed and continues to change. Actors will in all likelihood be affected by these changes over their own life course and must expect to have to re-visit the decisions they have made, for example in respect of the division of paid and unpaid work, especially at critical points of transition such as parenthood. Charles and Harris (2004) have argued that choices regarding work/life balance are different at different states of the lifecycle. The individualization theory in its various versions, has been seen as having its merit in terms of indicating trends in post-modern societies, but has been criticized for lacking reliable methodologies and for lacking empirical and historical evidence. According to Thernborn (2004), individualisation theory should be seen as a geographically and historically limited exaggeration among the variety and long durà ©es of socio-sexual systems. Individualisation theory is seen as largely resting on the evidence of qualitative work using purposive samples of particular social groups in particular contexts and localities. They do not often use representative samples or total population figures which can accurately portray overall social patterns. According to Sayer (1992) individualization theorists have used intensive research design which are indeed in-depth and able to access social process more directly, and understand its context but points out that such work needs to be complemented by extensive research on patterns and distributions, using representative survey for example. Duncan and Edwards (1999) share the same view that the use of both intensive and extensive research designs will enable generalizations to be made. In addition intensive work will enable better interpretation of the representative patterns revealed by extensive work and to link process to pattern directly rather than depending upon post-hoc deduction, (Duncan and Edwards 1999). Critics of the individualisation theory have argued that the theory underplays the significance of the social and geographical patterning of values and behaviour and neglects the importance of local cultural and social contexts. According to Duncan and Irwin structures of economic necessity, social groups and moral codes have not gone away, although they may have changed. Family forms are still deeply influenced by local structural conditions or contexts and although people might be less constrained by older traditions, this does not necessarily mean individualisation. The traditional structures of class, gender, religion and so on have a continuing importance, (Duncan and Irwin, 2004, 2005). Individualisation theory assumes that individuals can exercise choice and shape their lives. However, the theory has been criticized for taking insufficient account of the context in which individuals make their choices. Critics of individualisation have pointed out, peoples capacity to make choices must depend in large measure on their environment, whether for example, on the constraints of poverty, social class and gender, or, more positively, on the safety net provided by the welfare state (Lasch, 1994; Lewis, 2001a). According to Lupton and Tulloch, (2002), peoples choices may depend in part on the consideration they give to the welfare of others, and on how far others influence the way in which they frame their choices. In addition, the context in which people are making their choices is constantly shifting. Thus the meaning of what it is to be married, or to be a parent has changed and continues to change. Charles and Harris (2004) have argued that choices regarding work/life b alance are different at different states of the lifecycle. Scholars have examined public attitudes towards marriage and cohabitation in order to assess whether the trends in statistics confirm the deinstitutionalisation of marriage (Cherlin, 1994), in which an increase in the acceptability of cohabitation can be interpreted as evidence for weakening of the social norms. Using data from a number of British Social Attitude Surveys, Barlow et. al. found clear evidence of changing public attitudes. More and more people in the United Kingdom were accepting cohabitation both as a partnering and parenting structure, regardless of whether it is undertaken as a prelude or alternative to marriage. In 1994, 70 per cent agreed that People who want children ought to get married, but by 2000 almost half (54 per cent) thought that there was no need to get married in order to have children; cohabitation was good enough. They found increasingly liberal attitudes to pre-marital sex, with the proportion thinking that it was not wrong at all increasing from 42 per cent in 1984 to 62 per cent in 2000. By 2000 more than two-thirds of respondents (67 per cent) agreed it was all right for a couple to live together without intending to get married, and 56 per cent thought it was a good idea for a couple who intend to get married to live together first. Studies by Dyer (1999) and Barlow et al. (2005) found there was a clear difference in attitudes towards cohabitation from young and old generations, indicating a shift in social viewpoint to an acceptance of cohabitation. The younger age groups were more likely to find cohabitation acceptable than older age groups, but all age groups had moved some way towards greater acceptance of pre-marital sex and cohabitation. Barlow et al. argue that over time there is a strong likelihood that society will become more liberal still on these matters, although particular groups, such as the religious, are likely to remain more traditional than the rest. This change in public attitude is echoed by former Home Secretary, Jack Straw who was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying the important thing is the quality of the relationship, not the institution itself (Daily Mail, 16th June, 1999). This acceptance in politics as well as in society is probably one reason why people drift into cohabitation. Barlo w et a!. suggest Britain will probably move towards a Scandinavian pattern, therefore, where long- term cohabitation is widely seen as quite normal, and where marriage is more of a lifestyle choice than an expected part of life. Barlow et al, however, do not interpret the public attitudes to indicate the breakdown or end of marriage as a respected institution. In the 2000 survey, 59 per cent agreed that marriage is still the best kind of relationship. A mere 9 per cent agreed that there is no point getting married it is only a piece of paper, while 73 per cent disagreed. Despite the increasing acceptance of cohabitation, Barlow et al. therefore argue that, overall, marriage is still widely valued as an ideal, but that it is regarded with much more ambivalence when it comes to everyday partnering and   parenting. While only 28 per cent agree that married couples make better parents, just 40 per cent disagree figures virtually unchanged since 2000, (Barlow et al, 2005) According to Barlow et al. (2005), there is a body of   qualitative research that shows that for many cohabitants, living together is seen as a form of marriage rather than an alternative. Moreover, just as the majority think that sex outside marriage is wrong, the same applies to sex outside cohabitation: the large majority of cohabitants, over 80 per cent, think that sex outside a cohabiting relationship is wrong, (Erens et al., 2003). These findings give little support to the notion that many people cohabit outside marriage because cohabitation is more congruent with a project of the self, as individualisation theory would have it (Hall, 1996). Instead research seems to indicate that many traditional norms about relationships still hold true and cohabitation is seen as the equivalent of marriage. According to Barlow et al, (2008), cohabitation is socially accepted as equivalent to marriage and whilst marriage is seen as ideal, social attitudes show great tolerance to differ ent styles of partnering and parenting relationships.