Improving Health Insurance Market from Nursing Perspective Term Paper

Improving Health Insurance Market from Nursing Perspective - Term Paper Example This search for lower costs in the labor for providing these services will translate into nursing services taking up additional responsibilities in the providing of health care services at least in the community settings. Though not all medical professionals agree to the taking up additional responsibilities by nursing services in the provision of healthcare services, nevertheless there is enough evidence to show that there is no deficiency in the quality of healthcare services provided by nursing services in nursing independent care settings. Reducing costs of health care and providing more access to health as the means to improving the healthcare insurance market will require a greater role for nursing services and quite likely as independent services in the community settings. In conclusion, health insurance started in America in the 1930s under skepticism on its success. Since that time health insurance has become the way by which people meet the costs of health care needs. Howev er, this growth has come at the cost of high costs of health care and the poor accessibility to health care. Factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the health insurance industry have led to this situation in the healthcare industry, which has led to the need of the hour being improvements in the healthcare insurance market, with particular emphasis on lowering health care costs and enhancing access. Nursing services can and will play an important role in the efforts to improve the health insurance market.... nwards private insurers did provide accident, burial, and sickness policies, while some of the railroad, mining, and timber companies provided workplace health benefits. However, health insurance in its complete form and in an organized manner took root from the 1930s onwards. Against a backdrop of skepticism prior to World War II of a greater proportion of commercial insurers that hospital and medical costs were an insurable risk, health insurers did offer accident, burial and in America became a reality through the efforts of Blue Cross in the mid 1930s. The success that Blue cross achieved in its health insurance offerings brought competitors into play to share in the health insurance pie in America. This rising potent competition resulted in the erosion of market share of Blue Cross and changed the competitive scenario of the health insurance market. The health insurance market now consisted of the non-profit organizations of Blue Cross or Blue Shield and the for-profit commercia l health insurers (Austin & Hungerford, 2009). Towards the end of the 1950s health insurance had become a standard component of the compensation offered by most of the large employers in America. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP) which was created by Congress made available to federal workers across the country Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance benefits. However, this was the period of time when for the first time a sharp increase in health care costs were experienced. Fuelling this were several reasons that included emergence of new hospitals; growing capital intensity for providing inpatient care; the change from, flat-rate per diem reimbursement for hospitals to full cost payment; and the widening of health insurance benefits that enhanced the ability of

Emotionally-Charged Subjects Essay Example for Free

Emotionally-Charged Subjects Essay Parents and teenagers need not always argue about issues that are manageable. The key to managing these issues is in understanding each other’s position and in finding a middle-way solution. If we can aim for a win-win solution, that would be best, but many times it may not be possible. So, adjusting our wants with regards to the other’s position may be necessary to solve our problems. Let us take the issues of friends, money and school for example. If we try to understand the problems facing each side, from the teenager and from the parents, we can try to negotiate our way to a solution. First, many teenagers today have friends that parents disagree with, but both sides can work on a solution. Proverbs 18:24 says, â€Å"A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother† (New American Standard Bible). The teenager has to understand that quality friends are more important than quantity. Bad company may lead to drug abuse, alcoholism, pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancies and other consequences that are life-and-death situations. It is important then to choose our friends wisely and to refrain from others who are bad influences on us. So how do we choose our friends? Or how do we know that they are truly our real friends? Proverbs 17:17 asserts that â€Å"A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need† (New Living Translation). If our so-called â€Å"friends† are only there when we have money or if we are in good health or if we have a nice car and a beautiful house, then they are not our friends. A true friend will be there for you even in sickness, homelessness and poverty. Of course, parents also have to understand that nothing is perfect and that these ideals may not be realized all the time because of actual, instead of theoretical circumstances. So parents have to give their teenagers some room for error and imperfection. By learning from their mistakes, they will become better adults later. Second, many teenagers nowadays want more money, which their parents don’t have, so we need to find creative solutions to solve it. In 1 Timothy 6:10, it is mentioned that â€Å"the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs† (New International Version). Money is needed to satisfy many physical desires, but too many desires will lead to suffering. It is important to extinguish the flames of desire through moderation. If we don’t really need something, we don’t have to possess it. We also need to be wise with our money through investments and diligent work. By finding part-time work and learning how to invest our savings properly, a teenager will learn good financial skills that he will need later as an adult. As Matthew 25:18 mentions, we should not dig â€Å"a hole in the ground and [hide]†¦ the masters money† (New Living Translation) even if we have only a little of it. We should invest it, and we can also find some work to earn more money that we can additionally invest. We should also not have sudden cravings to splurge once we have a lot of money. In Proverbs 7: 20, a prodigal man â€Å"took lots of money with him†¦ [and] wont be home for a couple of weeks (God’s Word Translation). Instead, we should learn how to control our emotions. Being wasteful in our expenditures will empty our bank account. Lastly, we should also be generous. As Exodus 22:25 says, If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest† (New International Version). By learning how to give, we will receive payment in â€Å"kind† later on in the form of respect, the return of favors and other non-quantifiable intangible forms that we will appreciate later. Lastly, teenagers may need to confront their parents about their problems in school. Grades are one of the major problems that teenagers face in school. Low marks could be a consequential problem due to bad friends or the lack of money to buy learning resources. If our problem with friends and money are resolved, then we can solve our issues in school also. But sometimes, the cause may be something else. If our ancestors were not so bright themselves, then we shouldn’t expect too much on ourselves. Or if we take some mental aptitude tests, and we score poorly, we may be faced with a biological problem that requires specialized training. But more often than not, we can improve our brain power through proper nutrition, exercise and mental conditioning. There are many books and courses in the market that will teach us on how to increase our mental aptitude. So, it may be necessary to purchase a few for the benefit of our future. But parents should also consider that school and grades are not everything. Jesus himself was very learned, but he did not bother to prove his academic excellence by getting a respected degree from a well-known school. In John 7:15 â€Å"the Jews were surprised and said, How has this man got knowledge of books? He has never been to school† (Bible in Basic English). Indeed, school is not the only place to learn and thus, school grades are not the only proof of learning. While some people may be God-gifted, more often than not, many people learn from the â€Å"School of Hard Knocks. † Truly, there are many successful people today, such as Bill Gates, who never finished college. In the end, teenagers are not always wrong and parents are not always right. When a proper middle-ground is reached between the two, there is peace. References Hook, S. (ed. ). (1965). Bible in Basic English. Cambridge University Press. Holy Bible: New International Version. (1978). Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (1996). Wheaton: Tyndale House. The Bible: God’s Word Translation. (1995). Jacksonville: Baker Publishing Group. The Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1997). Anaheim: Foundation.

Red Badge of Courage Essay: Isolation -- Red Badge Courage Essays

Isolation in The Red Badge of Courage      Ã‚   Stephen Crane's literary technique has long been a matter of analysis and speculation. In The Red Badge of Courage Crane takes us into the life of a young man named Henry Fleming, who wants to enlist in the Army and fight in the war against the South. By using irony, similes, and symbols, Crane "paints" a vivid picture of what life was like for the fragile Henry Fleming. He opens our eyes to the vast reasons of separation for Fleming, and why he lived his life so independently. The precarious, vulnerable, and insecure Henry Fleming was isolated from more than just his family and his regiment; he was isolated from himself.    As the narrative, The Red Badge of Courage, opens, Henry and his mother are engaged in a quarrel about Henry leaving to join the Army. By going against his mother's wishes and disobeying her, he isolates himself from his family. This isolation is imperative to the way Henry lives his life during his time in the Army. Moral support is something that a family, especially a mother, provides for a child, but because Henry has disa... ...s effort.    Works Cited Bloom, Harold, ed.   Modern Critical Interpretations:   Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.   New York:   Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage.   Logan, IA:   Perfection Learning Corporation, 1999. Gibson, Donald B. The Red Badge of Courage:   Redefining the Hero.   Boston:   Twayne Publishers, 1988. Wolford, Chester L.   "Stephen Crane."   Critical Survey of Long Fiction.   Ed. Frank N. Magill.   English Language Series.   Vol. 2. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1991.   

Legal & Ethical Environment of Business Essay

In this individual project I will be analyzing and explaining the state of our legal system in terms of ethics as a personal and business standpoint. Secondly I will be figuring out if our legal system promotes bad ethics and what they are doing in trying to make it into god ethics. Then lastly I will be going over the role of judges in promoting good legal ethical practices in our society as of today. Sate of Our Legal System in Terms of Ethics  Ethical assessment making begins with the reaction that there is a good versus a bad moral decision to be made con ­cerning a particular condition a â€Å"correct† choice established on interests benefiting mortality in some way as different to a â€Å"incorrect† choice established on some corrupt or self-serving concern. It also involves characters to appraise the morality of their own, and often others’, actions (Board, 2012). Ethics are the resources by which we choose what movements are allowable and what activities are not. What is less identified is the fact that every ethic involves of two quantities: an importance that explains what it is that we need more of in our lives, or what we wish to exploit, and a belief, or system of views, that defines what activities we are to take to acquire more of the worth that we pursue. Still less frequently known is the fact that an ethic may be effective or unacceptable. Effective ethics create the preferred outcomes an escalation in the standards wanted. Void ethics create the opposite result a decreasing of that which is pursued or wanted. As an example, contemplate the ethic implemented by our country’s forefathers. The assessment they wished to exploit was freedom for the country’s societies (excluding maybe women and slaves). The belief system was founded on the values of a democratic republic memorial popular regulation. Each year but two (1865 and 1920) we have had less freedom than the year before (Singer, n. d. ). Today, through the propagation of ever more preventive laws, almost every part of our lives is structured or controlled by our county, state, federal, or public governments. Without government authorization we cannot drive a car, own property, board a plane, modify our home, open a bank account, control a business, consume prescribed medication, carry a gun, or do any of a thousand other things that our forefathers and foremothers would have reflected to be our unchallengeable rights. In short, the creators of our country chose to implement an ethic that is unacceptable because its acceptance fashioned the conflicting effect of that anticipated. While we are on the focus of ethics, let’s consider two other precise ethics that are particularly appropriate to an considerate of the problem that mortality presently faces. The first I shall mention to as the Power Ethic. This ethic pursues to exploit power over others in the influences of those who accept it. The confidence system that supports this ethic can be summarized by the declaration, â€Å"Might makes right†. In other words, those who can afford to buy artillery and to pay or intimidate young men and women to use those arms in combat have the right to exercise power over others for whatever reasons they wish. This is the ethic accepted by those who conceived government as-we-know-it in Sumer eight thousand years ago. This ethic is still the principle of those who run the governments of the world nowadays. At first it might seem that the Power Ethic is effective because, undeniably, those who have accepted it have prospered in accruing more and more power over their associated men and women. But there are secondary penalties. Incorporated among these are drug addiction, international strife, poverty, hunger, slavery, terrorism, wars, interpersonal violence, bureaucracy, oligarchy, environmental degradation, and all manner of crime. If the macroscopic development continues it is more than likely that the end outcome will be the total extermination of all human life on our planet thus decreasing the earth to a radioactive residue. Like a universal pest, those who have espoused the Power Ethic will abolish their host and themselves with it. So in the end the ethic is not usable. By contrast, reflect an ethic that picks originality and its logical counterparts as the standards to be exploited. Such means as love, consciousness, objective truth, and development may be measured as reasonable equivalents of imagination, because whenever one of these assets is amplified they are all improved, and vice versa. John David Garcia, the brilliant author of Creative Transformation, called this ethic the Evolutionary Ethic, so I will do likewise (AIU Online, 2013). We might note at this point that all affluence, and eventually all cheerfulness, originates from someone’s creativeness. The belief system that authorizes this ethic instigates with the concept that an act is good if it intensifications originality or any of its logical counterparts for at least one person without limiting or fading creativity for anyone. From this meaning a broad variety of values can be resulting by simple judgment. This ethic, it turns out, is effective. Inquisitively, the acceptance of this ethic normally exploits affluence and happiness, even though these are not logical equivalents of creativeness. In fact, ethics based on the expansion of affluence and happiness are not lawful creating poverty and unhappiness in its place. From this point on I shall use the terms ethical and unethical in place to this ethic precisely. There are numerous other legal ethics which I choose not to discuss in this paper excluding to note that each of them shows, upon close inspection, to be logical counterparts of the Evolutionary Ethic in that they call for the same interactive choices when determining between alternative sequences of action. From the preceding we can see that mortality’s big  problem  is the fact that the world’s governments, without omission, have selected the Power Ethic as their factor basis reasonably than the Evolutionary Ethic or one of its logical counterparts. The big  question  that humankind faces today is whether this choice is permanent and if not, what we must do to dodge the disaster that the Power Ethic is leading us toward (AIU Online, 2013). In our legal system in terms of ethics as being a big part of our nation’s survival and in terms of businesses keeping up a good production of products and jobs for eople to live on be able to pay bills and what not. Legal System Promote Bad Ethics In an ethical society freedom is restricted by ethical law. Those who wish to perform in a dependent or destructive manner are prohibited to do so. The inaccuracy of our establishment fathers was to exploit freedom in such a way that the most predacious, parasitic, and normally unethical persons were allowable to command the law, thereby creating the commands that allowed the ultra-wealthy to control the rest of us. We must reverse this trend if humanity is to survive, let alone thrive. To accomplish this end we must understand the nature of ethical law and disprove the authority of unethical law. To aid in descriptive this peculiarity, I shall mention to unethical laws as government announcements, or simply as pronouncements. If so, might makes right, and anyone who can afford to buy weapons and persuade others to use them to enforce their will has a right to so. This is the premise upon which all of today’s governments are founded. This has been the true basis of law throughout the world for at least eight thousand years, since government was invented in Sumer. To answer this question properly, we note first that all law presumes the use of force or power over others. But it takes only a simple exercise of logic to see that the exercise of power over others is only ethical in self-protection against someone who has initiated or defenseless the use of force for their own purposes. Therefore, ethical laws are only those that provide defense against such unethical acts. Since everyone has the right to defend themselves against the use of violence, it follows that everyone has the right to delegate to others their specialist to defend themselves. From this we conclude that all ethical laws embody this principle: All ethical laws, all legitimate laws, represent a contract under which a group of individuals, each having the right of self-defense, agrees to enforce a mutual defense pact. Ethical law can exist for this purpose alone. Additionally, we note that all existing laws, and laws, forbid some act or permit the act only when a tax is paid to the government (AIU Online, 2013). Role of Judges in Promoting Good Legal Ethical Practices The makings of a good judge are the abilities of a good man. There are supplementary demands on a judge, to be sure information of the law, a will to append judgment until all the indication is in. But at least it must be the complexity and consistency of his mortality that succeed and define the judge (Newton, n. d. ). Those who come before a judge do not really know before whom they stand. The person who manages over the courtroom, covered in the earnest black robes of his or her office, is in that moment less an individual than a sign of democratic standards and an tool of state power. In appreciation of that power and ability, all rise as the judge enters the courtroom and takes the seat, eminent above everyone else in the room, from which impartiality will be noticeable. It is the hope of all, and the principle of most, that this individual will do his or her job well, administration what is possibly our most valuable social good justice. Yet, in most compliments, judges remain unidentified to those who conduct their business before the court. What no one knows, what no one is even allowed to ask, is the character of the person wearing that robe and the ways in which that individual’s particular aptitudes will affect the presentation of his or her responsibilities (Newton, n. d. ). The judges I interviewed all acknowledged both that doing their job involved elements of discretion and that exercising discretion was in some measure a reflection of one’s own moral values. Yet, each responded to these challenges differently. Judge Meyer appeared most concerned about the subjectivity inherent in judging. In response to my proposition that judging elaborate evaluating the ethical character of people in certain ways and that this involved a good deal of indecision (Newton, n. d. ). Conclusion In conclusion, this individual project has really shown me some great ethics, morality and legalities in how to focus on the analysis of each portion of legal systems and role of judges in trying to promote good ethical practices. It just goes to show that in the different analysis in explaining the stat of our legal system in terms of ethics is a big portion in our societies now days. Although, in going into the legal system in promoting bad ethics is that you never really know what to expect in trying to promote bad ethics with some companies in furthering their demographic. However, in the role of judges in promoting good legal ethical practices is that judges have to stick with a strict process of being good in supporting these laws in the legal system in terms of ethics. So overall I found this assignment to have taught me some great information in trying to come up with the best research to best complement in delivering the additional material in providing the focus on this topic.

The Invalid’s Story Notes

The Invalid's Story by Mark Twain a. k. a. Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) * Seems sixty and married * Really a 41 year old bachelor * two years ago he was â€Å"a man of iron, a very athlete† * Lost his health by helping take care of a box of guns on a two-hundred-mile journey by railway one night in winter * belongs in Cleveland, Ohio reached home after dark, in a snow-storm, and heard that his dearest boyhood friend and schoolmate, John B. Hackett, had died the day before * last utterance was a desire that I would take his body to his father and mother in Wisconsin * card marked â€Å"Deacon Levi Hackett, Bethlehem, Wisconsin† * long white-pine box fastened the card to it with tacks then put it aboard the express car then ran to the eating-room for a sandwich and some cigars * He came back and there was â€Å"a young fellow examining around it, with a card in his hands, and some tacks and a hammer† * a mistake was made and it turns out he was carrying off a box of guns which that young fellow had come to ship to a rifle company in Peoria, Illinois, and the young man had got John B. Hackett’s dead body * sat on a bale of buckets expressman – plain man of fifty, with a simple, honest, good-natured face, and a breezy, practical heartiness in his general style * package of peculiarly mature and capable Limburger cheese on one end of my coffin-box (box of guns) * at the time he had never heard of the cheese in my life and thus was ignorant of its character * â€Å"slammed his sliding doors to, and bolted them, closed his window down tight, and then went bustling around, here and there and yonder, setting things to rights, and all the time contentedly humming â€Å"Sweet By and By,† in a low tone, and flatting a good deal† * began to detect an odor on the frozen air every minute the odor thickened more and became more gamey and hard to stand * the expressman got some wood and made fire in his stove. * Thompson (the expre ssman) * felt himself growing pale and qualmish but said nothing. * â€Å"Pfew! I reckon it ain't no cinnamon ‘t I've loaded up thish-yer stove with! † * â€Å"Sometimes it's uncertain whether they're really gone or not,–seem gone, you know–body warm, joints limber–and so, although you think they're gone, you don't really know. I've had cases in my car. It's perfectly awful, becuz you don't know what minute they'll rise up and look at you! Then, after a pause, and slightly lifting his elbow toward the box, — â€Å"But he ain't in no trance! No, sir, I go bail for him! † * â€Å"Well-a-well, we've all got to go, they ain't no getting around it. Man that is born of woman is of few days and far between, as Scriptur' says. Yes, you look at it any way you want to, it's awful solemn and cur'us: they ain't nobody can get around it; all's got to go–just everybody, as you may say. One day you're hearty and strong and next day he's cut down like the grass, and the places which knowed him then knows him no more forever, as Scriptur' says.Yes'ndeedy, it's awful solemn and cur'us; but we've all got to go, one time or another; they ain't no getting around it. † * Had been dead 2 or 3 days * â€Å"Two or three years, you mean. † * They were heliotrope to him * Narrator suggested cigars * Thompson referred to the corpse by various titles, military ones, civil ones and as the stench grew, Thompson would give him a bigger title * Thompson said they should move the corpse about ten feet away * â€Å"we took in a good fresh breath at the broken pane, calculating to hold it till we got through; then we went there and bent over that deadly cheese and took a grip on the box.Thompson nodded â€Å"All ready,† and then we threw ourselves forward with all our might; but Thompson slipped, and slumped down with his nose on the cheese, and his breath got loose. He gagged and gasped, and floundered up and made a b reak for the door, pawing the air and saying hoarsely, â€Å"Don't hender me! –gimme the road! I'm a-dying; gimme the road! † Out on the cold platform I sat down and held his head a while, and he revived. * we hadn't budged the dead body * Thompson got carboy of carbolic acid from a station he drenched everything with it, rifle-box, cheese and all * the two perfumes began to mix and they had to leave the car * waltzed back and forth, freezing, and thawing, and stifling by turns * about an hour and they stopped at another station and Thompson came in with a bag * â€Å"He had brought a lot of chicken feathers, and dried apples, and leaf tobacco, and rags, and old shoes, and sulphur, and asafoetida, and one thing or another; and he, piled them on a breadth of sheet iron in the middle of the floor, and set fire to them. * the original smell stood up out of it just as sublime as ever * other smells just gave it a better hold * Thompson got suffocated and fell and before t he Narrator dragged Thompson out by the collar the Narrator was near gone * â€Å"Typhoid fever is what's going to come of this. † taken from the platform an hour later at the next station * Narrator went into a virulent fever, and knew nothing again for three weeks * He found out that he had spent that awful night with a box of rifles and cheese * the news was too late to save him because â€Å"imagination had done its work, and his health was permanently shattered† * Bermuda or any other land could bring his health back * His last trip because he is on his way home to die.

Frederick Banting essays

Frederick Banting essays Diabetes is a chronic disorder in which the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin. Insulin is an important hormone for the metabolism of sugar in the body. When the pancreas fails to provide the body with insulin, these sugar build up in the blood stream. Therefore, the body can't use the food energy ingested each day. Diabetes and complications may cause blindness, cardiac deficits, renal failure, non-injury related amputations and erectile dysfunction. Frederick Grant Banting was born November 14, 1891 in Alliston, Ontario. When he grew up, he began his studies at the University of Toronto with the aim of entering the ministry, but instead he switched to medicine, receiving his MD in 1916. After graduating, he joined the army and served as a medical officer during World War I. He was awarded the Canadian military cross for bravery. After the war, he practiced medicine in London, Ontario, until 1921, when he and Charles Best began their research into the hormone insulin. Banting, along with John J.R. Macleod, head of the physiology department at the University of Toronto, experiment with dogs in the discovery of insulin, finally in 1922 they succeed in discovering insulin. (The extract was then purified further and tested in a human on January 11, 1922.) They were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine/physiology in 1923. They were the first Canadians to ever receive that honor. Banting initially threatened to refuse the award because he felt Charles Best's work as research assistant had been vital to the project and that he should be included in the honor. Ultimately Banting accepted, and shared his portion of the prize with Best. Later Banting was named he ad of a new department of medical research at the University of Toronto, named after him and Charles Best. He became Sir Frederick Banting when he was knighted in 1934. On February 21, 1941, Banting was killed in a plane crash while on a military med ...

Free Essays on Homosexuality Is Not A Sin According To The Bible

â€Å"What’s Love Got To Do With It?† By Renaldo Brown French is only a language to those who speak it. For most Americans, French is not a part of who they are, the lifestyle they live, the language they speak, or a culture they can identify with. They were born Americans. The similarities of the American culture and the French culture boil down to french fries and good wine. However, on the other side of the world, from a French perspective, the American culture is not a part of who they are, the lifestyle they live, the language they speak, or a culture they can identify with. How can two dynamically different groups of people co-exist in the world and respect each other’s cultures and lifestyles? The answer to the question is easy: the French are over there and the Americans are over here. Another group of people that are dynamically different in who they are, the lifestyle they live, the language they speak, and cultures that they can identify with, are not so lucky. Homosexuals, who have been intertwined into every culture since they beginning of time, have constantly been the receptor of violence, discrimination, and condemnation by conservative Christians, gay bashers, the media, mainstream evangelists, and, surprisingly, people who are gay (but are insecure in their sexuality). Instead of being embraced for their differences and respected as human beings, homosexuals have been, time and time again, condemned to hell, killed, or discriminated against. Many people use the Holy Bible as their basis of condemning gays, stating that it is not themselves who condemn gays, but God – or rather, the Word. However, one should take a closer look at the Word and take it at face value. The Word of God says what It means and means what It says. Many people rely on the interpretations of men versus the true, factual, and holy Word of God. The Word urges, â€Å"Study to shew thyself approved unto God [. . .] .† (Hebrew-G... Free Essays on Homosexuality Is Not A Sin According To The Bible Free Essays on Homosexuality Is Not A Sin According To The Bible â€Å"What’s Love Got To Do With It?† By Renaldo Brown French is only a language to those who speak it. For most Americans, French is not a part of who they are, the lifestyle they live, the language they speak, or a culture they can identify with. They were born Americans. The similarities of the American culture and the French culture boil down to french fries and good wine. However, on the other side of the world, from a French perspective, the American culture is not a part of who they are, the lifestyle they live, the language they speak, or a culture they can identify with. How can two dynamically different groups of people co-exist in the world and respect each other’s cultures and lifestyles? The answer to the question is easy: the French are over there and the Americans are over here. Another group of people that are dynamically different in who they are, the lifestyle they live, the language they speak, and cultures that they can identify with, are not so lucky. Homosexuals, who have been intertwined into every culture since they beginning of time, have constantly been the receptor of violence, discrimination, and condemnation by conservative Christians, gay bashers, the media, mainstream evangelists, and, surprisingly, people who are gay (but are insecure in their sexuality). Instead of being embraced for their differences and respected as human beings, homosexuals have been, time and time again, condemned to hell, killed, or discriminated against. Many people use the Holy Bible as their basis of condemning gays, stating that it is not themselves who condemn gays, but God – or rather, the Word. However, one should take a closer look at the Word and take it at face value. The Word of God says what It means and means what It says. Many people rely on the interpretations of men versus the true, factual, and holy Word of God. The Word urges, â€Å"Study to shew thyself approved unto God [. . .] .† (Hebrew-G...

AP Exams vs SAT Subject Tests Whats More Important

AP Exams vs SAT Subject Tests What's More Important SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many high-achieving students end up taking both SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests during their time in high school. SAT Subject Tests are required for admission to mostcompetitive colleges, and AP Tests and coursework are encouraged. Is one more important than the other? In this article, I’ll give details on how these two types of tests compare to each another and whether it's a good idea to take AP Tests and SAT Subject Tests in the same topic areas. What's the Difference Between AP Tests and SAT Subject Tests? SAT Subject Tests are hour-long multiple-choice exams that are scored on a scale of 200 to 800.AP Tests consist of multiple choice and essay sections, last for several hours, and are scored on a scale of 1-5. Many more students take AP tests every year than SAT Subject Tests (2.3 million versus about 500,000). This is becauseAP Tests are tied directly to the corresponding Advanced Placement classes. In recent years, the AP program has spread to more and more high schools across the country. To get college credit for these classes, students must pass the tests. SAT Subject Tests are less popular because students only take them for certain selective colleges that ask for them in the application process. The most selective schools usually require or recommend two or three subject tests. These tests are not directly tied to specific classes, so students typically have more freedom in deciding which ones they want to take. SAT Subject Test scores can showcase your unique interests and talents on your college application. SAT Subject Tests are rarer than AP Tests. This red panda is also rare, but it's much cuter than anything the College Board will ever create. What Is the Purpose of an AP Test Compared to That of an SAT Subject Test? AP Tests measure a student’s mastery of college-level subject matterthrough questions that touch on the main points of a year-long AP curriculum.Your AP Test scores validate the hard work you did in class and confirm that you learned the material. The dean of admissions at Harvard says, "We have found that the best predictors [of grades] at Harvard are Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate Exams, closely followed by the College Board subject tests."Students who do well on AP Tests are likely to be successful in college classes, so selective schools are interested in them for their predictive value. AP Test scores alsohelp admissions officers decide whether your grades are an accurate reflection of your academic ability. If you got a 1 on the test but an A in the class, the class was probably way too easy. If you got a 5 on the test but a B- in the class, the class was probably very challenging. This will affect the judgments that admissions officers make about your potential. Your AP scores also make a difference in whether or not you earn college credit for the work you did in your AP class.At most schools, an AP score of 4 or 5 will either lead to college credit or allow you to place out of introductory college courses. SAT Subject Tests are slightly different because they measure students’ readiness for college-level work. SAT Subject Tests are sometimes used to place students out of courses in college, but you can’t earn college credits for doing well on them. They're also less relevant for predicting college grades, although they still have some value. Since SAT Subject Tests don't correspond with specific classes on your transcript, they can be used to emphasize your abilities in the subjects that are most relevant to what you plan on studying in college. Colleges view subject tests as assessments of how much you learned in high school and where your academic strengths lie. High scores on AP Tests might allow you to ascend the college escalator more quickly. Are AP Tests Harder Than SAT Subject Tests? Most students find the material on AP Tests to be more difficult than the material on SAT Subject Tests because it's intended for students who are working at a college level. AP Tests also require more stamina.As a rule, essays are almost always harder than multiple-choice questions because you have to come up with an answer entirely on your own. Even within the multiple choice sections, AP Tests demand a deeper understanding of the material than SAT Subject Tests.They also require students to possess more in-depth knowledge and analytical abilities when it comes to interpreting primary source materials. Still, it is technically easier to get a 5 on an AP Test than an 800 on an SAT Subject Test. On most AP Tests, you can still earn a 5 if you get a fair amount of questions wrong, whereas there’s almost no room for error on subject tests if you want a perfect score.A student who gets 70% of questions correct and a student who gets 100% of questions correct may both end up with 5s on an AP test depending on how strong the curve is. However, this is deceptive, since the actual content and test format for AP Tests is significantly more difficult.A student who earns a high score like a 700 on a subject test might not get a 5 on an AP Test due to the greater complexity.I'll do a comparison with real questions to show you how the two tests differ. Come with me on this journey down two divergent paths that wind through the strange wasteland of Collegeboardia. Here’s a sample multiple-choice question from the US History SAT Subject Test: "If the Creator had separated Texas from the Union by mountain barriers, the Alps or the Andes, there might be plausible objections; but He has planed down the whole [Mississippi] Valley including Texas, and united every atom of the soil and every drop of the water of the mighty whole. He has linked their rivers with the great Mississippi, and marked and united the whole for the dominion of one government, the residence of one people." This quotation from the 1840's can be viewed as an expression of: A. The New NationalismB. popular sovereigntyC. Manifest DestinyD. the Good Neighbor PolicyE. the frontier thesis (the answer is C) And here’s a sample multiple-choice question from the AP US History Test (multiple choice questions refer to excerpts from primary sources): Excerpt: â€Å"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.† -Chief Justice Earl Warren, writing the unanimous opinion of the United States Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954 Which of the following was the most immediate result of the decision excerpted? A. Radicals critiqued government actions as doing too little to transform the racial status quo. B. Education advocates raised awareness of the effect of poverty on students’ opportunities. C. Civil rights activists became increasingly divided over tactical and philosophical issues. D. Segregationists in southern states temporarily closed many public schools in an effort to resist the decision. (the answer is D) Notice the differences between these two questions.The SAT Subject Test question is much more straightforward.It requires basic knowledge of terminology related to US History.Most students who took any standard class in US History would probably answer it correctly. The AP Test question, on the other hand, is more nuanced.It asks for the â€Å"most immediate† result of the Supreme Court decision.All of the answers are true to some degree, but only D reflects the â€Å"most immediate† initial response.This is tricky, and it requires students to think more carefully about the question.It expects a certain degree of advanced knowledge of larger trends related to racial tension in US History and when and how the responses of different groups to legislative changes played out. You can also see this difference between the two tests magnified in the open response section of the AP Test. Here’s an example of an AP open response question: Using your knowledge of United States history, answer parts a and b. a) Briefly explain why ONE of the following periods best represents the beginning of a democracy in the United States. Provide at least ONE piece of evidence from the period to support your explanation. Rise of political parties in the 1790s Development of voluntary organizations to promote social reforms between the 1820s and the 1840s Emergence of the Democrats and the Whigs as political parties in the 1830s b) Briefly explain why ONE of the other options is not as persuasive as the one you chose. This question requires students to formulate a coherent definition of American democracy, make a decision about which time period best exemplifies its roots (while backing up their point with historical knowledge), and refute a counterargument.This is college-level analytical thinking.You won’t encounter questions like this on an SAT Subject Test. Choose your responses carefully. Uncle Sam is watching. Should You Take SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests in the Same Subjects? Is it OK to take SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests in the same subject? Yes, colleges won't think you're being lazy if you have overlap in the two exam types. The key factor when deciding which SAT Subject Tests to take isn't how similar or different they are to your AP Tests, it's if those SAT Subject Tests fit the subject test requirements of the schools you're applying to. If the colleges where you’re applying simply request that you take two or three unspecified SAT Subject Tests, it makes a lot of sense to take the tests that correspond with your APs. Since SAT Subject Tests are less challenging than AP Tests, you will already be prepared and may not have to do any extra studying.AP Tests are typically held in May, and you can take SAT Subject Tests in June. Certain college programs do require you to take specific subject tests to be eligible for admission.This is often the case at engineering schools that want to ensure students are well-versed in math and the hard sciences.For example, the California Institute of Technology requires prospective students to take the Math 2 subject test and one of the subject tests in Biology, Physics, or Chemistry.Math 2 is the most commonly required SAT Subject Test. If you aren’t taking an AP Test in the same subject area as the SAT Subject Test you want or need to take, you should plan to take the subject test at the end of your most relevant high school class.For Math 2, this will most likely be at the end of your junior year after you’ve taken classes in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and precalculus.In general, it’s always a good idea to take an SAT Subject Test right after you finish a class in the subject.That way, you can just do a quick review and avoid having to refresh your memory on material you learned a while ago. You, radiating confidence during your SAT Subject Tests. Conclusion AP Tests and SAT Subject Tests differ in many ways, although they both can have an impact on your chances of admission at competitive colleges. SAT Subject Tests are only an hour long, and they are comprised entirely of multiple-choice questions. AP Tests, on the other hand, can last for over three hours and always include both multiple-choice and essay questions. AP Tests are associated with specific AP classes, and their content tends to be more challenging than that of SAT Subject Tests. AP Tests ask students to demonstrate college-level analytical skills while SAT Subject Tests require more basic knowledge of high school curriculum. Your scores on AP Tests may also earn you college credit or allow you to place out of introductory college classes if they are high enough. SAT Subject Tests are only occasionally used for placement purposes. Both types of tests may be important for you in the admissions process, so make sure that you prepare accordingly! What's Next? Curious about AP? Learn how you can register for Advanced Placement classes and tests. If you're looking to delve deeper into variations in difficulty on AP tests, read this article on the hardest AP tests that you can take. If you're planning on taking SAT Subject Tests, take a look at this article to get a better sense of your ideal score range. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

How Do People Feel about the UK Coalition Government Assignment

How Do People Feel about the UK Coalition Government - Assignment Example People have seen an irony that is implicit in problems faced by the euro stems due to economic and political commentators that pointed out the various forms of integration. Moreover, this was associated with the failure of integration of the financial and fiscal policy that could have facilitated the national economic development and harmonization. Nonetheless, the coalition government has been faced with disenchantment in Germany, though this does not pose a challenge to the significance of European ideas. However, there was a chance that the action would cause the results of immense economic damages to the member states. The pro-Europeans have experienced difficult moments, and this is critical due to the challenges faced by the coalition, which surpassed the immediate difficulties in long term Britain. Therefore, this led to an increased need to collaborate with other European partners in a way that played an effective role in global politics. People have a feeling that the longer the coalition prevails, the more they are developing a negative attitude towards it as a form of government. During the general election, voters had a notion that they embraced ideas of the parties working together through a coalition (Luff, 2010, p. 1). There was a spare of polling aimed at marking the anniversary whereby numerous people had a conviction that the government was weak. Moreover, they had a conviction that the coalition government would be more indecisive and irresponsive to the citizens. For instance, there were people who claimed that the coalition government appeared to be confused. In addition, people claimed that there were chances of numerous bickering in the public, which would increase disenchantment through a continental style of government. However, there were no reasons for voters to be confused in a situation where the parties had taken the responsibility of reforms for restraining health services. The coalition government seems to facilitate an outbreak of tribalism, which posed a threat of undermining its key strategy. On the other hand, the government seems desperate, which is manifested by their spending cuts. Moreover, this was a reason for reactions made by the public due to the reform of services. There were other internal concerns resonating on the populist issues; in fact, the private firms were invading into the public sector. Moreover, people were also concerned with market-led reforms, which facilitated the transformation of services offered by the state. Other citizens have a conviction that the coalition government lacks a strong policy agenda and it has been focusing on eliminating progressive reforms. Therefore, a demonstration of the position was to object the things and fail to deal with implication caused by the deficiency. In this case, some of these actions depicted the weaknesses of the coalition government during the first two years in power.  

Nigeria festival Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nigeria festival - Research Paper Example A wide range of festivities began the eating of new yam (Falola 143). This festival is organized after the people are able to get enough yields after the cultivation season, so basically this is how they express their feelings of joy and happiness by organizing just a big festival that gladdens the entire land of Igbo. New Yam Festival is celebrated at the time of completion of some serious farm work done by men to produce yam. It’s a ritual of dramatic performance and is seen as a dynamic and integral part of the culture of the people of Igbo. This 8-day festival accommodates people from different villages as well and thanksgiving to the gods and ancestors is undertaken. Not only adults but both young and old citizens participate in this festive treat and perform various rituals (Kalu 184). Eating and drinking along with dancing and singing music are the main features of this big annual ritual festival. At different periodic levels, the male head of the family manifests his joy and happiness by ringing the bell of his buffalo several times. Wine is being served in horns of oxen and sometimes in buffaloes’. People who are poor and less privileged are not allowed to drink this way. Discrimination is one of the inner features of this celebration that takes place. These people use gourd cups, along with women and children. This festival is an official declaration of the eating of new yam which is the result of intense hard work all during the year (Okoroike 135). This festival holds a significant role in the lives of the people who belong to Igbo land. It is demonstrated at the beginning even before the ceremony is being commenced which is the ritual washing of the children which are about to partake in the festival. After making a ritual space with the help of leaves, children are made to stand in it and then with some religious recitations, through the throat, they are asked to pass certain materials and then spit them out on the ground. Some of

The Relevant International Accounting Standard (IASB) Assignment

The Relevant International Accounting Standard (IASB) - Assignment Example Contingent assets and contingent liabilities are not recognized but disclosed in the financial statement of the company. The main focus and objective of the standard is that the entity recognizes provision in its balance sheet with is the best estimate of the expenditure to settle an obligation at the end of its financial year. This estimate is the amount of cash outflow that the entity is likely to pay in the future. IAS 37 requires the corporation to take into consideration the following essentials when recording provisions in its financial statements, Take all the future and probable risks and uncertainties into account Calculate the present value of the provision by selecting a suitable discount rate. This will represents the current market value of the assessment of the future outflow of economic benefits Take future changes, such as law and changes in technological changes into consideration Expected disposals form the assets are not taken into consideration no matter how close ly the disposal of asset is linked to determining the provision Similarly, there are circumstances in which provision is closely linked to the recognition of revenue; an example would be when an entity gives guarantees in exchange for a fee. The recognition, measurement and accounting specification are mentioned in IAS 18 ‘Revenue’ Discussing the scope of IAS 37 [1], the standard is applied by all entities on accounting for provisioning except those resulting from executor contracts and those covered under other standards such as provisions pertaining to construction contracts (IAS 11), income taxes (IAS 12), employee benefit (IAS 19) and insurance contracts (IFRS 4). IAS 37 is also not applicable to financial instruments. Recognition, Measurement, presentation and disclosure details   The International Accounting Standard (IAS) 37 ‘Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets’ describes the accounting treatment in respect of financial provisi ons, contingent assets and contingent liabilities. In this context IAS 37 (2009, p 1888) describes that the entity only recognizes a provision, if the following conditions prevails which are: A present obligation has arise due to certain past event The outflow of economic resources, in order to settle that obligation, is probable; and The settlement amount can be reliably measured [2] Further elaborating on the above mentioned points, an obligating event is the one according to which the company has a legal or constructive obligation to settle that obligation and the company does not have any other alternative to that. As further explained in the relevant provisions of IAS 37, a constructive obligation usually arises on account of past practices. In certain circumstances, it might not be certain whether the entity has a present obligation, and even if it does have a present obligation, the outflow of economic resources out of the entity is not certain. The discussed circumstances gi ve rise to a contingent liability, which is required to be disclosed in the financial statement of the company and does not need to recognize. If the possibility of economic out flow is highly remote, then the company is not required to even disclose it in its financial statements. The amount recognized as provision should be the best estimate of the expenditure that is required to settle the present obligation

Pupil Z Individual Observation Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pupil Z Individual Observation Program - Essay Example I decided I should then carry out the two-week observation programme. For one week, I have observed Pupil Z accessing school activities and leisure time in the supportive sitting position, stimulated by his hands while exploring items on his tray. In the second week, I prioritized opportunities for Pupil Z to access school activities and leisure time by lying on his back (supine position) and exploring his surroundings with his feet. These activities were a precursor to other motor skills (hands exploration), seeking to establish the impact these activities may have on his alertness, motivation and daily learning. Settings Pupil Z’s two-week individual observation programme started when he entered the school and it stopped when he left (9.30-3.30) each session / activity. Each session lasted about 25 minutes. Pupil Z’s am/pm snacks (2 x 30 minutes) included a 5 minute break, lunch (60 minutes plus 5-minute break), and 5-minute breaks between the sessions / activities. T hese breaks were not included in the total number of minutes of observation per day (200 minutes) and 1000 minutes per week. Every morning, Pupil Z had one-to-one interactions with an adult (massage). He was observed participating in class greetings, one additional group activities (e.g. sensory story, foot spa, messy play, etc.), and a self-occupation time (sensory exploration). An interval of 5 minutes was often allowed between the 25 minutes activity / sessions in order to prevent broadness and ensure that adjustments were made to fit his energy level. Every afternoon started with a self-occupation time (Little Room), followed by a sensory exploration. Next came a group activity, and the session usually ended with the whole class saying goodbye to each other. An interval of 5 minutes was allowed between activity/session. I felt it was important to provide Pupil Z with various short, repetitive, and well-cued routines (e.g. simple speech, environmental sounds, smell, body signs, e tc.) in order to help him orientate in activity, to understand what is going on, as well as to build his confidence and participation. From my privies observations of Pupil Z, I have also implemented motivating stimuli and activities during the two-week observation programme in order to motivate him (Appendix, 4). I have used the school timetabling curriculum forms for key stage 2 (see Timetable 2 and 3) to present my findings. The observation gathered on the observation form, (timetabling curriculum forms) were filled in traffic lights; green, orange, red and blue (Table 2 and 3). This overall description of the alertness categories of Pupil Z was complemented in agreement with class staff, alongside example behaviour for each category where Pupil Z displayed most common behaviour during school days. Table 1 Descriptions of Pupil Z different alertness levels Alertness level Colour Description Behaviour Active, focused on the environment Green Engaged in sensory activities (e.g., li stening, touching, smelling, etc.). Focused on other individuals or on materials in the classroom. Eyes open, head movements, body activity, reaching toward / for object(s), smiles, laugh and made some other types of vocalisation. Inactive, withdrawn Orange Focused on himself or without any focus. Activities are not directed to the environment. Flat posture, head down or turn

Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods Research Paper

Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods - Research Paper Example This section basically explains the relationship and connection between food and the human senses. Food Taste and Color This section shows how people associate the taste of food with the food’s color. It also highlights and describes how people paint a bright picture of food in their minds based on the smell. The section explains how restaurants use the color knowledge to attract and retain customers. Taste of Organic Foods This section gives reasons why there is a greater consumption of organic foods more than conventional ones. It also gives reasons for the different tastes between organic foods and conventional foods. The section explains why people prefer organic foods compared to conventional foods. Texture and Foods This section explains the relationship between different foods and texture. It also shows how the texture of food determines or influences foods that are consumed and those that are not, and how texture determines the quality of plant based foods. Food Modifi cation This section describes the processes human beings have used to modify the taste and smell of plant based foods. It also explains the reasons why food is modified. Flavor and Color Additives This section illustrates the technology used to affect the flavor and color of different foods, and briefly illustrates how the process is done. The section also explains the role of flavor and color additives to various foods. Smell Flavorants This section is about smell flavorants. It explains the source of smell flavorants and how they are used to affect the flavor of plant based foods. It briefly describes different types of flavorants and explains their effect on consumers of food. Artificial Flavors This part of the paper describes how artificial flavors are made. In addition, it talks about the use of natural flavors, and why they are considered safer than natural ones. Conclusion The conclusion is a comparison between conventional foods and foods that are grown by organic means. It also requests people to be vigilant on technology that is used on foods. This section also gives a brief summary and overview of what was discussed in the paper. Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods Introduction Senses help people to perceive objects. Humans contain a number of senses that are traditionally recognized. They include taste, sight, hearing, touch, and smell. Humans have a weak sense of smell compared to animals while animals may not have some of the traditional senses. The sense of sight enables human beings to see and recognize objects based on prior knowledge. Blind people are not able to see other people or objects. The sense of hearing enables an individual to perceive sound. Hearing is aided by vibration. The sense of taste enables a person to perceive the taste of things like food. The sense of taste is made up of saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, and sourness. People acquire tastes through taste buds. The sense of smell is achieved t hrough the nose and the olfactory receptor neurons. The sense of touch is experienced when there is pressure on the skin. Flavor is a blend of smell and taste perception (MacFie and Meiselman 41). This paper will look at how laboratories and science are changing the way human senses have been impacted by plant based foods through scientific innovation and modification.   Human Senses and Food The sense of taste has some bearing on a person’s food choice and preference. When a person describes the taste of food,

Differentiate between Ordained Local Ministry and Licensed Lay Essay

Differentiate between Ordained Local Ministry and Licensed Lay Ministry in the Church of England today. What theology underpins the distinctions - Essay Example In addition, the underlying theological perspectives shall be discussed. Despite the differences that are available among these ministries the purpose that they pursue in based on the doctrines of the Bible. Therefore, the difference that exists between these two ministries is geared towards complementing each other. The ordained local ministry (OLM) is a national movement that comprises of clergy that have been ordained but have opted to serve church at a local level. The individual intending to join should firstly inform the Bishop in that diocese that further informs the Director of Ordinands at Parish. The parish gets the mandate to review the individual’s request and make a decision whether to allow or disallow. There are diverse criteria that are considered before one can pass this stage. In particular, patterns of worship, problem solving, teamwork, leadership among other values are considered before one can be considered for the position. To prevent any conspiracy, whenever the Bishop wants to leave or retire, it is unacceptable for them to propose an individual into the ministry (Dewar 2000). On the other hand, the licensed lay ministry (LLM) is a ministry in the church that allows individuals that are not ordained to take part in church work. They are from any background, most of them having responded to a call from God to serve the church in various capacities. Once the individuals have heeded to the call of service, they are trained in theology and given the opportunity to serve the church. Their main assignments in the church range from pastoral assistance, evangelical work, leading in worship, teaching, preaching as well as liturgy work. However, they can engage in other activities according to their talents and the needs of the church. These individuals are not ordained hence; the scope of services is limited to some extent (Etchells 1995). The ordained local ministry puts much emphasis on the local situations in

Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods Research Paper

Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods - Research Paper Example This section basically explains the relationship and connection between food and the human senses. Food Taste and Color This section shows how people associate the taste of food with the food’s color. It also highlights and describes how people paint a bright picture of food in their minds based on the smell. The section explains how restaurants use the color knowledge to attract and retain customers. Taste of Organic Foods This section gives reasons why there is a greater consumption of organic foods more than conventional ones. It also gives reasons for the different tastes between organic foods and conventional foods. The section explains why people prefer organic foods compared to conventional foods. Texture and Foods This section explains the relationship between different foods and texture. It also shows how the texture of food determines or influences foods that are consumed and those that are not, and how texture determines the quality of plant based foods. Food Modifi cation This section describes the processes human beings have used to modify the taste and smell of plant based foods. It also explains the reasons why food is modified. Flavor and Color Additives This section illustrates the technology used to affect the flavor and color of different foods, and briefly illustrates how the process is done. The section also explains the role of flavor and color additives to various foods. Smell Flavorants This section is about smell flavorants. It explains the source of smell flavorants and how they are used to affect the flavor of plant based foods. It briefly describes different types of flavorants and explains their effect on consumers of food. Artificial Flavors This part of the paper describes how artificial flavors are made. In addition, it talks about the use of natural flavors, and why they are considered safer than natural ones. Conclusion The conclusion is a comparison between conventional foods and foods that are grown by organic means. It also requests people to be vigilant on technology that is used on foods. This section also gives a brief summary and overview of what was discussed in the paper. Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods Introduction Senses help people to perceive objects. Humans contain a number of senses that are traditionally recognized. They include taste, sight, hearing, touch, and smell. Humans have a weak sense of smell compared to animals while animals may not have some of the traditional senses. The sense of sight enables human beings to see and recognize objects based on prior knowledge. Blind people are not able to see other people or objects. The sense of hearing enables an individual to perceive sound. Hearing is aided by vibration. The sense of taste enables a person to perceive the taste of things like food. The sense of taste is made up of saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, and sourness. People acquire tastes through taste buds. The sense of smell is achieved t hrough the nose and the olfactory receptor neurons. The sense of touch is experienced when there is pressure on the skin. Flavor is a blend of smell and taste perception (MacFie and Meiselman 41). This paper will look at how laboratories and science are changing the way human senses have been impacted by plant based foods through scientific innovation and modification.   Human Senses and Food The sense of taste has some bearing on a person’s food choice and preference. When a person describes the taste of food,

Leadership Matrix and Decision Making Assignment

Leadership Matrix and Decision Making - Assignment Example Assessment of leadership through decision-making ability is a complex and sensitive activity, which can be done through appropriate questioning and drawing leaders’ viewpoints and plans of action in different scenarios. Following is a set of questions with all possible answers/options that different leaders may choose with respect to areas requiring critical decision making such as delegation of authority, involving group members in a decision-making process, and focus on driving results. Based on these questions and the matrix, leaders scoring highest on option-a (strongly agree) can be termed as effective decision makers. These leaders possess good people management skills; they motivate people through involvement in the decision-making process; they create accountability for decisions made. These leaders maintain the integrity and set the right example to the group members by doing the right thing. Servant leadership is more of service than of leadership itself. Such leaders are committed to people through their work, and fully accept their responsibility and accountability for their job. These leaders tend to be highly transparent in their views, possess great willingness to learn, and possess the high sense of honesty and integrity. These leaders value the differences that may exist and work in collaboration with the group. These leaders work proactively towards their vision. Servant leaders possess the insight and ability to make important decisions, allocate resources and decision making authority by empowering others to act for the betterment of people and the organization. Their focus on relationships helps them gain the better understanding of their people, which in turn ensures appropriate empowerment. These leaders are self-motivated, and they bring a lot of emotions in their surroundings to build a strong team for the organization. Servant leaders believe in inclusive working style, i.e. they involve other members of the group in critical areas of work.

Dulce et Decorum est - Anthem for Doomed Youth Essay Example for Free

Dulce et Decorum est Anthem for Doomed Youth Essay Dulce et Decorum est and Anthem for Doomed Youth are two poems written by Wilfred Owen during the First World War. Owen, like most soldiers, joined up after being convinced that war was fun by propagandistic posters, poems and stories, and once he had realised that the truth was quite the opposite of this, he decided that it was his responsibility to oppose and protest against poets like Jessie Pope through poetry itself. People were not prepared for the sheer scale and manner of death and the mechanised nature of trench warfare, and had false expectations of the heroic endeavour, but little awareness of the realities. However, compared to Dulce, the anger portrayed is dramatically understated. Dulce is an outrageous protest, displaying the haunting and bitter effects of war, and after describing in great detail the horrific story of a soldier drowning and choking in gas, Owen reveals his passionate hatred for the false and misleading idealisms of heroism in war using particularly emphatic imagery in cancer and froth corrupted lungs. The fact that Anthem is a sonnet, is ironic in that they are usually about love, and because it is actually about grief, it somewhat lulls the reader into a false sense of security, therefore making the poem more effective. Both poems seem to talk about the vile and painful conditions in war, Dulce using onomatopoeia in trudge, giving the impression that war is truly appalling, immediately going against the common belief that it is a game from poems like Whos for the game?. Also, true to both poems is the idea of undignified and casual death, rather than the heroic, glorious death promised by governmental propaganda. For example, in Dulce, Owen talks about the way they flung [the dead soldier] in a wagon with such brutal nonchalance. Furthermore, Anthem introduces a typical Victorian funeral with singing choirs, and juxtaposes it with the shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells on the battlefield, and with the constant end-stopped lines, this conveys a sense of solemn grief rather than the vicious anger in Dulce, which tends to use enjambment more frequently. Also, Anthem discusses the lack of ceremony and dignity in which people are honoured after their death on the battlefield, and Owen reveals his anger for this using the powerful, hyperbolic alliteration in rifles rapid rattle. In addition, the fact that the sound of machine gun fire is reflected in the phrase rifles rapid rattle presents to the reader that the harsh realities of war are indeed more than just frightening. In addition, a sense of urgency and immediacy is portrayed in the second stanza of Dulce, when Owen uses direct speech and exclamations in Gas! Gas!, while the epizeuxis and use of the present continuous tense gives further emphasis to this desperate urgency .On the other hand, Anthem has a strong sense of sympathy and general tranquillity throughout the second stanza, which is juxtaposed by something quite the opposite in the first. As well as this, the light lexis used in words such as glimmers and tenderness in the second stanza, give the impression that it is a poem of mourning and respect rather than anger and hate. In general, Dulce uses fairly vulgar and crude language, conveying his disrespect for propagandistic poets, as well as his anger at the unawareness of the dangers of war of the British public: He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. Owens use of the words guttering, choking [and] drowning, has numerous implications and effects. Firstly, a gutter represents the bottom of society, and therefore shows how soldiers dying is in fact not a respectable act, but rather an act that is hardly noticed by society. Also, the onomatopoeic sounds of guttering and choking, give an even more emphatic image of death on the battlefield, portraying Owens desire for the awareness of the harsh realities of war in youth culture as well as in everyday men. Finally, the fact that Owen uses three separate adjectives to describe the horrific scene, in addition to the tri-conic feel it gives, the phrase implies that Owen could not put what he was seeing into words, and therefore persuading the reader that war is simply a catastrophic, desperate excuse for a fight, sacrificing millions of men in the process. Unlike Dulce, Anthem brings out the mournful, respectful side of Wilfred Owen through the melancholy atmosphere he creates through the modulation of harsh imagery to a more resigned tone: The monstrous anger of the guns but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. This dramatic contrast between coarse and frightening imagery in monstrous anger of the guns and the solemn melancholy in the holy glimmers of goodbyes is a very moving one. This is not only because the phrase refers to tears in young mens eyes, which in itself is a saddening image, but also because it refers to goodbyes, forcing a more personal image of saying goodbye to close friends or relatives as they go to war upon the mind of the reader, again, creating a sombre mood. In addition, the end-stopped line following goodbyes is very effective in that it makes the goodbye seem all the more sudden, harsh, and hurtful. In conclusion, Dulce and Anthem, although they are both written in protest against the deceiving propaganda made by various people, they go about it in different ways. Dulce is an outright outrage at individuals, which we know from Owens draft that it was targeted at Jessie Pope, using coarse and harsh language to do so. Anthem on the other hand is a more solemn and moving poem, although it starts as if it were to be an outrage, before we learn that in fact, it is only grieving for the dead and their lack of ceremony, and it becomes literally, an anthem for doomed youth.

Major Problems in Mexican American History Essay -- Mexican History Cu

Major Problems in Mexican American History Mexicans have been a people long oppressed. That is evident not only by the readings edited by Zaragosa Vargas in Major Problems in Mexican American History, but also by the the documentary Chicano!. The Mexicans’ past is underscored by conquest of the present-day American Southwest first by the Spanish and then by the United States following the Mexican American War. With other countries establishing control over them, Mexicans have never really been able to establish themselves. Efforts were repeatedly made to shape them into what others perceived them to be. The language they should speak, the religion they should practice, the things they should learn, and the way they should live, were all decisions that for many years Mexicans did not have the power to control. This lack of power allowed the Spanish and the United States to take advantage of Mexican rights, labor and land. In addition, it also produced a loss of Mexican identity and culture. Mexican American history began in the16th century under Spanish colonialism. The Spanish had a goal of conquest and colonization. Evidently, that goal was successfully accomplished because when the Spanish first arrived in 1492 Mexico’s population was fourteen million, but by the end of the 16th century it had drastically declined to one million. Numbers decreased because of the cruel treatment, forced labor, and disease brought by the Spanish. The Spanish eventually controlled most of the territory in the Southwest and over three hundred towns had been established for the purpose of control and conversion. The Spanish imposed conditions on the natives of Mexico that would belittle them. They aimed to convert them in order to make them re... ...heightened sense of self and group identity. The term Chicano encouraged Mexican Americans to take pride and interest in their history of struggle in America. It is when dealing with this period in Mexican-American history that the documentary Chicano! steps in for Vargas, better explaining the movement that occurred. Mexican Americans distinguished themselves at home and abroad during World War II and worked toward political, educational, and social equality in the country they defended. ...La Raza! Mejicano! Espanol! Latino! Hispano! Chicano! or whatever I call myself. I look the same. I feel the same...I cry and Sing the same. I am the masses of my people and I refuse to be absorbed. I am Joaquin...The odds are great but my spirit is strong...My faith unbreakable...My blood is pure...I am Aztec Prince and Christian Christ...I SHALL ENDURE! I WILL ENDURE!

You Must Depend Only on Yourself :: Arguementative

Depending on Yourself Have you ever been told something by somebody, acted upon what you were told, then found out what they told you was wrong? This just goes to show that you should never rely on anybody else's word. I have always been told that attitute is everything. If you want to do accomplish something, your attitute towards your goal is the most important factor in your success. However, my personal experiences say otherwise. In seventh grade P.E. class, I had taken up the attitute that P.E. is a waste of time, and was not motivated to actively exert effort in the class. This kept up throughout the year, and my grade at the end was a "B". The next year, I decided I had better change my ways. I made sure to show enthusiasm and effort throughout the year. My final grade this time? Still a "B". This has forever disheartened me from trying to get an A in P.E., since it seems that nothing you do can change your grade. Even if you change your attitute, the result can be the same. The necessity of self-reliance becomes more and more apparent if you start to search for examples. For instance, several of my friends had a certain teacher for a physics class, who was often wrong in his teachings, but unwilling to admit to his mistakes. They had to compare what he had taught them with information in other places, to make sure he wasn't teaching the lessons incorrectly. Due to his mistakes, they had to rely on themselves, not the word of the teacher. My parents always tell me that if I don't want homework to be such a chore, that I have to motivate myself. I took their advice with an open mind, and got myself motivated for a history essay. But when the time came to write it, it was just as bad as any other. You Must Depend Only on Yourself :: Arguementative Depending on Yourself Have you ever been told something by somebody, acted upon what you were told, then found out what they told you was wrong? This just goes to show that you should never rely on anybody else's word. I have always been told that attitute is everything. If you want to do accomplish something, your attitute towards your goal is the most important factor in your success. However, my personal experiences say otherwise. In seventh grade P.E. class, I had taken up the attitute that P.E. is a waste of time, and was not motivated to actively exert effort in the class. This kept up throughout the year, and my grade at the end was a "B". The next year, I decided I had better change my ways. I made sure to show enthusiasm and effort throughout the year. My final grade this time? Still a "B". This has forever disheartened me from trying to get an A in P.E., since it seems that nothing you do can change your grade. Even if you change your attitute, the result can be the same. The necessity of self-reliance becomes more and more apparent if you start to search for examples. For instance, several of my friends had a certain teacher for a physics class, who was often wrong in his teachings, but unwilling to admit to his mistakes. They had to compare what he had taught them with information in other places, to make sure he wasn't teaching the lessons incorrectly. Due to his mistakes, they had to rely on themselves, not the word of the teacher. My parents always tell me that if I don't want homework to be such a chore, that I have to motivate myself. I took their advice with an open mind, and got myself motivated for a history essay. But when the time came to write it, it was just as bad as any other.

Intro for Self Introduction Essay

The purpose of this assignment is to provide information you would like me to know about you as a person and as a student. Your essay will also give me an example of your writing, including a reasonable picture of how clearly, correctly, concisely, and creatively you communicate in writing. Write, type, or word process the essay in blue or black ink, using only one side of each sheet of paper. Either lined or unlined paper is fine. Please remember that: †¢ I am your audience for the essay;  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ inappropriate language is not acceptable in English class; †¢ good form requires an inch margin on all sides of each sheet; †¢ if your essay is longer than a single page, subsequent pages should be numbered at the top right corner; †¢ except as we discussed in class, it is seldom appropriate to use abbreviations; and †¢ if this assignment is turned in on time and is acceptable, it is worth twenty points and will start you out immediately with a one hundred percent score in my grade book. Friendly essay format is provided below as a guide, with some ideas for what to write about: Excellent Student Ms. Werner English 10 September 4, 2007 Title [The essay should have one or more paragraphs about you. You might include information about your family, your activities, your interests and hobbies, your talents, your job or jobs, how you spent your summer, your favorite book, movie, or band, or other information that identifies or introduces you.] [Please describe yourself as an English student. What would you like me to know about your learning style or preferences, your academic ability and achievement, how you learn best, or  your concerns or frustrations with English?] [Include a description of two or three goals you hope to accomplish in this class and why you would like to accomplish these goals. Be sure that the goals you set will make a real difference to you, are observable or measurable, and are realistic.]

Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 Essay

Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724 in Konigsberg, East Prussia. He was the son of a saddler. At age 8, he entered the Collegium Fredericianum, a Latin school, where he remained for 8 1/2 years and studied the classics. He then entered the University of Konigsberg in 1740 to study philosophy, mathematics, and physics. The death of his father halted his university career so he became a private tutor. In 1755, he returned to Konigsburg where he later resumed his studies. In 1756, he received a degree and was made a lecturer, and in 1770 he became a professor. Kant felt he had to adhere to a very strict schedule during his years as a professor. He would get up shortly before five in the morning and spent an hour drinking tea, smoking a pipe, and thinking over his day’s work. From six to seven he prepared his lecture, which would begin at seven or eight and lasted until nine or ten. After his lecture he would devote himself to writing until the midday meal. He always had company for his midday meal and it would always last several hours because he enjoyed conversation. After the meal he would take a walk for an hour or so and his evenings were devoted to reading and reflection. He would go to bed at ten o’clock. Besides his writings, he became famous for his schedule. Kant’s most striking character trait was probably his moral earnestness and his devotion to the idea of duty. He was a sociable man and was also kindly and benevolent. He was never rich but he was careful in money matters. He regularly assisted a number of poor people. He was a sincere and loyal friend and his conduct was marked by courtesy and respect for others. For 15 years after completing his doctorate he taught at the university where he lectured on science and math, but eventually he expanded his field to cover almost all branches of philosophy. Kant was an amazing orator and was internationally famous for his lectures. His main goal in philosophical courses was to stimulate his listeners to â€Å"stand on their own feet† as he put it. He was appointed to a regular chair of philosophy at the University at the age of 46 in 1770. He was made the professor of logics and metaphysics. He came into conflict with Prussia’s government due to his unorthodox religious teachings. In 1792, the King of Prussia, Frederick William II, forbade Kant to teach or write on religious teachings. He obeyed the king’s order until William II died. In 1798, the year following his retirement from the University, Kant published a summary of his religious views. He died on February 12, 1804. During his lifetime, Kant produced many writings. Scholars usually divide his literary career into two periods: the Pre-critical period and the Critical period. During the Pre-critical period, 1747 to 1781, he wrote many non-fictional works and criticisms. Some of them were â€Å"Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces†, â€Å"On Fire†, â€Å"A New Explanation of the First Principles of Metaphysical Knowledge†, and â€Å"On the Forms and Principles of the Sensible and Intelligible World†. From 1770 to 1780, he mainly worked on preparing â€Å"The Critique of Pure Reason†. The Critical period lasted from 1781 to 1794. During this period, he wrote â€Å"The Critique of Pure Reason† in 1781, and â€Å"Foundation for the Metaphysics of Ethics† in 1785. Following the critical works, Kant published â€Å"Critique of Practical Reason†, â€Å"Critique of Judgment†, and â€Å"Religion within the Limits of Mere Reason†. Three main discussions of Kant are Duty, the Formula of the End, and the Kingdom of Ethics. Kant feels that we act morally when we do our duty, however it is important to distinguish between acting according to duty and acting from duty. Acting according to duty is when someone else has imposed the duty. This is an example of heteronymous will. An example of this is Adolf Eichmann, a German nazi general of WWII, who formulated the ‘final solution’. He said that according to Kant, he acted morally, since he was following orders, as it was his duty to do so. This is wrong because Kant says that we are only acting morally if we act from duty, as dictated by our innate reason. This is an example of autonomous will. Along with duty is the difference between the Categorical Imperative and the Hypothetical Imperative. Imperatives in general are commands that dictate a particular course of action, such as â€Å"you shall clean your room. † Hypothetical Imperatives are commands that depend on my preference for a particular end, and are stated in conditional form. The Categorical Imperative, Kant argues, are moral actions based on a â€Å"supreme principle of morality† which is objective, rational, freely chosen, and it is not conditional upon one’s preferences. Therefore the Categorical Imperative can be the only possible standard of moral obligation. An example of this is two grocers in a town are John and Joe. John wants to keep his trade, so he insists on selling the best goods, giving the best service, being friendly and polite, and offering value for money. Joe does the same, not to keep his trade, but because it is what he should do. According to Kant, even though the actions are the same, John is acting immorally, according to the Hypothetical Imperative, while Joe is acting morally, according to the Categorical Imperative. For Kant, the act is not important. As long as you are acting from duty and the motive is right, the act must be right. However, the Principles of Universalisability puts a twist on this. It states that if an action is applied to everyone, and everybody did what you were about to do, it became immoral or hypocritical, and then your act would be immoral. The Formula of the End deals with ends and means. Kant states that you must not treat people as means to your own end, but as ends in themselves. It would be similar to Christianity’s ‘Golden Rule’ except for the Universalisability Principle. The example of this is suicide. The ‘Golden Rule’ does not apply in this case, because when a person commits suicide, he does not treat others in ways he would want to be treated. He does not treat them at all, because he only treats himself. The Kingdom of Ethics states that human beings, because they are rational (use reason), possess inherent value. This means that they are ends in themselves. Their value is intrinsic, not instrumental. Kant feels that no rule of conduct, which applies to all human beings, can sanction actions favoring one person over another or agree to conduct where one person treats another as a means to an end. To do so is to demean oneself and the entire human race. Kant’s ethics are founded in and based on respect for persons. In following a certain course of moral action, regardless of inclination, a person is enacting a Kingdom of Ethics. Along with ethics is the idea of good will. Kant believes that it is wrong to intentionally break a promise that you have made with a person. He feels that good will is a pure duty outlook that disregards consequences entirely. He says that a good will is a wanting, which is informed by reason. It is a wanting which stems, not from inclination, but from duty. Kant says space and time are not concepts but that they are forms of intuition. He spends a lot of time showing the fallacies that arise from applying space and time to things that are not experienced. Kant agrees with David Hume in believing passion brings man morality. He feels that reason is only the comparing of ideas, and that reason will influence us away from our influences. The cultivation of reason is required for the purpose, and the purpose leads to happiness, therefore reason is compatible with happiness. Kant believed that reason connected us directly to things-in-themselves. He feels that we possess two sources of input that can serve as such datum. These are physical sensation and the sense of moral duty. Physical sensation starts an application of reason to experience, creating the perception of phenomenal objects. The supreme rational example of this is science. The sense of moral duty begins an application of reason that produces ethics and religion. The supreme rational example of this is the â€Å"Postulates of Practical Reason† the â€Å"Ideas† of God, freedom, and immortality, which to Kant are required as conditions of the Moral Law. Kant tries to demolish all the purely intellectual proofs of the existence of God. He makes it clear that he has other reasons for believing in God that he talks about later. God, freedom, and immortality are the three ideas of reason according to Kant. The differences between reality as seen in science, and reality as seen in morality and religion show that there are points to existence that are not revealed by either one alone. The two aspects are unequal. Magnitude and religion have a much more limited rational content, returning to many of the same questions over and over again. These include the ultimate questions about the meaning of life and existence, as well as the questions on how to live. Kant was led to characterize his system as transcendental idealism, so that we have a questioned representation of things, since our moral datum does not lead to direct knowledge of things that we are able to conceive, like God. This is because we do not have the real intuition that we have of physical objects. The reality shown by morality is a matter of faith for Kant. This is an inference from the Moral Law. This way, â€Å"transcendental idealism† is different form â€Å"subjective idealism† and â€Å"objective idealism†, since they both show certainties about the ultimate nature of things. The nature of things that we cannot know about concretely is revealed in science. Kant’s theory of empirical realism stresses that phenomena are undoubtedly mental contents. He feels that it is natural and easy to infer from this a â€Å"transcendental realism where â€Å"real† objects, which are not mental objects, are things we do not experience. At the age of 69, Kant wrote an essay on religion that is considered the boldest of all his writings. He said that churches have value only in that they assist the moral development of the race. He went on to say that when mere ceremonies usurp priority over moral excellence as a test of religion, religion has disappeared. He believed that the real church is a community of people, however scattered and divided, who are united by devotion to the common moral law. He thought the creed and ritual had replaced the good life and that instead of men being bound together by religion, they are divided into a thousand sects. He went on to say that a perversion is reached when the church becomes an instrument of the government and the clergy, whose function is to console and guide a harassed humanity with religious faith and hope and charity, are made the tools of political oppression. He said that miracles cannot prove a religion because we can never rely on the testimony which supports them, and that prayer is useless as it aims at a suspension of the natural laws that hold for all experience. A priori judgments are made outside of experience. â€Å"The sky is blue† is an a posteriori judgment (made on the basis of sensory experience). â€Å"I exist† is an a priori truth, which remains unchanged even if all of our senses are deceived. Analytic statements are true based only on the meanings of words. The only thing needed to determine truth is a dictionary. Synthetic statements cannot be judged like analytic statements. â€Å"My dog has black spots† is a synthetic statement. The truth cannot be determined since my dog is not known. The truth is not dependent on word meanings, but on if it corresponds with the world. Causality is applied to perception and concepts which are applicable to perception, Kant calls Categories. There are a total of twelve Categories. Kant says that the categories are patterns of understanding by which we examine structure and understand the things that we experience. Synthetic a priori judgments consist in applying the Categories to sensory information in space and time, or the â€Å"perceptual manifold. † Application of the Categories allows people to realize physical objects as capable of casual relations and interactions with other objects. Categories cannot be applied to knowledge or things that exist apart from space and time like things-in-themselves. Kant derives the Ideas from the possible forms of logical inference. When we assume that this potentially infinite series is given in its whole, an Idea is formed. Kant recognized three Ideas. The first is of the absolute unity of the thinking subject. The second is of the absolute unity of the order of the conditions of appearance. The third is of the absolute unity of the conditions of thought in general. The first Idea provides a subject matter of speculative psychology. The second is one of speculative cosmology, while the third is one of speculative theology. These are all metaphysical knowledge of matters of fact from synthetic a priori principles. Kant’s Ideas are really all about metaphysical paradoxes (Antimony of space and time) in its entirety, an unconditioned whole. Kant believes that all these matters are open to clarification and development. He also believes that the mind produces the world it knows. To understand â€Å"The Critique†, Kant’s logical system must be understood. He divides all judgments into analytic or synthetic judgments and a priori or a posteriori judgments. Judgments about empirical matters are synthetic, which can be denied without any contradiction. A priori judgments are free from experience. All analytic judgments are a priori. Therefore judgments are split up into three classes: analytic a priori, synthetic a posteriori, and synthetic a priori. One of his points made in â€Å"The Critique† is to show how synthetic a priori judgments occur in pure mathematics and natural science. Critique is not really a criticism, but a critical analysis where Kant is not attacking â€Å"pure reason† except to show its limitations. Rather he hopes to show its possibility and to exalt it above the impure knowledge which comes to us through the distorting channels of sense. He is trying to show that knowledge is not all derived from the senses. Kant distinguished between perceiving and thinking, which are from two distinct faculties of the mind, sense and understanding. There are three types of concepts. A posteriori concepts are taken from sense perception and are applicable to it, while Ideas are free of all sense perception. From Kant we know that every event must have a cause. This is possible only on the condition that objects must be subjected to the concepts of human understanding. He said that not all knowledge is gained through experience. It is possible to gain knowledge from sense-experience. That is that you can learn by seeing things that are not experienced but rather come from logic. â€Å"The Critique of Pure Reason†, published in 1781, is a synthesis of rationalism and empiricism. In order to understand Kant’s position and orthodox teachings, we must first understand the philosophical background that he was reacting to. There were two major historical movements in the early modern period of philosophy that had a significant impact on Kant: Empiricism and Rationalism. Kant argued that both the content and method of these philosophies contained serious flaws. A central problem for philosophers in both movements was determining how we can escape from within the confines of the human mind and the immediately knowable content of our thoughts to acquire knowledge of the world outside of us. The Empiricists sought to accomplish this through the senses and a posteriori reasoning. Empiricists such as John Locke argued that human knowledge originates in our sensations or experiences. Locke argued that the mind was a blank slate, or a â€Å"Tabula Rasa†, upon which our experiences writes and that experience teaches us everything. The Rationalists attempted to use a prori reasoning to build the necessary bridge. The Rationalists, principally Descartes, approached the problems of human knowledge from another angle. The Rationalists believed that the mind was the source of knowledge and that sense-data from our experiences only trigger the knowledge already in the mind. Kant’s answer to the two positions changed the face of philosophy. Both of these in themselves, he believed, gave a one-sided view of knowledge. Kant believed that there was more to knowledge then just experience. He believed that the mind gave us knowledge through the â€Å"categories†. That experience is going to trigger the knowledge or categories that are innate to all of us. So he would say that there is nothing that we could not know or learn because we already have the categories in the mind. Kant believed that nations would not really be civilized until all standing armies are abolished. He stated that standing armies cause states to try to outdo each other with the number of armed men each has. Because of the expense of the armies, peace becomes in the long run more oppressive than a short war; and standing armies are the cause of aggressive wars undertaken in order to get rid of this burden. Kant felt that much militarism was due to the expansion of Europe into America and Africa and Asia. He believed that if democracy was established and that everyone shared in political power, the spoils of international robbery would have to be subdivided as to constitute a resistible temptation. Kant said when those who must do the fighting have the right to decide between war and peace, history will no longer be written in blood. Many philosophers were influenced by prior philosophers. Berkeley was, for Kant, the characteristic â€Å"idealist† and an empiricist. Descartes, on the other hand, was a â€Å"realist† believing that objects exist separately from us. He also thought that we could only know their essences through â€Å"clear and distinct† innate ideas. This made him a â€Å"transcendental† realist. Kant’s thoughts were mainly influenced by the rationalism of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, Christian Wolff, and the empiricism of David Hume. The reason I chose Immanuel Kant to research is because not only of his philosophical views but also because of his interests in scientific issues. He was interested in virtually every aspect of human experience. While researching him I became impressed with his views on war, especially that if we allowed the people who have to do the fighting to make the decision about war, we would have peace. I agree that sometimes the government makes the decisions that doesn’t represent what the people want. I was also impressed with his views on religion, how the churches become instruments in the hands of the government and the clergy become tools of politics. Since Kant’s thought is truly the basis of modern philosophy, it is still a main point of departure for the 21st century.