Current Event Summary and Reaction – Honors Government – “North Carolina Getting a State Religion? No.”

North Carolina getting a state religion? No. | By: Eric Marrapodi and John Blake, CNN A gathering of delegates in North Carolina have as of late been pushing joining their administration with a built up religion. Two Republican delegates specifically documented a goals that would conceivably allow the state to pronounce Christianity as its official act of love. For this situation, the North Carolina would dismiss all government law and administering concerning partition of chapel and state.Although these agents contend this would ensure the county’s officials in their right to speak freely, pundits state the goals damages the Constitution’s first alteration. Those for a built up religion keep on swearing by the invalidation hypothesis, however many concur that in light of the fact that the hypothesis has over and again been controlled as wrong, courts won’t get it. Actually, I don’t figure the courts will get it either. Putting the points of interest a nd subtleties aside, the idea of partition of chapel and state is at last previously chose upon.The way things are presently is the manner in which they ought to be; everybody is allowed to rehearse their own religion, including the individuals who are pushing the goals. I don’t know why one would need to drive others to be an individual from their religion on the off chance that they don’t need to be. It is highly unlikely to constrain somebody to be committed to or have confidence in something. In the article, pundits called the contention for a joined church and state â€Å"phony,† and I concur. On the off chance that most â€Å"Christians† are not genuinely Christians, Christianity will immediately turn into a joke, just as a lie for some.If the state did receive an adjusted religion, what might guidelines comprise of? I question one would be rebuffed for rehearsing another religion; in this way, there is actually no point. On the off chance that anyt hing, I think those for the goals ought to be less worried about investing energy in an inconsequential contention and be progressively worried about rehearsing their religion themselves. http://religion. online journals. cnn. com/2013/04/04/north-carolina-getting-a-state-religion-no/

Indo-European Family of Languages

Indo-European Family of Languages Definition Indo-European is aâ family of dialects (counting the vast majority of the dialects verbally expressed in Europe, India, and Iran) plunged from a typical tongue spoken in the third thousand years B.C. by a rural people beginning in southeastern Europe. Parts of Indo-European (IE) incorporate Indo-Iranian (Sanskrit and the Iranian dialects), Greek, Italic (Latin and related dialects), Celtic, Germanic (which incorporates English), Armenian, Balto-Slavic, Albanian, Anatolian, and Tocharian. The hypothesis that dialects as differing as Sanskrit, Greek, Celtic, Gothic, and Persian had a typical progenitor was proposed by Sir William Jones in a location to the Asiatick Society on Feb. 2, 1786. (See beneath.) The remade basic precursor of the Indo-European dialects is known as the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE). Models and Observations The predecessor of all the IE dialects is called Proto-Indo-European, or PIE for short. . . . Since no reports in remade PIE are safeguarded or can sensibly would like to be discovered, the structure of this guessed language will consistently be to some degree dubious. (Benjamin W. Fortson, IV, Indo-European Language and Culture. Wiley, 2009) Englishalong with an entire host of dialects spoken in Europe, India, and the Middle Eastcan be followed back to an old language that researchers call Proto Indo-European. Presently, in every practical sense, Proto Indo-European is a nonexistent language. Kind of. Dislike Klingon or anything. It is sensible to trust it once existed. However, no one each recorded it so we dont know precisely what it truly was. Rather, what we cannot deny is that there are several dialects that share likenesses in language structure and jargon, recommending that they all developed from a typical precursor. (Maggie Koerth-Baker, Listen to a Story Told in a 6000-Year-Old Extinct Language. Boing, September 30, 2013) Address to the Asiatick Society by Sir William Jones (1786) Exist anymore Sanscrit language, whatever be its relic, is of an awesome structure, more immaculate than the Greek, more abundant than the Latin, and more flawlessly refined than either, yet bearing to them two a more grounded liking, both in the foundations of action words and the types of sentence structure, than might have been delivered coincidentally; so solid in fact, that no philologer could look at them each of the three, without trusting them to have sprung from some normal source, which, maybe, does not exists. There is a comparable explanation, however not exactly so persuasive, for assuming that both the Gothick and the Celtick, however mixed with an altogether different figure of speech, had a similar cause with the Sanscrit, and the old Persian may be added to this family, if this were the spot for talking about any inquiry concerning the relics of Persia. (Sir William Jones, The Third Anniversary Discourse, on the Hindus, Feb. 2, 1786) A Shared Vocabulary The dialects of Europe and those of Northern India, Iran, and part of Western Asia have a place with a gathering known as the Indo-European Languages. They most likely began from a typical language-talking bunch around 4000 BC and afterward split up as different subgroups relocated. English offers numerous words with these Indo-European dialects, however a portion of the likenesses might be veiled by sound changes. The word moon, for instance, shows up in unmistakable structures in dialects as various as German (Mond), Latin (mensis, which means month), Lithuanian (menuo), and Greek (meis, which means month). The word burden is conspicuous in German (Joch), Latin (iugum), Russian (igo), and Sanskrit (yugam). (Seth Lerer, Inventing English: A Portable History of the Language. Columbia Univ. Press, 2007) Additionally See Grimms LawHistorical Linguistics

The 15 Commandments of Effective Communication

The 15 Commandments of Effective Communication Human beings are social creatures. It is impossible to live without interacting with fellow human beings. You get raised by a family, go to school where you have to interact with fellow students and teachers, and have to interact with other people in society. In the course of your day to day life, you have to interact with your coworkers, clients, other commuters, shop attendants, and so on. All these interactions would be impossible without communication. With communication being such an essential part of life, it is important to ensure that you are an effective communicator. Without the ability to communicate effectively, you will have a hard time succeeding in any social undertaking, whether that is acquiring a job and keeping a job, getting investors for your project, impressing your crush or meeting your in-laws. To help you become better at communication and therefore improve the quality of your social and professional interactions, we take a look at the 15 commandments of effe ctive communication that you should always keep in mind.  1. BE A GOOD LISTENERThe first commandment of effective communication is listening. You cannot communicate effectively if you do not know what your audience wants or needs. You cannot put yourself in their shoes to see things from their perspective. Therefore, it will be difficult to sway their opinions since it will be obvious that you do not understand what they are saying and are just preaching at them.Listening has been identified by the United States Department of Labor Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) as one of the key five competencies and three foundational skills necessary for people coming into the workforce. Listening skills enable employees to build a good rapport with their employers, managers, coworkers, and clients, which in turn enables them to more effectively communicate in the workplace environment. Below are some tips on how to become a better listener:Maintain eye contact wit h the person speaking.Do not interrupt.Don’t fidget â€" it’s distracting, rude, and implies you are impatient or have better things to do.Listen to understand, not just to respond.Read the speaker’s body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues.Control your emotions â€" don’t let you anger, fear, or worry distract you from listening.Put aside your bias or prejudice against the speaker as it will interfere with your ability to listen.2. CLARIFY YOUR IDEAS BEFORE YOU COMMUNICATE THEMBefore any word comes out of your mouth, take a moment to think. A systematic analysis of your idea simplifies and clarifies it. Communication planning is a critical step that many people often skip, which is why their interactions don’t turn out well. Winging it may look badass in the movies, but in real life, that is how you ruin interviews, business negotiations, job applications, articles, speeches, announcements, appeals for donations from well-wishers, and so on. Before you s tart communicating something, take a moment to think about what you want to say and ask yourself the following questions: What is my message? What do I want to achieve from this communication? How do I want my audience to react to my message? Who am I speaking to and what is the best way to communicate to them so that they understand me and react how I want them to?3. PRACTICE EMPATHYEmpathy is one of the key abilities that are used to gauge emotional intelligence. According to TalentSmart, 90% of top performers have high EQs and EQ is responsible for 58% of an employee’s job performance. Empathy in communication is the ability to understand your audience, their emotions, possible reactions to your message, attitudes, history, and any other information about them that will enable you to craft your message in a way that will not offend them, that they will understand, and that will win them over to your ideas. When communicating, you should use empathy to predict how your audience will feel when you communicate your message to them. You can then plan the best words and approach to use in your message so as to avoid antagonizing your audience. If you can see the world through their eyes, you can communicate in a way they can relate to, and you will be able to influence their reactions to your message. Below are some questions you should ask yourself in order to infuse your communication with empathy:Who is my audience?What are their beliefs or attitudes?What is their history?What is our relationship?How do they perceive me?How are they likely to react to my message?4. CONSIDER THE CONTEXTContext is the setting in which the communication happens. It may be formal or informal. It includes other dimensions such as the environment, the social activity, the goals of the group, the individuals involved and their relationships, the social dynamics, and so on. All these are things you should keep in mind when communicating. Ignoring context when communicating is commi tting communication suicide. Imagine, for instance, talking to your boss and having a conversation that goes something like this.You: “Yo, what’s happening?”Boss: “I am quite fine, thank you. You are late.”You: “It’s alright, don’t worry about it. I am here now, ain’t I? Boss: Why were you late?You: “I was at a party till late in the night, guess I didn’t hear my alarm this morning.”What do you think will happen here? Of course you are going to get fired, or at least get a warning. If this was your coworker, with whom you are working at the same level, there would be nothing wrong with the above conversation. Communicating this way to your superior, however, is career suicide. This shows the importance of context; you don’t talk to your boss the way you talk to your coworker. Apply this rule to all every time you communicate and you will see a tremendous improvement in your communication. Below are a few pointers on how to use context in communication.Consi der the physical context: for instance, how you talk to your coworker at the office is not how you talk to them if you meet in a club. How you give a speech in a public square is not how you would give it in a church.Consider the social dynamics: for instance, talking to a married couple is not the same as speaking to siblings.What activity is taking place: how you talk to your coworkers in the office is not the same as how you talk when your office goes out for a teambuilding exercise.Consider the chain of command or authority: know who to accord the highest respect. Respect has levels â€" that’s why the conversation above is appropriate for a coworker but disrespectful to a superior.5. BE CONCISEOne of the cardinal sins people commit when communicating is being long-winded. While the popular notion that our attention spans in the smartphone era are now shorter than a goldfish’s is being busted as a myth, it is no secret that no one is fond of circumlocution, especially when th e speaker or writer is padding his message with unnecessary words to hide the shallowness of his ideas. Effective communication should be carried out swiftly. Always aim to get straight to the point and you will have no problems. Conciseness is the basis of clarity, provided you provide all the important details.Below are some tips that will help you become more concise in your communication:Know what you want to say before you say it.Identify the most important components of your message, those that cannot be left out.Identify keywords that carry enough weight to communicate whole ideas so you don’t have to keep repeating yourself. You can define these keywords for your audience.Control your urge to go off on tangents, for instance telling a story that is not related to your message.Where your message can be quickly encoded in an anecdote, proverb, or poem, do it.Where possible, discourage your audience from posing questions before you are through passing your message. This depen ds on context: while you can enforce this while giving a speech, it would not be possible in an informal conversation and might even appear presumptuous.6. GIVE THE OTHER PERSON A CHANCE TO SPEAKCommunication is a two way process. You don’t want your audience to think you are lecturing them (unless the context is a lecture hall, with you being the lecturer). When people have no voice in a communication, they become defiant, bored, or apathetic. According to a study on allocation of speech in conversation, listeners can cause a rambler to stop monopolizing a conversation by being quiet. So next time you are hogging a conversation and realize that your conversation partner is unusually quiet, it’s time to pull them back in with a query for feedback. Below are examples of questions you might ask to urge you partner to get involved in the conversation. “What do you think?”“What’s your opinion on the matter?”“That’s my point of view, what is yours?”If it’s an email or other written communication you can add this at the end: “I look forward to your response.”“I am interested to hear your reaction.”7. BE RESPECTFULCommunication cannot prosper in an environment of distrust and rudeness. Respect is the fresh air that ensures a healthy relationship between you and your audience, facilitating effective communication. Respect shows that you value the other person. Here are some tips on how to be respectful when communicating.Acknowledge your audience. Don’t just barge in. Say hello if it’s a face-to-face meeting. Start with a salutation, if it is an email. Don’t use sarcasm or cutting remarks. Practice empathy. Know what will hurt their feelings and avoid saying it. Tact and grace are the keywords.Ask for their feedback to show you value their opinion.Use the most acceptable language in that particular context.Do not use vulgar words.Know what is appropriate and inappropriate â€" for instance, knowing when something you want to say is s exist or racist or simply inappropriate given your relationship with the person.8. DON’T GIVE UNSOLICITED ADVICEThis is one of the hardest commandments to keep. Everyone believes their point of view is the best possible way of perceiving the world. Since everyone is unique, there are lots of points of view going around. Naturally, disagreements are inevitable. If you want to be a successful communicator, keep your “free advice” to yourself, unless the context demands it or your audience asks for it. An example of a context that requires advice-giving is a lecturer with his students or a parent with her child.Unsolicited advice is often unwelcome and people do not usually pay any attention to it, though they might nod and say it’s brilliant. Following this rule will require serious impulse control. Your entire body might be willing you to “throw in your two cents”, but ignore it. Focus on the big picture; communicating your message effectively and getting the reaction you desire.9. CREDIBILITY IS NON-NEGOTIABLEIn their book Made to Stick, authors Chip and Dan Heath list seven core principles that you can use to make your idea/message sticky/viral/appealing. One of these principles is credibility. A credible idea is one which your audience will believe to be true. If an idea appears untrue, audiences will shun it. If your aim is to win over your audience or, influencing them to adopt your point of view, you should carefully work on your message and presentation to ensure it comes across as truthful. Below are some tips on how to make your message more credible:Pepper your presentation with statistics and facts. In addition to helping you give more convincing arguments, this will show that you did your research. When people see that you came prepared, they are more likely to trust you.Where appropriate, add personal anecdotes to make the message appeal to your audience on an emotional level. It makes them trust you, root for you, and want to be on the same side as you. It also injects a raw authenticity to your message, which is golden when it comes to effective communication.If you have relevant credentials, ensure your audience is aware of them. For instance, you are more likely to trust a nutritionist who tells you certain foods are unhealthy than a plumber who says the same thing.Build authority in your topic, so whenever you say something related to the topic, people will trust what you say. This is a long-term strategy.10. APPEAL TO EMOTIONAnother of the seven principles for making ideas viral as presented by Dan and Chip Heath is emotion. Emotion (pathos) is also one of three modes of persuasion, together with logos (logic) and ethos (authority), as identified by Aristotle. Appealing to emotion can at times feel manipulative, but it is often effective and even necessary. Case in point: if two people give a speech and one uses dry facts and the other humanizes his speech with stories from his own life, who is the audience more likely to relate with? If you guessed the latter, you are absolutely correct. While facts intimidate and awe us, emotions connect us with the speaker. Use the following tips to inject some emotion in your communication.Tell stories. Stories touch us on a deeper level than facts ever can and make us relate with the message.Use empathy to demonstrate how well you understand their point of view. When you show people that you understand how they feel, they are more inclined to give you an ear â€" the best orators know and practice this technique.Use examples or anecdotes from your personal life to humanize yourself and make you relatable to your audience. When they can understand who you are, they are more likely to trust your opinion.Use metaphors, similes, and other stylistic devices to make your message come to life in your audience’s mind. If you can paint a picture with words, people will remember your message more vividly and will relate easily to it.11. BE SINCEREIn your e ndeavor to attain the results you desire from any communication, it is easy to forget the big picture and tell your audience what they want to hear. This is definitely manipulation. Manipulation may work in the short term, but once people realize you were toying with their minds, they will be repelled by your methods and you lose all credibility. You can see how this plays out in advertising and politics, and how audiences react after it becomes apparent they were being manipulated by cunning operators. If your message is of real value, trust that it will appeal to your audience without any need for lies and misinformation. If you want to come across as sincere, you should:Fact-check the information you pass on to your audience. If it is revealed that your message is based on false information, your credibility will be thrown into question and the validity of your entire message nullified.Be truthful when you are delivering bad news. Do not water it down. Be clear, and do not beat a round the bush. Provided you are tactful, the truth is always better than a half-truth.Be genuine when apologizing. People can sense when you are putting on an act. The same is true for when you express gratitude.Avoid using excess flattery. Give genuine compliments and people will like you. Flattery might seem charming in the moment, but it often leaves a bad after-taste and makes you seem untrustworthy.12. PRACTICE POSITIVITYNobody likes to be continuously criticized. If you see only that which is wrong with your audience, you will put them off. You may not even voice your thoughts, but people will sense what you think about them through your body language. Before you communicate your message, ensure you are not feeling or thinking negative things about the person you are communicating with. This will prevent you from conveying your negative energy through your body language, other non-verbal cues, tone of voice, and choice of words. You should also avoid sarcastic remarks. Instea d, think of something you do like about the person you are communicating with and share it with them as a compliment. If you disagree with the other person, try to find common ground where possible. Above all, craft your message in a way that is not offensive to the other person.13. CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONSEmotions are a double-edged sword. On one hand, when you are passionate, people will give you their attention and trust you. On the other, if you lose control, you might say or do the wrong thing and antagonize them. Before speaking, take a pause to collect your thoughts if you realize you are emotionally riled up. Know which emotions are appropriate for the context. For instance, sorrow would be misplaced when giving a speech oration at a wedding, as would be joy at a funeral. If you find yourself starting to get worked up, breathe in and out slowly, and speak very slowly. Being deliberate in this way will help you regain control of your body and mind.14. BE MINDFUL OF THE NONVERBAL CUES YOU CONVEYNonverbal cues such as tone of voice and body language are key for effective communication. However, they can also be a double-edged sword. If not controlled, they can convey emotions you would wish to keep to yourself. Below are some tips on how to enhance your communication with nonverbal cues.Use facial expressions like smiles, grimaces, winks, and glares where appropriate.Nod or shake your head to emphasize certain points.Use hand gestures sparingly. Hand gestures can be powerful if used at the right time, but sometimes speakers gesticulate absent-mindedly, which distracts the audience.Avoid pacing as it is distracting.Change your tone of voice to add drama to your presentation â€" for instance lowering your voice or suddenly shouting for effect.Maintain an upright posture. Do not slouch.Be mindful of your emotions to avoid betraying negative feelings with your nonverbal cues.15. KNOW WHEN TO BACK DOWN OR COMPROMISESometimes when communicating your message, the f eedback the other person gives may influence an alteration of your opinion. In such a situation, do not be ashamed to back down or to adjust your opinion to accommodate the new information. For instance, when you realize the person you are communicating with has a better argument, let them know that their point of view makes sense and ask them to clarify further. Ask questions to confirm that their point of view truly is better than yours. Once you are convinced that they have the better argument, graciously let them know you have decided their opinion is the better one. If you do not wholly agree with their opinion, point out the parts you do not agree with, and work together to formulate a better overall argument.WRAPPING UPAs a human being, communication is a natural part of life, and the better you are at communicating, the better you will be at navigating social interactions. Without proper communication, cooperation with others becomes difficult, sometimes even leading to conf licts. Luckily, anyone can learn how to be an effective communicator. If you by abide by these 15 commandments, you will have no problem communicating effectively, both in social and professional contexts.

How Were The Puritans Different From The Pilgrims

How were the Puritans different from the Pilgrims? According to US History, a community of christians traveled across the ocean to an unknown land, different from the society they left behind, they called themselves Pilgrims. The Pilgrims made up the states of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, which were the southern colonies. The Puritans made up the New England colonies, they were located in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. The first half century of English settlement both puritans and pilgrims traveled along the northern Atlantic coast. This adventure was a dynamic period of discovery, interaction, and growth. The Puritan colonists faced a multitude of hardships, which only increased religion that prompted their migration to America. Pilgrims and Puritans colonies lived two different environments. Puritans believed in not only worshipping together but that any matter of the local community were resolved while maintaining Church over state or non interference from any king or Government; Pilgrims believed in gaining wealth using, this was their priority. According to (Hermet,1985) Pilgrims were Puritans who escaped to Holland as political exiles in 1608. They were developed in 1620 after one-hundred and two pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to North America on the Mayflower in 1620. After sailing, the pilgrim settled in Plymouth. A pilgrim is described as a person who journeys to a sacred place forShow MoreRelatedEarly American History Essay1188 Words   |  5 PagesEarly American History Unity within colonies was extremely strong because it was assembled in a primal urge for survival. The colonists were in this entirely new land, so it was natural they would stick together to the familiar, and therefore build strong bonds and loyalty to their colony. Exclusion also excellently describes early America because of the way colonies expelled their own people if they did not follow the colonys strict ‘rules of life. The primary source documents; City upon aRead MoreReligion Has Been A Major Force In The History Of The United1104 Words   |  5 Pagessettling the colonies of America in many ways. Religion was definitely one of the major reasons for the founding of the colonies. The early colonists wanted the freedom to worship God as they had seen as proper, and they were promised this freedom of worship. Most of these colonies were deeply rooted in their religious beliefs. Religion was a powerful influence on the social and political life of the colonial times in the New World. Typically, in the colonies, the church was a large building in theRead MoreReligion Has Played An Important Role In The History Of1108 Words   |  5 Pagescolonies of the New World in many ways. Religion was definitely one of the major reasons for the establishment of the colonies. The early colonists wanted the freedom to worship God as they seen as proper, and they were promised this freedom of worship. Most of these colonies were deeply rooted in their religious beliefs. Religion strongly influenced the social and political life of the colonial times in the New World. Generally, in the colonies, the church was normally a large building in theRead MoreReligious Liberation And The Puritans1409 Words   |  6 Pageswas paramount to the Puritans years ago. The Puritans were seeking liberation for themselves and nobody else. Their posture transmuted when they peregrinate to what we know as America. The Puritans were being treated lamentably in Europe, but they still stood up for religious liberation. The Puritans were the reformers, or improvers, of the Church of England. They had no intentions, or desire, to dissever from the church. When the Church of England became corrupt, the Puritans decided they wantedRead MoreOut of Many Ch.3 Dbq Questions. Essay756 Words   |  4 PagesCh.3 dbq’s DOCUMENT A: * How would tens of thousands of settlers immigrating to New England with this image of their own purpose shape the development of that colony? * Winthrop wants them to be a city in which everyone can copy, and look up to. They want to be a city upon a hill, literally where they can control everyone around them. They want to be a prosperous yet very close minded estate with no religious tolerance. * What kinds of settlers arrived in Massachusetts Bay, PlymouthRead MoreThe Realities Of Puritan Life With M. Night Shyamalan s Theatrical Interpretation1390 Words   |  6 PagesIn order to compare the realities of Puritan life with M. Night Shyamalan’s theatrical interpretation, The Village, it is important to understand who Puritans were and what kinds of beliefs they had. Puritans, different from Pilgrims, attempted to â€Å"purify† the Church of England in the seventeenth century as they felt it had been insufficiently reformed. Their idea of reformation consisted of a Calvinistic approach to society; believing in the absolute sovereignty of God, absolute dependence on divineRead MoreSettling The Northern Colonies : Big Picture Themes1676 Words   |  7 PagesChapter #3: Settling the Northern Colonies - Big Picture Themes 1. Plymouth, MA was founded with the initial goal of allowing Pilgrims, and later Puritans, to worship independent of the Church of England. Their society, ironically, was very intolerant itself and any dissenters were pushed out of the colony. 2. Other New England colonies sprouted up, due to (a) religious dissent from Plymouth and Massachusetts as with Rhode Island, (b) the constant search for more farmland as in Connecticut, and (c) justRead MoreWilliam Bradford and Thomas Morton1110 Words   |  5 PagesMorton were both important men of our history. The stories of both great men give us an insight into the way religion and influence affected Puritan life. William Bradford said he believed, â€Å"Plymouth people were the chosen people to live out their last days in the earthly church† (Daly pg 560). Puritan settlers came to the new world seeking a better life and to get away from the rule of the Catholic Church they wanted to become a primitive Baptist church like in the Old Testament. The Puritans wantedRead MoreEssay on American History To 1700942 Words   |  4 PagesThe writings of Columbus, Castillo, and de la Casas represented vastly different points of view of the Spanish conquests of the Americas. In his first letter, Christopher Columbus mostly focused on the political victory of the voyage and arriving in the Indies (p. 32), and the splendor of the landscape including palm trees, mountains, and beautiful birds (p. 33). In the subsequent letter to King Ferdinand of Spain, Columbus seems selfish and one-sided (somewhat understandable considering that heRead MoreAnne Hutchinson- : A Puritan Spiritual Adviser1260 Words   |  6 Pages1. Anne Hutchinson- was a Puritan spiritual adviser and an important contributor in the Antinomian Controversy that shook the entire colony of Massachusetts Bay from 1636 to 1638. 2. Roger Williams- was an English Protestant cleric who was an advocate of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. 3. William Bradford- was an English leader in the Plymouth Colony. He was also a signatory of the Mayflower Compact. 4. Thomas Hooker- was a prominent Puritan colonial leader, who founded

Women s Adverse Health Risks After Reading - 1265 Words

Women Develop Adverse Health Risks after Reading ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Jaclyn Napoli University of South Florida The purpose of the research found in ‘Fiction or Not? Fifty Shades is Associated with Health Risks in Adolescent and Young Adult Females’ by Amy Bonomi, et al. (2014) was to look for an association between reading fiction novels that illustrated violence towards women and health risks. The theory being examined in this article is that popular fiction novels are normalizing violence towards women, abuse and unhealthy behaviors while playing it off as the romance behind the relationship (Bonomi et al., 2014). The hypothesis of this study is that women who read popular fiction novels, that depict violence†¦show more content†¦Women who partially read the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ series were excluded from the study â€Å"to create the cleanest exposure groups† (Bonomi et al., 2014). ‘White’, ‘Black’, ‘Asian’ and ‘other’ were races that were documented. The women’s sexual orientation was also noted; which included heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual and asexual. Finally, the women indicated what year in college they were in at the time of the survey. The participants in the study completed an online survey. The questions appeared in an order to reduce response bias by asking questions related about ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ last. First, the women completed questions pertaining to their demographics; such as age, race, sexual orientation and year in college. Next, â€Å"eight questions were used to assess lifetime (ever) exposure to physical (one question), sexual (two questions), and nonphysical (five questions) abuse, including cyber-abuse, by an intimate partner†. These women were then asked questions about their health that can be resulted from intimate partner violence; such as â€Å"disordered eating, binge drinking and [sexual practices].† Disordered eating was assessed by asking about participant’s â€Å"use of diet aids or fasting for 24 or more hours to lose weight.† Binge drinking was defined by the â€Å"Centers for Disease Control and the

The novel Huck Finn takes a strange approach to dealing with money Free Essays

The novel Huck Finn takes a strange approach to dealing with money. It’s not a work that simply promotes a trite theme prevalent among other great novels: Money is not important in this life as some intangible matters (freedom, morality, etc. ) and that wealth has nothing to do with how happy one’s life is. We will write a custom essay sample on The novel Huck Finn takes a strange approach to dealing with money or any similar topic only for you Order Now Mark Twain did not place a character that could serve as an avatar of social prominence, wealth, and misery despite achieving the two (e. g. Estella in Great Expectations). Most of the people in Huck Finn are either dirt poor or middle class townspeople. Nonetheless, money still has a starring role in the novel, for a character’s relationship to money and how far he would go to become rich determines what kind of person he is. Huck Finn proved that money has never made a person happy and it never will, for there is nothing about the nature of money that can bring one joy. The more one has, the more one wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it creates one. The main characters in the book are â€Å"have-nots†. But they can be further divided into categories based upon the extent to which they value money: People like the Duke and the Dauphin have created a vacuum inside themselves, an bottomless pit that all the riches in the world couldn’t fill. In stark contrast to the two is Huckleberry Finn, who knows that it takes more than money to make a man rich. Huck Finn â€Å"can’t stand† hypocrisy, greed and â€Å"sivilz’ation†. Twain seems to suggest that the uncivilized way of life is better: he draws upon the ideas of Rousseau in his belief that civilization corrupts, rather than improves human beings. Huck has had very little contact with society, and Twain implies that it is this lack of â€Å"civilizing† that has allowed him to remain so free of greed. The Watson sisters are considered by the people of their town to be upstanding citizens, yet they had few qualms about auctioning Jim off. Huck was much poorer than the Watsons were, but no matter how badly he needed money, he would never consider selling Jim, or turning him in for the reward. In addition, during the Wilks sisters incident, he had several chances just to grab the loot and leave. If he was of mediocre morality, he might leave some of the money for the girls before running off to the territories, never to be heard from again. However, as we know, Huck, instead of making himself wealthier, puts his own life at risk to save the girls. Altruistic actions like those aforementioned are what sets Huck apart from the archetypal â€Å"good guy†. He is so far removed from human nature’s desire to do what’s best for oneself that he seems almost unrealistic. Nevertheless, perhaps that is Twain’s way of illustrating how wonderful a boy could be without society’s corrupting influence: Huck’s upbringing (or lack thereof) has led him to the conclusion that money is a luxury, rather than a necessity. He is one of the few characters in the book who is truly rich–he has everything that money can’t buy, and he knows the value of those things. Huck is obviously the hero of the story, and displays no sing of covetousness whatsoever. However, there are other characters in the novel who are far better people than the Duke and the Dauphin, but are still not as free of corruption as Huck, who serves as an the epitome of magnanimity. Two of these less-than-perfect characters are the Widow, and her sister, Miss Watson. The Watson sisters were certainly kind to take in a loutish waif; doing so could not have contributed to the serenity of their household, nor could it have helped their financial situation. However, their image as compassionate, charitable old ladies is marred when Miss Watson decided to sell Jim down to New Orleans, and the widow agreed to let her. Since they had no reservations about tearing a man from his family for a few hundred dollars, they are obviously not the â€Å"good Christians† that they proclaim to be at heart. However, the sisters were partially redeemed when Miss Watson set Jim free in her will: one would have a hard time imagining such and action coming from the Duke or the Dauphin. Therefore, the Watson sisters are several tiers above them, and can be regarded as examples of the typical person, who is basically good at the core, but who cannot perceive and amend the ethical shortcomings of a defective society. Another person in the novel who is rather fond of money, but has a good heart despite his desire for capital, is Jim. He exhibited something akin to avarice when, near the beginning of the novel, he asked Huck to pay his hairball a quarter in order for it to reveal Huck’s future. This covetousness reappears when Jim arrives on Huck’s island, and talks of nothing but money for several days. However, Jim’s greed is quite different from the pure, sickening type exhibited by the Duke and the Dauphin. Jim sees money as equivalent to freedom: with money, he can buy his own freedom and that of his family. Money also would allow him to live like a white person, thus raising his status in the society. In short, Jim does not want money for money’s sake; rather, he sees capital as a way to correct the injustices thrust upon him by society. Therefore, throughout the novel, Jim constantly tries to get money, whereas Huck takes an fairly apathetic attitude towards the subject. In stark contrast to both the innately moral Huck Finn and the â€Å"civilized† people of the time stand the Duke and the Dauphin. They are not your average con men: they are beneath than the worst rascals, for they will stop at nothing to obtain money. They are utterly shameless, and possess none of the honor and mercy that God supposedly granted all human beings at birth. When they produced the Royal Nonesuch show and used the weaknesses of â€Å"small town America† to rake in money, it was a low thing to do, but the scam didn’t hurt anyone significantly. When the King convinced a devout religious community to take up a collection for him so that he could go back to the Indian ocean to â€Å"turn pirates into the true path†, the prank is more ignominious than the last because he played the faith of gracious people. But truly ignoble is the way in which the Duke and the Dauphin posed as the uncles of the Wilks sisters and almost made off with the entire fortune without leaving a cent for their â€Å"nieces†. Only with Huck’s intervenence were the â€Å"sweet girls† saved from the amoral swindlers. This time, the Duke and the Dauphin really proved themselves avaricious and heartless, perhaps almost sub-human. From their former scams, they already had enough of money for a comfortable lifestyle, so they could not even use necessity as an excuse to bilk the Wilks. Also, this last scandal truly hurt people, and had it been successfully pulled of, the girls would have been bereft not only financially, but emotionally as well. Not yet mentioned is their selling of Jim after failing to run off with the Wilks’ fortune, which was particularly disgusting not only because they were betraying a companion, but also because Jim wasn’t their â€Å"property† to peddle in the first place. All of these incidents prove that once a man has devoted himself to the pursuit of money, he will have destroyed his heart. He will no longer be capable of enjoying life, for he will have lost all respect for all of humanity, which includes himself. Even if the Duke and the Dauphin had become rich, they could never be happy for they cannot enjoy any of the things that make life worth living (e. g. love, friendship, etc. ). All in all, the simplest moral of the book may be that money corrupts. People like the Duke and the Dauphin have become possessed by their desire for money. The void hole inside of them was carved out by their voracity and it has replaced their heart, soul and character. Like a black hole, it sucks in everything that enters, yet can never be full. Therefore, despite their success at trickery, the Duke and the Dauphin will never be as truly rich of a person as Huck Finn is. When the pair of swindlers are tarred, feathered and driven from town â€Å"astraddle of a rail†, the readers realizes that the pursuit of money cannot lead one to a good end. The theme of money was threaded throughout the novel not only to convey a moral to its audience, but also to highlight the differences between the characters: it revealed how deeply the root of all evil had taken root in each man’s heart. How to cite The novel Huck Finn takes a strange approach to dealing with money, Papers

British Professional The Accountancy Bodiesâ€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The British Professional The Accountancy Bodies? Answer: Introducation The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) was incorporated in August 2010 with the sole purpose of creating a sense of awareness and responsibility amongst the corporate managers about sustainable environment and corporate social responsibility. IIRCs governing body was constituted with 40 members, who were heads of the FASB, IASB, IFAC and IOSCO, the CEOs of the Big Four, heads of some of the major British professional accountancy bodies and some CFOs from major MNCs, including HSBC, Nestle and Tata. As can be seen, the Governing Council had majority members from the accountancy profession, hence it was not surprising that the two main issues of environment and sustainability for which it was founded, took a backseat in its operational charter, (Barkoczy, 2012). The main role designated to IIRC was outlined by the governing council in its first Discussion Paper published in 2011 (IIRC, 2011). (Barkoczy, 2011) says the discussion paper provided the answer to integrated reporting by stating that, and I quote Integrated reporting brings together material information about an organizations strategy, governance, performance and prospects in a way that reflects the commercial, social and environmental context within which it operates. It provides a clear and concise representation of how an organization demonstrates stewardship and how it creates and sustains value (IIRC, 2011, p. 2). Unquote The IIRC justified its recommendation for a new reporting model, where companies would be required to put forward a separate Integrated Report. This single report, anticipated IIRC, would eventually become the companys Primary Report and would be replacing the existing reporting pattern (IIRC, 2011, p. 6). Purpose The purpose of developing this new form of reporting, to be known as Integrated Reporting, under the overall guidance of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), was to make the companies devote more time and attention towards sustainable environment practice. With ever expanding networks, communication channels and role of the corporate managers in managing the companies, the corporate world is regularly facing greater challenges. These are connected with over-consumption of the already limited natural resources, the consistent change in climatic conditions and the growing need of providing healthy food, clean water and better standard of living for the growing workers population, (Barkoczy, 2013) Continuing with the purpose of IIRC, Prince of Wales, while addressing the inaugural meet, had said, and I quote We are at present battling to meet 21st century challenges with, at best, 20th century decision making and reporting systems. The IIRCs remit is to create a globally accepted framework for accounting for sustainability. The intention is to help with the development of more comprehensive and comprehensible information about an organizations total performance, prospective as well as retrospective, to meet the needs of the emerging, more sustainable, global economic model. Unquote. This address by the Prince of Wales underlined the unmistakable signs of IIRCs idealism: accounting has been given the task to save the planet from the perils of financial blunders. Conflict In the viewpoint of this paper, all decisions which should be taken for tackling the issues discussed above should be based on clear and comprehensive data available. But in actuality, the different points raised by the Discussion Paper of IIRC have conflicting attributes, (Barkoczy, 2012). The paper has described six categories of capital: Financial Capital Manufactured Capital Human Capital Intellectual Capital Natural Capital Social Capital In this Discussion Paper of 2013, IIRC clarifies the concept of these categories. Financial Capital denotes the companys funds; Manufactured Capital describes the material objects created by mankind; The Human and Intellectual Capital portions are the trickiest categories and so are the Social and Natural Capital categories. Although the basic idea of Integrated Reporting was to focus on sustainability and environment and since welfare of mankind is the mainstay behind a well-functioning relationship between people, this is what should have been demonstrated in the existence of an effective governance policy, (Barkoczy et al, 2010). But the boundaries between various categories are quite vague and this has created more confusion than offering a solution. Reasons The basic idea of an Integrated Report was for the management to present, through the report, how the company, with the help of sustained activities, was able to bring about change in the values of the notified capitals, which should be measured by the change achieved in the values of the capitals. The companies are to adopt the Balance Sheet approach, as has been their practice, (Cch, 2013). The IIRC also emphasises on this method of reporting but with a difference. Apart from reporting the Financial Results, the managements were to report the assessment of the firms performance of assets other than those appearing in the conventional balance sheet. These should cover all those resources on which the company relies not only for financial prosperity but also for the prosperity of other values, (Marsden, 2010). These other values of the noted capitals includes the capital of society, including the environment. In this regard, it should be understood that most of the noted capitals rep orted in the integrated report may not be owned by the firm. IIRC in its Discussion Paper had proposed that an integrated report would be the companys primary report and shall replace the existing arrangements. In the later stage, IIRC dropped this proposal, although the council has not admitted it directly, (Marsden, 2010). Case Study Mtn Group Finally, what has been made clear by IIRC is that companies no longer are under the obligation of presenting a single integrated report. This is a big and highly significant retreat on the part of IIRC. Now, when we analyse the 2014 Integrated Report of the MTN Group Limited, which the Group made public with this title, we find that the company did not actually follow the guidelines of IIRC with respect to the various Capitals notified by the Council. Since MTN Group did not lay emphasis on these capitals, its Integrated Report has lost the status of being the Groups primary report. In fact, the presented report is just like the other reports which the Group has been releasing year after year. Thus the 2014 Integrated Report of the MTN Group is just an addition to those clutter of reports which IIRC had initially condemned in its Discussion Paper (IIRC, 2011, p. 4). Another significant result of IIRCs retreat from the declared policy is that the council accepts that companies may iss ue separate reports on the notified capitals, including the social and environmental accounting and sustainability. This is what the MTN Group has done with its 2014 Integrated Report. Hence, there is a greater need for a companys integrated report to cover the notified matters, which have far-reaching consequences for the whole of the society, as becomes clear when the actual contents of a report is analysed, (Nethercott, Devos Richardson, 2010). The basic problem which is being highlighted relates to the discrepancy coming in between the social costs, which refer to the loss being suffered by the society as a whole and the private costs, which are the losses being suffered only by the company. The change being sought by IIRC was to distinguish and then report on both the Social as well as the Private Costs, since under the conventional accounting methodology, only private costs are recognized. The companies following the IASB standards have been following the practice which states that all the social costs, such as pollution and environmental maintenance, have to be reported by the companies only after these costs have been converted to private costs, (Deutsch et al, 2011). Such costs, so far, were only related to the state levies, such as a fine imposed on the company for polluting the environment. Mtn Speaks Below are reproduced excerpts from the 2014 Integrated Report of MTN Group Limited. Our strategy is underscored by our strategic priorities. Strategic priorities are further developed into specific initiatives, delivery of which is quantified and evaluated against annual targets set by the Group exco at the start of the year. When determining material matters, we consider the size and contribution of each operation. 03 Our leadership, governance, reward and recognition Who is responsible profiles of our board of directors 34 Who is responsible profiles of our executive committee 36 How we are governed 37 Summarised corporate governance report 37 Risk management 46 Social and ethics committee chairmans report 50 Independent assurance report 52 How we remunerate our people 54 We provide supplementary information in associated reports on MTNs website. The sustainability and corporate governance reports, well as a full set of annual financial statements (AFS), are available at www.mtn.com/investors/FinancialReporting/Pages/IntegratedReports.aspx. Conclusion My claim that the MTNs concept of integrated reporting is founded on the capitalistic theory of the firm is based on the following aspects of its proposals. Capital allocation. The exco of MTN stresses the importance of efficient capital allocation; it writes: Integrated Reporting promotes a more cohesive and efficient approach to corporate reporting. . . to enable a more efficient and productive allocation of capital (IIRC, 2013a, p. 4). Primary focus: investors. The exco states that The primary purpose of an integrated report is to explain to providers of financial capital how an organization creates value over time (IIRC, 2013a, paragraph 1.7). Neglect of other stakeholders. The exco of MTN recognizes the existence of stakeholders other than investors and seeks to give the impression that it takes into account their needs. But it is abundantly clear that the company considers that reporting to stakeholders takes second place after reporting to investors and that its interest in stakeholders (other than investors) is solely as a means of assuring the future prosperity of the firm. There is no mention of how the company is going to maintain and improvise upon its Sustainability Target. In fact, all through the Chairmans as well as the CFOs report, they have not outlined any concrete policy about the future of environment and sustainability. If at all, any reference is made towards these issues, it is from the financial angle and the effects taken into account are solely those which affect the financial interests of the stakeholders. Hence the GRIs guidelines do define a report that sets out comprehensively the firms sustainability performance; they fulfil the conditions partially. The significant question is whether all conditions are met whether firms in issuing reports which they claim follow the GRIs Guidelines, do in fact faithfully apply these guidelines. It is obvious that the sustainability report of MTN is seriously defective. This raises grave doubts about the effectiveness of the assurance process. A possible explanation is that it is more difficult for the management to identify a matter that has been omitted than it is to comment on the truth of an item that has been included. But this does not alter the conclusion that in the case of MTN, the assurance process has been revealed to be inadequate. We cannot conclude from the above that the efforts of such public institutions as the GRI, the general guidance notes issued by them are a waste of time. As explained in the beginning of this paper, for the companies to publish their correct, complete and comparable information with regard to their performances in relation to sustainability, they must meet these two conditions: (a) An institution such as the IIRC or GRI should issue guidelines for the reporting standards, which when applied by the companies, would ensure that the reports published by the companies were complete and comparable. (b) Companies, while presenting their reports, apply the required standards correctly and consistently. It should be mandatory for the companies to meet both the conditions. What we find in the current scenario is that the framework proposed by the IIRCs relates only to condition (a). Although this framework is essential for ensuring comparability and would be helpful in assuring the completene ss of the report, it is regrettable that it is not being achieved by the companies. This then leads us to the conclusion that still much has to be done for ensuring that condition (b) is fully complied with, notably in the field of improving the effectiveness of the assurance process. References Barkoczy, S. (2011) Core tax legislation and study guide. North Ryde, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Barkoczy, S. (2012) Australian Tax Case book. (9th ed.) North Ryde, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Barkoczy, S. (2013) Foundations of Taxation Law. (5th ed.) North Ryde, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Barkoczy, S., Rider, C., Baring, J. and Bellamy, N. (2010) Australian tax casebook. (10th ed.) North Ryde, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Cch. (2013) Australian Master Tax Guide. Sydney: CCH Australia Limited. Deutsch, R., Friezer, M., Fullerton, I., Gibson, M., Hanley, P. and Snape, T. (2011) Australian tax handbook. Pyrmont, NSW: Thomson Reuters. Marsden, S. J. (2010) Australian Master Bookkeepers Guide. (3rd ed.) Sydney: CCH Australia Limited. Nethercott, L., Devos, K. and Richardson, G. (2010) Australian taxation study manual: questions and suggested solutions. (20th ed.) Sydney: CCH Australia Limited.