Hedda gabler Essay

Drama has no single definition and does not have a common meaning that can be applied to the wide range of texts, plays, acts, and various others that can be called drama. However, drama is â€Å"by far the most economical means of expression† (Esslin, 1976). The subjects expressed in drama are extensive and diverse and can be declared dramatically or subtly. A common and almost essential subject matter expressed in drama is the representation of social issues. Drama can be manipulated and used as a powerful political weapon; as propaganda. Indeed, during periods such as war, cinema and theatre were used commonly as a form of propaganda in order to gain the attention and support of the public. Perhaps then, drama’s representation of social issues differs from that of propaganda only in the way drama is used. Propaganda’s representation of social issues is often limited because of it being censored, controlled, in the hands of mainly the government. Its purpose is to persuade and convince a targeted audience of a central idea. Nonetheless, it can reflect social issues such as poverty, war, famine, or perhaps equality, democracy, peace. In Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler, Ibsen is able to use this piece of drama as a tool to comment on social values and issues; these issues being about women and their place in a ‘double-standard society’. His message is subtle but strong. While this piece of drama represents a substantial social issue, it could also be used as propaganda to argue Ibsen’s views on women. Subsequently, Hedda Gabler, as a piece of drama representing social issues, differs only from the way propaganda may have represented it in that it is drama and its aim is to express not persuade. It also differs in the way it is used: as drama or as propaganda. The diverse forms of drama are able to express many different themes and issues, including many different social issues. These include marriage, gender and sexual equality, politics, war, crime, racism and discrimination, poverty, religion, and class division. Drama is a universal form of expression and communication that can contribute to social changes by the issues it discusses. The social issues that drama represents can often be controversial and the author, playwright, or poet must try to either convince the audience of the argument they are trying to make or present the audience with a final idea or the issue itself causing them to truly reflect on it. In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the greedy Jew Shylock suffers the hatred and injustice which Jews were treated with. The play is able to represent the treatment of a racial minority and a significant social issue. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, represents social issues such as the position of women in a Victorian marriage, while in Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, the social issue of prostitution is represented. Shakespeare wrote through Hamlet, that theatre holds â€Å"the mirror up to nature† however, Martin Esslin writes that it is society, rather, that theatre holds a mirror to. Drama is able to influence society greatly by the social issues it represents. While these issues may sometimes be controversial, the impact of drama is more immediate, direct, and powerful, contributing to great social change. Propaganda is a certain form of message presentation usually aiming to persuade and convince an audience of an issue or idea. Sometimes it deliberately delivers false or deceiving information which supports the interests of those in power or those who are endeavoring to seize power while it may discredit those who abuse their power such as a corrupt government or simply an opposition group. Propaganda was commonly used in times of war or hardship. In this respect, it is able to represent social issues such as war, peace, poverty, or equality. However, propaganda’s representation of social issues is limited because it is a biased piece of information which only shows one side of an often multi-sided issue. One of the principal examples of propaganda was during the Nazi regime in Germany from 1933 to the end of World War Two. The Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda sent out powerful propaganda in order to win the hearts and minds of the masses. This propaganda represented social issues such as discrimination and hatred towards the Jews, strong patriotism, anti-Communism, and national socialism. As this Nazi propaganda was extremely biased, it fails to represent other social issues such as the violence of the Nazi regime and the â€Å"Final Solution† to the Jewish problem- their persecution and slaughter. Meanwhile, Chinese propaganda from the last two to three decades represents social issues such as loyalty to the Communist government while it fails to represent social issues like extreme poverty. The social issues it represents are limited because it is biased. In Soviet Russia, propaganda represented political discipline and economic prosperity, and social issues such as a happy working society and national literacy to strengthen Communism. It does not represent social issues such as the class divisions, religion, and social differences and inequalities. As the aim of propaganda is to persuade, only one side of an argument will be shown. Therefore, propaganda’s representation of social issues will be limited because it depends on the purpose and the creator to decide to what extent social issues may be represented. The way in which drama represents social issues may be different to that of propaganda, but drama can also be used as a form of propaganda. Drama in the form of theatre and cinema was used commonly as a propaganda tool in places like Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. The German plays and movies often had issues of anti-Semitism and the rule of the Aryan race. Propaganda films such as Triumph of the Will were aimed at the population of Germans who were considered Aryans, of the issue of anti-Semitism and the enemy the Jews were, while also reinforcing the purity of the Aryan race. Another way drama has been used as propaganda has been through the ‘pageant’, one of the earliest forms of drama. The pageant is, in simplest terms, â€Å"a play on wheels†. However, in the United States in the 1900s, pageants were used to bring awareness to social issues in the form of propaganda. Silk workers went on strike in 1913 in New Jersey with the pageant exposing the strike and also gaining the attention of the media. Other strikes with similar purposes came to be known as the â€Å"Drama of Democracy†. They began to be used as political propaganda representing social issues such as work and wages, working conditions and hours. When drama is used as propaganda, its representation of social issues is limited in comparison to when it is simply drama. This is because drama and propaganda have different objectives and will represent the same thing differently.

Save the Environment

My environmental issue is trash pollution. Trash pollution is basically when people pollute area’s where animals and human’s live with trash that they don’t dispose of properly so it end’s up in the places that we don’t want it like the ocean, and places where we generally live by. Trash pollution is occurring all over the world. Where ever people live their is almost always trash their. People are to lazy to dispose of their trash the right way so they basically throw it on the street, on beach’s etc. The issue that are facing are wildlife is that the trash is destroying their environment and polluting their ecosystem. ne example is that in Hawaii the sea turtles are dieing because they get tangled in plastic soda holders and they are also eating the trash that floats in the ocean. Polluting the ocean kills a lot of the big animals too because if the food sources for the big fish all die then of course the big fish will start to die too. The challenges were facing is finding out how to stop it because its a international problem so its hard to stop it because no one know where its coming from or who is doing it so its hard to stop it completely.Trash pollution is the worst in land because their is more trash on land then in the ocean and it does even more damage on land then it does in the ocean because its not only effecting the humans but the human’s main food sources and the land that they grow the different types of agriculture on. If we don’t have food we can’t survive and the main problem isn’t the polluting of trash, its how much trash we are actually generating because in a couple years almost all land fills will be full and their won’t be enough space for the other trash.People have proposed solutions like recycling metals, plastics, and glass. In Hawaii, some location have places to recycle your bottle’s and cans and u can even get money for recycling your materials. That’s what i don’t get, people getting paid to recycle? And yet people still are too lazy. Its the best of both worlds because if i recycle my materials then then won’t end up in our landfills and i get a few extra bucks depending on how much materials i recycle to spend on anything i want like for gas in i need.Also people have created materials to substitute the materials that take along time to biodegrade. Companies have created biodegradable bags and wrappers for the food items they see to make their company more green and help the environment out. Why not recycle? well that is the global question that still can’t entirely be answered. Trash pollution has effected the economy in many different ways. In Economics, an externality is a cost or benefit, not transmitted through prices,[1] incurred by a party who did not agree to the action causing the cost or benefit.A benefit in this case is called a positive externality or external benefit, while a cost is called a negative externality or external cost. In these cases in a competitive market, prices do not reflect the full costs or benefits of producing or consuming a product or service, producers and consumers may either not bear all of the costs or not reap all of the benefits of the economic activity, and too much or too little of the good will be produced or consumed in terms of overall costs and benefits to society.If there exist external costs such as pollution, the good will be overproduced by a competitive market, as the producer does not take into account the external costs when producing the good. If there are external benefits, such as in areas of education or public safety, too little of the good would be produced by private markets as producers and buyers do not take into account the external benefits to others. Here, overall cost and benefit to society is defined as the sum of the economic benefits and costs for all parties involved. [2] Save the Environment A speech: Save the environment  !! ————————————————- Welcome everybody, today we are going to talk about us, about our environment, and our planet. ————————————————- Look around you people, what do you see? Wake up and open your eyes widely. ————————————————- Nowadays it becomes normal to see the earth suffering from pollution. ———————————————— Trashes, factories, nuclear energy, bombes and chemicals are all destroying our planet. In fact we are the main reason of all those disasters. Human selfishness and economy importance are all causes. U nfortunately most of us don’t care about his personal environment forgetting that terrifying effects like diseases, desertification, and ozone layer’s hole, acid rain can all lead to our extinction.Those dreadful global warnings and catastrophes around the world opened our eyes to the real hazardous situation we’re going to face for the next years if this pollution completes increasing. Every day in the News we hear about a new earthquake or an erupted volcano or a tsunami or a destroyed city. It’s getting really bad, all because the nature is angry about those threats. But there is always hope and never forget late is better than never. It’s our planet our future protecting it starting by now is the only solution to survive and to solve fauna and flora’s problems.There is a million solution like saving water, stop logging, being more responsible green and sensitized, following the 3rs strategy, using biological products and of course search ing for new natural sources of energy because simply if we don’t respect the fortune given to us we will lose it as soon as possible. ————————————————- Now for sure we all imagine that pollution is a monster and it’s our duty to protect mother Earth from it but seriously isn’t it a responsibility humans owe to themselves

The Effect of Marketing on Individual’s Buying Decisions’

‘The effect of marketing on individual’s buying decisions’ Research There are various factors that companies must consider when they research a customer’s buying behavior. These include the customer’s personality, gender, self-concept and their state of life. Self Concept: By tailoring their marketing strategy to give the message that a product or service will improve our lives, customers believe that they are bettering themselves by buying these products.The Army’s â€Å"Be All That You Can Be† slogan is a good example of this: by joining the army, you will become a better version of yourself. Gender: Men and women shop differently. One study by Resource Interactive, a technology research firm, found that when shopping online, men prefer sites with lots of pictures of products; women prefer to see products online in lifestyle context—say, a lamp in a living room. Women are also twice as likely as men to use viewing tools such as the zoom and rotate buttons and links that allow them to change the color of products.Consumer’s age and state of life: As we grow older, we change our ideas about what we want and need to buy. Companies are cleverly able to market in a way that can target different age groups and offer a product or service that will make these different groups think they need them. Methodology The aim of the research is to investigate the effect of sales promotions on individual’s buying decisions. More specifically, this approach will compare male and females aged between 20 and 25, and try to find out what influences and impacts their buying decisions.Thomas (2009) indicates that a reliable and effective method when collecting data is a significant element of the research; both qualitative and quantitative methods would be used for continuing this research. This research will choose a focus group as the main method for our study. A focus group is a form of qualitative research used to form a discussion with people and get information from them (Thomas, 2009).In addition, Throupe (2011) indicates that a focus group is seen as an important tool for acquiring feedback and regarding new products in marketing. According to Bell (2005), reliability and validity are the two important elements of choosing research method. Thus, by forming our focus group, we hope to effectively obtain significant, integrated and in-depth information from our interviewees (Saunders et al, 2003). The interview is conducted in an unstructured and natural way where respondents are free to give views from any aspect.Focus groups allow interviewers to study people in a more natural setting than a one-to-one interview. In combination with participant observation, they can be used for gaining access to various cultural and social groups, selecting sites to study, sampling of such sites, and raising unexpected issues for exploration. Their main advantage is their fairly low cost compared to s urveys, as one can get results relatively quickly and increase the sample size of a report by talking with several people at once.Within our focus group all participants will be asked five questions. The questions are mainly open-ended questions in order to get more extensive and developmental answers (Saunders et al, 2003). Followed the five questions, we will discuss further depending on how each interviewee responds. Each question will relate to the interviewees’ own experiences about shopping and whether sales promotions or discounts effect their decisions. Each individual interview will run for 10 to 20 minutes.This research will take place in the Learning Resource Centre in the University of Hertfordshire De Havilland campus. Before the interviews, the question papers and recording papers will be prepared. Before we form our focus group, it is important to consider various aspects that companies focus on when forming their marketing campaigns: Interview Questions: 1. Wh at type of marketing do you notice the most? 2. What do you think is the best marketing method that companies use to keep customers buying? . Which of these marketing methods do you think applies the most to our age group? 4. Why do you think our age group is a good target for these marketing methods? 5. Do you think that marketing makes you spend more, less or the same amount as you normally would? Findings After the group discussions, the majority of people we spoke to agreed that the main thing that would make them buy something would be a sale, promotion or some sort of loyalty programme.Dowling and Uncles (1997) ask ‘do these programs really create extra loyalty over that which is driven by the relative value of the product/service, do they encourage customers to spend more, or do they merely bribe a customer to repeat buy? ’ Our focus group recognized the tricks of these loyalty schemes and special discounts. One young woman explained that she received an email fr om a clothing retailer, offering a pair of shoes for a ‘special discounted price’ and though she knew she had no money, she bought them anyway because she was made to believe she was getting a good deal.Patrick Spenner addresses the reason that many customers follow or ‘like’ companies on social media sites, stating, â€Å"the top reason customers follow a brand†¦[is] to get discounts† (Spenner, 2012). With our focus group, we also considered the various environmental factors that may have an effect on the way we buy. Due to the recession and the fact that we are mainly low-income students, we jump at the chance to save money, even though we may not actually be saving as much as we think.Tim Ambler says that ‘price promotions are the brand equivalent of heroin: easy to get into but hard to get out of. Once the brand and its customers are addicted to the short-term high of a price cut it is hard to wean them away to real brand building† (Ambler, 1999). By continually offering us discounts and special offers, we are tricked into thinking that we are saving money, when in reality we are probably spending just as much as we would normally. Because the items we buy are discounted, we can ‘justify’ buying more, which means spending more. ConclusionThrough our focus group discussion, we found that most young individuals, male and female, aged between 20 and 25 are more tempted to buy when they are presented with some sort of promotion, discount or loyalty scheme from a company. Through studying the age, personalities and stage of life of their customers, companies can tailor which marketing strategy will get the most customers buying. In this case, by making customers feel as though they are saving money and ‘in on a great deal’, companies can build loyalty with their customers that ensure they come back to buy time and time again.

Love and like (comparison and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love and like (comparison and contrast - Essay Example When someone loves someone, the former is overwhelmed with the thoughts of the latter. Love throws a curtain over the drawbacks of the beloved. The lover can only see the good qualities in the beloved. A mother loves her child. Even if the child is not very beautiful, he/she might be the most beautiful child to her mother among all the children in the world. A mother has so intense feelings for her children that she can even sacrifice her own life for her children. Such power only reflects in a relationship which is grounded in love. An individual may not have a very rational reason to love someone. Love just happens even; sometimes, even without a reason. To like is to appreciate someone. People like others because they see some qualities in them that they appreciate. They can tell others why they like someone. An individual does not necessarily have to get anything in return for liking someone. While liking is sufficient to cultivate friendship, it does not suffice to cultivate a marital relationship. On the other hand, love is too powerful a feeling to be between friends. While friendship is also a very important relationship and many people often use the word â€Å"love† to describe the feeling they have for their friends, yet it is often a misinterpretation and overstatement of the feeling. However, friends rarely have feelings of love for each other as well. Liking is a more suitable way of rationally judging an individual than love. Both words â€Å"love† and â€Å"like† are used in positive sense. Both words are the names of feelings. However, the two terms differ in that love demands sacrifice whereas liking does not. It is for the very reason that while a marriage can sustain when there is love, there are good chances of its breakage when there is only liking between the marital partners. People generally have more rational reasons to like others than they have to love others. To conclude, â€Å"love† and â€Å"like†

Advance coorperate finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advance coorperate finance - Essay Example Crown’s (Australia) FCFF grows continuously for the five years after which it takes a slight downward trend. This means at the fifth year of its operation it reaches maximum profitability level of the company beyond which level the expenses of the company increases resulting in decease in the FCFF of the company. The company projection has been made on the basis of both DCF and DDM approach where the former is 81.24 and the later is 50.27 which means that the market has been pessimistic for the duration of which the discounted cash flow and the dividend discount model has been computed. Contrarily the intrinsic value of the company being $4.46 as against the market price of the company at $9.06 indicates that the company shares are overvalued. Thus it will turn out to be beneficial for the sellers of the shares, while investors thinking of buying the shares of Crown should wait till the market price of the company dips a little. The P/E ratio of Crown is 20.46 while that of CN TY is 20.85; through this we can say that CNTY is in a better position than Crown. However, the higher P/E ratio is also an indication of the risk of the company being high as the market value of the company has fallen in comparison to the earning per share of the company. This effect can be brought about through the buyback of shares. (Cassia, Plati & Vismara 1-10). Mergers and Acquisitions Acquisition is a process which a firm enters into to gain control of the target company that is being acquired. It is one of the growth strategies of the company through which the company plans to expand its business. Crown Limited has acquired the Aspinall’s Club which is a high-end casino in London. This has enabled Crown to successfully operate in London while catering to the VIP business class leveraging the marketing and the sales capabilities of Crown in the international market. But as per the expectations of Crowns acquisition the returns for the company has not turned out to be a remarkable one. The other acquisition of the company is the Holiday Inn hotel which was entered into by the company on 11th May, 2011 to possess the assets in Perth that amounted to approximately $79 million. For the settlement of the equity derivatives the company acquired both Echo Entertainment Group and Tabcorp Holdings Limited. Most of the acquisition of the company did not show incredible results resulting in the increase in the capital expenditure of the company (Crown Limited, 2011). Segment Report The segmentation of the Crown Australia was done on the basis of geographically from Melbourne and Burswood. The major portion of the company’s sales is generated from Melbourne which is 71% while that of Burswood is 29%. The acquisition of the casino led to the VIP program. But due to heavy impact of stiff competition both Crown Burswood and Melbourne were affected by the reduction in the VIP program. Across the two properties of Crown in Australia, the main floor gaming revenue shot to 56% while its PM was 39% over the year in 2011. However, the non-gaming segmentation policy of Crown adopted by the company boosted its revenue in the non-gaming section by 22% while the PM was 16% benefitting the full year operation of the company. On the other hand, the strategy adopted by the company to source new customers from China helped them earn better VIP program revenue of $31 million from Crown Melbourne. Contrarily the major operational revenue of the company came from main floor gaming segment where Crown Melbourne gave $930,657 million while Crown Burswood added $413,770 million. Hedging Policy The company hedges the derivative instruments but does not use the process for trading purposes. The process of hedging is carried on fair value and the cash

Comparison of Marketing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Comparison of Marketing Strategies - Essay Example It is renowned for being the flag carrier air service company of United Kingdom. The company is the biggest airline in the country on the basis of the fleet size, the total number of flights in the international land, the international destinations etc. British Airways is the second largest among all the airline companies on the basis of the total number of travellers carried. British Airways Board was formed in 1971 for controlling two big domestic airline companies, BEA and BOAC and also two small airline companies, Northeast Airlines and Cambrian Airways. On 31st March 1974, all the four companies merged and British Airways was formed. The company started expanding its operations by the acquisition of British Caledonian (in 1987) and Dan Air (in 1992). The company also formed strategic alliance with Cathay Pacific, Qantas, American Airlines and Canadian Airlines. The alliance is counted as the third largest alliance, next to Star Alliance and Sky Team. British Airways is a subsidi ary of International Airlines Group, which has been listed in London Stock Exchange and FTSE 100 Index. The loyalty of the employees as well as the former colleagues along with the collection of beautiful arts has helped British Airways to gain competitive advantage over its competitors. As already mentioned, the company is a merger of the four companies BEA, BOAC, the North East Airlines and Cambrian Airways. The current alliance with the Qantas, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and Canadian Airlines has made British Airways the third largest alliance. ... BA CityFlyer, a fully owned subsidiary of British Airways provides services to twenty different destinations in Europe. Although the main focus is given on the financial markets by the company, it has recently extended the operations and achieved a remarkable position in the leisure market. There are many other services provided by the company like car rental service, hotel service etc. The excellent services provided by the company in both international as well as domestic land have helped it to achieve a successful position in the market. Service marketing mix for British Airways in UK’s and USA’s perspective 7P’s of marketing gives set of policies related to the product, price, promotion, place, physical evidence, process and people which generally affects the purchasing decision of the customers. These policies are set by the management. The success of a business involves a long process where achieving success depends on the marketing; the success related to marketing depends on the marketing strategies and finally the marketing strategies deal with the elements of 7P’s of marketing. Thus the implementation of appropriate strategies in 7P’s of marketing is very important for the achievement of success by a business enterprise. A service marketing mix is the mix of the marketing plans of the company (Belohlavek, 2008). Product The product or service strategy of a company should be such that it gains the attraction of the customers easily. The product or service strategy should be planned in such a manner that it provides satisfaction to the needs of the customers and have a differential advantage over the product offerings by the competitors (Hobbs, 2011; Masterson & Pickton, 2010). British Airways provides quality services to its

The Clask Between the FBI and the Branch Davidian Cult Research Paper

The Clask Between the FBI and the Branch Davidian Cult - Research Paper Example This concluded with an initiative from the FBI which involved gas grenades being thrown into the structure. At least 75 members of the cult died in the resulting fire. This essay considers the role which the FBI played in this confrontation, whether the results needed to occur the way they did, whether there was bias involved and who is to blame for the deaths. It is proposed that the FBI acted in a more violent manner than was needed and did not consider alternative options. As a consequence, the tragedy that occurred may have been avertable. History The Branch Davidians are a religious group that grew from the Seventh-day Adventist church. The cult was founded by Victor Houteff in 1930 following being exiled from the Seventh-day Adventists. Houteffin took the passage in revelation which reveals that 144,000 will be saved. The term Davidian came from Houteffin’s belief that he would establish a new kingdom in the manner to that of King David in the Old Testament, and that he himself was similar to David. This group existed as the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association until 1960. At this point in time Houteffin had been dead for five years and his wife had taken control of the association. She prophesied that the 22nd of April, 1959 was a day that was marked in revelation, which could possibly represent the return of Christ, the beginning of judgments on the world, and the beginning of the Davidic kingdom. The day passed without incident and this resulted in disillusionment by many of the followers, eventually resulting in the total collapse of the cult. Following the dissolution of the cult, Benjamin Roden built a faction claiming that the sign that was meant to occur on the April 22 was his arrival. He named this the Branch Davidians, and led the group until his death in 1978. Following this leadership passed to his wife, and then to their son, George, on her death. George considered himself to be divinely appointed, and eventually considered hims elf to be the messiah. Like Houteffin, Vernon Howell (also known as David Koresh) was originally from a Seventh-day Adventist Church. He entered the compound of the Branch Davidians in 1981, clashing consistently with Roden. The tension between the two eventually led to Koresh leaving the compound, and subsequently joined by other members of the group. The conflict did not cease, and in 1987 it culminated in a night raid by Koresh and seven followers of the Roden compound. Roden claimed that Koresh was attempting to murder him, yet despite this claim, Koresh and his men were not sentenced, while Roden was incarcerated for six months.This incarceration gave Koresh the chance to assume leadership of the compound. It was at this compound, in 1993 that a violent and bloody clash occurred between the Branch Davidians and the FBI. The Conflict On April 19, 1993 a confrontation took place between members of the Branch Davidian cult and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) at the Waco, Texas Branch Davidian compound. The aim of the raid was to look for evidence of child abuse by David Koresh, and to search for illegal weapons which were suspected to be on the premises. The raid resulted in violence and exchange of gunfire where six cult members and four agents were killed. This prompted a 51 day standoff between the cult members and the BATF, who were quickly replaced with the FBI. This stalemate was ended with a second raid, which resulted in the compound being burnt and at least 75 members of the cult were killed a third of which were children under the age of 15. Koresh was also killed in the fire .The outcome of the raid prompted many different responses, with some people blaming the FBI for the death of the cult members, while others considered that the Branch

You Tube Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

You Tube - Essay Example For instance, it creates a homogenous community among people living in diverse states globally whereby they can share same platform while enjoying similar videos. People have different intentions when posting their videos in Youube. Some post them for entertainment, advertisement whereas others they are merely for discussion or debate besides many other reasons. Portable gadgets characterizing the current technology have in a way helping share much through Youtube. This contributes to its cheapness because one does not need to be in front of a TV or seated in a house so that he or she can watch and listen to a video played by a stationary machine. Hence, it provides an alternative and great way of reaching numerous and different people globally. To shun its misuse, there are set regulations that safeguard the content meant to control what users normally upload in terms of videos and comments such that people do not end up using inappropriate language. Apart from socializing, Youtube has couple of educational channels that fit or benefit all age groups. These channels provide varied learning contents required in each level of education, which is from K-12 to college level besides used as informing tool concerning other none academic sources (Study Mode 2013). Moreover, other channels such as the animal planet provide people with new information that they may need to get. Youtube is changing the way people consume media. For instance, unlike the other forms of media when an advert is made in the Youtube, it remains there forever in which an interested person can get the information he or she needs. This is contrally to the other forms such as the Televisions and Radios, which only broadcast certain information in a given time, besides which even other media forms post their advertisements in the YouTube. Uploading videos in this platform is free, hence changing the ideas of paying for the advertisements by some media consumers such as musicians, companies, schools

Evaluating Teachers Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Evaluating Teachers Assignment - Essay Example Bearing in mind that Miss Paulson had received adequate points in her previous evaluation despite having some difficulty in managing classes goes to point out some issues in the evaluation that have to be addressed within the shortest time possible to avid the recurrence of some incidents as the one she was involved in. The officers responsible for evaluation have shown clearly that they are too lenient during their evaluation sessions. Secondly, there has been a poor teacher supervision structure, which led me to find Miss Paulson attending to individual students leaving the rest of the class unattended, which was also not reported. In this case, the state requires that teachers should be evaluated annually although tenured teachers can even be evaluated once in three years or a twice in a decade, in Ms Paulson’s case, evaluation was done within the stipulated timeframe by the law. In this case, a formal investigation is not necessary as such, incident has never been reported in the school; however, some form of internal (within the school) investigation must take place. Steps to be taken in investigating the incident Wednesday morning constitute an investigating panel Wednesday afternoon the panel to identify the students and staff to be interviewed Thursday morning interviewing of the students Thursday afternoon interviewing of staff members Friday morning Investigating panel meets to draw conclusion and finalise on the investigations. Friday afternoon the principal receives the finding of the Investigations and hands them over to the superintendent. Monday morning official communication from the school is received by the parent of Jessica Robertson The students and staff to be interviewed will be selected depending on their probability of having some information relating to the incident. Among those to be interviewed will be Jessica Robertson since she is the complainant and will provide insight on the incident, which involve the pornographic picture s in class. In addition, the class monitor will be interviewed as he is in charge of the class when the teacher is not around. Those on the front row of the class will also have to be among those to be interviewed since they may have seen who interfered with Miss Paulson’s computer. Miss Paulson will also be interviewed to give her side of the story and what happened on the material day and time; any other staff member who was responsible in setting up of the projector will also have to be interviewed to get the clear picture of all that happened. The interviews will be oral to enable the panel read the body language and will be conducted with utmost confidentiality to ensure the respondents open up on the incident. The panel will have to undergo an oath of secrecy before the district attorney to ensure confidentiality of all the information. Miss Paulson will continue to teach other classes and will not be subjected to any discrimination until investigations are complete Sin ce the investigation will be done internally, any correspondence with the media and community will be done by the principal so as to avoid any form of miscommunication or misstatement. 2.) Evaluation of the conduct of professionals needs to be understood from the activities in which they engage themselves and the manner in which they carry themselves out in performing their duties. This means that any activity of a professional has to be

Internet and Social Networking Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Internet and Social Networking Privacy - Essay Example I have identified three major trends in approaching this question among the authors of articles and books on Internet privacy. The first one is the view that the Internet privacy does not exist at all. Secondly, some authors acknowledge that privacy on the Internet may be reached through certain measures and that privacy exists/may exist but always to certain extent. Thirdly, there are authors who claim that privacy on the Internet is not something to worry about, since it is normal that it may be violated for the sake of the third party’s interests. More than a hundred years ago privacy was defined as the â€Å"right to be let alone† (Warren & Brandeis 193) While users generally agree that privacy is basically about human dignity as well as protection of private property, in the virtual world, this notion is narrowed. Specifically, information privacy is thought to exist if one is able to control the usage, circulation, as well as release of personal information (Culna n 341). With the rapid growth of the web space and progress of technology, concerns of users’ regarding personal privacy threats are growing, too. While many people sincerely believe that maintaining privacy while on the Internet and especially while visiting social networking sites is their basic right and the basic thing you need to do to protect your privacy is to merely adjust the privacy settings, Steven Rambam and other authors believe that privacy does not exist on the Internet. A private investigator and head of Pallorium Investigative Agency, Rambam gave a few talks at American conferences whose basic idea was â€Å"Privacy is Dead – Get Over It†. In particular, in his talk on privacy death at the 8th www.Toor.Con.org Information Security Conference in San Diego back in 2006, Rambam provided an overview of online databases and resources that could effectively be used with investigative purposes. â€Å"Digital footprints† left practically by every body today help Rambam retrieve as many as up to 500 pages of personal information in just a few hours about a person he is not familiar with at all (Rambam, â€Å"Privacy is Dead – Get Over It†) At the Last HOPE Conference, Rambam described the process of finding necessary information on the Internet through intrusion into privacy, which as the speaker remarkably noted â€Å"is out of the bottle† (Mills, â€Å"The Internet – a Private Eye’s Best Friend†). Specifically, every search through Google, each blog post, and each photo posted online mean further losing the fight over privacy protection for users. This is because â€Å"anything you put on the Internet will be grabbed, indexed, cataloged, and out of your control before you know it† (Mills, â€Å"The Internet – a Private Eye’s Best Friend†). According to Rambam, every kind of information online is digitized, with older information scanned and placed online, after which this mixture gets aggregated into special databases sold to government agencies, marketers, and virtually anyone able to pay for it. Twitter, cell phones, taking photos by iPods, etc are all tools to identify a person’s location; buying preferences and alike information is gathered by marketing databases that are bought by the government. Thanks to using the information provided by

Business Research and Analysis- design an experiment on starbucks Paper

Business and Analysis- design an experiment on starbucks - Research Paper Example Company managers with this orientation strive to make their products the best and for continuous improvement. An experiment, specifically a blind two-group experimental taste test, will be conducted to find out whose latte has superior taste. The research questions are: 1. Does a Starbucks latte taste better than a McDonald latte? 2. Does a Starbucks latte taste better than a Dunkin Donuts latte? The taste test is an example of a sensory test, in which the instruments for investigation are the senses themselves (Liedtke, et al., 2005). Many such tests have been conducted. Some examples are: 1. Gunnarsdottir and Thorsdittor’s (2010) study on the effect of food packaging on the perceived taste of healthy food by children; 2. Urdan and Urdan’s (2001) experimental analysis on the effect of brand name and taste on consumers’ buying intentions; 3. Studies that assess the taste and off-taste in drinking water by using quantitative taste and odor measurements compared wi th threshold numbers to evaluate compliance with government regulations (DWI, 2002); and 4. A comparison of taste test ratings after repeated consumption of different strengths of iced tea (Vickers and Holton, 1998). The experiment will involve a blind two-group experimental design, like those used for clinical drug trials. ... Ha: A Starbucks latte tastes better than a Dunkin Donuts latte. Method Participants Though Starbucks has long insisted that it does not market to children, the young population is often seen drinking their beverages (Linn, 2007). Stratified, quota sampling will be employed. There will be six sets of sixty participants each, totaling 360 participants, stratified by age (11-19; 20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; 60 and up), where each set will have 30 males and 30 females, to control for age and sex, factors for which taste norms have not been determined (Moretz, 2006). Participants will be randomly assigned to a control group or intervention group by computer-generated randomization schedule, where each group will equal thirty participants, with equal numbers of male and female participants and stratified by age. This process is blinded, so that participants will not know their group assignment. Participants will be recruited through advertisements in the newspapers. They will be informed of their full rights and compensation and will be asked to sign consent forms. Research ethics shall be strictly followed. Interventions The control group will be given three cups (fifteen ounces each) of Starbucks latte. The intervention group will be given one cup (fifteen ounces) each of a Starbucks, McDonalds, and Dunkin Donuts latte. Administration of cups will be rotated. Both groups will be asked to rate each cup on a five-point scale (very good, good, neutral, bad, very bad). Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be employed upon analysis of results. Variables and Controls The dependent variable is the perception/measurement of taste of the lattes. The independent variable is the brand of latte, i.e. Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Dunkin

United States Declaration of Independence Essay Example for Free

United States Declaration of Independence Essay The enlightenment era arose in the modern cultural ideology of the 18th century, as ideas among philosophers had a widespread effect among the society. The age of enlightenment, in western society, projected the rejection of traditional Christianity, western philosophy, intellectual advances, scientific, and cultural life, government legitimacy and authority. Upon the enlightenment period multiple philosophers emerged, the individuals arose to leading figures using reason to understand all aspects of human life. The motivations for the enlightenment came primarily from the Englishmen, John Locke. John Locke was a philosophical influence in both political theory and theoretical philosophy, which was embraced among the era of 1789-1914 and the concept of equal rights among men. John Locke’s writings influenced the works of multiple diplomats concerning liberty and the social contract between society and the government. Locke’s ideology of man and power was the base for the concept of separation of powers. As one of the enlightenment thinkers, John Locke wrote the Two Treatises of Government influencing the framework of his ideal vision of the nature of man and his freedom, stating that all men exist in â€Å"a state of perfect freedom† as â€Å"every man being, has been showed, naturally free. † (Primary Sources, 156) His theories involved the money value within trading systems, education ideals, the blank mind shaped by surroundings, and the framework for the American Revolution. Locke’s ideas were taken and embraced as his ideas â€Å"seemed to offer the hope of a brave new world† built on reason. † (Spielvogel 516) The enlightenment was an era of intellectual and social growth as people began to challenge and view the world changed. During the era, society began to believe all men are free people, a concept enforced by John Locke’s ideologies. John Locke believed every person was born with tabula rasa, blank mind, arguing in Essay on Human Understanding that men and women, were products of their environment, and implied that humans were molded by their surroundings. With the theory of the blank mind, John Locke presented with reason and logic that men and women could improve themselves by improving the surroundings. As John Locke rejected â€Å"authority and theory†¦ [by] showing knowledge derives from sensory perception and experience†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he impacted western philosophy and the understanding of knowledge. (Primary sources 212) Locke’s idea implied the restructure of society as by changing the environment, men would be properly influenced, and a new society created. The idea of a perfect new society was seen among the creation of the utopian community by Robert Owen. The idea of men being able to be shaped by the community is seen among Owen’s work to set up the model community. Through his works in A New View in Society Owen shows how the communitarian project achieved â€Å"moral improvement with commercial success† with the help of an orderly system to manufacture, and â€Å"inculcating the moral virtues of cleanliness, order thrift, and sobriety. † (Primary Sources 320) Owen was successful in creating the modeled community, with the idea of tabula rasa, and creating a cooperative self-contained community. The enlightenment employed the right of equality among all men. John Locke advocated natural rights of man, mainly life, liberty, and property. His avocation for men equality included the validity of governments powers should rely on consent from the citizens. The pursuit of representation from government led to the democracy in the America’s as they created the separation of powers. Locke supported the overthrow of absolute power, as he rejects the concept of royal superiority in his Second Treatise of Government. His belief in mutual consent from the people to the government is the basis of the social contract, showing how man’s â€Å"perfect freedom†¦and liberty [should give man] is able to instruct him in that law he is to govern himself. † (Primary Sources, 151) Locke’s political ideology included overthrowing government if citizens felt their rights were taken away, citizens had the duty to revolt against the tyrant. This ideology is embraced during the French Revolution as â€Å"before the revolution, French society was grounded in the inequality of rights,† among the citizens. (Spielvogel578) The French were divided into classes, having no voice among the three estates, leading to the national assembly. The national assembly, influenced by John Locke’s ideology of rejecting royal reign superiority, created the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Locke’s argument of revolution against tyranny was accepted to bring reasonable rule to the nation and citizens. The same liberalist view of overthrowing of ruler is seen during the napoleon rule. Benjamin Constant published The Principles of Politics advocating for the regulations of the generals will of the individuals liberty, â€Å"distinguishing between sovereignty, authority, and individual freedom,† right before Napoleon’s final defeat. (Primary Sources 342) Many of John Locke’s ideas were input into the Declaration of Independence, as his primary words â€Å"life, liberty† and instead of property, the pursuit of happiness, are the basis of the American Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Locke’s arguments concerning liberty influenced the works of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, as his Second Treatise is imitated in the Declaration of Independence. When the founding fathers adopted the resolution for the nation’s independence, with the restating of john Locke’s theory of revolution, they opened the door to the war of American Independence. As well as Locke’s separation of powers was framework for the American democracy created after the independence from Britain and the belief of revolting is an obligation in the certain circumstances. With the fear of a concentrated power the founding fathers of America secured the rights life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, to which the government institutes the rights and derive their powers with the consent of the men. When creating the independence the people laid the foundation of separation of powers in which each branch is checked and has no overruling power among the rest of the government. With the influence of John Locke’s political ideologies, the American colonies, after the American Revolution, â€Å"proved to many Europeans that the liberal political ideas of the Enlightenment were not a vapid utterances of intellectuals. The rights of man, ideas of liberty, and equality, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, and freedom of religion†¦were not only utopian ideals. † (Spielvogel 578) The Americans had taken John Locke’s theories and made the concept of liberty reality. Consequently the American Revolution had an impact on the French revolution with the returning soldiers the influence of the American Declaration of Independence was seen among the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The French revolution was more violent than the American, but it set the political movement for the modern political world. John Locke political theories were focused on the protection of the human rights, responsibility of the government, clarifying the concept between state and man. Locke insisted on the limits towards political authorities, and believed government should be selected, not born into, by the will of the majority. This set the fundamental declaration of the French revolution. John Locke an advocate for religious tolerance, wrote the Letters Concerning Toleration, conveying reasoning for religious tolerance after the European wars of religion. Within the Letters Concerning Toleration, Locke debates for the people to understand the relationship within religion and government, and how people should know the separation of the two. Separation of Church and State was created by Thomas Jefferson, who was greatly influenced by Locke’s writings, as Locke feared that without distinction between the two, the personal beliefs will mislead the commonwealth. His advocacy for religious also influenced the freedom of religion among the Americans in the Bill of Rights, as man has the right to practice or to not practice any religion. Known for his political theories, notions on natural rights and separation of powers, John Locke also held beliefs regarding the education. Originally a letter to a friend regarding his son’s education, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Locke suggested the best way to educate the child. His theory for education was based on the argument of human mind at birth is a tabula rasa therefore a child was able to be molded with virtues. â€Å"He attentively considers the state of a child†¦ [are] stored with plenty of ideas, that are to be the matter of his future knowledge. † (Primary Sources 214) Locke’s ideas on education involved learning from experience, and influenced the concern of public education during the 1789-1914 era. His theories and ideas on education would motivate the public school system in Britain. John Locke’s emphasis on education was seen in Robert Owen’s utopian â€Å"model community. † In Owen’s New View of Society he set his influence by Locke’s education, by stating that education was not only good for business in his utopian society, but for the nation as a whole. The influence of how the importance of education was enforced by Locke’s ideologies of the ability to shape the minds of the children to better the nation. John Locke publicized a theory of money and property in his Two Treatises on Government. Locke’s theory believes the natural right of estate. His belief in money describes that money fulfills the need for a constant measure of value and worth in a trading system. Locke argued for an economic system which could exist in the states and protection of property by the society. His ideal on a trading system influenced the merchandized 18th century industry. The eighteenth century was formed based on the growth of commercial led by John Locke’s economic system theory on trade. The â€Å"growth of commercial capitalism led to integrated markets, joint-stock trading companies, banking and stock exchange facilities,† which shaped the nations view on money. (Spielvogel 564) As the eighteenth century flourished, Locke stated gold, silver, gems never rot, and therefore with the consent of mankind they become of monetary value and are open for trading value. With his theories of trading and money, John Locke can be seen as the creator of the bourgeois capitalism. The trading system was influenced by John Locke and embraced in the European trading which gave growth of cities, prosperity within the cities, the industrialization, and the manufacturing business. The Enlightenment was period of time with great thinkers bringing radical changes to society and the world. John Locke, known for Father of Liberalism and the enlightenment thinker, had a great impact among philosophers. John Locke was advocating the freedom of the individual, systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties. Locke’s enlightenment ideas were employed during the long 19th century. â€Å"Locke’s treatises inspired the political theories of the Enlightenment. † (Primary sources 148) His philosophical ideals influenced many other philosophers, utopian societies, the upheavals against government, the protection of rights, the education system in Britain, and the basis for modern government.

The India-Pakistan Relationship

The India-Pakistan Relationship India Pakistan relationship has been marred with conflict ever since their independence and both the nations have been involved in three major wars till date in1947-48, 1965 and 1971. In 1998, both countries conducted nuclear tests to enter the nuclear powered nations club. This led a few number of experts to profess that the nuclear deterrence would lead to stabilization of conflict in the sub continent and result in establishment of peace. This kind of deterrence was witnessed by the world for the second time, the first being nuclear deterrence between the cold war foes of NATO and Warsaw Pact countries and to be more specific the US and USSR. Experts from the field of international relations who applied the theories developed in the cold war era Europe to the South Asian rivalry professed that the chances of conventional conflict using regular forces are a thing of the past in case of these two nations. This theory was further reinforced by the Kargil war and the standoff subsequ ent to the attack on Indian Parliament in 2001. In 1999 Pakistan occupied a large number of posts after crossing the LOC in the Kargil sector, threatening the crucial Srinagar Leh highway using regular troops in the guise of Mujahids. The Indian Army reacted to the situation by regrouping and launching Operation Vijay, and started to recapture the posts by forcibly removing Pakistani troops occupying the posts. This operation was also accompanied by a full scale mobilisation of its military forces by India; however despite the tough posturing by India the war remain limited to the Kargil sector. This was primarily because of tremendous pressure mounted by the international community, especially the US fearing that this conflict may escalate to a nuclear plain. In 2001 the same massive mobilisation was witnessed by both the countries when they had their forces deployed against each other ready for combat. This time in December 2001 following the attack on the Indian parliament by a group of militants trained in Pakistan. The situation reached a flash point when on 14 May 2002, when another terrorist attack on the Indian Army camp in Kaluchak threatened to start a war between the two nuclear neighbours. In this instance also, as seen in Operation Vijay, India despite posturing did not take any punitive offensive action against Pakistan despite having all its forces in a completely mobilized state. The above incidents did reflect a situation where in Pakistan had effectively used the nuclear deterrence to attain strategic parity with India negating a conventional disadvantage and thus supposedly giving it immunity to conduct sub conventional operations without the fear of any retribution. Thus India to face major challenges in conducting sub conventional spectrum in Kashmir, which Pakistan initiated after covertly attaining the nuclear technology in the late 1980s. Its conventional strength negated, and with no option to retaliate India find itself in a position where it will have to work its way around this nuclear parity, so as to be able to stifle the Pakistan supported terrorism. Therefore, we need to carefully study the nuclear capability and doctrine of Pakistan in conjunction with the theories of nuclear deterrence, to work out ways for India to exploit its massive conventional superiority by utilizing it to escalate the conflict spectrum, such that it remains under the level of Total War. METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM To analyze nuclear deterrence in India Pakistan relations. Explore the possibility of use of conventional forces by India to counter the sub conventional threat faced from Pakistan, while avoiding a nuclear war. HYPOTHESIS Having attained nuclear capability Pakistan has been acting with a presumption that Indias conventional superiority has been totally negated by the nuclear symmetry and has encouraged the Pakistani military elite to intensify the ongoing Proxy War in Jammu and Kashmir. This has had catastrophic consequences for India, which though enjoying substantial conventional superiority, is unable to use it to counter Pakistans sub conventional threat. It is therefore important to study the interaction between conventional and nuclear deterrence on the India Pakistan relations and generate credible conventional responses to the sub conventional conflict India finds itself embroiled in Jammu and Kashmir. JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY Indian armed forces along with paramilitary forces are deeply committed in counterinsurgency operations in Jammu Kashmir, which is fallout of the sub conventional operations by Pakistan in the state. This has been possible due to the fact, that Pakistan has been able to achieve strategic parity with India by attaining nuclear capability which affords it certain degree of immunity from direct retaliation through conventional means by Indian forces. Off late, the thought process in higher echelons of Indian leadership has been to ascertain What should be Indias response, should Pakistan continue with its sub conventional campaign? While a majority of international relation theorists who studied the nuclear deterrence during the cold war, suggest that the likelihood of a conventional conflict between two nuclear armed rivals are slim, as it leads to a situation of mutually assured destruction (MAD). However, it would be injudicious to apply these theories in their entirety in the Indo Pak context, as the conditions and realties that exist in South Asia are considerably different than that of the cold war. Thus there exists a window for vertical escalation of the ongoing sub conventional engagement which is below the nuclear threshold. This would however depend on Pakistans response to a conventional threat, as it the weaker party. Thus any suggested response for India should also carefully consider the Pakistani nuclear capability and doctrine as well, so as to work out practical options for use of conventional military and allow India to effectively counter its asymmetric threat. This study is thus aimed at ascertaining the possibility of a conventional war between India and Pakistan without it getting escalated to a total war. SCOPE The paper concentrates on analysing the effect of nuclear deterrence on India and Pakistan relations, applicability of various international relation theories on this relationship and possibility of use of conventional forces by India as counter to proxy war waged by Pakistan while staying below the nuclear threshold. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION The methodology employed in this investigation to gather information and data was as follows: Scanning of literature on nuclear capability and doctrines of India and Pakistan. Study of various International Relation theories worked out to explain the superpower relations during the cold war. Scanning various articles and books by authors concerning the nuclear situation in South Asia. A bibliography of sources studied and referred has been appended at the end of the text. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION (CHAPTERISATION) The dissertation has been carried out in the following parts:- Chapter I Introduction. The background, introduction to the subject and methodology will be covered in this chapter. Chapter II Deterrence In Context Of India Pakistan Relations. This chapter will cover the theoretical aspects of deterrence and its applicability in the context of India Pakistan relationship. Chapter III Nuclear Peace Hypothesis : Manifestation in India Pakistan Relations. This chapter will study the hypothesis of nuclear peace as propounded by academic experts of international relations and analyse the India Pakistan relations in its light. Chapter IV Pakistans Nuclear Weapons Capability And Command Control Setup. This chapter deals with the nuclear weapons capability that Pakistan possesses, to include its weapon system and delivery platforms, as well as the nuclear command and control setup. Chapter V Nuclear Weapon Use by Pakistan : Probability and Scenarios. This chapter will concentrate on the probability of nuclear weapon use by Pakistan and the various scenarios in which they are likely to be used. Chapter VI Options Available To India For Use Of Conventional Forces. This chapter will study the options available with India to use conventional force to deter Pakistan from undertaking sub conventional operations in Kashmir. Chapter VII Conclusion. The conclusion of the paper and appropriate recommendations will be made in this chapter. CHAPTER II DETERRENCE IN CONTEXT OF INDIA PAKISTAN RELATIONS We will not prematurely or unnecessarily risk the costs of worldwide nuclear war in which even the fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouth. John F. Kennedy The word deterrence comes from the latin verb deterree, which means to frighten. It is an attempt to influence how and what an enemy thinks and does  [1]  . Thus deterrence is a state of mind that prevents a deterree from acting in a way a deterror considers harmful. In a simplistic form, deterrence is a crucial factor in the mind of someone trying to decide the benefits of executing a crime versus the likelihood and consequences of getting caught  [2]  . The success or failure of deterrence also depends upon how the message is conveyed by the deterror to the deterree. In order to elucidate this aspect, the situation before the two Gulf Wars needs to be considered and understood which highlights the importance of how the deterrence message is framed and understood, as well as how disastrous it can be to fail to understand the thinking of the other side. Before Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the US diplomatic and political positioning was such that it failed to give a clear message that it would react strongly to any Iraqi invasion. Hence failure to clearly convey deterrence between the sides, ultimately lead to the war. The example brings into play the lesser known twin of deterrence which is compellance  [3]  . Deterrence can also be defined as the prevention of action for fear of the consequences, brought about by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction. Thus, it is designed to prevent something. Compellance on the other hand involves threat of consequences designed to cause the other party to reverse or to stop carrying out some unwanted action or activity, which has already occurred, the result is war. Similar analysis could be applied to the Cuban Missile Crisis, where initial misunderstandings lead to the failure of both deterrence and compellance. One could also use the word coercion to cover both deterrence and compellance. Another associated question  [4]  with the concept of deterrence which arises is How much is enough? Since deterrence is essentially a psychological phenomenon, it is not surprising that how much punishment is sufficient to deter another state, which has always been a controversial and an elastic standard. Types of Military Deterrence Military deterrence are of two kinds defensive (conventional) and by punitive (nuclear)  [5]  . Effective deterrence is a matter of convincing an opponent that certain harm to him will accompany the act one wishes to deter. Thus it amounts to the imposition of a calculus of risk and value on an opponent, such that the value of the act sought to be deterred does not exceed the risk, which is an assessment of the likelihood and the extent of harm. For deterrence to succeed, the enemy has to be persuaded that the deterror has the capacity to act, in a manner that it inflicts greater cost than the advantages to be won by attaining the objective, and that it would actually undertake the act if it is required to. However if the deterror takes the threat of retaliation into account, he can no longer deter all objectionable acts. Thus making it obligatory on the deterror to distinguish between those objectives of indispensable value such as national survival, and objects of relatively l ess importance/value. While in the overall gambit of geopolitics there are large number of instruments of state power which work to deter an adversary, to include but not limited to, political, economic, diplomatic, military power. However in purely military terms deterrence is of two types:- Conventional Deterrence. This is the deterrence accrued by a nation owing to it possessing a higher military strength, which would mean quality and quantity of hardware as well as trained military force. This spectrum of military power will include land, air and naval forces. This type of deterrence can be easily achieved by the nation which has a larger resource base both in terms of population as well as economic capital. Therefore, in a bilateral conflict the country which is larger in size tends to be the nation which generally has more deterrent potential (militarily), as it is assumed that it can not only maintain a larger force but would also be able to sustain the conflict much longer. Nuclear Deterrence. This is the deterrence accrued by a nation when it possesses a nuclear weapon, and is studied separately because nuclear weapon exchange is likely to have such substantial effect to both the parties that it would force any nation irrespective of its size to ponder on the effects of such an engagement, hence forcing the dilemma of cost-benefit ratio in the minds of leaders of both the sides. Thus a weaker/smaller nation which faces a superior nation always opts for a nuclear deterrence, as was evident after the end of the Second World War, wherein the United States laid emphasis on developing its nuclear arsenal to counter the numerical superiority of the erstwhile USSR. Nuclear deterrence theory consists of six key elements  [6]  , which have to be satisfied to be of any effect, these are:- The assumption of a very severe conflict. The assumption of rationality. The concept of retaliatory threat. The concept of unacceptable damage. The notion of credibility. The notion of deterrence stability. Conventional Deterrence in Relation of India Pakistan India as a nation possesses all ingredients to effectively deter Pakistan in as far as conventional deterrence is concerned. However, this was not always the case, as after independence being of roughly comparable size both in economic and military strengths, India had limited deterrent capability. Although India did enjoy numerical superiority in its armed forces it was hardly sufficient to act as a deterrent for its new neighbour, coupled with the fact that Pakistani military leadership wrongly hypothesised that there soldier were better than their Indian counterparts and any advantage accrued due to numerical superiority was more than compensated. Their belief of superiority was further fortified when as part of its alliance with the US they received technologically advanced weaponry hence achieving qualitative edge over India. This myth carried by the Pakistani elite for a considerable period of time, manifested in the various wars which the two nations have since fought. However this misconception of its superior relative strength came crashing on the Pakistani leadership in 1971 when facing the full potential of the Indian military, it was not only defeated convincingly but also lead to it being bifurcated. Post 1971 there was no conventional conflict as India successfully deterred Pakistan, which till then was always the aggressor. This deterrence that India possessed was for the following reason:- Conventional superiority of the Indian military infrastructure both as quantitatively well as qualitatively. Economic superiority, considering the size of Indian economy vis-à  -vis that of Pakistan. Diplomatic strength wherein India had a larger clout in the comity of nations including Islamic states, being considered a peace loving nation which is actively involved in various international forums. Effectiveness of Conventional Deterrence Against Pakistan India Pakistan relationship is going through a period during which no conventional conflict has occurred between them for a long time. However, this period does not signify that of peace as India has been facing a heightened level of sub conventional threat in Kashmir from Pakistan. So the question which arises is that has India been able to achieve effective deterrence against Pakistan or not? The extent and severity of the sub conventional threat that India faced in Kashmir is clearly brought out by the figure 1. FIGURE 1 : FATALITY LEVELS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR  [7]   The details given above make it clearly evident that though India may have deterred a conventional conflict but the same may not hold true for the sub conventional spectrum. This can be attributed to the attainment of nuclear weapons capability by Pakistan as the threat of conventional conflict reduced Pakistan adopted an aggressive policy of sub conventional operations against India  [8]  . Thus providing a political lever to the Pakistani ruling class to be exploited in international as well as national arena, while reducing the efficacy of Indian Army by embroiling it in asymmetric warfare leading to a classical case of Stability Instability Paradox, which is defined as under:- To the extent that the military balance is stable at the level of all out nuclear war, it will become less stable at lower levels of violence  [9]  . Another expert elaborates; nuclear weapons can generate risk taking because they presumably provide an insurance policy against escalation  [10]  . 23. Hence it is pertinent to note that while India enjoys substantial conventional deterrence the same seems to be ineffective when faced with a nuclear adversary which is undertaking a sub conventional operation against it. Therefore, a thorough analysis would be necessary to ascertain whether India can utilize its conventional superiority and come out of the stability-instability logjam, thus leading to the end of strife in Kashmir. The only example which can be studied to derive suitable future courses of action would be the nuclear deterrence between the NATO and the Warsaw pact countries during the cold war. This nuclear relationship was studied extensively and a number of international relation theories formalized to explain the interaction between the two parties. The most prominent of these hypotheses, forwarded by international relations experts, in as far as conflict involving nuclear states are concerned is the Nuclear Peace Hypothesis which may shed some light on the stat us of the current relations between India and Pakistan. However the theories evolved in a different set of situations may not be fully applicable to India Pakistan relations and thus require suitable modifications to be relevant. And is it possible, at least theoretically, for India to escalate the conflict to conventional level. CHAPTER III NUCLEAR PEACE HYPOTHESIS : MANIFESTATION IN INDIA PAKISTAN RELATIONS No explanation for the current strategic situation is satisfactory without a definition of the nuclear situation; no definition of the nuclear situation is possible without knowledge of the laws that rule deterrence. Andre Beaufre Do nuclear weapons reduce the probability of war? From the starting days of the nuclear weapon development, proponents of nuclear deterrence argued that these weapons have the capacity to reduce the probability of conventional war resulting in what may be called as the Nuclear Peace. Studying the dynamics of the Cold War, some scholars have argued that this is indeed what happened. Despite large number of crises and several proxy wars, the US and USSR avoided a direct military confrontation as both feared an escalation to a nuclear plain. They suggest that unlike conventional deterrence, nuclear deterrence is extremely robust because even irrational or unintelligent leaders are likely to recognize the exceedingly high cost of nuclear war. Therefore, proponents of nuclear deterrence claim with a high degree of confidence that the probability of major war among states having nuclear weapons approaches zero. Although Cold War was fierce but it never did escalate to World War III. Indeed, some experts argue that Cold War can be thought of as the Long Peace. And despite the collapse of Eastern Block and the end of Cold War the relative period of peace continues. However, other forms of warfare (sub conventional, asymmetric warfare, etc.) have been seen in various parts of the world but no major war has broken out. So what is responsible for the absence of major wars between great powers after WWII? The three main schools of international relations (IR) theorists have each offered answers to this question  [11]  . Neo-Liberalism. As per Neo-liberals democracy, trade and international organizations are the key causes of peace. Constructivism. While constructivists view democracy, trade, and international organizations as important factors, argue that the main facilitator of the Long Peace are the evolving norms and the social construction of identity. Neo-realism. They attribute peace during the Cold War to bipolarity and nuclear deterrence. Robert Rauchhaus has quantitatively evaluated the nuclear peace hypothesis and his findings indicate that the impact of nuclear weapons is more complicated than is conventionally appreciated  [12]  . He further theorizes that when nuclear asymmetry exists between two states, a greater chance of military disputes and war exists. In contrast, when there is symmetry and both states possess nuclear weapons, then the odds of war drop drastically. When combined, these findings provide support for the existence of the stability instability paradox. Evidence suggests that while nuclear weapons promote strategic stability, they simultaneously allow for more risk-taking in lower intensity disputes. He thus gives out the following hypotheses:- Hypothesis 1. The probability of major war between two states will decrease if both states possess nuclear weapons  [13]  . Hypothesis 2. The probability of crisis initiation and limited uses of force between two states will increase when both states possess nuclear weapons  [14]  . Hypothesis 3. The probability of major war between two states will decrease or remain constant if one state possesses nuclear weapons  [15]  . Hypothesis 4. The probability of lower level conflicts will decrease or remain the same if one state possesses nuclear weapons  [16]  . Applicability of Nuclear Peace Hypothesis in India Pakistan Relations Having studied the various nuclear peace hypotheses, it will be clear that the first two would be applicable in the context of India Pakistan relations, as both countries are nuclear states. These hypotheses do hold considerably well, when we see them in relation to India Pakistan conflict, the same has been discussed in subsequent sub paragraphs:- Hypothesis 1. The probability of major war between two states will decrease if both states possess nuclear weapons  [17]  . Relations between India and Pakistan have repeatedly reached flashpoints wherein they were dangerously close to an all out war ( Kargil 1999, Op Parakaram 2001) but they somehow manged to avoid escalating the conflict into an open war, hence maintaining strategic peace. This hypothesis may also apply to the pre 1998 era where in both the nations had acquired nuclear capability but had still not come out in open. India although having conducted its first nuclear test in 1974 is said to have acquired operational capability only in early 1980s, while Pakistan is said to have attained the capability somewhere between 1986 and 1990. Hypothesis 2. The probability of crisis initiation and limited uses of force between two states will increase when both states possess nuclear weapons  [18]  . If we study the trend of sub conventional operations by Pakistan in Kashmir it would be clearly evident that the same was initiated by Pakistan on covertly acquiring the nuclear capability during the period mentioned  [19]  and then again given a fresh impetus after the 1998 nuclear tests. Thus it may be theorised, that Pakistan has used nuclear deterrence to negate Indias conventional superiority, while engaging in a sub conventional conflict. This hypothesis is also called the Stability Instabilty Paradox which was first discussed in detail by Mr Snyder in an essay in 1965. The situation is such that terrorism has become the foremost issue, which divides India and Pakistan  [20]  . And while a cursory study of the above hypotheses may lead one to conclude that the probability of fighting a conventional war is bleak, it must be understood that though the hypothesis says that a major war is unlikely between India Pakistan, a major war is defined as when one of the nation wants to completely subject the other to its will  [21]  . This is in contrast the thinking of the present military leadership, which misunderstands it with any conflict in which conventional forces are used. Thus as per the hypothesis a repeat of 1971 war may be unfeasible, but a repeat of 1965 may be a possibility, till the time the aims of the conflict are limited and both the parties are clearly aware of the same. This does have a historical example, the Sino-Soviet dispute of 1968, where both the sides had nuclear capability but since the aims of the war were limited neither parties used a nuclear weapon even when faced with an adverse outcome. Therefore there is a case for India to utilise its conventional forces, to counter the Pakistan initiated proxy war, by initiating a punitive limited objective war with Pakistan, with the sole aim of deterring it from continuance of the sub conventional war in Kashmir. Applicability of Cold War International Theories in South Asia While there may have been the Long Peace during the cold war because of nuclear deterrence, but is it applicable to the Indo Pak relation? The answer to this question is more likely to be negative for the following reasons  [22]  :- While Pakistans security concern is India centric, those of India extend beyond South Asia. Thus the relation is not a standalone interaction but is subject to pressures from external factors, which are unpredictable. This is contrary to the relation dynamics of the cold war. India Pakistan also do not enjoy the same degree of independence of action, as was available to the US and USSR. This is due to the fact that, unlike the cold war rivals who were at the top of the power hierarchy, India and Pakistan will be subject to interference/influence in their policy and decision making processes. Geographical proximity of the two countries is also a facet which did not exist in the cold war and thus both countries will be affected by wind movements and fallout in case of a nuclear attack on the other. However, the foremost reason for non applicability of the theories in South Asia is because unlike the cold war where both the sides were led by satisfied powers i.e. the powers had accepted the status quo in Europe which was concretized by the Helsinki process, Pakistan is a revisionist state. Wherein Pakistan wants to change the status quo in South Asia w.r.t. Kashmir  [23]  . However to postulate feasibility for use of conventional forces for punitive action against Pakistan, it would be prudent to study Pakistans nuclear capabilities and command control setup besides the international relation theories. are feasible not only as per international relations theories but also practical in view of the nuclear weapons capability that Pakistan possesses and the nuclear command control structure it has in place to use a nuclear weapon against India. This is because to have an extremely low nuclear threshold, as Pakistan professes to have, it requires certain capabilities and infrastructure to be in place which is still deficient. Hence it is necessary to study the nuclear capability and command control setup of Pakistan. CHAPTER IV PAKISTANS NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY AND COMMAND CONTROL SETUP Deterrence is greatest when military strength is coupled with the willingness to employ it. It is achieved when one sides readiness to run risks in relation to the other is high; it is least effective when the willingness to run risks is low, however powerful the military capability. Henry Kissinger The foundation for the India Pakistan conflict is complex, Pakistans fears about India are not only because of the imbalance of power and Indian ambition for regional power status, but also because of the pre Partition conflict and divergent ideas of nationalism  [24]  . Since independence the relations between the two countries have never been normal or even

The Experiences And Values Of Needy Families Social Work Essay

The Experiences And Values Of Needy Families Social Work Essay When thinking about my own personal values, I think of the customs and beliefs that I have developed through experience and education. Although these values have changed over time, I believe that they are pretty consistent with the NASW code of ethics and values of the social work profession as a whole. The preamble of code of ethics states that The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic needs of all people (NASW, 2006-2009, p.401), and that is exactly what I strive to do. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) While I consider myself currently in a middle class American family, this has not always been the case. Growing up my family instilled in me the importance of working hard to achieve your goals, but despite their hard work my family too faced difficult financial times. I can remember times when my parents couldnt pay their bills, had to work multiple jobs, and struggled to put food on the table. Having gone through these rough financial times, my family instilled in me the importance of giving to other people in need and to this day I consider my father one of the most generous people I know. He would give everything he had to help someone in need, whether he knew them or not. A common bias is that people in need are lazy or incompetent, but this is far from the truth. I have witnessed several families, including my own work very hard to raise their family, yet still struggle to make it. One childhood experience that stands out in my mind is going into the grocery store with one of my best friends mother who was unemployed after losing her job of 12 years due to the store that she worked for closing. My friends mother had told us that she was going to get groceries and that we needed to distract the grocery stores doorman when we were leaving, because she had no money to pay for the groceries. Although I was aware that what she was doing was wrong, I knew she needed to feed her family. My friends mom did not steal lavish items as one would expect if you were stealing, she only took the items she needed to feed her family. During the car ride home, my friends mother apologized to us and explained that she is just too embarrassed to apply for Welfare or go on unemployment and that all of the savings she had prior to being unemployed is now gone. This has been a memory that I have carried with me since that day. Although I felt that there was little I could do at that t ime, I believe that it is not only my duty to help people in need, but societies as a whole. I believe that government and society have an obligation to intervene and help families that are in need. I do not believe that any mother should have to steal food to feed her family. I consider it my duty to promote national standards and policies for the delivery of benefits and programs that serve as a safety net for all people during times of poverty (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 364). I agree with the NASW Code of Ethics that all people are entitled to the basic needs to survive. As a social work student, I feel responsibility to advocate for families in need and to develop programs that educate people on the need for welfare reform. Schneider (1999) spoke of the need to reform welfare and for a shift in policy to focus on establishing universal benefits. I am in agreement with this as well as the need to reject the perspective that views failure to develop wealth as a personal failure without reference to structural inequalities (NASW, 2006-2009, p.363). I believe that it is important to promote education and fight the stereotypes associated with people in need. As a social worker I will provide services and counseling to families struggling to survive and I anticipate facing many challenges due to the regulations and policies that are currently in place. Rights of Legal and Illegal Immigrants Immigrants in the United States have faced a great deal of discrimination, inequality, and poverty throughout history. It is hard for me to understand how people can be treated so poorly just because they were not born an American. When I consider the United States, I believe it is a melting pot nation and that all people deserve the right to have their basic needs met despite their legal status in this country. I agree with the code of ethics that social workers need to be sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 401). Whether immigrants are legal or illegal, they are people too and should be treated with dignity and respect. Legal immigrants have to go through a difficult and extensive process to become a citizen, which I believe is one reason why there are several illegal immigrants living in the United States. I think that instead of developing harsher immigration laws, this country needs to assist illegal immigrants in the process of gaining citizenship, an education, and work. I agree with Padilla (2008) in that immigrant legislation must treat people equally, promote social justice consistently, and recognize the significance of human relationships. NASW (2006-2009) recognizes that policies should promote social justice and avoid racism and discrimination or profiling on the basis of race, religion, country of origin, gender, etc. (p. 227). My views are consistent with NASW and I believe that the recent push for harsher immigration laws is a terrifying setback for this country. It makes me absolutely horrified that the state of Arizona would even try to instill a law that would call for police officers to check for immigration status and require immigrants to provide proof that they are authorized to be in this country. This law directly conflicts with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that recognizes the right to leave ones country as a basic human right (NASW, 2006-2009, p.226). As a social worker I think it is vital to advocate for people who have little or no political voice and who have faced such harsh discrimination throughout history. Being that I am considered a white middle class American, I will need to always be thinking about cultural diversity with my clients. Although I would be obligated to report undocumented citizens, I also feel that it is my ethical responsibility to provide all people with the information and services they need to fulfill their basic survival needs. Emotional Expression of the Client and the Worker I entered this profession because of my compassion to help others. For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to help people in need. During high school, my urge to help grew as I witnessed my fellow students being bullied for how they dressed or what type of house they lived in. Although I was considered a popular girl, I did not like that some people were considered unpopular. I did not think that classifying and judging people to be better then someone else was fair or justified. I was friends with everyone in high school and refused to get involved in the bullying that was happening all around me. It was during my junior year of High School that I took action. I spoke with my high school guidance department and expressed my concern with the targeting of the underprivileged or unpopular students in the school. I told them that I wanted to do something about the problem and begged for their support. I was granted permission to start an Anti-harassment Group, which I successfully did with the assistance of some other recruited students. Together we went out of our way to provide all students with friendships and support. We revised the schools policy on bullying, created anti-bullying contracts, gave presentations to all classes (high school, middle school, and elementary), and spent time with fellow students who were often targeted by others. We as popular students discouraged bullying and worked hard to change the reputation of bullying being cool. I carry this compassion to help others with me in practice and think that it is important for social workers to show emotional expression when working with clients. I feel that it is absolutely appropriate to express ones emotions and show compassion and affection when working in this field. Although I maintain that emotional expression is important, I believe that maintaining therapeutic boundaries with clients is equally important. I also agree with The Code of Ethics that social workers should not engage in any physical contact with clients if there is a possibility that the contact may cause psychological harm (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 407). As the Assistant Program Manager of an Adolescent Community Residence, I ran into issues surrounding therapeutic boundaries and emotional expression of client and workers on multiple occasions. Adolescents remained in the group home for approximately 1 Â ½-2 years. Many of the residents in the group home sought out affection from the staff. When a resident was having a rough time, I felt that it was appropriate to give them a hug and reassure them that staff was there to support them and help them get through their difficult times. I felt that by using the emotional expression of myself helped to develop a trusting and therapeutic relationship. As it is my desire to work with children and adolescents, I imagine that I will have to confront issues of emotional expression of self and therapeutic boundaries in the future. I think that in practice, I will have to be conscious and use my discretion about the amount of emotional support used while working with clients. I also think that it will be important for me to consider a clients race, culture, gender, past experiences, etc. on how comfortable the client may or may not be with emotional expression and physical contact. Religious Beliefs Growing up I had very little exposure to religion; however, I was able to recognize the impact religion and spirituality has on other peoples lives. Religion and spirituality became a reality to me when I studied abroad in Thailand. Religion and spirituality was at the center of their culture, and guided their decisions and attitudes on a daily basis. Although I have limited knowledge in this area, enmeshing myself in Thai culture made me recognize the power spirituality and religion can have on people and society as a whole. I also have witnessed the therapeutic effect religion and spirituality can have people. The NASW Code of Ethics (2006-2009) states that, Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, and mental or physical disability. Although I do not consider myself a religious person, I think that it is crucial for social workers to understand the religious and spiritual beliefs of their clients. I am in agreement with Dale et al. (2006) that understanding the importance of spirituality, the nature of organized religion, and secular uses of religion is key in understanding the development of human character and social institutions. Without gaining this insight, a social worker may offend or disrespect their client simply because they are not aware of lifestyles and customs based in their spirituality o r religion. As a social worker I will encourage my clients to discuss their spiritual and religious beliefs and how it affects their lives. Based on my limited knowledge about this area, I will have to be extra cautious not to judge or stereotype people because of their religious or spiritual choice. If clients want to discuss religion and spirituality, I will be straight forward with them and let them know that I have limited knowledge in that area but that I am open to listening and learning about their beliefs and experiences with religion and spirituality. Provision and Utilization of Social Services I believe that the concept of social services and providing assistance to people in need is very important to the field of social work. I understand that the goal of social services is to help people financially, provide food assistance, disaster relief, medical services, and employment; however, I believe that the process to obtain these services needs to be streamlined. The lengthy and humiliating process that people/families in need have to endure can cause further emotional distress on the individual and family. Growing up I have witnessed people too embarrassed or humiliated to utilize social services due to the stigma associated with it. I experienced this first hand while helping families at the Community Residence I worked at try to obtain the services they needed. Often times, I would wait in lengthy lines with the families I worked with trying to help them obtain assistance and then be denied do to the paperwork or documentation not being enough for what is needed, or the families to be ineligible for services. I believe that many people/families are being turned down for services based on the many provisions and specific requirements. Although some people/families that are denied services can establish other means to survive, not all can do so. I understand that there needs to be regulations on services; however, I do not believe that anyone should be denied help obtaining the services they need for survival (i.e. food, shelter, medical care, etc.). The NASW Code of Ethics (2006-2009) maintains that Social workers should advocate for living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and should promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice. As social worker, I believe that it is their ethical responsibility to advocate for people in need and promote a persons right to self-determination. I think that given a chance and the tools needed; people can make positive changes in their lives. Belcher et al. (2004) examined faith-based interventions and the liberal social welfare state and came to the conclusion that although faith-based interventions could provide some basic supports, the driving force for social change should remain with the state. Although I agree that the state should be taking responsibility, I do respect faith-based interventions trying to step-up the plate and fill some gaps. As a social worker I believe that I will often find myself advocating for my clients need for social services. I believe that at times this process can become stressful and draining, as the current social service system is not meeting the needs of the people it is designed to serve. For example, if a family is denied for services because they make a couple dollars above the cutoff for services, I think that the system is being too simplistic and not considering the entirety of the situation. It is my belief that the social services system needs to take a more holistic approach instead of having extensive provisions, requirements, and cutoffs for the services. Pro-life Versus Pro-choice Ever since I can remember, my family instilled in me the belief that abortions were wrong and even considered them murder. As I approached the age of sexual activity, my family was very vocal about practicing safe sex and their views against abortion. My mother informed me that I was not a planned pregnancy and that although she was a teen mother and unprepared for the responsibility; she would have never made the choice to have an abortion. Despite my families strict beliefs regarding abortion, my values are different from my families. I believe that there are situations when abortions should occur or at least be the choice of the mother. The NASW Code of Ethics maintains that it is the social workers responsibility to promote the right of the clients to self-determination (p. 404) and defines that as being without government interference, people can make their own decisions about sexuality and reproduction (p. 147). Although I would not consider an abortion as an option for myself, I understand that to others, it might be the best option for them. Abramovitz (1996) pointed out that throughout history there have been policies and conditions that have forced women to make childbearing decisions based on the conditions of aid or public assistance, and I believe that is an infringement on their constitutional right of reproductive choice. As a social worker, I believe that it is my ethical responsibility to support and provide information so clients can make informed decisions when considering an abortion. I would find myself conflicted if working with a patient who has had multiple abortions, because despite considering myself pro-choice, I also have great value for life and giving life. I believe that all people should have reproductive choice, but should not abuse the decision to abort or use abortion as a form of birth control. Rights of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgendered People Growing up, one of my best friends had two mothers, as she would say. Throughout elementary school and middle school, I witnessed how my friend and her family were treated and I quickly understood why she did not want people to know about her mothers sexual orientation. We grew up in a small rural community and were not exposed to people of different sexual orientations or preferences very often. This friend was bullied and ridiculed in school by peers because of her mothers sexual orientation. I myself did not understand why two women would be together or in love; however, after getting to know my friends family, I came to realize that one could not control their feelings or who they fell in love with. Seeing the discrimination and prejudice that my friend and her family went through was very frustrating because after getting to know the family and understanding that it is okay to have different sexual orientations or preferences, I didnt consider them any different from my family or anyone elses. I had a similar experience in high school with one of my friends father being transgender and again witnessed a great deal of discrimination against this family. I dont think a person should be denied the right to love someone else based on sexual identity, preference, or orientation. I do not understand how people can be denied the right of marriage, a union between two people, because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. I agree with the NASW Code of Ethics that same gender and transgender individuals should be afforded the same rights and respect as all people (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 247). I feel that a challenging circumstance that I could face as a social worker will be to address families that have children or other relatives who are LGBT and do not approve of them. As a social worker it would be my ethical responsibility to educate on the right of self-determination and nondiscrimination.