African American Religion Essay

Before Africans were brought to America during the slave trade, they had their own culture and society. They had their own language and dance. They also had their own religion. History tells us that the Europeans justified their abuse toward the Africans as helping them become more civilized because the Africans lifestyle appeared primal to them and not as developed and industrialized as theirs. What is often overlooked is that even though Africans were taken from Africa and Americanized and have been stripped of their religion, culture, language and even their name, the very essence of the African as a people did not go away. Some African American slaves rejected Christianity’s religion because they saw it as the â€Å"white man’s religion†. History tells us American Slave Masters abused the Africans by whipping them like animals and by treating them inhumane. The fact that these slave masters wanted the African American to worship their god was unacceptable for some because they could not fathom why they should worship a god who allowed people to be so badly treated. Some Africans accepted Christianity’s religion and faith by identifying with Jesus Christ, the son of God who according to the Bible was innocent of sin and yet he was beaten, bruised and crucified for the sins of the world. Some African Americans wanted to remain faithful to their heritage yet did not agree with the conjure practices. Seth Holly’s character is a good example of conforming to the economic prosperity of America which was founded by Christians. White Christians enforced Christian beliefs, values, and some practices based on the Euro American Christian interpretation of Christian text. Seth developed a kind of hatred for his own people proving that he has adopted the practices of white America in the early 1900s. â€Å"Niggers coming up here from that old backwoods†¦ coming up here from the country carrying Bibles and guitars looking for freedom. † Seth says. â€Å"They got a rude awakening† (6). Seth signifies the African American who resents assimilation to the white American culture. But, at the same time, he too attempts to connect with his heritage by simply allowing Bynum to live in his home and bless it with his conjures rituals. Seth also participates in an African dance ritual called the Juba. Bynum’s character is introduced by practicing conjure rituals. He cuts open pigeons and spreads its blood onto him as a type of cleansing to communicate with spirits. Bynum represents the African American who chose to remain faithful to the religion of his heritage. Others who have chosen the faith of Christianity view conjure rituals as evil, witchcraft, or demonic. Some African Americans wanted to remain faithful to their heritage yet did not agree with conjure practices anymore. Loomis walks in on the juba dance and goes into a trance after dinner at the boarding house. He had a vision of skeletons emerge from a body of water. â€Å"Loomis: I done seen bones rise up out the water. Rise up and walk across the water. Bones walking on top of the water† (53). Loomis recognizes through the vision, his state of ignorance to the knowledge that will lead him to the new way of thinking. Bynum serves as a supporting character reacting to Loomis’s trance. â€Å"Bynum: They walking around here now. Mens. Just like you and me. Come right up out the water† (56). Loomis’s trance and Bynum’s interpretation of it is a turning point in the story. The skeletons coming from the bottom of the sea in Loomis’s vision represent the slave ships, the disorientation experienced by the slaves during emancipation, and the confusion of his release from Joe Turner. Both Loomis and Bynum have tapped into their ancestral religion. The difference between the two is that Bynum represents the African who never renounced his religion and Loomis is the African-American who turned from conjure religion and converted to the faith of Christianity. After Joe turner took his life away from him, Loomis questioned his Christian faith and his identity. By walking in on the ancestral ritual of the Juba dance, Loomis literally walked into what he had actually been looking for, his religion, consequently, his ancestral identity and this is why he fell into the trance. Throughout the play conjures is encompasses four generations; Bynum’s father, Bynum, Loomis, and the neighbor boy Reuben. Reuben’s vision is of Seth’s mother by the pigeon coop, she encourages Reuben to release the caged pigeons. Wilson writes in a way that leads the reader to believe that Loomis needs to find his missing wife. Martha Pentecost is not the one who was lost; Loomis was the one who was lost, wondering around from town to town, searching. Loomis came into the state of belief when Bynum helped him translate his vision. That vision represented Loomis going back to his ancestral conjure religion. Loomis needed to find Martha Pentecost simply to say good-bye to her and their life former together. Up until this point of the story, I believed that Loomis needed to find his wife so they could live out the rest of their lives as a happy free family with their daughter. However, it is made pretty obvious this was never Loomis’s intentions. â€Å"That goodbye kept me out on the road searching,† Loomis says, â€Å"now that I see your face I can say my goodbye and make my own world† (90). Martha Pentecost, a woman of Christian faith, represents the African who assimilated into white America’s culture and Loomis needed to find her to say good-bye to her and the Christian faith. Martha stands by her Christian faith by accusing Loomis â€Å"you done gone over to the devil† (91). White man’s religion believed that conjure was evil or the way of the devil. Loomis finds it easier to reject her for her Christian beliefs. â€Å"Loomis: Great big old white man†¦your Mr. Jesus Christ. Standing there with a whip in one hand and a tote board in another, them niggers swimming in a sea of cotton† (92). Loomis proves with his statement, his version of a bible story that differed from other African Americans but was similar to that of the white man who believed that they were on a level below God and the African’s were beneath them, African’s were one third of a person. Loomis now believes that if African’s are going to be free then they have to take charge of their own destiny. Martha Pentecost represents the African American’s religion, she identifies that Loomis needs to â€Å"be washed in the blood of the lamb† (92) and â€Å"you done gone over to the devil. (91) Through class lessons I learned that African American slaves compared themselves with stories in the bible to instill hope of a life free from oppression, violence, and bondage. Jesus according to the bible was innocent of sin and yet he was beaten, bruised and crucified for the sins of the world. The hope of reigning in heave with Jesus is considered the ultimate reward for suffering life’s trials and tribulations. It is the faith of the African Americans who accepted Christianity religion. Blacks trusted in the Lord instead of man. America was Egypt in the exodus story and as long as the enslaving and oppressing took place America would face the same wrath as Egypt. â€Å"Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. † The bible was depended on in justifying and motivation rebellion for the blacks and used as a tool to keep blacks enslaved by the whites. African Americans used sermons, song, and prayer to convey and teach their message of travail and triumph of Israel. Some African Americans could not get past the treatment from the white people that called themselves Christians and as a result they rejected Christianity. Selig’s role suggests that the link between characters is the acquisition of material goods. Selig admits that his ancestors have always made their living pursuing African Americas; his great grandfather transported slaves from Africa, his father captured runaway slaves and returned them to their masters for a reward, and Selig locates displaced people for a fee. Selig attains his ecstasy through consumer capitalism, through the selling of material goods. African Americans are objects for exploitation and exchange in the new economy. He binds African Americans to the economic system, demanding payment of his services and products which necessitates subsistence labor by taking them from one construction site or work site to another, similar to a temporary employment agency today. You pay for an employee to work for some time, but Selig is getting paid by the person looking for work or a ride to a chance of freedom. Selig cannot find a person that has not purchased a dustpan from him because he keeps the names of his customers. Seth is determined to achieve material success, he has very little patience for African Americans migrating north looking for the same prosperity that he desires. Seth is very demanding of his patrons, insisting on advance payment in full, and is preoccupied with maintaining a respectable house. â€Å"It’s hard enough now without all that ignorant kind of acting. Ever since slavery got over with there ain’t been nothing but foolish-acting niggers. Word get out they need men to work in the mill and put in these roads†¦ and niggers drop everything and head north looking for freedom. (5, 6) Seth wants to blend in with the white man’s world; therefore he keeps a link with Selig by negotiating the manufacturing and sale of dustpans. Seth does not have any idea of what it would be like to be a slave, as he was born free in the North and was educated. He demonstrates his education with his math calculation when dealing with the boarding house patrons and the quick notation of him letting Selig know that he is trying to overcharge him for the dust pan materials. Educational differences played a role in tension with Southern blacks, most of who were forbidden from learning to read, saw religion as a matter of oral tradition nd immediate experience and emotion. Northerner blacks, stressed that one could not truly be Christian unless they was able to read the Bible and understand it. This play denies individual worth and identity for some of Wilson’s characters. To be defrauded of the products of one’s labor or to see that creation diminished, like with Jeremy and the guitar contest, is to be denied a reflection of individual worth and identity. If people have been separated from this truth of individual worth and identity through oppression their capacity to bond with one another, form friendships, or couples, families are undermined. Social alienation in Wilson’s characters are expressed in their stores of broken relationships, uncertainty, or suspicion that they feel toward one another. â€Å"Seth: Something ain’t setting right with that fellow, Bynum. He’s one of them mean-looking niggers look like he done killed somebody gambling over a quarter. †(20) Connection between oppression, alienation from self and inability to form bonds with others is displayed in the character of Loomis. Joe Turner’s ability to oppress Loomis carried a judgment of non-worth. â€Å"Loomis: He told me I was worthless. Worthless is something you throw away. Something you don’t bother with† (73) Turners judgment of worthlessness forced Loomis to accept the reality of the white man’s power; he was marked as â€Å"one of Joe Turners niggers and forced to forget his song. †(71) Being alienated from himself and displaced with his relation to the world, Loomis is unable to establish bonds with people around him. The oppression encountered by Wilson’s characters is material or economic, that oppression is spiritual as well in the capacity to deprive the individual of a sense of himself or his unique song. The reawakening of Loomis after his encounter with cultural wisdom is not the self discovery of an average African American but creation of a new source of cultural wisdom, a new African holy man. Wilson uses many metaphors throughout the play. The song is a metaphor for Loomis’s identity and the African American cultural identity. Music is a large part of African American identity, so it makes since that in search of one’s identity they are searching for their song. The boarding house serves as an inn for traveling folk, but the tenants actually receive a form of healing during their stay. Tenants get direction and guidance from Bertha and Bynum. The shiny man that Bynum is in search for signifies African American independence. The man that Bynum met on the road was an independent African American, just as Loomis was freed by his past when he cleansed himself in his own blood. â€Å"Bynum: Herald Loomis, you shining! You shining like new money! †(94) Loomis has dismissed that the blood of Christ can wash away his sins and make him the man he used to be, but by washing himself in his own blood he has sacrificed the old life to begin his new journey on his terms. Bynum’s shining man has been found, meaning his work is complete; he has passed his powers on to the next generation, Loomis. â€Å"They tell me Joe Turner’s come and Gone† is a song that is sung by Bynum, when I first read the story I thought that the meaning was came and now he is dead however, the second time I read the play I realized that it meant that Joe Turner has come and snatched the men and now he is now gone. August Wilson uses symbolism in the play as a very important part in conveying the meaning of the story. Wilson’s use of symbolism is demonstrated through Mr.  Wilson’s use of the road, Martha Pentecost, and Herald Loomis. Symbolic importance is give to the word freedom. The word freedom has instilled hope into the lives of African Americans: during slavery, hope for the release from bondage; after emancipation, the right to be educated, employed, and to move about freely; twentieth century, social, political, and economic justice. Freedom has always stood for the absence of any restraint, because God made all men from his image. There are a number of characters that travel around searching for their place in the world. Mattie, mentions that she keeps on looking, seems like she just keeps starting over, I ain’t never found no place for me to fit. † (76) Reuben tells Zonia, when he finds out that she is leaving the boarding house in search of her mom, â€Å"when I get grown, I come looking for you. †(84) Jeremy does not seem to care much when he loses his job because, â€Å"don’t make me no difference. There’s a big road out there, I can always get my guitar and find me a place to stay. I ain’t planning on staying in one place for too long noway. (64) Martha & Reverend Tolliver moved the Church up north because of the trouble the church was having. When the Civil War finally brought freedom to previously enslaved African Americans, the task of organizing religious communities was only one element of the larger need to create new lives, to reunite families, to find jobs, and to figure out what it would mean to live in the United States as citizens rather than property. August Wilson’s play, Joe Turner’s come and Gone, examines African Americans search for their cultural identity following slavery.

Explain the Sequence and Rate of Each Aspect of Development Essay

Holistic development: The first month Physical development The gross motor skills that the baby of 0-1 month old will develop is that the baby lies supine (on his or her back) and the fine motor skills will be the baby turns his or her head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Communication and language development Babies need to respond to sounds, especially familiar voices. And babies need to share language experiences and cooperate with others from birth onwards. From the start babies need other people. Intellectual development Babies explore through their senses and through their own activity and movement. Touch From the beginning babies feel pain. Sound Even a new born baby will turn to a sound. The baby might become still and listen to a low sound, or quicken his or her movements when he or she hears a high sound. Taste The baby likes sweet tastes, e. g. breast milk. Smell The baby turns to the smell of the breast. Sight The baby can focus on objects 20cm away. Emotional and social development A baby’s first smile in definite response to carer is usually around 3-6 weeks. Also the baby often imitates certain facial expressions. This is showing that the baby is starting to develop being able to respond to different things. Holistic development: from one to four months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are: the baby can now turn from side to back, and can also lift its head briefly from the prone position. Some of the fine motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are; the baby turns its head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Some of the gross motor skills the baby develops form eight to twelve weeks are; when lying supine, the baby’s head is in a central position and it can also lift its head and chest off a bed in prone position, supported on forearms. Some of the fine motor skills the baby develops from eight to twelve weeks are; the baby moves his or her head to follow adult movements and the baby watches his or her hands and plays with his or her fingers. Communication and language development From four to eight weeks the baby recognises the carer and familiar objects, makes non-crying noises such as cooing and gargling and then moves on to often sucking or licking its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. From eight to twelve weeks the baby is still distressed by sudden loud noises and often sucks or licks its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. Intellectual development The baby recognises differing speech sounds and by three months the baby can even imitate low or high pitched sounds. Emotional and social development The baby will smile in response to an adult and the baby enjoys sucking. Then the baby shows enjoyment at caring routines such as bath time. Holistic development from four to six months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills; the baby is beginning to use a palmar grasp and can transfer objects from hand to hand. It is very interested in all activity and everything is taken to the mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby now has good head control and is beginning to sit with support. It can roll over from back to side and is beginning to reach for objects. And when supine the baby plays with his or her own feet. Communication and language development The baby becomes more aware of others so he or she communicates more and more. As the baby listens, he or she imitates sounds he or she can her and reacts to the tone of someone’s voice. For example, the baby might become upset by an angry tone, or cheered by a happy tone. Intellectual development By four months the baby reaches for objects, which suggest they recognise and judge the distance in relation to the size of the object. The baby prefers complicated things to look at from five to six months and enjoys bright colours. The baby also knows that he or she has one mother. The baby is disturbed if he or she is shown several images of his or her mother at the same time. The baby realises that people are permanent before they realise that objects are. Emotional and social development The baby shows trust and security and has recognisable sleep patterns. Holistic development from six to nine months Some of the gross motor skills; the baby can roll from front to back. He or she may attempt to crawl but will often end up sliding backwards. Also the baby may grasp their feet and place them in his or her mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby is very alert to people and objects. The baby is beginning to use a pincer grasp with thumb and finger, and can transfer toys from one hand to the other and looks for fallen objects. Communication and language development Babble becomes tuneful, like the lilt of the language the baby can hear. They become to understand words like ‘up’ and ‘down’, raising their arms to be lifted up and using appropriate gestures. The baby may also be able to repeat sounds. Intellectual development The baby understands signs, e. g. the bib means that food is coming. From eight to nine months the baby shows that he or she knows objects exist when they have gone out of sight, even under test conditions. This is called the concept of object constancy, or the object permanence test (Piaget). The baby is also fascinated by the way objects move. Emotional and social development The baby can manage to feed him- or herself using his or her fingers. They are now more wary of strangers, sometimes showing stranger fear. For example if a stranger comes close to the baby and it moves away towards another person, this shows that the baby is fearful of strangers and gains security from the person it moves to. Also the baby might show distress when his or her mother leaves. For example if the mother leaves the room and the baby starts crying, then this shows that the baby feels insecure when the mother is out of sight. Holistic development from nine to twelve months Physical development Gross motor skills; the baby will now be mobile- may be crawling, bear-walking, bottom shuffling or even walking. The baby can sit up on his or her own and lean forward to pick things up. Also the baby may crawl upstairs and onto low items of furniture and may even bounce in rhythm to music. Fine motor skills; the baby’s pincer grasp is now well developed and he or she can pick things up and pull them towards him or her. The baby can poke with one finger and will point to desired objects. They can also clasp hands and imitate adults’ actions. Communication and language development The baby can follow simple instructions e. g. kiss teddy. Word approximations appear e. g. ‘hee haw’ to indicate a donkey, or more typically ‘mumma’, ‘dadda’ and ‘bye-bye’ in English speaking contexts. Also the tuneful babble develops into ‘jargon’ and the baby makes his or her voice go up and down just as people do when they talk to each other. Intellectual development The baby is beginning to develop images. Memory develops and the baby and remember the past. The baby can anticipate the future. This give it some understanding of routine daily sequences, e. g. after a feed, changing, and a sleep with teddy. Also the baby imitates actions, sounds, gestures and moods after an event is finished, e. g. imitate a temper tantrum he or she saw a friend have the previous day, wave bye-bye remembering Grandma has gone to the shops. Emotional and social development The baby enjoys songs and action rhymes, still likes to be near to a familiar adult but will also play alone for long periods of time. Spiritual aspects of a baby’s development Even a tiny baby experiences a sense of self, and values people who are loved by them. Spiritually is about the developing sense of relationship with self, relating to others ethically, morally and humanly and a relationship with the universe. The baby can drink from a cup with help, and shows definite likes and dislikes at mealtimes and bedtimes. Also the baby will start to cooperate when being dressed and likes to look at him- or herself in a mirror (plastic safety mirror). Holistic development from one to two years Physical development Gross motor skills (15 months); the baby probably walks alone now, with feet wide apart and arms raised to maintain balance. He or she is likely to fall over and often sit down suddenly. The baby can also probably manage stairs and steps, but will need supervision. Gross motor skills (18 months); the child walks confidently and is able to stop without falling. The child can also kneel, squat, climb and carry things around with him or her. Fine motor skills (15months); the baby can build with a few bricks and arrange toys on the floor, can hold a crayon in palmar grasp and turns several pages of a book at once, and can also point to a desired object. Fine motor skills (18 months); the child can thread large beads, build a tower of several cubes and uses a pincer grasp to pick up small objects. Communication and language development The child begins to talk with words or sign language, and by 18 months, the child enjoys trying to sing as well as to listen to songs and rhymes. Action songs (e. g. ‘pat-a-cake’) are much loved. Intellectual development The child understands the names of objects and can follow simple instructions, the child also learns about other things through trial and error. Emotional and social development The child begins to have a longer memory and develops a sense of identity (I am me). Also the child expresses his or her needs in words and gestures and enjoys being able to walk, and is eager to try to get dressed – ‘Me do it! ’ Holistic development from two to three years Physical development Gross motor skills; the child is very mobile, can run safely and can climb up onto furniture. The child can walk up and downstairs, usually two feet to a step. The child then moves on to being able to jump from a low step, walk backwards and sideways and can stand and walk on his or her tiptoes and stand on one foot. In my workplace all of the children this age are able to do all of these things. But the girls are all more developed than the boys. For example, with have a boy that is three years of age, and a girl that’s the same. The girl is able to write her name, speak fluently, help other children who aren’t as well developed as her and she even tells me when someone is doing something wrong. Whereas the boy can hardly speak yet, and when he does no one can understand what he’s saying. Michael Gurian, a noted educator and author, has shown through research that â€Å"hard-wiring and socialized gender differences affect how boys and girls learn. † Simply put, male and female brains are equal but different. â€Å"Boys use the right hemisphere more, and girls the left,† (Gurian, M. 2007) Fine motor skills; the child can draw circles, lines and dots using preferred hand. The child can pick up tiny objects using a fine pincer grasp. The child then moves on to being able to build tall towers of bricks or blocks and can control a pencil using thumb and first two fingers (a dynamic tripod grasp).

Case Pneumonia Essay Example for Free

Case Pneumonia Essay Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection. It is also called Pneumonitis or Bronchopneumonia. Pneumonia can be a serious threat to our health. Although pneumonia is a special concern for older adults and those with chronic illnesses, it can also strike young, healthy people as well. It is a common illness that affects thousands of people each year in the Philippines, thus, it remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. There are many kinds of pneumonia that range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. In infectious pneumonia, bacteria, viruses, fungi or other organisms attack your lungs, leading to inflammation that makes it hard to breathe. Pneumonia can affect one or both lungs. In the young and healthy, early treatment with antibiotics can cure bacterial pneumonia. The drugs used to fight pneumonia are determined by the germ causing the pneumonia and the judgment of the doctor. It’s best to do everything we can to prevent pneumonia, but if one do get sick, recognizing and treating the disease early offers the best chance for a full recovery. A case with a diagnosis of Pneumonia may catch one’s attention, though the disease is just like an ordinary cough and fever, it can lead to death especially when no intervention or care is done. Since the case is a toddler, an appropriate care has to be done to make the patient’s recovery faster. Treating patients with pneumonia is necessary to prevent its spread to others and make them as another victim of this illness. The lungs constitute the largest organ in the respiratory system. They play an important role in respiration, or the process of providing the body with oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. The lungs expand and contract up to 20 times per minute taking in and disposing of those gases. Air that is breathed in is filled with oxygen and goes to the trachea, which branches off into one of two bronchi. Each bronchus enters a lung. There are two lungs, one on each side of the breastbone and protected by the ribs. Each lung is made up of lobes, or sections. There are three lobes in the right lung and two lobes in the left one. The lungs are cone shaped and made of elastic, spongy tissue. Within the lungs, the bronchi branch out into minute pathways that go through the lung tissue. The pathways are called bronchioles, and they end at microscopic air sacs called alveoli. The alveoli are surrounded by capillaries and provide oxygen for the blood in these vessels. The oxygenated blood is then pumped by the heart throughout the body. The alveoli also take in carbon dioxide, which is then exhaled from the body. Inhaling is due to contractions of the diaphragm and of muscles between the ribs. Exhaling results from relaxation of those muscles. Each lung is surrounded by a two-layered membrane, or the pleura, that under normal circumstances has a very, very small amount of fluid between the layers. The fluid allows the membranes to easily slide over each other during breathing. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY Pneumonia is a serious infection or inflammation of your lungs. The air sacs in the lungs fill with pus and other liquid. Oxygen has trouble reaching your blood. If there is too little oxygen in your blood, your body cells can’t work properly. Because of this and spreading infection through the body pneumonia can cause death. Pneumonia affects your lungs in two ways. Lobar pneumonia affects a section (lobe) of a lung. Bronchial pneumonia (or bronchopneumonia) affects patches throughout both lungs. Bacteria are the most common cause of pneumonia. Of these, Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common. Other pathogens include anaerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, C. psittaci, C. trachomatis, Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, Legionella pneumophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and other gram-negative bacilli. Major pulmonary pathogens in infants and children are viruses: respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, and influenza A and B viruses. Among other agents are higher bacteria including Nocardia and Actinomyces sp; mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and atypical strains; fungi, including Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Pneumocystis carinii; and rickettsiae, primarily Coxiella burnetii (Q fever). The usual mechanisms of spread are inhaling droplets small enough to reach the alveoli and aspirating secretions from the upper airways. Other means include hematogenous or lymphatic dissemination and direct spread from contiguous infections. Predisposing factors include upper respiratory viral infections, alcoholism, institutionalization, cigarette smoking, heart failure, chronic obstructive airway disease, age extremes, debility, immunocompromise (as in diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure), compromised consciousness, dysphagia, and exposure to transmissible agents. Typical symptoms include cough, fever, and sputum production, usually developing over days and sometimes accompanied by pleurisy. Physical examination may detect tachypnea and signs of consolidation, such as crackles with bronchial breath sounds. This syndrome is commonly caused by bacteria, such as S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. NURSING PROFILE a. Patient’s Profile Name: R. C. S. B. Age: 1 yr,1 mo. Weight:10 kgs Religion: Roman Catholic Mother: C. B. Address: Valenzuela City b. Chief Complaint: Fever Date of Admission: 1st admission Case Pneumonia. (2018, Oct 16).

The Events Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Events Industry - Essay Example In this study, a report will be presented in relation to the business/trade event sector. The report will be intended towards the presenting to a new events based company Phoenix Event Planning which is looking forward to diversify into business/trade sector of event industry. Historical Development Event management is one of the fastest growing industries all over the world. It includes hosting of numerous events of distinct stature. It has been noted that arranging for birthday parties and weddings is considered as one of the social issues that needs to be managed by the trained professionals (JuliaSilvers, 2011). It was identified by UK Events Market Trends Survey (UKEMTS) that the revenues generated by the event management companies in the years 2006-2008 had been 7.2 billion. The event industry of the UK presents numerous career opportunities. There are various organisations that tend to deliver the events such as the corporate companies, agencies, publishing companies, venues a nd festivals (Leicester Shire Promotions, 2010). There are large companies who have an in-house event team such as in banks, retail companies and automotives. Most of the organisations conduct numerous events all over the year such as conferences, management meetings, customer focused events and external events such as sports and arts. Venues in the UK are capable of offering themselves as an event venue. Even at the publishing companies, there are live events that are generally conducted all through the year. With the greater scope in the event management sector, most of the companies are entering into the event management industry. One of them has been Phoenix Event Planning that entered into the markets of the UK, Lancashire in the year 2008 and is providing its services all around the UK. It aims at providing tailored services to its clients (FreeIndex, 2011). It has been noted that since the past three years the company has organised numerous parties, weddings and events for di fferent clients (Pheonix Event Planning, n.d.). It can be mentioned that the company is already into social events and cultural events. In planning to diversify into a new sector; the company can enter into business/trade shows. Tradeshows can also be known as exhibitions where the traders are allowed to demonstrate regarding their latest products to the public. Trade shows are conducted at a continuous basis by all the markets and thus tend to attract the members of the public. Exhibition has been into existence since a long period of time and the first trade show took place approximately 2500 years ago (Pyramid Visuals, n.d.). It has been noted that huge amount of money is spent in business or tradeshows/exhibitions by the marketers every year. The tradeshow organisers are providing learning contents, consultative opportunities and demonstration theatres as few of the main characteristics of the events. The companies as well take benefits of the opportunities (Conventions, 2011). Demographic Profiling It has been noted that for executing a major event, it takes almost 150 hours for an event planner as well as the staffs of the planner to execute a major event. There are innumerable numbers of business/trade events that are held in the United Kingdom. Most of the business/trade shows take place twice in a year as well. The different trade shows held are International Fire Expo, the UK national footwear exhibition, the UK national

Personal Philosophy of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Philosophy of Education - Essay Example Education assists students become responsible members of the society in their adulthood. All learners should develop emotional, cognitive and social skills that are essential for success in life. I believe that a teacher should be a role model and a guide in order to enhance learning. Just like Socrates asserted that unexamined life is not worth living, all students should be allowed to decide the learning styles and goals. I believe that both formal and informal classroom assessments are essential in stimulating the brains of students and improving the knowledge retention capacity. I believe that teachers should examine the learning outcomes of the students after every topic covered in the classroom (Ornstein, Levine & Gutek, 2011). My philosophy of education is based on idealism, experimentalism, progressivism and behavior change. An effective teacher should develop and nurture unique student skills and capabilities. Since knowledge is not static and new methods of solving problems keep on being implemented, teachers should guide students in solving problems through case studies of hypothetical real life scenarios. As a teacher, I will require students to analyze case studies and make recommendations on the effective methods of solving the problem (Ornstein, Levine & Gutek, 2011). ... Emotional skills help the students to have social-control and resolve disputes without engaging in violence. I use different encouraging and motivating words that enable students to express their ideas and participate in discussions during learning. I have taught all my students other essential skills like time management, writing skills and problem analysis skills (Ornstein, Levine & Gutek, 2011). I believe that mental skills, attitudes and psychomotor skills are basic learning capabilities. I am able to guide my students to improve their memory capacity. Students should be able to translate facts and knowledge in problem solving. Students should synthesize knowledge for new meaning. I believe that student attitudes and behaviors should be controlled in order to enhance learning. I believe that a balance of responsibility and personal freedom will assist my students to work independently and also have a good working relationship with peers during group discussions. All students shou ld appreciate individual and unique differences and appreciate cultural diversity in order to minimize chances of stereotyping their peers during learning. In managing the classroom, I believe that learning should occur in a positive environment that is friendly. Learning activities should be supportive and classroom rules that are enforceable are essential in controlling the behavior of learners. The physical environment should not be disruptive or dangerous. The classroom sitting arrangement should allow the teacher the opportunity to move around and monitor the student learning progress. There should be a procedure that students can use while seeking assistance. For instance, the classroom rules will require the student to rise up

Strategic Planning for International Travel Essay

Strategic Planning for International Travel - Essay Example In the "Strategic planning for international travel" essay, the author describes the prevailing situation in the travel industry in the United Kingdom. The importance of International travel, infrastructure and public-private partnership for UK International Travel are described. Most of the European countries belong to the category of developed nation, and the countries like United Kingdom (UK), France, Germany, Italy etc are the major economic powers. As this paper deals with the international travel of UK, the focus will be on this country. European nations are economically and technically developed and hence, their transportation and travel system are quite advanced. UK is one of the leading financial powers of Europe. Its GDP as per purchasing power is nearly $2.189 trillion and per capita GDP is recorded $35,100 during 2010 (CIA, 2011). After the financial crisis of 2007-2008, its economic growth has experienced a steep downfall. However, UK’s economy is now at its recov ering stage and government is trying to bring further developments by encouraging trade and business. Tours and travels is an important aspect for the growth of trade and business and hence, the government is trying to improve its infrastructure and technology for availing better transportation system. The services industries are playing very crucial role in UK as 75% of its GDP is contributed by these services sectors. UK’s services industries include a number of sectors like transport, communication, financial, distribution, distribution, tourism etc. (U.S. Department of State, 2010). Increases trade and business activities in UK have necessitated major infrastructural and

Entrepreneurship and small business development Essay - 1

Entrepreneurship and small business development - Essay Example In the review, I have chosen different entrepreneurs, where each displays different qualities such as motivation, leadership, invention, innovation, and change. A study of the factors that have motivated Donald Trump in the course of his business start-up Entrepreneurship is a difficult practice to start and become successful; it is highly influenced by many factors such as motivation. Motivation refers to encouragements one gets as he is doing something to be successful. It can be inform of incentives, encouraging words, and showing someone else hat you are proud of their work. Donald Trump ventured into business with his mentor, his father, who by then was a real estate dealer under Trump organization. The following is a literature review of the biography of Donald Trump, which looks at his path to success, clearly looking into what motivated him as an entrepreneur who clearly became successful in his businesses. Donald’s father, Fredric C. Trump, was an enormous influence a nd a significant motivator of Donald. Donald exemplified exquisite wok after joining his father’s company after college. In his endeavors, while working under his father’s wing, he made prodigious deals on behalf of Trump organization making his father proud. Subsequently, as a way of motivating his son, Fredrick encouraged by showing it through proud comments such as â€Å"some of my best deals were made by my son, Donald†¦.everything he touches turns to gold,†(Bio 2011). Moreover, Donald also admitted that his father was an ardent influencer in his business life; occasionally he could confess that his father was a terrific mentor as he had the opportunity to learn a lot about the construction industry, a fact that has always boosted his career in the real estate industry. Soon after, a young Donald Trump moved to Manhattan, where he started-off his business, which has continuously expanded over the years. Factors that have motivated Bill Gates in the cour se of his business start-up The following analysis consists of a review of the path Bill Gates followed on his way to success. The review is of an article detailing the motivations that saw Gates to his success as he incorporated one of the most successful companies in the world. Bill Gates faced many challenges following his drastic measure to quit Harvard University and venture into creating operating software programs for computers. However, he had various things that motivated and kept his dreams afloat such as having a strong vision. Gates, as one of the most renowned entrepreneur, in the world, had an incredible vision as he started his career. In his mind, he dreamt of every desk having a computer as one of the vital tools one needed as they work. On starting his business, in the year 1975 and 1976, Bill gates, in his operations, posted losses, but this did not deter him from pursuing his dream (Famous People 2004). Bill is an entrepreneur consumed by the hunger of making mon ey; hence, from the start this factor always motivated him at work. As an entrepreneur, he is out to acquire returns; hence, he is motivated by this fact such that, he hires the best and ensures that his employees are well rewarded. Downfalls in business are a reason as to why many companies close down, and Bill Gates’ Microsoft Company is among the many that have faced some of the backlashes such as lack of release dates of their products among other problems. However, Bills strong will and motivation

SPECIAL REPORT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SPECIAL REPORT - Coursework Example The following are the traffic control strategies that have been put in place in Miami for the special event this year. The police should implement plans to educate road users in future on how to use roads during special events to avoid closure of roads, which is expensive and costly to both the police department in terms of labor needed to control traffic and to the residents in terms of time wasted in a crowded road. The police have issued guidelines and regulations that are going to ensure order during the major events at Miami Beach. According to Miami Beach Police Chief, the police analyzed the previous events and came up with a strategy to ensure a safe environment. The strategy will include directive orders to arrest people who are going to disrupt tranquility in Miami Beach. The police chief has said that the Police are hoping to avoid problems during this season by arresting people who are going to cause disturbance. According to Miami Beach’s police union the order, this weekend is for â€Å"patrol officers will need to meet an arrest quota of 2,000 arrests.†This number is two times the record of a thousand set in the previous years. In my opinion, this strategy is good except that the police should only make arrests to the offenders and not simply as a matter of meeting their target of 2,000 arrests. In my opinion, the police department has put in place extra measures which are different from the previous years and this is because of the increasing number of visitors that keep coming to Miami Beach each year. In previous years, the number of policy officers that were on the patrol was not as much as this year, and this is because of the increasing incidences of visitors who caused disturbance in the area. Similarly, the police have not been closing as many roads as it plans to close during this season. In my opinion, the police department should include the residents of Miami Beach to police the region during high season when

Nationwide retail theft, deterrents and the determination of risk Essay

Nationwide retail theft, deterrents and the determination of risk - Essay Example The paper tells that the current economic environment makes effective loss prevention more important than ever. The worldwide economic environment has been struggling in recent years as a consequence of a global economic crisis. This has resulted in the decrease in available finances for many people and markets. The financial crisis has had widespread effects across all sectors of the economy. For example, consumers have been faced with a lower amount of income, decreased job availability and an increased cost of living, while employers have found it necessary to lay off staff and tighten their margins to ensure that they remain profitable. Throughout the time the United States economy has suffered significantly, with the situation for many people across the country becoming desperate. Although the economy is slowly recovering, many people still struggle in obtaining the necessities required to survive. One consequence of this is that rates of theft have significantly increased and m any stores have less available staff to monitor security. A second effect of this is that it is becoming increasingly important for companies to limit their spending and increase revenue. Loss prevention significantly increases the company income, as the amount of money that is lost through theft can be high. The use of security systems is especially useful in this area as they are able to significantly reduce the number of staff that are required for security, and often increase effectiveness also. Making these changes now is important, as there are concerns that the country will continue to struggle economically. There is little change in the job market, and many people continue to struggle financially. Regardless of whether the economic climate improves in the near future or remains difficult the need for loss prevention remains a priority for any retail business. Managing Theft There are two general approaches to managing theft within a store. They are not necessarily mutually e xclusive, but generally a store will focus on one of these while putting only a small amount of effort on the second. The first approach is the use of plans, procedures and philosophies in place which focus on apprehending thieves and prosecuting them. The second approach is to focus on preventing theft from occurring in the first place. Both aspects are important to the management of loss within a business, and they can co-occur within an organization. Businesses generally focus on one of these two approaches as they require substantially different methods and training. In addition, both approaches have significant financial cost. . Each approach has its benefits, and which is most efficient depends on the type of organization in which it is being applied and the socioeconomic environment in which the particular store is centered. The concept of a brand is important for organizations. Many

Rewriting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Rewriting - Essay Example Talbot gives an example of atashi and boku in the Japanese language. Women use the first one while men use the second one to mean the same thing â€Å"I.† Although the people who speak Japanese language can tell the difference, other people may claim that the two terms have different meanings. The same case applies to other societies such as the Carib Indians. According to Johnson and Tannen, behavioral differences across genders affect speech presentation. Men and women have different roles in the families and in the society too. Therefore, women have a tendency of talking about family and social issues as opposed to men, who tend to spend more time talking about politics and work related issues. These differences, according to Johnson and Tennen (p.53), come out as power differences. Men are considered superior to women since they are involved and often discuss more important issues concerning work and society. Women on the other hand, are considered less powerful since they discuss family and personal issues. Men take the center stage in the conversation. They seem to initiate and control the discourse of any conversation. Women will join in the conversation when they are allowed or when it is necessary to do so. These differences in conversations are seen as power differences. 2. Provide several examples of politically-correct (or bias-free) language as discussed by Kakutani and of doublespeak as discussed by Lutz. Discuss some of the motivations in each case for why such changes in language have been proposed/ used. What are some of the ways in which politically correct language and doublespeak are different and some of the ways in which they are similar? With the increasing need for observing gender and political sensitivity, choice of words becomes necessary. According to Kakutani, there exists politically correct language that is used to avoid political bias. Some of the most common bias words include master, fellow, king, lord among others (p. 517).

ICT and an Adult in Education Essay Example for Free

ICT and an Adult in Education Essay Mr Williams is a teacher at my school, he teaches ICT and Business Studies at KS3, ICT at KS4, Form Tutor, Production, Collection and Collation of Reports for the whole of my school. He produces information on students and for staff to help in teaching and learning, he also produces statistics for staff, senior staff, LEA and DFES. He also produces information to do with effort grades ad target setting information. So he uses a lot of technology, this includes; * PCs on a Network * Apple Macs on a Network * Internet via 10MB broadband * E-mail * Laptop also on Network * Digital Video Camera * Digital Still Camera * Digital LCD Projector * Palm m515 PDA * Wireless Notebooks Window/MAC OS * USB Memory sticks * Data Logging Hardware * Control hardware/software * Fax * Also available Interactive Whiteboard Mr Williams is a teacher of I. C.T and business studies at Key Stage 3, teacher of I.C.T at Key Stage 4, Production, collection and collation of Reports for the whole school, effort grades and target setting information he produces also. He produces of information on students for staff to use which will help in teaching and learning. He has achieved the Electronic registration system for the whole school within 12 months for people to use and view. He performs general backup for staff using RM software, he also performs General Network Administration which is adding new pupils and staff users. He gives advice on purchasing new equipment for the whole school and departments. He selects, purchases and setups laptops for teachers using E-Learning. Mr Williams analyses exam results so senior staff and heads of years or departments so they are aware of achievement compared to the expected results. Staff are also able to view these results so they can be aware of performance issues. Subject staffs, heads of years and de partments, senior staff and form tutors are also able to access these results, grades and comments. Extra software is available which will help staff by using the system that was introduced by Mr Williams, (software produced using Microsoft Visual Basic). The RM Network The RM network system allows Mr Williams to access the information on students and is able to update it if needed such as if the student changes address or phone numbers. Mr Howells can now, after Mr Williams has set the network up, can get access to LEA Management Information System and the school records. Data bases are creates to hold student information on staffs users names or folders on their laptops. Mr Williams has also enabled access from home, using the internet and school passwords. He has also updates the Pupil Achievement Tracker software which allows staff to store progress of students within classes or year group. The RM connect system enables Mr Williams and two other members of staff, who are supervisor users, to access students work areas to solve problems and to check appropriate use of programmes and internet. The E-mail system is also filtered so inappropriate E-mails are redirected and staff are able to view them, the access of websites with inappropriate langua ge or content such as pictures, Mr Williams and the other two members can check. The RM system is set up to allows staff to open Read only documents so they can give students access to related subjects. Mr Williams uses this for providing information, revision materials, coursework guides and modelling situations and simulation materials. Also used is a Virtual CDROM software and a multimedia server this allows staff and students to access CDROM images, such as the Applied ICT On-Line course used in years 9, 10 and 11. Digital Multimedia Technology Mr Williams also uses digital multimedia technology to help provide teaching and learning resources. Mr Williams used a digital camcorder, a still camcorder and Video editing software on Apple computers on a programme called IMovie and Windows, Microsoft Movie Maker2 to interview staff in local company. The final video clips were used on Matchware Mediator, which helped him to produce a series of web pages which students now use for their coursework tasks. Digital LCD Projector Mr Williams uses a digital LCD projector to allow students to use and interact with progressing work. Either Mr Williams or a Student will control the PC being used in the demonstration or teaching session. Mr Williams also uses this technology with teachers on Inset days for staff. School Internet Network Mr Williams uses the internet the school provides for teaching and learning and links on the school system. The internet is used for research for topics and to help Mr Williams keep up to date with the education and subjects. Students and staff use the school e-mail system to communicate or send work for marking or that has been marked via E-mail. Mr Williams can view students progress on GCSE grades by using created databases in DataPower which stores coursework marks, comments and examination marks. Formulae is used to estimate the final grade the student may be given to the student, he can do this by using board supplied information. This information is shared with students and used to report back to parents. Virtual Learning Mr Williams has helped in the introduction of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The VLE allows students to upload web pages to the school system and also as a secure data and information storage area for students work. PDA Mr Williams uses PDA in school; this holds a lot of useful information such as Diary information, pupil performance information, examples of E-book for future reference by students in the school. Software and information can be beamed using Infra Red technology to members of staff or to certain Infra-Red equipped printers in the school. USB Stick Mr Williams has introduced the use of USB stick technology which enables transport of large amounts of data in a compact secure form (32 or 128 Mb at present). Data Logging and Control Hardware Mr Williams uses Data Logging and Control hardware in teaching and provides INSET days for ICT and Science staff, these days are needed to improve the quality of teach Wireless Mr Williams uses the wireless (55Mb) notebooks with students in school and with adult learners to allow them to experience new technology. The advantages are obvious, a lot more space recommended for each machine, extra infra form is required, (Wireless access points can be plugged into network sockets, for easy movement), students can also work in groups in a more adjustable way. The School Network The School Network System enables Mr Williams to access information on students or necessary by students or staff anywhere in the school. Software He uses a lot of software such as Microsoft Word Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, DataPower 2, Macromedia dreamweaver, Macromedia Fireworks, Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Freehand, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, Pupil Achievement Tracker (PAT), IMovie, Microsoft Movie Maker 2, QuickTime Pro, Microsoft Visual Basic, Internet Explorer, EasyMail and Outlook Express. Hardware and Network, Windows Desktop PCs, Windows Laptop, Apple IBooks (wireless) Apple G4 desktops, Apple Network using MACOS Xserver, RM Connect network using 5 NT4 servers and a multimedia server, Fibre Optic spine connecting four cabinets which contain Hubs and Switches, 100Mb Ethernet to the desktop, 10Mb Broadband Internet access with RM SmartCache technology, Palm m515 PDA using IR and USB technologies for transferring data. He also uses a Promethean Interactive Whiteboard, Sony digital video camera, Canon digital video camera, Sony digital still camera, Canon digital still camera. The Internet Mr Williams uses the internet for research, if he did not have the internet he would have to get information from textbooks, and use more textbooks during lessons while he teaches. If he had to do this it would be expensive. If he was not able to have access to the internet it would mean he would have to photocopy from books so he would have to arrange time before and after lessons to photocopy the information needed. To do this more money is needed to be spent and more time would be needed, so other jobs will not be able to be completed as time would be wasted on photocopying. As Mr Williams will always be up to date with resources as he uses the internet. Mr Williams also uses the internet to buy gifts for friends and family, such as buying tickets fro the cinema or theatre, with his friends and family. He likes using the internet to but gifts as he gets an online discount, that isnt available in the shops and by using the internet he doesnt have to waste time waiting in queues. Al though there is a disadvantage about purchasing online as he doesnt always get to see all the objects in the shop, and he also has to pay for delivery, but that works out the same as the amount of money he would of spent driving to the shop and parking. The PDA The PDA had several facilities this means Mr Williams will have all the information he needs for the day. If he didnt have this piece of technology Mr Williams wouldnt be able to travel around school to see students and teachers as he would have to carry lots of papers with him if he didnt have this technology. Sometimes he is not able to take his laptop into meetings but with this programme he is able to save work to his area, this is handy as he will never loose his work or information, like he would if he had to carry paper around with him. The PDA has facilities which a useful to Mr Williams, such as alarms and a diary, this meets his needs as he is never late to an appointment or meeting and never misses a private party or function, like a family members of friends birthday party. Digital Camcorder He uses a digital camcorder to create applications for his students ICT classes. This allows Mr Williams to download the resources directly to the system. Mr Williams can now uses student friendly resources in his teaching schedules, enriching and improving the experience of his students education. Memory Stick Mr Williams uses a memory stick which allows him to be more resourceful and more flexible in his job. This means Mr Williams can hold data on and be able to transport it around school easily. As he can store more work it means he can do more work at home in his own time in the evenings and at the weekend. This means Mr Williams can now spend more time at home as before he had a memory stick he would have had to spend more time at school, which before he felt he was missing out on his family life. Notebook Dell D810 He uses a Notebook Dell D810, this means he now has more freedom than he used too. Before he had this laptop it meant that he had to sit at a desktop, which is usually in a classroom, and could not get much work finished. This programme means that he can move around during school, as long as it has a wireless connection to the network, having this means he can complete all of his work. Microsoft Word This Microsoft programme can give Mr Williams a variety of options and facilities. One of the facilities is mail merge is useful for producing reports for students. If Mr Williams did not have this option of using Microsoft Word, it would take him an awful long time to add addresss and reports for students. The word processing software also checks his spelling and grammar so it looks professional and correct. Power Point is also used by Mr Williams to create presentations for students. Having this programme allows students how to create different fun pieces or work. E-Mail Mr Williams uses E-mail for school and his social life he uses this so he can send work to and from home, also he can sends work to students via e-mail, with suggestions on how to improve their work. He also uses this to communicate with his family and friends to arrange events in his social life. He likes e-mail because he knows that when he sent an e-mail, it will be viewed by the person he has sent it to, when they open their inbox. This therefore means he can communicate. This means he can communicate with anyone when he is on his computer and isnt near a phone. Doing this means he doesnt have to wait until the person turns on their phone or leaves a message or is at home. Mr Williams feels that when he leaves a message on a phone, he doesnt feel he can communicate properly. He knows that if he sends an e-mail, all of the necessary information will be displayed once read. Network System Mr Williams is able to access information anywhere in the school. This means that he can complete his work anywhere and any time, when he has spare time.

Thomas Aquinas Essay Example for Free

Thomas Aquinas Essay Science and religion by its very natures have always been clashing throughout history.   Although heated arguments have usually sprouted from Christianity and its contradictory principles to science, most religions have been in the same boat with Roman Catholicism when it comes to the fundamentals of faith against science. The Egyptians would have raised arguments against astronomers if they had been confronted with the idea that their sun god was merely a ball of fire at the center of the solar system. However, during the medieval times, those who were in economic and political power understood the world merely as a place to perfect their holiness and therefore, any scientific study that contradicted Biblical statements had to be considered wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This point of view was only adjusted when scholars such as Thomas Aquinas were able to reconcile religious obedience with the discoveries of science.   Had this turn around in philosophical understanding not happened, the world would not have reached the body of knowledge and progress that man is enjoying today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to an article of John Courtney Murray, S.J. entitled, Medieval Synthesis from the Problem of God (1964), Thomas Aquinas bridged the seemingly endless gap between science and Christianity by helping man understand his faith and discoveries in a different light.   First of all, Thomas Aquinas believed that the universe was made by God but this did not mean that it is perfect like the omnipotent God. The universe is merely an expression of God’s love for mankind but its strengths and weaknesses do not limit God’s greatness. Thomas Aquinas believed that God sends messages of His love through physically tangible things that are present in the world but these are merely ways for Him to make His presence felt in man’s life. Secondly, Thomas Aquinas also believed that man was created by God with an intelligence that cannot be rivaled by any other creature on the planet and this makes man the steward of everything else that surrounds him. It is this second principle that allows man to discover his world without the guilt of overstepping his Christian beliefs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although medieval history has already shown that religion can be sidestepped to understand how the world moves, contradictions between faith and science still abound and causes rifts and differences of opinions.   There are those who believe that the theories on the evolution of man should not be taken up in the academic field because it goes against the basic story of Creation in the Bible.   However, if one will turn to Thomas Aquinas’ perspectives between science and religion, one would understand that there should be no problem in the learning of these scientific lessons because these are merely theories that men of science have reported based on their interpretations of evidence.   These theories are man’s understanding of his world outside the views of faith.   God gives man the permission to discover things and use his intelligence to interpret these so that humans can better appreciate the intricacy of the world He has created out of His great love.   Therefore, if Thomas Aquinas would be asked about the theories of evolution, he would probably just shrug and tell those who do not allow it to be taught in classrooms to understand that the bodies of knowledge that science brings should only make us wonder and love God more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thomas Aquinas is relatively clear in his position on the permission to study evolution in the classrooms, his stance on a more scandalous issue such as embryonic stem cell research can be a bit vague.   His train of thought can be used for and against the issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thomas Aquinas believes that man must protect all forms of life because God granted him the intelligence and therefore stewardship over all creatures.   In the debates that have ensued in the past, scientists and Christians already agree that an embryo is a live individual merely waiting to develop into a full human being. Therefore, man must protect embryos from being killed merely for the progress of science.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, man’s stewardship also means that he has to discover ways to protect and save lives.   Embryonic stem cell research can produce many discoveries that could help save the lives of many sick people in the future.   Its discoveries can lead to the much greater good of mankind if the embryos used for the research would be sacrificed.   Secondly, many embryos in the fertility clinics are merely flushed into toilets when these are not needed anymore.   Embryonic stem cell research would put these embryos to better use for the propagation of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philosophical principles abound on this world and can be easily twisted by anyone to favor a perspective as can be seen with the view of Thomas Aquinas. In the end, it is still man’s faith or curiosity that would guide him towards the progress he wants to achieve.

Economic Growth and Future of Vietnam

Economic Growth and Future of Vietnam In the trend of globalization, economic integration and participation in the worlds organizations such as: Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and World Trade Organization (WTO) are the opportunities Vietnam cannot ignore in order to absorb the essence of the world and reach the development objectives of the country. Although many judgments have been raised to disagree with the potential economy of Vietnam after joining those global organizations, we are still confident about the growth path of Vietnams economic development. In order to determine the growth rate, we have evaluated GDP rates in recent years (2007- 2010) to show the ability of sustaining financial crisis, and also the speed of recovering the economy after global economic recession. Besides, CPI rates and FDI rates also have been applied in our report which shows the ability of managing inflation or being an attractive investment country among Asian countries. From those reasons, Vietnam can be seen as one of the countries with the highest growth rate in the world, behind only China in the past decade, and this trend will continue to drive positive growth in the future. Moreover, concerning human resources, Vietnam has the advantage of a young labor force that is well- trained and has high educational levels. Also, the dynamics of information technology is on the rise in Vietnam. IT has been one of the highest growth industries in Vietnam over the period time from 1995 to 2008 since many famous software companies were launched into Vietnam. Besides, Vietnam is in the progress of industrialization and modernization in order to keep up with the level of other countries economies. And natural resources can be one of strongest weapons that Vietnam owns. Combined with a stable rise in the economy is the constant transferring of knowledge from multinational corporations, along with innovative ideas and technologies. Thus, it is believed that Vietnam has a high potentiality to become the next Asian tiger, after China and India. Contents page (Jump to) List of table and figures 1. Introduction 2. Main body 2.1 GDP of Vietnam 2.1.1 GDP definition 2.1.1 GDP rates 2.2 CPI of Vietnam 2.2.1 CPI definition 2.2.2 CPI rates 2.3 FDI of Vietnam 2.3.1 FDI definition 2.3.2 FDI rates 2.4 Labor force 2.5 IT industry 2.6 Industrialization and modernization 2.7 Natural resources 3. Conclusion List of table and figures: GDP- real growth rates 5 CPI rates in Vietnam 2009 7 FDI in Vietnam 2010 9 Top 10 investor FDI 2009 10 Labor force ranking chart 11 Introduction As we know Asia has been transformed since the World War II. A remarkable record of high and sustained economic growth has been produced and demonstrated by economic power .The first Asian country recovering from the World War II was Japan. And from Japan, to China, to India, and to Vietnam, sequentially the economic power of Asia has drawn the worlds attention. Each of Asian country has unique factors contributing to its respective economic success. At this time, the economy of Vietnam is a center of attention because it has a stable economy and high level of continuing to drive positive growth, and these are accompanied with strong development of science and technology. In fact, Vietnam has taken on a vigorous drive to reform its economy. The reforms are directed at developing major industries such as information technology (IT), telecommunications, financial markets and creating a good business environment for investors (FDI). And we can see that the results are a stable economy with rapid growth rates and the presence of many multinational companies in Vietnam. But most importantly, there is a substantial change in Vietnams economic structure after becoming a member of the WTO, which is to transform from an agricultural industry to industrial and service industries. If Vietnam remains economically stable and continues to drive positive growth. Vietnam is highly hoped to be the next Asian Tiger, and also can become one of the fastest growing economies in the world like China. Main body The economy of Vietnam has been growing year by year at a vigorous pace after becoming a member of the WTO since 2007. Many ideas have been raised to keep this continued growth path. But we still have some drawbacks to deal with in the coming years. In this report, we will focus on analyzing GDP, CPI and FDI rates and other factors, which provide us with an overview of Vietnams current position. GDP of Vietnam GDP definition GDP is the abbreviation for Gross Domestic Product, which shows the total value of goods or services produced in a country in a given year. Put simply, GDP is the total household spending, business investment, government spending plus the difference between exports and imports. GDP rates The percentage of Vietnams GDP can provide us with an overview of our current level of health and growth of economy. The chart above shows that in 2007 the GDP of Vietnam was 5.3 percent, and in next two years there was a sharp decline in GDP figures, only reaching 6.2 percent and 5.3 percent in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Here are a few reasons for this: The first reason was due to exports. Vietnam has been very successful in developing industries for export, but in the year of 2009 the demand for exports was significantly reduced. The exports of Asian countries have fallen at the alarming rate because consumers in the U.S., Europe and other markets were cutting down on expenditures. The second reason was caused by consumer spending. With the unemployment rate increased (due to problems arising in areas of manufacturing exports) and reduced employees income due to high inflation in 2008 (22%), households spending money was cut down. The third reason was because of investment. Investment growth rates in recent years were resulted from cash inflows of FDI into Vietnam. But with the credit crisis and global economic recession, capital flows were affected severely. Those were some obstacles which occurred in a few years ago. As compared to other Asian countries, the economy of Vietnam had already recovered and improved much faster in overall of GDP performance by the end of 2009. And now we are in the process of developing the economy for 2010 and the years following. Vietnams GDP growth rate is forecast to be around 6.5 % and 6.8 % in 2010 and 2011, according to Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its latest report (2010). And the first signal of increasing GDP was exposed in the first quarter of 2010, according to Ministry of Planning and Investment(2010): The GDP growth rate in the first quarter of 2010 increased 5.83%, which was higher than for the same period in 2009. As a result, it is believed that the GDP of Vietnam increasing in next few months could be feasible. And we hope that the efforts of improving GDP rates of Vietnam will never stop in the coming years. 2.2 CPI of Vietnam 2.2.1 CPI definition CPI is the acronym for Consumer Price Index which is a measure the level of inflation. It measures change in the cost of a fixed basket of products and services, including housing, electricity, food, and transportation, over a given time period. And the CPI published monthly is also called the cost-of-living index. 2.2.2 CPI rates The chart above shows what happened to CPI in each month of 2009, we can see that the consumer price index increased to 1.38 %, the highest percent during the year. Inflation rate is a key driver leading to a high CPI rate. In 2008, there was a huge impact of inflation on consumer prices; CPI was 22%. However, this number was no longer repeated in 2009 because the government devoted more efforts to bring down the inflation level; as a result the CPI rate was 6.9% and much lower than the previous year. So, the CPI rate is largely dependent on the inflation rate. From that, we can have a deeper understanding of how the trend of CPI flows by analyzing the inflation rate. And an increasing inflation rate or CPI rate can be caused by some of following reasons: The factor which created the base of increasing CPI in 2009 was to increase fuel prices from 30 August. ( General Statistics Office) A variety of prices of construction materials increased over the year. Other factors pushing the price were higher price for some essential goods or services, such as: medicine, food, transportation, electricity, water and so on. Higher gasoline prices have also contributed to the increasing CPI rate. From the above reasons will form a picture of the variation of cost of living since then to help financial professionals recognize the potential for inflation to be at risk as a decline in the economy? So, one of the top priorities Vietnam has now is to manage to keep inflation rates within a special range or targeted level. According to ADB (Asian Development Bank) report (2009): the inflation rate in Viet Nam in 2010 is forecasted to be around 10%, and the government is applying a tight monetary policy to keep the inflation on target which is lower than 7%. Here are some current typical methods being applied: Increasing interest rates to encourage more deposits. Controlling credit lending activities to limit cash outflow. Tightening money in production and consumption. Limiting expenditures for the national budget. With those methods, the government is quite confident to forecast that in 2010 and 2011 the inflation rate will be 7.8% and CPI rate will be stable at 8.3%. 2.3 FDI of Vietnam 2.3.1 FDI definition FDI stands for Foreign Direct Investment which can be seen as a component of a countrys national financial accounts. Foreign Direct Investment is the investment of foreign assets into domestic structures, equipment, and organizations. However, it does not include foreign investment into the stock markets or bond markets. And FDI is thought to be more useful to a country rather than investments in equity of its companies. This is because equity investments or so called hot money which can leave at the first sign of trouble, whereas FDI is durable and generally useful whether things go well or badly. 2.3.2 FDI rates According to a survey conducted by the Asian Business Council, Vietnam was ranked third for investment attraction among Asian nations in the 2007-2009 periods, after China and India. And in 2010, the general rate is still good in the first quarter. In the chart we can see that there are many multinational companies investing FDI in Vietnam in 2009. So, lets take a look at 2009. Total capital of FDI was about 21.48 billion USD, in which 16.34 billion USD was for newly licensed projects (76% contribution, 839 projects). The top three provinces attracting FDI in Vietnam were: Vung Tau, Quang Nam, and Binh Duong. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi were ranked number #7 and #8 accordingly. However, the number of licenses granted by those major economic hubs of Vietnam was almost 537 licenses (64% of total new licenses granted in Vietnam). According to the CEO of ANZ bank (2010): FDI always finds a way to somewhere investors feel safe, in recent years Vietnam has been a country where FDI flow is increasing steadily and highly. In 2010, FDI target is forecasted to increase by 10% compared with 2009, according to the Foreign Investment Department. Thus, we can see that Vietnam is still capable of attracting outside investments at a very high level after the global economic recession (2008), especially in FDI. 2.4 Labor force China 807,300,000 India 523,500,000 United States 154,300,000 Indonesia 112,000,000 Brazil 93,650,000 Russia 75,700,000 Bangladesh 70,860,000 Japan 66,500,000 Nigeria 51,040,000 Pakistan 50,580,000 Vietnam 47,410,000 Labor force ranking chart Vietnam is considered a country with a huge number of workers. According to the figures above, we can see that Vietnam is in a position, which is nearly within the top ten highest countries in the world. As you know, one of the major attractions for manufacturing industries to come to Vietnam is the labor force. Because Vietnamese workers have met both the quality of a labor force, which is well educated and hard-working. In addition, wages that companies pay them are lower than by 30% compared with China and India. Thus, Vietnam has the advantage of a labor force, which is well-trained and cheap. However, after joining WTO there are some challenges in human resources when foreign companies have launched into Vietnam: There is more competition forcing local companies to be more proactive and consistent in making any actions or decisions. Getting a better remuneration package at foreign companies has attracted better skilled workers. This forces local companies to adjust their remuneration scheme. Getting more flexible time at foreign firms has enabled people to work more comfortably and efficiently. Thus, this also forces local companies to adjust their time- table to keep workers away from transferring to foreigner companies. Moreover, in the context of the current globalization in businesses, Vietnam is still facing a major problem which is the lack of a higher level of human resources, such as CEO, CFO, CIFA, so on. Of course, the Vietnamese Government understands the importance of these issues which need to be overcome as soon as possible. According to Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan (2009): There are several reasons why the qualifications of Vietnamese laborers are still quite low. And he also stressed that: The act of disregard for vocational training is a great barricade for educational development in Vietnam. Therefore, the policies of government support in promoting its human resources are being conducted more extensively, such as improving quality of education, especially for tertiary education and vocational training. So as a result, in the next few years, hopefully Vietnam will have a higher number of workers with high- quality skills in order to attract more and more foreign companies investment, and also be able to compete with skilled and knowledgeable foreigners working in Vietnam. 2.5 IT industry IT is always considered as the most interesting and dynamic industry, so Vietnam wants to strengthen its impacts. The value of IT for developing countries can be seen as an important tool to accelerate the process of international integration and help the government have more capacity in governance. Also, people in that country can have an easy access to information and knowledge from all around the world. Local businesses can definitely reduce costs and improve their operational performance by using modern technology. According to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (2009) :The Government of Vietnam promises to support multinational IT corporations in the way of building and developing their brand names in Vietnam, at the same time to encourage the application of IT in all parts of social life to create a dynamic IT market. Information Technology in Vietnam has accelerated rapidly in recent years. In 2008, IT market growth still remained strong, reaching 23%. And in 2009, it was estimated at over 20%, equivalent to $ 6.26 billion (in 2008 it was $ 5.22 billion). In particular, sales in the electronic industry and hardware industry were estimated at 4.68 billion dollars, up by 14%. And the software industry also had an estimated growth rate of about 30% with total revenue of $ 880 million. The numbers above show that the IT industry could still remain at a very high level even though it was strongly affected by the economic recession in 2008. Besides, with the participation of many big companies in various parts of IT, for instance: Intel, ADM, Dell, Sony, and Samsung, combined with the development of local IT companies such as FPT, HIG or CMC. Vietnam hopes that its IT industry can be soon become a core economic industry, which plays an important role to enhance economic performance. 2.6 Industrialization and modernization Becoming a member of WTO in 2007, Vietnam has been taken a substantial change in its major structure, which is to transform from agricultural industry to industrial and services industries. Or put in another way, Vietnam is in the process of industrialization and modernization. It began to implement the process of industrialization from 2001 and will be finished in 20 years (2020). In the past, Vietnam was just an agricultural country, the percentage of agricultural contribution accounted up to 90% in total GDP. In the 80s and 90s, a new wave of industrialization in Asian countries rose dramatically, especially in Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand. It created a new appearance of the economy in Asia. From that reason, Vietnam is now actively opening door to get more exchanges and more cooperation with foreign countries, trying to implementing industrialization and modernization in order to keep up with the economy of other countries, and also make a dream of becoming the next Asian tiger. A good example of the industrialization is that Vietnam is conducting to narrow the scope of the agricultural sector, traditional agriculture is gradually declined in its scale, replaced by modern agriculture (machinery is used more in agriculture production). Here are some major accomplishments have been achieved from 2001 to 2010: In 2008, the proportion of GDP was changed rapidly in its structure (the percentage of agriculture industry was only for 22%, industrial industry was 39.9% and service industry was for 38.1%). Applying science and technology into the agriculture and aquaculture production has been gradually improving. Rural development in Vietnam has been acquired positive levels, such as infrastructure, health and education. As a long- term goal, Vietnam aims to basically become an industrial country which has the modern technical facilities, high standard of living and high quality of products and services in 2020. 2.7 Natural resources With a favorable geographical position, various topography and long coastline (3600km), Vietnam has many various kinds of natural resources, which can be seen as an advantage of the economic development. The natural resources of Vietnam can be divided into seven categories: Land resources: Helping for the agriculture of rice production in promoting its strength. Vietnam is the largest rice exporter in the world only behind Thailand, and also has a suitable land condition to plant high value crops such as coffee, rubber. Vietnam is the third largest coffee exporters in the world after Brazil and Columbia. Vietnam exported rubber approximately $ 1 billion in 2009. Water resources: There is much underground water and mineral water which is suitable for natural mineral production. Marine resources: The number of seafood export is forecasted to reach $4.1billion, increased by 6.8% comparing to 2009. Forest resources: It is important part of ecological environment, Vietnam is trying to protect its forests to keep the air fresh and regulate the climates. Biological resources: Vietnam has a diversity of flora and fauna which can help to produce food, medicine and oil. Besides, Vietnams flora also has some rare wood used for exports. In 2010, Vietnam will try to increase the number of wood exports by 8%- 10%, as compared to 2009. Mineral resources: It is spread across the country to be convenient for the exploitation, but the mining policy should be appropriate to maximize the advantages of each type of resource. Tourism resources: There are many beautiful and exciting destinations in which local and foreign visitors can visit. In 2008, the tourism industry generated revenues up to $ 4 billion, showing the importance of tourism contribution in the economy of Vietnam, according to reports Vietnam Tourism Industry Forecast to 2012. In general, Vietnam can take advantage of those resources to create a good business environment for itself and attract more investments from other countries. However, the Vietnamese government has not managed them well yet, so the natural resources cannot be utilized completely its functions. In order to maximize the natural resources benefits to the countrys economic development, all resources need to be used or utilized efficiently and effectively. 3. Conclusion The growth of Vietnams economy in recent years has attracted much attention of multinational companies, especially in IT fields, including: Intel, Samsung, Sony, Dell, and Cannon, etc, putting their establishment in production facilities and creating a dynamic IT industry. So, Vietnamese companies have a higher chance in absorbing the essence of many innovative ideas and technologies from them. In 2010, Vietnam aims to reach 6.5% in GDP. The change in a positive number of GDP can tell us that Vietnam is on the way of improving the health and growth of the economy after the global economic recession (2008). In contrast, the government is trying to keep the CPI rate stable at 8.3%, and also bring the inflation rate down up to 7%. Moreover, the government also has some plans to create a business environment for investors in order to increase FDI; the more investments in projects, the more our countrys assets will be developed. In the meantime, taking into account the labor force can be thought as much essential as enhancing well-being of economy. And the factor of natural resources also plays an important role in Vietnams economic development. In general, Vietnam is in progress of recovering the economy and getting ready to deal with any obstacles in the future. Now, nothing can stop Vietnam from becoming stronger and stronger; especially since it has been successfully gotten through all of the challenges in 2008 and 2009. So, there is no doubt that Vietnam will be a potential candidate for the next Asian tiger in the coming years.

Hit me again, Ike :: essays research papers fc

Hit me again, Ike†¦ Jimmy is eight; Katie is five; and little Ashley is only three. Raised by their parents, Mark and Susan, everyone sees them as the perfect family. Mark is a stockbroker, Jimmy’s football coach, and Katie’s tee ball coach. Susan works in the home, where she is everyday when the kids get home from school. She attends every PTA meeting, and works in the school cafeteria once a week. They appear to be the perfect family. Under that faà §ade, a deadly storm brews. No one sees the black and blue bruises Susan hides, or the numerous broken fingers and ribs she has had. Not all violence leaves marks, either. No one hears the nasty, hurtful words Mark calls her, or the tears of pain she cries each night. This is just one of many examples of domestic violence. Either physical, sexually, emotionally, or psychologically, abuse comes in all forms. â€Å"†¦[A]t least one in every three women had been beaten†¦or otherwise abused during her lifetime.† (Family Violence Prevention Fund 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, can be defined as knowingly cause, attempt to cause, or threaten to cause harm or force to someone who is living within the same household and has an emotional relationship (i.e. Parent, child, spouse) or are pragmatically living together. (Bohm 249) Domestic violence can affect more than just the victim and the batterer. Children who grow up in families where violence occurs are more likely to demonstrate violence themselves or withdraw, having seen â€Å"daddy hit mommy.† Women who are battered tend to be emotional and have an increased chance of being depressed, anxious, or suicidal. Men, most commonly the abuser, often demonstrate jealousy, hypersensitivity, and threat of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Until recently, officers suspecting domestic violence had to have concrete proof and probable cause. Now, officers can arrest anyone they suspect of domestic violence, with or without the victim’s consent. This is called a preferred arrest policy. In 2003, 25, 926 arrests for domestic violence were made. (ODVN 1). â€Å"Intimate partner violence made up 20% of all nonfatal violent crime experienced by women in 2001.† (DOJ 1). The increased incidences of domestic violence can be curtailed through three changes: harsher laws, reduced societal acceptance and more advocacy and awareness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most obvious way to reduce domestic violence is with harsher laws. Currently the law states that a person can not â€Å"knowingly cause or

Business Ethics Essay -- essays research papers

Part I. Case Development   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Working in Human resources can make it very difficult to meet friends at work. Many Human resources professionals avoid being too friendly with employees outside of the department and there are employees who keep their distance from being too friendly with Human resources personnel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I did break this rule several years ago when we hired a new employee. This employee and I hit it off immediately and we became very good friends and remain this way today. This friend was an excellent employee. Everyone loved working with her and her assistance was in great demand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several years after meeting this new employee the two of us decided to become roommates. We were both in the market to move and both of us were students working full-time, so we rented an apartment together. Soon after becoming roommates my friend broke-up with her boyfriend of several years and it wasn’t long before that I noticed frequent phone calls to the apartment from a partner at our firm. The partner was her direct supervisor so I found it somewhat strange that he would call her at home so often and at such hours. At the time I chose not to say anything as I did not think it was any of my business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As time went on the calls started to get more frequent and on several occasions my friend called the partner, in my presence, very late at night and left him what I believed to be a very personal message and not work-related. Even more interesting was the fact that the partner was married.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After some consideration I decided to bring up the subject of the calls with my friend. I was merely inquiring as to what was going on between her and this partner. My friend brushed it off and implied that nothing was going on between them. I accepted this at the time and decided to drop the subject for the moment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometime later I learned that my friend was traveling to London on business with this partner. My suspicions were raised at this point since I knew that employees in my friend’s position did not typically travel on business. I started to get a little concerned at this point. I knew the potential risks involved when a manager is intimately involved with a subordinate. In addition, I knew that the f... ...ships between employees but discourage relationships between managers and direct subordinates. These relationships can be consensual and lead to very positive outcomes but the risk will always be there. Discouragement does not prevent them from happening. Having a simple policy outlining some guidelines and incorporating the topic into management and sensitivity training is a good approach. References Greenwald, J. (2000). Office Romances May Court Trouble. Business Insurance. Vol. 34, Issue 7, p20. Peikes, L. and Burns, M. (2004). No-Fraternization Policies Under the Judicial Microscope. SHRM Legal Report. Retrieved February 4, 2004, www.shrm.org. Poe, A. (2000). Office Romance: HR’s Role. SHRM White Paper. Retreived February 4, 2004, www.shrm.org. Powers, D.M. (1999). Consensual Workplace Relationships: The Stereotypes, policies and Challenges. Compensation and Benefits Management. Vol. 15, Issue 3, p35. Quinn, R.E. and Lees, P (1984). Attraction and Harassment: Dynamics of Sexual Politics in the Workplace. Organizational Dynamics. Vol. 13, Issue 2. Spragins, E., Overfelt, M. and Sloane, J. (2004). Dangerous Liaisons. FSB: Small Fortune Business; Vol. 14, Issue 1, p62.

The Client by John Grisham    :: The Client John Grisham   ÂÂ

The main character of my book was Mark Sway. Mark Sway is a bad little eleven year old boy with a huge burden on his hands. Mark smokes ciggaretes, uses foul language, and picks on his little brother, Ricky. Mark grew up in a trailer, with an abusive father, a mother who is hardly around, and his little brother Ricky who annoys him plenty. Mark was a very strong character who did not take anything from anyone! The trouble Mark ran into with Jerome Clifford only made him stronger. All he cared about was protecting his little brother, and his mother. Jerome Clifford was a heavy set man, who was trying to commit suicide, because of a dangerous secret he knew. Mark and his younger brother Ricky, stumbled upon Jerome one day, as he was trying to commit suicide. Jerome revealed the dangerous secret to Mark, which made Mark a major target of the mafia. Mark was pushed around and overlooked, but as soon as people found out Mark knew this dangerous secret, they all wanted a piece of him. Mark knew he was in trouble so he did t! he only thing he knew possible, which was get a lawyer. The lawyers' name was Reggie Love, a woman. Mark despised Reggie at first, knowing that a woman was not capable of fullfilling his needs, like a man could. Then something happened where Reggie grew on him, he got more used too her, and he found himself telling her personal things, spending tons of time with her, and starting to care for her. She was like the mother figure he never had. Mark and Reggie were in the tangle of mess together. Mark realized through the whole ordeal he could not do everything by himself, he also realized how vulnerable he was by being independent. Mark and Reggie became bestest friends, right up to the point where he would have to leave into the witness protection program. I liked the way Mark was so rowdy, and uncontrollable. He was so young, yet so smart and mature. He knew how to protect himself, and he knew the importance of his family members and friends, and how important it was too protect them. No matter what the mafia did to Mark, he made sure his family was safe first, than he took care of himself. Â  I could not really find anything I did not like about Mark, I did not like at the end how he had to relocate into the witness protection program.