Legislatures learnsmart 5 Essay Example for Free

Legislatures learnsmart 5 Essay 1. True or false: Both chambers of Congress allow a member to speak for an unlimited time on the floor. A: false 2. Which of the following are members of the House leadership? A: Majority leader, majority whip and minority leader 3. Redistricting can diminish the advantages of being an incumbent because the candidate loses name recognition 4. Order the following general steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law 1. A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill 2. Subgroups within the House and Senate, composed of legislators who have expertise in the bill’s subject mater, review the bill 3. A majority of members in the House and Senate must approve it 4. The Conference Committee reconciles the bill when different versions have passed in the House and the Senate 5. President signs the bill 5. Members of Congress may experience conflict between their policy-making function and their representation function because A: They feel pressured to vote for a policy that clashes with their constituent’s interests. 6. To balance the desire for representation at different levels, the framers made Congress a bicameral institution. 7. Congress has a number of functions other than lawmaking. These include A: Acting on presidential actions, setting the national agenda, and representing its constituents. 8. Because taxation was such an important power to the framers, they required that all these measures must start A: in the House. 9. Reapportionment is the reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state based on changes in the state’s population since the last census. 10. Which of the following is the most powerful leadership position in the Senate A: Majority leader 11. Which of the following are reasons why specific members of Congress are chosen for congressional leadership positions? A: Ability to guide compromise, to persuade and to negotiate. 12. When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state, it is known as redistricting 13. Two of the most important influences on congressional elections are incumbency and redistricting. 14. Which of the following oversight tools ensure that Congress has some say in how the executive branch administers the laws that Congress creates? A: congressional hearings, budgetary appropriations and confirmation hearings. 15. The single most important factor in determining the success of a congressional campaign is incumbency. 16. Which congressional function involves auditing agency implementation of policy? A: Oversight 17. The power of taxation, among other powers, was given to Congress: A: to limit the power of the president; and because it is more representative to the people. 18. Gerrymandering A: is usually legal. 19 Which of the following influence agenda setting in Congress? A: public discourse, House and Senate leaders’ goals 20 Which of the following of Congress, which all other functions of Congress are related to? A: Policy making. 21. Constituents influence the legislative process by ensuring that their representatives in Congress work hard to represent their perspectives and policy interests 22. True or False: A president’s popularity rating cannot affect a legislator’s decision to vote for a particular bill A: True 23. Committees are important because A: They help develop passable legislation; they facilitate the consideration of high volume of bills; and they each specialize in a certain type of legislation. 24. Congressional oversight includes the federal bureaucracy because it is a part of the executive branch. 25. Interest groups engage in which of the following activities in order to influence legislators’ decision? A: grassroots activism, financial contributions, and lobbying. 26. Each senator represents his or her state, while House members represent their congressional district. 27. Partisan voting occurs more often when members are voting on domestic policy issues that tend to crystallize ideological differences between the parties. 28. House and Senate members often rely on which of the following inform their decision making on legislation because they frequently have policy expertise that can guide a legislator on an upcoming vote? A: Staff member 29. The president’s opinion concerning a specific bill can influence members of Congress, especially A: when they belong to the same party. 30. Some examples of Congress’s use of the ‘elastic clause’ include A: determining an oil company’s authority to drill on federal lands; expanding law enforcement authority in terrorism case; and regulating stem cell research. 31. Which of the following is a legislative power the president does not possess? A: Line-item veto. 32. Legislators use pork barrel politics and earmarks to bring money and jobs back to their home districts to show their constituents that they are working toward their best interests in Congress. 33. For mundane matters about which their constituents are less likely to be aware or hold a strong position, legislators typically rely on the trustee model of representation. 34. Citizens wanting policies that benefit the elderly, while others advocate for legislation beneficial for children, is an example of the influence that Congress has A: in managing societal conflict 35. Which of the following is not a way new legislation can be introduce in the Senate? A: A senator’s staff drafts a piece of proposed legislation and the senator place it in the hopper on the Senate floor. 36. Congress manages societal conflict by representing a wide range of views and interests. 37. The U.S Congress has a number of Constitutional powers beyond lawmaking. For example, it A: govern the District of Columbia; regulates the armed forces; regulates interstate commerce; and declares war. 38. When a committee or subcommittee holds a hearing, they are trying to gather information and views from experts about a proposed bill. 39. Interest groups can be a valuable resource to legislators because A: They can provide financial and electoral support. 40. Oversight is an important function of Congress because it ensures that laws are being administered in keeping with legislators’ original intent. 41. Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House? A: Making majority party committee assignments; chairing floor debates 42. Match the characteristics on the right with the chamber, which they describe: House: Taxation policies start in this chamber; this chamber faces more frequent elections Senate: Treaties are considered in this chamber; this chamber is more deliberative. 42. In the House of Representatives, a member of a legislator’s staff drafts t he proposed legislation and the House member puts the bill into the hopper. 43. House leadership is chosen at the A: beginning of each session of Congress. 44, Congress continuously engages in agenda setting because it relieves the pressure parties face in getting their members to vote with their particular party. 45. Congress engages in agenda setting when it determines which public policy issues the federal legislature should consider. 46. The framers had tax bills start in the House because A: it had a smaller constituency than the Senate; it had a shorter electoral term. 47. The practice in which members of Congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleague’s vote on another bill is called logrolling. 48. If a vote in the Senate is tied, the vice president breaks the tie. 49. Historically, which position has been honorary in nature? A: president pro tempore 50. Which of the following contribute to incumbents having an advantage during congressional elections? A: stronger name recognition; ease in attracting contributions; and easier access to media coverage. 51. An agency review provides an opportunity for executive agencies that would administer a proposed law to comment on the measure. 52. The Senate is more deliberative because A: its electoral terms are longer; it has fewer members. 53. A filibuster can arise when a member of the Senate wishes to halt or delay the passage of a bill. 54. After a committee agrees to the wording of a bill, the committee issues a report to the full chamber that explains the bill and its intent. 55. Creating â€Å"majority-minority† districts is a type of Gerrymandering. 56. Which committee sets the structure for the debate that ensues in the full House? A: Rules Committee. 57. An elderly person deciding to vote to reelect a House representative after the representative has tracked down the constituent’s Social Security check is an example of how casework can benefit an incumbent. 58. Unanimous consent agreements require that all senators agree to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation. 59. A joint committee is composed of members of both chambers of Congress. 60. Redistricting can lessen the impact of incumbency, especially in years ending in the number 2. 61. Congress gets its powers from sources other than the Constitution, including A: American citizens, the media, and Supreme Court decisions. 62. The House Majority leader acts as an assistant to the Speaker of the House in performing legislative duties. 63. In more populated areas, congressional districts in the House of Representatives are often A: homogeneous, cohesive units. 64. AN elected or appointed official acts as an ombudsperson when advocating for citizens by listening to and investigating complaints against a government agency. 65. Which of the following is true about the Senate minority leader? A: Leader of the minority party in the Senate; negotiates with the majority leader. 66. A select committee is created to consider specific policy issues or address a specific concern in legislature. 67. Redistricting sometimes makes incumbency less important. 68. If 51 or more Democrats are elected to the Senate, each committee and subcommittee will have a minority of Republicans as members. 69. When there is a designation within a spending bill that provides for a specific expenditure it is called A: an earmark. 70. Congressional leadership refers bills to the lead committee. 71. Which of the following is not true about a markup? A: The committee actually alters a bill 72. The framers structured Congress in way that A: made it an effective check on the president; made it powerful enough to govern, and kept it from becoming too powerful. 73. After 1995, joint referrals were abolished from the House 74. The House leadership position of whip acts as a liaison between A: leadership and part members in the House. 75. Which of the following terms describes the segment of voters who pay careful attention to political issues? A: attentive public 76. Subcommittees are a subset of a A: Standing committee. 77. A standing committee is a permanent committee in Congress. 78. Members of the House of Representatives are reluctant to defy the will of their congressional districts because A: Their short two-year terms increase the probability that they will be voted out of office for going against the electorate. 79. When an incumbent performs casework for a constituent, it helps to create a good-word-of-mouth reputation and attracts support for that candidate during reelection. 80. The ability to use franking to communicate with voters is a benefit inaccessible to non-incumbents. 81. The attentive public is the segment of voters who pay careful attention to political issues. 82. The term pork barrel describes legislators’ appropriations of funds via legislation for special projects located within their congressional districts. 83. To end a filibuster, a supermajority of sixty senators must agree to invoke cloture and end debate 84. Which of the following is required to extract a bill from committee in order to have it considered by the entire House? A: discharge petition 85. A consequence of having a congressional â€Å"safe seat† is that a house member A: can generally be partisan without unfavorable political outcome. 86. Committee chairs are often chosen using the seniority system, by which the member with the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee receives preference when the committee chooses its chair 87. Which model of representation insists that legislators vote in line with their constituents’ views even when this contradicts their personal views? A: Instructed delegate model. 88. What occurs after a conference committee reconciles a bill between the House and Senate? A: The bill goes back to both chambers for a vote 89. In this model of representation, a legislator may act in opposition to the clear wishes of his or her constituents, such as in cases where an action is â€Å"for their own good† or the good of society. A: Trustee model 90. The most powerful position in the Senate: the majority leader manages the legislative process and schedules debate on legislation 91. Senators sometimes find it hard to represent constituents because they are elected by an entire state’s population, which may contain citizens who have conflicting views, ideologies, and policy priorities.

Sex Differences In The Human Brain Psychology Essay

Sex Differences In The Human Brain Psychology Essay For a period of hundreds of years, the dissimilarity between male and female were described and misrepresented that males are supposed to be more superior or be in a higher status than females in which we normally named this discrimination sexism (Michael, 1999). However, in the recent years, men and women had already achieved equality as we now become closer together and thus we became unaware of the important differences between us (Michael). Also, because the goal of achieving balance equality between men and women became close and the unawareness of the society, the mission of discovering what exactly present within a male and female would need a great deal of effort and endurance (Michael). It is known that men and women differ physically in which the dissimilarity are either clear or they are easy to measure and observe (Michael). Some of the examples which can be easily measured are weight, height, size, shape and anatomy (Michael). One of the differences between men and women are for instance, women have neurons which relate the right and left hemisphere of the brain four times more than men (Michael, 1999). Also, females have greater access to both hemisphere of their brain, regardless of that, women still use the right sides of their brain more frequently (Michael). Males on the other hand, are more physically fit and stronger (Michael). They have more strength and muscles can build up easily (Michael). However, the psychological differences between male and female can be harder to understand and describe (Michael). Problems emerge when we think that the opposite sex have to act, think and feel the same as we do due to the deficient in information, education and experiences (Michael). In a published newspaper in Scientific American titled Sex Differences in the Brain by Seymour Levine, who is a neuroendocrinologist in the year of 1966, the understanding of the topic were presented in a pleasant manner in which he only mentioned about the one region in the brain that is important in the whole article, which is the hypothalamus known as the site for regulating hormones and involved in spatial learning (Cahill, 2011). Previously, researchers thought that sex differences in the brain merely means the hypothalamus, steroid hormones and sex behavior, which has got nothing to do with anything else in the brain (Cahill). This misleading observation diminished as more and more evidence arise nowadays proves that the idea before was wrong (Cahill). The process of discovering about the influence of sex on function of neurons have been undergoing in a fast pace in which studies found that every part and level of the brain is affected (Cahill, 2011). According to Dr Pfaff, author of Man and Women: An Inside Story, described that sex differences in the brain is mainly due to the hypothalamus and he later gives several other reasons of sex influence in the brain such as social behavior and aggression, but he failed to take into consideration about the nature of brain functioning influenced by sex (Pfaff, 2002, as cited in Cahill, 2011). In the end, he returns to his statement saying that sex differences in the brain are hypothalamus centered which is incorrect (Pfaff, as cited in Cahill). The level of intelligence, also known as IQ, does not seem to be main factor of sex differences rather than ability (Kimura, 1999). Nevertheless, some researchers for instance, Lynn and Rich from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland proposed that there are slight intellectual differences between male and female preferring men (Kimura). The meaning of different patterns of intellectual means that each person have different own intellectual strength (Kimura). For instance, some people may be good at utilizing words and some are especially skillful at addressing external stimuli (Kimura). Their individual abilities are different although the intellectual strength is the same (Kimura). Sex differences in the brain had been studied regarding the issue of problem solving. Overall, men tends to be superior in spatial task than women, particularly, when they are asked to imagine an object to be rotating or some other way, men shows an advantage in handling the problem (Kimura, 1999). They are also better at solving problems related to mathematics and in finding a path (Kimura). Although some research support the idea, such as teenage boys in the United States normally perform better than girls on science and mathematics test, however, this is not true for boys in Thailand and Iceland where usually teenage girls outperform boys in an mathematics exam held internationally, making the statement of boys perform better in mathematics than girls inappropriate (Eliot, 2009). Thus, according to Cordelia Fine, superiority in mathematics and science are not genetically determined in our brain or fixed, but are due to upbringing, education, or they are inhibited by the society (F ine, 2010). Women, on the opposite, outperform men in memorizing or remembering word, have an advantage in identifying items that match quickly and doing manual test such as putting marbles or pegs in proper holes (Kimura, 1999). In spite of that, Maccoby and Jacklin from Stanford University argued that it is still an incomplete picture to say that spatial task favour males and verbal task favour females (Jacklin Maccoby, 1974). There was evidence showing that the advantage of spatial task for male does not apply to certain spatial tasks, and that womens advantage in verbal task was including many memory required work which are definitely not verbal (Cahill, 2011). Also, there are possibilities that females are able to outperform males when they are exposed to extra androgens prior to birth or newborn, a genetic deficiency known as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (Kimura, 1999). In this case, ability of CAH-affected girls to do well in spatial task increases compared to normal unaffected girls ( Kimura). Another exception shown by Elizabeth Hampson from the University of Western Ontario is that females perform some task differently throughout their menstrual period because the estrogen level becomes inconsistent and thus will affect their ability in doing the task (Kimura). Recently, a group of researchers from National Institutes of Health (NIH), have come up with a surprising new report saying that sex differences in the brain decreases as age increases in which the subjects of the research consist of a group of children whose age ranging from 9 through 22 (Sax, 2007). To say it in another way, they discover that when females and males encounter puberty, where the level of steroid hormones such as estradiol in female and testosterone in male begin to increase, the sex differences in the brain diminish (Sax). Even so, some researchers like Leonard Sax, author of Boys Adrift and Girls on the Edge think that the finding is a common-sense expectation (Sax). Other researchers or authors such as Cordelia Fine and Lise Eliot also think that although sex differences prior to birth are insignificant because they have different education and lifestyles depending on the culture of the society (Sax). Sex differences in the brain do not diminish over age, but increases as we grow older when the onset of puberty starts (Sax, 2007). The latter finding seems to be more reliable to many of the researchers (Sax). To give a more clearer view, an example is to compare boys and girls both at the age of six years old, they tend to behave differently in which usually boys attention span is much weaker compared to girls of the same age (Sax). On the other hand, compare a mature old man and women both at the age of 40 years old, there wouldnt be any differences, they are able to keep quiet and sit still as women do (Sax). Another researcher named Fausto-Stirling, who focuses studies regarding this, also think that if there are any sex differences in the brain, it is only present after birth during puberty (Sterling, 1992). Thus, the finding of sex differences diminishes as age increases are said to be counter-intuitive (Sax). Brain development does not stop after birth, but instead goes on for a long time, that is where the field of social cognition comes into action to look for sex differences in our brain (Eliot, 2009). At the early stage of sex differences it is said to be congenital and development of our individual behavior depends on either gene expression or being exposed to certain hormone prenatally (Eliot). Regardless of that, behavioral development can be shaped from a young age by training, social learning, culture and various lifestyle that each one of us would encounter in every society (Eliot). To illustrate the idea of congenitally programmed, Jessica Woods, Peg Nopoulos and Vesna Murko carried out an experiment with young adults from 7 to 17 years old which the same section in frontal lobe of the children are measured (Eliot). The outcome was surprisingly different from previous research they have done where the size of straight gyrus, an area in the cortex, is unexpectedly bigger in boys , in which the reversal of adulthood and childhood cogitate the maturation of boys brain in later part of their life (Eliot). They are the few neuroscientists to examine male and female brain differences not only in biological sex but in terms of gender type (Eliot). Woods and colleagues argue about the suggestion that sex differences in the brain are because of Y chromosome despite having no prove that the causes of brain differences depends on social learning (Eliot). In the past few years, there were a lot of new technology created to better examine the human brains activity, for instance positron emission tomography, PET and functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI (Kimura, 1999). These new techniques enable us to solve problems regarding brains activity, provides more detail and information about how our brain function (Kimura). The outcome until now was interesting but there were times when disagreement happens because of the results (Kimura). A number of studies done shown that the activity between both side of the brain of male are greater than female when performing task involving language, for example, identifying rhyme of words (Kimura). However, some other research could not find out the asymmetry function for sex differences in human brain (Kimura). It may be due to different language tasks given in various researches possibly because the brain system acts for certain language tasks only but not others (Kimura). Perhaps limitation ex ist because the new techniques are too complicated which leads to different results, because it is difficult for it to correctly measure what exactly is happening in the brain as the activity in our brain are very complex (Kimura). In a nutshell, there have been many critics and arguments about the study of sex differences in the brain (Bland, 2003). One of it is that the research subject for most of the studies are mainly focusing on male only, this in returns affect and limit our understanding of brain differences for the opposite sex because the research are based with one sex only (Beery Zucker, 2010). Therefore, the research of sex differences in the brain should now put more attention in female perspective (Beery Zucker). Moreover, there are certain brain disorders that affect one sex more frequently than another or there may be more protected from the disease compared to the opposite sex (Arnold, Ball, Blaustein, De Vries and McCarthy, 2012). Thus, in this situation, it would bring benefit to us if researcher could identify the problem and come up with a solution for instance, create drugs or treatment for specific sex to be protected against these diseases (Arnold et al., 2012). There is no doubt that the whole debate about sex differences in the brain will continue to be studied for a long time (Bland). Different researcher would have different opinion and thinking, it is just the matter of how they explain the outcome in their own way (Bland).

Frankenstein: The Relationship between God and Man

Frankenstein: The Relationship between God and Man In Mary Shelleys novel, Frankenstein, the book examines a variety of aspects of ambition. For instance, with Victor, ambition proves to be his undoing, and, in turn, Victors example becomes a forewarning for Robert Walton; meanwhile, the Creature is, in a sense, Victors child and thus inherits facets of Victors ambitionbut because the Creature is also a conglomerate of all the humans who embody him, he is thereby also symbolic of Mankinds ambitions that do not fully come to realization nor fulfillment, which is why readers can identify with the Creatures tragic elements. Frankenstein explores the repercussion of man and monster chasing ambition blindly. Victor Frankenstein discovered the obscure secret that allowed him to create life. And after Frankenstein discovered the source of human life, he became utterly absorbed in his experimental creation of a human being and it consumed his life completely. Victors boundless ambition and his yearning to succeed in his efforts to create lif e, and to have his creation praise him as his creator for the life he gave it led him to find ruin and anguish at the end of his ambition. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. (P. 42) Walton wanted to sail to the arctic because no other sailor had ever reached it or discovered its secrets. The monster was created against his will; his ambition was to requite his creation as an appalling outcast and to attain some satisfaction for crumbling the world around Victor. These three characters all acted upon the same blind ambition. The novel asks enduring questions about human nature and the relationship between God and man. The monster displays a similar kind of duality, inciting sympathy as well as dread in all who hear his tale. He requisitions our compassion to the extent that we recognize ourselves in his exceeding loneliness and compare our own life with the Creature. Despised by his creator and wholly alone and hated, he learns what he can of human nature as he eavesdroppes on a family of cottage dwellers, and he educates himself by reading three books that had fortunately fallen across his path, among them Paradise Lost. Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? (P. 93), the Creature asks himself after reading them. Even though the Creature commits criminal acts, the fact that he has a self-consciousness and his ability to educate himself as a person raises the question of what it really means to be human, what thoughts and emotions it takes to be considered a human-being. It is difficult to think of th e monster as anything less than just that in his entreaty for understanding from Frankenstein when the creature wishes to speak to him: Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me. (p. 71). When the Creatures unknown, but helpful acts of kindness toward the De Laceys are returned with baseless animosity, we come to wonder whether it is the world that the creature inhabits, as opposed to something intrinsic that caused him to commit enormity. Nonetheless, he clings on to a conscience and a zealous longing for another kind of existence as well as acceptance and love from another, which Victor cruelly denies him. Modern man is an example of the monster, estranged from his creator-who believes his own origins to be meaningless and accidental,non important and full of rage at the conditions of his existence as well as at his creator. Since the monster has no name of his own, hes not quite an autonomous fellow. Instead, he is bound to his creator. He is naught without Victor. He is as much a part of Frankenstein as he is his own self. The monster comes into the world by a pretty horrendous set of circumstances. He has the physique of a giant, yet a puerile mind. He has an amiable nature, yet his physical deformity hides his benevolence and makes everyone fear and abuse him. His own creator even rejected him because of his hideous looks. His feelings are the most deep and poignant of any characters in this novel, as well as the most conflicted. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? (P. 105) To make matters more complicated, the monster is correlated to both Adam and Satan in Paradise Lost. This may seem slightly nebulous. The thing to keep in mind is that the idea at the heart of the monster is his duality. He has a very abstruse duality. He is at once man in his immaculate state before the Fall (the Fall = evil), and yet the manifestation of evil itself. This is starting to sound like Victor Frankenstein. Abstruse dualityconflicting characterizationcould it be that the monster mirrors his maker in his duality? Of course, the other reason the monster turns on humans is because Victor was his last tie to humanity. The monster is one of many people in this text that is affected by loneliness, isolation, and an all around desire for companionship. Victor may have scorned him, resented him, and tried repeatedly to eradicate him, but at least he talked to the monster. At least he recognized the monsters existence. And for a creature that spent most of his wretched life in hiding and exile, alone without anyone there for him, this can be pretty good reason to pursue Victor. Good or bad, Victor is the only relation hes ever had and he tries desperately to cling to this relationship. Do we accuse him? Do we spite him? Do we adore him? Hes tenderhearted. He articulates well with others and he even rescues a little girl from a river. He just gets the cruelty and hatred because hes ugly. Can we blame him if he lashes out in abrupt and absurdly violent ways? From that moment he declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against Frankenstein who had formed him and sent him forth to this insupportable misery. (P. 99) This sounds like more clashing emotions. Could it be that we, the reader, feel the equivalent duality of emotions that the monster and Victor feel for each other? One more thing, what does it mean that the fmonster is made out of dead-person pieces? If hes made up out of people, then hes essentially a person himself. But if theyre inert, then hes never really extant in the first place. You could also say that, since hes an aggregate of human parts, hes also a conglomerate of human traits. This might show us the nature of his complex duality. Modern man is also Frankenstein, breaking ties and becoming further away from his creatorusurping the powers of God and irresponsibly tinkering with nature, even if they are full of benign purpose, it ends with malignant results. Although Frankenstein as well as the monster begin with good intentions and become murderers in the end, the monster seem way more softhearted than Victor because he is by nature the outsider of society, whereas Frankenstein purposely removes himself from human society. When Frankenstein first becomes enthralled in his endeavours to create life, as he collects materials from a slaughterhouse and disecting room. Frankenstein also breaks his ties with friends and family during his hindering work, and he becomes increasingly confined. His father reproaches him for this; eliciting Frankenstein to think to himself what his single-minded quest for knowledge has cost him, and whether or not it is morally acceptable. After he looks back on his mistakes, he concludes that, contrary to his credence at the time it was not worth it, If no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece had not been enslaved; Caesar would have spared his country; America would have been discovered more gradually; and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed. (p. 35). Natural world is like Eden and will be corrupted through too much knowledge (science). [ProofBiblical Conception of Knowledge; man evicted from paradise for knowing too much; Prometheus reined in by Gods; novel written in Romantic era which upholds the values that Progress is Dangerous and that there must be a return to Idealized Past]. Through Victor and Walton, Frankenstein represents human beings as deeply ambitious, and yet also deeply erroneous. The labors of men of genius, however erroneously directed, scarcely ever fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind. (P. 29) Both Victor and Walton fantasize of transforming society and bringing prestige to themselves through their scientific conquests. Yet their ambitions also make them ignorant. Blinded by dreams of glory, they fail to consider the repercussions of their actions. So while Victor turns himself into a god, a creator, by bringing his monster to life, this only highlights his fallibility when he is ultima tely inept of fulfilling the obligation that a creator has to its creation. Victor thinks he will be like a god, but ends up the progenitor of a devil. Walton, at least, turns back from his quest to the North Pole before getting himself and his crew annihilated, after hearing Victors tale about the devastating aftermath of pushing the boundaries of exploration. I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery. Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow. (P. 33) He learns from Victors tragedy. After Victor dies, he turns the ship back to England, trying not to make the same mistakes that Victor made in the obsessive compulsion that destroyed his life, but he does so with the resentful conclusion that he has been deprived of t he glory he originally sought. Frankenstein is an expostulation of humanity, specifically of the human concept of science, enlightenment, technical progress, and a deeply humanistic effort full of empathy for the human state of our own condition. Victor is a brilliant, sentimental, visionary, and accomplished young man whose studies in natural philosophy (p. 31) and chemistry evolve from A fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature. (p. 22). As the novel develops and the plot thickens, Frankenstein and his monster oppose each other and fight one another for the portrayal of the main protagonist of the story. We are inclined to identify with Frankenstein, who is admired by his immaculate friends and family alike and even by the ship captain Robert, who saves him, berserk by his pursuit for vengeance, from the piece of ice he had been stranded on. He still is a human being, nevertheless. Notwithstanding, regardless of his humanitarian aspiration to Banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnera ble to any but a violent death! (p. 43), Frankenstein becomes tangled in a hostile pursuit that is the single and main cause that lead him to destroy his own well-being and to remove himself from his fellow-creatures as ifguilty of a crime (p. 35). His irresponsibility is the stimulant, the foundation of what causes the death of those around him, his family, his friends and his love and he falls under the ascendancy of his own creation and fails to break free from the chains that bind him. Neither Victor nor Walton could liberate themselves from their blinding ambitions, they made it seem that all men, and notably those who pursue to raise themselves up in renown above the rest of society and even god, are in fact impetuous and imperfect creatures with feeble and defective natures. We can all learn from Victors last words to Walton, Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. (P. 162)

The Death Penalty: A Necessary Evil Essay -- essays research papers

The Death Penalty: a Necessary Evil Life is the most wonderful gift that God gives us. He also gives us the power to do what we wish with that life. We can keep it and guard it, or we can take it away. It follows that murder is the worst crime anyone could ever commit. It is a crime that no one can ever make right because once you take a life away you can never give it back. Penalties exacted from criminals are made to fit the crimes committed. The worst crime possible should therefore receive the worst penalty possible. That penalty is the death penalty. Take, for example, the case of a man who is caught shoplifting. He does not deserve the same punishment as someone who is convicted of assault and battery. Most people would have no problem agreeing with this. Yet many of these same people believe that a cold blooded killer deserves the same life sentence as a convicted kidnapper who did not kill his prisoner. Granted these are both serious offenses, but our system of law works be degrees of seriousness. The mental damage done to that prisoner can be turned around, but the life taken away by the murderer can never be given back. They should therefore be given a harsher punishment than life in prison. In terms of justice, we should all get what we deserve. One argument against the death penalty is that the bible tells us not to murder. If this includes all people it should include the government. However, the death penalty is not quite the same as murder. It is an exacting...

West Side Story Essay -- essays research papers

In 1961, West Side Story, a filmed version of the hit Broadway musical that was inspired by William Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet," was released to viewers, who just could not resist the energy and excitement of the movie. Thirty-eight years later, viewers, like myself, still cannot resist it. I had never seen the film, which was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, before, but I had always wondered why people loved this multi award-winning movie so much. After viewing the film, I think that it deserved the ten Academy Awards that it won because it has withstood the test of time and it truly is a remarkable film. It still has the same flair and ability to lure the viewer into the plot as it did when it was first shown in theaters. I think that it truly is one of the best pictures of this century because it offers entertainment and an important lesson about hate as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  West Side Story is primarily a social statement with a touching love story surrounding the social aspect of the film. West Side Story has three main themes, love, tragedy, and justice, which are brought to light throughout the course of the movie. The plot of the film involves two race-based gangs fighting to rule the same strip of street on the West Side of New York City in the late 1950’s. The film teaches a valuable lesson; a lesson about how hate can kill a person and destroy the lives of his or her loved ones. The Jets, a white gang of teenagers led by Riff, and the Sharks, the Puerto Ri...

Web Based Information System

Implications for project management and development processes The unique nature of many web-based applications broadens the role of traditional project management and adds a new dimension to the software development process. In addition to the participation and contribution of analysts, designers, programmers, architects, managers, domain experts and so on, web-based applications often contain significant multimedia content (images, movie clips, sound clips and text) requiring specialist resources for their development. Multimedia development Groups separate from the software engineers usually produce multimedia web content in parallel, in a similar way that on-line help is typically produced by a technical writer rather than a software developer. Some recent studies indicate that specialist resources needed to develop multimedia content may outnumber software engineers. For the purposes of estimating software development effort, multimedia content is assumed to exist and the effort required for their production is outside the scope of the software engineering process. However, the effort of integrating these elements needs to taken into account. Furthermore the effort to create the multimedia content itself must be incorporated to produce an overall project estimate. focus on developing business logic The novelty of developing web-based applications can be captivating and may obscure the fact that modelling an application’s business logic, whether it is being implemented in a web page, a component or an object remains the central focus of the project. Web-based application development requires project management best practice as much as any other type of application development. Business networking Business networking is a marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people. There are several prominent business networking organizations that create models of networking activity that, when followed, allow the business person to build new business relationship and generate business opportunities at the same time. Many business people contend business networking is a more cost-effective method of generating new business than advertising or public relations efforts. This is because business networking is a low-cost activity that involves more personal commitment than company money. As an example, a business network may agree to meet weekly or monthly with the purpose of exchanging business leads and referrals with fellow members. To complement this activity, members often meet outside this circle, on their own time, and build their own â€Å"one-to-one† relationship with the fellow member. Business networking can be conducted in a local business community, or on a more larger scale via the Internet. Business networking websites have grown over recent years due to the Internet's ability to connect people from all over the world. Business networking can have a meaning also in the ICT domain, i. e. the provision of operating support to companies / organizations, and related value chains / value networks. It refers to an activity coordination with a wider scope and a simpler implementation than pre-organized workflows or web-based impromptu searches for transaction counterparts (workflow is useful to coordinate activities, but it is complicated by the use of s. . â€Å"patterns† to deviate the flow of work from a pure sequence, in order to compensate its intrinsic â€Å"linearity†; impromptu searches for transaction counterparts on the web are useful as well, but only for non strategic supplies; both are complicated by a plethora of interfaces — SOA / XML / web services — needed among different organizations and even between different IT applications with in the same organization). Online business networking Businesses are increasingly using business social networks like XING or professional business networking tools like Boardex as a means of growing their circle of business contacts and promoting themselves online. Since businesses are expanding globally, social networks make it easier to keep in touch with other contacts around the world. Specific cross-border e-commerce platforms and business partnering networks now make globalization accessible also for small and medium sized companies. Face-to-face business networking Professionals who wish to leverage their presentation skills with the urgency of physically being present, attend general and exclusive events. Many professionals tend to prefer face-to-face networking over online based networking because the potential for higher quality relationships are possible. Many individuals also prefer face-to-face because people tend to prefer actually knowing and meeting who they intend to do business with. General business networking Before online networking, there was and has always been, networking face-to-face. â€Å"Schmoozing† or â€Å"rubbing elbows† are expressions used among business professionals for introducing and meeting one another, and establishing rapport. Business networking in the ICT domain Companies / organizations — and related value chains / value networks — need some sort of IT support. Traditionally, it is provided by software applications, software packages /suites, ERPs and/or workflows; presently, also by different types of web-based innovations. A truly â€Å"ICT† business networking approach rethinks — and rebuilds — the operating support from scratch, around two key business features: information contributions, to be provided by the activities involved (whether they are performed by human beings, automated tools or jointly by the two, in a coordinated way); (automated) information exchanges, to be provided by the TLC network. Information contributions and exchanges, in turn, need to be supported by data storage (plain or redundant, with or without automated recovery to grant service continuity) and access security (signature, encryption, authentication, decryption), which both can be provided either as add-on's or as built-in features. Introduction to Novell Novell, Inc. has made news over the years for its business struggles. Novell enjoyed success as a popular vendor of network software — principally the NetWare ® operating system. Today the company is working to build an Internet networking business, but they face strong competition. NetWare The NetWare operating system supports the networking of personal computers (PCs). Installed on a PC, NetWare creates a server environment for the sharing of files, printers, and other network â€Å"services. † One of the first software products designed for PC networking, early versions of NetWare appeared in the late 1980s. NetWare 3 was originally called â€Å"NetWare 386† and released for use with Intel's 80386 processor. Likewise, Novell developed NetWare 4 in the early 1990s for the Intel 80486. NetWare 5, the latest version of Novell's operating system, has been available since September, 1998. Together, NetWare 3, 4, and 5 enjoy an installed base of millions of servers worldwide. NetWare encountered stiff competition from Microsoft beginning in the mid-1990s with the introduction of Windows NT Server products. Some believe the rapid growth of Linux server networking — although difficult to measure accurately due to the open nature of that operating system — is also impacting NetWare's popularity. NDS The media sometimes refers to Novell Directory Services (NDS ®) as the â€Å"crown jewel† of Novell's product offerings. Like NetWare, NDS has benefited from a long development history resulting in mature technology with a large installed customer base. What makes NDS especially appealing is its flexibility and the range of potential applications in network management and ecommerce. NDS is an LDAP directory service. Directory services like NDS provide information repositories for distributed network resources ranging from devices to Web site customer profiles. LDAP — the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol — offers a standard way to access this information. Web sites such as CNN and AltaVista use the NDS eDirectoryâ„ ¢ product. eDirectory tracks visitor activity to these sites, building a special-purpose â€Å"database† of customers that can be used to provide personalization services. While NDS was originally a NetWare-only technology, eDirectory now works with Windows NT and 2000, Solaris, and Linux in addition to NetWare 5 servers. Novell offers several other products based on eDirectory technology. NDS Corporate Edition, for example, implements network resource management. The digitalmeâ„ ¢ service adds more secure personalization capabilities to eDirectory. As with NetWare, however, Novell faces competition in the directory services space from Microsoft Active Directory (not to mention products from other vendors such as iPlanet Directory Server). More Web Services In 1996 and 1997, Novell achieved some success with its IntranetWare product family design for intranet data sharing. Today, Novell continues to offer GroupWise email and calendaring for intranets (and other Web-based networks). Novell also is working with technology for Web content caching. The Novell Content Exchange subscription service brings Internet caching and other software to the data center where Web content is served. Conclusion Novell's low stock price has led to speculation of a possible buyout in the company's near future. These rumors are nothing new. As far back as 1996 and 1997, industry pundits debated various buyout or merger scenarios involving IBM, AT&T, Netscape, and even Microsoft. None of these scenarios came to pass, so perhaps it most likely — layoffs aside — that Novell will continue working to grow its network services business in the months and years ahead.

Analysis of JFK Inauguration Speech Essay

On Friday, 20 January 1961 newly elected President John F. Kennedy delivered his Inauguration speech to the nation of America in the time of uncertainty and fear. Kennedy was the â€Å"youngest elected president and the first Roman Catholic president†. During this tumultuous time period the Cold War was at its peak and dangers of nuclear power were building .To ease the rising tensions building amongst the people Kennedy emphasizes optimism and idealism in his speech. In doing so, Kennedy hopes in â€Å"representing the United States as a force to be reckoned with while maintaining peaceful international relations with other countries†. While most don’t believe it had an impact, John F Kennedy’s speech helped America pull through one of its darkest times. At the time President Kennedy had big shoes to fill. With rising pressure coming from separate nations due to nuclear power the people of America are worried now more than ever. Though with his charismatic ego and benevolent approach, Kennedy was determined to get his input through the people. In other words Kennedy was what America needed at the time, a savior. Not only that but with his dashing good looks and eloquent family he was to some extent a  role model. This speech was somewhat typical of Kennedy compared to other speeches of his. Like Kennedys â€Å"City upon a Hillâ€Å"speech he tends to appeal to the people, as seen when he says â€Å"We must always consider that we shall be a city upon a hill-the eyes of all people are upon us†. Kennedy is a credible speaker and this can be attributed due to the fact that he had been giving successful speeches throughout his presidential campaign that eventually persuaded people to vote for him and in due course win the pres idential election. Kennedy delivered his Inaugural Address before an audience of twenty thousand people and a televised audience of eighty million. The people of America were fearful because of the development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons. It was a very volatile time in history, with the country not far  removed from WW2 and the Korean War. Though Kennedy felt that it wasn’t just the people of America but the people of the world he should address. He asked the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the â€Å"common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself†. Kennedy’s main responsibility was to represent the nation of America as one that was strong and was able to maintain peaceful international relations. Though Kennedy is just truly attempting to emphasize optimism and idealism since the nation is in such panic and hysteria. The focal point of Kennedy’s speech was the relationship between duty and power. This was highlighted with Kennedy’s vivid usage of juxtaposition. In the first part of the speech Kennedy states in the second passage, â€Å"†¦Man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life†. This appeals to the idea of shifting towards peoples values and affluence. The use of tropes can also be spotted within the text. Kennedy overemphasizes the strength of America by the use of hyperboles. By exaggerating and saying that America can â€Å"pay any price† or â€Å"bear any burden,† Kennedy generates a perception of pride in the reader for his or her country. One of the most famous lines ushered by Kennedy in his inaugural speech was the use of chiasmus when he says â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country†. Kennedy’s use of ethos is attributed to much of this because of his trustworthiness and credibility as a speaker. This gives Kennedy authority since his use of rhetoric establishes him as a good character that can appeal to the public Kennedy’s Inaugural Address was obviously much more than any regular speech given by a president in office. Kennedy’s commitment to insure freedom to countless civilians possibly encouraged him to â€Å"escalate the U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam†. This is foreshadowing for what is to become the cold war and one of the† longest and costliest wars†. Although today Kennedy is remember more for his notoriety and assassination, many forget how big a mark his inaugural speech left upon the world. Kennedy  envisioned and urged change for the better. Former president Harry S Truman told journalists that history would remember it as â€Å"One of the greatest speeches of all time†. If not for Kennedy’s speech, relations with America and other countries would be in turmoil and chaos. History is essential to why John F Kennedy and his inaugural speech in office were so influential to his administration and in turn the rest of the 20th cen tury. Works Cited â€Å"John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address. U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989.† John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address. U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989. Bartleby Bookstore, 2 Aug. 2007. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. Antecelli, Nathan M. â€Å"Home.† Our Documents -. The Peoples Vote, 17 Mar. 2001. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. â€Å"USA Presidents.† USA-Presidents.Info. Ezoic, 2004. Web. 21 Dec. 2013. Mehltretter, Sandra M. â€Å"John Fitzgerald Kennedy, â€Å"Inaugural Address† (20 January 1961).†John Fitzgerald Kennedy, â€Å"Inaugural Address† (20 January 1961). The Pennsylvania State University, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.