Etymology Case Essay

The word horticulture is modeled after agriculture, and comes from the Latin hortus â€Å"garden† and cultÃ… «ra â€Å"cultivation†, from cultus, the perfect passive participle of the verb colÃ…  â€Å"I cultivate†.Hortus is cognate with the native English word yard (in the meaning of land associated with a building) and also the borrowed word garden. Understanding horticulture Horticulture is a term that evokes images of plants, gardening, and people working in the horticultural industries. For the public, and policy makers, the term is not completely understood nor is its impact on human activities been fully appreciated. Horticulture impacts widely on human activities, more than its popular understanding as merely â€Å"gardening† would indicate. It needs to be recognized as a matrix of inter-relating areas that overlap, with complex inter-relationships. A wider and more accurate definition will communicate effectively the importance of plants, their cultivation and their use for sustainable human existence. The popular â€Å"gardening activity† sense fails to convey the important role that horticulture plays in the lives of individuals, communities and human societies as a whole. Describing its impact on the physiological, psychological and social activities of people is key to expanding our understanding; however â€Å"the cultivation of a garden, orchard, or nursery† and â€Å"the cultivation of flowers, fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants† as well as â€Å"the science and art of cultivating such plants† will suffice to sketch the outline of a short description. Expanded the traditional understanding of horticulture beyond â€Å"garden† cultivation. Turkey (1962) gave an overview of those involved in the field of horticulture, in stating that there are those who are concerned with the science or biological side, those concerned with the business side and finally those who are concerned with the home or art side, which enjoy plants simply for the satisfaction they get from them. Primarily it is an art, but it is intimately connected with science at every point. Relf highlighted the fact that, in limiting the definition of horticulture severely limits an understanding of what horticulture means in terms of human well-being. Relf provided a comprehensive definition of horticulture as; the art and science of plants resulting in the development of minds and emotions of individuals, the enrichment and health of communities, and the integration of the â€Å"garden† in the breadth of modern civilization. In addition, Half acre and Barden (1979), Janick and Goldman (2003). Further extended the scope of horticulture when they agreed that the origins of horticulture are intimately associated with the history of humanity and that horticulture encompasses all life and bridges the gap between science, art and human beings. This broader vision of horticulture embraces plants, including the multitude of products and activities (oxygen, food, medicine, clothing, shelter, celebration or remembrance) essential for human survival; and people, whose active and passive involvement with â€Å"the garden† brings about benefits to them as individuals and to the communities and cultures they encompass Greenhouse effect A representation of the exchanges of energy between the source (the Sun), the Earth’s surface, the Earth’s atmosphere, and the ultimate sink outer space. The ability of the atmosphere to capture and recycle energy emitted by the Earth surface is the defining characteristic of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface and the lower atmosphere, it results in an elevation of the average surface temperature above what it would be in the absence of the gases. Solar radiation at the frequencies of visible light largely passes through the atmosphere to warm the planetary surface, which then emits this energy at the lower frequencies of infrared thermal radiation. Infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases, which in turn re-radiate much of the energy to the surface and lower atmosphere. The mechanism is named after the effect of solar radiation passing through glass and warming a greenhouse, but the way it retains heat is fundamentally different as a greenhouse works by reducing airflow, isolating the warm air inside the structure so that heat is not lost by convection. If an ideal thermally conductive blackbody was the same distance from the Sun as the Earth is, it would have a temperature of about 5.3  °C. However, since the Earth reflects about 30% of the incoming sunlight, the planet’s effective temperature (the temperature of a blackbody that would emit the same amount of radiation) is about −18  °C,[7][8] about 33 °C below the actual surface temperature of about 14  °C.[ The mechanism that produces this difference between the actual surface temperature and the effective temperature is due to the atmosphere and is known as the greenhouse effect. Earth’s natural greenhouse effect makes life as we know it possible. However, human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests, have intensified the natural greenhouse effect, causing global warming. MODERN ELECTRONICS Home appliance Numerous appliances are found in the kitchen. Home appliances are electrical/mechanical machines which accomplish some household functions, such as cooking or cleaning. Home appliances can be classified into: * Major appliances, or White goods * Small appliances, or Brown goods * Consumer electronics, or Shiny goods This division is also noticeable in the service area of these kinds of products. Brown goods usually require high technical knowledge and skills (which get more complex with time, such as going from a soldering iron to a hot-air soldering station), while white goods need more practical skills and â€Å"brute force† to manipulate the devices and heavy tools required to repair them. Electric blanket In the US the electric blanket is a blanket with an integrated electrical heating device usually placed above the top bed sheet. In the UK and Commonwealth, electric blanket commonly refers to an electric mattress pad, which is placed below the bottom bed sheet. Electric blankets usually have a control unit which adjusts the amount of heat the blanket produces. Blankets for larger sized beds often have separate controls for each side of the bed. The electric blanket may be used to pre-heat the bed before use or to keep the occupant warm while in bed. Modern electric blankets have carbon fibre wires. These blankets usually work on 24 volts instead of the 110/240 volts. Therefore, they are advertised as being a safer, more efficient and more comfortable alternative. Zhangjiajie, China : The Bailong Elevator is the world’s largest exterior elevator. At over 1,000 feet tall, this elevator looms high midway up a cliff overlooking a valley far below. Moreover, the elevator is mostly glass, affording passengers a dizzying view to the depths below. There is some concern, however, about the elevator’s long-term impact on the surrounding natural environment. Yangtze, China :The Three Gorges Dam has drawn fire from people around the world for its role in raising water levels and displacing millions of Chinese residents in the area. As a work of engineering, however, it is unparalleled. It will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, 600 feet high and holding 1.4 trillion cubic feet of water behind 100 million cubic feet of concrete. This engineering wonder will also eventually provide as much as 10% of China’s vast power needs. Technology By the mid 20th century, humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the atmosphere of the Earth for the first time and explore space. Technology is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solution to a problem, achieve a goal or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species’ ability to control and adapt to their natural environments. The word technology comes from Greek Ï„Î µÃâ€¡ÃŽ ½ÃŽ ¿ÃŽ »ÃŽ ¿ÃŽ ³ÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ± (technologà ­a); from Ï„Î ­Ãâ€¡ÃŽ ½ÃŽ · (tà ©chnÄ“), meaning â€Å"art, skill, craft†, and -ÃŽ »ÃŽ ¿ÃŽ ³ÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ± meaning â€Å"study of-â€Å".[1] The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technology, medical technology, and information technology. The human species’ use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapo ns of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.

Ultrahigh Bypass Ratio Propulsion Systems Studied

celerate a large mass of air by a small amount than to accelerate a small mass of air by a large amount. In a turbofan jet engine, the airflow rate that bypasses the engine core divided by the airflow rate that travels through the core is called the bypass ratio. The bypass ratio, or BPR, is one of the key indicators of turbofan engine efficiency. The desire for better fuel efficiency has resulted in the evolution of commercial aircraft gas turbine engines from early turbojets (BPR=0), to low bypass ratio, first generation turbofans (BPR=1-2), to today's high bypass ratio turbofans (BPR=5-10).Now, ultrahigh bypass ratio (UHB) turbofans (BPR=10-20) are being designed for a next-generation, intracontinental commercial aircraft. This aircraft could enter service as early as 2020. The Intercenter Systems Analysis Team, consisting of systems engineers from Glenn and Langley Research Centers, conducted an analytical feasibility study of UHB turbofans for NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Prog ram. With a little math, it can be shown that fuel efficiency increases along with BPR.The engine core, however, has a limited supply of power available to propel the bypass air stream, so it can be difficult to simply increase BPR arbitrarily. One path to UHB engines and better efficiency is to reduce the fan's pressure ratio, which lowers the fan's power requirement and allows higher BPRs. Our analysis team designed nine notional UHB propulsion systems for this new aircraft along a parametric design sweep of fan pressure ratio. Using advanced computational tools, these propulsion systems were ana

Planning and Goal Setting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning and Goal Setting - Research Paper Example I have suggested these improvements to provide the customers with a clearer perception of what our business is about. In addition to that, the revised vision statement clearly mentions the aspirations and goals of the Moonlight Bakers that are required to be known by the company’s leader to make advancements for their achievement. Besides, development of a powerful vision statement is fundamental to the strategic planning and attainment of competitive advantage for the Moonlight Bakers. I would do some literature review to note down the benefits of making a business plan as well as to collect information about companies that attempted to started new businesses in the past but failed because of lack of a business plan. I would say to the CEO, â€Å"Sir, it is in the air that you are about to take over a new business. If that is the case, may we please have the opportunity to make a business plan for you? It is very useful while starting a new business in the contemporary age. I have done the literature review and these are some files I would like to share with you.† The rationale behind my soft words is that I don’t want to offend him that we know his plans even though he has not shared them with us. Secondly, I have tried to convince him with proofs of benefits of using a business plan in such situations. In the contemporary world that is changing at a fast pace, leadership with vision or visionary leadership is required for the organizations to thrive and stay competitive (Kantabutra and Avery, 2010, p. 37). Making vision statement is a preliminary step in the development of such leadership since the goals of the leader are aligned with and retrieved from the ones mentioned in the vision statement. Development of the vision statement is one of the vision driven strategies employed by organizations to succeed. â€Å"[O]rganizations which utilize effective Business plans maximize the

Groupon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Groupon - Essay Example The company makes profit by retaining utmost half the money paid by customers for subscribing to coupons. For instance, a $50 message can be bought by an individual for only $25, if purchased through Groupon. Then the $25 would be split between the retailer and Groupon as per their initial terms of contract. Each day, the subscribers of Groupon receive daily deals from a variety of local businesses including spa, home paints, restaurant, and so on. From the above discussion it can be said that if the minimum number of subscribers does not sign up for daily offers, the subscribers are not given discounts. E-Marketing Analysis The e-marketing strategy of the company helped to grow its revenue in one year and become one of the fastest growing companies. According to the business model of the company, the users get to avail discounts only when certain number of subscribers signs up for a deal. Such a strategy adopted by the company helps the existing subscribers to spread the message to their family, friends, followers, and hence encourage others to follow the suit. This e-marketing strategy helps the company to introduce themselves to new potential customers (Chaffey, 2008, pp.336). The company’s marketing and promotion strategy enables subscribers to share their experience on social media. This helps the company to spread the daily deals reach out to as many customers as possible. The company also offers group deals which add value to daily deals package because a customer who has never used the products of Groupon gets to avail attractive discounts. The process spreads through referrals helping the company to spread products to larger segment. In addition, the company sends daily emails to their...The company also motivates its customers through social networking. The web design of the company’s portal uses a countdown timer clock and a tracker of number of deals signed by customers. Such interface helps the customers to spread the deals online to their friends and family. The company’s e-Business strategy also helps to reduce the cost of advertising and add value to the business by encouraging potential customers turn into repeat customers. The company also sends frequent emails to subscribers for daily deals and best offers. The company’s marketing and promotion strategy enables subscribers to share their experience on social media. This in turn motivates the subscribers to spread the daily deals reach out to as many customers as possible. Recommendation The e-marketing strategy of the company helped to grow its revenue in one year and become one of the fastest growing companies. According to the business model of the company, the users get to avail discounts only when certain number of subscribers signs up for a deal. Such interface helps the customers to spread the deals online to their friends and family. Recent studies have also shown that Groupon subscribers are favouring Groupon mobile applications over traditional desktop internet. The company should invest more in mobile commerce technology. It will help the company to reach younger generations more easily and also increase revenue.

ACCT202 - DVHA - Accounting II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

ACCT202 - DVHA - Accounting II - Essay Example This means that the buttons are stitched onto the right half and the buttonholes are on the left. There could be two or three buttons, which factor has an interesting role to play as I shall show later. Purely as a matter of interest, the item of male clothing that has the maximum number of manufacturing operations done on it is the coat, twenty-seven separate operations (www.stitchworld.net). The best way to put on a coat is to have an assistant standing behind you holding the coat at the level of your neck. He clasps both shoulders of the coat, one in each hand. Using his right hand, he opens up the front half of the right side, so that the armhole is clearly visible and positioned slightly below your right hand. After you slide your right arm fully into the right sleeve, he opens up the left half with the buttonhole slightly above your left arm, so that you have to reach upwards to slide your left arm into the sleeve. I will stop here, as all subsequent actions are the same as those carried out by you without an assistant. When you have to put on your coat by yourself, the best method is to start by laying the coat on its back on a bed. With your left hand, hold the collar facing you (the right collar when worn) between your thumb and the other four fingers and slide your right arm into the sleeve, gathering the coat as you stand up. Bring your bunched left fist up to touch your right cheek, fold your right arm so that you can use the fingers on your right hand to replace the left. Now move your fist backwards towards the center of your neck. This will help you to locate the left armhole with your free left hand. Slide your left arm in. The most widely used method is when you have just a coat and nothing else. Again, with your left hand, hold the collar facing you between your thumb and the other four fingers, but at the spot directly above the center of the armhole. The armhole should be visible to you at a

Leadership and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership and Ethics - Essay Example Any failure to hold on to the code of conduct with vested interests such as saving labor costs amounts to unethical behavior. The employment legislation in place puts managers to task where they are expected to become accountable to the process of hiring foreign workers. Lack of compliance may get public office managers to lose their jobs, get fines or suffer from adverse publicity. Managers face the unethical influence of politicians in their organizations. Political parties view the undocumented workers as potential sources of votes. Politicians push reforms that favor workers who are hired in the country illegally in order to boost their voting blocks. Democrats and Republicans push for initiatives such as health care or social welfare that impress the illegal workers because they know their efforts would translate into votes. Managers have suppressed authority for making such decisions. The decisions are made nationally unless immigration policies are revised to reinforce their capacity to take charge in their offices. Political influence brings economic deprivation for legally documented skilled workers. There is a link between organization structure and the degree of ethical behavior in any well-to-do organization. A hierarchical and rigid organization structure limits opportunities for employees and they lack the capacity to develop their moral intelligence (Raines, 2010). Employees whose roles are limited within the organization are not involved in activities that confront them with ethical dilemmas. The workers do not understand ethical or unethical behaviors when they are carrying out their duties. Additionally, a rigid structure features an autonomous decision-making process. Employees do not have the capacity to make high-level decisions because the work environment does not give them relevant experience in moral development. Lack of proper moral development may translate

Conflict Management Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conflict Management - Scholarship Essay Example This paper illustrates that leadership and teamwork have a symbiotic relationship that cannot be overemphasized. Exemplary leadership often promotes teamwork and reduces conflicts within organizations. Conflicts are common at all group levels, be it at workplaces or in learning institutions, because of communication breakdowns. The situation is even severe at present because everybody is aware of his or her rights. The conflict has both positive and negative effects on a team, depending on the way managers and team leaders propose resolution measures. Constructive-cooperative conflict management fosters innovation in work teams. According to Desivilya, Somech, and Lidgoster, intragroup conflict radiates from interpersonal pressures among team members because of real or superficial differences. The quality of internal relationships determines the effectiveness of work teams and the leadership approach taken to handle relationship conflicts (emotionally driven conflicts) and task confl icts. The researchers propose the Dual Concern Model, which highlights the concern for self and concern for the other party as concerns interpersonal conflict-management. In this case, a participative leadership approach encourages cooperation and collaboration, in which team members share a mutual concern for each other. Team effort determines the achievement of tactical objectives and strategic goals of the organization. Victor Sohmen’s study proposes the best practices that would balance leadership and teamwork and result in successful outcomes in the contemporary competitive environment. Organizational leadership is essential to exercise interpersonal influence across a team. This is only possible if such leaders embrace a Five-Dimensional Leadership Competency Model, which encompasses transformational, transactional, organic, contemporary, and ethical dimensions. A leader must learn when to use either of the dimensions and when to combine the dimensions as the situation demands. At times, an accommodative leadership approach, in which a leader surrenders the leadership position to settle a conflict is essential.

Objective summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Objective summary - Essay Example On the other hand, proponents believe that such laws protect vulnerable victims. Nevertheless, colleges are imparting rules and regulations to lessen the dangers of date rape. Alan M. Dershowitzs "The Case for Torture Warrants" is an article about the debate whether law enforcement forces be allowed to torture suspects who are thought to have information pertaining to terrorism. Dershowitz is concerned with the methods of torture and how it can generate truthful information by giving examples of the Israeli, French, English, and American methods of torture. Among these, Dershowitz believes the American approach has over-stepped the boundaries of legal code of conduct. He is of the view that the availability of torture has given rise to unauthorised tortures. There is a resolution to this problem - the obtainment of warrants for authorising torture of suspects. This he believes would curb unaccountable imprisonment and torture across the United States among law enforcement agencies. More importantly this law would reduce exploitation of authority among law enforcement officials who do not have the full understanding of the risks of guessing the wrong suspe ct. Michael Levin demonstrates in his article "The Case for Torture" that in severe cases, torture is justified and morally mandatory. This is a reality that one must face in todays day and age of terrorism. He is of the view that the death or torture of one individual for the better or survival of many is justified even though it is unconstitutional. Torture is justified because Levin believes that victims of terrorism are innocent individuals who run the risk of deaths. On the other hand, terrorists have made the choice of running the risks of death. Whether for idealism or for profit terrorists carry out death plans and have excluded themselves from the civilised standards when they make the decision to kill others. In this context, torture is but a small mean to stop them from victimising

Is Gambling a Social Problem Essay Example for Free

Is Gambling a Social Problem Essay Gambling is an act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning. It also involves a significant risk as the material good (usually money) wagered in the game may be lost if the player does not win. Common forms of gambling include cockfighting (which usually results in the death of one or both roosters), casinos (which has become a profitable business), slot machines (convenient for those who want to play individually), bookmaking (often used for predicting the winners of sports competitions), and caracruz (simplest form of gambling which has existed since ancient history). There is an ongoing debate among social scientists, psychologists, business lobby groups, and others on the benefits and dangers of gambling. Some anti-gambling social activists argue that gambling is a serious social problem, while others argue that gambling problem is a problem of certain individuals who suffer from psychological ills and that in certain circumstances gambling on the contrary is a significant source of income (for example, for Native American tribes). Gambling Is a Social Problem ?Gambling is associated with a range of social issues and thus needs to be designated as a social problem. According to research on the topic, there is a correlation between various social problems and gambling. For example, Hardoon et al. , point out in their study that gambling problem among adolescents they studied stemmed from the lack of healthy familial and peer support, drug use problems, behavioral problems, problems related to family issues, and the parental gambling problems as well as their substance abuse. According to Hardoon et al. , there is a significant familial contribution to gambling problems. Read more:  Ã‚  Essays on Social Issues Many of their respondents said that their elder siblings had a strong influence in their decisions to experience gambling. Many of the respondents who suffered from gambling problems said that their parents themselves were problem gamblers. The study by Hardoon et al. , also points out that children of problem gamblers suffered from insecurity and a sense of â€Å"pervasive loss† (170). They also argue that gambling problem among parents leads to various kinds of familial dysfunctioning, including drug addiction, conduct problems, and delinquency. Hardoon et al. , also point out that there is a connection between gambling and substance use. â€Å"Compared to nongamblers,† they write, â€Å"adolescent gamblers are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, and use drugs† (171). Gamblers are three times more likely to use drugs than non-gamblers. Gambling and substance use problems among adolescents often leads to delinquency and illegal behavior. Adolescents suffering from serious gambling problems are also likely to experience difficulty in school such as decreased academic performance and poor grades. More than half of the problem gamblers Hardoon et al. , studied suffered from conduct problems as well. They were more likely to break rules, get into troubles with individuals in authority, frequently display oppositional behavior, and join anti-social activities (171). This study in general demonstrates that the gambling problem is part of larger social issues and there is a clear correlation between gambling and various social problems. Another study on the impact of gambling on college students suggests that about 1. 6% of the U. S. dult population meets the diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling (Level 1), and 3,85% reportedly suffer from subclinical (Level 2) gambling problems. Among college students, the rate of gambling problem on both levels is twice as high as it is among the general adult population. There are significant social and health-related problems associated with adolescent gambling problems. Adolescents and young adults addicted to gambling suffer from serious stress-related problems. Many of them attempt and even complete suicides. Among these adolescents and young adults, the rate of disorderly familial relationships is much higher. There is a higher rate of comorbidity with other addictive disorders, and there are more frequent instances among these adolescents and young adults of arrests and convictions. The study concludes that â€Å"social norms–based social marketing campaigns (emphasizing accurate descriptive norms for alcohol) to successfully reduce alcohol use on campus† needs to be reworked and applied for combating gambling problems among college students (Larimer Neighbors 241-242). This is another testament to the fact that gambling is a social problem and that the way to reduce it is to employ tools which are used for combating other social problems. Illuminating in this case is the experience of Native American tribes in the United States. With the passing of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, which mandated legislative basis for managing and regulating Indian gaming, the number of casinos has sharply risen in Native American communities. As a result of this, one study of this phenomenon points out, Native Americans â€Å"are four to six times more likely to be pathological gamblers and two to five times more likely to be problem gamblers than non-Indians† (Momper 139). The study also cites poverty, unemployment, and historical injustice as factors that contribute to the development of gambling problems among indigenous groups. According to this study, there is a similar correlation between the practice of excessive gambling and predisposition to other social and behavioral problems such as alcoholism, drug use, and disruptive behavior among Native American groups—but in significantly higher numbers than it is among non-Indians in the United States. Gambling is Not a Social Problem ?While it is true that gambling addiction, just like any other addictive behaviors such as alcohol addiction or drug addiction, is a social problem, gambling itself is not a social problem. Participants of gambling make conscious decisions and they have the freedom to stop the practice whenever they think it is detrimental to their financial, psychological, and social conditions. For example, in the year 1999 the National Gambling Impact Study Commission surveyed the U. S. opulation and found out that 86% of Americans had gambled some time in their lives, and that 68% gambled in 1999 alone (Seligman 86). Out of this large segment of the population who regularly gamble, only a tiny percentage of the population suffers from serious gambling problems. ?Discussions over the use of gambling are sometimes controversial because it is one of the businesses in America which has a bad reputation, on the one hand, and is so popular that more and more Americans are demanding gambling opportunities, on the other. Due to its popularity, gambling has been legalized in all states except Hawaii, Tennessee, and Utah. Residents of these states also gamble, by traveling to other states or by taking advantage of online gambling opportunities. Total wagering in the Unites States is around $900 billion a year (constituting 10% of personal income), and the lion’s share of wagering takes place in casinos ($600 billion). And casinos now exist in twenty nine states. But these are official figures and unofficially the extent of gambling among Americans is likely to be much higher (Seligman 87). Gambling in the United States is a legitimate form of business, and designating it a social problem would necessitate that we label other legitimate forms of business as social problems as well. As Seligman points out, â€Å"Wall Street offers plenty of bets with risk/reward opportunities that mirror those of slot machines—a long shot with occasional huge payout. Buying out-of-the-money puts on an airline stock just before a union vote would fall in that category. If the members unexpectedly vote against wage concessions, you could make a killing on the bankruptcy† (Seligman 89). Some critics of gambling who criticize it from an economic perspective, say that, while gambling consumes time, energy, and resources, it does not produce any real output. But that argument can be used against most kinds of financial transactions and speculating, both of which are acceptable, and in today’s world, necessary components of international financing. As for the charge that problem gambling leads to comorbidity with other social problems such as alcohol abuse and drug use, more research is required to determine the nuances of this connection. Does excessive gambling lead to alcohol abuse or is it the way around? If it is the former, then it is the problem of gambling addiction which needs to be labeled a social problem and remedied. If it is the latter, then it is the problem of alcoholism rather than gambling because alcohol abusers have more than one way of ruing their lives (gambling is not their only option), and even here the issue is the abusive consumption of alcohol, not alcohol consumption in general. Those who see gambling as a social problem ignore the fact that gambling may—and in many cases it does—lead to positive social outcomes. This is generally the case in the Indian reservations in the U. S. As Momper points out, an IGRA passage which aimed at encouraging gambling on reservations for the purpose of raising the standards of living on the poorest reservations â€Å"was the only federal policy that produced lasting effects for tribes, inasmuch as the unemployment rate (38 percent) on 214 reservations with casinos decreased by 13 percent from 1989 to 1995. Even if one takes into account the increase in the number of problem gamblers, other social and economic gains from casinos on reservations greatly outweighed the negative consequences of this business. In addition to creating jobs, casinos on reservations provided the American Indian community with various social services and strengthened their social bonds (Momper 142; Cornell et al. , 1998). While it is true that gambling addiction as increased among American Indian residents as a result of building casinos, in many instances improvements in standards of living took many of them out of poverty, decreasing the rate of behavioral problems and anti-social activities. ?In summary, both proponents of gambling-is-a-social-problem thesis and their opponents have strong arguments at hand. The debate is likely to continue without being resolved as it is a controversial topic and gambling among the U. S. population leads to mixed results: both positive and negative.

Things Fall Apart Chapter Summary Essay Example for Free

Things Fall Apart Chapter Summary Essay The novel begins with the introduction of Okonkwo, a young man famed throughout for his strength as well as other personal achievements. At the age of eighteen, he had brought honor to his village by overthrowing Amalinze, the cat. Okonkwo was a tall man, with bushy eyebrows and a wide nose. His father, Unoka had always been a failure and a debtor. He was more interested in playing his flute than working in the fields. Because of this, his family never had enough to eat and he became a source of shame to Okonkwo. Once when a neighbor called Okoye had come to him to request him to return his money, Unoka had laughed at him and said that he would first pay the others whom he owed more money. After his fathers death, Okonkwo, though young, won fame as the greatest wrestler. Since then, he has become a wealthy farmer, with two barns full of yams. He also had three wives and two honorific titles and was a great warrior. Everybody respected him in the village for his achievements. Chapter 2 Okonkwo had just prepared for bed when the town criers voice is heard. The message is that every man of Umuofia is to meet at the market place the following morning. He wonders whether Umuofia will go to war and thinks how fearful his father was of war and how he himself has been a great warrior in the past, bringing home his fifth human head. The next morning, the marketplace is full of people, and Ogbuefi Ezeugo, a powerful orator, informs them that a daughter of their village had been murdered by some men from Mbaino, the adjoining village, when she visited its market. An ultimatum is given to Mbaino, asking them to choose between war and an offering of a young man and a virgin as compensation. Okonkwo is sent to negotiate. Umuofia is highly feared by its neighbors for its power; therefore Mbaino chooses the latter proposal and Ikemefuna, a young lad of fifteen and a virgin are sent to Umuofia. The girl is sent to the murdered womans husband to replace her and Okonkwo is requested to keep the lad for the time being while the villagers decide what to do with him. Okonkwo hands over the lad in the care of his most senior wife, mother of his oldest son, Nkoye. Ikemefuna is frightened, as he does not understand why he has been separated from his family. Chapter 3 This chapter reveals more details of Okonkwos fathers failings and his justification for despising him as he does. At a disadvantage, Okonkwo had not inherited a barn from his father like other young men and had to start with nothing. Once on a trip to the consult the Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves to find out the reason for his miserable harvest, Unoka was told that it was because of his laziness and not because he had offended the gods. Unoka was so ill-fated that even his death was an undignified one. He died of a swelling in his stomach and his limbs, a type of disease that resulted in his banishment. Therefore, he was carried into the forests and left to die. This made Okonkwo feel even more ashamed of his father. Another story reveals Okonkwos first signs of ambition and the desire to outlive his fathers legacy. While still young and supporting his mother and sisters, Okonkwo approached a wealthy man, Nwakibie, to earn his first seed yams. Nwakibie gave them to him, knowing him to be trust-worthy and hard working. It was Okonkwos bad luck that there was a great drought that year followed by very heavy rains. Both of which contributed to the failure of the seasons harvest. But Okonkwo was a fighter and he survived that year. Chapter 4 Okonkwo was respected by all for his industry and success. In the beginning the boy was afraid, and missed his family. But being a boy of a lively nature, he gradually becomes a part of Okonkwos household. Okonkwos son Nwoye was always with him wherever he went. Okonkwo also becomes fond of him, but he never shows his emotions, as he considers affec tion to be a womanly sign of weakness. When Okonkwo goes to his fieldsto plant the harvest, he takes Nwoye and Ikemefuna with him but he rebukes them if they are slow in understanding what he wants them to learn quickly.When the rains begin great care has to be taken of the young plants. The children then sit around the cooking fire telling stories, or they sit with their fathers, roasting and eating maize. It is during the period of rest that the friendship between Ikemefuna and Nwoye becomes even stronger. Chapter 5 The Feast of the New Yam is now approaching. It takes place just before the harvest and is an occasion of thanksgiving to the earth goddess, Ani. The night before the feast, the old yams are disposed of and on the new year, all the cooking pots are thoroughly washed before being used for the new crop. Yam foo-foo and vegetables soup is prepared. Guests are invited to partake of the food. The walls of the house are decorated with designs and the women and children anoint and decorate themselves. Okonkwo is no t very enthusiastic about the feast. He would rather work in his fields. His suppressed resentment regarding the feast explodes when he thinks that somebody has cut one of his banana trees. When he discovers that the culprit is his second wife, Ekwefi, he beats her and then shoots at her with his gun but fortunately, he misses. In spite of Okonkwos outburst, the festival is celebrated with great joy by his family. On the second day, there is a wrestling contest in which Okonkwo participates. Okonkwos wives prepare the evening meal and the food is served by each of their daughters. One of his daughters, Ezinma, discusses the forthcoming wrestling contest. Okonkwo is particularly fond of this daughter, but as usual does not show his love for her. Chapter 6 The wrestling contests are to be held on the second day of the festival. Everyone from the village gathers to watch these contests, as they are great sources of pride for the villagers. It begins with boys of fifteen or sixteen who provide some entertainment before the more serious matches. One of the winners is the son of Obierika, a friend of Okonkwo. Ekwefi, Okonkwos second wife, loves the wrestling matches and remembers how she fell in love with Okonkwo when he beat the great wrestler, Cat. Although she was married at the time, she left her husband once she found out Okonkwo had enough money to marry her. Ekwefi meets Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, the oracle, who asks about her daughters health. The last match is between Okafo and Ikezue, the leaders of the teams. The earlier year, there had been a draw as they had the same style of fighting but this time, a fierce match ensues and Okafo wins the match. The people sing his praises, carrying him on their shoulders. Chapter 7 Ikemefuna has been living in Okonkwos household for three years now. He is like an older brother to Nwoye and has taught him how to be more manly. Okonkwo is glad that Nwoye is developing fast into manhood and he encourages both boys to be masculine and violent. He tells them stories of conquest and violence and they all make derisive comments about women. Nwoye participates in these activities yet still enjoys his mothers stories more than his fathers yet he tries to please him and so goes to his hut at night. Months pass, and then the locusts arrive in the village. This arrival is an unexpected one, but the people rejoice because locusts are considered to be very tasty and delectable. When the locusts swarm in and cover the entire area, the villagers slowly creep out and collect as many locusts as they can catch during the night. They are then roasted and spread to dry. It is then eaten with palm oil.Nwoye is terribly upset by the death and feels similar to the time when he had been crossing the forest and heard a thin wail of an infant. Nwoye had known that twins who were born were considered evil and were hidden in earthware pots and thrown into the forest. Hearing the wail, something had given way inside him. Hearing of Ikemefunas death , the same feeling rises in him. Chapter 8 Okonkwo is unable to forget Ikemefuna and drowns himself in palm-wine to mitigate his sorrow. When his daughter Ezinma brings him food, he finds himself wishing that she were a boy. He berates himself for being so weak and lamenting Ikemefunas death. Finally, after three days he rouses himself from his sorrow and goes to meet his friend Obierika. Obierikas son Maduka had won in the wrestling combat and is a promising lad and worthy of his fathers pride. Obierika had refused to accompany the rest of the village in killing Ikemefuna. On being asked why, he replies that he had something better to do, and that this deed would not please the Earth because of the mens actions. But Okonkwo disagrees with him. At that point, Ofoedu enters with the news that an elder, Ogbuefi Ndulue of Ira village had died but the drums had not been beaten because his trusted wife Ozoemena, hearing of her husbands death, had died too. According to custom, Ndulues funeral was to be held off until his wifes burial. The two men disapprove of the close relationship that this man had with his wife and wond er how such a warrior in battle could be so weak in his marriage. They also discuss the loss of prestige that goes with one of the titles for tapping wine out of palm trees. Feeling better after their talk, Okonkwo goes home, and then returns in time to help Obierika bargain for the marriage-price of his daughter. The daughter, Akueke has been suitably dressed for the occasion. The dowry is bargained upon and settled at twenty bags of cowries. Food is then brought in and the men make small talk. The first mention of the white man is made, but it is more in jest as the word for leper means white skin. Chapter 9 Okonkwo finally sleeps well after three nights but is roused out of his sleep by Ekwefi, his second wife, who tells him that his daughter, Ezinma is dying. He goes out to collect leaves and bark to ease the childs fever. Ezinma is the center of her mothers world as Ekwefi has suffered a great deal, having lost nine children in infancy. They had tried all they could to discover what the problem is but all the medicine man could say was that sh e kept giving birth to an ogbanje, a child who dies young because an evil spirit possesses it and re-enters the mothers womb to be born again. By the time Ezinma was born, Ekwefi had lost her will and accepted her fate with resignation. When she lived for six years, her mother realized that she may stay and loved her with all her might. She thought that her troubles had ended when Ezinmas iyi-uwa was unearthed, but now she is ill again. The iyi-uwu was supposed to break the connection between the objanje world and Ezinma. Okonkwo brings in a bundle of grass, leaves, roots and barks of medicinal trees, puts them in a pot and boils them. Once it is cooked, he rouses Ezinma and makes her sit beside the steaming pot to inhale the steam. A mat is thrown over her head. When the mat is removed, she is bathed in perspiration. Soon she falls asleep after lying on a mat. Chapter 10 A very dramatic public ceremony is described in detail that involves meting out justice. On the village commons, folks gather, with elders sitting on stools and the rest of the village men behind them. Nine stools are placed for the egwugwu to sit. Egwugwu represent the spirits of their ancestors and are respected members of the community who can d ispense justice in trials. Women stand on the edges of the circle, looking in the direction of the egwugwu house. A gong is loudly blasted and the guttural voice of the egwugwu is heard. When he makes his appearance, it is very dramatic as he wears a fearful looking mask and pretends to scare the women. Along with him, nine other masked men emerge. Okonkwos wives notice that one of the egwugwu walks with a springy step such as Okonkwo does. They also notice he is absent from where the elders sit.After discussion among the egwugwu, Evil Forest returns with a verdict. He tells Uzowulu to bring wine to his wifes family and beg his wife to return to him. He also expresses disgust at Uzowulus cowardice in beating women and askes him to accept his brother-in-laws offer. Afterwards, one elders discusses the trivial nature of this case and another says that Uzowulu would accept any decision other than the egugwu. Next a land dispute is discussed. Chapter 11 One night, Ezinma and her mother are sitting in their hut having their supper. Ekwefi is telling a story about a tortoise and birds which explains w hy the tortoise shell is uneven. When she finishes, Ezinma begins her story. Half way through, she has to break off because they could hear Chielo, the priestess of Agbala prophesying, and calling to Okonkwo. Chielo then enters the hut and insists on talking Ezinma with her since Agbala wanted to see her. Carrying Ezinma on her shoulders, she takes off into the hills. Ekwefi follows her doggedly, though the path is very dangerous and risky. Finally they reach the caves and Chielo enters with Ezinma. Ekwefi is frightened of what might be happening inside. Behind her, she hears a footstep, and finds Okonkwo, who has followed behind her. Both of them wait together outside the cave for Chielo to reappear, and Ekwefi is grateful for his presence. Chapter 12 Okonkwo and Ekwefi wait for Ezinmas exit from the cave but it is not until the early morning hours that Chielo appears with Ezinma. She doe not acknowledge either of them, but simply walks straight to Ezinmas hut and puts her to bed. The parents follow behind. That day there is a festive air in the neighborhood as Obierika is celebrating his daughters uri, a part of the betrothal ceremony, where the bridegroom brings the palm-wine for the b rides family, her kin, and extended family. Every family carries some food to the wedding house and the brides mother is responsble for preparing the food for everyone. Tripods are exacted for the fire, and food is being prepared by the women. Ekwefi is tired from the night before and waits until Ezinma wakes up and eats breakfast. Okonkwos other wives leave to help prepare the food. By afternoon, two pots of palm-wine arrive from the in-laws house. Later, the in-laws arrive each carrying a pot of wine. In all, fifty pots are received which is a respectable number. Kola nuts are offered and the betrothal is finalized. A great feast is laid out and everyone partakes in it happily. In the night, the young men start singing, the bride dances and everyone is gay. Chapter 13 In the middle of the night, the sound of a drum and a cannon announces the death of Ogbuefi Ezendu, the oldest man in the clan. Hearing this, Okonkwo remembers his last words to him about Ikemefuna and shudders. The whole village attends the funeral as Ogbuefi was a man with three titles, an achievement that was rare. Since he was a warrior, the funeral abounds in warriors, dressed in raffia skirts. Once in a while an egwugwu spirit makes its appearances from the underworld. Some of them are quite violent and terrifying and often threatening. The most terrifying one is shaped like a coffin, and a sickly odor emanates from him. The funeral is very befitting of a noble warrior. Before the burial the warriors dance, drums are sounded and guns are fired. A frenzied feeling fills the air as people bemoan the loss of Ogbuefi. The air is full of the smell of gunpowder. In the midst of this ceremony, a cry of agony is heard. Ezudus son is found lying dead in the crowd shot by Okonkwo who fired his gun and accidentally hit pierced the young boys heart. Okonkwo knows that killing a member of ones own tribe is a crime against the Goddess of the Earth and therefore he is banished from his village for seven years. He and his family escape to the village of his mother called Mbanta. After daybreak, the men, dressed in garbs of war, set fire to his house, not due to vindictiveness, but to cleanse the land that Okonkwo had polluted. Obierika, his friend, mourns his friends calamity.

Essay on Terrorist Groups in the Middle East

Essay on Terrorist Groups in the Middle East A Terrorist or a Soldier? A Deeper look at â€Å"Terrorist† Groups in The Middle East Decorated with ribbons and medals a returning soldier is widely appreciated for their efforts endured during battle, they are named a survivor, even a hero. They are given a parade and honored for crushing the skulls of those ruining world peace in the Middle East. These soldiers have earned this celebration, right? After all, they have just returned from the land of barbaric savages and those living with the backwards mentality of devoting their entire lives to religion. A mentality that has caused the United States (a nation nondiscriminatory toward race, gender and surely religion) to take initiative in the Middle East (a region controlled by governments that have not fully advanced past religion). Unfortunately, this initiative has devastated many Arab countries, especially Iraq and Syria, and out of the ruble different terrorist groups developed, each with different missions. Terrorist groups in the Middle East can be traced as far back as 1948, when the United Nations decided I srael would replace a country previously known as Palestine (Bowen). Even today woman, like Ayat al-Akhras, are fleeing the West and heading to the Middle Eastern â€Å"wasteland† in order to become â€Å"terrorists† and aid the Palestinian state in its efforts to survive (Giovanni). But should the people who are involved in groups fighting for the freedom of a nation be considered equally as dangerous as the vicious brutes slaughtering those who do not support their views? Nonetheless, almost all terrorist groups have exploited a haven found in social media today, a haven that has abetted the recruitment effort of several radical organizations. Heavily empowered by social media, terrorists and quasi-terrorists prey on unsuspecting potential candidates; candidates who can be recruited for motives linked to religion, war and cultural connections. While here in The United States a typical morning consists of a tasty bowl of cereal and a television screen tuned in to the broadcast of a vehement battle going on between the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers; in Palestine a normal morning scene consists of the lament of a young teenage boys mother who has just seen her sons body and ligaments torn apart into pieces by a destructive Israeli machine gun and his remnants dismembered by a tank. The Palestinian Israeli Conflict has been raging on ever since the United Nations partition plan after World War II was put into action (Emadi). Unfortunately, the plan failed when the first Jewish settlers to step foot in Palestine razed the populations homes and forced families to reconcile somewhere else, today Palestinians only comprise about twenty percent of the Israeli population (Emadi). The creation of Israel caused the displacement of Palestinians; too weak to fight a war with the incoming settlers, the Palestinians involuntarily started a journey to somewhere distant from home, but similar to their Jewish oppressor’s history, they had nowhere to go. Forced to move on, Palestinians traveled to countries like Jordan and Egypt in search of shelter, which in turn stimulated the conflict from a Palestinian one to a Middle Eastern one. â€Å"TheIsraeli-Palestinianconflictis actually a hyper conflict influenced by local, regional, and global factors. It is no accident that the main accords producing temporary stability have been reached in periods of relative calm for the whole Middle East† (Casertano). The Palestinian conflict is in reality a Middle Eastern conflict, while the gruesome war is fought on the grounds of Jerusalem, Palestine, the soldiers are equipped and assembled in Sinai, Egypt and trained by the most elite sergeants in the Jordanian Army and Syrian Navy. This can be seen through the hiatus of fighting between Palestinians and Israelis during periods of stability in The Middle East; For example, in 1978, Egypt and Israel were able to reach the Camp David agreements after oil prices had been steadily falling in the region; the drop in prices helped reduce the aggressiveness of the countries in that region which in turn allowed two enemies to settle their argument (Casertano). â€Å"Later, the Oslo Accords were reached in the mid-1990s, at a time when Russia a disruptive player in the Middle East before and since had no political, military, or financial means to disrupt or influence the outcome† (Casertano). While The Palestinian Conflict effects the entire Middle East, Palestine is the only area of the conflict in which lives are threatened on a daily basis. For Palestinians, the fight for survival is the fight for freedom. To them the war has been going on for sixty seven years and they must continue to fight on. Adult males, children and even females all join the fight against the oppressing Israelis through any means possible. Adult Males try to attack Israeli soldiers using anything from Ak-47’s to rocks and glass bottles; females on the other hand find themselves in varying roles. In Palestine, females join Hamas and serve in a plethora of jobs, jobs that range from nursing and helping the wounded, to holding a weapon and attacking the nemesis. And then there are the females who discover that the only way to freedom is through perversity like Ayat al-Akhras who â€Å"Pushed a button on the belt strapped to her and detonated an explosive device in a crowded supermarket in Kiryat HaYovel, Jerusalem† (Giovanni). For Syria, Palestine’s close neighbors, females recruited by Al-Nusra, â€Å"a branch of Al-Qaeda creat ed in January 2012 that operates in Syria and Lebanon. Which has also been cited as the most aggressive and successful of the Syrian rebel groups† serve in deadly roles, transporting bombs across the border and fighting on the frontlines (Giovanni). On the other hand, Israelis believe that the war is over but several conflicts with Palestinian terrorist’s spring up on occasion and Israel has a right to put those conflicts down violently. Unfortunately Israel’s fighting morale is quite inhumane, they are known for hunting Palestinians in similar ways wild animals are hunted, slaughtering thousands of children in years past. A year ago in a recent conflict with Palestine, Israel was credited with â€Å"According to UNICEF, the murder of 59 Palestinian children — 43 boys and 16 girls —in the first nine days of the conflict, before the Israeli ground assault began. Most were under the age of 12.† (â€Å"Israeli and Palestinian†). While Isr aelis view Palestinians as terrorists, Palestinians view Israelis as Nazi like murderers. The Palestinian conflict has been going on for decades; and the Arab Spring has just added to the chaos by serving as a catalyst for terrorist groups, in countries like Syria and Iran, to gain more control and aid the Palestinian effort. The Israeli state deserves to exist, but viewing a group like Hamas, fighting for the survival of its torn nation, as a deadly terrorist organization is at the least contradictory considering that Americans live in a country amassed through a revolution. While groups like Hamas should be viewed with a little more sympathy, groups like ISIS should be viewed with more animosity and revulsion. Islam is similar to Christianity in a way; both have factions in which religion is interpreted differently and whether that difference be a mild or extreme one, the factions identify themselves as separate sectors of the religion. Comparable to the Protestant/Catholic conflict during the times of the Holy Roman Empire, the Sunni/Shiite conflict today remains at intense levels in the Iraqi homeland. Sunnis have always been at odds with Shiites; but nowhere have they pugnaciously acted out against each other like they have in Iraq. This violent relationship has caused the creation of groups like the Islamic State or ISIS. However, ISIS did not find its ignition in Iraq, rather it found its true base formed in the revolutionary sands of Syria. While George Bush was signing the agreement that ended the American Iraqi War, ISIS was moving out of Iraq and into Syria. Joining the Syrians in their fight against the government of President Bashar Assad, ISIS gained a stronghold in that area a fter losing the stronghold they had in Iraq to the American troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom (â€Å"Who’s To Blame†). The group made a profit, detained armor and weaponry, recruited followers and â€Å"became battle-trained and hardened† through its fight against Assad (â€Å"Who’s To Blame†). Quickly, this weak organization created an arduous force and refurbished from a group known as Al Qaeda in Iraq, to a terrorist organization feared and known as ISIS. â€Å"What began as a small group of individuals with a relatively common extremist ideology has grown to become one of the largest and most barbaric terrorist organizations in the world† (O’Briain). Today, Most Americans know about ISIS because of its intelligent advertising techniques. ISIS has managed to recruit talented individuals who were able to transform the media and technology fields to a whole new level; attracting more recruits and producing an outburst that has caused television to unintentionally promote the terrorist organization. The interesting thing about ISIS is the way it runs its â€Å"government†. They have taken away the Iraqi populations original government issued ID card and assigned them a new ISIS ID card to replace it (Cambanis and Collard). Furthermore, ISIS has redrawn the Middle Eastern border and legitimately created an ISIS nation. Unfortunately, for them, no other country in the world recognizes this border; but at the rate ISIS is developing today, the world might have to recognize the Islamic state’s redrawn border shortly. â€Å"ISIS looks much more like a functioning government than any of its detractors ever thought it would: it is pumping oil, policing streets, collecting taxes, [and] even planning to issue its own currency† (Cambanis and Collard). Although the Islamic State has assembled an organized and sophisticated ruling system, the way it has structured its judicial court and laws are on the complete opposite spectrum of civilization. The Islamic State runs an extremely strict code of law based on a faulty interpretation of The Quran, the Muslim holy book, and has caused great distress to those living within the makeshift border. Some of the laws that govern these tormented people include the beheading of anyone who speaks out against the state, the amputation of a convicted thief’s arm, and the poking of one’s eye out who is caught staring at an appealing lady passing by (Cambanis and Collard). Most of the Islamic states punishments are videotaped and released to the public as propaganda advertising ISIS. The Islamic state has so much money and so many ways of seizing wealth t hat it seems their mission has changed from an Islamic one to a monetary one; or maybe their mission was never religious to begin with? Whether the Islamic state was truly established to spread Islam or not, thousands of people have flocked to Iraq and the Middle East in hopes of joining ISIS and other terrorist groups that have reached out to them through social media. Social media plays a colossal role in people’s lives. Teenagers, adults and even children all check-in to the web on a daily basis. This has created a network in which a large number of people can easily be reached; terrorist groups have come in touch with thousands of individuals, and have successfully recruited an abundance of people, by persuading them to travel all the way to the Middle East in order to dedicate their lives to these organizations. On several occasions individuals have even trekked all the way from Europe and North America to join the Islamic state in the Middle East. But why do these individuals go through all that trouble to live the rest of their doomed lives in a third world nation? Michael Zehaf-Bibeau is the man who independently attacked both the War Memorial and Canadian Parliament last October (Friscolanti and Patriquin). During the attack, Zehaf was able to murder Cpl. Nathan Cirillo using his illegaly obtained rifle (Friscolanti and Patriquin). His reason for the attack? Islam. Zehaf was a drug addict who on several occasions was imprisoned due to robbery, drug abuse and house parties. His parents were rarely home and he often found himself alone in the house. All the nights Zehaf spent home alone, he spent wasting time online. He was quickly lured in to believing the Islamic state was his port of call after endless hours of viewing ISIS on the news and chatting with people online. To him, the media was encouraging his venture to Syria by advertising the horrific acts ISIS was committing, he stated that â€Å"the Islamic States mass murder of non-Muslims is justified because the targets supported America† (Friscolanti and Patriquin). Zehaf was arre sted trying to flee to Syria using an illegal passport; after his arrest, Zehaf expressed that the Iraqi and Afghani wars America had been involved in were sufficient justifications for his attacks in Canada. Zehaf’s hatred for America had driven him to insane measures. On 4 October 2014, nineteen-year-old Mohammed Hamzah Khan and his two younger siblings were arrested for attempting to travel to Turkey in an effort to join ISIS (Reitman). The siblings grew up in a Chicago suburb and were heavily influenced by the local mosque that preached the doctrine â€Å"An Islamic State has been established, and it is thus obligatory upon every able-bodied male and female to migrate† (Reitman). Khan was able to plan his entire journey online; he was even able to find an Islamic state recruiter who walked him through the entire procedure. The recruiter was kind enough to give Khan his phone number and assured Khan that he would be there to greet him at the airport when he arrived (Reitman). Khan was delighted, as far as he knew, he was about to join a religious Islamic society, a utopia he was honored to be a part of. After his arrest, Khan was questioned about his motives. His answer: â€Å"I wanted to help the Muslims. I never intended to return to th e U.S.† (Reitman). Somalia. That was the motive for Abdirahmaan Muhumed’s overseas attempt to join ISIS. But unlike Zehaf and Khan, Muhumed was successful. All the way from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Muhumed was not an unusual case of extremism. Minneapolis contains an enormous Somalian population; a population notorious for its sturdy cultural and traditional ties. However, Minneapolis’ Somalian population has seen several cases of radicalism, most that can be traced back to the local Mosque in the area; a Mosque said to preach an extreme form of Islam (Tuttle). Through his local Mosque, Muhumed was able to take home what he learned and express it to other people on the internet through online chatrooms. After his engagement in numerous online chatrooms, Muhumed was extremely motivated to join the fight in Syria and excited to travel and support his Somalian brothers. In August, Muhumed became the second American to die fighting for ISIS (Tuttle). The dread filled stories go on and on. Every minute of every day there is a vulnerable adult or teenager online prepared to do anything in order to be a part of something and feel important. The Islamic state, Al-Nussra, Al Shabbab, and plenty of other terrorist groups in the Middle East have exploited this sensation; most groups have even situated online recruiters to track down potential employees and persuade these employees to come join the organizations in Iraq and Syria. Muhumed, the Khan Siblings, and Zehaf were all targeted and recruited. The organizations found the men’s weaknesses and attacked. They were all recruited for different beliefs; some thought the war in Iraq was a justification for joining, while others thought their religion and culture meant they had to join the terroristic effort. But all of these men had one thing in common, they were all innocent online recruits. Confetti rains down New York City’s streets. The parade is at full capacity and an American soldier is seen with a smile across their face. They are credited with the take-down of three terrorists, and the applause never halts. Now, back to the question that initiated this paper, does this soldier deserve the recognition? Terrorism has taken a variety of definitions. But a Palestinian fighting for the freedom of their nation and their people should not fall under the definition of â€Å"terrorist†. However, an Islamic state government official amputating people’s arms off should be viewed not only as a perilous radical but as a menace to peace anywhere in the world. War, religion, and culture are some of the main reasons that extremists have emerged. Most arrested terrorists either claim that the Iraqi and Afghani wars justify their quest with ISIS, or that Islam and ties to their culture encourage them to join the Islamic states â€Å"flawless† society. R egardless of their reason, most people are recruited through social media. A phenomenon that has created an outburst in people flocking to join terrorist organizations in the Middle East. These organizations have turned an initially unstable precinct of the world into a terrorist wasteland capable of mass murder and genocide. Works Cited Bowen, Jeremy. Until The Next War. (Cover Story).New Statesman144.5253 (2015): 24-31.MasterFILE Elite. Web. 6 May 2015. Cambanis, Thanassis, and Rebecca Collard. How ISIS Runs a City. Time. Time, 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 11 May 2015. Casertano, Stefano. Broken Peaces.World Affairs177.5 (2015): 69-74.MasterFILE Elite. Web. 7 May 2015. Emadi, Hafizullah. The Palestinian Struggle for an Independent State: Retrospect and Prospects.Contemporary Review294.1705 (2012): 159-168.MasterFILE Elite. Web. 7 May 2015. Friscolanti, Michael, and Martin Patriquin. Uncovering a Killer. Macleans 127.44 (2014): 36-42. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 1 May 2015. Giovanni, Janine di. A Jihad of Her Own.Newsweek Global162.10 (2014): 62-68. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 1 May 2015. Israeli And Palestinian Kids Caught In The Crossfire. Newsweek Global 163.5 (2014): 1-5. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 10 May 2015. OBriain, Cathal. ISILs Outward Expression of Internal Conflict.USA Today Magazine 143.2836 (2015): 56-58.MasterFILE Elite. Web. 1 May 2015. Reitman, Janet. The Children of Isis. (Cover Story). Rolling Stone 1232 (2015): 40-65. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 1 May 2015. Tuttle, Ian. Twin Cities Terrorists.National Review66.20 (2014): 22-24.MasterFILE Elite. Web. 1 May 2015. Whos To Blame For The Isis Crisis?Newsweek Global163.7 (2014): 47-51.MasterFILE Elite. Web. 10 May 2015.

We Should NOT Raise the Minimum Wage Essay -- Minimum Wage Essays

What would be so bad about raising minimum wage? Before other states jump on the $15 minimum-wage bandwagon, they might want to look at what's happening in Massachusetts — one of two states with a $10-an-hour minimum wage. Massachusetts increased the minimum wage from $8 to $9 at the start of 2015 and to $10 on the first day of 2016. The state is now mired in its longest stretch of net job losses since the recession in both the retail and the leisure and hospitality sectors, Labor Department data show. Raising the minimum will end up hurting Americans more than helping them. The people that are for raising minimum wage are people who believe that increasing minimum wage can help those people who are unskilled and need an income they can live on. Yet, raising minimum wage would do the opposite and make employers have to fire people who earn minimum wage, because they can't afford the higher wages. People need to realize that increasing the minimum wage would hurt people more than help them. In the end increasing minimum wage would result in some people being let go, for the reason, businesses can't afford paying them minimum wage anymore. The people, who are for raising the minimum wage, are people who think that the reason for poverty is because of the minimum wage not being high enough. The first standard minimum wage is formed under the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the nationwide minimum wage was designed to lift millions of American workers out of poverty and to stimulate the economy"(Wittner). Today the people that are in favor of raising minimum wage believe that there should be another "Fair Labor Standards Act" to raise the national minimum wage to ten dollars and seventy-fo... ...e, but in the end it is up to the states and government to increase minimum wage across the U.S. So just think about what would be the best option for our country, and support that choice because the argument for increasing minimum wage has been going on for a long time and will keep going on into the future. Works Cited "American Enterprise Institute." Why We Shouldn't Raise the Minimum Wage. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. "Bill Gates: Raising Minimum Wage Can Destroy Jobs." The Foundry Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Stern, Andy, and Carl Camden. "Why We Need to Raise the Minimum Wage." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Wittner, Lawrence. "The Minimum Wage Should Be Raised." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Antigone is a Tragic Hero Essay -- essays papers

Antigone is a Tragic Hero A subject of debate in Sophocles’ play Antigone is which character complies with the characteristics of a tragic hero. The qualities that constitute a tragic hero are, in no particular order, having a high social position, not being overly good or bad, isolation, being tenacious in their actions, arousing pity in the audience, a revelatory manifestation, and having a single flaw that brings about their own demise and the demise of others around them. Creon possesses some of these qualities but, does not completely fulfill them all. Antigone does, however, conform to the persona of a tragic hero. The first qualifying aspect is that Antigone has a high social position. She is the daughter of Jocasta and Oedipus (the former king and queen of Thebes), and the niece of Creon (the present king of Thebes). Because of her stature she is capable of suffering more and losing the fame and regard she holds. Some may argue that because she had no political power she does not qualify to be a tragic hero but, she is still a powerful figure in Thebes. She was to be wed to Creon’s son, Haemon, and it seemed as though the citizens of Thebes knew how tragic her life had become. Both Creon and Antigone show that they are not overly good or bad. Creon shows his negative side when he creates a law against burying Polyneices. His positive side is that he has let Antigone and Ismene live with him and raise them after their father passed on. Antigone expresses her positive side when she insists on burying her brother who has been killed in battle. Antigone isolates herself from others, a quality common among tragic heros. Ismene offers to share the crime of burying their brother but, Antigone denies the re... ...come of her life was due to her own fatal flaw. Antigone clearly captures the audiences pity. Creon’s stubbornness and lack of compassion do not win pity. When Creon’s wife and son die the pity is shifted to them not Creon. All of Thebes sympathizes with Antigone, especially after she has been sentenced to die. Haemon even tells Creon what people have said. â€Å"And I have heard them, muttering and whispering†¦No other woman‘, So they are saying, ‘so undeservedly Has been condemned for such a glorious deed‘† (Lines 693-695). It is obvious that she had the pity of the entire city except for Creon. Only the chorus sympathized with Creon at times. Not having pity disqualifies Creon as being the tragic hero. From her tenacity and personal strength in defying the law to her tragic death, Antigone captures the audience’s pity and sympathy. She is the tragic hero.

Charles River Jazz Festival

Decision tree for Friday pressing Mr. Ward is trying to decide on how many CDs to press on the first night of the festival. His intuition combined with his experience allowed him to make some predictions of demand. These take the form of probabilities. â€Å"The probabilities may be subjective estimates from managers or from experts in a particular field, or they may reflect historical frequencies. If they are reasonably correct, they provide a decision maker with additional information that can dramatically improve the decision-making process. Since the problem is limited to Ward’s expected demands for CDs, we can say that our recognizable states of nature are the following: ? Saturday Demand = 1000 and Sunday Demand = 1000 ?Saturday Demand = 1000 and Sunday Demand = 3000 ?Saturday Demand = 3000 and Sunday Demand = 1000 ?Saturday Demand = 3000 and Sunday Demand = 3000 The minimum total demand for both Saturday and Sunday would be 2000 CDs, whereas the maximum total demand fo r both Saturday and Sunday would be 6000 CDs.The intermediate total demand however is consistent at 4000 CDs. We can consolidate them to 3 states of nature: ? Saturday Demand + Sunday Demand = 2000 ?Saturday Demand + Sunday Demand = 4000 ?Saturday Demand + Sunday Demand = 6000 Let’s call these states of nature d2, d4 and d6. We use the TreePlan software to create the decision tree for Ward’s problem. We specified the initial costs of productions as $24,000, $33,000 and $42,000.Additionally, we make sure to deduct the royalties from the sales revenue, since they are considered as future expenses (after the sales occur). Please see below for the decision tree. 2. Maximization of Expected Monetary Value as a criterion The average or expected payoff of each alternative is a weighted average: the state of nature probabilities are used to weight the respective payoffs. ? Therefore the expected monetary value for each alternative is as follows: EMVp2 = $ 6,000EMVp4 = $ 12,000 EMVp6 = $ 10,500 According to the maximization of Expected Monetary Value criterion, we can say that the director of the festival should press 4000 CDs on Friday night, since the Expected Monetary Value of that decision is optimal at $12,000. 3. Paying for perfect information If Ward could obtain information about the demand for CDs prior to committing to the CD production, there will be an upper bound on the sum of money it would be reasonable to spend.The most Ward should pay for perfect information about the two-day demand for CDs can be calculated using the Expected Value of Perfect Information: EVPI = EPC – EMV, where EPC is the expected payoff under certainty, and EMV is expected monetary value with alternative p4. We calculate EPC as: EPC = 0. 5 * 6000 + 0. 25 * 27000 + 0. 25 * 48000 = $ 21,750 EMV = $ 12,000 Total value of perfect information: EVPI = $ 9750 It would be reasonable to pay $9,750 dollars to obtain perfect information. It is thus not worthwhile to spend more than that amount of money to obtain ‘perfect’ information.

A Love Song for Bobby Long Analysis Essay

â€Å"A Love Song for Bobby Long† written by Grayson Capps and â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† written by TS Eliot remind the world of men who struggle with the demons of life. The little voices in your head saying â€Å"I don’t think you can do that.† These voices cause you to doubt yourself and your talents. They take the life out of you, and cause you to wonder if you even have a purpose here on earth. Now let’s take a deeper look into these poems and closely analyze their similarities and differences. Bobby Long, a handsome football prospect who possessed the talent of superior acting, was a man who was known for wasting his talents and making the wrong decisions. He chose a â€Å"road less traveled† : a path through life that many people tried to avoid. He was a drunken old man who looked back on life, not because he could change his decisions, but because the people around him wish he had made smarter ones. Years pass, and he finally realizes how his poor decisions led him to the black hole he is now stuck in. A hole dug so deep that he can’t see outside of it. It’s all dark around him and he feels all his problems will be solved when he is finally six feet under. Prufrock won’t build the courage to go up to someone he likes, but only because he lacks Charisma. He lacks the confidence needed to go and be the courageous man he once was. He can no longer find what he needs or wants and he feels it is the end of the world, with no hope left in him. He realizes he is reaching a point where he is coming to anempty closure. He wants the answers to his unknown questions but he second guesses his every move. Does she like me? Does she not? These questions linger in his mind but they will never get answered because he never builds the courage to tell the women he likes or admires. Instead, he just gets wrapped up in the scent of their perfume and the sound of their voices, behind their masked face. He realizes nonone is perfect and everyone makes mistakes However, he wants to know his own and wonders why he was possessed with unfortunate events. He just wants answers. Answers to questions he doesn’t even have the courage to ask†¦ In both poems, the main character, or speaker is referring to themselves as a low life failure. They don’t ever build the courage to face their inner demons. They never realize their true talent, instead just doubt themselves, even when people give them compliments that come from the heart. In their eyes, they will never be good enough. They will never be the ideal husband, but instead, just the weird man everyone points to and laughs at. In Bobby Long’s love song, he realizes he isn’t the ideal husband; however he still womanizes the women and doesn’t care, as long as he never gets sexually frustrated. However, Prufrock struggles with even approaching a woman. His nerves get the best of him and he cannot build the courage to approach her and aska her the tough question. Bobby Long struggles with the confusion of not being able to pick sides (between the devil and God.) He suffers from the struggle of being able to make the right decions, or which to follow. Prufrock struggles with his inner demons. He is his biggest enemy. He causes himself to suffer and keep wondering. Wondering why he could never be the leading role in his own life. He wonders why he could never be â€Å"Prince Hamlet.† Then later realizes maybe he just was never meant to have that role. In Bobby Long and Prufrock’s life, they doubt their ability to be great. They feel that they have reached the end of the world therefore why try? They are giving up on life just because of a few misfortunes and bad decisions. They will never be satisfied with themselves until they are gone forever, or dead. No matter how other people view them, they both believe they were never meant to be the star of their OWN life, but instead a role player who no one really pays attention to.

Civil 1 Review Syllabus

  Now they are lumped together as ‘illegitimate. ’ Thus, spurious children are given rights. 2. Different solutions to old problems †¢ Example: Change in river course 3. Clarification of old provisions †¢ Example: Under the old Civil Code, there were only void and voidable contracts. With the addition of unenforceable and rescissible contracts, the NCC provides clarification 4. Certain subjects omitted †¢ Examples: The dowry has been omitted; certain leases have also been omitted. The NCC is far from perfect. There are structural defects.Certain things which should be in the preliminary section are found elsewhere. An example of this is the vices of consent. Why are they found in contracts? They are relevant in all juridical transactions. Another example is the topic of degrees of relationship. This is found only in succession. Degrees of relationship are relevant in other books too. Finally, why is tradition found in the law on sales? Tradition is not o nly important in sales. Rather, tradition is a mode of acquiring ownership. PRELIMINARY TITLE I. Effect and Application of Laws Art. 1.This Act shall be known as the â€Å"Civil Code of the Philippines. † Art. 2. Laws shall take effect after fifteen days following the completion of their publication in the Official Gazette, unless it is otherwise provided. This Code shall take effect one year after such publication. †¢ ‘This code shall take effect 1 year after such publication. ’ The SC in the case of Lara vs. Del Rosario that the one year should be counted from the date of actual release and not the date of issue. †¢ Executive Order No. 200 supersedes Article 2 regarding the time of effectivity of laws. EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 00 PROVIDING FOR THE PUBLICATION OF LAWS EITHER IN THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE OR IN A NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE PHILIPPINES AS A REQUIREMENT FOR THEIR EFFECTIVITY WHEREAS, Article 2 of the Civil Code partly provides that â₠¬Å"laws shall take effect after fifteen days following the completion of their publication in the Official Gazette, unless it is otherwise provided . . . †; WHEREAS, the requirement that for laws to be effective only a publication thereof in the Official Gazette will suffice has entailed some problems, a point recognized by the Supreme Court in Tanada, et al. vs. Tuvera, et al. (G. R. No. 3915, December 29, 1986) when it observed that â€Å"[t]here is much to be said of the view that the publication need not be made in the Official Gazette, considering its erratic release and limited readership†; WHEREAS, it was likewise observed that â€Å"[u]ndoubtedly, newspapers of general circulation could better perform the function of communicating the laws to the people as such periodicals are more easily available, have a wider readership, and come out regularly†; and WHEREAS, in view of the foregoing premises Article 2 of the Civil Code should accordingly be amended so the laws to be effective must be published either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the country; NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order: Sec. 1.Laws shall take effect after fifteen days following the completion of their publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines, unless it is otherwise provided. Sec. 2. Article 2 of Republic Act No. 386, otherwise known as the â€Å"Civil Code of the Philippines,† and all other laws inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. Sec. 3. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately after its publication in the Official Gazette. Done in the City of Manila, this 18th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-seven. †¢ ‘15 days following’ – does this mean on the 15th or 16th day? The law is not clear. †¢ Under Article 2, publication in the Official Gazette was necessary.Now, under E. O. No. 200, publication may either be in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general publication. †¢ ‘unless otherwise provided’ refers to when the law shall take effect. It does not mean that publication can be dispensed with. Otherwise, that would be a violation of due process. †¢ General Rule: Laws must be published in either the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. †¢ Exception: The law may provide for another manner of publication. Different manner meaning: 1. Not in Official Gazette or newspaper of general circulation; or Example: Read over the television or the radio (provided that the alternative is reasonable) 2.Change in the period of effectivity †¢ ‘publication’ means making it known; dissemination. It doesn’t have to be in writing. †¢ ‘Change period of effecti vity’ – the gap between publication and effectivity should be reasonable under the circumstances. †¢ Before publication, cannot apply the law whether penal or civil (Pesigan vs. Angeles) Why? How can you be bound if you don’t know the law. †¢ Requirement of publication applies to all laws and is mandatory. Art. 3. Ignorance of the law excuses no one from compliance therewith. †¢ Ignorantia legis neminem excusat (Ignorance of the law excuses no one). †¢ This is a necessary rule for all civilized society.Otherwise it would be impossible to enforce the law. It is very hard to determine whether or not a person really does not know the law. Without this rule, there would be anarchy. The law sacrifices occasional harshness to prevent universal anarchy. †¢ There are potential methods to mitigate the severity of Article 3 – Articles 526 (3), 2155, 1334. * †¢ In Kasilag vs. Rodriguez, the SC said that the possession of the antichretic credit as possession in good faith since a difficult question of law was involved – antichresis. In this case, the parties were not very knowledgeable of the law. †¢ Article 3 applies only to ignorance of Philippine law. It does not apply to foreign law.In Private International Law, foreign law must be proven even if it is applicable. Otherwise, the courts will presume the foreign law to be the same as Philippine law. Art. 4. Laws shall have no retroactive effect, unless the contrary is provided. †¢ Lex de futuro judex de preterito (The law provides for the future, the judge for the past). †¢ Retroactive law – one which creates a new obligation and imposes a new duty or attaches a new disability with respect to transactions or considerations already past. †¢ General Rule: Law must be applied prospectively. †¢ Exceptions: 1. If the statute provides for retroactivity. Exception to the exception: a. Ex post facto laws b. Laws which impair the obl igation of contracts 2.Penal laws insofar as it favors the accused who is not a habitual criminal, even though at the time of the enactment of such law final sentence has already been rendered. 3. Remedial laws as long as it does not affect or change vested rights. 4. When the law creates new substantive rights unless vested rights are impaired. 5. Curative laws (the purpose is to cure defects or imperfections in judicial or administrative proceedings) 6. Interpretative laws 7. Laws which are of emergency nature or are authorized by police power (Santos vs. Alvarez; PNB vs. Office of the President) Art. 5. Acts executed against the provisions of mandatory or prohibitory laws shall be void, except when the law itself authorizes their validity. †¢ A mandatory law is one which prescribes some element as a requirement (i. e. wills must be written – Article 804(; form of donations – Article 749†¢) †¢ A prohibitory law is one which forbids something (i. e. , j oint wills – Article 818() †¢ General Rule: Acts which are contrary to mandatory or prohibited laws are void. †¢ Exceptions: 1. When the law itself authorized its validity (i. e. , lotto, sweepstakes) 2. When the law makes the act only voidable and not void (i. e. , if consent is vitiated, the contract is voidable and not void) 3. When the law makes the act valid but punishes the violator (i. e. , if the marriage is celebrated by someone without legal authority but the parties are in good faith, the marriage is valid but the person who married the parties is liable) 4.When the law makes the act void but recognizes legal effects flowing therefrom (i. e. , Articles 1412 & 1413() Art. 6. Rights may be waived, unless the waiver is contrary to law, public order, public policy, morals, or good customs, or prejudicial to a third person with a right recognized by law. †¢ What one can waive are rights and not obligations. Example, a creditor can waive the loan but the d ebtor may not. †¢ There is no form required for a waiver since a waiver is optional. You can waive by mere inaction, refusing to collect a debt for example is a form of waiver. †¢ Requisites of a valid waiver (Herrera vs. Boromeo) 1. Existence of a right 2. Knowledge of the existence of the right 3.An intention to relinquish the right (implied in this is the capacity to dispose of the right) †¢ General Rule: Rights can be waived. †¢ Exceptions: 1. If waiver is contrary to law, public order, public policy, morals or good customs 2. If the waiver would be prejudicial to a 3rd party with a right recognized by law. (e. g. , If A owes B P10M, B can’t waive the loan if B owes C and B has no other assets. ) †¢ Examples of waivers which are prohibited: 1. Repudiation of future inheritance 2. Waiver of the protection of pactum commissorium 3. Waiver of future support 4. Waiver of employment benefits in advance 5. Waiver of minimum wage 6. Waiver of the right t o revoke a will Art. 7.Laws are repealed only by subsequent ones, and their violation or non-observance shall not be excused by disuse, or custom or practice to the contrary. When the courts declared a law to be inconsistent with the Constitution, the former shall be void and the latter shall govern. Administrative or executive acts, orders and regulations shall be valid only when they are not contrary to the laws or the Constitution. †¢ Article 7 is obvious because time moves forward. †¢ Only subsequent laws can repeal prior laws either through: 1. A repealing clause 2. Incompatibility of the subsequent and prior laws †¢ The violation of a law is not justified even if: 1. No one follows the law (i. e. nonpayment of taxes) 2. There is a custom to the contrary †¢ The 2nd par. of Article 7 is judicial review in statutory form. Art. 8. Judicial decisions applying or interpreting the laws or the Constitution shall form a part of the legal system of the Philippines. à ¢â‚¬ ¢ This is a new provision taken from common law. Under the civil law tradition, the court merely applies the law. However since the Philippine legal system is a combination of civil law and common law, courts apply statutes as well as resort to the doctrine of precedent. Art. 9. No judge or court shall decline to render judgment by reason of the silence, obscurity or insufficiency of the laws. Art. 10.In case of doubt in the interpretation or application of laws, it is presumed that the lawmaking body intended right and justice to prevail. †¢ What if the law is silent? The court should render a decision based on justice as stated in Article 10. Art. 11. Customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not be countenanced. †¢ What if customs are not contrary to law? The custom would be countenanced. However, this does not mean that the custom would have obligatory force. Art. 12. A custom must be proved as a fact, according to the rules of evidenc e. †¢ The law doesn’t specify the cases when custom is relevant in litigation. But in case custom is relevant, it should be proven. †¢ Commentators say that custom is important in cases involving negligence.For example, if a kalesa in Manila is by custom supposed to have rattan baskets to prevent people from slipping, if a person slips because there is no rattan basket, then he can sue for negligence. Art. 13. When the laws speak of years, months, days or nights, it shall be understood that years are of three hundred sixty-five days each; months, of thirty days; days, of twenty-four hours; and nights from sunset to sunrise. If months are designated by their name, they shall be computed by the number of days which they respectively have. In computing a period, the first day shall be excluded, and the last day included. †¢ Article 13 has been superseded by Executive Order No. 292 (the Revised Administrative Code of 1987) – Book 1,  §31. Sec. 31. Legal Pe riods. â€Å"Year† shall be understood to be twelve calendar months; â€Å"month† of thirty days, unless it refers to a specific calendar month in which case it shall be computed according to the number of days the specific month contains; â€Å"day,† to a day of twenty-four hours; and â€Å"night,† from sunset to sunrise. †¢ Under E. O. No. 292, a year is now equivalent to 12 calendar months and not 365 days. Under Article 13 leap years are not considered. For examples, in order to make a will, one has to be 18 years old. But if you use Article 13, one loses 4 to 5 days if you don’t count the leap years. E. O. No. 292 is better than Article 13 since it is more realistic. †¢ There should have been a definition of hours.That definition is relevant for labor law. According to Professor Balane, an hour should be defined as 1/24 of a calendar day. If you use the definition that an hour is equal to 60 minutes, then we would have to define minu tes, then seconds, and so on. It would be too scientific. II. Conflicts of Law Provisions Art. 14. Penal laws and those of public security and safety shall be obligatory upon all who live or sojourn in the Philippine territory, subject to the principles of public international law and to treaty stipulations. †¢ Two principles: 1. Territoriality General Rule: Criminal laws apply only in Philippine territory. Exception: Article 2, Revised Penal Code. ( 2.Generality General Rule: Criminal laws apply to everyone in the territory (citizens and aliens) Exceptions: In these instances, all the Philippines can do is expel them a. Treaty stipulations which exempt some persons within the jurisdiction of Philippine courts (e. g. , Bases Agreement) b. Heads of State and Ambassadors (Note: Consuls are subject to the jurisdiction of our criminal courts. ) Art. 15. Laws relating to family rights and duties, or to the status, condition and legal capacity of persons are binding upon citizens of the Philippines, even though living abroad. †¢ Theories on Personal Law: 1. Domiciliary theory – the personal laws of a person are determined by his domicile 2.Nationality theory – the nationality or citizenship determines the personal laws of the individual †¢ Under Article 15, the Philippines follows the nationality theory. Family rights and duties, status and legal capacity of Filipinos are governed by Philippine law. †¢ General Rule: Under Article 26 of the Family Code, all marriages solemnized outside the Philippines in accordance with the laws in force in the country where they were solemnized and valid there as such, is also valid in the Philippines. †¢ Exception: If the marriage is void under Philippine law, then the marriage is void even if it is valid in the country where the marriage was solemnized . Exception to the exception: 1. Article 35, 2, Family Code Art. 35.The following marriages shall be void from the beginning: (2) Those solemn ized by any person not legally authorized to perform marriages unless such marriages were contracted with either or both parties believing in good faith that the solemnizing officer had the legal authority to do so; 2. Article 35, 3, Family Code Art. 35. The following marriages shall be void from the beginning: (3) Those solemnized without license, except those covered the preceding Chapter; Even if the foreign marriage did not comply with either s 2 and 3 of Article 35, Philippine law will recognize the marriage as valid as long as it is valid under foreign law. Art. 16, 1. Real property as well as personal property is subject to the law of the country where it is stipulated. †¢ Lex situs or lex rei sitae governs real or personal property (property is subject to the laws of the country in which it is located). †¢ In Tayag vs.Benguet consolidated, the SC said that Philippine law shall govern in cases involving shares of stock of a Philippine corporation even if the owner i s in the US. Art. 16, 2. However, intestate and testamentary successions, both with respect to the order of succession and to the amount of successional rights and to the intrinsic validity of testamentary provisions, shall be regulated by the national law of the person whose succession is under consideration, whatever may be the nature of the property and regardless of the country wherein said property may be found. †¢ This is merely an extension of the nationality theory in Article 15. †¢ The national law of the decedent regardless of the location of the property shall govern.Thus, the national law of the decedent shall determine who will succeed. †¢ In Miciano vs. Brimo, the SC said that the will of a foreigner containing the condition that the law of the Philippines should govern regarding the distribution of the properties is invalid. †¢ In Aznar vs. Garcia, what was involved was the renvoi doctrine. In this case, the decedent was a citizen of California who resided in the Philippine. The problem was that under Philippine law, the national law of the decedent shall govern. On the other hand, under California law, the law of the state where the decedent has his domicile shall govern. The SC accepted the referral by California law and applied Philippine law (single renvoi). Problem: What if the decedent is a Filipino domiciled in a foreign country which follows the domiciliary theory? According to Professor Balane, one way to resolve the situation is this – Philippine law should govern with respect to properties in Philippine while the law of the domicile should govern with respect to properties located in the state of domicile. Art. 17. The forms and solemnities of contracts, wills, and other public instruments shall be governed by the laws of the country in which they are executed. When the acts referred to are executed before the diplomatic or consular officials of the Republic of the Philippines in a foreign country, the solem nities established by Philippine laws shall be observed in their execution.Prohibitive laws concerning persons, their acts or property, and those which have for their object public order, public policy and good customs shall not be rendered ineffective by laws or judgments promulgated, or by determinations or conventions agreed upon in a foreign country. †¢ Lex loci celebrationis (formal requirements of contracts, wills, and other public instruments are governed by the country in which they are executed) †¢ There is no conflict between the 1st of Article 16 and the 1st of Article 17 since they talk of 2 different things. †¢ Thus, the formal requirements of a contract involving real property in the Philippines must follow the formal requirements of the place where the contract was entered into. However, if what is involved is not the formal requirements, then the law of the place where the properties (whether real or personal) are located shall govern. Art. 18.In matte rs which are governed by the Code of Commerce and special laws, their deficiency shall be supplied by the provisions of this Code. III. Human Relations Art. 19. Every person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performance of his duties, act with justice, give everyone his due, and observe honesty and good faith. Art. 20. Every person who, contrary to law, willfully or negligently causes damage to another, shall indemnify the latter for the same. Art. 21. Any person who willfully causes loss or injury to another in manner that is contrary to morals, good customs or public policy shall compensate the latter for the damage. Art. 22.Every person who through an act of performance by another, or any other means, acquires or comes into possession of something at the expense of the latter without just or legal ground, shall return the same to him. Art. 23. Even when an act or event causing damage to another’s property was not due to the fault or negligence of the defendant , the latter shall be liable for indemnity if through the act or event he was benefited. Art. 24. In all contractual, property or other relations, when one of the parties is at a disadvantage on account of his moral dependence, ignorance, indigence, mental weakness, tender age or other handicap, the courts must be vigilant for his protection. Art. 25.Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institution. Art. 26. Every person shall respect the dignity, personality, privacy and peace of mind of his neighbors and other persons. The following and similar acts, though they may not constitute a criminal offense, shall produce a cause of action for damages, prevention and other relief: (1) Prying into the privacy of another’s residence; (2) Meddling with or disturbing the private life or family relations of another; (3) I ntriguing to cause another to be alienated from his friends; (4) Vexing or humiliating another on account of his religious beliefs, lowly station in life, place of birth, physical defect, or other personal condition. Art. 27.Any person suffering material or moral loss because a public servant or employee refuses or neglects, without just cause, to perform his official duty may file an action for damages and other relief against he latter, without prejudice to any disciplinary administrative action that may be taken. Art. 28. Unfair competition in agricultural, commercial or industrial enterprises or in labor through the use of force, intimidation, deceit, machination or any other unjust, oppressive or highhanded method shall give rise to a right of action by the person who thereby suffers damage. Art. 29. When the accused in a criminal prosecution is acquitted on the ground that his guilt has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt, a civil action for damages for the same act or omi ssion may be instituted. Such action requires only a preponderance of evidence.Upon motion of the defendant, the court may require the plaintiff to file a bond to answer for damages in case the complaint should be found to be malicious. If in a criminal case the judgment of acquittal is based upon reasonable doubt, the court shall so declare. In the absence of any declaration to that effect, it may be inferred from the text of the decision whether or not the acquittal is due to that ground. Art. 30. When a separate civil action is brought to demand civil liability arising from a criminal offense, and no criminal proceedings are instituted during the pendency of the civil case, a preponderance of evidence shall likewise be sufficient to prove the act complained of. Art. 31.When the civil action is based on an obligation not arising from the act or omission complained of as a felony, such civil action may proceed independently of the criminal proceedings and regardless of the result o f the latter. Art. 32. Any public officer or employee, or any private individual, who directly or indirectly obstructs, defeats, violates or in any manner impedes or impairs any of the following rights and liberties of another person shall be liable to the latter for damages: (1) Freedom or religion; (2) Freedom of speech; (3) Freedom to write for the press or to maintain a periodical publication; (4) Freedom from arbitrary or illegal detention; (5) Freedom of suffrage; 6) The right against deprivation of property without due process of law; (7) The right to a just compensation when private property is taken for public use; (8) The right to the equal protection of the laws; (9) The right to be secure in one’s person, house, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures; (10) The liberty of abode and of changing the same; (11) The privacy of communication and correspondence; (12) The right to become a member of associations or societies for purposes not contra ry to law; (13) The right to take part in a peaceable assembly to petition the Government for redress of grievances; (14) The right to be a free from involuntary servitude in any form; (15) The right of the accused against excessive bail; 16) The right of the accused to be heard by himself and counsel, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him, to have a speedy and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have compulsory process to secure the attendance of witness in his behalf; (17) Freedom from being compelled to be a witness against one’s self, or from being forced to confess guilt, or from being induced by a promise of immunity or reward to make such confession, except when the person confessing becomes a State witness; (18) Freedom from excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishment, unless the same is imposed or inflicted in accordance with a statute which has not been judicially declared unconstitutional; and (19) Freedom of access to the courts. In any of the cases referred to in this article, whether or not the defendant’s act or omission constitutes a criminal offense, the aggrieved party has a right to commence an entirely separate and distinct civil action for damages, and for other relief.Such civil action shall proceed independently of any criminal prosecution (if the latter be instituted), and mat be proved by a preponderance of evidence. The indemnity shall include moral damages. Exemplary damages may also be adjudicated. The responsibility herein set forth is not demandable from a judge unless his act or omission constitutes a violation of the Penal Code or other penal statute. Art. 33. In cases of defamation, fraud, and physical injuries a civil action for damages, entirely separate and distinct from the criminal action, may be brought by the injured party. Such civil action shall proceed independently of the criminal prosecution, and shall require only a preponderance of evidence. Ar t. 34.When a member of a city or municipal police force refuses or fails to render aid or protection to any person in case of danger to life or property, such peace officer shall be primarily liable for damages, and the city or municipality shall be subsidiarily responsible therefor. The civil action herein recognized shall be independent of any criminal proceedings, and a preponderance of evidence shall suffice to support such action. Art. 35. When a person, claiming to be injured by a criminal offense, charges another with the same, for which no independent civil action is granted in this Code or any special law, but the justice of the peace finds no reasonable grounds to believe that a crime has been committed, or the prosecuting attorney refuses or fails to institute criminal proceedings, the complaint may bring a civil action for damages against the alleged offender.Such civil action may be supported by a preponderance of evidence. Upon the defendant’s motion, the court may require the plaintiff to file a bond to indemnify the defendant in case the complaint should be found to be malicious. If during the pendency of the civil action, an information should be presented by the prosecuting attorney, the civil action shall be suspended until the termination of the criminal proceedings. Art. 36. Pre-judicial questions, which must be decided before any criminal prosecution may be instituted or may proceed, shall be governed by rules of court which the Supreme Court shall promulgate and which shall not be in conflict with the provisions of this Code