Christianity in Frederick Douglass Narrative Story

Impact of the United States on Europe during 1945

Impact of the United States on Europe during 1945 Introduction The period 1945-1990, referred to as the cold world war, arose because of national conflicting interests between the United States and the Soviet Union over the future of Europe.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of the United States on Europe during 1945-1990 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Europe fought their final battles in the World War II, which left their economies in tatters with Eastern Europe under communist control. The cold war between United States and Soviet Union took the dimension of economic pressure, discriminating help, half-truths and assassinations. Shallow military operations intensified in bid to avoid a nuclear war. With the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union swore against a repeat German invasion. Additionally, the Soviet Union’s intention was ensuring that the non-communist nations in Eastern Europe crashed. This is when the United States concern over Eur ope grew and thus increased her involvement. Economic Intervention Europe had embraced industrial revolution. There was high industrial development across the region prior to the World War II. The war brought the economy of Europe into waste, with many of its industries destroyed. During the period of 1945-1990, many of the countries in Eastern Europe fell into communist hands of the USSR. United States came in seeking to help save the European economy under the Marshall Plan. It aided the western part of Europe militarily and helped in rebuilding the economy. By the 1980’s the communist nations were rapidly falling while the economies of Western European countries were increasingly gaining power. This is highly attributable to the support of the USA. With the help of America, many of the western nations moved to link together through economic integration. They formed the European Union that increased trade among them through shared infrastructure. They agreed on a common cur rency (the euro) and made trade agreements that set their economies on the path to recovery.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Britain had been weakened by the Second World War hence it could no longer support countries in Europe like Greece and Turkey. Therefore, Britain sought the intervention of the United States. United States was strongly opposed to communism and to avoid European economies from falling in the hands of the Soviet Union they provided financial aid. They also played a major role in stabilizing the civil wars at the time. America’s intervention through the Truman Doctrine saved the nations from soviet communism. In effect, America saved Europe from foreign policy failures and military humiliation. America believed that once a country falls into communism it would also weaken the neighbors as there would be minimum interaction because of diverging trade systems. Their support was evident when the Soviet Union pressured Turkey over the Dardanelles Strait concessions that would have allowed invasion from the west, through enunciation of the Truman Policy (Archie 2011). When Stalin attempted to blockade West Berlin in a bid to take control and convert the Market System to a Communist System, USA aided Berlin with supplies and food (Berlin Airlift). This enabled Europe to maintain control of its cities from the Soviet Union. Were it not for the vast amount of aid America gave to Europe, European economies would have fallen further with the Soviet Union invasion during the cold war (Archie 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of the United States on Europe during 1945-1990 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Effect of United States Political Policies After the Second World War, United States and the Soviet Union were the only remaining super powers. During this pe riod a greater part of Eastern Europe was in the hands of the communist, the boundaries of Europe were redrawn. This division resulted into two blocs, the eastern bloc, which was under communist rule, and western countries (Zinn 2003). Western Europe and the United States unified and formed the NATO alliance while Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union established the Warsaw Pact. The two alliances, separated by what Winston Churchill termed as the Iron wall. When the Soviet Union seized some of the western European nations, it blocked them from receiving all forms of aids. European NATO members had limited capacity to the point they could not transport even lightly armed troops to their defense. They employed American Satellite reconnaissance to spy on the enemy greatly (Archie 2011). The European states could not have managed to impose their will on major crisis affecting the Mediterranean region or even calmed the Gulf crisis without the help of the United States. The Americans had no major damages to recover from, as they were not direct casualties of the war. They used their resources to save nations from the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union (Archie 2011). The political boundaries that European nations formed after the Second World War were because of integration that saw the formation of the European Union and council of Europe. The success of the integration was as result of the economic liberation facilitated by the United States. After the fall of the Soviet Union, European economies stabilized and there was an increase in European Union membership from six to twelve states (Pearson 1998).Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Military Aid During the two World Wars, the economy of the United States did not suffer severely as compared to the European economies. America had enough resources to protect herself viciously. Hence, after the war they had enough resources to help Europe get back to its feet. The advantage of nuclear weapons and the manufacture of technically superior weapons aided by advancement in Information Technology helped Western Europe to prevent invasion from the Soviet Union. Although the Eastern Bloc produced numerous amounts of weapons, they were not sophisticated enough to fight of invasion (Zinn 2003). America formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949. It comprised United States, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Iceland, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Italy, and Canada. It was a joint military troop to provide defense against the soviet forces to Europe. It sourced most of its military resources from the United States. The troops also kept enemies off the European bounders and h elp in keeping calm during civil wars (Archie 2011). Merger of East and West Germany The Cold War started as nations struggled to gain power to control other nations. With the Soviet Union having gained control over Eastern and some parts of Central Europe, the United States was determined to stop any interference with Western Europe autonomy (Fedorov 2011). Soviet Union’s acquisition of more nations ended in 1948 when they were defeated in a coup d’Ã ©tat in Czechoslovakia. They thus decided to concentrate with stabilizing their control in Germany. Western Europe, on the other hand, was not willing to cede control over Western Germany. This was the genesis of conflict over the future of Germany as a unified state. The Soviet Union blocked all surface forms of transport to western Germany as they refused conversion into a communist state. President Truman of United States quickly ordered planes to send the starving Germans food, coal and medicine. The planes kept supp lying items constantly even in time spans of minutes to ensure that there were no shortages. Approximately, supplies worth 2.5 million were ferried in 280,000 thousands plane flights (Cold War Museum 2011). The creation of the Berlin wall led to the isolation of Eastern Europe that had many of its countries under the communist. There was an order by President Stalin to shoot anyone who climbs over the wall. This led to strained relations in Europe. There was growing disparity between the two German factions (Cold War Museum 2011). Eastern Germany suffered immensely as they could not access the Marshall aid. After building the Berlin wall and successfully isolating east and West Germany, Berlin became the center of the Cold War. It was divided into four parts with the allied nations (France, Britain, and America) controlling a part each and Russia controlling the other. The allied forces believed that for Europe to develop there was need for unity. This led to the congregation of the three parts of Berlin controlled by allied nations and isolation of the part controlled by the Soviet Union. This was a threat to Stalin as the underdeveloped Germans could clearly see the difference of their side to the allied side. He decided to block out the allied nations by cutting out any canal, road, or rail transport to the allied portion of Berlin, faking that he was reconstructing the road (Wilentz, 2008). The allied forces realized that Soviet Union could not attack them because of the fear of the nuclear weapon that they possessed (Cold War Museum 2011). They used air transport to provide their zones with supplies, as Stalin could not attack their planes. As time went by, the western nations, especially United States, outnumbered communist in resource endowment. This led to their eventual defeat. There was increased unrest in Eastern Germany that saw the bringing down of the Berlin wall. This allowed the Germans free movement and with the weakening of communist power Ea st Germany slowly moved to a democratic type of government. Unification of East and West Germany is mostly as result of the development in West Germany. United States stood firm and insisted that a communist system was not fit for economic development. They played a crucial role in changing the system through the Marshall Plan and implementation of the Truman doctrine. The United States, thus, played a major role in unifying Germany (Pearson 1998). Many of the people under communist rule looked for ways to move to West Germany. With time, those left behind revoked against the Soviet communist government. Germany was one of the wealthy nations in Europe. It had the highest GDP and was thus the backbone of the European economy. With the communist invasion and the creation of the Berlin wall that hindered German development the Soviet invasion had to cease. East German communist collapsed in 1990 and this saw the unification of East and West German (LaFeber 2002). Merger of Eastern and Western Europe With the fall of the Soviet Union, the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union changed. When Mikhail Gorbachev took over as the secretary general of the Communist Party of Soviet Union, he realized the futility of continuing with the cold War. He then sought to hold concessions with the United States. This was because of the increased power the United States had acquired over nuclear power and his realization of his countries weakening economy. He thus sought to be more cooperative and ordered unilateral decrease of the strength of Soviet Union troops (Pearson 1998). Improved United States relations with Soviet Union resulted into policies of openness and friendlier environments to their neighbors. Thus, there was a more cohesive approach to international commerce. The new policies Gorbachev made included his intention not to enforce the Brezhnev Doctrine that prohibited countries in Eastern Europe from defecting from the Soviet sphere of influence ( LÃ ¼thi 2008). Eastern European states having gained their freedom from the communist, started democratic movements. They moved from communist systems to capitalist systems, these were the systems in operation in Western Europe. There was widespread democracy with many regions gaining their freedom and the Soviet regime ending in Romania in 1989 (Pearson 1998). In Western Europe, America and other allied powers returned the authority, they had to the hands of the Germans. In 1949, there was formation of first federal republic of Germany and in August, after the elections, self-governance granted. This was the beginning of liberation in Europe with the help of United States (Zinn 2003). United States through President George H.W. Bush helped Germany in overcoming objection of the Soviet Union from membership into NATO. President Bush held talks with President Gorbachev and Chancellor Kohl. Signing of treaty on the final settlement with respect to Germany was on September 12. The tre aty also mandated the withdrawal of all the military forces of the Soviet Union from Germany. Germany renounced the use of chemical weapons, nuclear and biological weapons for the peace of the world. This saw the end of the cold war (Cold War Museum 2011). Social Impact Western Europe had to be on the same side with the United States to gain their favor on protection from the Soviet Union. This included all the western countries affiliated to United States. This new relationship saw the formation of organizations like NATO and European Union hence drawing the borderline of whom the Europeans could associate. They had to be friends with those that were friends of the United States, otherwise risk invasion by the Soviet Union (Zinn 2003). The division of Germany into East and West led to many Germans fleeing Eastern Germany and becoming refugees because the living conditions had deteriorated. Many of them were women and children. They German people faced slave labor from countries tha t Germany had destroyed during the reign of the Nazi. The refugees that managed to get their way to Western Germany though the Marshall plan got supplies to sustain them. The western economy also received aid from America to help the refugees start their new lives and contribute to the economy (Cold War Museum 2011). With the communist invasion and the creation of the Berlin wall that hindered German development the Soviet invasion had to cease. East German communist collapsed in 1990 and this saw the unification of East and West Germany as noted by Zinn (2003). Reference List Archie, B, 2011, Reform, Coup and Collapse: The End of the Soviet State, [online] Available from:Â  bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/soviet_end_01.shtml . Cold War Museum, 2011, The cold War studies, [online]. Available from:Â  coldwar.org/ . Fedorov, A, 2011, Russian Image on the Western Screen: Trends, Stereotypes, Myths, Illusions, New York, Lambert Academic Publishing. LaFeber, W 2002, America, Russia , and the Cold War, 1945-2002, London McGraw-Hill. LÃ ¼thi, L 2008, The Sino-Soviet Split: Cold War in the Communist World, Princeton, Princeton University Press. Pearson, R 1998, The Rise and fall of the Soviet Empire, London, Macmillan. Wilentz, S 2008, The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008, New York, U.S, Harper. Zinn, H 2003, A Peoples History of the United States, New York, Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

Evaluation of Research Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Evaluation of Research Methodology - Essay Example We will examine the different types of approaches and methods that favored by all the three types of researchers. We will discuss quantitative-qualitative debate and examine the advantages and disadvantages of both the methods. These research styles are set within their philosophical, political and practical context. During the discussion there is an emphasis on the need to adopt a critical and reflexive approach to research. In the process of discussion we will evaluate all the three main research methods. We will also look at the possibilities for combining different approaches and methods in the same research project through a process. This multi-method approach and strategy would argue that this is helpful for researchers in seeking to reduce the impact of personal bias and maximize validity in research. While it is difficult to define precisely what social research actually is, there are certain aspects of the nation 'research' which can largely be agreed upon. The first of these is that researches is not an arbitrary activity, but follow certain rules and procedures. There are many types of research method available, and some of these in common usages include for instance social surveys, experiments, observations and depth interviews. Further more, we are interested in generating information of sorts, either to develop further insights into an area - to explain or explore a particular phenomenon - or to solve a problem, perhaps at work or in our local community. Various research methods: Research methods are conventionally divided into quantitative, qualitative and participatory research methods, each with differing underlying approaches, tools and techniques, faced with the glowing claims of proponents and often strident critiques and counter - claims of opponents, one would be forgiven for thinking that they belong to different words traditional disciplinary divides are, however, becoming increasingly breached. More over new tools and new solutions to short comings of old tools are continually being developed. The different methods can be integrated into a coherent research process, which builds on the relative strengths and weakness of each. Underlying the discussion are assumption about the main criteria for choosing between methods: the relevance of the information to the questions being asked and to the context; the reliability and credibility of the information and analysis; the ethical considerations in both means and ends of researc h; the manageability in relation to skills, resources and time available.Quantitative method: Quantitative, Qualitative and Participatory approaches have different disciplinary origins, and have developed distinctive tools and each and each has developed its critique of the other approaches (Hulme, 2000; Kanbur, 2003). In development research, quantitative methods have typically been the main focus, with qualitative and participatory methods often relegated to desirable frills. This is partly because of the overwhelming

Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Evolution - Essay Example The effects of evolution, while difficult to prove, have left an archeological record that gives us a picture of how and why evolution occurs. One of the most basic and fundamental forms of evolution occurs when a virus or bacterial agent mutates to become immune to the drugs that are developed to treat them. HIV is a particularly challenging agent to overcome through drug therapy. According to Luskin, "HIV is particularly prone to "evolution" (i.e. change) because of its high replication and mutation rate--nearly one mutation per replication". The physical characteristics of the HIV virus adapt to the agents designed to kill it. While we can measure and observe this in HIV, "The amount of genetic informational change between rapidly mutating virus strains, such as HIV, is miniscule compared to the type of informational changes required in the wild to create new body plans or biochemical pathways" (Luskin). This is evolution being accomplished at the most basic level. Just as HIV evolves as a group, higher life forms also experience change over time to adapt to their environment. Ancient environmental events forced animals to adapt to a new environment and nature accentuated the differences.

The pricing decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The pricing decision - Essay Example These situations include new product promotion, test marketing, countering competition or predatory pricing, promotion of associated products and cost plus contracts. Fazlzadeh, Mohammadi & Sepehrfar (2011, p. 66) state â€Å"Setting optimal prices, however, is a complex problem in general and is particularly challenging in industrial or B2B market settings, where purchase prices of products and services typically vary from one customer account to another as prices are negotiated and modified from list prices in the course of the purchase process†. Based on the purpose, marginal, differential or total costing method would be adopted in pricing. The pricing strategies also vary according to the type of market such as monopoly, monopolistic or oligopoly. The strategy of skimming the market or the policy of ‘what the traffic will bear’ in the case of products backed up with IPRs are not uncommon in the market place. Also, pricing strategy for the same product by the same company varies based on the usage or purpose. For instance LPG cylinder used for commercial purposes could be costlier than the LPG used for domestic purposes. This paper seeks to discuss about various strategies adopted by businesses in pricing decisions. Why pricing decision is important? The strategic importance of pricing is many fold. Promotion Strategies (2010) states, â€Å"The  marketing promotion mix  is the use of the 4 P's. These are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.  This system first appeared in 1949 and was developed by Philip Kotler†. The pricing is an important area in the management decision making, because profitability of any business hinges on right price for the product for making the most out of the prevailing economic situation and developments in technology, internet and telecommunications in the context of the business. Bayati & Makui (2011, p. 371) observe â€Å"Making an appropriate pricing and marketing strategy is a crucial managem ent issue in E-commerce†. The appropriate pricing strategy is adopted after analyzing the factors related to various pricing situations. Evidence – Chevrolet’s Spark Chevrolet has introduced the model ‘Spark’ for marketing in the developing countries, in the small car segment, which is not very popular in US or other developed countries. The price of the car is fixed at INR. 279,000 in India which works out to just US$ 6200 approximately. In the case of new products, in spite of the extensive market research on potential demand for the product, adopting a right pricing strategy is important to be competitive in the market. As it is a question of creating demand for the new product, pricing is the key to success in influencing the consumers’ decisions. Price sensitivity of the consumers is an important variable in the decision making process, and the proper positioning of the product in the market place and its rational pricing would stimulate demand for the product from the target consumers. The strategy should also ensure that the competitors are not tempted to introduce similar products in view of the attractive margin. This philosophy aims at sustainable growth in the long run. Therefore, the prices are fixed with a reasonable margin and at the same time not tempting the competitors to rush into this segment to spoil the first mover advantage. Argument for fixing prices at a lower level The pricing decision in this case is taken in the backdrop of uncertainties about the

Perception of Body Image Among Adolescents

Perception of Body Image Among Adolescents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background of study Obesity is a state where the natural energy preserve, accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and it is increased to a level where it is connect with certain health state or increased mortality (Sidik Rampal, 2009). Obesity is a vital public health problem especially in developed countries like United States where half of the adolescents are afflicted (Sidik Rampal). Today’s adolescents in most parts of the world emphasis on the value of physical attractiveness. They focus more on physical appearance. Hence, body image has become an issue among adolescents who strive fully to obtain the shape they wish for. Body image can be defined as a person’s perception, attitude and feeling about his or her body. There are two types of body image. Firstly, perceptual body image. According to (Lee, Yee, 2013), perceptual body image is associated to the precision of self- estimation from body size to actual size, meanwhile attitudinal body image is evaluated through four components: satisfaction (evaluation of the body), affect (feelings associated with the body), cognitions (investment in appearance, beliefs about the body), and behaviors (avoidance where the body will be exposed). Adolescence is a transitional stage and many changes take place at physiological and behavioral level. In the West, body image is perceived as an important issue as they emphasis more on elegant body. The concerns about body image have been critized that it is a female problem, however that fact is certainly not true anymore. (Wagner, 2008). Just like females, males also wish to have excellent body image of muscul ar men through media, athletics and magazines such as sport magazines. Stout Frame’s study (2004), as cited in Wagner (2008), points out people has a bold awareness of the consequences of body image on females compared to males. This awareness allows for a developed sensitivity towards females; however that sensitivity tends to neglect males emotions and thoughts. According to Ricciardelli, McCabe, Lillis, Thomas’s study (2006), as cited in Wagner (2008), the development of muscularity has arose over the last decade and the concern towards body image by males are of sudden interest. As we know, poor body image can affect a particular individual confidence to achieve their goals and subsequently impacts the happiness of that particular individual. Poor body image occurs due to unhealthy eating habits which include dietary supplements, binge- eating and so on. (Lee,Yee,2013). Due to this phenomenon, adolescents are struggling every single day in order to achieve the ideal body image they wanted. Malaysian adolescents are increasingly eating foods which are high in fat and calories thus leading inactive lives. According to Ismail Tan’s study (2004), as cited in Pon, Kandiah, Taib (2004), more adolescents are obese than ever before. Statement Problem In this new era of globalization, the flawless body image is affecting almost every males and females, peoples from different cultural background, different group of ages and many more. It is harmful to have body image dissatisfaction as it always leads to eating disorder and psychological distress. This is because they tend to use harmful weight- control behaviors such as skipping meals, consuming slimming pills or applying cream on their body as to slim down in order to have the same body image as the model characterized in media. Therefore it is important to take prevention action and intervention in order to inhibit and treat body image since this issue can affect both individuals and society. Last but not least, exploring this research problem also allows us to focus more on body image issue especially among adolescents in Malaysia. Significance of Study Body image is a very important issue to most of the adolescents especially when they grow into adulthood. Many studies that focused on the body image have been conducted over the decade. However, while body image has been the focus of study in many countries such as United States and Korea, it is not immensely studied in Malaysia. This is because the studies on body image are restricted in Malaysia (EssayUk, 2013). Therefore, the current research proposed additional information on the difference in the perception of body image among adolescents. More importantly, the difference in the perception of body image between adolescents and pre adolescence has not been studied (Wagner, 2008) as been cited in McCabe Ricciardelli (2006). Thus this study will focus on the perception of body image among ethnicity group, gender as well age group. It is important to know the differences in perception of body image in these groups because the result can produce understanding in order to further discussions and this can help on how the development could change perceptions on body image. Purpose of the study The purpose of the study is to evaluate on the differences in the perception of body image among Malaysian adolescents in the aspects of gender, age and ethnicity. The differences been evaluated between adolescents and pre adolescents, males and females and ethnicity which involved three races Chinese, Indian and Malays. Analyzing these differences could produce insight on creating with a better prevention and intervention program for adolescents who have problem with their body image. Research Question The research question has been presented below as follow: RQ 1: Is there any significance differences in the perception of body image between male and female. RQ 2: Is there any significance differences in the perception of body image between pre adolescence and adolescence. RQ 3: Is there any significance differences in the perception of body image among Malays, Chinese and Indian. Operational definitions Body Image. As mention earlier, body image can be defined as a person perception, attitude and feeling about his or her body. Body image plays an important role for both the genders male and female (Pon, Kandiah, Taib, 2004). When adolescents focus too much on their body image, they will skip their meals and this subsequently leads to eating disorder. Gender. Gender refers to the characteristics of people as males and females. Gender also bears a special mention which is the gender role (Santrock, 2011). Gender role describes on how females and males should think, act and feel. For example, should males be more dominant than females and should females be more emotional than males to others’ feelings? Although individuals are aware of their gender in early childhood, a new stage been added to gender with the onset of puberty and the sexual maturation. Race. It refers to all humans belonging to the group of Homo sapiens, biological differences of human due to the interactions between hereditary and environmental factors and the non-existence of homogenous population. Genetic element of a population was subject to change as a result of diverse factors, history of migration in the past prevented the used of domination of certain geographical area to serve as basis for race and no national, religious, linguistic, cultural group or economic class that constitutes a race (American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 1996). The examples of dominant racial groups in this study consisted of Malay, Chinese, and Indian. This is the main races in Malaysia. Adolescent. According to Cardwell’s study (2003), as been cited in Jennifer,(2011), adolescence is known as the stage of development arise between puberty and adulthood. This is the stage where the adolescence entered imprecisely 10-12 years and ends at 18-21 years old. There is little view about this period of development by different psychologists. For example, Erik Erikson clarifies the period of adolescence through the Identity versus Identity Confusion stage in his psychological stages (Berk, 2009). Utar. Utar is known as University Tunku Abdul Rahman. Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), established under the UTAR Education Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. It was launched on 13 August 2002. UTAR is a dynamic University with four thriving Campuses- three in Klang Valley and one in Kampar, Perak. The Campuses in Klang Valley are located in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Bandar Sungai Long. The largest campus is the Kampar campus. We are focusing adolescents from Perak Campus between eighteen to twenty four groups of ages. SMK Sentosa Kampar. SMK Sentosa Kampar is located at Taman University. This school is near to Utar hostels. They have students from form one to form five. It’s a multiracial school consists of Malays, Chinese and Indians. In our research, we are focusing on pre adolescents among these races and age range of thirteenth to fifteenth. Pre adolescence. Is a stage of human developmentfollowingearly childhoodand prior toadolescence.It subsequently ends with the beginning ofpuberty, but may also be defined as ending with the start of the teenage years.For example 10–13 years.It can also be defined as the period from 9–14 years.It can also distinguish middle childhood and preadolescence middle childhood from approximately 5–8 years, as opposed to the time children are generally considered to reach preadolescence (age 9–14 years). Reference Dittmar H. (2009). How do body perfect ideals in the media have a negative impact on body image and behavior?. Journal of Social Clinical Psychology, 28(1), pp. 1-8. Wagner,R.R. (2008).Body Image Perceptions of Adolescents Males, pp. 44 . Wan,P.L., Kandiah,M., Mohd Taib,M.N. (2004).Body Image Perception, Dietary Practices and Physical Activity of Overweight and Normal Weight Malaysian Females Adolescents,10(2), 137-147. Wong,L.M., Say,Y.H. (2013). Gender Differences in Body Image Perception among Northern Malaysian Tertiary Students. British Journal of Medicine Medical Research, 3(3), pp. 727-747. Sidik,S.M., Rampal,L. (2009). The Prevalence and factors associated with obesity among adult women in Selangor, Malaysia. doi:10.1186/1447-056X-8-2 Yau,J.P. (2011).Perception of Body- Esteem Among Adolescents And Adults. Santrock, J.W. (2009). Life-span development (12th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill American Association of Physical Anthropologists.(1996). AAPA statement on biological aspects of race. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 101, 569-570. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from http://www.virginia.edu/woodson/courses /aas102%20%28spring%2001%29/articles/AAPA_race.pdf Berk, L.E. (2009). Child development (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

The Importance of Class Status in British Society as Depicted in Britis

The Importance of Class Status in British Society as Depicted in British Sitcoms Focusing on British sitcoms as a genre of study, one can see many different levels in the structure of British society. Of particular interest is the classification of the characters into their social classes. In Porridge, Fletcher is seen as a working class convict who is confined to his place in society. However, within his incarceration a hierarchy among his "colleagues" is also apparent. Satisfied with his place at the top of this power structure, Fletcher continually maneuvers himself to improve his life without the ability to leave his social stratum. In contrast to Fletcher’s contentment is the character of Harold in Steptoe and Son. As a rag and bone man, Harold occupies one of the least respected jobs and, therefore, one of the lowest social statuses in society. Irritation with his rank propels Harold into trying to "better" his life; however, he is unsuccessful. Because Harold’s ability to improve himself is dependent on intelligence, which he defines as upwar d mobility on the social ladder, his ignorance prevents him from ever leaving his classified status. By comparing the situations of Fletcher and Harold, we will examine the question of why Fletcher is able to make small advances (even though the cyclical cycle of sitcoms does not allow for permanent change), while Harold is denied any advancement. Fletcher and his viewers easily accept his place as a convict because background information suggests that porridge life, or prison life, is normal for Fletcher. His character’s main role and source of humor are his continually successful attempts to undermine the authorities and receive the best treatment possible. In the episode enti... ...se he cannot disrupt society any more than he already has, while an upward movement by Harold may reveal a sign of weakness in the class distinctions of the viewers. In addition to viewers from a higher class looking down upon Harold, one must also consider that those within his class may disapprove of his attempt to change positions in society. Therefore, when analyzing a situation comedy and considering a character’s attempt to shift from one social class to another, one must recognize the unfair restrictions placed on the characters, and the implications that movement may have for the viewers. Works Cited Storry, Mike and Peter Childs eds. British Cultural Identities. New York: Routedge, 1997. "A Day Out" Porridge. British Broadcasting Company. BBC. 26 September 1974. "A Star is Born." Steptoe and Son. British Broadcasting Company. BBC. 28 February 1972.

About the Philippines Essay

The Philippines is located in the southeastern portion of Asia. Her neighbor on the north is the Republic of China (Taiwan or Formosa), while on the west is Communist Vietnam. Further west is Thailand. Immediately to the south of the Philippines is Indonesia and to the southwest are Malaysia and Singapore. The Philippines is separated from her nearby Asian neighbors by several bodies of water. They are the Pacific Ocean on the east, the South China Sea on the north and west, and the Celebes Sea and the coastal waters of Borneo on the south. I. LAND AND ITS PEOPLE The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands and islets. The biggest islands are Luzon, with a land area of 40,530 square miles (105,000 square kilometers); Mindanao, 36,670 square miles (95,000 square kilometers); Palawan, 5,749.86 square miles (14, 896 square kilometers); Negros, 5,278.55 square miles (13,675 square kilometers); and Samar, 5,183.59 square miles (13,429 square kilometers). She has a rugged land mass and, similarly, she has an irregular coastline, which is twice as long as that of the continental U.S.A. This irregularity has resulted in numerous fine harbors and landlocked straights that can accommodate large ships. They can also be a refuge of ships in distress during stormy weather. The land surface is 115,800 square miles (300,000 square kilometers). Land forms include hills, plains, valleys, and mountains. Her mountain ranges, which are volcanic in origin, are drained by small river systems. There are seven major mountain ranges. The largest and longest is Sierra Madre, which faces the Pacific Ocean on the eastern coast of Luzon. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay The highest peak is Mt. Apo, a volcano in Davao del Sur Province. It has an elevation of 9,691.60 feet (2,954 meters). Three Major Islands. The three major geographical groups in the country are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Luzon comprises the northern portion of the archipelago. The Visayan region has about 6,000 islands including Leyte, Cebu, Samar, and Bohol. Mindanao is the second largest land and encompasses about 400 small islands. These islands are divided into provinces, which are run like states in the United States. Each province is ruled by a governor, a vice governor, and members of the provincial board. Each province is composed of cities, towns, and barrios. Several â€Å"Pinatubos.† There are several volcanos in the Philippines. These have been one of the natural causes of destruction to life and property for centuries. At least 10 are considered active. The most famous are Iraya on Batanes Island; Taal in Batangas; Banahaw in Quezon; Mayon in Albay; and Hibok- Hibok on the Camiguin Islands; Makaturing in Lanao; Apo in Davao, and Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales. Mt. Pinatubo has gained notoriety as being the most destructive volcano in the world. It lay dormant before it erupted in June 1991. It directly and indirectly caused damage to public and private property in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, and Pampanga, including the Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City, Pampanga Province. Its ashes spread all over the world, causing global warming, damage to the ozone layer, and adverse effects on communications. After six years of eruption, the lahar deposits along the volcano still cascade down the slopes after heavy rains. They continue to take lives, destroy bridges and roads, and defy billion-peso dikes built to contain lahar flows. These lahar flows are expected to last for five or more years, according to volcanologists. The Philippines lies within the Pacific seimic belt, which is why she experiences severer earthquakes. Christian Groups. The people of the Philippines number about 73,265,584 (July 1995 estimate). There are several ethnic groups and more than 65 so-called cultural minorities in the Philippines, which speak their own dialects or languages. Among these ethnic groups are the Tagalog, the Ilocano, the Pangasinanian, the Pampangue?o, the Bicolano, the Cebuano, the Ilongo, and the Waray-Waray. They comprise more than 90 percent of all Filipinos and are the Christians. About 84 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholics. The Tagalogs live in Manila and in central and southern Luzon. Although they speak Tagalog, they have intonations of their own, as do the Batangue?os from Batangas Province. The Tagalogs mostly live in such provinces as Nueva Ecija (the Ilocanos also live in some towns in the northern part of the province), Bulacan, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon, Laguna, and Mindoro (Oriental and Occidental). The Tagalogs dominate the people in Manila. There are, however, many people in the city who have come from different parts of the country, including Luzon, to live in the big city. Many also have come from the Bicol region and the Visayan islands. The Ilocanos live in the Ilocos region in northern Luzon, particularly Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, but many of them have migrated in large numbers to central Luzon, and, of course, to the United States. Most of the oldtimers in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s came from the Ilocos region. The Ilongos live in western Negros, in southern Mindoro, and on the island of Panay. The Cebuanos predominate in Cebu, western Leyte, Bohol, eastern Negros, and in some coastal areas of Mindanao. The Bicolanos are in the southeastern Luzon and nearby islands, including the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, etc. The Pampangue?os or Kapampangans live in central Luzon, particularly in Pampanga Province. The Pangasinanians live in the Lingayen Gulf region of Luzon, including Pangasinan Province; however, many Pangasinanians have migrated into other towns in central Luzon. The Waray-Warays are in the provinces of Samar and eastern Leyte. Other Groups. Chinese and other groups also live in the Philippines. The Chinese comprise 1.5 percent of the population, and are active in business. Cultural Minorities. There are more than 65 cultural minorities, similar to the Indian tribes in th e United States, who live in reservations and in the mountains. They include the Muslim groups, which are comprised of the Maranao, the Samal, the Maguindanao, the Tausug, etc. They live in the Sulu Archipelago and southern Mindanao. There are also the so-called upland tribal groups who live in the mountain regions of the country, such as in the Mountain Province of Luzon. In northern Luzon, the other ethnic groups include the Bontoc, the Kalinga, the Ifugao, the Kankanay, the Ibaloi, the Isneg, the Ilongot, the Tinguian, and the Gadang. The Mangyan group lives in Mindanao and the Batak and the Tagbanua live in Palawan. In Mindanao there are groups known as the Tiruray, the T’Boli, the Bagobo, the Mandaya, the Bukidnon, the Subanun, and the Manobo. The Negritoes, popularly known as the Agta or the Aeta live in the mountainous areas of Luzon, Negros, Panay, and Mindanao. â€Å"I love You! Iniibig Kita!† Yes, â€Å"I love you† is said in about 87 dialects or languages in the Philippines. These include Tagalog, Kapampangan, Iloc ano, Cebuano, Pangasinanian, Bicolano, Hiligaynon, Chabacano, and the different dialects spoken by other ethnic groups such as Muslims and cultural minorities. The Filipino dialects belong to the so-called Malayo-Polynesian language family, which is said to be the largest language family throughout the world. Pilipino (not Filipino), which is based on Tagalog, is the national language in the Philippines, but both English and Pilipino, are the official languages in schools, in government, and in private institutions, especially in urban places. English serves as the official language used in communications and in business meetings, especially by Rotarians, Jaycees, and other organizations. That is, English and Pilipino both serve as the media of communications among the people who also speak their own dialects. It is common that when a Filipino in the Philippines and a Filipino in America write to each other, they communicate in English. But in daily conversation, English and Pilipino are combined, which is called Taglish (meaning Tagalog (Pilipino) and English. For instance, one may say, â€Å"Pupunta ako sa Maynila, to enroll at the University of the Philippines, (I’ll go to Manila to enroll at the†¦.) or â€Å"Okeng, okey ka, you’re so sweet!† (You’re o kay and you’re so sweet!†) So whenever you meet Filipinos in the United States, they may be speaking their own dialects when not speaking in English. However, these groups know Pilipino. So if you want to know a Filipino language, it should be Tagalog or Pilipino so that you’ll have more people whom you can converse with. Government.The Philippines has a democratic form of government, like that of the United States. The government is divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Have Pesos and Enjoy! If you have the dollar, you can have it changed to the Philippine peso. The dollar when this book was about to go to press was equivalent to forty pesos (P40.00). The Philippine currency consists of the peso (P) and the centavo. One hundred centavos equal P1. Coin denominations are 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 centavos, and P1, P2, and P5. Bill denominations consist of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 pesos. Foreign currency may be exchanged in banks, hotels, and most large department stores, which have authorized money-changing shops. Charge It! Charge It! Most large hotels, stores, restaurants, and resort areas accept major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. At hotels and other large stores, traveler’s checks are accepted, preferably American Express. How’s the Weather? The weather in the Philippines is tropical, the country having only two seasons, the dry and rainy seasons. It’s usually hot from April to July. The dry season is between November and June and the rainy season is between July and October. Filipinos consider December, January, and February as the cool months. But they may not be considered as winter without snow as in the United States; maybe it’s milder or like spring or fall. II. FLASHBACK: THE EARLY FILIPINOS The Philippines, scientists believe, once was a part of Mainland China. According to the scientists, during the Ice Age, the waters surrounding the Philippines dropped to about 156 feet below the present levels, exposing large bodies of land. These became land bridges connecting the Philippines to the Asian mainland. The Philippines, Out from the Bottom of the Sea? In February 1976, Dr. Fritjof Voss, a German scientist who studied the geology of the Philippines, questioned the validity of this theory of land bridges. He maintained that the Philippines was never part of mainland Asia. He claimed that it arose from the bottom of the sea and, as the thin Pacific crust moved below it, continued to rise. It continues to rise today. The country lies along great Earth faults that extend to deep undersea trenches. The resulting violent earthquakes caused what is now the land masses forming the Philippines to rise to the surface of the sea. Dr. Voss also pointed out that when scientific studies were done on the earth’s crust from 1964 to 1967, it was discovered that the 35-kilometer-thick crust underneath China does not reach the Philippines. Thus, the latter could not have been a land bridge to the Asian mainland. When They Came, How They Came. The traditional teaching of Philippine history in Filipino schools today has early Philippine habitants coming in waves. In 1962, it was concluded that about 250,000 years ago, primitive men came to the Philippines from the Asian mainland. Then about 25,000 years ago came the pygmies, the small, black-skinned, squat-nosed, thick-lipped, and kinky-haired people from the south over the still remaining land bridges. (They are considered the ancestors of the Negritoes, who are, in turn, regarded as the aborigines of the Philippines.) Around 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, another Negrito (or Aeta) migration occurred. They reached Luzon from Borneo over land bridges in Palawan and Mindoro. The submergence of the land bridges when the ice melted with the passing of time did not prevent other people from inhabiting the Philippines. 5,000 to 6,000 Years Ago? The first Indonesians arrived by boat from Southeast Asia some 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. Much later, around 1500 B.C., a second wave of Indonesians arrived. Then came the Malays in two successive waves, the first between 800 and 500 B.C. and the second, between 300 and 200 B.C. From Borneo, they traveled by sailboats and settled in the three major islands of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Subsequent peoples who came from the start of Christianity until the present time include the Indians (Hindus), the Arabs, the Chinese, other Eastern Asians, the Europeans, and the Americans. Who Came First? The matter of who the first settlers were has not been really resolved. This is being disputed by anthropologists, as well as the theory of Professor H. Otley Beyer that the first inhabitants of the Philippines ca me from the Malay Peninsula. The Malays now constitute the largest portion of the populace and what Filipinos now have is a Malayan culture. Anthropologist F. Landa Jocano of the University of the Philippines contends that what fossil evidence of ancient men show is that they not only migrated to the Philippines, but also to New Guinea, Borneo, and Australia. He says that there is no way of determining if they were Negritoes at all. However, what is sure is that there is evidence the Philippines was inhabited as early as 21,000 or 22,000 years ago. In 1962, a skull cap and a portion of a jaw, presumed to be those of a human being, were found in a Tabon cave in Palawan Province. The discovery proved that man came earlier to the Philippines than to the Malay Peninsula; therefore, the first inhabitants of the former did not come from the latter. Jocano further believes that present Filipinos are products of the long process of evolutions and movements of people. This not only holds true for Filipinos, but for the Indonesians and the Malays of Malaysia, as well. No group among the three is culturally or racially dominant. Hence, Jocano says that it is not correct to attribute the Filipino culture as being Malay in orientation. According to Jocano’s findings, the peoples of the prehistoric islands of Southeast Asia were of the same population as the combination of human evolution that occurred in the islands of Southeast Asia about 1.9 million years ago. The proofs of this are fossil materials found in different parts of the region and the movements of other peoples from the Asian mainland during historic times. He states that these ancient men cannot be categorized under any of the historically identified ethnic groups (Malays, Indonesians, Filipinos) of today. Some Filipino ethnic groups were pagans while others were Muslims. The pagans were converted to Christianity by the Spaniards. The Americans later arrived and introduced further cultural changes, which made the Filipinos more and more different from the peoples of other Southeast Asian countries.

buy custom Alfred Green essay

buy custom Alfred Green essay In April 1861 Alfred M. Green gave out a speech in Philadelphia, the very first month that the civil war started. African Americans were not in a position to be in the Union army, although Green had the opinion that they should try to be considered in the army and to be enlisted. Green used to influence his fellow friends who were Africans to join the popular Union forces. He was one of the affected races and thus felt it was his responsibility to encourage individuals to join in the fight. Dred Scott had to endure many months of imprisonment after being charged with treason. This resulted in unfair judicial rulings that came about as result of investigations. In spite of all they endured, their pay was sympathy and concern regardless of the difficulties they survived to bring about emancipation. The most important thing that Dred preached to the people was not to complain over the mistakes that had happened in the past but to deal with the future. One is bound to act responsibly so as to achieve individual objectives. The consequences of thinking about the past encourage bitter memories and these acts as an impediment to the development of the country. The fighting spirit and enthusiasm to get back to the battle field is a disavantage because it brings about unfairness and discrimination. This is because it creates unfair playing field as not every one is in a position to enjoy the civil and religious rights. It was time for the people to unite and come together and fight the social evils and entrench vales such as patriotism, freedom and tolerance to religion and civil rights. These were the principles that were important to bring about independence and equality among the different races. Historical moment in the great Republic was evident as the world was giving birth to a race which was brave and patriotic. Individuals had to fight for the soveignity of the country regardless of whether it was an equitable and a tolerant nation. These core values are important as they are the guiding factor that encourages true patriotism. The bravery deed of the fore fathers that was started by the immortal revolutionaries of Washington in the year 1776 by Jackson, and other people in the war that took place in the year 1812 was significant. Citizens could not enjoy the privileges as their rights which were an essential part of their lives were denied. Despite the fact that the forefathers had to endure a lot of suffering to bring out independence, still the rights oof the noble people were not respected. The many scars that were left behind as a result of the war were a symbol of respect as they were part of the slave laws. It brings into focus the importance of emphasizing to hope for better future and developing the present favorable moment .Such a conducive environment creates a new just and a honorable Republic. It is important that the honor bestowed to the forefathers for bringing about change should not be tainted with shameful actions by the people in order to proclaim heroism acts. Dred brings into focus the importance of trusting in God so as to protect the righteous and bring about freedom and general political parity. People should disregard the common message preached by the howling leaders that encourages treason and secession. This system encouraged tyranny and slavery in the American Republic. Lastly, enlisting the people in the Northern troops would encourage the oppressed individuals living in the south to have the spirit to overthrow the system of government that was dictatorial. At the same time, it would restore confidence in those who believed in God as the Supreme Being and one that demands a life full of honesty, truth and equality amongst all people. Buy custom Alfred Green essay

Example of a Permutation Test

Example of a Permutation Test One question that it is always important to ask in statistics is, â€Å"Is the observed result due to chance alone, or is it statistically significant?† One class of hypothesis tests, called permutation tests, allow us to test this question. The overview and steps of such a test are: We split our subjects into a control and an experimental group.  The null hypothesis is that there is no difference between these two groups.Apply a treatment to the experimental group.Measure the response to the treatmentConsider every possible configuration of the experimental group and the observed response.Calculate a p-value based upon our observed response relative to all of the potential experimental groups. This is an outline of a permutation.  To flesh of this outline, we will spend time looking at a worked out example of such a permutation test in great detail. Example Suppose we are studying mice.  In particular, we are interested in how quickly the mice finish a maze that they have never encountered before.  We wish to provide evidence in favor of an experimental treatment.  The goal is to demonstrate that mice in the treatment group will solve the maze more quickly than untreated mice.   We begin with our subjects: six mice.  For convenience, the mice will be referred to by the letters A, B, C, D, E, F. Three of these mice are to be randomly selected for the experimental treatment, and the other three are put into a control group in which the subjects receive a placebo. We will next randomly choose the order in which the mice are selected to run the maze. The time spent finishing the maze for all of the mice will be noted, and a mean of each group will be computed. Suppose that our random selection has mice A, C, and E in the experimental group, with the other mice in the placebo control group. After the treatment has been implemented, we randomly choose the order for the mice to run through the maze.   The run times for each of the mice are: Mouse A runs the race in 10 secondsMouse B runs the race in 12 secondsMouse C runs the race in 9 secondsMouse D runs the race in 11 secondsMouse E runs the race in 11 secondsMouse F runs the race in 13 seconds. The average time to complete the maze for the mice in the experimental group is 10 seconds. The average time to complete the maze for those in the control group is 12 seconds. We could ask a couple of questions. Is the treatment really the reason for the faster average time? Or were we just lucky in our selection of control and experimental group?  The treatment may have had no effect and we randomly chose the slower mice to receive the placebo and faster mice to receive the treatment.  A permutation test will help to answer these questions. Hypotheses The hypotheses for our permutation test are: The null hypothesis is the statement of no effect.  For this specific test, we have H0: There is no difference between treatment groups.  The mean time to run the maze for all mice with no treatment is the same as the mean time for all mice with the treatment.The alternative hypothesis is what we are trying to establish evidence in favor of. In this case, we would have Ha: The mean time for all mice with the treatment will be faster than the mean time for all mice without the treatment. Permutations There are six mice, and there are three places in the experimental group. This means that the number of possible experimental groups are given by the number of combinations C(6,3) 6!/(3!3!) 20. The remaining individuals would be part of the control group. So there are 20 different ways to randomly choose individuals into our two groups. The assignment of A, C, and E to the experimental group was done randomly.  Since there are 20 such configurations, the specific one with A, C, and E in the experimental group has a probability of 1/20 5% of occurring. We need to determine all 20 configurations of the experimental group of the individuals in our study. Experimental group: A B C and Control group: D E FExperimental group: A B D and Control group: C E FExperimental group: A B E and Control group: C D FExperimental group: A B F and Control group: C D EExperimental group: A C D and Control group: B E FExperimental group: A C E and Control group: B D FExperimental group: A C F and Control group: B D EExperimental group: A D E and Control group: B C FExperimental group: A D F and Control group: B C EExperimental group: A E F and Control group: B C DExperimental group: B C D and Control group: A E FExperimental group: B C E and Control group: A D FExperimental group: B C F and Control group: A D EExperimental group: B D E and Control group: A C FExperimental group: B D F and Control group: A C EExperimental group: B E F and Control group: A C DExperimental group: C D E and Control group: A B FExperimental group: C D F and Control group: A B EExperimental group: C E F and Control group: A B DExperimental group: D E F and Control group: A B C We then look at each configuration of experimental and control groups. We calculate the mean for each of the 20 permutations in the listing above.  For example, for the first, A, B and C have times of 10, 12 and 9, respectively.  The mean of these three numbers is 10.3333.  Also in this first permutation, D, E and F have times of 11, 11 and 13, respectively.  This has an average of 11.6666. After calculating the mean of each group, we calculate the difference between these means. Each of the following corresponds to the difference between the experimental and control groups that were listed above. Placebo - Treatment   1.333333333 secondsPlacebo - Treatment   0 secondsPlacebo - Treatment   0 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -1.333333333 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 2 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 2 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment   0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -0.666666667 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -2 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -2 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 1.333333333 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 0 secondsPlacebo - Treatment 0 secondsPlacebo - Treatment -1.333333333 seconds P-Value Now we rank the differences between the means from each group that we noted above. We also tabulate the percentage of our 20 different configurations that are represented by each difference in means. For example, four of the 20 had no difference between the means of the control and treatment groups. This accounts for 20% of the 20 configurations noted above. -2 for 10%-1.33 for 10 %-0.667 for 20%0 for 20 %0.667 for 20%1.33 for 10%2 for 10%. Here we compare this listing to our observed result. Our random selection of mice for the treatment and control groups resulted in an average difference of 2 seconds. We also see that this difference corresponds to 10% of all possible samples.  The result is that for this study we have a p-value of 10%.

What Is Sweet Dreams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What Is Sweet Dreams - Essay Example A lot is told about magic and fairytales especially during our childhood where a part of each person’s stage would involve storytelling before bedtime and the many mythical beliefs being introduced to each one of us such as the tooth fairy or our guardian angels. What is so amazing about being a kid who is being told of magical stories is that one truly believes that it is so and somehow creates in him or her that faith that everything is possible or can go the way they wanted to even when it is beyond normal. However, as we all grow older, all these are not necessarily forgotten but are now redefined. This means that we accept the fact that we can imagine stories in our minds but aware of the need to wake up to reality. And the nearest thing that would bring us back to a different world of magic would be when we dream dreams. One common thing between adults and children would be that both dream while they are sleeping. The only difference would be the kind of dreams each person has and of course the effect of dreams to each person. First of all, as an adult, how many times does a normal person dream dreams and what do they commonly dream of? This is the first question I asked myself. Thus, to be able to get a more variety of answers, I have called three of my friends over to a restaurant to catch up over some great milkshake and pizza while asking them about their experiences with dreaming. I chose one girl and one boy of my age and at the same time one girl who is older than I was and was living a different lifestyle than me and my two young friends have. Here I learned from my friend that the number of dreams she would have depended on the major things that have been going on with her life as of the moment. She said, â€Å"The number of dreams I have depends on the number of major things that have hap pened to me recently or depends on how many things made me really happy or perhaps extremely sad† (Gaffud, J.).     

Harmonization and Financial Reporting Coursework

Harmonization and Financial Reporting - Coursework Example That seemed far from a sure thing last spring, w. hen the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) solicited comments on the AICPA's new "comprehensive "model f business reporting" and so endowed it with a faint whiff f reality. The timing seemed right. At the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), commissioner Steven M.H. Wallman was already lending tacit support to the concept by publishing articles and hosting conferences on his own ideas for an expanded system that would include improved disclosure f intangible assets. Meanwhile, SEC chairman Arthur Levitt had just successfully lobbied the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) to give one f the seats held by the Financial Executives Institute (FEI) to a public-sector trustee. The FAF oversees FASB, f course, and what small voice preparers had in directing the views f FASB was further diminished. Finally, many preparers had concluded that FASB, as demonstrated by the onslaught f new standards it had issued in recent years, w as hardly worried about complaints that financial executives were overburdened. And yet, like a baseball team that has just captured a wild-card ticket to the playoffs, the preparer community appears to have enjoyed a turn f luck. After reviewing the AICPA's arguments for a new reporting model and listening to comments from users and preparers f financial statements, both in written and oral testimony, FASB chairman Dennis Beresford has concluded that, for now anyway, it's just too much. "While it is dangerous to generalize about such letters and meetings," Beresford says, "my feeling is that most f our constituents aren't interested in wholesale changes to our current financial reporting system." And FASB, it seems, is not interested in tackling any major overhaul f the status quo. "My prediction," says Beresford, "is that FASB is going to be quite cautious about expanding its role beyond traditional financial statement matters." The Complicating Factors FASB has good reasons for tabling the issue. For one thing, Beresford's second five-year term expires in June, and many observers think the Board will be reluctant to take on any major new projects until a new chairman is installed. In addition, FASB's current agenda is jam-packed with such projects as derivatives disclosure, segment reporting, and comprehensive income. While FASB agreed to review the future f financial reporting as part f its first strategic plan, adopted last April, so far it has been reluctant to for-realize the creation f a new financial reporting model as a working project. And whatever decision is made about the future f reporting has to be made with an eye toward possible U.S. acceptance f new international accounting standards--which isn't expected for at least several more years. All in all, this is not what the AICPA had in mind when its Special Committee on Financial Reporting, chaired by Edmund Jenkins, issued its voluminous report a little over two years ago. The committee said then that current financial statements were no longer providing users with the information they needed to make smart credit and investment decisions, and were