World Systems Theory

Dane Fuentes Sociology 10/19/12 World System's Theory Immanuel Wallerstein’s World Systems theory is the theory of how multinational corporations and industrializing nations have dominated the world over the last 500 years. Wallerstein also takes a look at how â€Å"periphery† and â€Å"semi-periphery† nations have become dependent on â€Å"core nations†, due largely to their lack of varied resources and driven by the need to survive.Wallerstein goes on to explain how colonialism has been replaced by neo-colonialism, a new form of using people, land, and resources purely for economic gain. This neo-colonialism, he claims, will lead to a perpetuation of wealth and more strict ascribed statuses and global stratification. One way neo-colonialism is highly visible, is in the presence of sweat shops or maquiladoras. Maquiladoras are sweat shops that are owned by multinational corporations that are common in developing and under-developed countries.These sweat-s hops do not give their worker’s any rights. There is no job security, benefits, or retirement pensions. People work, until they can no longer work, and then perish. The worker is then replaced, possibly by his children, and the corporation moves on, never noticing the now disenfranchised worker who has to find a new means of survival and, in his desperation, perhaps turning to crime. The IMF and World Bank are two multinational corporations that also may have contributed in many ways to the massive inequality that is the global economy.These financial institutions provided aid to needy countries. However, in exchange for this aid, the IMF and World Bank asked for very strong influences in those needy countries as well as heightened interest rates on the loans themselves. The countries are then, in turn, caught in a cycle of conceding to the Banks demands and paying their national debt. Many underdeveloped countries, such as Ghana and The Philipines, cannot pay these debts, so in turn, these debts grow.At the same time, the multinational corporations are syphoning out resources due to their influence within those countries, leaving barren wastelands and poverty-stricken, disenfranchised people in their wake. Therefore, it may be seen that the multinational corporations may have sought to help these developing countries in a time of need, but in truth they were seizing an opportunity to indirectly buy the land from under the people living on it. This forms the basis of neo-colonialism.

Hollywood’s influence on global culture Essay

1.In what ways do Hollywood movies affect national culture outside of the United States? First, Hollywood is a famous and great brand all round the world and it is true that it has a lot of good movies which left praise word. Thus, it has a lot of fans. Second, Hollywood is good at creation and do well and firstly using new technology. It can attack a lot of audience. What aspects of U.S. Culture do Hollywood films promote around the world? I think two aspects are obvious. One is the language. More and more people around the world learn the English from watching Hollywood movies, not only the word, but the intonation. And the other is American Sprite. We can see many characteristics from the movies, like freedom and strong. Can you observe positive effects of Hollywood movies on the world cultures? At first, American culture is an very important part of the world cultures and Hollywood movies is a stand of American culture. Then, Hollywood movies also involve many other countryâ€⠄¢s cultures. Though some of cultures in the movies are distorted, they still introduce some cultures to other countries. Last, sometimes Hollywood movies describe the future of the world and it can bring the development of technology. 2.In what ways have movies influenced managerial task, company activities, and other ways of doing business around the world? It is easy to be a fashion which appears on the movies. For example, the style of taking tasks can influence the officers. Many things will be pop and the company which is similar with it can develop the industry about the pop things. Even the new job the actors doing can bring the fashion and many people will do it. Can watching foreign films be an effective way of learning how to do business abroad? Justify your answer. I don’t think it will be an effective way. Movies must be exaggerated and some stories can not take place in the reality or it can bring the negative influence. And foreign firms focus more on the situations in that country. It will bring a cross-culture risk. The way used in the movies don’t work in this country. 3.What factors determine the high demand for Hollywood films? Some countries have few movies recourse and they produ ce limited located films in a yeas which can not satisfy the demand for the audience. And the quality of Hollywood films are better than it of the movies in some countries. What’s more, some people have already used to watching Hollywood films. Why are they so popular in Europe, Japan, Latin America and elsewhere? The quality is quite important. And the story and creation do  develop the situation Hollywood films are popular all around the world. Why are foreign films so little demanded in the United States? American film firms produce the enough firm to satisfy the customers’ demand. And the protectionism of the U.S. also influence the demand of foreign films in the U.S. What can foreign filmmakers do to increase demand for their movies in the United State? Improving the quality of the film can help. And the story about that country will help be popular, but the story can not be too located but accepted by some people. 4.Do movies constitute a separate category, or should they be treated like any other good? I don’t agree that the movies should be treated like other good. Like minister said that movie is intrinsic to the nations that create them. Protectionism is necessary but we can have less limited rules and do more communication about culture. Given the nature of movies, should a country shield and support its own film industry via protectionism? Are there better ways to maintain and enhance a home-frown film industry? No, producing high-quality movies is a better way. I think the people in one society are more willing to accept the movies in that area because they can accept them more easily. If there are two movies with the same quality from the Hollywood and that country, i believe more people will choose the movie produced in that country. Creation can catch the focus of youth’s attention.

Advantages of visual object and space perception battery

Advantages of visual object and space perception battery Ans. Neuropsychological assessment is incomplete without the visual and space perception (Warrington shape detection, incomplete letters, silhouettes, object decision, dot counting, progressive silhouettes, position discrimination, number allocation and cube analysis (Warrington & James, 1991 as cited in Gorayska & Mey, 2004). Advantages of VOSP Brenda Rapp (2001) has stated that, â€Å"highly sophisticated methods of cognitive assessment can be developed if one uses as a starting point a detailed theory of relevant cognitive system† (Rapp, 2001, p.4). Good examples for theory based assessments methods for visual perception are Birmingham Object Recognition theory (BORB) (as given by Humphreys & Riddoch, 1993) and VOSP (Warrington & James, 1991). VOSP is made on Warrington’s model (Warrington & McCarthy, 1990 as cited in Lara et al., 2004). The model puts forward three subtypes of impaired object recognition. They are, â€Å"disorders of visual sensory discrimination † (Lara et al., 2004, p.386), apperceptive agnosia and associative agnosia. â€Å"Disorders of visual sensory discrimination reflect selective deficits affecting sensory processing including acuity, shape, discrimination and colour discrimination† (Lara et al., 2004, p.386), apperceptive agnosia is impaired object perception (Lara et al., 2004) and associative agnosia is when an individual is unable to derive meaning of the object presented despite having normal perceptual and sensory abilities(Lara et al., 2004). Thus, it can be inferred that object perception is not possible without object recognition in Warrington’s model (Lara et al., 2004) and it points out that object perception is an, â€Å"adequate integration of sensory, perceptual and representation information (Rapport, Millis & Bonello, 1998) in a complex analytical task that integrates perceived details into an organized structure (McCarthy &Warrington, 1990)† (Lara et al., 2004, p. 386). Cogn itive state of visual perception can be better understood with VOSP in normal and pathological population (Lara et al., 2004). For example, when VOSP was administered to patients of Alzheimer’s disease, impairment was found only in the silhouette subtest of VOSP (Binetti et al., 196 as cited in Lara et al., 2004). This suggests that early perceptual processes are still intact in patients who are in the initial stage of Alzheimer’s disease (Binetti et al., 196 as cited in Lara et al., 2004). VOSP is clearly a test of object recognition and space perception and nothing else. The is due to the reason , VOSP is made of different tests which includes tasks which are so designed that they assess specific dissociable aspects of object and space perception (Lawrence et al., 2000 , p.1350). Every task of the test focuses on a particular aspect of visual perception being completely independent of other cognitive and motor processes (Lawrence et al., 2000). Hence, VOSP can be reg arded as a sensitive test battery. The authors of VOSP have stated, â€Å"Any number of the eight individual tests may be administered and there is no prescribed order (Warrington & James, 1991, p.7)† (Merten, 2006, p.460). This is a very useful thing to do. It is very practically next to impossible to administer the complete set of tests of VOSP as part of neuropsychological assessment because it will be quite a time consuming process (Merten, 2006). Moreover, as advised by Lasogga & Michel (1994 in Merten,2006), easy to use screening measure can be used to test initial visual perception on the suspected group and only those showing visible deficits will be asked to go through the complete assessment (Merten, 2006).

What is CRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is CRM - Essay Example In addition, a well-managed customer relations system provides the corporate management with the important data about the customer so that the organization can move forward. Indeed, such tools as email organizers and helpdesk software can help in the management of customers since customers are the nerve center of any corporate system. Drawing from my own personal and professional experiences, I can categorically give the MacDonald’s as a good example where customer relations manager has worked well over the years. In this business, the management always engages the customers through various marketing strategies before receiving frequent feedbacks to improve quality. On the other hand, several small and medium scale companies especially those run by one person usually lack the department of customer relations management thereby having some challenges in the effective interacting with customers. For instance, some local manufacturing companies may never advertise their products or services well hence losing many customers or experiencing a fall in profits. This is majorly because there is no institution put in place to address the welfare of the customers. Therefore, customer relations management is an instrumental part of any corporation and it would only be wise in all companies employ it in their manageme nt

Personal Learning Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Learning Journal - Essay Example ce, for the tasks assigned to our group, we first determined all the realistic objectives to be achieved as recommended by Hammond, Keenye and Raiffa (2006). Through our leader, we identified the strengths and weaknesses of each team member which guided in the allocation of tasks based on the capabilities of each individual. This not only made the team more effective but also made everyone enjoy their tasks. This experience provided an opportunity for me to apply the Rational Model. Rational Decision-Making Model involves a cognitive process where each step follows a logical order from the step before. Being a cognitive process meant that we had to think through and weigh up and to compare in order to get the best possible results. The six steps in this model start with defining the problem, then identifying the decision criteria, allocating weights to the criteria, developing the alternatives, evaluating the alternatives and finally, selecting the best alternative (Eisenhardt, 1989) . However, the Rational Model assumes that the decision maker has a consistent system of preferences and is aware of all alternatives. The outcome will be completely rational and there will be no time constraints. This model clearly analyzes the experience of distribution of tasks within a group. As much as possible, our leader was well informed about all the team members because of the consultations that made him aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each member, thus helping in the easy and logical distribution of tasks. Another experience involves the forks challenge undertaken during lecture time. The game required us to model up a tall structure using forks. With a time span of 15 minutes, it was a difficult task. We conflicted on whether to build a square or triangle structure causing us to sub-divide into two smaller groups. However, after sometime, we realized that we could not come up with the tallest model without being united. Eventually, our group won, having agreed in

CONLeader-R2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CONLeader-R2 - Essay Example In this way, the nature of leadership within an organization may contribute significantly to the manner in which the organization functions because the leader influences other members of the group to work towards the achievement of group goals. In the context of examining motivation of employees at an IT firm in Doha, it must be noted that cultural and religious factors play a significant role in influencing motivation of employees and organizational performance. Budhwar and Mellahi (2006:6) have pointed out that Arabic countries are primarily masculine and conform to a hierarchical structure. Hence leadership would need to adopt a contingency approach, such that a productive balance is achieved between the requirements of each task, the team needs, the organisational climate and the situational, contextual pressures. According to this approach, a leader would need to modify his or her approach to adapt to the contextual situation. For example, in a primarily masculine context such as that which exists in the Middle East, leadership by women would not be acceptable. Additionally, male leaders would also need to be sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of their primarily Muslim workforce and must adapt to those need s. According to Peddler et al (1994, cited in Cole, 1997:318), effective managers must possess â€Å"social skills and abilities, â€Å"emotional resilience†, â€Å"continuing sensitivity to events† and â€Å"proactivity, i.e, the inclination to respond purposefully to events†. This corroborates the application of a contingency approach to management wherein a leader in a management position in the Middle East. Since HRM theories have primarily been developed and tested primarily within a Western environment, their applicability in the Middle East may be limited within the Arab environment. The problem that arises when western

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Management - Essay Example The first one mainly includes a positive approach, which mainly strives for objectivity, rather than characteristics of the research approach. Here only knowledge that can be observed and measured is obtained through various research instruments like questionnaires or surveys, and information devoid of such characteristics is neglected. The idea or phenomenon, which can be studied as a logical extension of it is neglected. They believe that the goal of science, whether it be social or natural, is to describe everything that can be experienced. Their aim is to provide explanation leading to control and predictability. Qualitative methods are subjective; it focuses on the logical explanation of the data collected. In this process, investigations are carried out in depth about a topic to understand the human behaviour and the reason behind the action. These methods include personal interview, group or random group interview, projective techniques, participant observation, ethnography, c ase studies, photography and storytelling. It includes subjective, interpretive, hermeneutic, and introspective and post modern analysis of data collected, even if they are measurements. Third one includes the combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. â€Å"But the important realization is that despite of the differences in the propositions and assumptions that underlie quantitative versus a quantitative approach or views of the nature of the organizations, in reality the approach applied will be directed by the research goal and objective† (Du Plooy, 2004, P. 37). The author also talks about the future needs as well as the advantages and disadvantages concerning these methods. According to him, there should be an advanced method for evaluating and finding out the... This paper approves that the problem statement under analysis is â€Å"Employers would like to improve the value of their employees’ work contribution† and this report is directed towards the line manager. The analysis of this problem is done by using the 7 stage Check land Soft Systems Methodology. The 7 stage Check land Soft Systems Methodology has been used in the process. The methods that prove to helpful to employers who want to increase employees’ work contribution are also stated here. Finally, solutions and recommendations for the employers regarding the issue have also been brought to light for a better analysis of the problem and immediate riddance of it. According to the paper incorporating fairness in rewards and job conditions in the organization, which appeal to the employee. Behaving to them in a fair and caring attitude with respect to rewards and job conditions, which when made known to them will act as a boost to improve their work contribution. It come to the conclusion that incorporating new training measures, which can increase the work contribution of employees so that employees learn the job better. On job as well as off job training can improve their work contribution.

Administration of Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Article

Administration of Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine to Parents of High-Risk Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - Article Example The feasibility study was conducted to measure the role vaccination in the parents in controlling the infection of pertussis on the susceptible infants. This type of epidemiological study was applied because vaccination of the parents and adults, who are in constant contact with the infants is still not considered as one of the essential means of controlling the spread the pertussis in the infants. Identification of measures of prevention of the transmission of Bordetella Pertussis to young infants was the key factor of the study. The study was designed to explore whether the vaccination of parents was also one of the contributing factors in the increasing incidence of pertussis amongst infants. Bordetella Pertussis has become one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality amongst the infants. It is assumed that the parents may also be the most important carrier of Pertussis virus and the result of the study would encourage vaccination of parents and adults as a major preventive measure to control the spread of pertussis amongst the vulnerable infants. The article highlights the probable sources of infections and focuses on vaccination of parents so the infants can be safeguarded against the dreaded disease. The study was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit of Stony Brook University Medical Center, New York from July 1, 2007 to October 30, 2007. During the period, 358 infants with gestational age ranging from 23 weeks to 42 weeks were admitted into NICU and 495 of 592 eligible parents were offered vaccination. 430 parents agreed to participate in the program. The nursing and other staff was adequately prepared to disseminate information regarding risks and benefits of the immunization e program. The vaccination was carried out as per the guidelines of the TdaP vaccine of Sanofi Pasteur, France. Consent forms with pertinent information like parents age, infants age, apgar score, race, discharge date, vaccine lot

Capitalism vs. Communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Capitalism vs. Communism - Essay Example This was later followed the trade prosperity of European trade and agricultural revolution. Influential figures in capitalism included Medici of Florence, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, Jacques Coeur, Marco Polo, and Anthony Giddens. Communism on the other hand can be traced back to the early Christians and religious groups, the golden age in Greece, the manorial system in the middle ages, and modern communism. The influential people in communism include Sir Thomas More of England, Gerrard Winstanley, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Lenin, Emmanuel Kant, and Jean Jacques. Finally, the influence of the respective philosophers’ in the modern day and age is explained. Keywords: Communism, Capitalism, Christians, Trade, Agriculture Revolution, Private Property, Lending, Profits, Labor, Demand, Supply, Resources, Community, Competition, Land, Government, Economic, Philosophers What is Capitalism? It is a system that continues to be practiced in the world, despite its lack of a standard defini tion. Basically, it is a political and economical system with an ideology of the market (supply and demand) being at the core of the single system of economic governance (Scott, 2009). Individuals can own economic resources as properties from which more wealth can be generated upon investment and production. Competition for resources is spurred up by the system, creating more wealth and capital, and facilitating personal growth and development. In a broad perspective, â€Å"capitalism is organized such that produced goods and services, down to the least basic necessities of life, are produced for valuable exchange, where even human labor-power is a commodity for sale in the market, and where the market determines all economic actors † (Wood, 2002, p. 6). Capitalism thrives in the event of competition, individualism, and where a system of checks and balances exist to achieve benefits in the marketplace and retain their market share. Origin of Capitalism and Influential People in Capitalism The periods during the18th and 19th century are marked by many as the time of the emergence of capitalism. However, the previous centuries show some aspects of the conception of capitalism. During these earlier periods, the emergence and advancement capitalism can be explained through the accounts of historical developments of human activities in search for development, acts of earlier exchanges, more production, and success through wealth creation. Since capitalism is embedded on creating more wealth, the idea of usury earlier established in the middle age and as practiced by the people introduced the act of lending at interest for more profits. Although rejected by the church during the period, it in practice indicated that given the opportunity, capitalism would have thrived earlier in the period (Backend, 2010). These acts during the time can be said to be roots of capitalism. Another kind of activity that relates to capitalism due to creation of wealth was the pro sperity of Europe through trade with other continents. The 13th and 14th centuries are recorded as the successful periods of trading activities between the trading partners (Afro-Euro-Asia, Europeans, Arabians, Chinese and the Mongols), where merchants and other traders risked their resources to purchase more resources that they would later exchange for other

Foraging and Nutritional Ecology of Primates in SE Asia Essay Example for Free

Foraging and Nutritional Ecology of Primates in SE Asia Essay There are foods of various kinds that fit the foraging and nutritional needs of primates in SE Asia, these primates in question use the foods to extract carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fats and minerals. We look at the impact of the environment on these primates for there foraging and nutritional needs. We also observe systematics, their distribution, their genetics, their anatomy, their physiology, their ecology and conservation. Some of these primates, to observe and study are wood antelope and fossarial leaf rat. Availability of the plant species and their evolutionary history comes in and also cell theory is also looked at, fossil history is also looked at to some extent, and the whole work becomes interesting (Balee, 1998, 25) The foraging needs as well as the nutritional needs of primates are much varied due to the special needs of that particular primate. In most cases they need food to provide them with energy for growth, reproduction, movement and even at rest (the basal metabolic rate). Once the food is ingested it travels inside the body of the organism or in this case the primate and once assimilated into the blood stream it passes through a process called respiration and the energy needed for the body is obtained, Normally, when the primates are still as infants, energy is really needed for their growth and development and as they mature their energy requirement tend to increase and thus the need for more food (Balee, 1998, p. 68) As for the wood antelope and the fossarial leaf rat they normally have a special kind of bacteria in their guts, which helps to digest cellulose. This is because all the types of food the rely on have cellulose as one of the components and since other components are digestible, cellulose is not digestible and so the work of this special kind of bacteria comes in. The wood antelope feeds on the grasses, shrubs and bushes, which contain cellulose, and the fossarial leaf rat feeds mostly, if not exclusively on leaves of certain trees, bushes and shrubs and so they also contain cellulose. So this particular bacteria plays a very important role in the lives of these primates (Govbson, et el, 1998, p. 100) The extraction of carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, proteins and minerals normally occur through some other body metabolisms, which also play a very important role in the growth and energy requirements of these primates. The extracts are also used in the bone formation, in this case proteins are used for this purpose and the minerals and vitamins are used for important functions in the bodies of the organisms (Leyh, 2007,p. 150) In any ecological systems there is competition among organisms for space mates and food. All these things that they compete for depend in one or another with the energy available. For instance, if an organism is to get an adequate space for himself, the organism has to fight for it and unless he is strong enough, it cannot be easy for him to get it. It is more of the survival for the fittest and death for the unfit. Only the fittest is this case can survive. When it comes to competition for mates this one also depends with the idea of having enough energy for mating with as many mates as possible for the male, and having enough energy of bearing the pregnancy and being able to deliver in the case of the female. It is also another case of survival for the fittest Another thing that these primates, especially of the same species must have enough and adequate food for them, those who are capable of getting food survive, while those who do not get die. This is also another good example of survival for the fittest and death for the unfit. Charles Darwin first put this forward in his theory of evolution of species (Kenzey, 1997,p. 15) Migration of the primates in question is one important area to look at. For an organism to migrate like in this case the wood antelope must ensure that they have eaten enough food because of the long distance, which may be required to be covered. Migration normally occurs due to climatic changes, which may lead to scarcity of food, mates and poor or harsh environmental condition as such the organism is forced to migrate and look for a more favorable place to start life a fresh. (Balee, 1998,p. 250) In this case, migration does not make it possible for the primates to start eating different foods, what happens is that they go at a place with similar foods and nutritional needs which suits them. If this idea of starting to eat different foods could be true then it would have been brought through evolution. The primates in question would have evolved a natural mechanism of adapting to different forages and nutritional needs; and it is the only known ways for the different mechanism to have been possible. This idea of evolution is very important in many ways, the first and most important case is this of the availability of the plant species, which provide food for the primates. Another is the cell theory, which gives room for the availability of certain organelles necessary for the type of environmental or ecological situations in which these primates in question find themselves (Caro, 1998,p. 341) These primates have therefore adapted certain special ways through which they use to survive in their environments. One important thing is that they have sight. This importance of sight comes handy to see their food or forages. And also being able to spot their enemies. The adaptation is evolutionary connected; and the nutritive values of the forages of these primates go together with evolution. The influence of forages availability on the primates in question, on their sociality and reproduction is another crucial factor to consider. The fact that these forages are available within the environment of these primates shows that, they are influenced a great deal on their sociality and reproduction. In the first place the population of rats tend to be higher than that of antelopes, because of some factors, which we can consider, for one the rats are smaller in size and thus can occupy a smaller space with just a very large population of them. And secondly their evolutionary mechanism suits them to be many in number than the antelopes. These antelopes consume more food and therefore are naturally fewer in number. Therefore food is a limiting factor in the population of these primates in question (Campbell, 1995,p. 120) Therefore in studying the population of these primates in question the factor of availability of forages is very important in deed. It determines the reproductive tendencies and also their presence in a given environment. Their daily habits are also affected. Their natural anatomy and physiology evolve according to available forages. This factor should always be put into consideration when dealing with systematics of these primates, if one is to be on the safe side (Caro, 1998,p. 350) Apart from the availability of forages for the nutritional needs of these primates one must also consider a depth the evolutionary tendencies. These primates have body structures suitably adapted for their functions. For instance, they have legs, which help them to run, from their enemies or rather predators, and also these legs help them to reach their foods in good time. (Caro, 1998,p. 50) The nature of their energy requirements is such that they function up to the time when they are required to rest, this is where the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) comes in. The bodies of these primates function such that they must relax or have a rest. This is usually at right. It is common at night. As rest remains necessary and so is the regulation of the available food. The leaves are given time and room to grow and mature again. When the food becomes abundant, these primates tend to increase their population, which leads to a very high competition for food, and so there are those who die in the process especially when food becomes scarce (Campbell, 1995,p120) The food available to these primates is also connected to their evolutionary tendencies. One will find that always there will be certain kind of trees shrubs or bushes where certain primates are found. In this case, some species of trees, which tend to produce leaves in plenty, will found where certain primates are found. This is important because it contributes to the importance of the food chain. As such certain animals will also be found there in plenty especially in this case, those animals which feed on wood antelopes like the lions, cheetahs and leopards will always be found in these environments. The case is the same with those who feed on fossarial leaf rats. (Gouldey, 2007, 200) As such the foraging and nutritional ecology of primate in South East Asia recently important and complex as it looks. The fossils found in some places always have evolutionary connections with some primates . The fossarial leaf rats have some bearing of connectivity with the domesticated rats and some animals of lower form. As for the wood antelopes they show some similarities with some animals of both lower form and higher form. The analyzed cases are very important as they contribute a lot of information to those who study the fossils; and the whole field of study becomes interesting. This clearly shows that the evolutionary connection of fossils and the organisms in question is true and reliable. The primates then must have evolved in a special way, where they have teeth for chewing their food or forages; their elementary canals are also highly specialized in performing their functions. Mammologists should come up with better methods of studying the organisms in question, since there is a lot to show and inform those who are interested. In the case of the organelles of the cells, when the energy requirement is high the cell tend to have a lot of mitochondria, which help in the respiration process. But all this is not important if the food is not available. Therefore the special way through which these primates have evolved with time to be where they are and eat what they eat shows a very interesting field of study(Caro, 1998,p. 400) As we consider more about these organisms, more information on theories should be properly compared and observed in the practicals so that the scientists or rather the mammologists should always compare with accurate and reliable information. The mammologists have always shown that the foraging and nutritional ecology of primates is an important field of study. As it provides us with some vital information concerning human beings, since human beings are also primates. Therefore the whole of these primates in question when properly studied, we tend to get some useful tips about us human beings (Balee, 1998,p. 650_. The nutritional needs of these primates may be varied with that of human beings, but they all belong in the same Kingdom and Phylum, as they have a lot of similarities than differences. These similarities are due to evolution. All the same, they play a very important role in the foraging habits of these primates, which are exclusively found in South East Asia. In this case it is important to note that energy and food are both important; one cannot be there without the other, in other words food is energy, and energy is food. The food chain of the primates in question in South East Asia goes on and these primates become healthy and thrive. Their habits are maintained and the value of food remains crucial. Finally, the foraging and nutritional ecology of primates in South East Asia is notably very interesting; therefore a lot of money should be invested in the continuous research in this spectacular part of the world. . Bibliography Balee, W (1998), Advance in Historical Ecology; Columbia University Press. New York Campbell, B (1995); Human Ecology; The Story of our place in Nature form Pre history to the present.Adline de Gruyter New York. Caro, T, (1998); Behavioral Ecology and conservation Biology; Oxford University Press; New York. Gouldey, M Mahar, I (2007) Floods of fortune; Ecology and Economy along the Amazon Columbia University. New York. Govbson, S, et el (1998); Ecology; Oxford University Press. New York Kinzey, G. W (1997); New World Primates Ecology, Education and Behavior. Aldine de Gryter. New York. Leyh Jr, G (2007); Tropical Forest Ecology. A view from Basso Colorado Island. Oxford University Press. New York.

Utilization Of IT In Property Management Information Technology Essay

Utilization Of IT In Property Management Information Technology Essay Information Technology, or IT, has become an enabler in multiple areas of human life, including professional practice of all kinds. The practice of property management cannot be accepted. With a case study of estate surveying firms in Lagos, this paper investigates the level of utilization of IT in the professional practice of property management. Data was collected using questionnaires, which were administered using the cluster sampling method. The paper shows that IT is not being significantly employed in the practice of property management in Lagos. It further reveals that the relative high overall cost of its adoption is most probably responsible for the foregoing. In this wise, the paper recommends that the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, the custodian of the profession, should provide leadership in the utilization of it, while individual and collective efforts of the firms should be geared towards this area. Key words: Information Technology, Property Management, Professional Practice, And Estate Surveying Firms INTRODUCTION The world of today is being propelled by information, in profound proportion, via the agency of Information Technology (IT). Information, in these present times, more frequently described as a fourth resource, is as essential as land, labour and capital in the production process; and advances in IT have tremendously facilitated the processes of gathering, storing, handling and utilizing this vital resource (Brady, 1991; and Olawore, 1999). The foregoing underlines the aptness of terming this 21st century the Information Age (Emeagwali, 2003). Significant changes have come about due to the rapid growth of IT; the outstanding change being the increasing globalisation of the world. There is the increasing transmutation of the present-day world into a more homogenised geographical entity with no boundaries, hence, the famous clichà © the world is a global village (Owasanoye, 2001). The most revolutionary agent of this development is the Internet, an offshoot of modern IT. The Internet h as lowered the cost of doing business; made it possible for a consumer to access goods or services without leaving the confines of his home or office; and has given its users an opportunity to advertise and operate across frontiers, across borders and beyond the control of national governments. IT has been, and will continue to be, applied to the multifarious facets of the life of the ubiquitous modern-day man. It is common knowledge that virtually all categories of professional service providers are now leveraging on the cutting edge afforded by modern IT so as to progressively leapfrog competitors, proactively respond to the ever-dynamic demands of their respective clientele and ultimately add value to their bottom line. Modern IT has changed business landscapes and expanded the frontiers of service delivery (Osadolor, 2002). For example, banks and financial services providers have created their own system of electronic funds transfers; the travel industry uses electronic informat ion services for booking, time tabling and pricing; stock exchanges have evolved automated trading systems; while estate agents now utilize the platform of the Internet to market real estate in their portfolio (Owasanoye, 2001; and Akomolede, 2002). Situated in the context that property managers are also included in the category of professional service providers carrying on the practice of ensuring that a clients property investment is kept in a state to enhance its functionality, prolong its lifespan, yield an optimum return and achieve the investors general objectives, hence, IT is of useful purpose to the practice. Similarly, central to proactive property management practice is an efficient system of record keeping in its entirety. Against this backdrop and given the myriad of responsibilities of the property manager coupled with all sorts of complexities presented by properties and their occupants, an enabling tool as IT cannot but be deployed. Furthermore, if the foregoing is critically examined in the context of the emerging milieu of increased client awareness and requirements, it reinforces the imperative of property managers substantially leveraging on IT to drive, and step up the quality of, service delivery (Longe, 20 01). However, even in the absence of an in-depth inquiry, by casual observation, it can be conjectured that there is a yawning gap between the levels of sophistication that are being attained vis-à  -vis the adoption of information technology in the contemporary professional practice of property management in both the developed and the developing economies. The practice of property management (like its umbrella practice of estate surveying and valuation), in most developing economies, inclusive of Nigeria, is lagging behind that in the developed economies (like the United Kingdom) specifically in terms of the application of modern enabling tools of information technology. Though, it cannot be said that there is blanket non-utilisation of IT in the practice of property management by estate surveying firms in Lagos, Nigeria, as a typical example of a city in the developing world, but to what extent is IT adopted in the practice? This is the central question that this paper intends to answe r with the aid of an empirical study carried out in 2005. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT The term Information Technology has been variously described. IT, being the acronym for Information Technology, has been broadly defined as a term that encompasses all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its various forms (business data, voice conversations, still images, motion pictures, multimedia presentations, and other forms including those not yet conceived)1. However, in simple terms, the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English (6th edn) furnished a definition of IT as the use of electronic equipment, especially computers, for storing, analyzing and sending out information. It is common knowledge that IT has wide-ranging applications; it has been applied to virtually every aspect of human life. It has found useful application in science, commerce, engineering, education, recreation, entertainment, research, medicine, governance, religion, agriculture, real estate marketing, project management, banking, airline reservations and so on (Brady, 1991; Alile, 1997; Ojo, 2000; Ayo, 2001; and Akomolede, 2002). It is also of useful purpose to the various facets of the professional practice of property management. Property management à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the other term under review à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is an integral aspect of the profession of Estate Management. Thorncroft (1965) defined estate management as the direction and supervision of an interest in landed property with the aim of securing the optimum returns. These returns need not be financial but may be in terms of social benefits, prestige, status, political power or some other goals or group of goals. In consonance with the traditional aim of general estate management, property management entails the practice of directing, supervising and controlling interest in land and landed property so as to enable it yield an optimal return. Specifically, property management is that aspect of the real estate profession devoted to the leasing, management, marketing and overall maintenance of the property of others2. According to Olajide and Bello (2003), property management can be defined as the application of skill in caring for the property, its surroundings and amenities, and in developing sound relationship between the landlord and tenant and among tenants themselves, so that the property as well as individual premises would give value both to the landlord and tenant. Basically, its purpose is to secure for the property owner the maximum continuous net return on his investment over the life of that property and to maintain the physical aspects of the property for optimum efficiency and economy (Weich, 1967; and Kyle, 2000). In essence, the primary functions of property management are threefold: achieve the objectives of the property owners, generate income for the owners, and preserve or increase the value of the inve stment property (Kyle, 2000). Towards this end, comprised in the professional services rendered by property managers are: (a) rent collection and remittance; (b) selection of tenants; (c) property maintenance; (d) marketing of vacant accommodation; (e) administration of estate personnel and services; (f) administration (maintenance) of estate records; (g) routine management inspection and correspondence; (h) enforcement of lease covenants; and (i) any other function as reasonably expected of a property manager or as stipulated in the management agreement between the parties (the property manager and the client). All these services can be driven by IT. The following are some identified application areas where IT has been of beneficial use in the practice of property management. a. Filing: It is asserted that a property manager cannot survive without his records (Nwankwo, 2004). If he cannot maintain a good filing system, he will always be in difficulty. Hence, the hallmark of an efficient management office is a good filing system (Kyle, 2000). Data should be sorted and segregated into separate files for easy collection, retention and retrieval of records. Records can be kept manually by means of simple registers, record cards, schedules that are referred to often, reminders, files and so on; but the trend now is computerization (Nwankwo, 2004). A computerized data system has a number of advantages over a manual system including the ease of storage, the ability to retrieve large amounts of data as required, economy of space, and reduction of operational cost and time (Olawore, 1999). With a computer database, records relating to clients properties can be effectively maintained. Database such as computerized property management system (CPMS) e.g. EstMan is available in the market to all property managers desirous of computerizing their operations (Adebiyi, 2003). The CPMS comprises various elements such as data relating to the properties, the landlords, the tenants and the leases in a digital form. It is designed to aid the management and administration of commercial, industrial and residential properties. The software allows the myriad of information to be retrieved quickly, eliminating the need to refer to bulky files or having to refer physically to leased documents often by extracting vital information and making them ava ilable to be looked at or pointed out whenever needed. b. Financial Record Keeping: This is a crucial activity in property management that deserves a separate mention given that the cardinal aim of property management is securing the maximum return (Olajide and Bello, 2003). Accounting software programs allow tedious book keeping calculations to be performed automatically, including accounts receivable (e.g. rents and service charges), accounts payable (e.g. ground rents, rates and insurance premium), payroll, inventory and general ledger (Kyle, 2000). Accounting programs can generate various reports that are valuable for financial planning and evaluations, including monthly budgets, cash flow studies, profit and loss statements and reports to owners. Some even can write and print a cheque, while entering that directly into the bank balance summary, thus maintaining even more up-to-the-minute control. c. Word Processing/Generation of Notices and Reports: Word processing is used when composing and typing almost any kind of letter, report, or newsletter; it is easy to insert or delete characters, words, lines, paragraphs or even pages of text and correspondence can be merged with mailing lists to generate mass mailings. Drafting a document, letters to delinquent tenants for example, which can be time-consuming, will be made easier and faster with the aid of this software. According to Kyle (2000), at the very least, the new software programs offer a template for letters (for proper form) as well as pre-written form letters to meet all sorts of needs: late notices, eviction notices, lease termination and letters on all types of problems (e.g. excessive noise). If the software does not have a letter one needs, after drafting it, one can save it to reuse. Specifically, in connection with review and renewal of tenancies and other action dates, a completely automatic key dates system is available (Stapleton, 1994). Further, graphic software programs can produce a variety of graphs and charts to use in presentations and reports, and can also be used to create advertisements, brochures and tenant newsletters. d. Property Marketing and Tenant Selection: The World Wide Web, a network of interconnecting computers, is quickly becoming a vehicle for advertising, marketing and communication (Kyle, 2000). The Web enables users to create their own websites to display information easily accessible to the public. Adebiyi (2003) identified the benefits accruable to professional firms with websites: Information can be provided to the user free, or via subscription service, or for a specific payment; it provides the firms with shop windows available to any client or applicant 24 hours of the day; it can display an innovative brochure of the firms professional services, clients properties available for sale or letting and they market to the widest audience without any boundaries to working days. In particular, Alile (1997) identified that, with multimedia technology, a contemporary offshoot of IT, marketing rental properties has become more sophisticated in the sense that you can walk through houses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ without leaving your room. Apart from marketing, the Internet can serve the purpose of tenant selection. Kemp (2000) reported a special Web property management solution, the Rentals.com on-line property management system. Through Rentals.com, rental property owners and managers can create a personalized website. From the site, one can show pictures/floor plans of all properties; access a private, virtual office; track site traffic; schedule viewing appointments; view rental applications; and obtain rental news and advice from experts in the real estate industry. The benefits of this system are obvious: a clutter-free workspace and a round-the-clock virtual, paperless office, amongst others. e. Office Automation: Office automation deals with acquisition and distribution of information, communication (internal and external), and information processing. It has, therefore, a variety of facets including communications, publishing, and data processing. Very few, if any, offices can run without the use of some automated equipment. The amount of automation needed depends, again, on the size of the operation and the type of properties involved (Kyle, 2000). Office equipment such as fax machines, typewriters, word processors, calculators and specialized accounting equipment (including computers) are fundamental once the business begins to grow. For communication purposes particularly, with a local area network (LAN), computer users in the same office can share data, including text or data files, whole programs, scanned images, incoming and outgoing fax messages, blueprints and voice messages. LANs increase the efficiency of computers, software and printers, which make inter-office communication better, faster and cheaper. LANs differ in speed, reliability, and compatibility with various computer hardware, so a wise property manager will consult a LAN expert before making a purchasing decision. Further, with a modem and a phone line, computers can communicate with each other over long distances, sending computerized data (e-mail) to another computer hundreds or thousands of miles away. Since the modem transfers information directly to another computer, there is no need to print out the information on paper first, which increases the speed and efficiency of the communication. The data can be viewed on the receiving computer screen or printed out on paper. f. Tracking Maintenance: According to Holmes (1994), IT has enhanced the planning and organization of maintenance. Software packages have been developed for most activities. There are 3 main areas which require IT support; the first for handling work recording and monitoring, the second for condition assessment analysis, and the third for cost predictions. Within these areas a range of linked programs can be used to supplement the process; for example, an asset register will greatly help with work ordering. On a general note, Stapleton (1994) described the benefits of the application of IT to the practice of property management as follows: Problems can be identified quicker and performance be analyzed in a more rigorous way. Information for regular review by policymakers is more readily available and more work can be handled by the same staff. He, however, attached a caveat that the application of IT does require a substantial commitment by the existing staff and considerable care is required in the way the concept, the technology and the system are introduced. In spite of the gains of the adoption of IT in the practice of property management (and estate surveying and valuation in general), Adebiyi (2003) suggested that, by casual industry analysis of the use of IT, not a deliberate inquiry, it is indicated that there is low-level utilization and awareness by a significant proportion of estate surveying firms in the Nigerian real estate industry. He opined that IT is often seen by those who do not use it as an unknown technological threat, both complex and expensive, requiring extensive training and bringing an additional and unnecessary complication to professional life. In the light of the foregoing, Adebiyi (2003) offered an admonition thus: It is important for (Estate) Surveyors who do not use IT to consider the changes that have taken place over the last few years, the current speed of changes and facilities available to assist Surveyors. It is also advisable for them to have some understanding of the ever more rapid developments that will affect all practitioners in the foreseeable future. They need to consider how IT awareness and use can enhance not just their efficiency and business performance, but also the professional advise they give to property company and developer-clients or to tenants. THE INVESTIGATION Bearing in mind that it is an observable tendency for estate surveying firms to exist in pockets or congregate together in geographical areas around Lagos (i.e. the population of estate surveying firms is largely distributed in clusters), hence, it is apposite to adopt the cluster sampling method as the suitable approach to generating a representative sample for study here (Asika, 1991). According to Asika (1991), generally, a sample size of 10% of the population size is adequate enough to validate and generalize the findings of a study to the entire population. Given that there are 477 estate surveying firms in Nigeria as offered by Nwankwo (2004) and assuming that all the firms have an operational office in Lagos, then applying 10% to this number of firms and leaving ample room for safety, the total sample size for this study is therefore 50 and will be spread over four main identified clusters (convergence areas) in the Lagos metropolis. Response Rate As indicated in Table 1 below, an evaluation of the individual response rates of the cluster areas reveals that all areas are fairly represented (with the minimum response rate being 80%), and the average response rate being 84%. For all practical purposes, this is acceptable and valid for statistical analysis. Table 1: Response Rate According to Cluster Area Cluster Area Target Response Actual Response Response Rate (%) Lagos Island 20 17 85 Victoria Island/Ikoyi 10 8 80 Surulere 5 4 80 Ikeja/Opebi 15 13 87 Total 50 42 84 Source: Field Survey, 2005 Extent of Utilization of Information Technology in the Practice Seven specific areas of the practice are examined vis-à  -vis the adoption of information technology, namely: Preparation of schedules of letting; Preparation and communication of management notices and reports; Preparation of clients statements of accounts; Rental property marketing; Mode of receiving applications from prospective tenants; Mode of receiving complaints from sitting tenants; and Property record keeping. A schedule of lettings serves a major purpose in the practice of property management and it is frequently required. It aids rent collection. Hence, the mode through which it is drawn up is very crucial. Two modes can be identified: manual and computerized or a combination of both. Fig. 1 reveals that 64% (or 27 out of 42) use the manual means, 12% (or 5 out of 42) use the computerized means while 24% (or 10 out of 42) use both the manual and computerized means. It can then be reasonably concluded that the majority of the respondents still rely on the manual mode of extracting relevant data from rental payments register in order to draw up schedules of letting. This method is, however, adjudged to be inefficient and susceptible to errors. Table 2: Preparation of Management Notices and Reports Mode Frequency Count Percentages of Responses (%) Percentages of Cases (%) By handwriting By using typewriter 2 4 5 By using word-processors 42 84 100 By using property management software 6 12 14 Total 50* 100 119 Source: Field Survey 2005 * Note: Total number of responses is greater than the total number of respondents because each respondent gave multiple responses. The cumulative frequency count by the multi-response analysis was thus greater than the total number of respondents. Table 3: Communication of Management Notices and Reports Mode Frequency Count Percentages of Responses (%) Percentages of Cases (%) By staff hand delivery 37 26 88 By courier service 27 19 64 By postal service 15 10 36 By phone 29 20 69 By e-mail service 21 14 50 By short message service (SMS) 16 11 38 Total 145* 100 345 Source: Field Survey, 2005 *Note: See Table 2 for explanation In preparing management notices (such as rent demands) and reports, 4 methods are identifiable as shown in Table 2. Survey reveals that word processors are of general application, and used by all the respondents (or 100%) while 6 out of 42 (or 14%) use special-purpose property management software. 5% (or 2 out of 42) of the respondents still use typewriters. And to communicate the notices and reports, a combination of 6 options are open to the respondents (see Table 3). Staff hand delivery features most prominently as the means through which most of the respondents communicate notices and reports (37 out of 42 or 88%). E-mail service, a main IT option in the context of this study, ranks 4th and adopted by 50% (or 21 out of 42) of the respondents. Table 4: Preparation of Clients Statements of Accounts Mode Frequency Count Percentages of Responses (%) Percentages of Cases (%) By manual calculations 27 43 64 By using accounting software 29 47 69 By using property management software 6 10 14 Total 62* 100 147 Source: Field Survey, 2005 * Note: See Table 2 for explanation Accounting software, a general application software, finds the widest use amongst the respondents in rendering accounts to landlord-clients (see Table 4), followed closely by manual means of extracting relevant data from account books and balancing the accounts (27 out of 42 or 64%). The use of special-purpose property management software ranks last (a distant 3rd). Table 5: Rental Property Marketing Mode Frequency Count Percentages of Responses (%) Percentages of Cases (%) To-Let board placements 42 31 100 Print media advertising 42 31 100 Property bulletin distribution 36 26 86 Internet advertising 16 12 38 Total 136* 100 324 Source: Field Survey, 2005 * Note: See Table 7 for explanation Table 5 indicates that all the respondents market available rental accommodation by board placements and print media advertising. However, only 16 out of 42 (or 38%) advertise via the Internet. Hence, it can be fairly concluded here that IT has not found popular use amongst the estate surveying firms in marketing rental property. Table 6: Mode of Receiving Applications from Prospective Tenants Mode Frequency Count Percentages of Responses (%) Percentages of Cases (%) By phone 39 47 93 By physical appearance at office 42 51 100 By applying on-line 2 2 5 Total 83* 100 198 Source: Field survey, 2005 *Note: See Table 2 for explanation Table 6 shows that only 2 out of 42 (or 5%) accept on-line applications from prospective tenants that intend to let advertised rental accommodation in spite of its benefits of round-the-clock accessibility. All the respondents dwell on prospective tenants physically visiting their offices. Applications through the phone are also accepted by 39 out of 42 (or 93%). Table 7: Mode of Receiving Complaints from Sitting Tenants Mode Frequency Count Percentages of Responses (%) Percentages of Cases (%) By phone 39 26 93 By letters 42 28 100 By physical appearance at office 37 25 88 By short message service (SMS) 13 9 31 By e-mail service 18 12 43 Total 149* 100 355 Source: Field Survey, 2005 *Note: See Table 7 for explanation It is not uncommon for sitting tenants to forward complaints about relevant matters demanding the attention of property managers. Different channels are created through which these complaints are received. Table 7 reveals that the multitude of complaints is received through letters by all the respondents while SMS is the least used mode. E-mail service is the 4th most frequently used mode of receiving complaints from sitting tenants (18 out of 42 or 43%). Table 8: Mode of Property Record Keeping Mode Frequency Count Percentages of Responses (%) Percentages of Cases (%) Cabinet filing 40 63 95 Electronic database 24 37 57 Total 64* 100 132 Source: Field Survey, 2005 *Note: See Table 2 for explanation From table 8, 95% of the respondents (or 40 out of 42) adopt cabinet filing while 57% of the respondents (or 24 out of 42) use electronic database. Both cabinet filing and electronic database are complementary; though the latter offers easier access to relevant information. Having examined seven salient areas of the practice of property management in Lagos in relation to the adoption of IT, it can be summarized thus: IT is being relatively put to use in all the examined areas of the practice of property management in Lagos; however, the extent of adoption, on the whole, is below average. Table 9: Respondents Ranking of the Reasons for the Current Extent of Utilization of IT in the Practice of Property Management Reason Absolute Frequency Weighted mean score Strongly Agree 5 Agree 4 Undecided 3 Disagree 2 Strongly Disagree 1 Relative underdeveloped state of the property management practice in Lagos 3 11 0 18 10 2.50 Relative non-availability of IT tools for property management in Lagos 5 5 8 19 5 2.43 Relative high cost of adoption of IT in the property management practice 2 19 5 16 0 3.17 Relative non-sophistication of clients served by property management firms in Lagos 3 8 6 22 3 2.64 Relative small sizes of the operations of the property management firms in Lagos 2 3 6 19 12 2.14 Source: Field Survey, 2005 Respondents were asked to score five probable reasons for the below-average utilization of IT in the practice of property management in Lagos on a 5 point Likert scale. The results as shown in Table 9 above show that the relative high cost of adoption of IT in the property management practice is the most probable reason for the current extent of utilization of IT in the practice. IT is widely viewed to attract huge costs for its application in the practice of property management. Relative non-sophistication of clients served by the property management firms ranks 2nd. However, ranking last is the relative small sizes of the operations of the property management firms. A possible interpretation of this is that the respondents see the sizes of their operations as substantial enough to warrant the deployment of IT. Further, to gauge the practice-wide perception of the adoption of IT, respondents were asked to indicate their degree of agreement or disagreement with this statement: The increased adoption of IT in the practice of property management in Lagos can have a significant positive impact thereon in terms of increased profitability, broadened client base and excellent service delivery. Out of 42, 28 (or 67%) strongly agreed, 13 (or 31%) agreed and 1 (or 2%) was undecided. On the basis of this, it can be said that, in the absence of constraints, the firms are willing to significantly increase the level of utilization of IT in the practice of property management. From the foregoing, it can be stated that the relative high cost of adoption of IT in the practice of property management, amongst others, is the most probable reason for the current extent of utilization of IT in the practice. Hypothesis Testing Research Hypothesis To be tested in t

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams Essay -- A Streetcar Na

A Streetcar named Desire was written by Tennessee Williams, during the restless years following World War II. The play was based on the life of a woman named Blanche Dubois. Blanche was a fragile and neurotic woman, desperate for a place to call her own. She had been exiled from her hometown Laurel, Mississippi after seducing a seventeen year old boy. After this incident, she decided to move to New Orleans with her sister Stella. She claimed she had to move, in result of a series of financial calamities which have recently claimed the family plantation, Belle Reve. Her sisters husband, Stanley Kowalski is very suspicious seeing that Blanche seems like an ambitious woman. Therefore, he decides to investigate her. He wanted to make sure Blanche didn’t sell the plantation for her own good. As he begins to find out more about her past, all of Blanches lies catch up to her. Soon, her circumstances become unbearable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blanche Dubois the main character of the play, was an English teacher in Mississippi. She presents herself as a very prim, proper, and prudent person. She once proudly told her sister Stella that her name in French meant white woods. Blanche Dubois is also overly concerned with her appearance, accessories, bathing and age. She was very disturbed by the light, and usually preferred to be in the dark. Many believe it was to prevent people from noticing her real age. Deep inside she was hurt and destroyed. All of this pain was caused by the death of the love of her life. She was married to a young man named Allan, and they loved each other very much. Until one day Blanche found out that Allan was sleeping with another man. Once she confessed to him she knew his secret he committed suicide. Ever since, Blanches’ life was never the same again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blanche Dubois always felt she was loved and admired by many. However, things changed after her husbands tragic death. Life was not easy for her, as she became lonely and slept with different men. Her loneliness led her into moving unexceptedly with her sister Stella. However, this only caused more troubles in her life. She was not very well liked by her brother in law, Stanley Kowalski. Stanley was from Poland, and had very little education. He was also a very strong, good looking man. He was loyal to his friends, passionate to his wife, but extremely cr... ...t people around Elysian Fields were living a contrasting lifestyle from theirs. That â€Å"their† type is not the one they’re used to. Stella and Blanche were raised on a plantation with money, while Stanley and his friends were poor and uneducated. The conflict began when these two classes were pushed together in the same world. This is shown when Stanley and Blanche meet each other, and their opposite lifestyles are obvious. Stanley is sweaty, dirty, and rude; whereas Blanche is well dressed and soft spoken.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In A Streetcar named Desire, Tennessee Williams presented to us the character of Blanche Dubois. She was the haggard and fragile southern beauty whose happiness was cruelly destroyed. She always avoided reality, and lived in her own imagination. As the play goes on, Blanches â€Å"instability grows along with her misfortune.† Her life ended in tragedy when she was put into a mental institution. Her brother in law’s cruelty combined with her fragile personality, left Blanche mentally detached from reality. Stanley Kowalski showed no remorse for his brutal actions, destroyed Blanches life and committed her to an insane asylum.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Long Road to Law School :: Law College Admissions Essays

The Long Road to Law School    Many college students know exactly what field to enter after graduation and have been preparing for that field over the course of their entire college career. However, I had difficulty discovering a career field rewarding enough to devote my entire life to, a career field worthy of education. While I had always considered pursuing the law and majored in public policy as an undergraduate, I was never passionate about it. I didn't have clear goals, and it seemed to me as if my degree and my circumstances were pushing me into studying the law; I needed to rediscover why I fell in love with the law in the first place.    As a college senior, I took the LSAT because all of my classmates were taking it. I did not prepare, and I really did not want to attend law school after college; thankfully, my low LSAT score guaranteed this. I needed to understand more about life before I could give myself to a career. After being in school for about two decades, I felt completely out of touch with reality and did not think I would ever find career direction by attending more schooling. With these thoughts in mind, I determined I needed real-world experience to help me find the direction I so desperately sought.    I accepted an investor relations position in New York that tested both my intelligence and my work ethic. The first few months moved at a hectic pace as I attempted to acquire knowledge of my new pursuit and to control the responsibilities assigned to me. However, I quickly adjusted and maintained a schedule of seventy-hour workweeks. Because of my hard work and growing expertise, my colleagues began to acknowledge me as an important member of the organization and my opinion became respected and sought out. This respect provided me with a great deal of confidence, and I began to realize that I had unlimited potential. I had finally regained the attitude necessary for success, and my recent LSAT score is a testament of this self-awakening.    While I may not have taken the direct route to law school, I took the course that suited me well.

Spyware Essay -- Spyware Research Papers

Spyware I. Introduction Slowly but surely, the computer I use at home was getting slower and slower. Whenever I would connect to the Internet, simple tasks such as web browsing and checking e-mail would take longer amounts of time to complete than usual. Although my 56K modem was slow by today’s standards, I knew that it would not bottleneck the system while opening simple web sites such as Google. This was a shock to me since I pride myself on running a streamlined and clean computer. It was even more puzzling since the only continuously running program I allow is an Anti-Virus program. I checked the Windows Task Manager and to my surprise, my CPU usage was hovering around 80%, yet no other programs were running! I immediately started researching the problem on the Internet and quickly found the problem that matched my computer’s symptoms, spyware. I downloaded a spyware detection and removal utility; fortunately my problem was resolved. It detected three unique spyware programs runni ng on my computer and quickly removed them. My computer returned to normal operating speed and I felt safe knowing no more spyware was on my computer. II. What is Spyware? Spyware is the general term for â€Å"describing software whose purpose is to collect demographic and usage information from your computer, usually for advertising purposes. The term is also used to describe software that ‘sneaks’ onto the system or performs other activities hidden to the user.†1 Basically, spyware is a program that runs in the background of a computer, unbeknownst to the user, that has multiple abilities. The most non-intrusive task is using spyware as a form of copy protection. Intuit, the company that produces the popular tax program TurboT... ...eve Gibson, â€Å"The Anatomy of File Download Spyware,† Gibson Research Corporation, (4 March 2003). 6. Jason Anders, â€Å"Net Filter Spies on Kids’ Surfing,† Wall Street Journal, 25 January 2001, 1. 7. Jason Anders, â€Å"Net Filter Spies on Kids’ Surfing,† Wall Street Journal, 25 January 2001, 2. 8. George Lawton, â€Å"Invasive Software: Who’s Inside Your Computer?† Computer, July 2002, 15. 9. John Borland and Rachel Konrad, â€Å"PC Invaders Camp Out in Hard Drives,† Cnet News, 18 April 2002, (4 March 2003). 10. Ed Foster, â€Å"Sneakwrapping a Virus,† Infoworld, 4 November 2002, 64. 11. Staff Writer, â€Å"Sen. Edwards Intro’s ‘Spyware Control Act,’† Financial Times, 9 October 2000, 1. 12. Staff Writer, â€Å"Sen. Edwards Intro’s ‘Spyware Control Act,’† Financial Times, 9 October 2000, 1.

Anyone Except the Clutters: the Question of Meaning in Capote’s in Cold Blood

A strange thing happens when people like the Clutters experience an â€Å"undeserved† misfortune. Perhaps misfortune is an understatement in the Clutters case, but the fact is that when bad things happen to good people, everyone around them cannot help but question the nature of good and evil; with that comes the existence of God. Capote put it best in the quote he included from the schoolteacher: â€Å"Feeling wouldn’t run half so high if this had happened to anyone except the Clutters. Anyone less admired. Prosperous. Secure. But that family represented everything people hereabouts really value and respect, and that such a thing could happen to them –well , it’s like being told there is no God. It makes life seem pointless. † (88) The question of why bad things happen to good people is a very loaded question; one that is broader than the scope of this essay. The goal of this essay will be to determine what Capote’s answer to this question is, at least in the context of this novel. Does he believe that the Clutters died for a reason, or that it was simply a random act that they were caught up in by chance? Throughout the novel, the one character who is completely consumed by the question of meaning is Detective Dewey. His dedication to finding the Clutters murderers is driven by his belief that â€Å"he might suddenly ‘see something,’ that a meaningful detail would declare itself† (83). The Clutters murder didn’t seem to have any apparent meaning. But Detective Dewey was not alone in his belief that the actions people do are meaningful; that the events that occur in this world have an order, a design. This belief is prevalent, especially in religious groups, and we learn in the novel that Holcomb, Kansas is part of the â€Å"Bible Belt† (34). It was definitely a religious town, and the Clutters were churchgoing folk. Dewey, for this reason, cannot escape believing there is a reason for everything, and that the Clutters death had a purpose. Is that what Capote wishes to tell us? Because I have a difficult time understanding what purpose there could be for a hard-working, wealthy family of four to be murdered in their beds for â€Å"a few dollars and a radio† (103). The structure of this novel is rather strange for a â€Å"murder-mystery†; it is not told chronologically; the night of the murder is skipped over until the very end. More importantly, we are told right from the beginning of the novel that the four Clutters are murdered, and we know who murdered them. For a typical murder-mystery, the revelation of the killer is always the climax of the action. In fact, Capote has given us more than the names of the killers; he gives us insight into their lives, and thoughts, leading up the murders. The reason for this is because Capote has fashioned a novel where we are not reading to find out who perpetrated the crime, but why the killers killed the Clutters. I think, of all the characters in this novel, Dewey is the only one who tries to answer this question. In fact, the reason why he believes that the killers to be motivated by personal interests, even though the deaths were â€Å"brutal and without apparent motive† (70), is because he believes that there must be something he is not seeing. He mentions several times that the police department â€Å"didn’t have all the facts† (70) and didn’t really know what they were dealing with. He looks at all the clues; analyses all the data; interviews all the townspeople who had grudges, business, or any reason to dislike the Clutters. He knows that the information he is seeing doesn’t make sense, but he can’t figure out the key, the clue, the mystery that will make their deaths make sense. Dewey thinks that the key to understanding why the Clutters died is their killers. If he can find who killed the Clutters then he will know why they killed the Clutters. Unfortunately, all of the â€Å"knowledge† about the crimes from those who committed it does not give Dewey any definitive answers: But the confessions, though they answered questions of how and why, failed to satisfy his sense of meaningful design. The crime was a psychological accident, virtually an impersonal act; the victims might as well have been killed by lightning. (245) I don’t think that this is a fair statement for Dewey to make, although he is the character that would definitely believe this way. Saying that the Clutters might as well have bee â€Å"killed by lightning† (245) is to say that anything could have killed them. While this is true in the sense that anyone could die at any given moment, it is not true in the sense that the killers could not have been just anybody. The Clutters were a good, white, well-off and (reasonably) happy. Though when we read this novel, we may not feel extremely attached to the Clutters, we can easily see that they were good people. Their neighbours have only nice things to say about them, and the town thinks that â€Å"of all the people in the world, they were the least likely to be murdered† (85). They were not the kind of people who made other people want to murder them. The killings could be said to have been â€Å"impersonal†, but I think that the more correct statement is not that anything could have killed the Clutters, but that Dick and Perry could have killed anyone. The Clutters were the arbitrary part of the equation. The only reason they were chosen over any other family was the fact that they were tipped off about a safe on their property. If they had never been told about the safe I believe that Dick and Perry, in all likelihood, would never have met the Clutters. The killers, particularly Dick, were prepared to kill up to twelve people that November night. Dick had no way of knowing who would be there, but knew that it didn’t matter who was there, he would do what he had to in order to secure his and Perry’s venture. That they only got a radio and 40 or 50 dollars out of the bargain was secondary. The Clutters were the epitome of the American Dream, embodying a lifestyle that all Americans could relate to. But if they die and there is no reason for it, no meaning to it, then that means that the American Dream, by extension, is also dead; it would be â€Å"like being told there is no God† (88). If the American Dream is dead, then being a good person is not enough to protect you from the bad things in the world. I think that though Capote has Dewey searching for meaning to this tragedy, I would argue that Dewey never finds what he is searching for. The perpetrators were expected to be monsters; evil; remorseful at least. But I don’t think Dick and Perry fulfilled the public’s idea of the Clutter’s murderers. ? Works Cited Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. Toronto: Random House, 1993. Print.

Analyzing a Literacy Event

At any moment, your life can change. In any instant you could find yourself walking down a different path than you started down. You would never know it, but the simplest form of literacy could make the world of difference in your life. Writing, believe it or not, is a constant in your everyday life. Whether making a grocery list, composing an email, or simply doing your homework, there is no escape from writing. In my case, however, writing came to be my only salvation for justice.On a seemingly normal, stress-free, fall day, I found myself walking through The Village of Rochester Hills. It goes without saying that writing was one of the last things on my mind as I was shopping. However, as things seem to do, my priorities were about to drastically change. As I was attacked by three teenage boys, my world began to spin. I was knocked out by one single blow to the side of my face. As I opened my eyes I saw the boys leaving me on the pavement of the parking lot. After a moment, I real ized that my purse and all of my belongings had been taken.There and then was when I realized how important writing can really be. I instantly ran into the closest store and began writing down all I could recall about the incident. Filling the paper with descriptions of the boys’ clothes, hair, faces, the van they left in, and even their voices, I wracked my brain for all the information I had. Eventually, the Oakland County Sherriff came to the scene of the crime. Within the time it had taken them to reach me, I had already begun to go into a form of shock, causing me to forget details and important factors of the incident.My small gesture of literacy had been the key to finding justice in this situation. After the police had calmed down and taken me to the station, my next writing adventure began. It might not be obvious, but filling out police reports and giving detailed descriptions to a sketch artist involves many literary techniques. I can honestly say my encounter with writing was the most meticulous, painstaking, in depth paper I have ever written. Needless to say, my literary work provoked many reactions. After reading the entire report, most were angry: Angry that this sort of situation could happen to anyone.Some were sympathetic, offering hopes of catching the three boys with the help of my descriptions. I, on the other hand, read through my report over and over again, feeling worse and worse about the situation. Days later, the police were able to link my case with three others. The three other girls who had been put in similar situations, however, were unable to give as much detail as I was. In a sense, my ability to understand the grave importance of writing was able to help three complete strangers come closer to catching the three boys who stole their feeling of safety and self confidence.For as little as the average person considers literacy to be a part of their lives, I have personally found it to be one of life’s most valuabl e privileges. A single act of writing led me closer to a sense of justice and closure in a moment between shock and sanity. This encounter with writing has changed my outlook on many things. The most important, however, is that I feel grateful for all the teachers that have taught me how to write because without them, I may not have been able to rise above the situation.

Child Marriage Research Paper Essay

Child Marriage: Why is the Act Performed Throughout Countries Around the World? According to the International Center for Research on Women, â€Å"if present child marriage trends continue, more than 142 million girls worldwide will be forced to marry adult men during the next decade-the equivalent of 38,000 girls every day.† Child marriage is defined as marriage before the age of eighteen (International Center for Research on Women, 2012). This marriage is usually forced and comes as a shock to the young girl. Any day, at anytime, a young girl can be taken from her home, sold, married off, and forced to live a life full of threats, violence, and abuse. When I first heard of child marriage I assumed that it happens in countries that aren’t that well off, whom are still living in poverty. I was taken aback when I found out that child marriage is a practice affecting women all over the world: Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and in some communities in Europe and the America ns (Worden, 2010). I want to find out all the usual questions one would ask about a problem in the world today: how, when, who, where, and WHY does child marriage even happen in all of these countries?! After researching these questions in depth, amongst a few of these countries I want to look into what child marriage may have in common in these different countries. In Afghanistan, statistics show that an estimate of 67 percent of all marriages are forced and approximately 57 percent of girls are married before the age of 16. (The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, 2010). Child marriage occurs in Afghanistan despite certain laws that have been made, due to culture and traditions, protection of the child, and economic problems families may face. Child marriage has been part of Afghan culture for thousands of years, and trying to rid a country of a culture event angers a lot of the people living in Afghanistan. Child marriage is known to be apart of Afghan culture as a form of protection. W hen one tries to put an end to child marriage in Afghanistan, the Afghans view this as going against the culture and traditions of the community (Yousef, 2013). Parents of a young girl, believe they are doing the right thing by selling, giving away, or exchanging their child because they know she will be clothed, fed, and sheltered from the violence and sexual abuse that the country of Afghanistan is faced with. Under Afghanistans  constitution, the minimum age for females is 16, but in rural and urban areas the tradition of marrying off daughters while young in order to receive money remains common among the poor. (Irinnews.org) Families living in poverty is one of the reasons child marriage is so high in Afghanistan. Some Afghan families can’t afford to take care of their children once they are born, so their best solution is marrying off their daughters. They view this as â€Å"if she gets married, she will have something for herself†. (Yousef, 2013) As if child marriage isn’t a problem already, a huge problem arises once the marriage is in effect. The problem that arises is childbirth in young girls who aren’t mature enough to carry a child to full term. This results in the baby not making it to full term, or the young girl dying while trying to give birth. In Afghanistan, it is said that every hour, two women die while giving birth- the highest maternal mortality rate in Asia. (Irinnews.org) This all comes as a shock to me as I read that â€Å"most harmful practices are crimes under Afghan law and inconsistent with Sharia law†. Under Islam, marriage is said to be a mutual contractual agreement and consent is required by both the woman and the man for a marriage to be valid. The marriage of girls before the age of sixteen, is against Afghan law. (Gangon, 140) So why are all these marriages occurring?! Well, it is said that â€Å"the police and judiciary in Afghanistan often fail to enforce laws that respect women’s rights, and tend to take a selective rather than impartial approach to administering justic e†. (Gagnon,142) Even some community and religious leaders are prolonging the issue of child marriage because they are uneducated, without any training on women’s rights. Child marriage: a â€Å"practice that robs millions of girls of their childhood, their rights, and their dignity† (Hedayat, 2011). This a quote from Girls Not Brides global initiative that launched in Africa, and made it’s way over to India. Statistics show that 40% of the world’s child marriages take place in India (Hedayat, 2011). Even though child marriages are illegal in India, priests still conduct child weddings, and guests still attend with happiness and excitement. The legality doesn’t seem to affect the people in India, even though one would be charged with a fine of Rs100,000 ($1,600 in US currency) for not preventing or stopping a child marriage. These marriages are still being performed in India, more or less â€Å"secretly†. Child marriages are supported by villages in India, so when these marriages are performed,  nobody informs the police. A difference between India and Afghanistans child marriages, is that once the young couple gets certified as husband and wife, they don’t end up living with each other until they are older (Around 15 or 16). It seems to me in India child marriage is opposed by the Indian government, and largely tolerated by the families, and young girls of India. One young girl says: â€Å"Had I been married later, I’d have learned to read and write† (Hedayat, 2011). The young girls are expressing that one of the biggest struggles with child marriage, is not being able to receive an education. If I was forced into marriage at any age before 16, I’m not even sure I would have the emotional stability to even think about an education because I would be traumatized. This culture shock really intrigued me. The main reason why child marriages are being performed throughout India, is directly similar to Afghanistan. The two main reasons are due to culture, and parents wanting their daughter to be better provided for by an older man, because they can’t provide the type of life they want for their daughter. Which absolutely makes no sense to me! Yes, they maybe getting all the necessary essentials to be surviving, but these young girls are barely even living when they have to suffer through the traumatizing effects of being a child bride. Of course, many young girls in India also are forced into having a baby, resulting in deaths of the young girls and their soon to be child. In India, out of every 1,000 children born due to child marriage, 31 die before they are one year old (Resource Centre for Participatory Development Studies, 2011). These statistics make me cringe, because in reality so many young girls and newborn babies deaths can be stopped, if this horrible acceptable view of child marriage is put to an end. When researching child marriage in Africa, statistics showed that 42% of girls were married before turning 18 (PBS, 2010). As I was reading an article, I came across a horrid sentence that literally broke my heart. I read that in Africa, parents â€Å"consider their daughters second-class citizens and see them as potential sources of income.† (Kamba, 2013). In Central and West Africa, 2 out of every 5 girls are married before they reach the age of eighteen (Kamba, 2013). According to Kambas article, child marriages are being performed in Africa due to parents wanting to protect their young girls from pre-marital sex and unwanted pregnancy, â€Å"which tarnish a family’s honour and  may diminish the value of a future dowry.† South Sudan is known to have the world’s highest mo rtality rate, â€Å"with about 2,054 deaths per 100,000 live births.† The young women having these babies, also don’t have a good chance in living, where as one in seven girls die due to pregnancy at such a young age (Kamba, 2013). Just like Afghanistan, and India, traditional practices play a huge part of why child marriage is still performed in Africa. Child marriage is engraved in Africa as an â€Å"ancient tradition†. Even though tradition plays a huge role on child marriage, the economic struggle of Africa also comes into play. Child marriage can be blamed on â€Å"the country’s poorly-defined and contradictory laws as well as the government’s weak execution and enforcement of them† (Kamba, 2013). Overall, I can find some sense into child marriage being blamed on the government’s weak enforcement, because if the country is facing economic difficulties, how can they have enough money and support to have a strong forceful government? After researching Afghanistan, India, and Africa, I wanted to see if child marriage is performed throughout the European and American nations. European and American nations don’t deal with as much poverty as these other countries do, which made me curious to find out if child marriage is actually performed in these nations. I did some research, and even though there isn’t much on the internet of child marriage in European and American nations, I came across a few sources. In Europe child marriage is practiced in Georgia (rate of 17%), Turkey (rate of 14%), and Ukraine (rate of 10%). Ten percent of young children marry before the age of eighteen in Britain and France (United Nations Population Fund, 2012). According to Dr. Lisa Dana, child marriages are most common in the Southern part of the United States, because laws on marriage are more lenient there. In the United States, statistics found that 8.9% of children were married off young, which is dramatically lower than the other countries that I’ve researched. All but two states in the United States require both the members of a partnership to be at least eighteen years of age or older to be allowed to marry without parental consent (Strat, 2011). I was surprised with how little information on child marriage I came across while researching Europe and Latin/Northern America. I came to the conclusion that a lot of child marriages aren’t reported from these nations, or as sad as it is, it doesn’t happen that  often because these countries aren’t in severe poverty. So, after researching all these different countries, I asked myself two questions: Why does child marriage even happen and are there common reasons of why this is happening throughout the world? I came to the conclusion that child marriage is practiced due to culture/tradition, poverty, security, and failure for authorities to enforce laws. Throughout all these countries, besides the European nations, I found that these four main factors play a common role in why child marriage happens. Culture and tradition is definitely the main reason why child marriage is prevalent in these countries. Culture places strong social pressures on families to conform to everything the culture expects. If families decided to go against tradition, they face the consequences of facing disapproval or family shame. (Equality Now 2010). Culture plays a huge roll in families from these countries, and it is purely unacceptable to go against the culture that you’re from. Poverty is another reason why child marriage happens. Families that can’t afford to raise a child due to low income, look at the child as an economic burden (United Nations Population Fund 2012). If the girls aren’t seen as a burden, they are â€Å"valued as capital for their exchange value in terms of goods, money, or livestock† (Equality Now, 2010). How horrific! I can’t even imagine the emotional insecurities these young girls face when being bargained off to random men who are much older than them. Security also plays a big role on why child marriage occurs around the world. Many of these countries don’t have a secure home base for their children to be safe. Parents want their child to have a safe future, so they turn to child marriage as a secure base. This goes back on the poverty aspect, if parents can’t afford to take care of their daughter, they sell her off to a man whom can. Even though he really isn’t â€Å"taking care â€Å" of her. In my opinion the child would have a â€Å"safer future† if she just stayed with her family, because she doesn’t have the risk of being abused, or dying due to young pregnancy. Lastly, failure to enforce laws that have been made for women, and the issue of child marriage plays a huge roll on why child marriage is still occurring to this day. In most of these countries, there are laws that don’t allow marriage until the age of eighteen, and many laws that are protecting women. Some families aren’t aware that they are breaking the law, while others just don’t care to stop because nobody is strictly enforcing these laws. â€Å"In some  countries early marriage is so prevalent, prosecutions are seldom brought†(United Nations Population Fund, 2012). If authorities went into these countries, and tried to pin point exactly where child marriage is happening, even in the â€Å"secret villages†, and prosecuted the individuals performing in this act, we might see lower statistics. â€Å"According to the Convetion on Elimination on All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)- marriage before the age of 18 shouldn’t be allowed since children don’t have the ‘full maturity and capacity to act’ (United Nations Population Fund, 2012). I couldn’t even imagine being forced into a marriage at a age where I am barely able to read and write. Marriage is ones personal decision, not a forceful requirement. How could anyone force their two year old child into wedlock and ten years down the road force the child out of their home? The concept of child marriage makes me sick to my stomach and leaves me with an uneasy feeling. I am infatuated with children, and the thoughts and images that run through my mind about child marriage, utterly break my heart. Whether the concept of child marriage is due to culture/tradition, poverty, security, or failure for authorities to enforce laws, there is really no excuse for this act being performed! Young girls deserve to be educated and grow to be the best possible women they can in the future. Every girl, deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. Child marriage needs to be put to an around the world, but what can you do? The most important action to take in order to stop child marriage, is to educate and empower girls. â€Å"Education is one of the most powerful tools to delay the age at which girls marry as school attendance helps shift norms around child marriage† (Girls Not Brides, 2013). I encourage each and every girl to educate another women they know about child marriage. Do research, find answers, make your voices heard. One thing you can do is sign UK’s Take the Vow petition. As I was researching, I came across this petition that is urging the UK’s government to take action and early and forced marriage around the world (United Nations Population Fund, 2012). You can take this vow, just like I have, and the world could just be one step closer to the world ban of child marriage. Works Cited â€Å"Child Marrriage: Facts, Causes and Consequences.† About.com Middle East Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Child Marriage in America:a Health Risk.† BabyCenter Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Child Marriage in the United States and Its Association With Mental Health in Women.† Child Marriage in the United States and Its Association With Mental Health in Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Early and Forced Marriage – Facts, Figures and What You Can Do.† Early and Forced Marriage. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Gagnon, George. The Unfinished Revolution: Voices from the Global Fight for Women’s Rights. Ed. Minky Worden. New York: Seven Stories, 2012. Print. Hedayat, Nel. â€Å"What Is It like to Be a Child Bride?† BBC News. BBC, 10 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"How Can We End Child Marriage?† Girls Not Brides How Can We End Child Marriage Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Humanitarian News and Analysis.† IRINnews. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and Their Social Worlds [Paperback].† Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and Their Social Worlds: Erica Chito Childs: 9780813535869: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. Ryan, Rebecca M. â€Å"Martial Birth and Early Child Outcomes: The Moderating Influence of Marriage Propensity.† 83.3 (2012): 1085-101. Meriam Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. â€Å"The Dangers of Child Marriage in India.† ChildFund International. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. Wondie, Yemataw. â€Å"Early Marriage, Rape, Child Prostitution, and Related Factors Determining the Psychosocial Effects Severity of Child Sexual Abuse in Ethiopia.† Journal of Child Sexual Abuse (2011): n. pag. Meriam Library. Web.