Free

Freedom of speech Essay Freedom of speech and the liberty to uphold oneÂ’s expression has long been the subject of many debates. It has taken centuries if not years for mankind to come to a point where many can easily voice their opinions without having to ponder over the consequences. But one should always know where to draw the line. Freedom of expression also needs to have its limits. Two of the masterminds who put forth their work on liberty and freedom of speech were John Stuart Mill and Jean-Jacque Rousseau. The concepts penned by Rousseau contradict those that were constructed by Mil; while the former focused on the functioning of the society as a whole, the latter advocated the rights of the individual to his freedom. Mill basically argument in his piece ‘On LibertyÂ’ allows for Utilitarian approach. His main idea was to give society and human nature a complete independence to mature and expand in infinite ways and direction. The main idea revolved around the kind of power that can be placed upon the individual by the society, and how that power was wrong unless exercised in self-defense. In particular, minorities were often the ones being oppressed. Mill pointed out that this tyrannical behavior was being supported by the major thinkers of that day. Public opinion followed the opinion of these thinkers and hence ended up doing the same. ‘On LibertyÂ’ sought to diminish the power the society had over an individualÂ’s freedom by giving that individual the freedom of speech. It was identified through the works that most people had precedent and preference which further provoked dissent and thus pressurized people. Mill also noted that there was no way of judging people on their inte rference into another personÂ’s private affairs. MillÂ’s idea of complete and total independence from society is contradicted in RousseauÂ’s works ‘The Social Contract,Â’ according to which man was restricted by the state and society that he existed in, once he became a part of the land he gave up the right to himself; society had a right upon the individual which he agrees to when he chooses to exist within a given society. This, he believed, was done for the greater good of the entire society; thereby his main focus was the society and not the individual, unlike Mill. For Rousseau, society itself was like a collective individual and that collective entity was sovereign and not a singular entity. He  allowed for individuals having their own aims and goals, but asserted that the will of the collective paved way for the greater good. By this definition he gives the society the power to act for the greater good and confirms that authority as absolute. He even goes as far as to recommend the death penalty for anyone who goes against this norm. Their ideas give us two different facets of life. Should one speak oneÂ’s mind or work for the greater good of the society?Mill believed in supporting diversity while condemning conformity by rejecting any form of manipulation that could be applied to a personÂ’s opinion or behavior. It was the revolutionary authorÂ’s belief that liberty forms the basis of much of the social progress that takes place. Through ‘On Liberty,Â’ it is asserted that freedom of speech is important primarily because to begin with, the opinion which most find disdainful maybe the correct one. Secondly, even if one voices a direly disproportionate view, refuting it will only help strengthen the general understanding of the topic amongst the masses. It was MillÂ’s belief that by continuously voicing thoughts, ideas and questions people kept society moving and defied stagnation. ‘The Social Contract,Â’ on the other hand goes onto state that the authority the ruler has over the state is like that of the father over his child. There is literally absolute control. Through RousseauÂ’s argument we are told that the mighty are the fittest to lead and decide what is best for the entire society. The wellbeing of the society depends on it functioning as one body, mind and soul. Each individual is part of the grand scheme which is built around the orders of the sovereign i.e. the rulers of the state. Mill charted three categories of freedom and asserted that the society was to abide by all three, if it were a free society. The first was freedom of thought and opinion, the second being the right to plan oneÂ’s life and future and the third to associate with other individuals on mutual grounds. The main idea behind this was that one should be able to pursue their own whims without hurting others in the process. Rousseau also has three implications of the contract. The first one being the fact that the conditions of the contract are same for everyone which is why everyone will collectively make it easier for everyone else to follow, secondly an individual cannot stand against the authority because he has given up that  right because he is a part of the state, and lastly, there is completely equality ergo the natural freedom that people enjoy stays intact, regardless of the social contract. It was in the ‘Discourse of InequalityÂ’ that Rousseau observed of inequality that the powerful has the choice between giving the masses an equal piece of the pie or letting the masses rot while they took everything for themselves. He was not an advocate of the powerful; he merely illustrated how the meek must always follow them because they have no other choice. The problem with RousseauÂ’s approach is that it completely rejects the claim that minorities or small groups may have on the society. If the masses chose to, they can quite literally annihilate any small sects that they wish without as much as a blink of an eye. In this regard, we are forced to side with MillÂ’s argument. However, ‘On LibertyÂ’ has its own faults because it focuses too much on the individualÂ’s needs without paying much heed to the society. Mill believed that the only instance where any one person or the society itself was justified in interfering with someoneÂ’s freedom was for their own self-preservation. In this way MillÂ’s only restriction on liberty was when it ended up harming other people, for which he advocated restraint. He was against the idea that meddling in someoneÂ’s affair. Diversity was not something to be toyed with, but the right to liberty was to be treated with respect. One has to also note that much of MillÂ’s work is at times vague on the limitations that can be placed on an individual. Another weak point is his extreme emphasis on the individual and not creating a balance between the individual and the society. While the individual was required to support the society he/she lived in, that by no means gave society any right to probe into their matters. As stated in the ‘Discourse of Inequality,Â’ “The difference between good and bad men is determined by public esteemÂ… The rank of citizens ought, therefore, to be regulated, not according to their personal merit Ââ€" for this would put it in the power of the magistrate to apply the law almost arbitrarily,” this shows that he believed that individuality would only hinder the laws that had been catered to the society as a whole. If each person was to be accounted for then the whole as Rousseau saw it, would come to a halt. Both authors present two extreme ways of life. while one advocates complete and total freedom, albeit not at the expense of others, the other goes on to suggest that freedom is restricted only is what the choices someone more powerful has selected for the majority. For freedom of speech both arguments do not fit. There needs to be a balance between the two. One cannot allow complete and total freedom of speech because inadvertently, whether it was intended or not, an individual may end up harming the society he/she lives in. If everyone began to voice a million different point of views at the same time there wouldnÂ’t be diversity, there would be chaos. Similarly, if the entire society was to follow the whims of a few men and women then society will not be able to move on. New ideas would never develop; people would never gain knowledge because knowledge would itself become restricted. Someone needs to stop talking to allow for the silence that precedes anotherÂ’s idea. History shows us that without speaking oneÂ’s mind, no real revolutions would have taken place, that being said, history also shows us how massive panic can sweep nations because of the freedom of speech that was given to the people. A balance between the two is needed. Social responsibility needs to be practiced with the freedom of speech; the two should be taken as a packaged deal and not separately. Works Cited Rousseaus Social ContractRousseaus Discourse on InequalityMills On Liberty

Introduction To Psychology Essay Example for Free

Introduction To Psychology Essay Sylvia is 28 years old, stay-at-home mother raising two small children with her husband, who travels frequently for his work. Sylvia finds herself feeling bored and isolated a lot of the time. She finds herself overeating and then feeling bad about her weight gain. She has trouble sleeping at night and takes frequent naps during the day. She has persistent thoughts that she is an unlikable person and cannot manage to do anything right. She feels guilty that she is not a good enough mother to her children. When her husband is home, she questions if he loves her and secretly wonders if he does not. She feels hopeless that her life will get better and no longer enjoys doing things that she once did. It appears that Sylvia is struggling with Major Depression. In regard to case study 2, Sylvia’s husband is traveling a lot and not home very much. She is raising two children and doesn’t work. Sylvia questions if her husband still loves her and she feels hopeless, and no longer enjoys things she once did. Sylvia finds herself over eating and feeling bad about her weight. In addressing these issue Sylva is having, I’d like to address Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory. The need to belong, having social bonds with family, friends, co-workers, our spouse creates a sense of happiness and joy in people. Humans are social beings by nature and when something good is happening in their lives and they share it with others, it makes them even feel better about the good news. People spend a great deal of time thinking about relationships, the joy and happiness these relationships bring them. When our need for social bonding is satisfied in balance with two other basic psychological needs, autonomy (a sense of personal control) and competence, we experience a deep sense of well being, and our self-esteem rides high (Myers, 2014). Therefor, ones self-esteem is gauged by how valued, loved  and accepted they feel. In the case with Sylvia she is suffering from attention and isolation not only from her husband, but other people. She is lacking a social bond with her husband because he is not around much and she has little social interaction with people because she is a stay at home mom. Sylvia is also lacking a career and that would challenge her and give her a feeling of accomplishment and being needed. Although Sylvia has children that need her love and attention, Sylvia is feeling isolated and lonely because of her need to interact with her husband who is not paying enough attention to her. Her husband is not acknowledging and praising her enough for how hard she works to raise the children and keep the home up. Which is making her feel ignored and unneeded, causing her to question herself worth and her husbands love for her. Sylvia is becoming depressed and using food for comfort and out of boredom. Because Sylvia is gaining weight, she feels unattractive, and her self-esteem is low do to her appearance and the lack of social interaction from her husband. Sylvia doesn’t feel loved by her husband, and most likely feels its do to her gaining weight and she thinks he does find her attractive anymore. Sylvia may feel her husband is ignoring her even when he is home because she is gaining weight. Sylvia’s husband ignoring her it’s causing her to feel rejected, which is causing her extreme pain and leading to her overeating and depression. There seems to be a lack of communication between Sylvia and her husband. The lack of communication, possibly even a silent treatment is causing Sylvia to feel hopeless because she doesn’t know what is wrong and she is longing, and in need of a relationship and attachment with her husband. The lack of outside interaction with other friends, family, and social events is causing Sylvia to feel isolated and lonely too. All of these environment stimulants taking place in Sylvia’s life maybe a direct cause to Sylvia’s depression. Sylvia is lacking the ability to pass on to the next level of the need for self-esteem, achievement, competence, and independence (Myers, 2014). Which could be contributing and triggering her major depression episode. A major depressive episode is not a disorder in itself, but rather more of a description or symptoms of part of a disorder most often depressive disorder or bipolar. A person suffering from a major depressive episode must have a depressed mood or a loss of interest in daily activities consistently for a minimum of a two-week time  span (Psych Central, 2013). In diagnosing the mood must reflect a change from the person’s normal mood. A person’s daily activities and functions, such as work, social routines and friends, education, family, and relationships must also have been negatively impacted by the change in their mood. A major depressive episode is also identified by presence of five or more of the following symptoms. The patient can show signs of significant weight loss or weight gain even not dieting or trying to lose or gain weight. The patient will also display a change in appetite almost everyday, either with an increase or a decrease in their normal eating habits. The weight change is typically set at an increase or decrease in weight of more than 5% per month. The patient will display a depressed mood almost the entire day and this sadness, emptiness, loneliness, crying, and distant is observed by others or indicted by the patient, is typically consistent every day for at least two weeks or more. Children may report the patient as being irritable or sad all the time. The patient can exhibit noticeable decrease in things, and pleasures they normally enjoy and love to do. These decreases in pleasures and activities that they normally enjoy will progressive decrease more and more everyday. The patient can have either insomnia or hypersomnia and is present everyday. Insomnia and hypersomnia can even alter from not being able to sleep at all, to sleeping all day. The patient will express feeling of worthlessness or even excessive inappropriate guilt almost everyday. The patient can have decreased ability to think and concentrate, even maybe very indecisive almost everyday. The patient may have repetitive thoughts of suicide without a plan or any idea of how they would kill themselves (Psych Central, 2013). As a general rule major depressive episode is not diagnosed when the patient has experience the loss of a loved one. Generally speaking, the above listed symptoms are common when morning the death of a loved one (Psych Central, 2013). Most practicing clinicians believe that depression is caused by equal combination biological, social, and psychological factors (Grohol, 2006). First off and most important is to get Sylvia’s major depression under control and she should be put on medication, an antidepressant, such as Zoloft to help treat her symptoms and stabilize her imbalance. I would recommend that Sylvia and her husband start psychotherapy together, such as marriage counseling to help repair their marital bond and help make her  husband more aware of how Sylvia is feeling. By making her husband more aware of how his wife is feeling and correcting the issues of lack of attention, lack of communication, lack of feeling needed, wanted and loved by her husband. Sylvia could also benefit from other forms of psychotherapy, such as group therapy. With Sylvia feelings of loneliness, isolation and worthlessness, it my opinion that putting Sylvia in a social environment, with other people experiencing similar problems, it will help her engage with others and identify with other people (Grohol, 2006). Psychotherapy can range from a wide variety of effective therapeutic treatments such as, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, rational emotive therapy, to family therapy and psychodynamic approaches. Both independent and group sessions are commonly used, but it does depend on the severity of the depressive episode (Grohol, 2006). In this case study with Sylvia, my opinion would be to recommend her to get on an antidepressant and attend a group therapy, one on one cognitive behavioral therapy, and finally that her and her husband start family therapy. In my opinion it’s important to get both Sylvia and her husband working as a team together and making them both aware of how each is causing the other to feel and react. Sylvia’s doctor and psychiatrist should observe her for a period of time for the possibility of bipolar disorder. In many cases, mental disorders can be misdiagnosis, and really need observation from the doctor and therapy sessions to really pin point what is really going on with a patient. Many of these illnesses and disorders have symptoms and characteristics that are the same, so it’s important to work closely with your doctor and follow the treatment plans, including medication and therapeutic treatments, to accurately diagnosis and effectively treat the disorder correctly. References: 1. Grohol, J. (2006). Depression Treatment. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 12, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/depression-treatment/000646 2. Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology with Updates on DSM-5, 9th Edition. Worth Publishers, 06/2014. VitalBook file. 3. Psych Central. (2013). Major Depressive Episode Symptoms. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 11, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/major-depressive-episode-symptoms/

The Usefulness Of Financial Statements To Stakeholders

The Usefulness Of Financial Statements To Stakeholders Introduction: Finance for managers is very important subject for businesses. All stakeholders must have to know about it. Because it helps their businesses to run properly and make profit. Finance for managers helps people to know about the purposes and requirements for keeping financial records, what are the techniques for recording financial information, what are the legal and organisational requirements of financial recording, the usefulness of financial statements to stakeholders, what is the difference between management and financial accounting, the budgetary control process and so on. It also helps people how working capital can be effectively managed, how calculate and interpret variances from budget, how to evaluate business project, how business organizations can effectively manage working capital etc. Businesses are mainly depend on finance, managers and budget etc. So if people want to start business they have to know about finance for managers. It helps them to learn some most important things about business. Thats are: what are the legal responsibilities, how to keep financial record, how to control finance, how to control budget, what are the costing and pricing, what are the financial statements, project appraisal methods, usefulness of financial stakeholders etc. Evaluate the purpose and requirements for keeping financial records: In business there are many purposes and requirements for keeping financial records among of those this three are mainly important. Thats are: Legal requirements: It means when people start businesses they need to follow business rules, laws and regulations to run their businesses. Almost every business has some form of legal ruling. Particular forms, licences and other documentations is field with state and local government offices in order to begin. And these documentations may be tax forms, shareholders and payments etc. Without this documentation you may given up from opening. Tax requirements: In every business people must have to pay tax and this tax depends on business structure its called tax requirement. This tax also sometimes depends on business profit, business types, and business quality and so on. Internal control requirements: Internal controls are policies, procedures and mechanisms used to decline business risk. In order to check employees and member from committing a dishonest act the control must be via and wide. It helps business to run properly and to achieve business goals and also help to make good relationship between all business staffs. Analyses the techniques for recording financial information. Analyses the legal and organisational requirements of financial recording: Financial recording is a process and procedure that is used by an organisation to control finance and accountability. This process and procedure include recording, verification and timely reporting of transactions that affect revenues, expenditures, assets, and liabilities. To develop business and making profit accountants have to keep financial records or information. There are some techniques for recording financial information that are given below: Double entry book keeping: It is an account technique which records each transaction as a credit and a debit. Day books and ledgers: A book with an account of sales and purchases made each day is called day books. For example: sales day books, sale return day books etc. On the other hand ledger is an accounting book of final entry where transactions are listed in different accounts. For instance: sales ledger, purchase ledger and general ledger etc. The trail balance: It is totalling of debit balance and credit balance to make sure that total debits equal total credits. From the trail balance figure end of the year an organization can make balance sheet of the business to show the financial position at a particular moment in time. Manual and computerised systems: Manual systems means those transactions are enter manually in business. It is a risky system for business because there are many chances to make mistakes. On the other hand those transactions are enter by computer is called computerised system. It is a very safety system and never makes mistakes. Nowadays most business systems are computerised systems. Because it can also keep more records than manual system. In business there are some requirements for financial reporting and these financial reporting requirements are for sole traders, partnerships, limited companies and public limited companies etc. Financial reports are the documents and records that how much money your business is making or not or how much money your business have to pay or how much money your business already paid etc. Basically it is the documents of money transaction of all purposes that where your business invest money. There are different types of financial reports or statements. These financial statements can be cash flow statement its a summary of the actual incomings and outgoings of cash in a firm over an accounting period (month, quarter, year), it can be also profit and loss account it shows your business that how much money is your profit or loss. And the final statement is called balanced sheet. It focuses on what asset the entity owns, how it paid for them, how much profit or loss etc. This statement is p repared at the end of the year. The purpose of financial reporting is to deliver this information to the lenders and shareowners (the stakeholders) of your business. Because in business we have mainly two types of stakeholders thats: internal and external. Internal means those stakeholders are dwell inside the company for examples: managers, employees, board members etc. On the other hand those stakeholders are not directly a part of a company is called external stakeholders for examples: shareholders, customers, suppliers etc. Financial reporting must be part of the essential contract between you and them. Your lenders and investors have the right to know if their money is being spent wisely and returning a profit. Besides these the usefulness of financial statements are that: by doing this stakeholders can know that how much is their profit and loss, how do assets stack up against liabilities, where did the business get its capital, and how is it making good use of the money, what s the  cash  flow  from the profit or loss for the period, did the business reinvest all its profit, does the business have enough capital for future growth and so on. Evaluates the usefulness of financial statements to stakeholders: In business there are two types of stakeholders thats: internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders mean those stakeholders are dwell inside the company for examples: managers, employees, board members etc. On the other hand those stakeholders are not directly a part of a company is called external stakeholders for examples: shareholders, customers, suppliers etc. All shareholders want to see the use of their investment and thus asses the management through the financial statements. Because financial statements are very useful for businesses. The usefulness of financial statements to stakeholders is given below thats are: how much is the profit and loss in their business how much money the invest how do assets stack up against liabilities where did the business get its capital how is it making good use of the money What is the  cash  flow  from the profit or loss for the period did the business reinvest all its profit how much is their costs how much money they paid Does the business have enough capital for future growth etc. Explains the difference between management and financial accounting: Financial accounting is concerned with financial transaction and statements that have already taken place. It is a gathering of information about business transactions. For example: profit and loss. These processes are controlled by finance manager. On the other hand management accounting is concerned with providing management of an organisation with recommendations based on accounting information, in order to help in making day to day decisions and in longer term planning. These processes are controlled by management manager. Financial accounting and management accounting provide information into two different user groups. Financial accounting primarily provides information for external users of accounting data, such as investors and creditors. On the other hand, management accounting provides information for internal users of accounting data. Internal users include employees, managers, and executives of the company. Financial accounting is reporting on historical information. The i nformation is reported regularly. It is often broken down into monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting periods. On the contrary, management accounting information is reported continually. Internal users need to evaluate past, present, and potential future information in order to make decisions. Therefore, these users continuously need information in order to make the appropriate decisions. These two accounts are very important for a business. Without these two businesses cannot run properly or cannot make profit. So always try to keep proper account of these two accounting sector. 5 Explain the budgetary control process: To make effective decisions and coordinate the decisions and actions of the various departments according to the capital is called budget. Because every business have a limited budget so it is necessary to control budget. There are many types of budget in businesses such as: advertising budget, purchasing budget, sales budget, cash budget, development budget etc. There are some process to control budget thats are: Good communication and good coordination between departments and authorities can control budget. Besides this well planning helps managers to decide the most effective ways for controlling budget. On the other hand cash flow forecasts are also helpful to control budget. It shows if a firm needs to borrow, how much, when and how it will repay the loan. However evaluation can control budget. Because it means a manager is to compare the budget with actual performance by each person sector. In here control action is also related. Without budgetary plan running a company is difficult. Budget is also important for management. Because managements are also depends on budget and every departments have its own budget. Among them zero based budgeting can control budget because it is a method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period. Its starts from a zero based and every function within an organisation is analyzed for its needs and costs. Budget is then built aro und what is needed for the upcoming period, regardless of whether the budget is higher or lower than the previous one. Another important process is incremental budgeting. It forecast fixed overhead costs, computed by adding or subtracting a predetermined percentage from the historical costs. There are also some advantages and disadvantages of the budgetary control system. Thats are: It enables the management of a business concern to conduct its business activities in the efficient manner. It provides a yardstick for measuring and evaluating the performance of individuals and their departments. It reveals the deviations to management, from the budgeted figures after making a comparison with actual figure. Effective utilization of various resources like men, material, machinery and money is made possible, as the production is planned after taking them into account. It helps in the review of current trends and framing of future policies. It creates suitable conditions for the implementation of standard costing system in a business organization. It inculcates the feeling of cost consciousness among workers. Budgets may or may not be true, as they are based on estimates. The assumptions about future events may or may not actually happen. Rigidity: Budgets are considered as rigid document. Too much emphasis on budgets may affect day-to-day operations and ignores the dynamic state of organizational functioning. False Sense of Security: Mere budgeting cannot lead to profitability. Budgets cannot be executed automatically. It may create a false sense of security that everything has been taken care of in the budgets. Lack of coordination: Staff cooperation is usually not available during Budgetary Control exercise. Time and Cost: The introduction and implementation of the system may be expensive. Evaluates the use of different costing methods used for pricing purposes: In business there are different types of costs. For pricing purposes industries need to classify there costs. For example: direct costs, indirect costs, fixed costs etc. Each of these costs has separate unit. For pricing and costing a business must calculate unit cost to make sure how much are their costs. Then they have to deal with over heads thats are: raw materials, utility, rents etc. After that they have to make sure about pricing but it is depends on the firms average costs and on the customers opinion of a product value. For pricing purposes some important costs have to be calculated, such as: cost plus, marginal cost, price taker etc. In here they have to identify that which contractor is paid for the costs incurred and is paid an agreed upon percentage of such costs as contractors profit is called cost plus. Besides this a firm have to calculate marginal costs, its allocates only variable costs i.e. direct materials, direct labour and other direct expenses and variable over heads to the production. It does not take into account the fixed cost of production. This type of costing emphasizes the distinction between fixed and variable costs. However most investors are price takers as their actions in selling and buying stocks isnt enough to change the price. Also note that a company can be regarded as a price taker if the price sets and quantity of the goods it produces doesnt have any influence on the actual market price, so forcing the company to go with the market price. Any individual consumer is also considered to be a price taker; this is because the purchase made doesnt affect the price a company sets for its products. There is also an important costing method that is break even it means neither a profit nor loss has been gained, this can be seen after balancing the costs. Conclusion: We can learn a lot of about Business by reading finance for managers. Business is everywhere in the world, it help us to know about the purposes and requirements for keeping financial records, what are the techniques for recording financial information, what are the legal and organisational requirements of financial recording, the usefulness of financial statements to stakeholders, what is the difference between management and financial accounting, the budgetary control process and so on. It also helps people how working capital can be effectively managed, how calculate and interpret variances from budget, how to evaluate business project, how business organizations can effectively manage working capital etc. Its also help u to know what are the legal responsibilities, how to keep financial record, how to control finance, how to control budget, what are the costing and pricing, what are the financial statements, project appraisal methods, usefulness of financial stakeholders etc. From our point of view the most important aspects are finance, budget, stakeholders etc. Failure and success of a business fully depends on theses aspects. There also varies minor aspects to consider also as well, these are also vital to grow your business and gain profits. To grow your business you have look into ways on increasing the amount of sales, both to existing customers and new customers, improving your products and services by researching and testing changes with your customers. Furthermore, developing new products and services, and selling them to new or existing markets, also taking on staff or training your current staff includes working with apprentices and mentors. Lastly you can look for additional sources of funding, such as binging in new investors. To know about businesses very well people have to know about finance for managers because all these things are related here. So it is necessary to learn finance for mangers because it helps quite a lot for businesses.

Housing Authority Meeting :: Journalism Essays

Housing Authority Meeting Fine charged for questionable false alarms The city of Muncie is fining the Housing Authority of Delaware County for alleged false alarms. The announcement came at the Housing Authority’s monthly board meeting that they have been fined $100 for three false alarms in March and April. But the police may not have responded to these alarms. Executive Director Jennifer Edwards says the Muncie Police Department is making a claim of false alarms when the police are notified by the Housing Authority’s alarm company, ADT of a disturbance great enough to set off the alarms. These could be, she says, anything from a storm rattling the windows to people with mischievous intents. â€Å"But an alarm is an alarm, and they deserve the same response,† Edwards said. ADT calls the police and Edwards when an alarm is activated. Edwards claims that when she arrived, police had not responded to any of the alarms the department mentioned in the list of dates the Housing Authority is being fined for. An ordinance against false alarms says that three false alarms constitute a fine of $100, and more for each alarm afterwards. Amendments were made to this ordinance earlier this year to lessen fines for large buildings, such as those on Ball State’s campus, but are costly to the smaller, federal funded Housing Authority. â€Å"I vote we fight this,† said Commissioner Evan Terry. â€Å"I remember back in 1982 to 1986 when [false fire alarms were happening frequently] at Ball State. That’s what this ordinance is supposed to protect. False fire alarms,† Terry said. Commissioner Fred Fields said that if the police are going to charge the Housing Authority for protective services, they should at least show up. The board agreed to consult their attorney, Casey Cloyd on the matter, and take legal action if needed. Board members noted that this is a case of the city of Muncie fining a federal office in Delaware county jurisdiction, so they may not possess the ability to fine the organization. Housing Authority Meeting :: Journalism Essays Housing Authority Meeting Fine charged for questionable false alarms The city of Muncie is fining the Housing Authority of Delaware County for alleged false alarms. The announcement came at the Housing Authority’s monthly board meeting that they have been fined $100 for three false alarms in March and April. But the police may not have responded to these alarms. Executive Director Jennifer Edwards says the Muncie Police Department is making a claim of false alarms when the police are notified by the Housing Authority’s alarm company, ADT of a disturbance great enough to set off the alarms. These could be, she says, anything from a storm rattling the windows to people with mischievous intents. â€Å"But an alarm is an alarm, and they deserve the same response,† Edwards said. ADT calls the police and Edwards when an alarm is activated. Edwards claims that when she arrived, police had not responded to any of the alarms the department mentioned in the list of dates the Housing Authority is being fined for. An ordinance against false alarms says that three false alarms constitute a fine of $100, and more for each alarm afterwards. Amendments were made to this ordinance earlier this year to lessen fines for large buildings, such as those on Ball State’s campus, but are costly to the smaller, federal funded Housing Authority. â€Å"I vote we fight this,† said Commissioner Evan Terry. â€Å"I remember back in 1982 to 1986 when [false fire alarms were happening frequently] at Ball State. That’s what this ordinance is supposed to protect. False fire alarms,† Terry said. Commissioner Fred Fields said that if the police are going to charge the Housing Authority for protective services, they should at least show up. The board agreed to consult their attorney, Casey Cloyd on the matter, and take legal action if needed. Board members noted that this is a case of the city of Muncie fining a federal office in Delaware county jurisdiction, so they may not possess the ability to fine the organization.

The Importance of Education in Our Society Essay -- Education Society

The Importance of Education in Our Society In our culture today, there is a huge emphasis on education, especially higher education. Society basically says the more educated you are, the better off you are. That is pretty much true if you live by the means of society. The basic idea that education, especially a college education, is something that people should pursue even into their adult years is not by any means a new idea. Every society has specialized individuals who fulfill certain positions that require extended education. In some cases, these people are known as shamans, priests, or professors, or they may be doctors, mechanics, blacksmiths, or artists. In all these professions, some form of higher education is necessary. It could come from an apprentice or rigorous private study, or it could take the form of a formal higher education. Whatever the form, the meaning is the same, gain knowledge and use it. The idea of education has been a big part of each and every culture on earth. However, as we all know, there are many questions on what it means to be educated in the form of higher education: questions we, as students, must face sooner or later. Here I am, my junior year in college. In a couple of years, I will be either prolonging my education or out in the real world trying to make a living. I must ask myself these questions: What is the purpose of my higher education? What exactly am I learning? Is the education I am receiving here at the University of Arkansas going to be good enough for a future employer? If I am educated does that mean I am trained to do only one thing? Am I one-dimensional? First of all, what does it mean to be educated here at the University of Arkansas? In other w... ...rked fears of the return of the university system geared toward the wealthy. Society needs the higher educated, because the educated do serve a purpose. Not everyone is as blessed as the fortunate few to have obtained a higher education. Society needs professionals (doctors, lawyers, and engineers). It also needs artiest, essay writing professors, philosophers and politicians. In certain ways the educated owe it to the society they came from to make it a better, more diverse living environment, for everyone including themselves. Education is not just what your major is, it is also what you learn along the way. It's about learning about life and who you are. All the while becoming specialized so that you may contribute to yourself and society. It's a journey, and for those of us fortunate enough to embark on that journey I hope that we make the most of it.

Subculture Essay -- Punk Subcultures England Essays

Subculture There is something about the ideology of a subculture that sparks an interest in me. Maybe it is intriguing due to its members’ originality, courage to stand up for beliefs, or freely expressing their own self- identity. A subculture forms by individuals taking a risk, separating themselves from the mainstream, and forming their own distinctive norms, not caring what the â€Å"normal† members of the mainstream society think of them. Or do they care? Maybe that is the exact statement a subculture is making. Maybe these individuals are forming these groups so that people will care. Maybe their rebellious attitude is a final, somewhat desperate approach to getting that response. The images being portrayed in most subcultures are indeed attention- getting. Perhaps then, attention- seeking is the main goal of these groups. In analyzing the specific subculture of â€Å"punk†, these questions seem to fall towards the greater issue of â€Å"external vs. internal† . External indicates that this subculture is making a statement, merely through an image culminated on the exterior. Internal suggests a deeper, often political, and vigorously bold statement, such as protesting for citizens’ rights, rebelling against class structure, or publicly claiming a self- identity. Also, was punk a movement that said what it wanted to, and is now only a historical memory of the past? Or is America carrying out the motives of what England’s punk culture did at the time? The subculture defined as â€Å"punk† originated in England in 1976, with its end in 1981. There were several reasons for the emergence of such a radical movement. Its popularity grew day by day, with millions of kids who could identify with these people. Millions of kids, not only from the... ...culture today falls directly onto the external, with little substance holding it up. Punk has allowed it to become a community of elitists, and has become as restrictive as the mainstream culture they once so strongly opposed (Chamberlain). In the end we can only ask, although the official era of punk was over in England in1981, is punk really dead? Or has it simply evolved from an internal, deeper movement into an external, superficial image? Perhaps throughout the last three decades, the image taken from the initial punk has evolved into a style that is merely external. Maybe that is all that original punks would want. Works Cited The Quintessential Punk†. Bryn Chamberlain. Dec. 1995. 2 April 2004. . Wells, Steven. Punk: Young, Loud, and Snotty.† Thunder’s Mouth Press NY, NY. 2004. Subculture Essay -- Punk Subcultures England Essays Subculture There is something about the ideology of a subculture that sparks an interest in me. Maybe it is intriguing due to its members’ originality, courage to stand up for beliefs, or freely expressing their own self- identity. A subculture forms by individuals taking a risk, separating themselves from the mainstream, and forming their own distinctive norms, not caring what the â€Å"normal† members of the mainstream society think of them. Or do they care? Maybe that is the exact statement a subculture is making. Maybe these individuals are forming these groups so that people will care. Maybe their rebellious attitude is a final, somewhat desperate approach to getting that response. The images being portrayed in most subcultures are indeed attention- getting. Perhaps then, attention- seeking is the main goal of these groups. In analyzing the specific subculture of â€Å"punk†, these questions seem to fall towards the greater issue of â€Å"external vs. internal† . External indicates that this subculture is making a statement, merely through an image culminated on the exterior. Internal suggests a deeper, often political, and vigorously bold statement, such as protesting for citizens’ rights, rebelling against class structure, or publicly claiming a self- identity. Also, was punk a movement that said what it wanted to, and is now only a historical memory of the past? Or is America carrying out the motives of what England’s punk culture did at the time? The subculture defined as â€Å"punk† originated in England in 1976, with its end in 1981. There were several reasons for the emergence of such a radical movement. Its popularity grew day by day, with millions of kids who could identify with these people. Millions of kids, not only from the... ...culture today falls directly onto the external, with little substance holding it up. Punk has allowed it to become a community of elitists, and has become as restrictive as the mainstream culture they once so strongly opposed (Chamberlain). In the end we can only ask, although the official era of punk was over in England in1981, is punk really dead? Or has it simply evolved from an internal, deeper movement into an external, superficial image? Perhaps throughout the last three decades, the image taken from the initial punk has evolved into a style that is merely external. Maybe that is all that original punks would want. Works Cited The Quintessential Punk†. Bryn Chamberlain. Dec. 1995. 2 April 2004. . Wells, Steven. Punk: Young, Loud, and Snotty.† Thunder’s Mouth Press NY, NY. 2004.

Mary Shelly Essay

Compare the way Susan Hill and Mary Shelly Create tension in extracts from their novels â€Å"The Woman In Black† and â€Å"Frankenstein† Gothic Horror was born with the arrival of the book â€Å"Frankenstein† by the author Mary Shelly in 1816. This book fuelled the future wring of horror and changed the future of horror forever. The book â€Å"Frankenstein† came about after Mary had a horrific dream one night. Mary’s writing was influenced by many factors in her life. Her father used to take her along with him to demonstrations, showing that electricity had the potential to bring people back to life, also science was largely unknown about then, there were many endless possibilities and unanswered questions. She also visited a village of clockwork dolls, which she was very impressed by. All this and the hurt of the loss of her premature baby added to the birth of the most popular book of its century. The book â€Å"The Woman In Black† by Susan Hill was written about 150 years later. At this time science had progressed and many things that were once a mystery were now explained. There was less of the unknown; Yet Susan still managed to create this chilling tale. The extract from â€Å"Frankenstein† is set in a dreary basement, used as Victor Frankenstein’s laboratory. The very first line starts off with ‘It was on a dreary night of November†¦ ‘ which adds to the creepy atmosphere, because the night, darkness and cold weather of the November month are usually associated with bad scary things, like chilly weather and shadows in the dark. It then mentions that its one in the morning with heavy rain pattering against the pains, and his candle nearly burnt out, which tells you it was a barely lit room, with a dark chilling atmosphere in the middle of the night, when most are normally asleep, dreaming or having nightmares. This setting and atmosphere very much fits the gothic horror genre, leaving you with a very particular sense of tension. In â€Å"The Woman In Black† extract, we find out in the first small paragraph, is set in a small dilapidated graveyard, this is scary within its self because of a graveyards ossociation with death, ghosts and all things evil. The second paragraph starts with ‘In the greyness of the fading light’ again adding to the dark, gloomy atmosphere with a feeling of tension of what is to come. The language used in both extracts is very sophisticated and quite complex, as is typical to the gothic horror genre, but while they both use big words â€Å"Frankenstein† is much more old fashioned in wording, obviously due to the time it was written in. Whereas in â€Å"The Woman In Black† the language used is much more modern while still keeping to the more complex wording of the gothic horror genre. It’s the first time Victor meets his creation alive in the extract of â€Å"Frankenstein†. His reaction to the â€Å"monster† he has created very much sets up your opinion of it. The way he describes this creature clearly gives you the impression it is evil with its ‘watery eyes’ and ‘His shrivelled complexion’. In â€Å"The Woman In Black† her appearance is not described very much, the focus is more on the feelings she provokes within Arthur. He does however describe the look on her face as ‘as a desperate, yearning malevolence; it was as though she was searching for something she wanted, needed- must have, more then life itself, and which had been taken from her. ‘ Through Arthur’s thoughts and feelings being explained to you, you feel, or are supposed to feel, what he is feeling. I think the writer is very good at making you experience these dramatic emotions through the character Arthur Kipps, and I certainly was affected by how Arthur is affected when he sees the woman in black. â€Å"Frankenstein† was written at a time when science was new, strange, exciting, and threatening. Much was unexplained and seemed scary and illogical. Strange new ideas were being explored, some far fetched and some that just seemed far-fetched but were the start of vast new scientific knowledge. People began to travel all around the world and experience many new things, different social and cultural attitudes. All this obviously had a profound affect on Mary; she began questioning things and was very aware of the reality of the world around her. In her book it sends out the message of what would happen if people started playing â€Å"god† with life. She obviously felt strongly about this and maybe feared this is what was to come. â€Å"The Woman In Black† was written about 150 years later, in a much more developed time. When science was accepted and we are used to travel, we are less religious and life is very different. The paranormal is less unexplained and the unexplained scares people, this is why Susan has chosen the form of a ghost in her story, as it is more believable then a â€Å"monster† like Frankenstein’s creature, as we know that wouldn’t be possible knowing more about the way things work through science, yet a ghost is still unknown and unexplainable. Both extracts are very typical of the gothic horror genre. They both use complex language with big words and long flowing sentences, with only a few short ones for dramatic affect. They both tell a story about a â€Å"creature† and the unknown at the times they were written. I personally like the extract from â€Å"The Woman In Black† the best, as I can understand the more modern language and I can relate to the story line better because the paranormal is a lot more believable to me then the creation of a â€Å"creature† from dead parts. By Jemma Burke Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.