Internet Addition Essays - Behavioral Addiction, Internet Culture

Internet Addition Research Paper Theme: Social Impact of the Internet 8 October 1997 ABSTRACT The Internet is the largest source of information in the world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is a means of communicating with people in places all over the face of the earth. Since its conception in 1973, the Internet has grown at a whirlwind rate. 51 million adults, were on-line as of the second quarter 1997 in the United States alone. Some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addictive. The problem is that researchers are beginning to agree with them. Studies are revealing that there may be an actual form of addiction involved with over-use of the Internet. Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is the problem. There are no real answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. While lost in this so called Cyber Community for long periods of time, people are neglecting other important activities like; time with the family, socializing, work and health concerns. One of the most extensive studies on Internet Addiction to date was conducted by Dr. Kimberly S. Young of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. In her study, she revealed concrete evidence supporting the Internet Addiction claim. However, help for web addicts is available. There are several web sites available for the treatment of Internet addiction, as well as counseling centers and clinics. Is it Live, or is it Internet? Internet Addiction The Internet is the largest most versatile source of information in the world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is a means of communicating with people in places all over the face of the earth. But with all this power at our fingertips, are there any negative impacts of using this interface? Are we as simple humans capable of interacting with such a powerful communication source. Recent studies are beginning to uncover evidence that would suggest that maybe some of us are not so capable of dealing with this technology. In fact, as more research is conducted, experts are finding that the Internet may even be addictive! Development of the Internet began about 15 years ago. In 1973 the U.S. Defense Research Projects Agency initiated a program to research the techniques and technologies for inter-linking various types of networks.1 The objective was to develop communication protocols that would allow networked computers to communicate transparently across multiple, linked networks. This was called the internetting project and the system of networks that emerged from the research was known as the Internet. Since that time, various other research projects, to include those conducted by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have shaped and tailored this project to give us the Internet as we know it today. (1) The Internet has now grown to include over 4500 Service Providers in the United States alone. A survey by Christian Huitema of Bellcore indicated that there were 26 million host computers on the Internet as of September 1997.2 A survey conducted by Intelli Quest Information Group Inc. showed that 51 million adults, age 16 or older, were on-line as of the second quarter 1997 in the United States alone.3 With such a large portion of the population swimming in this seemingly never-ending sea of information, what is the real impact of the Internet on society? It seems that the majority of society thinks the Internet is the greatest invention since the telephone. This is probably best justified by the whirlwind rate at which the Internet grows. In fact, some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addicting! The problem is that recent studies have shown that the Internet may not only be addicting because it is enjoyable, but that a fairly large number of users are experiencing addiction of a clinical form.4 Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is another problem. There are no real answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. A few researchers are comparing the Internets effects to marijuana as a psychostimulant. They argue that the chemicals in marijuana activate the same stimuli as the Internet.5 Most researchers to this date do, however, agree

Expanding the Security Council essays

Expanding the Security Council essays Expanding the Security Council is an issue that I was thinking about for long time. Many countries believe that they should become members of the Big Five club; they demand the expanding of the council. Countries like Japan, Germany, Italy and even some under developed countries like South Africa, Egypt, Brazil and other countries want the privileges of being permanents members of the Security Council. On the other hand, the five VETO holders will not accept some other countries to hold their powers and become equal to them in the International society. As World War Two winners: The USA, The UK, France, Russia (SU) and China (Taiwan), always have the heights hand in making international decisions by having the VETO right. They decide where to send troops, they put embargoes on other countries, they make international laws, and they always protect themselves, their alias and their friends with the right to refuse and canceling any Security Counsels decision or resolutions without even giving explanations. If any resolution conflicts with what they prefer, they always click on the key word VETO. I personally believe in expanding the Security Counsel, I believe in giving the rest of the big economical and strategic countries some extra power. Yes Russia is a winner in the war, but that was 60 years ago and it is not the Soviet Union any more. Compare the Japanese economy to the Russians today and see who has more power in the actual time. Compare between the French and the German army force. Compare between the Chinese and the Italian Human rights. The None Winners back then, are not Losers now. The Five rulers countries come from only three continents, that means that three other continents are left behind with out even one permanent representative among the international law controllers. Therefore I came up with my idea and discussed it with others on what the International s ...

About That Mysterious Astronomical Clock in Prague

About That Mysterious Astronomical Clock in Prague Tick tock, whats the oldest clock? The idea of decorating buildings with a timepiece goes back a long way, says Dr. Jià ¸Ãƒ ­ (Jiri) Podolskà ½, from Charles University in Prague. The square, lion-flanked tower in Padua, Italy was built in 1344. The original Strasbourg clock, with angels, hour glasses, and crowing roosters, was built in 1354. But, if youre looking for a highly ornamental, astronomical clock with its original workings intact, Dr. Podolskà ½ says this: Go to Prague. Prague: Home to the Astronomical Clock Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, is a crazy quilt of architectural styles. Gothic cathedrals soar over Romanesque churches. Art Nouveau facades nestle alongside Cubist buildings. And, in every part of the city are clock towers. The oldest and most celebrated clock is on the side wall of the Old Town Hall in Old Town Square. With glittering hands and a complex series of filigreed wheels, this ornamental timepiece doesnt merely mark the hours of a 24-hour day. Symbols of the zodiac tell the course of the heavens. When the bell tolls, windows fly open and mechanical apostles, skeletons, and sinners begin a ritualistic dance of destiny. The irony of the Prague Astronomical Clock is that for all its mastery at keeping time, it is nearly impossible to place in time. Chronology of the Prague Clock Dr. Podolskà ½ believes the original clock tower in Prague was built in about 1410. The original tower was no doubt modeled after  ecclesiastical bell towers that were sweeping the continents architecture. The complexity of gears would have been very high-technology back in the early 15th century.   It was a simple, unadorned structure back then, and the clock showed only astronomical data. Later, in 1490, the tower facade was decorated with flamboyant Gothic sculptures and a golden astronomical dial. Then, in the 1600s, came the mechanical figure of Death, leering and tolling the great bell. The mid-1800s brought still more additions- wooden carvings of the twelve apostles and a calendar disk with astrological signs. Todays clock is thought to be the only one on earth to keep sidereal time in addition to our regular time- thats the difference between a sidereal and lunar month. Stories About Pragues Clock Everything in Prague has a story, and so it is with the Old Town clock. Natives claim that when the mechanical figures were created, town officials had the clockmaker blinded so that he would never duplicate his masterpiece. In vengeance, the blind man climbed the tower and stopped his creation. The clock remained silent for more than fifty years. Centuries later, during dreary decades of communist domination, the legend of the blinded clockmaker became a metaphor for thwarted creativity. At least thats the way the story goes. When Clocks Become Architecture Why do we turn timepieces into architectural monuments? Perhaps, as Dr. Podolskà ½ suggests, builders of early clock towers wanted to show their respect for the heavenly order. Or, perhaps the idea runs even deeper. Was there ever an era when humans didnt build great structures to mark the passage of time? Just look at the ancient Stonehenge in Great Britain. Now thats an old clock! Source: Prague Astronomical Clock  © J.Podolsky, 30 Dec 1997, at http://utf.mff.cuni.cz/mac/Relativity/orloj.htm [accessed November 23, 2003]

Walt Whitman Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Walt Whitman - Research Paper Example Whitman’s background was not among the stereotypical academic roots. Born from a working class family, he was not a highly candidate to be educated formal. It was in 1830, while maintaining a job and other forms of education through self motivation, that he was able to attend school. The meager income of the household was not enough to sustain the family of nine in their hometown of New York. Later on, he found his way to work in journalism to earn a living. He also became an educator, though with love and hate relationship with this profession as some disillusionments set in. by 1938 he was able to put up his own newspaper named ‘The Long Islander’ where he labored in every detail of its publication. This was where his first published poem appeared titled, ‘†Our Future Lot.† This endeavor soon end and he continued on writing for other papers and concentrated more on the poem genre in relation to current events (Kellingsworth, pp.2-3). â€Å"Come Said My Soul† and â€Å"Song of Myself† are two very different and yet at the same time similar poems of Walt Whitman. At first sight, it would be apparent to note that the main distinction lies in the length of the two poems. The first one being one single stanza with 11 lines while the latter is almost an entire book with 52 stanzas numbered accordingly. But while this is the obvious difference, the fundamental elements of the poems are the same and are quite susceptible to having the trademark that is palpable of a perceptibly Whitman creation through and through. The theme of the poems are the same. The persona speaks of struggles and overcoming adversities and a predisposition to one’s acts through his character. It would not be an ovestatement to note that the persona speaking in first person in both poems are the author himself. In â€Å"Come SaidMy Soul,†

Retail Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Retail Banking - Essay Example The process of such redefinition is by means of strategic relocation in the economic service sector. Augmented competition, expansion, innovative services, and new-fangled geographic markets construe to the fact that both the gamut of stakes or risks and the stake profile for the banks are considerably transforming. Banks are transforming with the incorporation of economic markets, thereby, facilitating with tremendous opportunities for expansion. The Western banks have accounted for generation of around 90 per cent of the revenue from the interest income which has depreciated to 60 per cent, and sometimes, as low as 40 per cent (Penza and Bansal, 2000). As viewed by Miller, Fee-based income by means of the investment services as well as derivatives are some new-fangled sources of income which are becoming increasingly pertinent for the income statements of commercial banks (Miller, 1988). ... Nearly, every nation, until the commencement of the twentieth century, possessed a domestic retail banking sector which was set apart from its fellow citizens, thereby, being dominated by a handful of developed banks (Ream, 1998). The core assets of retail banks are widespread branch networks where each branch is equal to the others, along with a manager and extensive back-offices. However, this was all limited until the advent of e-Banking. Even though, banks are commonly condemned for construing a customer as various account units, they lucidly comprehend to the fact that it is the customer who is the focus of everything they do. The retail banks which can easily make out the significance of an efficacious customer relationship approach and the requirement to be more customer-centralized for making sure they settle on long-term success. Chronologically, retail and investment banks have been managed along the tracks of business which has resulted in silo vicinity that inhibits banks from turning into customer-centric hubs. The retail and investment banks manage customer information in an efficacious manner by eradicating the storage authorities of the customer information by means of incorporating statistic systems and procedures across various product lines, which has helped in providing the sharing of modern information with the employees. This has helped the banks in comprehending to their customers in a better way, keeping in mind their future fundamentals as well. There is a devastating agreement regarding the

Role of Federal Agencies Essay Example for Free

Role of Federal Agencies Essay The threat has reached the point that given enough time, motivation, and funding, a determined adversary will likely be able to penetrate any system that is accessible directly from the Internet. It is difficult to state with confidence that our critical infrastructure—the backbone of our country’s economic prosperity, national security, and public health—will remain unscathed and always be available when needed. The recent security breach by unauthorized intruders into the parent company of NASDAQ is an example of the kind of breaches directed against important financial infrastructure and illustrates the difficulty of determining clear attribution. As we would in response to any such breach, the FBI is working to identify the scope of the intrusion and assist the victim in the remediation process. The FBI has identified the most significant cyber threats to our nation as those with high intent and high capability to inflict damage or death in the U.S., to illicitly acquire assets, or to illegally obtain sensitive or classified U.S. military, intelligence, or economic information. As both an intelligence and law enforcement agency, the FBI can address every facet of a cyber-case—from collecting intelligence on the subjects in order to learn more about their networks to dismantling those networks and prosecuting the individual perpetrators. The ability to take action on the information we collect is critical because what may begin as a criminal investigation may become a national security threat. In addition, the FBI’s presence in legal attachà ©s in 61 cities around the world assists in the critical exchange of case-related information and the situational awareness of current threats, helping to combat the global scale and scope of cyber breaches. The FBI is also changing to adapt to the ever-evolving technology and schemes used by cyber criminals. Intelligence now drives operations in the FBI. The Bureau is working in new ways with long-standing and new partners to address the cyber security threat. U.S. critical infrastructure faces a growing cyber threat due to advancements in the availability and sophistication of malicious software tools and the fact that new technologies raise new security issues that cannot always be addressed prior to adoption. The increasing automation of our critical infrastructures provides more cyber access points for adversaries to exploit. New â€Å"smart grid† and â€Å"smart home† products, designed to provide remote communication and control of devices in our homes, businesses, and critical infrastructures, must be developed and implemented in ways that will also provide protection from unauthorized use. Otherwise, each new device could become a doorway into our systems for adversaries to use for their own purposes. Industrial control systems, which operate the physical processes of the nation’s pipelines, railroads, and other critical infrastructures, are at elevated risk of cyber exploitation. The FBI is concerned about the proliferation of malicious techniques that could degrade, disrupt, or destroy critical infrastructure. Although likely only advanced threat actors are currently capable of employing these techniques, as we have seen with other malicious software tools, these capabilities will eventually be within reach of all threat actors. Intellectual property rights violations, including theft of trade secrets, digital piracy, and trafficking counterfeit goods, also represent high cybercriminal threats, resulting in losses of billions of dollars in profits annually. These threats also pose significant risk to U.S. public health and safety via counterfeit pharmaceuticals, electrical components, aircraft parts, and automobile parts. Cybercrime that manipulates the supply chain could pose a threat to national security interests and U.S. consumers. Poorly manufactured computer chips or chips that have been salvaged and repackaged infringe on intellectual property rights and could fail at critical times, posing a serious health and safety threat to U.S. citizens. Malware could be embedded on the chips to infiltrate information from computers and result in the theft of personally identifiable information (PII) that could then be used in future cybercrimes. As the quality of counterfeit goods increases, U.S. consumers may be challenged to tell the difference between authentic and fraudulent goods. Operation Cisco Raider is a joint initiative between the U.S. and Canada that targets the illegal distribution of counterfeit network hardware manufactured by private entities in China. The use of counterfeit network components can lead to exploitation of cyber infrastructure vulnerabilities and even network failure. Since 2006, Operation Cisco Raider has seized over 3,500 network components amounting to $3.5 million of Cisco retail products. Ten individuals have been convicted as a result of the joint initiative. (Snow, 2012) References Snow G M 20120412 TestimonySnow, G. M. (2012, April 12). Testimony. Retrieved August 21, 2012, from http://www.fbi.gov Sternstein A 2012 Plan to Fighting Organized Crime Recognizes Growing Cyber ThreatsSternstein, A. (2012). Plan to Fighting Organized Crime Recognizes Growing Cyber Threats. Retrieved August 22, 2012, from http://www.nextgov.com

The LASIK Surgical Procedure :: Research Papers Essays

The LASIK Surgical Procedure LASIK is a surgical procedure done on the eyes so that people can see ok better. One would not have to wear contacts or glasses anymore. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, LASIK is a surgical procedure done to reduce the use of glasses and contacts. However doctors say that if one is comfortable wearing their contacts and glasses then they should continue doing so. Why is that? There are many risks and complications with the procedure that one must weigh out before going through with it. Before I go into detail what the risks are let me explain in detail what LASIK is. LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. It is a surgical procedure that involves permanently changing the shape of one’s cornea, which is the clear covering of the eye, using an excimer laser. The procedure calls for cutting a flap in the cornea to reveal the stroma, second layer of the cornea. A laser is used to vaporize the stroma and then the corneal flap is replaced. Sounds easy, right, however, there are many complications and stipulations that go along with this procedure. LASIK is primarily for those who are myopic (nearsighted). Those who have astigmatism (blurred vision due to an irregular shaped cornea) and are hyperopic (farsighted) are still capable of getting the procedure but have to take a greater risk. The ideal individual, according to the Eye Surgery Education Council, for LASIK is one who is eighteen years of age, has sufficient corneal thickness, does not suffer from any disease that may hinder their ability to heal correctly and, one who is either myopic, hyperopic, and/or has astigmatism. The less ideal individual is one who has a history of dry eye, takes medications such as steroids or immunosuppressants and/or has corneal scarring.

Critical Lens To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

â€Å"The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience† said J.K. Clarke. In other words, he his saying that a person who does what is right rather than the easier choice requires courage. This is proven in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how brave Atticus is for putting an effort into defending Tom Robinson (a black man), when it is unacceptable in his society, and obeying his conscience. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus’ point of view is vital in the defense of Tom Robinson. There are many reasons why he is defending Tom Robinson, one of them is that everyone is equal. He stated this many times during the trial, that all men are equal and Tom Robinson should be given the equality. He also states that if he doesn’t defend Tom Robinson â€Å"†¦I couldn’t hold my head up in town.† In other words, he wouldn’t forgive himself, and regret it for his whole life. His point of view is to respect himself and the client whomever it is. Characterization was also used in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus’ personality was described throughout the novel, little by little. He is a very physiological personality. For example, he says to Scout, â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.† This shows how he as a moral compass, in other words, he has a sense of direction in what is right and wrong. He is also very determined in his beliefs, he is determined to get a fair trail for Tom Robinson. He needed all these qualities to have the courage to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus is very courageous to follow his conscience. He thinks that Tom Robinson should have a fighting chance. He tries his hardest in to defending Tom Robinson even though it is unacceptable in today’s society because he sticks to his beliefs and he doesn’t let society interfere with it.

Elephant by Polly Clark

Polly Clarks â€Å"Elephant† essay Polly Clarks †Elephant† is about a author named William who deals with his problems every day. William is a writer. His work consists of young female pop-singers biographies. The story starts in media res, we just jump straight into the story without further information. The story takes place in William’s dark his house and it is set in a normal afternoon in William’s life. The curtains are closed, so William cannot watch his garden, which is overcrowded with weed, and boring. It reminds him of the things he has not done.At the time, he almost lives in his office. It is hard for him to find the words. The story is told by a 3rd person narrator, but the narrator tells a lot of things through William’s thoughts and therefore it is easy to identify yourself with William. The narrator tells the story in a way that makes you feel sorry for William, because of his problems. William likes to write, but he has had som e problems writing lately: â€Å"His inability to write disturbed him, made him feel blundering and awkward.. † (p. 3 line 2-3). William is not really happy about just writing about pop-singers.He dreams about writing biographies of actors in their ‘golden age’, because he means that, that is something people would buy and read. Those biographies have been claimed by someone, who was quicker than William and that is why William is writing short biographies with information he has found on the internet:†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ From the facts William could glean from the internet. † (p. 1 line 21). William possesses a great deal of knowledge that it takes to produce a masterpiece, because he is familiar with old, recognized history literature. He mentions the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.He fantasises about having written â€Å"Ulysses† by James Joyce, but in real life he is stuck writing the insignificant biographies. He is surrounded by a lot of women in his l ife. He is married to a women named Ginny and then there are the pop-singers of whom he writes about. His relationship to the pop-singers is paradoxical in which he, in a way, could not care less about them: â€Å"The slim volumes reflected the slim lives of his subjects, and his slim interest in them† (p. 1 line 28). Ginny calls William to say that she will be home in twenty minutes. Hereafter the third-person narrator arranges two similar situations in contrast to each other.In a flashback from William’s childhood, William remembers his mum bringing home a present for him. He especially remembers the excitement he felt, before he received the blue elephant. I think that William and his wife needs time together and are very separated because of their jobs. Even though, William loves her. He compares Ginny with the blue elephant he got as child, in which he was very happy. (p. 2 line 25-33). When Ginny comes home, they make love and it seems to be too organised and wit hout passion. Ginny mentions that she has taken a test and that it is the â€Å"right time† which could mean that she is trying to get pregnant.Their relationship could be compared to the garden outside their house in the following conversation where they talk about what they should do with it. â€Å"It seems fine†, but they do not care much for it. â€Å"Should they lay a deck over it or sell up and move to Australia? † William does not really care as his response is to â€Å"see what happens†. Characters William: He really wants to be â€Å"someone† and be a big famous writer. He is tired of waiting for it and just wants it to happen soon. He is stuck in his biographies-writing and wants to make a living from writing.William’s wife wishes to have a baby but William is not that sure. I think he wants to get control of his own life first. Ginny: She is William’s wife. She really wants to get pregnant and knows exactly when it is the best chance of getting it. I do not think that she knows how William feels. There are some themes in this short story, one of them could be ‘chasing your dreams’ because of Williams’ wish to be a important biographies writer and he continues to write about the non important female pop-singers, because he knows as soon he gets the chance to write what he want, he will take it.Even though he does not seem to do something for his’ carrier, it shows in the text: William would have preferred the film stars (male, golden age of cinema) but those had been claimed by someone quicker o the mark†¦ † (p. 1, line 22) Another theme could be ‘fate’ because as William expresses in the beginning: â€Å"William had made the best of what he had been given† (p. 1, line 23). He does not believe that you can change your destiny but I think he is willing to try.

Compare and Contrast the Pharisees and Sadducees Essay Example

Compare and Contrast the Pharisees and Sadducees Essay Example Compare and Contrast the Pharisees and Sadducees Paper Compare and Contrast the Pharisees and Sadducees Paper All religions over the ages have been comprised of subgroups maintaining differing beliefs, apparently these contrasting beliefs becoming more aggressive as time progresses. From church splits to outright sects, religious groups all seem to be subject to this division of beliefs, Judaism being no exception. Within Judaism over the centuries many differing beliefs have formed, discredited and accepted. This essay will compare and contrast two particular groups in the context of first century Palestine, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees and Sadducees in some ways can be likened to the political left / right model used in modern politics. The Pharisees being the left wing liberals, the blue collar working class citizens, among which resided some of the finest educated leaders in Judaism, whose chief occupation was teaching and leading in the context of the synagogue. The Sadducees on the other hand could be considered the right wing conservatives, the aristocratic and wealthy, made up of priests and merchants, who followed the letter of the law in its most literal interpretation, leaving no room for the current societal application of the law as did the Pharisees. There are three main sources which account for the majority of information we have about the two groups, those sources being from Josephus, a secular historian writing about 70C. E. to 100C. E. Commissioned by the Romans, his purpose being to convince the Romans that the Pharisees should have rule over the Jews. The second of the sources are the rabbinic writings, which for the most part succeed Josephus writing, and speak more of the internal affairs of Judaism. The third and final source is most obviously the New Testament from the Bible, particularly in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles where the Pharisees and Sadducees are frequently mentioned, often conflicting with each other and Jesus. The word Pharisee derives from the Hebrew word perusim which translated means separated ones, implying the righteous and holy attitudes encompassed by their belief. The meaning of the word Sadducee is less clear, but it is commonly thought that they were named after the Priest Zadok, in the time of King David and King Solomon whom which Ezekiel declares the only true priest at the time. (Huie, B. 1997) The Pharisees were originally politically involved around 60B. C. E. but later relinquished this involvement and focused on the religious aspects of their existence. They are perhaps most well known for their zealous ambition for the Mosaic Law, and their understanding of, and abidance by it. Commonly in religious circles today, the word Pharisee is understood to mean religious hypocrite and often considered synonymous with hypocrisy. This view is perhaps misleading and not at all how they were seen and understood in first century Palestine. For most first century Palestinians, the Pharisees were seen as the most righteous and holy members of Judaism, sporting an extensive knowledge and understanding of the Torah, or Mosaic Law. They were concerned primarily with the promotion of the most holy conditions following the letter of the law to such an extent that the laws of temple worship were extended into everyday living and the home. The Pharisees, although not a large group, of around 6000 according to Josephus, were incredibly influential and well respected in Jewish circles. The Pharisees enjoyed an unequal share of the power in terms of leadership and were concerned with teaching and leading Jews in the synagogue setting. Although the Sadducees were predominantly the high priests in the temple, they, by fear of civil unrest, conformed to the customs of the Pharisees particularly in relation to ritual cleansing and purity. A defining characteristic of the Pharisees is their acceptance of and adherence to the Mishnah or the Oral Torah, an interpretive tradition passed down through generations, which was essentially an understanding of the application of the Torah in varying situations pertinent to the current direction of their society. This acceptance of the Oral Torah or Oral Law, is justified by a somewhat illusive verse in Moses writing stating put it in their mouths in regard to the law. (Johnson, P. 1988) Other particularly Pharisaic characteristics include the belief in the immortality of the soul, that the soul does not die with the body, but transcends life. This belief was recorded by Josephus in The antiquities of the Jews where he writes that souls have immortal vigor. Associated with this belief is the belief in resurrection, in angels and demons. The Pharisees avoided the widespread Greco-Roman Hellenisation around them, actively attempting to retain their own culture and customs, particularly in regards to deities and their worship. The place of Pharisees decreased rapidly after the fall of the temple, and the role of the Pharisees was transferred into that of the Rabbis in the synagogue. The Sadducees compare and contrast in various ways to that of the Pharisees. The two groups are often seen as polar, at opposite ends of the political spectrum, as mentioned earlier, in some cases this view is justified. The Sadducees, similarly, were Jews, the priestly line of Jews, often regarded as elitist and superior to other groups. They were politically inclined and actively sought to rule the Jews. The Sadducees occupied a majority of seats in the Sanhedrin, the highest court of the day, which was downgraded by Herod the Great to a religious court. The Sadducees also practiced religious piety, being solidly devoted to the Torah and its value. For the Sadducees, the written laws of Moses were the be all and end all, and the Mishnah had no place in their beliefs. They were much more legalistic than the Pharisees, and interpreted the Torah literally. Due to political pressures from the Jews, the Sadducees conformed to the customs and ways of the Pharisees, particularly in temple worship, to avoid disquiet. Another notable difference between the two groups is the Sadducees rejection of the notion of immortality of the soul, instead following the teaching of a Greek philosopher Epicurus. This Hellenistic view, of the soul dying with the body, is a classic example of the influence of the Greco-Roman culture to Judaism. Along with this view, all notions of the existence of angels and demons, and resurrection are deemed fictional. This view led to their condemnation by Jesus Christ late in his ministry, condemning their misunderstanding and lack of wisdom in regard to scripture. The Sadducees were a much smaller group and were never really accepted into mainstream Judaism, and were commonly considered a sect. With the destruction of the Temple in around 70C. E. the Sadducees practically vanished as their place of power, in the Temple, no longer existed and thus their place in society was no longer needed. While Pharisees and Sadducees share many common aspects of Judaism, there are a few defining characteristics held by each group which set them apart from the other. The primary differences between the two groups are the adherence to the Oral Torah, the belief in the immortality of the soul, and thus resurrection. Similarly the groups share a desire for control and ruler ship of the Judaic religion, spawning from a particularly strong devotion to following the Mosaic Laws. References: Cohen, Shaye J. D. , (1987) From Maccabees to the Mishnah (Philadelphia:The Westminster Press) pp.144-50 Department of Theology and Religious Studies, (2004) 2004 Coursebook -BIBS 121 Introduction to the New Testament with Exegesis. (University of Otago) pp. 37-38, 96-102. Huie, B. T. , 1997. Who Were the Pharisees and the Sadducees? (http://users. aristotle. net/~bhuie/pharsadd. htm) Accessed 17/08/04 Johnson, P. , (1998) A History of the Jews. (Perennial; Reprint edition (September 14, 1988)) pp 117-118 Josephus, F. The Antiquities of the Jews (www. ccel. org/j/josephus/works/ant-18. html) Bk18, Ch1, Section 4. Accessed 17/8/04

A Brief Overview of Taiwans National History

A Brief Overview of Taiwan's National History Located 100 miles off the coast of China, Taiwan has had a complicated history and relationship with China. Early History For thousands of years, Taiwan had been home to nine plains tribes. The island has attracted explorers for centuries that have come to mine sulfur, gold, and other natural resources. Han Chinese began crossing the Taiwan Strait during the 15th century. Then, the Spanish invaded Taiwan in 1626 and, with the help of the Ketagalan (one of the plains tribes), discovered sulfur, a main ingredient in gunpowder, in Yangmingshan, a mountain range that overlooks Taipei. After the Spanish and Dutch were forced out of Taiwan, Mainland Chinese returned in 1697 to mine sulfur after a huge fire in China destroyed 300 tons of sulfur. Prospectors looking for gold started arriving in the late Qing Dynasty after railroad workers found gold while washing their lunch boxes in the Keelung River, 45 minutes northeast of Taipei. During this age of maritime discovery, legends claimed there was a treasure island full of gold. Explorers headed to Formosa in search of gold. A rumor in 1636 that gold dust was found in today’s Pingtung in southern Taiwan led to the arrival of the Dutch in 1624. Unsuccessful at finding gold, the Dutch attacked the Spanish who were searching for gold in Keelung on Taiwan’s northeastern coast, but they still didn’t find anything. When gold was later discovered in Jinguashi, a hamlet on Taiwan’s east coast, it was a few hundred meters from where the Dutch had searched in vain. Entering the Modern Era After the Manchus  overthrew the Ming Dynasty on the Chinese mainland, the rebel Ming loyalist Koxinga retreated to Taiwan in 1662 and drove out the Dutch, establishing ethnic Chinese control over the island. Koxinga’s forces were defeated by the Manchu Qing Dynasty’s forces in 1683 and parts of Taiwan began to come under the control of the Qing empire. During this time, many aborigines retreated to the mountains where many remain to this day. During the Sino-French War (1884-1885), Chinese forces routed French troops in battles in northeastern Taiwan. In 1885, the Qing empire designated Taiwan as China’s 22nd province. The Japanese, who had had their eye on Taiwan since the late 16th century, succeeded in gaining control of the island after China was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). When China lost the war with Japan in 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan as a colony and the Japanese occupied Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, Japan relinquished control of Taiwan and the government of the Republic of China (ROC), led by Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), re-established Chinese control over the island. After the Chinese Communists defeated ROC government forces in the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949), the KMT-led ROC regime retreated to Taiwan and established the island as a base of operations to fight back to the Chinese mainland. The new People’s Republic of China (PRC) government on the mainland, led by Mao Zedong, began preparations to â€Å"liberate† Taiwan by military force. This began a period of Taiwan’s de facto political independence from the Chinese mainland which continues today. The Cold War Period When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the United States, seeking to prevent the further spread of communism in Asia, sent the Seventh Fleet to patrol the Taiwan Strait and deter Communist China from invading Taiwan. US military intervention forced Mao’s government to delay its plan to invade Taiwan. At the same time, with US backing, the ROC regime on Taiwan continued to hold China’s seat in the United Nations. Aid from the US and a successful land reform program helped the ROC government solidify its control over the island and modernize the economy. However, under the pretext of ongoing civil war, Chiang Kai-shek continued to suspend the ROC constitution and Taiwan remained under martial law. Chiang’s government began allowing local elections in the 1950s, but the central government remained under authoritarian one-party rule by the KMT. Chiang promised to fight back and recover the mainland and built up troops on islands off the Chinese coast still under ROC control. In 1954, an attack by Chinese Communist forces on those islands led the US to sign a Mutual Defense Treaty with Chiang’s government. When a second military crisis over the ROC-held offshore islands in 1958 led the US to the brink of war with Communist China, Washington forced Chiang Kai-shek to officially abandon his policy of fighting back to the mainland. Chiang remained committed to recovering the mainland through an anti-communist propaganda war based on Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People (ä ¸â€°Ã¦ °â€˜Ã¤ ¸ »Ã§ ¾ ©). After Chiang Kai-shek’s death in 1975, his son Chiang Ching-kuo led Taiwan through a period of political, diplomatic and economic transition and rapid economic growth. In 1972, the ROC lost its seat in the United Nations to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In 1979, the United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing and ended it military alliance with the ROC on Taiwan. That same year, the US Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which commits the U.S. to help Taiwan defend itself from attack by the PRC. Meanwhile, on the Chinese mainland, the Communist Party regime in Beijing began a period of â€Å"reform and opening† after Deng Xiao-ping took power in 1978. Beijing changed its Taiwan policy from armed â€Å"liberation† to â€Å"peaceful unification† under the â€Å"one country, two systems† framework. At the same time, the PRC refused to renounce the possible use of force against Taiwan. Despite Deng’s political reforms, Chiang Ching-kuo continued a policy of â€Å"no contact, no negotiation, no compromise† toward the Communist Party regime in Beijing. The younger Chiang’s strategy for recovering the mainland focused on making Taiwan into a â€Å"model province† that would demonstrate the shortcomings of the communist system in mainland China. Through government investment in high-tech, export-oriented industries, Taiwan experienced an â€Å"economic miracle† and its economy became one of Asia’s ‘four little dragons.’ In 1987, shortly before his death, Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law in Taiwan, ending the 40-year suspension of the ROC constitution and allowing political liberalization to begin. In the same year, Chiang also allowed people in Taiwan to visit relatives on the mainland for the first time since the end of the Chinese Civil War. Democratization and the Unification-Independence Question Under Lee Teng-hui, the ROC’s first Taiwan-born president, Taiwan experienced a transition to democracy and a Taiwanese identity distinct from China emerged among the island’s people. Through a series of constitutional reforms, the ROC government went through a process of ‘Taiwanization.’ While officially continuing to claim sovereignty over all of China, the ROC recognized PRC control over the mainland and declared that the ROC government currently represents only the people of  Taiwan  and the ROC-controlled offshore islands of Penghu, Jinmen, and Mazu. The ban on opposition parties was lifted, allowing the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to compete with the KMT in local and national elections. Internationally, the ROC recognized the PRC while campaigning for the ROC to regain its seat in the United Nations and other international organizations. In the 1990s, the ROC government maintained an official commitment to Taiwan’s eventual unification with the mainland but declared that in the current stage the PRC and ROC were independent sovereign states. The Taipei government also made democratization in mainland China a condition for future unification talks. The number of people in Taiwan who viewed themselves as â€Å"Taiwanese† rather than â€Å"Chinese† rose dramatically during the 1990s and a growing minority advocated eventual independence for the island. In 1996, Taiwan witnessed its first direct presidential election, won by incumbent president Lee Teng-hui of the KMT. Prior to the election, the PRC launched missiles into the Taiwan Strait as a warning that it would use force to prevent Taiwan’s independence from China. In response, the US sent two aircraft carriers to the area to signal its commitment to defend Taiwan from a PRC attack. In 2000, Taiwan’s government experienced its first party turnover when the candidate of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),  Chen Shui-bian, won the presidential election. During the eight years of Chen’s administration, relations between Taiwan and China were very tense. Chen adopted policies that emphasized Taiwan’s de facto political independence from China, including unsuccessful campaigns to replace the 1947 ROC constitution with a new constitution and to apply for membership in the United Nations under the name Taiwan. The Communist Party regime in Beijing worried that Chen was moving Taiwan toward legal independence from China and in 2005 passed the Anti-Secession Law authorizing the use of force against Taiwan to prevent its legal separation from the mainland. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait and slow economic growth helped the KMT return to power in the 2008 presidential election, won by  Ma Ying-jeou. Ma promised to improve relations with Beijing and promote cross-Strait economic exchange while maintaining the political status. On the basis of the so-called â€Å"92 consensus,† Ma’s government held historic rounds of economic negotiations with the mainland which opened direct postal, communication and navigation links across the Taiwan Strait, established the  ECFA framework  for a cross-Strait free trade area, and opened Taiwan to tourism from mainland China. Despite this thawing in relations between Taipei and Beijing and increased economic integration across the Taiwan Strait, there has been little sign in Taiwan of increased support for political unification with the mainland. While the independence movement has lost some momentum, the vast majority of Taiwan’s citizens support a continuation of the status quo of de facto independence from China.

Empirical Finance Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Empirical Finance Coursework - Essay Example These risks emerge due to the uncertainties associated with the future. Therefore, investment basically is a risk-inclusive undertaking, and individuals’ levels of risk taking vary depending on investment instruments and the expected returns. Successful investments must take into account relevant strategies that should aid the realization of the investment objectives. A number of investment strategies in the UK investable universe are evaluated and assessed for their performance: Small Cap vs. Large Cap Portfolios Volatility of returns is the principle determinant of whether a portfolio is a small cap or a large cap. The size of a company is determined by its market capitalization, a situation that further defines that company’s market cap. A small cap portfolio is defined by a market capitalization that is between 300 million and 2 billion. An amount less than this will enter the portfolio into a lesser marker cap, normally referred to as the micro-cap. Small cap portf olio is characterized by high volatility in the market, and the price of the stock keeps fluctuations due to the underlying market uncertainties. Large cap portfolios on the other hand are the direct opposite of small cap portfolios. Large cap portfolios are less volatile in the market, and the prices of these stocks are therefore relatively constant over time (Fama and French, 2011, p.46). Investors that prefer less volatile portfolio often opt for the large cap portfolios. However, this does not rule out risk prevalence in investment. Large cap portfolios are characterized by market capitalization of about 10 billion and above. This kind of portfolio experiences hardships in in and out trade activities. As a result, price swings are minimized, leading to the realization of consistency in its price. Value vs. Growth Portfolios Investors have different motives for investment. While some opt to invest in value stocks, others prefer growth stocks. These stocks share some common charac teristics, but their distinguishing features outline the outstanding difference between the two stocks. The valuing of stocks is done with regard to market trends, incorporating risks and benefits to the value of the stocks. Investors prefer undervalued stocks, so that once the prices of the stocks changes, they are in a position to reap huge investment returns. Value stocks are depict the flowing features: less than 10 % price earnings ratio, less than 1 price to earnings growth, current assets that are twice the current liabilities, matching debt and equity and share prices that are at par with the tangible book value or even less (Fama and French, 2011, p.53). Growth stocks are defined by their outstanding feature of expansion and ability to generate more and more returns with time. They are referred to as growth stocks because they have the ability to diversify the underlying portfolio. Growth stocks are characterized by a growth rate that is strong and reliable. This is to say that the portfolio remains vibrant and beneficial over a long period of time. It is important to account for the fact that different companies grow at different speeds and rates, and it essential that an investor be accommodative in regard to growth portfolios. Equity returns are also strong with growth stocks. Company-industry comparison is used to determine the strength of the stock returns. Growth stocks are characterized by per share earnings that surpass the industry’