Secure Software Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Secure Software Development - Research Paper Example This research is aimed to assess and analyze some of major areas and aspects regarding â€Å"Secure Software Development†. This research will present some of major reasons for the security based issues in software development process. Here I will also present some of major initiatives that we can formulate to develop software application in a much better way. Computer software applications are more and more experiencing both external and internal penetrations. One key idea intended for this is the reality that software applications are yet through development faults that yet make them to be susceptible. This has taken problems regarding security into intelligent focus for the reason those businesses, comprising administrations, reliant mostly on software application for their every day processes. The situation becomes more insightful in situations where software applications are employed intended for dangerous missions. For this reason most of the building security applications are gaining more and more concentration these days. In this scenario, most of companies all through the world in field of security are paying attention to improve and enhance the security of overall technology based systems. As well, because clients (companies) have practiced unlucky security breaches, there is augmented awareness as well as disturbance intended f or Secure Software Development. Though, in building security applications, many have to be done. Safety methods have to be applied in the entire the software development stages of software engineering model. In this scenario, Devanbu and Stubblebine (2000) outlined that safety concerns have to inform each stage of system development, from system development requirements elicitation to design, execution, testing as well as application deployment. This is essential for the reason that system developer might naively insert defects in the entire phases of the software development procedure. Devanbu, P.

Pans Labrynth Newspaper Article Essay Example for Free

Pans Labrynth Newspaper Article Essay Yesterday night, police took in 13 suspects who could have been related to the brutal murder of a child. A young female, roughly aged 8 10 years was found murdered outside the famous Labyrinth, El laberinto del fauno. Police have asked around the local area of Bilbao, but have asked the townspeople to come forward, as they might hold the vital information of this case. Policà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a Juan Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½gon states that We want to finish this case within 4 6 weeks, we need the key to solving this murder, but someone out there holds it, not us. Police have told the public, with help from the forensics, they have found fingerprints of the future suspects. The 13 men who are kept in for indepent interviews Have released information about who they are and that they are part of the Spanish Maquis guerrillas. The man and his sister have also revealed a quote from behalf of both of them; We knew the girl, she was very close to us both. Once alone, the woman said The girl was like my own daughter. I used to look after her as my own. I hope the police find out who done such a thing. Later on, Detective Felipà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Romerez revealed the names of the woman and her brother. The woman, Mercedes Julientos, and her brother, Frederico Julientos are both suspects themselves. Whilst on the crime scene, forensics had discovered another body, one of a man, who is seemed to be aged 40 or over. During each interview, Mercedes and Frederico have both denied seeing a man at the time of the killing. At the time of the police arriving, Mercedes was holding a very young baby, who forensics say, after eximaning the body of the male, could be related to the male. The 13 suspects, along with Mercedes Julientos, and her brother, Frederico Julientos are all going under for custody of the police. They all will later be taken to court to be proven innocent or guilty. A later date wil be published for the court hearing. If more than 8 of the suspects are found guilty, each could be facing a minimum of 7 years in jail. Other suspects that have been interviewed and released on bail are many who were at the crime scene. 2 of the 13 main suspects have tried to escape, but the cheif of the Spanish police caught both red handed. They have been told that their stunt could effect their hearing and their trial. Police and forensics have partially identified the body as Ophelia Llimero, aged 8. The brother of Ophelia Llimero, is now left orphan, but will be staying with Mercedes Julientos for the time being. Sailinda Hugamos, the neighbour of Videl Llimero, said Ophelia and I were so close. She used to come to my house everyday to eat my homemade famous Salsa. My husband and I will be extremely devestated. The area around the great big fig tree in El laberinto del fauno will be closed off until forensics have fully analysed the whole area, and until further notice. All of the area has been closed off to local people and tourists. Dates for the hearings for the 13 suspects, excluding Mercedes Julientos, and her brother, Frederico Julientos are yet to be decided.

How To Answer A Question On Misrepresentation

How To Answer A Question On Misrepresentation A contract may be define as a legally binding agreement between two or more parties, in relation to a particular subject. Contracts can cover an extremely broad range of matters, including the sale of goods or real property, the terms of employment or of an independent contractor relationship, the settlement of a dispute, and ownership of intellectual property developed as part of a work for hire. It can be said that contracts are the essential to commercial life. In Malaysia, the law of contract is regulated by the Contracts Act 1950. On the 6th of Dec 2012, Ted saw an expensive Rolex watch on display in one of the shops in GS Megamall, took it and while walking to the cashier counter, saw another watch (Seiko) and was taken by it. He immediately returned the Rolex watch in favor the new one. The manager of the shop, who was watching Ted, was not satisfied with Ted’s action and told Ted he has to pay for the Rolex watch as he had picked up the Rolex watch. Related case that can be referred is Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash chemist Ltd [1953]. The law requires that the sale of certain pharmaceuticals must be carried out under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist. Boots operated a store where the drugs were displayed on a self-service basis and the customers paid at a cash desk for the goods they have selected. A pharmacist was present at the cash desk but not at the shelves where the goods were displayed with a price tag. The Pharmaceutical society claimed that the law was contravened. The court held that the display of goods in the store was not an offer but an invitation to treat. It was the customer who made the offer and Boots could either accept or reject this offer at the cash desk (in the presence of the qualified pharmacist). The act of constituting the acceptance is the ringing up of the price on the till by the cashier and at that moment a binding contract of sale is made. In the case of goods on display in a shop or supermarket, the law has decided that it is the customer who makes the offer by taking the goods and placing them on the shopkeeper’s or cashier’s counter, and the shopkeeper or cashier accepts the offer by accepting the customer’s money. But Ted’s offer is not yet accepted by the shopkeeper because he does not place it on the shopkeeper’s or cashier’s counter. It is important to know which party makes the offer and which accepts. Actually, the price displayed on the goods is not the offer, it is only an invitation for the customer to make an offer and it is only an invitation to treat. The claims from the manager which he argued, by picking up the Rolex watch Ted has accepted the offer by the shop is invalid. Thus, ted is not liable to pay for the Rolex watch. This question deals with offer and acceptance. Is the flyer received by Ted is an offer or an invitation to treat? An offer is defined as â€Å"a statement made by one party of a willingness to enter into a contract on stated terms, provided that these terms are, in turn, accepted by another party to whom the offer is addressed†. Ted received a flyer from Rayan advertising an Ipad tablet for sale , but no price of the Ipad is stated in the flyer . Therefore, from the flyer , it is observed that Rayan is not seeking any potential buyer to make him an offer but Rayan himself is the offeror. The offer from Rayan is an offer may be made to an individual or to a large number of people. There was a case related to this situation which is Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. (1892). Carbolic smoke Ball Co. Ltd., in its newspaper advertisement, promised to give  £100 to anyone who purchased their smoke ball remedy for influenza, and caught illness within 14 days. To show good faith, the company deposited  £1000 with a bank to meet any claims. Mrs. Carlill bought the remedy, caught influenza and claimed  £100. The court held that the advertisement was an offer to the world at large, and Mrs. Carlill had accepted the offer by purchasing and taking the remedy. An offer must be a definite promise by which the offeror intends to be legally bound by the terms stated. In Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co., the fact that  £1000 had been deposited with a bank showed that it was a firm offer and the company intended to be legally bound. Ted wrote a letter to show his interest on the tablet and Rayan replied on the 8th of Dec offering the tablet for RM 800. Ted received the letter on 9th of Dec and posted the letter of acceptance on 10th of Dec .This showed that Ted had accepted the offer from Rayan and the postal rule is applied in the case. The postal rules only apply when the ‘acceptance’ is sent by post as stated in the case. Acceptance here takes effect when the letter is posted. In other words, where acceptance by post has been requested or where it is an appropriate and reasonable means of communication between the parties, then acceptance is complete as soon as the letter is posted, even if the letter is delayed, destroyed or lost in the post so that it never reaches the offeror. There was a case related to this situation which is Adams v Lindsell. Lindsell wrote to Adams on Tuesday 2 Sept 1817. Lindsell misdirected the letter and as a result it was not received by Adams till 7.00pm on Friday 5th Sept. On that evening Adams posted a letter accepting Lindsell’s offer. The letter of acceptance was not received by Lindsell till Tuesday 9th Sept. On Monday 8th Sept, Lindsell not having received the answer on Sunday 7th Sept, as they expected, sold the wools to another person. The issue before the court was as to when acceptance took effect. The court held that acceptance took effect when the letter was posted on 5th Sept. Since Ted’s letter of acceptance was posted on 10th of Dec , and it was only received by Rayan on the 15th of Dec, but the acceptance took effect when the letter is posted on 10th of Dec. Therefore , the conclusion is Ted shall has the right to buy the Ipad. Ted had bought a new car, Proton Persona at Jason Autos whereby Jason told Ted that the mileage of the car has not done for more than 80.000 kilometers. However, on the next day after Ted bought the car, Ted’s friend, Peter, who was a mechanic, had told Ted that the car has been done around 150.000 kilometers. In this case, it involves of misrepresentation during the process of negotiation between Ted and Jason. Before the contract is made, Jason claims that the mileage of the car was not done more than 80.000 kilometers, this is a representation made by Jason during the negotiation, which turned to be untrue when Peter told Ted that the mileage of the car was about 150.000 kilometers after the contract is made. According to Sections 19 and 20, when consent to an agreement is caused by coercion, fraud or misrepresentation, or undue influence, the agreement is a contract voidable at the option of the party whose consent was so caused. In this case, it can be a fraudulent misrepresentation. Fraudulent misrepresentation occurs when one makes representation with intent to deceive and with the knowledge that it is false. This can be related with the case of Derry v Peek (1889), in a company prospectus the defendant stated the company had the right to use steam powered trams as oppose to horse powered trams. However, at the time the right to use steam powered trams was subject of approval of the Board of Trade, which was later refused. The claimant purchased shares in the company in reliance of the statement made and brought a claim based on the alleged fraudulent representation of the defendant. The court held that the statement was not fraudulent but made in the honest belief that approval was forthcoming. Lord Herschell defined fraudulent misrepresentation as a statement which is made either knowing it to be false, without belief in its truth, or recklessly, careless as to whether it be true or false. In this case, it is believed that the representation made by Jason was recklessly, careless as to whether it be true or false, this is because the mileage of the car can be checked but Jason told Ted that the mileage was not exceeding 80.000 kilometers but in fact it reached about 150 kilometers. The mileage of the car can determine the price of the car. As the mileage is larger, the price of the car can be sold at a cheaper price. Hence, it is believed that Jason, by means of recklessly or carelessly to make the wrong representation to Ted, has an intention of selling the car at a higher rate of price. Therefore, if Ted choose to affirm the contract by performing his obligations under the contract, which is to accept the car, he has the right to claim for the loss, or to repudiate the contract by returning the car back to Jason. Ted was working for Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis asked Ted to sign a contract, which declares that Ted has to transfer 17% of his properties to him. Ted agreed to sign the contract because he afraid that he would be fired from his job. After that, Ted realized that he had more lose when he agreed to sign the contract with Mr. Davis. Ted wants to escape the obligations of the contract between himself and Mr. Davis. This may refer to the case Inche Noriah v Shaik Akkie Bin Omar (1929) whereby undue influence happened. An old and illiterate woman executed a deed of gift of a landed property in favour of her nephew who had been managing her affairs. Before executing the deed, she had independent advice from a lawyer who acted in good faith. However, he was unaware that the gift constituted practically the whole of her property and did not impress upon her that she could have equally benefited her nephew by bestowing the property upon the nephew by a will. The court held that the gift should be set aside, because there was a presumption of undue influence raised by relationship between the parties and the presumption was not rebutted. Section 16 defines the term â€Å"undue influence†. Undue influence arises when one of the parties to a contract uses his special relationship with the other party to influence that other party into making the contract. Mr. Davis is using his dominant position in the relationship between Ted to influence Ted to sign the contract that is unfair to Ted. The effect of undue influence is to render the contract voidable at the option of the innocent party. Hence Ted does not have the obligation to follow the agreement signed and can be discharged. In a nutshell, from the several incidents happen to Ted, the Law of Contract regulated by the Contracts Act 1950 is implemented to protect him. All of all, the world could not be perfect, the world is full of confliction, and so, law is here to protect our rights and also from being faulty accused or being framed by others.

The Colliding Dynamics of Class Structure Essay -- Sociology

The rigidity of class structure is the culprit for the vast number of inequities in society. Power is concentrated in the hands of a small sector; leaving a few individuals to have more authority and influence, in comparison to others. The construction of class structure identifies the way groups are divided into social positions. Differences stemming from social position are further exemplified by the accessibility to valuable resources–such as wealth, education, occupation, and status. Those with distinguished command in society have access to these increasingly wide ranges of resources, which may be present in limited forms to the less powerful. Used as a device of supremacy, power is a style of control when the basis is acquiring these societal possessions. Even though class structure is considered to be fluid in nature, for some it is a complex web of entanglements hard to deal with it. Groups who suffer from social and material deprivations are not doing so by choice, b ut hugely in part to economical and occupational factors. These prominent distinctions have led several to fall victim to the systems of hierarchy. Built within these schemes are the inequalities that arise due to one’s position; and captured inside are the outcomes that influence levels of individual, educational, and occupational independence. People who do observe the inequities between classes may feel the impact of social stratification in various ways. Similarly the dynamics of class structure are very significant elements found throughout the works of Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, and Karl Marx. They are all in agreement that society host the series of conflicts underlying that of class structure. Class structure as a whole denotes differing realit... ...ist Feminism." Critical Sociology (Brill Academic Publishers) 25.2/3 (1999): 196-217. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. Marx/Engels Selected Works, Vol. One. Moscow. Progress Publishers, 1969, N. pag. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist- manifesto/index.htm. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. Orwell, George. "Shooting an Elephant". The Seagull Reader Essays. 2nd Edition. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2008. 243-250. Print. Peet, Richard. "Inequality and Poverty: A Marxist-Geographic Theory." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 65.4 (1975): 564-571. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One's Own. New York. Quality Paperback Book Club, 1992. Print. Woolf, Virginia. Three Guineas. New York. Quality Paperback Book Club, 1992. Print.

Ontela Picdeck Essay

Ontela PicDeck creative approach to have cellular customers have the ability to automatically have pictures and videos directly sent to their computer. This reduces time needed and simplifying the strenuous act of doing it manually. The U. S mobile phone service industry earned 150 billion dollars in 2007 and growing. This technology has potential of playing a role in that with critiquing the marketing strategy they have approached the market with. It is essential for a better marketing strategy for Ontela to show customers so they can better understand the benefits and how to efficiently utilize it. The qualitative research segments best defined the customer expectations. Sarah, the parent, loved the fact the pictures â€Å"just appear â€Å"on the computer automatically. Steve, the young professional, looked to not always have to lug around the digital camera. Instead have a phone that can take care of both jobs. Regina, the teen, expectation exceeded both Steve and Sarah, but still within the abilities of PicDeck. Regina wanted to manage her pictures from her phone and monitor the pictures for her social networking sites. Herzberg’s 2-factor theory can be used in this instance. Using this theory to understand and distinguishing what motivates the purchase while staying â€Å"relevant†. In other words you must keep up with the recent trends like the social networking wave. These three segments all produce various expectations but all acknowledged the expectations of a simplified and quicker method to transferring pictures. These segments age groups and lifestyles greatly vary so the solution to market them must be more specified to that target group. The improvement of creating a more knowledgeable customer base will require a critiqued advertising campaign. In the case of Regina, advertising within the social networking programs like Facebook and MySpace. This advertising will catch the attention of these teen and inform them of the product. Specifically push the simplicity, timeliness, and how the pictures are still stored even when your cellular device is lost. For the younger generation and phones being a huge commodity, phones are constantly being stolen and lost. If interpreted right, then the teen will approach their parents to have their plan changed to include PicDeck. Then the parent will be informed and furthering the utterfly effect of a strict advertising scheme to the teenage target customers. This is how Sarah would be notified. Social is a major influence in customer behavior through family, friends, and reference groups. All play as contributors to trusting a buy of a product. Continuously for people who aren’t very tech savvy like Sarah and Steve; they do though always have an email and usually check it frequentl y. So a mass email to the entire customer base informing them of the new product. Steve would be influenced more by the occupation. Besides using this program for personal use, Steve would use this for his real estate job. To be successful in a job market like Steve’s you must influence your work with newer technology so you may keep up with competitors. â€Å"With PicDeck, work assignments are accomplished more efficiently and simply†, statements like this boost the products equity and what customers like Steve would want to hear. For a product to blossom you must target the younger generation first. With constant technology improvements it’s hard for the older generation to keep up. The younger generation is constantly working with the new technologies so you inform the younger generation and it will spread to older generations. Ontela has created an inferior product and now need to raise awareness of the tech advances this product has influenced. The magazine Telephony stated PicDeck to be â€Å"helping the bridge the gap between phone and PC†. Continuous advertising is needed in magazines for the working class people to involve this program into their workplace. For instance putting an ad in the magazine SkyMall. The magazine you see on every flight you’re on. This can target a business class customer base because the individuals who travel most are individuals travelling on business. And this is the only reading material on the plane.

A Cultural Study Of Childbirth In Rural Mexico Essays - Midwifery

A Cultural Study Of Childbirth In Rural Mexico Essays - Midwifery A Cultural Study of Childbirth in Rural Mexico Outline I. make up of a typical home A. living arrangements B. layout of the home II. starting a family A. new home B. becoming pregnant III. child birth A. midwife B. birth setting C. prenatal care D. birth of the child E. postpartum IV. conclusions The rural Mexican culture is made up of many small towns and villages. The social connections among adults in theses areas are relatively intimate because many of these areas are endoga mous communities. Most newly married couples live with the man's parents until they are financially stable enough to purchase land of their own to build on. Though it is less common the couple may decide to live with the wife's parents if the mother and daughter-in-law don't get along (Kay, 1991, p. 367). A typical mexican home or compound as they are commonly called. Consists of the family's private living space, which is likely to be set back from the road. Generally the compound is enclosed by a stone wall and contains several structures. There is the main house which might be a modern type, built of stone and have a metal roof, or the traditional wattle and daub walls with a steep palm-thatched roof. Either way, it is likely to be a one-room house. The traditional house is oval, has a floor of pressed dirt or tile, and two doors but no windows. Inside the windowless house, daylight filters in though the palm thatching. At night a single electric bulb provides light. Also at night, several hammocks are let down from the rafters and the house serves as the family's sleeping quarters. In every compound there is also a separate cooking hut with an open fire. Near the well there will be a raised trough covered, by a palm-thatched roof, for the daily clothes-washing. ! Sometimes there is a small bath house built of sticks interwoven with palm leaves, in which house hold members take their daily baths. The most striking thing about life in the compound is the extent to which various activities inter mingle. The whole compound constitutes an extended living area where there is little or no individual private space (Spielman, 1993). Typically rural mexicans believe that conceptions occurs immediately after a menstrual period. This idea is based on the notion that the uterus opens to release the blood that has been dripping in during the preceding weeks. After the menstrual flow has stopped the uterus is believed to remain open, it is during this time that women it most likely for them to get pregnant (Jordan, 1993, p. 18). Pregnancies are almost exclusively dealt with by midwifes. The first prenatal visit is somewhat special. At this time the pregnant woman and the midwife determine the probable date of birth: nine calendar months from the day following the completion of the woman's last menstrual period. Massage is an integral part of the midwifes skills. If the midwife has determined, in the course of the massage, that the baby is in a breech or trans verse position, she will do an inversion. She locates the baby's head and hip and by applying strong, even pressure to these parts, shifts the baby's body into the more favorable head-down position. The procedure is sometimes painful but since the alternative is a Caesarean section in the capital, the women much prefer to tolerate a few minutes of discomfort. The midwife will do a version as often as necessary from the eight month on, up to the time of birth. She attempts to avoid a breech birth if at all possible and is an expert at tur! ning the baby even when the woman is in labor, as long as the breech is not yet engaged (Jordan, 1993, pp. 21-22). Birth generally takes place in the home but for the birth of a first child it may take place in the mother's parent's home. After the onset of labor women continue doing house hold tasks until the labor intensifies to the point that it is no longer possible to finish what they are doing (Jordan, 1993, pp. 23-24). The father of the child is expected to be present

About Form DD-214 Request Report of Separation

About Form DD-214 Request Report of Separation The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, generally referred to as a DD 214, is a document issued by the United States Department of Defense upon the retirement, separation or discharge from active duty of any service member who served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Services. The DD 214 verifies and documents the former service member’s complete military service record during both active and reserve duty. It will list items such as awards and medals, rank/rate and pay grade held on active duty, total military combat service and/or overseas service, and various branch-specific specialties and qualifications held. Persons who serve exclusively in the Air National Guard or Army National Guard will receive a form NGB-22 from the National Guard Bureau, instead of a DD 214. The DD 214 also includes codes describing the service members’ reason for discharge and their reenlistment eligibility. These are the Separation Designator/Separation Justification (abbreviated as SPD/SJC) Codes and Reenlistment Eligibility (RE) Codes. Why the DD 214 Might Be Needed The DD 214 is typically required by the Department of Veterans Affairs to grant veterans benefits. Private sector employers may also require job applicants to provide a DD 214 as proof of military service. In addition, funeral directors typically require a DD 214 to show a deceased person’s eligibility for burial in a VA cemetery with provision of military honors. Since 2000, the families of all eligible veterans have been allowed to request honors including the presentation of a folded United States ceremonial burial flag and the sounding of Taps, at no cost. Requesting a DD 214 Copy Online There are currently two government sources where copies of a DD 214 on other military service records can be requested online: The eVetRecs website maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration allows veterans or their next of kin to request copies of DD 214s and separation documents, as well as medical records, and replacement medals. Note that copies can be requested only by veterans or their next of kin defined as a surviving spouse that has not remarried, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother.The eBenefits veteran’s benefits web portal managed jointly by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Defense. The service allows veterans to review, and print documents from their official Military Personnel File, including their DD 214. eBenefits claims to provide electronic copies within 48 hours. However, in order to request a DD 214, the veteran must have an eBenefits Premium Account. When requesting military records online via the eVetRecs service,  certain basic information will be requested. This information includes: The veterans complete name used while in serviceService numberSocial Security numberBranch of serviceDates of serviceDate and place of birth (especially if the service number is not known).If you suspect your records may have been destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center, also include: Place of discharge, Last unit of assignment; and place of entry into the service, if known. All requests must be signed and dated by the veteran or next-of-kin. If you are the next of kin of a deceased veteran, you must provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary. If You are Not a Veteran or Next of Kin If you are not the veteran or next of kin, you must complete the Standard Form 180 (SF 180). You must then mail it or fax it to the appropriate address on the form. The Defense Department issues to each veteran a DD-214, identifying the veterans condition of discharge - honorable, general, other than honorable, dishonorable or bad conduct. For complete instructions on how to apply for a copy of your DD-214, see Veterans Service Records from the National Archives and Records Administration. Be sure to download and complete BOTH SIDES of the SF-180. The back of the form contains important mailing addresses and instructions. The Standard Form 180 is formatted for legal size paper (8.5 x 14). Please print it that way if your printer can accommodate that. If your printer can only print on letter size paper (8.5 x 11), select shrink to fit when the Adobe Acrobat Reader Print dialog box appears. Costs and Response Time Generally there is no charge for military personnel and health record information provided to veterans, next-of-kin, and authorized representatives. If your request involves a service fee, you will be notified as soon as that determination is made. Response time varies dependent upon the complexity of your request, the availability of records, and our workload. Please do not send a follow-up request before 90 days have elapsed as it may cause further delays. National Archives and Records Administration

The eNotes Blog Are Public Libraries StillRelevant

Are Public Libraries StillRelevant I confess. There is a public library within walking distance of my house. I have lived here two years and have never ventured inside. This is not to say I never visit libraries, but the ones I tend to haunt are university collections. If I want a novel or another non-fiction work outside of my areas of research, I tend to purchase  books on my Kindle,  go to  a used bookstore, or to  a  Barnes and Noble. Perhaps it is because of people like me that libraries around the world are being shuttered, or their budgets are being drastically cut.   This is a shame because there are still plenty of people  who benefit from the free books and services that  libraries offer. This week, a library in Buckinghamshire, England, faced the threat of closure. Desperate to save the towns library, the Friends of Stony Stratford Library organized a campaign via social media and email asking the librarys cardholders to check out the maximum amount of books allowed in order to prove to the town council that citizens want and value their library.   The response was both surprising and overwhelming: the library reported that books had been checked out at a rate of 378 per hour. As of January 17th, all 16,000 books had been lent. Free circulating libraries have been around almost since the inception of the United States (although claims to be the first are widely disputed).   Today, there are approximately 122,101 libraries in operation, but many are threatened. Libraries have tried to keep up with the demands of the public. Most offer computers with Internet accessibility, many lend DVDs, and music,  and some even lend works of art. Librarians have to be able to navigate the ever-changing technical landscape to assist patrons, and many people depend on both their knowledge and the free services they provide. What do you think? Should libraries continue to be publicly funded and completely free to patrons? Wed like to hear your opinions.

Coordination Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Coordination - Coursework Example Moreover, commuters travelling on busy ferries of coastal river will have to buy passes costing up to $100 each month or pay toll, something that has been free. Additionally, drivers who have speeding tickets as well as other defendants will now pay $52 more to Superior Court and $24 more for District Court Costs. Finally, the house plan has also increased file motion fees to $20 for civic suit parties, while they will also be required to pay between $150 and $200 for counter-claim files. Anonymous, observes that the public would also have to face lose of unemployment benefits following the 13% cut in unemployment benefits proposed on April 16. Education will also be more expensive and this could be deteriorated by insufficient teachers because no funds were allocated to hire the required 1,100 teachers. The proposed budget mainly compromises the education sector (Anonymous). However, this is a key sector that the government has to fund. Through proper coordination, state education board should be made responsible for policy setting on the handling of impending school layoffs. There should be a balance between each sector and the public, so as to reduce the challenges. Budget watchdogs should also be employed to examine the efficiency of state programs. Funding of the various sectors should be balanced in relation to their needs and urgency. For example, it is not fair for public education to receive the least tax cuts and have almost everything else losing, while a sector like IT receives so many benefits at the cost of other public benefits like unemployment

How to Combat Corruption as a Public Administrator Research Paper

How to Combat Corruption as a Public Administrator - Research Paper Example Public administrators can avoid corruption by maintaining ethical behavior as well as providing avenues such as hotlines to the members of the public and staff. In conclusion, the paper indicates that the society in countries such as Haiti and Uganda have negatively been affected by corruption that existed in the past. The US stiff regulations and empowered FBI has made the government to effectively deal with corruption. Corruption entails fraudulent conduct by the individuals who are not only in power but also by the subjects. Basically, it involves providing asking for a bribe and providing it in order for an individual to get a favor. Being a vice that has negative impact on economic, political and social development of a country, corruption is used by the government officials for illegitimate private benefits such as acquiring properties and government funds. Other forms of corruption include embezzlement, extortion, abuse of power, nepotism, favoritism and fraud. One of the major importances of combating corruption in the public service is that it ensures that the negativities that it brings about are abolished. Regardless of the economic position of a country, corruption is known to undermine sustainable development, threaten proper governance, negative impact on the democratic process, and impending economic growth. Within the public sector, corruption has implications that include underminin g people’s confidence, impeding the effectiveness of public service, increasing the cost of public transactions, and reducing tax revenues. Thus, as a public administrator one should be in a position to put adequate measures to address corruption that has emerged as one of the challenges facing the public service globally. From a public administration perspective, corruption has affected management culture in society and ethics in work

Random Walk Theory of Share Price Movements Essay

Random Walk Theory of Share Price Movements - Essay Example A lot many efforts were made towards identifying a predictable trading pattern which could be used for chasing profitable deals. From the mid-1950s to the early 1980s, a random walk theory (RWT) of share prices was developed based on the past empirical evidence of randomness in share price movements. RWT basically stated that speculative price changes were independent and identically distributed, so that the past price data had no predictive power for future share price movements. RWT also stated that the distribution of price changes from transaction to transaction had finite variance. In addition, if transactions were fairly uniformly spread across time and were large in numbers, then the Central Limit Theorem suggested that the price changes would be normally distributed. Kendall (1953) calculated the first differences of twenty-two different speculative price series at weekly intervals from 486 to 2,387 terms. He concluded that the random changes from one term to the next were la rge and obfuscated any systematic effect which may be present. In fact, he stated that 'the data behaved almost like a wandering series' (random walk). Specifically, an analysis of share price movement revealed little serial correlation, with the conclusion that there was very little predictability of movements in share prices for a week ahead without extraneous information. In 1959, Roberts generated a pattern of market levels and changes akin to actual levels and changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Index. He estimated the probability of different share price movements over time by using a frequency distribution of historical changes in the weekly market index, and assumed weekly changes were independently drawn from a normal distribution with a mean of + 0.5 and a standard deviation of 5.0. He concluded that changes in security prices behaved as if they had been generated by a simple chance model .The fundamental concept behind random walk theory is that competition in perfect mar kets would remove excess economic profits, except from those parties who exercised some degree of market monopoly. This meant that a trader with specialized information about future events could profit from the monopolistic access to information, but that fundamental and technical analysts who rely on past information should not expect to have speculative gains.From the theory of random walks arose the theory of efficient markets. The Efficient Markets Hypothesis (EMH) states that current prices always 'fully reflect' available information, so that the only reason prices change between time t and time t+1 is the arrival of new information. The EMH requires that only two necessary conditions be met. First, the market must be aware of all available information .The type of information available is determined by the strength of the EMH being tested. In a Weak Form EMH, current prices entirely reflect all that can be known from the study of historical prices and trading volumes. If the Weak Form is valid, technical

No specific Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

No specific - Essay Example These definitions do not explain the concept of Jazz music clearly, because most people do not understand it. This was one of the early types of music in the United States back in the 1800’s since it had a unique way of improvising everything in music. Some of the best Jazz musicians of all time are part of our modern class discussions, and one of the most famous in courses is Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart. His jazz music is among the best types of Jazz music in the modern world since it has all the elements of music that music students need to learn such as melody, tempo, rhythm, and sound among others. One of the songs that we heard in the class reading on Jazz music is by Mozart, and it is very interesting with all the necessary fundamentals of music. Allegro is one of the most famous songs done by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The lyrics, tempo, and instrumentation in this song pull the attention of the listener, and make them want to hear it over, and again. Mozart Amadeus is one of the best opera, and orchestra conductors in the world of music. There are many musicians whose musical work has been appreciated all over the world for a long time now, but there are also others who are not much recognized   Mozart yet their work s are extra ordinary. The melody of the song is has a stepwise, modal that is simple. The rhythm of this song depicts the pace of its melody. The sound of the song is very soft and soothing. The instrumentals in the song bring out the touch of harmony in the song, and this is what makes the song more interesting to the listener. In conclusion, the song is melodious it entails all the fundamental constituents of music, which are; harmony, melody, rhythm, sound, and this contributes to its growth from one stage to another. The rhythm of the song is a little slow, and as the song progresses, there is heavier orchestra that brings out its growth because thicker strings and pads become louder with vocals that are more emotive. The style of

Economy Report and International Business in Denmark Essay

Economy Report and International Business in Denmark - Essay Example The export commodities are constituted of manufactured products that amount to around 73 percent of the total exports. Again the agricultural commodities and other products constitute around 19 percent of the total exports. Agricultural products constituted around 18.7 percent of the export revenues. Similarly the imports pertaining to the region in the 2010 period amounted to around $84.409 billion. Commodities like raw materials and semi-manufactured commodities constitute around 37.4 percent of the total imports while consumer products and capital goods constitute around 18 percent and 21.7 percent respectively. The major countries that carry out the export and import transactions with Denmark are like Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, Norway, and Holland in common while countries like China and United States only carry out the import activities with Denmark (U.S. Department of State, 2011). Cultural Stereotyping in Denmark and Impact on International Trade The economy of Dutch is found to largely depend on the activities of international trade conducted with different countries round the world significantly in the fields of import and export activities. The Dutch economy becomes highly dependent on countries like Germany for largely exporting the food products and other manufacturing products and similar materials. Dependency of Denmark over the German economy has risen to such extent that it has become evident that Denmark would fail to exist without the help obtained in from the German Republic. It is held that increasing dominance of Germany in Denmark’s international trade and tourism activities would lead to bolster a sense of inferiority and thereby threatens to usurp its cultural heritage. This fear of losing their own cultural heritage makes the people of Denmark bolster up their confidence in setting of stereotyped national cultures. Cultural stereotyping is considered as an important tool by the Dutch people in order to save their conditions from being largely invaded by the German culture (Renckstorf, 2004, p.347). The cultural parameters in Denmark pertaining to the dress codes are viewed to be quite casual in nature. Casual dresses in Denmark reflect less focus rendered on wearing any kind of formal suit. However this type of stereotyping method in regards to the dress codes often earns conflict in times when the person proceeds to work in a trade environment dealing basically with international trade activities. Therein the people are required to follow a certain formal dress code and thus to abstain from wearing casual wear in the office or working hours. Henceforth the people and cultural parameters of Denmark need to become much flexible in order to rightly embrace the internationalisation of trade activities in the region. Again the people of Denmark also regard or give importance in maintaining adequate distance when communicating with someone. The people regard maintaining a distance of an arm or two when tal king with people. This type of a culture developed among the people also depicts a stereotype nature of maintaining relationships with the people either pertaining to domestic or international regions. This type of stereotyping activity reflected by the people of Den

Analysys of the Story Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich Term Paper

Analysys of the Story Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Term Paper Example The story begins with the death of Ivan that is announced to a group of judges in a private meeting over a case. Ivan’s close ally, Peter announces the death to the group that immediately thinks of the induced opportunities for transfers and promotions. Peter develops similar perception though he is a little more touched by the death. On arrival at Ivan’s house, Peter finds Schwartz, who is equally unaffected by the death, and Schwartz proposes a game later in the day. Peter is however emotionally touched and he notices an expression of fulfillment and a sense of warning, to those who are still alive, on Ivan’s face. Ivan’s wife, through her interaction with peter is equally concerned about money than her husband’s death (Tolstoy, p. 1- 8). Chapter 2 Ivan is presented as an introvert who keeps more to himself. He joins law school where he allows external forces to manipulate his ideologies. He however identifies particular characters whom he emulates as he grows up and he is more specific to allow influence from higher social classes. Upon graduation, Ivan is employed in the civil service in which his career develops through a series of promotions. He meets Fedorovna whom he later marries out of convenience due to his peer’s opinions. The marriage however fails to work out and Ivan resorts to spend more time in his work. His inability to take control of his life and that of his family is depicted, as he is not able to make personal decisions. His conflict resolution ability is also weak as he fails to identify and solve the problem with his wife during her pregnancy and later in life. This consequently escalates to ruin stability in their marriage. Ivan therefore represents a section of the society that is controlled by ex ternal forces and is not able to make decisions over their own lives. His middle ground however depicts him as a moderator between two extremes of life (Tolstoy, p. 10-14). Chapter 3 Selfishness and greed becomes a major theme as Ivan distances himself from the society around him. His selfish attitude is noted when he loses his temper for failing to secure promotion in his career. Unable to cope with frustration at the work place that had created a rift between Ivan and his colleagues, he resorts to quit his job and only changes his mind after his friend is promoted in the ministry and secures him a better position. The culture of nepotism and favoritism is therefore depicted in the scene. This can be understood from two perspectives. Either the former administration discriminated against Ivan and promoted other persons against merit, or the newly appointed friend of Ivan offered him a position against merit. Similarly, social stratification is exhibited in the story through Ivanâ⠂¬â„¢s behavior after his new appointment. He tries to make his new house to a standard that he has wished to live in. Though the standard is beyond his means, he goes beyond this to be in the particular class of house. Ivan also hosts people of a particular social class, an indication of a stratified society. The concept of social instability continues to run through Ivan’s family, as he is not able to manage his family life and appropriately combine it with his work (Tolstoy, p. 16- 22). Chapter 4 Death and detachment from life is also eminent in the literature. This covers both real death and symbolic death. Ivan’s diagnosis that worsens his attitude signifies his death to the world around him. He loses touch with his family who thinks that he is intolerable. Similarly, the treatment that Ivan receives from his doctor and his colleagues signifies a symbolized death. The society has therefore lost interest in him and is waiting for his physical death that does not ev entually take them by surprise. Ivan’s isolation from the society can however partly be explained by his poor relationship with people (Tolstoy, p. 22- 27). Chapter 5 Ivan’s condition worsens and brings his attention to the fact that he is facing death. He realizes that

No specific Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

No specific - Essay Example These definitions do not explain the concept of Jazz music clearly, because most people do not understand it. This was one of the early types of music in the United States back in the 1800’s since it had a unique way of improvising everything in music. Some of the best Jazz musicians of all time are part of our modern class discussions, and one of the most famous in courses is Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart. His jazz music is among the best types of Jazz music in the modern world since it has all the elements of music that music students need to learn such as melody, tempo, rhythm, and sound among others. One of the songs that we heard in the class reading on Jazz music is by Mozart, and it is very interesting with all the necessary fundamentals of music. Allegro is one of the most famous songs done by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The lyrics, tempo, and instrumentation in this song pull the attention of the listener, and make them want to hear it over, and again. Mozart Amadeus is one of the best opera, and orchestra conductors in the world of music. There are many musicians whose musical work has been appreciated all over the world for a long time now, but there are also others who are not much recognized   Mozart yet their work s are extra ordinary. The melody of the song is has a stepwise, modal that is simple. The rhythm of this song depicts the pace of its melody. The sound of the song is very soft and soothing. The instrumentals in the song bring out the touch of harmony in the song, and this is what makes the song more interesting to the listener. In conclusion, the song is melodious it entails all the fundamental constituents of music, which are; harmony, melody, rhythm, sound, and this contributes to its growth from one stage to another. The rhythm of the song is a little slow, and as the song progresses, there is heavier orchestra that brings out its growth because thicker strings and pads become louder with vocals that are more emotive. The style of

Analysys of the Story Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich Term Paper

Analysys of the Story Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Term Paper Example The story begins with the death of Ivan that is announced to a group of judges in a private meeting over a case. Ivan’s close ally, Peter announces the death to the group that immediately thinks of the induced opportunities for transfers and promotions. Peter develops similar perception though he is a little more touched by the death. On arrival at Ivan’s house, Peter finds Schwartz, who is equally unaffected by the death, and Schwartz proposes a game later in the day. Peter is however emotionally touched and he notices an expression of fulfillment and a sense of warning, to those who are still alive, on Ivan’s face. Ivan’s wife, through her interaction with peter is equally concerned about money than her husband’s death (Tolstoy, p. 1- 8). Chapter 2 Ivan is presented as an introvert who keeps more to himself. He joins law school where he allows external forces to manipulate his ideologies. He however identifies particular characters whom he emulates as he grows up and he is more specific to allow influence from higher social classes. Upon graduation, Ivan is employed in the civil service in which his career develops through a series of promotions. He meets Fedorovna whom he later marries out of convenience due to his peer’s opinions. The marriage however fails to work out and Ivan resorts to spend more time in his work. His inability to take control of his life and that of his family is depicted, as he is not able to make personal decisions. His conflict resolution ability is also weak as he fails to identify and solve the problem with his wife during her pregnancy and later in life. This consequently escalates to ruin stability in their marriage. Ivan therefore represents a section of the society that is controlled by ex ternal forces and is not able to make decisions over their own lives. His middle ground however depicts him as a moderator between two extremes of life (Tolstoy, p. 10-14). Chapter 3 Selfishness and greed becomes a major theme as Ivan distances himself from the society around him. His selfish attitude is noted when he loses his temper for failing to secure promotion in his career. Unable to cope with frustration at the work place that had created a rift between Ivan and his colleagues, he resorts to quit his job and only changes his mind after his friend is promoted in the ministry and secures him a better position. The culture of nepotism and favoritism is therefore depicted in the scene. This can be understood from two perspectives. Either the former administration discriminated against Ivan and promoted other persons against merit, or the newly appointed friend of Ivan offered him a position against merit. Similarly, social stratification is exhibited in the story through Ivanâ⠂¬â„¢s behavior after his new appointment. He tries to make his new house to a standard that he has wished to live in. Though the standard is beyond his means, he goes beyond this to be in the particular class of house. Ivan also hosts people of a particular social class, an indication of a stratified society. The concept of social instability continues to run through Ivan’s family, as he is not able to manage his family life and appropriately combine it with his work (Tolstoy, p. 16- 22). Chapter 4 Death and detachment from life is also eminent in the literature. This covers both real death and symbolic death. Ivan’s diagnosis that worsens his attitude signifies his death to the world around him. He loses touch with his family who thinks that he is intolerable. Similarly, the treatment that Ivan receives from his doctor and his colleagues signifies a symbolized death. The society has therefore lost interest in him and is waiting for his physical death that does not ev entually take them by surprise. Ivan’s isolation from the society can however partly be explained by his poor relationship with people (Tolstoy, p. 22- 27). Chapter 5 Ivan’s condition worsens and brings his attention to the fact that he is facing death. He realizes that

National Foundation for Educational Research Essay Example for Free

National Foundation for Educational Research Essay Over the last century different techniques have been used to organise children within schools according to what the public and government asked for and needed. For example after the Second World War the number and size of schools increased, the tripartite system of secondary education was introduced and there was increased competition for grammar school places Sukhnandan and Lee (1998 pg. 13). There was a drive for excellence and the 11 plus exam leant itself easily to the administration of streaming. However during the 1960s research was carried out that suggested streaming had negative social consequences for pupils, which could have been the catalyst for the shift of emphasis from excellence to equality. This resulted in a shift from streaming to mixed ability teaching that continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Ability grouping, in the form of setting and within class grouping, was sometimes used in higher year groups for linear subjects such as maths, science and modern languages but mixed ability was the main grouping method. The essay question implies that again there has been a shift, this time to setting. Boaler et al (1998) seems to imply that pressures from the government are to blame for this move; suggesting research (Gewirtz, Ball Bowe, 1993 cited in Boaler et al 1998) indicates some teachers regard the curriculum set out in the 1988 Education Reform Act as incompatible with mixed ability teaching implying that they have no choice. Todays Governments seem to be increasingly interested in achieving goals and raising standards, even if this means children missing out on the social advantages of mixed ability grouping. Setting seems to reinforce social divisions, as there are a higher proportion of boys, children of lower socio-economic status, children born in the summer and those of ethnic minority backgrounds in the lower sets (Boaler, 1997a, 1997b. Oakes, 1982. Sutton, 1966. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) whereas children in mixed ability classes tend to come from a range of different backgrounds. I find this quite extraordinary, as the Scottish Parliament has recently spent millions on an anti-racism campaign. Surely segregating the children, albeit unintentionally, will undermine the message sent out by this campaign? The essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages research has told us concerning setting. It will begin with the discussion of the effect of teachers attitudes and expectations of the set that they are teaching. It will then discuss the limitations pupils face by being placed in sets. It will discuss the social gap created by teaching children in sets. It will also discuss the advantages to the teacher of teaching children in sets and the advantages to the pupils. The essay compares setting to mixed ability teaching on several occasions this is because mixed ability teaching was the technique used before the recommendation to use setting also there seems to only be limited research on the other forms of grouping. Research has shown there to be both advantages and disadvantages to setting. Boaler et al (1998) demonstrated many disadvantages to setting. In their paper they cited a worrying statistic Jackson (1963) 96% of teachers taught to streamed ability groups meaning they taught all the children without consideration into their individual differences. Boaler et al (1998) made reference to some of the experiences of pupils in setted mathematics classes, they reported that their teachers consistently made comments such as youre in the top set, you should be able to do this and youre in the bottom group your not going to learn anything. These attitudes are undoubtedly detrimental for the child. Boaler et al (1998) reported that children in higher sets were disadvantaged because their teachers had too high expectations of the children they were teaching, one third of the children taught in the highest sets felt they were being pushed to hard, that their lessons were paced too fast and they were under too much pressure to succeed because of their teachers expectations and the competitive ethos between pupils in higher sets. This was discovered to really upset certain children, Boaler et al, (1998) I mean I get really depressed it really depressed me, the fact that everyone in the class is like really far ahead and I just dont understand. It was reported that girls were the most affected by this citing the fact that although girls have been reported to be overtaking boys in all subjects boys still get the highest grades in mathematics (where the use of setting is dominant). The complete reverse was reported for those in lower sets, who felt that their lessons were too slow; they werent being challenged so lost interest. They believed that their teachers had no faith in them. This would then lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, they have no option but to perform to the set that they are allocated, if they are not encouraged then they will languish in the bottom sets their entire school life. This causes a self fulfilling prophecy, if they are told that theyre incapable of anything more they will begin to believe it, so they wont try to do anything more. Even if the children in the lower sets worked to be moved up into the higher sets they are unlikely to be successful. Teachers teach the children in specific sets to different tiers of an exam, so those in lower groups will not learn the same things as those in higher groups so movement between the sets would be difficult. The idea that children are taught to specific tiers is generally problematic because children are allocated to sets up to three years before they sit the exam and as mobility is rare this can have detrimental effects on their attainment if they were aware that they could only get a low grade. Boaler et al (1998) reported that only some children actually knew the implications of this. The teachers high expectations of those in higher sets and low expectations of those in lower sets causes a further social gap between the sets, those in the top sets will be called boffins and those in the lower sets will be seen as stupid. This is further intensified by the allocation of better qualified and more experienced teachers to higher sets even though research suggests (Black and Wiliam, 1998, p42 cited in Boaler et al 1998) that this type of high quality teaching is more beneficial to those children in lower sets who need more guidance as they are more easily distracted. The lower ability children will recognise that the higher ability children are seen as better and again this will have detrimental effects on their self-esteem causing them to become interested in anti-educational activities where its cool to be alienated (Hallam article from TES website, Passmore 2002) and will heighten the rift between the ability groups. In a mixed ability class for example there is a reduced distinction between childrens ability, which is beneficial to the children. There is even the suggestion that children of lower ability use those of higher ability as role models. A further problem could be caused because of a distinction made between academic and vocational subjects. Only subjects such as Maths, Science, English and Modern Languages are set while subjects such as Art and Music are mixed ability as a general rule. Children who are good at art and music may not feel as valued as those who are good at maths. The emphasis for teachers seems to be applied to children in higher sets because they get taught by the best teachers and get taught in the best classrooms. Also the children who arent interested may distract other children in these mixed ability groups. Ultimately this will lower their self-esteem and have a negative effect on their attainment in and feelings for the subject. Of cause there must be advantages to setting otherwise the First Minister wouldnt have recommended it. One major advantage is that, compared to mixed ability teaching, its easier for teachers to implement as they can pitch work at a level that is more appropriate for the level the children are at. In mixed ability teaching a large majority of the class are unsupervised while setting lends itself to whole class teaching. This would appear to benefit those children in both higher and lower ability groups. Children in higher ability groups could be neglected and left to get on with their work in mixed ability classes while in sets these children will be given more attention, the children in with less ability will feel less inferior and more confident in groups of children with similar ability. Another benefit for high ability children is that low ability children who dont want to learn will not distract them. The government is aiming to raise standards so its understandable to want to give children of higher ability a better chance. Research (Kulik and Kulik, 1982. 1987. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) shows that gifted and high ability children achieve more when placed in sets than they do when placed in mixed ability groups. Its believed by some that high ability pupils benefit in groups with similar ability because it increases motivation by providing appropriate challenges and competition. There is also the implication that the children will be like-minded, facilitating the opportunity for them to discuss and bounce ideas between each other. Possibly the main reason why the First Minister recommended this form of ability grouping is because all the research conducted in this area conflicts resulting in there being no truly consistent findings on the effect of ability grouping for pupil achievement. His recommendation could therefore be based on the fact that setting is easier for teachers so it is more likely children will be taught effectively. His main concern appears to be with raising standards and setting is easier to manage and improve than mixed ability teaching as set guidelines can be given for the attainment targets for each set. The blame for these inconsistent findings has been given to the research methods used. Theres a suggestion made that the outcome of ability grouping isnt the only thing being tested. The quality of teaching, the teachers expectations, the pupils expectations and the materials available will all effect the pupils achievement. The evidence seems to produce more disadvantages to setting than advantages. The main ones being social rather than necessarily academic. However a child will perform better if they are happy and confident. Being labelled as set 6 is not good for a childs self esteem or confidence especially when teachers reinforce the idea that they are not as good as those in higher sets. This ultimately leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy, which eventually causes the child to lose all interest. If the First Ministers objective really is to raise standards then shouldnt he be focussing on these low ability children and trying to raise their attainment levels? High ability groups also suffer because of the expectation that they are more capable than they actually there. To improve this it might be necessary to re-teach teachers on pupil differences and explain that all the children within the set are not identical. For this to occur theyd have to be a reduction in the emphasis placed on meeting targets, teachers need the flexibility to return to areas that children are finding difficult. When all said and done isnt education for the benefit child? The First Ministers recommendation needs to be accompanied by guidelines for teachers on how they can avoid the negative effects of homogeneous grouping. These guidelines should include careful planning, using well-defined targets and remaining aware of the negative effects of ability grouping (GB. Scottish Office. HMI, 1996. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) There could also be a move away from emphasis on academic achievement to more recognition of non-academic achievements to restore the self-esteem of children in lower ability groups (Elton Report, 1989. Taylor, 1993. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) His recommendation was probably the right one considering the drive to raise standards and make teachers lives easier. Because of the lack of conclusive evidence for what type of grouping is more beneficial academically for the child he was right to choose the method that could be most easily implemented and controlled. However this lack of conclusive evidence means that more research needs to be carried out to discover what the best form of grouping is. To do this researchers will have to establish what is ultimately best for the child, possibly new ways of grouping could be developed or the old ways upgraded.

Chinese and Western International Relations Theories

Chinese and Western International Relations Theories Chinese ancient school of thoughts[1] and Western International Relations theories: A comparative study Introduction Background of the study The study of international relations has classically focused on the cause of war and the conditions of peace. With China’s overwhelming economic growth and active diplomacy engaging in international affairs, numerous concerns of China’s emerging power have become priorities on international political agendas, which also lead to many academic researches on the manner in which China rises. The increasing attentions are drawn to Chinese perspectives of inter-states relations, because there are remarkable different perspectives and actions between China and western countries, for example, China’s outspoken opposition to international action against Libya, Syria, North Korea, and Iran. China’s no-string attached foreign aid policy on African countries has been frequently accused as support to corrupt and brutal dictators and a barricade of democratic progress, while most of western countries impose reform conditions when providing aid. As such, the rise of Chin a has not simply challenged the international status quo, but also challenged the conventional wisdom on international relations.[2] (Deng, 2008) As a consequence, debates are centered around questions on whether China’s rise will be a threat to the regional peace and world security. Over the past three decades, many western scholars have speculated that China will overthrow the current western-oriented international order and reshape the rules of the world in order to service its interests; can China peacefully replace U.S as a superpower; will China’s rise result in military conflict with its neighbor countries? Statement of the problem There has been no shortage of research on China’s potential to become a superpower. However, the western experience and thoughts usually conclude that China’s emerging power will be highly problematic and dangerous to the rest of world. It is hard to obtain a holistic explanation of the aforementioned differences from the obvious economic and geopolitical point of view alone. One needs an understanding of the Chinese core values and worldview which stems from Chinese philosophy. Although contemporary China has incorporated foreign thoughts including Marxism and Capitalism into its political and social system, ancient philosophy still plays a considerable role in its policy-making and in the international relations. As Rosita Dellios pointed out, for western politicians and scholars, any country whose actions have enormous impact on the â€Å"high politics† on the international stage, is worth studying at a deeper theoretical level, in particular its philosophy and perspective on the world order. The importance of the Chinese schools’ teachings on inter-state relations cannot be overestimated. It shapes policy-makers’ ideas, which in turn influence China’s foreign policy and behavior. A proper understanding of China’s philosophy concerning International relations and the view of the world affairs will help to increase the understanding, the causes of conflict and the condition for peace with regard to the rise of China. More over, the importance of culture and philosophical thoughts in IR theory has recently been highlighted by the publication of a book titled â€Å"The return of culture and identity in IR theory†, which pointed out that the question of culture, philosophical thought and identity have always been part of our analysis of the social world, even if often times underestimated. The return of culture and philosophical thoughts has been brought about partly by the failure of the traditional, positivist, neo-realist school to predict events associated with the ending of the Cold War. IR scholars are now reclaiming culture and identity in response to their mounting difficulties with exponential increase in global heterogeneity and diversity. (Chan,1999) Aims and objective The objectives of this study are two-fold. Firstly, it seeks analogies and dis-analogies between major Western International Relations theories and the philosophical traditions of China’s Spring Autumn and Warring states period. This is performed with the question of commensurability in mind. Secondly, it will examine the influence of ancient Chinese philosophical thoughts on contemporary Chinese policy-maker’s conception of international relations in approaching global affairs. These two objectives are closely related. As Dr. Henry Kissinger was cited in Yan Xue Tong’s book: If China became a strong world power, the Chinese government would adopt ancient Chinese philosophy rather than Marxism or Liberalism to guide its foreign policy and the people outside China would be eager to learn about these ancient Chinese philosophical thoughts. (Yan, 2013) This research aims to bridge the gap between Western studies of the Chinese interstate relations and China’ s own perception of its rise in world politics. My concern is not only to explore the commonality but also to induce the recurrence of a wide variety of philosophical practice in contemporary world politics. Limits of the Study There is sufficient research on various ancient Chinese schools of philosophy on moral notions and domestic governance. This study will only discuss classical Chinese thought on inter-state relations, interstate order, transfer of hegemonic power and world leadership. The aim of this research is to lay a foundation for genuine dialogue of civilizations between East and West in terms of perspectives of international relations. This is expected to be conductive to a mutual learning process and has potential to enrich modern IR theory by casting Chinese thoughts. Research Questions Is there any commonality between Western IR theories and ancient Chinese schools of thought, where does it arise and what form does it take? Does ancient Chinese school of thought of interstate relations still have implications on contemporary Chinese foreign policy? Methodology This research will horizontally juxtapose Western IR theories and major ancient Chinese schools of philosophy (Legalism, Confucianism, Daoism and Guan Zi’s thoughts) by comparing their analytic methodology, main arguments, views on hegemony, and their empirical implications for China’s rise. Analogies and dis-analogies in those philosophical practices will be traced out between Chinese and Western thinking. Vertically, comparison among thoughts of Chinese philosophers will also be employed. According to Waltz’s three levels of analysis of international relations (Individual, State, and System), Confucius analyzed interstate relations based on individual moral values. Guan Zi and Han Fei Zi’s analyses however, emphasize the level of the state. Lao Zi (Daoism) conducts his analyses at the system level, from the perspective of the abrstract world. Comparisons between Chinese classical schools of philosophy and western IR theory will be employed as follows: Legalism (Xun Zi and Han Fei Zi) VS. Realism Briefly speaking, Xun Zi (313-238 BC) and his students, such as Han Fei Zi, have a dark notion of the human-nature just as realism. This is not unlike Machiavelli’s and Hobbes’s state of nature, which they described as a condition where men are engaged in a war of all against all, constantly struggling for survival. According to Classic realism scholar Morgenthau, the human nature is rational, egoistic and constantly seeking to maximize power. These anthropologic premises can be transferred to the behavior of a state in an international system. Xun Zi and Han Fei Zi also described human nature are vicious, constantly pursuing self-interest and benefit. Xun Zi believed that the ideas of a state’s leader have a determining role on its nature. The stability of the international system depends on the nature of the state. Xun Zi listed basic moral principals, such as credibility and trust among allies as necessary for a leader to gain world leadership. If an issued de cree turns out to incur loss for the government but benefit the people, the leadership should uphold it rather than lose the trust of his people by abandoning it; if a ratified treaty between allies is in conflict with a state’s self-interests, the state should not withdraw from it as to not lose the trust of his allies. A recent example for this is the protocol of Kyoto; the US, typically assuming the role of the world leader, shirked its responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emission and has been blamed for this by other nations. Xun Zi emphasizes the importance of credibility among allies to gain hegemonial power, rather than employing tricks to cheat its allies. In addition, the comparison not only reveals parallels between Machiavelli’s and Han Fei Zi’s thoughts about the politic reality and morality, but also display subtle differences between them. Guanzi’s thoughts VS. Neoliberalism Guan Zhong (d. 645 B.C.) was a prime minister of the State of Qi in the Spring and Autumn period, the Guan Zi is one of theà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬collections of Guan Zhong’s thoughts concerning statesmanship. Guan Zhong’s domestic policies and diplomatic strategy helped the Qi state to become the leading state and hegemon in the Spring and Autumn Period. Guan Zhong believed that the economic well-being was the foundation of a state. â€Å"When the granaries are full, the people will know propriety and moderation. When their food and clothing is adequate, they will know the honor and shame†[3]. This reflects the underlying notion of the rational individual. People with sufficient wealth would be easily cultivated with decency and etiquette, and be more like to obey the regulation. Then, a rational individual can enjoy their freedom and pursue their interest. Guan Zhong’s reform motivates farmers, handcraft men, and businesses by lowering tax and reducing government interference in order to promote production and free economy mechanism. Meanwhile, due to beneficial trade policies, the Qi state became the busiest trade center in ancient China. Guan Zi’s perspective has commonality with contemporary liberal assumptions associated with John Locke and Immanuel Kant. According to Kant, the rational quality of the indivi dual, despite their self-interest, will lead individuals to cooperate and construct a peaceful world. Moreover, Guan Zhong also recognized the anarchical world order is a reason for world’s instability. He called for all states to honor the king of Zhou and to set up international norms, to avoid anarchy and restore the hierarchy of the Zhou dynasty, which would reduce the likelihood of war. In addition, he proposed a confederation. Its member remained sovereign, linked only by partially federal institutions and by collective security alliances against barbarian in the northern China as in Europe today. In contrast to most liberals’ perspectives of the equality of state sovereignty, Guan Zi believed that there was hierarchical structure between members of a confederation. States are not equal, powerful states should take greater responsibility. Perhaps, the account of Guan Zhong may better explain reality of the international system. We can notice that the features of hierarchical structure and power relationships among members of the main international organizations today: Permanent members of United Nations, voting structure of World Bank and International Monetary Fund[4]. The aim of Guan Zhong’s reforms were to build a justified hegemony status for Qi, similar to Charles P. Kindleberger[5] and Robert Keohane’s hegemonic stability theory, which argues that to maintain the stability of the international system, a single dominant world power is needed to enforce and develop the rules of the system. Confucianism VS. Idealism Confucianism has been an essential element in Chinese society, politics and international relations. Confucianism highlights the role of virtue for harmony and peace (à ¥Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã…’). Moral standards of â€Å"ren† (benevolence)à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬and â€Å"li† (rituals, moral standards)à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬will be able to maintain harmony in family, stability in a nation, and peace in the whole world. Confucius emphasized that good government and internal peace and prosperity of a nation would play a significant role in the world and serve as a universal paradigm for other nations. Confucius’s scholar, Kang You Wei, advocates moral reforms to extend Chinese benevolence to the Westerners to avoid direct conflict (Feng, 2007). To some extent, Confucianism perspectives parallel classical liberalism, which rests upon the normative premise: although liberals accept that different societies have different values and norms, they believe in peace as the one common interest of all societies. Daoism Daoism is brought about by Lao Zi and developed by Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi. Dao means the universal objective laws. Lao Zi summarized the law of universe by observing regular patterns of nature and human beings. This can best be understood by observing the parallel to the modern notion of the laws of nature. According to modern understanding, the universe and all beings and objects within it, rely on a small set of universal objective laws. Everything that evolves within the universe can be derived from these laws, even if enormous complexity can obscure this fact. Indeed, it is widely believed that a final, single law (GUT) can be found from which everything else can be derived. In this spirit, one should understand Lao Zi’s sentence â€Å"The dao bears one, one bears†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"à ©Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å"à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ…’à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ…’à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ §Ã¢ € Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ). This principle is reflected in the principle of the scientific method. The outset is the scientific mind observing its environment and recognizing a pattern (à ©Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å"à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬), by continued research, the pattern can be refined into a law (à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ…’), which itself is the starting point for further refinement (à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ…’à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °). This chain bears the potential to create a whole universe (à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ©). There is an incisive exposition in regard to international relations in Chapter 61 of â€Å"Dao De Jing†, which reads as follows: The great country may be compared to a low-lying lake where many rivers converge;à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨it is the mixing place of the world, the reservoir of all under heaven, t is said that by practice of quiescence and humility the great can absorb and conquer the small witho ut effort,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨and the small and insignificant can gain riches and treasure by submitting to the great.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨The great state wishes to keep and nourish its people, and help others.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨The small state wishes to help its people by joining with the peace and strength of the larger state.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Both states get what they wish by submitting.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Greatness lies in placing oneself below.à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬(Translated by John Dicus, 2002).à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Lao Zi emphasized stillness and humbleness in inter-states relations.à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬The legacy of Daoism has influenced contemporary Chinese foreign policies and has been well laid out in the five principles of Deng Xiao Ping’s foreign policy guidelines. The essence of Deng’s foreign policy is to keep a low key in international affairs and strengthen domestic affairs. According to Daoism, staying in neutral (à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¸) is safest and yields the most sustainable p rofit. â€Å"Don’t stick your head out† entirely discourage a state to pursue hegemony. This can be understood in terms of the western IR concept Balance of Power, which states that the power of a hegemon will always be counterbalanced by a strategic alliance of rivals in order to secure their interests. Conclusion In the course of this work we will compare major ancient Chinese philosophies to western theories and concepts in International Relations. We will pick a subset of each group and draw direct one-to-one comparisons in horizontal pairs. The choice of pairs is guided by the rough degree of similarity in the general framework. In particular we will compare Confucianism to Idealism, Guan Zi to Neoliberalism and Legalism to Realism, with the Chinese and the western part respectively. Complementarily, we will draw vertical comparisons among the ideas of the Chinese schools of philosophy. Preliminary Bibliography Acharya, A. (2011). Dialogue and discovery: in search of international relations theories beyond the West. Millennium-Journal of International Studies, 39(3), 619-637. Chad Hansen, (1992), A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought: A Philosophical Interpretation, Oxford University Press Gerald Chan,(1999), Chinese Perspectives on International relations: A Framework for Analysis, London, Macmillan Press LTD. Feng Huiyun (2007)Chinese Strategic Culture and Foreign Policy Decision-making: Confucianism, leadership and war, London, Routedge Yan Xuetong,(2011) Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power,Edited by Daniel A. Bell Sun Zhe. Translated by Edmund Ryden. Princeton Oxford: Princeton University Press Zhang, C. (2013). Understanding China’s attitude toward international order: from general delegitimization to selective embeddedness. Jeffrey W. Legro, (2007) What China Will Want: The Future Intentions of a Rising Power, Perspectives on Politics, American Political Science Association http://www.chinaguanzi.com/newsview.asp?id=790 Jack Snyder, ‘Some Good and Bad Reasons for a Distinctively Chinese Approach to International Relations Theory’, Paper presented at the annual meeting of the APSA, Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 28 August 2008, 9, 10. [1] The tradition Chinese philosophy on inter-state relations originated from the Spring and Autumn Period ( 770bc-476bc) and the Warring States era (475bc-221bc). During these periods, the competition for territory and hegemony status among princely states forced states seek to balance of power and develop relationship among them. [2] Yong Deng, 2008, China’s Struggle for Status: the Realignment of International Relations, Cambridge University Press [3] à §Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ §Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ [4] Daniel A. Belll, p11 Introduction, [5] Charles Kindleberger, The World in Depression, 1929-39, Chapter 14, An Explanation of the 1929 Depression, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973), pp. 291-308

jimhf Jim as Hero in The Adventures of Huck Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Jim as Hero in The Adventures of Huck Finn A hero is defined as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose. The character of Jim in Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain certainly fits that description. He risked his life in order to free himself from slavery, and in doing so, helps Huck to realize that he has worth. Huck becomes aware of Jim's sense of love and humanity, his basic goodness, and his desire to help others. There are many illustrations of this phenomenon in Huckleberry Finn. The reader first becomes aware of Jim's sense of love and humanity when Jim discovers Pap's corpse on the houseboat: ...But it didn't budge. So I hollered again, and then Jim says: "De man ain't asleep -- he's dead. You hold still-- I'll go en see. "He went, and bent down and looked, and says: "It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's ben shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face -- it's too gashly." This is an example of how Jim is a humane and loving person because he does not allow Huck to see his dead father's face once he sees and understands the position in wehich he is placed. Later, Huck wishes to speak to Jim about the dead man, but Jim will not allow it since he does not want to reveal the truth about Pap to Huck. This is a second and more direct approach that is used in the story in order to show this same point. Jim is also basically a good person. Although he is ignorant, he knows that it is a good thing for him to show Huck that he has worth so that Huck can think of him as an equal. This is a tough idea for Huck to realize because at this point in time he still thinks of Jim in terms of being a slave, and not on equal footing with him. This is shown by Jim's statement of his own self worth. "Yes; en I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns mysef, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars. I wisht I had de money, I wouldn' want no mo'. jimhf Jim as Hero in The Adventures of Huck Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays Jim as Hero in The Adventures of Huck Finn A hero is defined as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose. The character of Jim in Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain certainly fits that description. He risked his life in order to free himself from slavery, and in doing so, helps Huck to realize that he has worth. Huck becomes aware of Jim's sense of love and humanity, his basic goodness, and his desire to help others. There are many illustrations of this phenomenon in Huckleberry Finn. The reader first becomes aware of Jim's sense of love and humanity when Jim discovers Pap's corpse on the houseboat: ...But it didn't budge. So I hollered again, and then Jim says: "De man ain't asleep -- he's dead. You hold still-- I'll go en see. "He went, and bent down and looked, and says: "It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's ben shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face -- it's too gashly." This is an example of how Jim is a humane and loving person because he does not allow Huck to see his dead father's face once he sees and understands the position in wehich he is placed. Later, Huck wishes to speak to Jim about the dead man, but Jim will not allow it since he does not want to reveal the truth about Pap to Huck. This is a second and more direct approach that is used in the story in order to show this same point. Jim is also basically a good person. Although he is ignorant, he knows that it is a good thing for him to show Huck that he has worth so that Huck can think of him as an equal. This is a tough idea for Huck to realize because at this point in time he still thinks of Jim in terms of being a slave, and not on equal footing with him. This is shown by Jim's statement of his own self worth. "Yes; en I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns mysef, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars. I wisht I had de money, I wouldn' want no mo'.

Essay --

1. Security is paramount when dealing with a company network and the services that access the network. The services that will use the company network server are data storage, internal applications, and many desktop computers. When securing networks you must take into account, any exposure of an access, insecure protocols, any open ports, and any type of broadcasts that may show a weakness to the network. Many types of prevention are available. A user access must be setup; this allows the company users permission to utilize the network. The advantage of this, it limits the access to files, applications, and nodes that an individual does not have permission to access. You will want to setup filtering and port blocking on your network components that you will be using such as, routers, firewalls, switches, and virus protectors. Make sure you install the latest patches and updates. Any idle services must be disabled and secured for prevention. 2. The Atbash Cipher was the one I chose to use. A Jewish rebel sect most likely created this cipher; the name of the sect is Essenes. They used this cipher to protect significant people from the act of following a different religion. My initial message as follows: Hello Professor, I am using the Atbash Cipher for my message. Originally, the code was the Hebrew alphabet, but later changed to operate with the English alphabet. Virtually it takes the letters and orientates them to another letter, such as the "A" is a "Z"; the "B" is a "Y". The text that was encoded and decoded was as follows: Svool Kiluvhhli, R zn fhrmt gsv Zgyzhs Xrksvi uli nb nvhhztv. Lirtrmzoob, gsv xlwv dzh gsv Svyivd zokszyvg, yfg ozgvi xszmtvw gl lkvizgv drgs gsv Vmtorhs zokszyvg. Erigfzoob rg gzpvh gsv ovggvih zmw lirvmgz... ...secure as not to allow access from the outside. More things that utilize the network is various types of hardware, for example network adapters, hubs, switches, routers, access points, modems, and cables. I have to make sure that all of these devices remain secure at all times. Another of the options that I have to be concerned with is would I like to setup a peer-to-peer network or a client-server network for my home. One of the inadequacy I have in using is securing my laptop in the home, I the laptop sitting on my desk for use. If I was to put it in a laptop case when it is not is use, it would be one solution. Secondly, if I secure the laptop to the desk with a cable and lock for added security it would take a little time in trying to steal it. Thirdly, I could remove the laptop from sight and put in a secure location that only my family and I know it is secure.

Setting as a Clarification of Motives in Hedda Gabler

Setting as a Clarification of Motives in Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen centralizes one of his most renowned plays, Hedda Gabler, around an upper-class housewife, and the complexities behind her seemingly average life. The title character finds herself in conditions that would be highly sought after by most young women of the nineteenth century: in a seemingly stable marriage with a comfortable home, and significantly more freedom than most females were offered within the context of the play.For this reason, Hedda’s tragic suicide comes as a surprise, and is often considered to be incomprehensible and unjustifiable in the minds of audience members. That being said, Ibsen clarifies Hedda’s motives by using the play’s setting to offer hints and explanation regarding the character’s condition as well as the factors that make her a victim of society.By understanding Ibsen’s use of the broader setting of nineteenth century Norway, as well as the smaller and m ore detailed setting on stage, one can in turn begin to understand the reasoning behind Hedda’s final impassioned decision and the events leading up to the play’s tragic conclusion. The nineteenth century was a time of patriarchal dominance, which is the foundation beneath most of Hedda’s internal conflict. Being raised by her father as a young girl, Hedda was treated more like a son than a daughter, and therefore able to enjoy freedoms that were typically reserved for males of the time.In the first scene of the play, Miss Tesman brings attention to this fact by exclaiming, â€Å"what a life she had in the general’s day! † (Ibsen 201) and remembering the days when Hedda would ride horses with General Gabler, â€Å"galloping past† (201), rather than trotting as would be customary for young women of the era. When Hedda agrees to marry George Tesman, she sacrifices this liberty of gender ambiguity, and confines herself to the societal restricti ons of the time.Nevertheless, although Hedda displays an outward compliance to the female expectations of the time, inwardly, Hedda rejects the idea of being dominated by a husband, which manifests in her passive aggression towards George. Ibsen underscores this idea even further through the title of the play, â€Å"Hedda Gabler†, which uses the woman’s maiden name, indicating that she remains attached to a time when her father was the only man in her life. Notwithstanding these social restraints, the hindrances to Hedda’s liberty cannot solely be blamed on the 1879 setting.Rather, the confines placed upon Hedda by societal expectations are compounded and made increasingly restricting by the woman’s own obsession with maintaining outer appearances and social mores. Should she choose to, Hedda could leave her husband like Mrs. Elvested to pursue her own idea of happiness, but in doing so, the protagonist would sacrifice her social standing and image as a w ell-esteemed and proper wife. With that, she decides to enshroud her life in a facade at the expense of her contentment.The threat of this mask of grace being removed, which would result in her becoming an outcast of nineteenth century society, becomes one of the deciding factors in Hedda’s suicide. To elaborate, in her twisted hunt for â€Å"†¦something spontaneous and beautiful† (Ibsen 118), Hedda sets out like a venomous arachnid, weaving web after web of conflict and deception to amuse herself, while maintaining an outward impression of integrity. This disguise becomes endangered when Judge Brack becomes privy to Hedda’s malicious behaviour and her role in Lovborg’s suicide, then threatening to expose her should she not surrender to his chokehold of power.Due to the social conditions of the Norwegian setting, Hedda is provided with two options, to become an even greater victim of female repression under the hands of Judge Brack, or to be banished by the upper-class society that is so vital to existence. In a more contemporary time, alternative options would be available to the protagonist due to the equality with which women are now perceived, and the social acceptance of independent females in the present day. Contrarily, in the sphere of the play’s context, Hedda is faced with the fact that the only way to avoid relinquishing all control over her life is to end it by her own hand.This notion alone shows the significance that time and setting have on the character’s actions, as it is arguable that if the play were to take place in the twenty-first century, the relevance of Hedda’s actions would be entirely lost, based upon the liberties and opportunities that would be available to her in today’s society. In addition to utilizing setting to establish the social circumstances affecting Hedda, Ibsen also offers descriptions regarding scenic design and stage directions to reveal information concerni ng the title character’s sense of inner conflict. Firstly, a great deal of significance arises from he fact Ibsen contains the play’s action within the Tesman’s small drawing room, a very deliberate and strategic choice of setting in terms of character development. As the piece progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent through the setting and the young woman’s interactions with it, that the drawing room contains Hedda’s life, both literally and metaphorically in some senses. Within this room, she is able to deny her present circumstances by detaching herself from the outside world. Hedda’s interactions with the set reinforce this idea, particularly when she orders George to draw the curtains due to the sunlight.By including this action in his work, Ibsen physically dims the stage, representative of the darkness with which Hedda masks her life, while also reflecting the dominant position she holds in her marriage by having George perform a task that would typically be viewed as woman’s work within the world of the play. All things considered, while the drawing room is in fact a representation of the control and freedom in Hedda’s life, it also serves as a simultaneous, albeit paradoxical, symbol of imprisonment. Within its four walls, Hedda is able to ignore the outside world.That being said, the drawing room and its contents also represent the suffocating aristocratic life that the young woman struggles to maintain despite its smothering effects. The conflicted relationship that the woman has with the room and her identity is illustrated when Hedda makes reference to yet another set piece: the piano. Although she acknowledges that the instrument â€Å"doesn’t really fit in with all [the] other things [in the room]† (Ibsen 208), Hedda declares that she is unwilling to part with it when Tesman suggests trading it in for a new piano.Rather, she suggests moving it to the inner room, and getti ng â€Å"another here in its place† (208). Through her relationship with this object, Ibsen again demonstrates the conflict that Hedda experiences as she attempts to replace the ways of her past with her new aristocratic identity, while still clinging onto fragments of her old life. Ultimately, it is this paradoxical state of being that leads to the title character’s unwinding. Unable to find a middle ground in her life, Hedda comes to understand that the only way to avoid trading either her inner or outer desires for the other, is to take complete control of her life by sacrificing both.Despite the aforesaid arguments, some audience members and critics may still consider Hedda’s suicide, as well as the actions leading up to it, to be unwarranted acts of selfishness. That being said, regardless of whether or not one chooses to approve of Hedda’s choices, it is undebatable that Ibsen at the very least succeeds in clarifying the motives behind her decisions , particularly her sense of inescapable imprisonment. Ibsen manages to achieve this feat largely through the precision with which he makes use of the play’s setting.With that, it is inarguable that without the foundation of nineteenth century society and the choices made by Ibsen regarding stage design, the pieces of Hedda’s story would remain fragmented to audiences, and the intense torment leading to the title character’s final breath would be left unexposed. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. Hedda Gabler. Trans. Rolf Fjelde. The Norton Anthology of Drama, Volume Two: The Nineteenth Century to the Present. J. Ellen Gainor, Stanton B. Garner Jr. and Martin Puchner. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. 200-254.