The History of World War IIs Battle of Singapore

The History of World War II's Battle of Singapore The Battle of Singapore was fought January 31 to February 15, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945) between the British and Japanese armies. The British army of 85,000 men was led by Lieutenant  General Arthur Percival, while the Japanese regiment of 36,000 men was headed by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita. Battle Background   On December 8, 1941, Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashitas Japanese 25th Army began invading British Malaya from Indochina and later from Thailand. Though outnumbered by the British defenders, the Japanese concentrated their forces and utilized combined arms skills learned in earlier campaigns to repeatedly flank and drive back the enemy. Quickly gaining air superiority, they inflicted a demoralizing blow on December 10 when Japanese aircraft sank the British battleships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales. Utilizing light tanks and bicycles, the Japanese swiftly moved through the peninsulas jungles. Defending Singapore Though reinforced, Lieutenant General Arthur Percivals command was unable to halt the Japanese and on January 31 withdrew from the peninsula to the island of Singapore. Destroying the causeway between the island and Johore, he prepared to repel the anticipated Japanese landings. Considered a bastion of British strength in the Far East, it was anticipated that Singapore could hold or at least offer protracted resistance to the Japanese. To defend Singapore, Percival deployed three brigades of Major General Gordon Bennetts 8th Australian division to hold the western part of the island. Lieutenant General Sir Lewis Heaths Indian III Corps was assigned to cover the northeastern part of the island while the southern areas were defended by a mixed force of local troops led by Major General Frank K. Simmons. Advancing to Johore, Yamashita established his headquarters at the Sultan of Johores palace. Though a prominent target, he correctly anticipated that the British would not attack it for fear of angering the sultan. Utilizing aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathered from agents that infiltrated the island, he began to form a clear picture of Percivals defensive positions. The Battle of Singapore Begins On February 3, Japanese artillery began hammering targets on Singapore and air attacks against the garrison intensified. British guns, including the citys heavy coastal guns, responded but in the latter case, their armor-piercing rounds proved largely ineffective. On February 8, the first Japanese landings began on Singapores northwest coast. Elements of the Japanese 5th and 18th Divisions came ashore at Sarimbun Beach and met fierce resistance from Australian troops. By midnight, they had overwhelmed the Australians and forced them to retreat. Believing that future Japanese landings would come in the northeast, Percival elected not to reinforce the battered Australians. Widening the battle, Yamashita conducted landings in the southwest on February 9. Encountering the 44th Indian Brigade, the Japanese were able to drive them back. Retreating east, Bennett formed a defensive line just east of Tengah airfield at Belem. To the north, Brigadier Duncan Maxwells 27th Australian Brigade inflicted heavy losses on Japanese forces as they attempted to land west of the causeway. Maintaining control of the situation, they held the enemy to a small beachhead. The End Nears Unable to communicate with the Australian 22nd Brigade on his left and concerned about encirclement, Maxwell ordered his troops to fall back from their defensive positions on the coast. This withdrawal allowed the Japanese to begin landing armored units on the island. Pressing south, they outflanked Bennetts Jurong Line and pushed towards the city. Aware of the deteriorating situation, but knowing that the defenders outnumbered the attackers, Prime Minister Winston Churchill cabled General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India, that Singapore was to hold out at all costs and should not surrender. This message was forwarded to Percival with orders that the latter should fight to the end. On February 11, Japanese forces captured the area around Bukit Timah as well as much of Percivals ammunition and fuel reserves. The area also gave Yamashita control of the bulk of the islands water supply. Though his campaign had been successful to date, the Japanese commander was desperately short of supplies and sought to bluff Percival into ending this meaningless and desperate resistance. Refusing, Percival was able to stabilize his lines in the southeast part of the island and repelled Japanese attacks on February 12. The Surrender Slowly being pushed back on February 13, Percival was asked by his senior officers about surrendering. Rebuffing their request, he continued the fight. The next day, Japanese troops secured Alexandra Hospital and massacred around 200 patients and staff. Early on the morning of February 15, the Japanese succeeded in breaking through Percivals lines. This coupled with the exhaustion of the garrisons anti-aircraft ammunition led Percival to meet with his commanders at Fort Canning. During the meeting, Percival proposed two options: an immediate strike at Bukit Timah to regain the supplies and water or surrendering. Informed by his senior officers that no counterattack was possible, Percival saw little choice other than surrender. Dispatching a messenger to Yamashita, Percival met with the Japanese commander at the Ford Motor Factory later that day to discuss terms. The formal surrender was completed shortly after 5:15 that evening. The Aftermath of the Battle of Singapore The worst defeat in the history of British arms, the Battle of Singapore and the preceding Malayan Campaign saw Percivals command suffer around 7,500 killed, 10,000 wounded, and 120,000 captured. Japanese losses in the fighting for Singapore numbered around 1,713 killed and 2,772 wounded. While some of the British and Australian prisoners were kept at Singapore, thousands more were shipped to Southeast Asia for use as forced labor on projects such as the Siam–Burma (Death) Railway and Sandakan airfield in North Borneo. Many of the Indian troops were recruited into the pro-Japanese Indian National Army for use in the Burma Campaign. Singapore would remain under Japanese occupation for the remainder of the war. During this period, the Japanese massacred elements of the citys Chinese population as well as others who opposed their rule. Immediately after the surrender, Bennett turned over command of the 8th Division and escaped to Sumatra with several of his staff officers. Successfully reaching Australia, he was initially regarded as a hero but was later criticized for leaving his men. Though blamed for the disaster at Singapore, Percivals command was badly under-equipped for the duration of the campaign and lacked both tanks and sufficient aircraft to achieve victory on the Malay Peninsula. That being said, his dispositions prior to the battle, his unwillingness to fortify Johore or the north shore of Singapore, and command errors during the fighting accelerated the British defeat. Remaining a prisoner until the end of the war, Percival was present at the Japanese surrender in September 1945.

Gun Rights Under President Ronald Reagan

Gun Rights Under President Ronald Reagan President Ronald Reagan will forever be remembered fondly by Second Amendment supporters, many of who are among the American conservatives who consider Reagan a poster child of modern conservatism.  But words and actions of Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, left behind a mixed record on gun rights. His presidential administration did not bring about any new gun control laws of significance. However, in his post-presidency, Reagan cast his support to a pair of critical gun control measures in the 1990s: 1993’s Brady Bill and 1994’s Assault Weapons Ban. Bettmann/ Getty Images Reagan: The Pro-Gun Candidate Ronald Reagan entered the 1980 presidential campaign as a known supporter of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. While gun rights wouldn’t be a primary issue in presidential politics for another decade, the issue was being pushed to the forefront of the American political scene by those, as Reagan wrote in a 1975 issue of Guns Ammo magazine, â€Å"who say that gun control is an idea whose time has come.† The Gun Control Act of 1968 was still a relatively fresh issue, and U.S. Attorney General Edward H. Levi had proposed outlawing guns in areas with high crime rates. In his Guns Ammo column, Reagan left little doubt about his stance on the Second Amendment, writing: â€Å"In my opinion, proposals to outlaw or confiscate guns are simply unrealistic panacea.† Reagan’s stance was that violent crime would never be eliminated, with or without gun control. Instead, he said, efforts to curb crime should target those who misuse guns, similarly to the way laws target those who use an automobile feloniously or recklessly. Saying the Second Amendment â€Å"leaves little, if any, leeway for the gun control advocate,† he added that â€Å"the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms must not be infringed if liberty in America is to survive.† Firearm Owners Protection Act The lone piece of significant legislation related to gun rights during the Reagan administration was the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. Signed into law by Reagan on May 19, 1986, the legislation amended the Gun Control Act of 1968 by repealing parts of the original act that were deemed by studies to be unconstitutional. The National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups lobbied for passage of the legislation, and it was generally considered favorable for gun owners. Among other things, the act made it easier to transport long rifles across the United States, ended federal records-keeping on ammunition sales and prohibited the prosecution of someone passing through areas with strict gun control with firearms in their vehicle, so long as the gun was properly stored. However, the act also contained a provision banning the ownership of any fully automatic firearms not registered by May 19, 1986. That provision was slipped into the legislation as an 11th-hour amendment by Rep. William J. Hughes, a New Jersey Democrat. Reagan has been criticized by some gun owners for signing legislation containing the Hughes amendment. Post-Presidency Gun Views Before Reagan left office in January 1989, efforts were afoot in Congress to pass legislation creating a national background check and mandatory waiting period for handgun purchases. The Brady Bill, as the legislation was named, had the backing of Sarah Brady, the wife of former Reagan press secretary Jim Brady, who was wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt on the president. The Brady Bill initially struggled for support in Congress  but was gaining ground by the latter days of Reagan’s predecessor, President George H.W. Bush. In a 1991 op-ed for the New York Times, Reagan voiced his support for the Brady Bill, saying the 1981 assassination attempt might have never happened if the Brady Bill had been law. Citing statistics suggesting 9,200 murders are committed each year in the United States using handguns, Reagan said, â€Å"This level of violence must be stopped. Sarah and Jim Brady are working hard to do that, and I say more power to them.† It was a 180-degree turn from Reagan’s 1975 piece in Guns Ammo magazine when he said that gun control is pointless because murder cannot be prevented. Three years later, Congress had passed the Brady Bill and was working on another piece of gun control legislation, a ban on assault weapons. Reagan joined former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter in a letter published in the Boston Globe that called on Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons. Later, in a letter to Rep. Scott Klug, a Wisconsin Republican, Reagan said the limitations proposed by the Assault Weapon Ban â€Å"are absolutely necessary† and that it â€Å"must be passed.† Klug voted in favor of the ban. End Result of Reagan Presidency on Gun Rights The Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 will be remembered as an important piece of legislation for gun rights. However, Reagan also cast his support behind the two most controversial pieces of gun control legislation of the past 30 years. His support of the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 may have directly led to the ban winning the approval of Congress. Congress passed the ban by a vote of 216-214. In addition to Klug voting for the ban after Reagan’s last-minute plea, Rep. Dick Swett, D-N.H., also credited Reagan’s support of the bill for helping him decide to cast a favorable vote. A more lasting impact of Reagan’s policy on guns was the nomination of several Supreme Court justices. Of the four justices nominated by Reagan   Sandra Day O’Connor, William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy the latter two were still on the bench for a pair of important Supreme Court rulings on gun rights in the 2000s: District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 and McDonald v. Chicago in 2010. Both sided with a narrow, 4-3 majority in striking down gun bans in Washington D.C. and Chicago while ruling that the Second Amendment applies to individuals and the states.

Health care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Health care - Assignment Example The reasons for this gendered violence range from many factors, from psychological to economical reasons, and I will attempt to elaborate more on these triggers of violence and also offer solutions marital partners can take to put an end to domestic partner violence. Firestone claims that there are two very important psychological factors that influence why domestic partner violence occurs; a "destructive thought process," and what is called a "fantasy bond," (Firestone, n.p). The destructive thought process that Firestone mentions refers to the case where the abuser has this thought in his head that he/she must abuse their partner; the abuser keeps imagining negative things that he/she assumes that their partner is thinking of them, for instance, "She/he is controlling you. Dont let her/him act like you are weak," (Firestone, n.p). In my opinion, men are more likely to act upon this inner voice than are women, because there are external pressures from society on men to act a certain way; men today are still expected to be strong and dominant and powerful, and when imagine that their wives are acting in a way that makes them look unmanly, they lash out at their wives on the whims of this "inner voice," (Firestone, n.p). Also, the "fantasy bond" that Firestone mentions, refers to the belief a person has that he/she is only complete with their partner; this belief also supports the idea that one person in the relationship has power over the other (Firestone, n.p). For me, I believe men like to imagine that they are in control in this "fantasy bond," since patriarchal values extol them to be more powerful than women; this entitles men to physically abuse their partners. Panda and Agarwal offer an economic reason for why men are more likely to physically abuse their female partners; for him, womens economic dependence on men sets the scene for them being physically abused, (Panda & Agarwal, page 824). He claims for example that when a woman has her own house, the

Numbering Technique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Numbering Technique - Essay Example The author portrays science as a source of fascination, in this essay. In addition, he also believes that science possesses potential powers in liberating people's minds where its method and rationality can be applied to reality. In Brecht's opinion, nature is a resource for scientific and technological experiments to be exploited for the benefit of the whole human society, rather than being a tool to promote the interests of certain social classes that control the resources of science. This idealism reflects an affinity to Marxism, and it is clear that Brecht's political view becomes apparent in his usage of words such as 'bourgeoisie' and 'proletariat'. The numbering technique, or, in other words, the form used by Brecht, serves as a device to further support his central idea-his goal in letting the audience to be able to 'alienate' from acting (Are you using the words in the context of pretending If so, please replace 'acting' with 'pretending') and encouraging them to change their habits and assumptions about the society. The way the author numbers each paragraphs, to separate one from the other, allows readers brief pauses to ponder over the content. Instead of being influenced by the author, the readers receive the opportunity to think and remain detached of the author's arguments. In comparison, Brechian theater's estrangement effect appeals to reasoning, as it uses various methods to produce a critical attitude in audience. This concept departs from the traditional "empathy" that prevents audience from thinking freely, in order for them to see the real message that lies hidden in the play that may be socially unquestioned. It appears that such an intention of trying to force the audience to 'think' is Brecht's answer to transform the society through the changes made in theatre. There are several points in which the characteristics of alienation effect align with the changes in theatre, and as a consequence, achieve Brecht's goal of changing the audience of the scientific age. One characteristic is that Brecht wants his play to be separated into parts rather than be a continual piece. Brecht suggests: "As we cannot invite the audience to fling itself into the story as if it were a river and let itself be carried vaguely hither and thither, the individual episodes have to be knotted together in such a way that the knots are easily noticed. The episodes must not succeed one another indistinguishably but must give us a chance to interpose our judgment." (201) This may be done through having the orchestra play on stage rather than off-stage, or having a narrator to talk to the audience through out the play, or adding social point in between titles, etc. These techniques create the same alienation effect, similar Brecht's use of numbers to separate his ideas in "A Short Organum for the Theatre." Likewise is his technique of segregating his essay into smaller paragraphs by numbering them, so as to allow readers enough time to re-read each paragraph and ponder over it before proceeding to the

Medical Tourism in India Essay Example for Free

Medical Tourism in India Essay After the silicon rush India is now considered as the golden spot for treating patients mostly from the developed countries and Far East for ailments and procedures of relatively high cost and complexity. India is also aggressively promoting medical tourism in the current years -and slowly now it is moving into a new area of medical outsourcing, where subcontractors provide services to the overburdened medical care systems in western countries. Indias National Health Policy declares that treatment of foreign patients is legally an export and deemed eligible for all fiscal incentives extended to export earnings. Government and private sector studies in India estimate that medical tourism could bring between $1 billion and $2 billion US into the country by 2012. Going by the Statistics and various studies it can be easily said that India would be the leader in medical tourism within the next decade if only it could improve the infrastructure and tour attractions. The question or rather the doubt that is often asked by critics is how can India provide top line medical care to outsiders while more than 40% of its people languished below poverty line and less than 20% of its people can actually afford medical services. Ethically and morally this problem has to be solved if India has to move into the category of developed country and also as a place which provides medical care to both its own people and patients from other country The aim of this project is to put a finger on the highly profitable service of medical care combined with tourism in which India is currently considered as a market leader. It has been a known fact for past many decades that Indian doctors are highly skillful in their given field since all around the globe mot hospitals have doctors of Indian origin. Therefore it became almost natural that this trend extended to India. This project also aims to show why India is attracting medical tourists, is it really a secure destination and how India can promote and develop this particular activity in the coming years so as face competition given by other Asian and African options. CHAPTER .2 Research and Methodology Introduction The objective of this chapter is to present the research methodology of the present study. The chapter deals with various aspects of research methodology on Medical tourism in India and a comparative analysis are made. For the present study as more emphasis was laid down on discovery of ideas and insights is can be called descriptive research as on attempt have been made to get insight into the Medical tourism in India. Further, the study is also and descriptive nature as a descriptive study is typically concerned with determines. Here, attempts have been made to find out the correlation of people towards Medical tourism in India. Objective The key objective of the project is to study the emerging opportunities and future prospects in the Indian medical tourism market. The project discusses various industry trends and growth drivers that are fuelling growth in the market and tries to study their impact on the future scenario. Basic Research Problem of the Study Competition and marketing issues are seen as the major problems facing organisations involved in medical tourism. Other key issues are: †¢ Insufficient demand †¢ Insurance and liability issues †¢ Lack of quality standards and international standards †¢ Lack of professionalism within the industry Assumption of the Study According to medical tourism facilitators the leading medical tourism destinations are India, Thailand, USA, Hungary and Malaysia. The USA, UK and Russian Federation are seen as the leading source of patients both now and in the future. Countries rated as providing the best overall service to patients are Thailand, India, and Singapore. Respondents predicted that India, Thailand, and Singapore will also be the leading medical tourism destinations in five years time. Methods of Data Collection The data has collected in two ways. †¢ Primary Data: Primary data are those, which are collected for the first time, and they are original in character. Primary data gives higher accuracy and facts, which is very helpful for any research and its findings. I have collected primary data by personal interview. †¢ Secondary data: The secondary data are those, which are already collected by someone for some purpose and are available for the present study. Secondary data was collected from the magazines, websites and other such sources. CHAPTER .3 Medical tourism: A Global perspective Medical tourism happens when patients go to a different country for either urgent or elective medical procedures. This phenomenon is fast becoming a worldwide, multibillion-dollar industry. The reasons patients travel for treatment vary. Many medical tourists from the United States are seeking treatment at a quarter or sometimes even a 10th of the cost at home. From Canada, it is often people who are frustrated by long waiting times. From Great Britain, the patient cant wait for treatment by the National Health Service but also cant afford to see a physician in private practice. For others, becoming a medical tourist is a chance to combine a tropical vacation with elective or plastic surgery. And moreover patients are coming from poorer countries such as Bangladesh where treatment may not be available and going for surgery in European or western developed countries is expensive. The interesting thing of Medical tourism is that it is a concept which is actually thousands of years old. In ancient Greece, pilgrims and patients came from all over the Mediterranean to the sanctuary of the healing god, Aesculapius, at Epidaurus. In Roman Britain, patients took a dip in the waters at a shrine at Bath, a practice that continued for 2,000 years as it was believed that the waters had a healing property. From the 18th century wealthy Europeans travelled to spas from Germany to the Nile. In the 21st century, relatively low-cost jet travel has taken the industry beyond the wealthy and desperate. Countries that actively promote medical tourism include Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia and Thailand. Belgium, Poland and Singapore are now entering the field. South Africa specializes in medical safaris-visit the country for a safari, with a stopover for plastic surgery, a nose job and a chance to see lions and elephants. Thailand While, so far, India has attracted patients from Europe, the Middle East and Canada, Thailand has been the goal for Americans. India initially attracted people who had left that country for the West; Thailand treated western expatriates across Southeast Asia. Many of them worked for western companies and had the advantage of flexible, worldwide medical insurance plans geared specifically at the expatriate and overseas corporate markets. With the growth of medical-related travel and aggressive marketing, Bangkok became a centre for medical tourism. Bangkoks International Medical Centre offers services in 26 languages, recognizes cultural and religious dietary restrictions and has a special wing for Japanese patients The medical tour companies that serve Thailand often put emphasis on the vacation aspects, offering post-recovery resort stays. South Africa South Africa also draws many cosmetic surgery patients, especially from Europe, and many South African clinics offer packages that include personal assistants, visits with trained therapists, trips to top beauty salons, post-operative care in luxury hotels and safaris or other vacation incentives. Because the South African rand has such a long-standing low rate on the foreign-exchange market, medical tourism packages there tend to be perpetual bargains as well. Argentina Argentina ranks high for plastic surgery, and Hungary draws large numbers of patients from Western Europe and the U.S. for high-quality cosmetic and dental procedures that cost half of what they would in Germany and America. Dubai Lastly, Dubaia destination already known as a luxury vacation paradiseis scheduled to open the Dubai Healthcare City by 2010. Situated on the Red Sea, this clinic will be the largest international medical center between Europe and Southeast Asia. Slated to include a new branch of the Harvard Medical School, it also may be the most prestigious foreign clinic on the horizon. Other countries Other countries interested in medical tourism tended to start offering care to specific markets but have expanded their services as the demand grows around the world. Cuba, for example, first aimed its services at well-off patients from Central and South America and now attracts patients from Canada, Germany and Italy. Malaysia attracts patients from surrounding Southeast Asian countries; Jordan serves patients from the Middle East. Israel caters to both Jewish patients and people from some nearby countries. One Israeli hospital advertises worldwide services, specializing in both male and female infertility, in-vitro fertilization and high-risk pregnancies. South Africa offers package medical holiday deals with stays at either luxury hotels or safaris. Leading countries in the field of medical tourism CHAPTER .4 Indian tourism: An overview Tourism will expand greatly in future mainly due to the revolution that is taking place on both the demand and supply side. The changing population structure, improvement in living standard, more disposable income, fewer working hours and long leisure time, better educated people, ageing population and more curious youth in the developed as well as developing countries, all will fuel the tourism industry growth. The arrival of a large number of customers, better educated and more sophisticated, will compel the tourist industry to launch new products and brands and re-invents traditional markets. The established traditional destinations founded on sun-sea-sand products will have to re-engineer their products. They must diversify and improve the criteria for destinations and qualities of their traditional offers. Alongside beach tourism, the tourism sector will register a steady development of new products based on natural rural business, leisure and art and culture. Thus the study of new markets and emerging markets and necessity of diversified products are the basis of our strategy, which can enhance and sustain, existing and capture new markets. It is India’s vastness that challenges the imagination: the sub-continent, 3200km (2000 miles) from the mountainous vastness of the Himalayas in the north to the tropical lushness of Kerala in the south, is home to one sixth of the world’s population, a diverse culture and an intoxicatingly rich history. Desert in Rajasthan, tropical forests in the north eastern states, arid mountains in the delta region of Maharashtra and Karnataka and vast fertile planes in northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana etc are just some of the geographical diversity that can be observed. We have a wealth of archeological sites and historical monuments. Manpower costs in the Indian hotel industry are one of the lowest in the world. This provides better margins for any industry which relies on man power. One of the fascinations of India is the juxtaposition of old and new; centuries of history – from the pre-historic Indus civilization to the British Raj – rub shoulders with the computer age; and Bangalores ‘Silicon Valley’ is as much a part of the worlds largest democracy as the remotest village is.

The History of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God Essay

Early elements of the Cosmological Argument were developed by the world renowned philosophers Plato and Aristotle between the years 400 and 200 BC (Boeree). Medieval philosopher Saint Thomas Aquinas expanded upon their ideas in the late 13th Century when he wrote, â€Å"The Five Ways.† Since then the Cosmological Argument has become one of the most widely accepted and criticized arguments for the existence of God. My objective in this paper is to explain why the Cosmological Argument is a reasonable argument for the existence of God, the importance of understanding that it is an inductive a posteriori argument, and defend my position against common opposing arguments. To begin, as living human beings on the planet earth we can safely conclude that most everything in existence has a cause. We observe that there is a cause behind the flat tire we receive while driving to school. There is a cause behind why we earned a failing grade in Philosophy. There is a cause behind why our bodies feel pain. And there is even a cause for why moss grows heaviest on the North side of trees. Saint Thomas Aquinas argues that everything in existence has a cause and therefore all things are contingent and finite. That is to say, â€Å"Everything in nature can both exist and not exist, given that we find things in nature to come into and pass out of existence† (Ruckaber, 2009). Modern philosophers understand this assertion by Saint Thomas to mean that all things in nature are contingent on a first cause in order to exist. Saint Thomas argues that this first cause must be God because before the Universe came into existence there had to have been a necess ary or non-contingent being to serve as first cause. To help clarify the relationship b... ...things finite and contingent must have a cause; next, I argued that no contingent thing can be the cause of itself; and finally I added that a chain of causes cannot be infinite. In conclusion, there must have been a necessary being which served as the first cause of the Universe. This necessary being can be referred to as God. I make this conclusion due to my understanding of the evidence given above and the fact that there are no reasonable arguments that beyond reasonable doubt can prove otherwise. In addition, it is my finding that the roots of the Cosmological Argument are firmly cemented in a posteriori observation (induction), as opposed to purely rational thought which is deductive. Knowing how this argument is classified is imperative because it is essential to understanding the structure of the argument and how it arrives at its conclusion.

Functions of Retail Management

FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT When attempting to start a business, having a keen understanding of the goals of management through the main four management functions is one key to seeing success, both with the operation and with employees. With this said, a vital part of planning of the management end will involve three important activities. The first stage, â€Å"planning involves developing a systematic process for attaining the goals of the organization†¦ Leaders make change happen through planning instead of reacting to change† (EntEd 2007). The first of which will be to lay out the goals that will be set for the hypothetical sporting goods store used as the example, the second will be to create a business plan since â€Å"the development of the business plan greatly helps to clarify the organization's plans and ensure that key leaders are all ‘on the same script. ‘ Far more important than the plan document is the planning process itself† (McNamara 2007). During the process of coming up with this business plan, hopefully as a manager we can begin to foresee any challenges we might face, especially if those challenges arise because of unpredictable circumstances that even the most careful planning could not predict or take measures to prevent. In short, having a process that all members present at the beginning of the organization can understand and work with in the form of a business plan is the key to success. During this planning process as we begin to decide what some of the most basic building blocks of this business are going to be (location, inventory, costs, marketing, etc. ) and through this act of working things out together in a permanent fashion, brainstorming about coming changes and challenges should naturally occur. The four functions of Management will clearly demonstrate how the functions operate in this business operation and how, in the light of the tangible situation being presented, management can avoid possible pitfalls and see how these functions operate simultaneously and are interdependent on one another. With a solid business plan firmly in place and a list of goals and anticipated changes recorded and recognized, the second important function of management, organization, is necessary. â€Å"Organizing brings together the nonhuman resources needed to achieve the project's objectives. To organize is to manage†¦ It begins with the need to define requirements† (Richman 2006). In order to serve this important function of management, it is necessary to use what was established in the planning stages to begin to carry out the first measures to live out the plan. As a manager, this will involve a great deal of research and personal organization as I look for the best strategies to carry out different smaller aspects of the business plan. This is also the stage where I begin to look to my subordinates for assistance and when I give them the chance to assist with the many activities necessary before the sporting goods store opens. This stage involves a great deal of gathering of supplies and building processes that will sustain the store and in order to make the best use of the time spent organizing, directing will become one of the most important functions of management. As one definition states, â€Å"Directing communicates the goals, purposes, procedures, and means to those who will do the work. Directing is the process of communicating the plan, whether orally or in writing† (Richmond 2006). This is particularly succinct definition in terms of the sporting goods store because so much will be required to adhere to the business plan. The organization alone must be managed with attention to detail and it will be one of my primary duties to help workers understand the value of each of their functions through careful and organized direction. Throughout the organization process and especially as things are moving along according to the plan and the business nears opening, it is vital that directing is a main focus. Since I plan on having two managers and four employees, I want everyone to be on the same page as I am. It will be important for them to realize how every task they complete connects to the goals or the business plan so there is a sense of value and something at stake. Directing will not end at this stage or even after the business is open, it will continue to be a necessary component that I must actively keep p with in order for this sporting goods store to succeed. Controlling goes hand in hand with directing as it will be important for me as a manager and owner to match the tasks delegated with the business plan and goals so that I can keep firm tabs on how we are progressing. This not only involves monitoring of progress but being vigilant so that if negative changes are occurring I can resolve the issue. A s Richman (2006) more succinctly puts it, when it comes to controlling, â€Å"in project management terms, it involves determining variances from the approved plan, then taking action to correct those variances. Through my fulfilling of these four important functions of management, I would be a permissive leader. For a small business like this sporting goods store that has a very small number of employees and only two other managers, it is necessary to allow everyone to have an equal hand in important decisions. While directing is a large part of my responsibility, I would still like to allow employees and managers a great deal of leeway concerning how they perform the tasks assigned and if those decisions on how to work are not productive, only then will I step in and be directive. This is a rather democratic way to manage this store, but hopefully it will foster the sense that the few people involved have a great deal at stake since they've personally and professional put distinct efforts into the business. By employing the for functions of Management effectively and in particular, emphasizing my role in directing and controlling, I can maintain a less structured management style while still seeing profits.

Terrorism Essay

Many people regard war as the only solution to coo interact terrorism, but there are others that disagree. In this essay I will be discussing and comparing the o option of war to alternative options that can replace it. The first two options both involved the military. Option one involved using nit elegance to locate and bomb terrorist training camps, and option two was to take over or destabilize governments that are sympathetic to the terrorist by sending in trained troop s. In comparing this to war noticed that these options are actually quite similar.By bombing the terrorist camps this would cause them to retaliate, and the end result would be a war. Option TV&'0 would also end up as a war because after your troops have invaded the count rye the country would fight back causing you to have to train more troops to send into battle. Options 3 and 4 are focused on inward focus meaning not getting involved in any issues abroad and focusing on why terrorists would attack you? These tw o pop actions are much better because there would be no war unless the terrorists attacked first.Wit h no war there would be no dead soldiers which would in turn boost the economy because t here would be more workers. Options 5 and 6 involve outreach, meaning that instead of going to war we wow old contact and find out what the terrorists want. This outreach would also involve e developing relationships with different communities in our own country and elsewhere. B lid inning these relationships with other countries would help us form stronger bonds with to hers. Thus we would become less of a target for terrorists.

Compare and Contrast Modern Conservatism and Modern Liberalism Essay Example

Compare and Contrast Modern Conservatism and Modern Liberalism Essay Example Compare and Contrast Modern Conservatism and Modern Liberalism Paper Compare and Contrast Modern Conservatism and Modern Liberalism Paper Essay Topic: Op Ed Compare and Contrast Modern Conservatism and Modern Liberalism Modern liberalism and modern conservatism are both extremely centrist ideologies, â€Å"In fact, US conservatism comes out of classical liberalism so the modern versions of both ideologies share deep philosophical roots† (Guide, pg. 1). These roots date back to the 17th century, extending into the early 20th century. To fully understand American politics, it is a key to understand the dominant ideologies. It is also crucial to analyze the differences and similarities between these two ideologies. This paper will first examine the origins and tenants of classical liberalism, an ideology in which both modern liberalism and modern conservatism evolved. It will later discuss the major principles and tenants governing both ideologies. Finally, it will analyze and contrast modern day conservatism and liberalism according the current environment of the present day. Understanding classical liberalism is essential to fully comprehend the ideals of modern liberalism and modern conservatism. Classical liberalism evolved from opposition to â€Å"divine rights of Kings† (PowerPoints, Classical Liberalism, pg. ). One of the core principles in the presumption in favor of liberty is the â€Å"Fundamental Liberal Principal† (Guide, pg. 3). This principal states that freedom is a basic right and that laws must be justified so as not to limit the freedom of citizens. To provide a modern day example of this, the Los Angeles Times recently published an article about an intoxicated m an whose racist online post about Barack Obama in 2008 urged violence. A core decision by the U. S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the man’s conviction. He was initially found guilty two years ago but in the later ruling his blog was considered his right to free speech and not considered a legitimate threat to Barack Obama’s security. In this case, the law protected the rights of an individual over the security of a presidential candidate. In the past, liberals disagreed about the basic concept of liberty in terms of the role of government. There were two types of liberty, negative and positive. Negative liberty defines the role of government as ensuring that individuals do not obstruct another individual’s freedom without significant justification. Therefore, it is important that we restrict government institutions from gaining too much control over individual freedom, â€Å"We must restrain institutions that may endanger liberty† (PowerPoints, Classical Liberalism, pg. 4). Conversely, positive freedom is when a person acts with one’s own convictions to pursue their own objectives, â€Å"a person is free only if she is self-directed or autonomous† (Guide, page 5). The concepts of liberty vary, as discussed above. A more critical division of liberty pertains to the place of private property and the market order. Classical liberals from the 18th century to the present claimed that liberty and property are basically the same thing, â€Å"liberty and private property are intimately related† (Guide, pg. 8). Each individual should be able to run their business the way they see fit and are not really free unless allowed to do so. With the advent of industrialization, democratization, and economic upheaval modern day liberalism took root and evolved into a different definition of government versus liberty. The definition of modern liberalism came into play in the early 20th century when they began to question the private property based market. The idea of â€Å"social justice or the welfare state† (Guide, pg. 9) rose from the economic downturns created by the great depression and World War II. These events spurred a new faith in government as a way to oversee economic conditions, â€Å"this was partly due to the experiences of the First World War, in which government attempts at economic planning seemed to succeed (Dewey, 1929: 551-60)† (Guide, pg. 9). Franklin D Roosevelt’s new deal was evidence of government being responsible â€Å"for ensuring the economic well-being of the nation and for providing basic material guarantees to citizens† (PowerPoints, Modern Liberalism, pg. ) for example, social security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance. Another factor that spurred the growth and development of this â€Å"new† liberalism, and most likely the most rudimentary, was â€Å"a growing conviction that, so far from being ‘the guardian of every other right’ (Ely, 1992: 26), pr operty rights generated an unjust inequality of power that led to a less-than-equal liberty (typically, ‘positive liberty’) for the working class† (Guide, pg. 10). This idea is closely related to American Liberalism today, in that it advocates civil and personal liberties with an indifference to private ownership. Another tenant of modern liberalism, taken from Rawls’ great work, â€Å"A Theory of Justice† published in 1971, â€Å"is that the ‘new liberalism’ has become focused on developing a theory of social justice† (Guide, pg. 10). This basic principle asserts that society should be structured so that social and economic inequalities give the greatest advantage to those who are the least well off. This works on the principle of reciprocity so that no social group advances at the cost of another. Liberals also believe that it is essential for the government to protect citizens from events such as environmental derogation as a consequence of â€Å"injustices and failures of free-market capitalism† (PowerPoints, Modern Liberalism, pg. 2). Modern liberalism believes that government protection and action is necessary in achieving equality and equal opportunity for all, for example protecting civil liberties as well as individual human rights. In terms of economics, Liberals tend to believe in a market system in which the government regulates the economy, as opposed to the above mentioned â€Å"free-market. † Most modern liberals are associated with the Democratic Party, â€Å"because of its support for wide ranging welfare programs and government support of the public sector as well as tighter corporate regulations (PowerPoints, Modern Liberalism, pg. 2). Modern conservatism, on the other hand, came in to play when conservatives began to dislike government control in the economy. In opposition from modern liberalism, modern conservatism favored and â€Å"embraced laissez-faire (free-market) economics† (PowerPoints, Modern Conservatism, pg. 1). In Russell Kirk’s, â€Å"Ten Conservative Principles,† he claims conservatism is, â€Å"a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the civil social order† (Guide, pg. 40). He first believes that for conservatives, there exists an everlasting moral order. He further states that there are two types of order, â€Å"the inner order of the soul and the outer order of the commonwealth† (Guide, pg. 1). Kirk has strong convictions that the 20th century world has suffered greatly due to a collapse of a belief in the moral order. Kirk further believes, â€Å"all social questions at heart, to be questions of private morality† (Guide, pg. 42). In addition, he believes that the conservative ideology is also strongly tied â€Å"to custom convention and continuity† (Guide , pg. 42). Conservatives believe that change should only take place when necessary and when necessary, it should be very gradual. This is derived from Kirk’s idea, â€Å"that modern people are dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, able to see farther than their ancestors only because of the great stature of those who have preceded us in time† (Guide, pg. 43). He feels that conservatives believe that freedom and property are closely linked and will create a more stable and productive country, an idea that is rooted in classical liberalism, â€Å"Economic leveling, conservatives maintain, is not economic progress† (Guide, pg. 45). Another belief conservatives hold, is the belief in a â€Å"voluntary community† where decisions affecting the community are made locally by political or private parties and not by a centralized government authority. In regards to economics, conservatives believe in limiting or cutting back on government programs and lowering taxes on both individuals and corporations. They also feel that economic growth can only be achieved through deregulating industries. This attitude is reflected in conservative’s claim that global warming is non-existent and a hoax. As Russell Kirk states in his, â€Å"Ten Conservative Principles,† â€Å"the decisions most directly affecting the lives of citizens are made locally and voluntarily† (Guide, pg. 45). This statement reflects conservatives desire to regulate policy and law through local communities and states rather than be controlled by a centralized federal government. In terms of foreign policy, â€Å"conservatives tend to favor strict definitions of national security before supporting military intervention† (PowerPoints, Modern Conservatism, pg. 3). Lastly, as liberals tend to be democrats, conservatives tend to be members of the Republican Party. In today’s political arena, there are many examples of conservative versus liberal attitudes reflected in economic, social, and environmental affairs. Currently, our nation is facing a looming deficit and as of August 2nd the nation will no longer be able to pay its bills. In the past the solution to this problem has been to raise the debt ceiling. Most economist agree that if the United States fails to raise the debt ceiling by August 2nd there will be huge repercussions throughout the world, for example, the United State’s credit rating will be lowered and interest rates will by higher. However, much debate surrounds this issue today, largely due to the fact that the federal deficit is at an all time record high and the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been declining. There is major controversy between the two parties as to how to achieve deficit reduction. Liberals want to accomplish this through a combination of taxation on the wealthy as well as spending cuts. While on the other hand, conservatives wish to cut public entitlements while leaving the present tax structure in place. Their slogan is â€Å"cut, cap, and balance† which has passed the House of Representatives but will surely die in the senate. Their argument is that in this time of economic difficulty and high unemployment, increased taxation on the rich would limit the â€Å"job creators† ability to hire. Both share a desire to cut spending, the question lies in where. Another example where liberals and conservatives differ in their approach to economic problems is in their response to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency created for consumer protection in the financial area. This agency was created in response to the financial crisis of 2008 and designed to avoid a future financial debacle in the future. Liberals say that this agency would regulate the financial industry to prevent â€Å"bad loans,† unfair bank charges, or outright fraud in our financial institutions. On the other hand, conservatives think that this agency is a totally unnecessary expansion of government that, with its regulations, will only get in the way of private industry and restrict access to credit for consumers. Once again this is an example of liberals favoring government regulation to protect society and conservatives stance that it interferes with personal enterprise. Another act embroiled in controversy between the liberals and conservatives is the Healthcare Reform Act passed in 2010 by the Obama administration. The final bill, passed in the senate without a single republican vote, was still considered by many liberals to fall short of their expectations of universal healthcare. As Paul Krugman wrote in his Op-Ed piece, â€Å"Healthcare Reform Myths,† â€Å"compared with the Platonic ideal of reform, Obamacare comes up short. If the votes were there, I would much prefer to see Medicare for all† (Guide, pg. 2). In the same article, however, he stresses that it extends coverage to 34 million Americans who would otherwise be insured. In addition, he mentioned that the Congressional Budget Office has concluded that this bill will actually control costs and ultimately reduce expenditures for healthcare. Conservatives have made repealing Obama’s healthcare reform bill a cardinal objective of their election campaign. This healthcar e act demonstrates liberals desire for social justice in wanting to provide equal access to ealth insurance for those with preexisting conditions and those who are uninsured. It also represents their desire for government to play a central role in the individual’s life. However, conservatives believe that government should stay out of private healthcare, even to the point where some far right conservatives advocate reducing even Medicare to a voucher system, depending on private insurance. The Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 is a prime example of a social affair that defined marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman. Under the terms of this act, same sex couples were not given the same benefits (social security, tax and health benefits) as heterosexual couples. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein has introduced a repeal bill that would allow any couples married in the six states allowing same sex marriage to enjoy these benefits. From the conservative point of view, this issue is seen from a moral point of view and the extreme right wing views homosexuality as evil and unnatural. Liberals on the other hand see it more as a civil rights issue where individuals should have the right to fully embrace their own personal freedom. The greatest difference between these two ideologies would be one coming from a moral standpoint as emphasized by Russell Kirk and the other more as a civil rights issue. Lastly, in regards to the environment, there is contrasting views on the restrictions enforced by the Clean Air Act of 1970, established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which was established to regulate the wide spread air pollutants deemed harmful to the public. Both conservatives and liberals espouse a platform for clean air and water. The differences lie in how they interpret this. Liberals want to enforce stricter regulations in their role to see government as a protector of society, â€Å"Liberals today believe that government must protect individuals from the inequities of modern society and correct the injustices and failures of â€Å"free-market† capitalism including environmental degradation† (PowerPoints, Modern Liberalism, pg. 2). Conservatives, on the other hand, constantly lobby to lower the EPA standards to allow business to operate with less government regulation with regard to their pollutants. In regards to climate change, Liberals have a strong conviction that is based on scientific date whereas many conservatives deem it â€Å"junk science. † Clearly, there are divisions aligning both conservative and liberals along their ideological party lines. However, to live in a democracy we must put aside our differences to find common ground so that we may succeed as a unified nation. This is best said by John Dewey, in his â€Å"Creative Democracy- The Task Before Us (1939) that, â€Å"Democracy is the belief that even when needs and ends or consequences are different for each individual, the habit of amicable cooperation-which may include, as in sport, rivalry and competition- is itself a priceless addition to life† (Guide, pg. 38) and â€Å"to cooperate by giving differences a chance to show themselves because of the belief that the expression of difference is not only a right of the other persons but is a means of enriching ones own life-experience, is inherent in the democratic personal way of life† (Guide, pg. 8). Although these two ideologies have many contrasting views, they are both working to achieve the same thing, what they feel is best for the country. When looking at both sides, it becomes evident that our nation is at its best when both sides, liberal and conservative, can listen to one another and work together towards a common goal of making this great country united and beneficial to all citizens.

Statistics for Leap Day on February 29

Statistics for Leap Day on February 29 The following explore different statistical aspects of a leap year.  Leap years have one extra day due to an astronomical fact about the earth’s revolution around the sun.  Almost every four years it’s a leap year. It takes roughly 365 and one-quarter days for the earth to revolve around the sun, however, the standard calendar year lasts only 365 days. Were we to ignore the extra quarter of a day, strange things would eventually happen to our seasons - like winter and snow in July in the northern hemisphere. To counteract the accumulation of additional quarters of a day, the Gregorian calendar adds an extra day of February 29 nearly every four years. These years are called leap years, and February 29th is known as leap day. Birthday Probabilities Assuming that birthdays are spread uniformly throughout the year, a leap day birthday on February 29 is the least probable of all birthdays. But what is the probability and how could we calculate it? We start by counting the number of calendar days in a four-year cycle. Three of these years have 365 days in them. The fourth year, a leap year has 366 days. The sum of all of these is 365365365366 1461. Only one of these days is a leap day. Therefore the probability of a leap day birthday is 1/1461. This means that less than 0.07% of the world’s population was born on a leap day. Given current population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 205,000 people in the U.S. have a February 29th birthday. For the world‘s population approximate 4.8 million have a February 29th birthday. For comparison, we can just as easily calculate the probability of a birthday on any other day of the year. Here we still have a total of 1461 days for every four years. Any day other than February 29 occurs four times in four years. Thus these other birthdays have a probability of 4/1461. The decimal representation of the first eight digits of this probability is 0.00273785. We could have also estimated this probability by calculating 1/365, one day out of the 365 days in a common year. The decimal representation of the first eight digits of this probability is 0.00273972. As we can see, these values match each other up to five decimal places. No matter which probability we use, this means that around 0.27% of the worlds population was born on a particular non-leap day. Counting Leap Years Since the institution of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, there have been a total of 104 leap days. Despite the common belief that any year that is divisible by four is a leap year, it’s not really true to say that every four years is a leap year. Century years, referring to years that end in two zeros such as 1800 and 1600 are divisible by four, but may not be leap years.  These century years count as leap years only if they are divisible by 400. As a result, only one out of every four years that end in two zeros is a leap year. The year 2000 was a leap year, however, 1800 and 1900 were not. The years 2100, 2200 and 2300 will not be leap years. Mean Solar Year The reason that 1900 was not a leap year has to do with the precise measurement of the average length of earth’s orbit. The solar year, or amount of time that it takes the earth to revolve around the sun, varies slightly over time. it is possible and helpful to find the mean of this variation.   The mean length of revolution is not 365 days and 6 hours, but instead 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds. A leap year every four years for 400 years will result in three too many days being added during this time period. The century year rule was instituted to correct this overcounting.

Advanced research design Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Advanced research design - Term Paper Example This design is employed in gathering data that are empirical on cultures and societies of humans. Data collection in ethnographic design can take a form of a questionnaire, an interview or observation. In this study, the collection of data was done using the internet based behavioural intervention for increasing physical activity and healthy eating. The interventions used in this study were presented to the participants through the email. This means that the intervention were in the form of a booklet. The sample for this research was made up of consists of college freshman of ages between 18 and 20. The participants were enrolled with the fact that they were willing to complete an internet-based behavioural intervention program to prevent weight gain. The participants were volunteers from a local university and were randomized to either a group of the intervention group or a control group. The dependent variable for this study was the efficiency of the intervention, whereas the indep endent variable was the different behavioural change for increasing physical activity and healthy eating by individuals who took part in the intervention. The controlled variable for this study was the participants’ ages. This is because the age of the participants did not have any effect on the reduction of weight. Despite the different ages of the subjects, there were no proofs of the age effect on the intervention efficiency response because change in the intervention efficiency response was due to the increasing physical activity and healthy eating by the participants. Hypothesis. The hypothesis for this study would be that increasing the physical activity and healthy eating increases the efficiency of the intervention where as reducing the physical activity and healthy eating will reduce the efficiency of the intervention used. Plan for statistical analysis of the hypothesis. Procedure Materials used. To analyse the hypothesis, the apparatus that would be used for includ e: A recorded CD, Oral and written explanations about the intervention, a research study, a response booklet and scale to rate the intervention efficiency. An example of such a scales used are: 1--------2--------3--------4--------5--------6--------7--------8--------9--------10 Not at all Very much. In this scales, digit 1 represent little efficiency where as digit 10 represent increased efficiency. Procedure. All subjects will be given oral and written explanation on research and the intervention through heir emails. The subjects will then be given behavioural intervention with highlighted concerns on the process of increasing the physical activity and healthy eating. In this case, the intervention will be made up of various physical activities and tips on healthy eating. The participants will take part in the intervention activities and record all the details from one intervention to another. The subject would measure their weight gain when having little physical activities and whe n having increased physical activities. Using a scale, the participants will describe the experience in the process of intervention by rating their efficiency of the intervention. All the results obtained would be recorded in a table. Discussion. A table with data on the extend of physical activity, healthy eating, and weight gained would be established. The increase in physical activity and healthy eating would be compared with the weight gain of the participants. The mean, standard deviation, and the mode for the data would be established (Bowling, 2007). A graph of weight gain against the physical