Monday, December 23, 2019

Domestic Terrorism Term paper - 702 Words

Excelsior College CJ 352 Domestic Terrorism Term Paper What are some of the arguments for or against the use of the internet as an intelligence-gathering tool? The internet is serving as virtual meeting for billions of users. The intelligence-gathering is leveraging the internet using hard data for online links. The social networking sites are the main complementary link to any information. The social networking sites provide the most important information for communication with anyone and joining different groups. It can identify terror-threats and incipient plots. The internet can provide quantum and quality of information by any member of the group. The internet penetration of†¦show more content†¦2. As a vast majority of past terrorist incidents in the United States have involved conventional weapons, why should the US government spend billions of dollars on WMD? The government of United States has spent millions of dollar on the countering of perceived danger and discussions are made by the government concerning the topic of vulnerabilities of United States including WMD. The WMD has two levels: first is to appraise the threat and to find the countermeasures in mass destructive terrorism. The WMD is intended to be protected by the US Domestic Preparedness Program. In section 1403, it is said that any weapon or device has the capability to cause any serious risk, death or seriously bodily injury to a large number of people through highly toxic chemical. The details about how large the number of people and how can the capability of weapon be known? None of such questions is answered and no explanation is given. The US is spending millions on WMD due to two conclusions: the WMD supports for the attacks using deadly weapons because these weapons are lethal and destructive. Other conclusion can state that the results of an attack are more focused rather than how attack is done. The terrorists can use non-conventional weapons are not important in WMD terrorism. 3. How does intelligence gathering and counter terrorism measures strengthen US policy against domestic terrorists? Explain in detail. TheShow MoreRelatedThe Difference between Terrorism and Domestic Terrorism Essay1104 Words   |  5 PagesThe terms terrorism and domestic terrorism are very similar concepts. There are, however, slight differences in each. Entities that are apart of the Government have slightly different ways of explaining what they believe to be the correct definition of terrorism and domestic terrorism. In this paper the author will offer definitions of the two terms and state which one they agree with the most. The author will also state how the two terms are best differentiated. The Federal Bureau of InvestigationRead MoreFree Movement Policy1318 Words   |  6 PagesEmpirical Research Question Has the implementation of the European Union’s free movement policies led to a rise in domestic terrorism throughout its member states? Why In game theory, one of the more fascinating parts of current research is on how people make decisions that are sometimes against their own long-term interests if it gives a positive initial reaction. Sometimes, this can be extended to when an actor cannot reasonably determine their situation or its variables. This is an attemptRead MoreRed Cell Analysis Of Right Wing Extremist Militias1638 Words   |  7 PagesRed Cell Analysis of Right Wing Extremist Militias in the United States Christopher A Caley HLSS230 Intelligence Homeland Security 13 August 2015 Right wing miliita groups represent a danger to the domestic security of the United States. 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The region is characterized by systematic human under-development and socio-political decay. By draining resources from development, terrorism creates an additional burden on the society and interferes with development opportunities. According to Aghedo Osumah (2012) the term national security has been boarded to encompass both state and human security. While state security is analogous to the dominant notion of national security, human security, onRead MoreThe United States Patriot Act1533 Words   |  7 PagesKaylyn Dailey 11/27/16 Professor Carter American Gov. Term Paper Patriot Act On September 11, 2001, the Unites States suffered massive destruction caused by terrorism. Four planes were hijacked by terrorist. Nearly, three thousand lives were lost when two planes crashed into the World Trade Towers, one crashed into the Pentagon, and the final plane crashed in Pennsylvania before it could reach its final destination. 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Lamb The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 21 Free Essays

string(89) " some of the sheep bladders with rendered fat, and bundle the wool in some kind of hide\." Chapter 21 â€Å"You make a very attractive woman,† Rumi said from the comfort of his pit. â€Å"Did I tell you that my wife has passed on to her next incarnation and that I am alone?† â€Å"Yeah, you mentioned that.† He seemed to have given up on us getting his daughter back. We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 21 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"What happened to the rest of your family, anyway?† â€Å"They drowned.† â€Å"I’m sorry. In the Ganges?† â€Å"No, at home. It was the monsoon season. Little Vitra and I had gone to the market to buy some swill, and there was a sudden downpour. When we returned†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged. â€Å"I don’t mean to sound insensitive, Rumi, but there is a chance that your loss could have been caused by – oh, I don’t know – perhaps the fact that you LIVE IN A FUCKING PIT!† â€Å"That’s not helping, Biff,† Joshua said. â€Å"You said you had a plan?† â€Å"Right. Rumi, am I correct in assuming that these pits, when someone is not living in them, are used for tanning hides?† â€Å"Yes, it is work that only Untouchables may do.† â€Å"That would account for the lovely smell. I assume you use urine in the tanning process, right?† â€Å"Yes, urine, mashed brains, and tea are the main ingredients.† â€Å"Show me the pit where the urine is condensed.† â€Å"The Rajneesh family is living there.† â€Å"That’s okay, we’ll bring them a present. Josh, do you have any lint in the bottom of your satchel?† â€Å"What are you up to?† â€Å"Alchemy,† I said. â€Å"The subtle manipulation of the elements. Watch and learn.† When it was not being used, the urine pit was the home of the Rajneesh family, and they were more than happy to give us loads of the white crystals that covered the floor of their home. There were six in the family, father, mother, an almost grown daughter, and three little ones. Another little son had been taken for sacrifice at the festival of Kali. Like Rumi, and all the other Untouchables, the Rajneesh family looked more like skeletons mummified in brown leather than people. The Untouchable men went about the pits naked or wearing only a loincloth, and even the women were dressed in tatters that barely covered them – nothing as nice as the stylish sari that I had purchased in the marketplace. Mr. Rajneesh commented that I was a very attractive woman and encouraged me to drop by after the next monsoon. Joshua pounded chunks of the crystallized mineral into a fine white powder while Rumi and I collected charcoal from under the heated dying pit (a firebox had been gouged out of the stone under the pit) which the Untouchables used to render the flowers from the indigo shrub into fabric dye. â€Å"I need brimstone, Rumi. Do you know what that is? A yellow stone that burns with a blue flame and gives off a smoke that smells like rotten eggs?† â€Å"Oh yes, they sell it in the market as some sort of medicine.† I handed the Untouchable a silver coin. Go buy as much of it as you can carry.† â€Å"Oh my, this will be more than enough money. May I buy some salt with what is left?† â€Å"Buy what you need with what’s left over, just go.† Rumi skulked away and I went to help Joshua process the saltpeter. The concept of abundance was an abstract one to the Untouchables, except as it pertained to two categories, suffering and animal parts. If you wanted decent food, shelter, or clean water, you would be sorely disappointed among the Untouchables, but if you were in the market for beaks, bones, teeth, hides, sinew, hooves, hair, gallstones, fins, feathers, ears, antlers, eyeballs, bladders, lips, nostrils, poop chutes, or any other inedible part of virtually any creature that walked on, swam under, or flew over the subcontinent of India, then the Untouchables were likely to have what you wanted lying around, conveniently stored beneath a thick blanket of black flies. In order to fashion the equipment I needed for my plan, I had to think in terms of animal parts. Fine unless you need, say, a dozen short swords, bows and arrows, and chain mail for thirty soldiers and all you have to work with is a stack of nostrils and three mismatched poop chutes. It was a challenge, but I made do. As Jo shua moved among the Untouchables, surreptitiously healing their maladies, I barked out my orders. â€Å"I need eight sheep bladders – fairly dry – two handfuls of crocodile teeth, two pieces of rawhide as long as my arms and half again as wide. No, I don’t care what kind of animal, just not too ripe, if you can manage it. I need hair from an elephant’s tail. I need firewood, or dried dung if you must, eight oxtails, a basket of wool, and a bucket of rendered fat.† And a hundred scrawny Untouchables stood there, eyes as big as saucers, just staring at me while Joshua moved among them, healing their wounds, sicknesses, and insanities, without any of them suspecting what was happening. (We’d agreed that this was the wisest tack to take, as we didn’t want a bunch of healthy Untouchables athletically bounding through Kalighat proclaiming that they had been cured of all ills by a strange foreigner, thus attracting attention to us and spoiling my plan. On the other hand, neither could we stand there and watch these people suffer, knowing that we – well, Joshua – had the power to help them.) He’d also taken to poking one of them in the arm with his finger anytime anyone said the word â€Å"Untouchable.† Later he told me that he just hated passing up the opportunity for palpable irony. I cringed when I saw Joshua touching the lepers among them, as if after all these years away from Israel a tiny Pharisee stood on my shoulder and screamed, â€Å"Unclean!† â€Å"Well?† I said after I’d finished my orders. â€Å"Do you want your children back or not?† â€Å"We don’t have a bucket,† said one woman. â€Å"Or a basket,† said another. â€Å"Okay, fill some of the sheep bladders with rendered fat, and bundle the wool in some kind of hide. You read "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 21" in category "Essay examples" Now go, we don’t have a lot of time.† And they all stood and looked at me. Big eyes. Sores healed. Parasites purged. They just looked at me. â€Å"Look, I know my Sanskrit isn’t great, but you do know what I am asking?† A young man stepped forward. â€Å"We do not want to anger Kali by depriving her of her sacrifices.† â€Å"You’re kidding, right?† â€Å"Kali is the bringer of destruction, without which there can be no rebirth. She is the remover of the bondage that ties us to the material world. If we anger her, she will deprive us of her divine destruction.† I looked at Joshua across the crowd. â€Å"Do you understand this?† â€Å"Fear?† he said. â€Å"Can you help?† I asked in Aramaic. â€Å"I’m not good at fear,† Joshua said in Hebrew. I thought for a second as two hundred eyes pinned me to the sandstone on which I stood. I remembered the red-stained gashes on the wooden elephant statues at the altar of Kali. Death was their deliverance, was it? â€Å"What is your name?† I asked the man who had stepped out of the crowd. â€Å"Nagesh,† he said. â€Å"Stick out your tongue, Nagesh.† He did, and I threw back the cloth that covered my head and loosened it around my neck. Then I touched his tongue. â€Å"Destruction is a gift you value?† â€Å"Yes,† said Nagesh. â€Å"Then I shall be the instrument of the goddess’s gift.† With that I pulled the black glass dagger from the sheath in my sash, held it up before the crowd. While Nagesh stood, passive, wide-eyed, I drove my thumb under his jaw, pushed his head back, and brought the dagger down across his throat. I lowered him to the ground as the red liquid spurted over the sandstone. I stood and faced the crowd again, holding the dripping blade over my head. â€Å"You owe me, you ungrateful fucks! I have brought to your people the gift of Kali, now bring me what I ask for.† They moved really quickly for people who were on the edge of starvation. After the Untouchables scattered to do my bidding, Joshua and I stood over the bloodstained body of Nagesh. â€Å"That was fantastic,† Joshua said. â€Å"Absolutely perfect.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Had you been practicing all that time we were in the monastery?† â€Å"You didn’t see me push the pressure point in his neck then?† â€Å"No, not at all.† â€Å"Gaspar’s kung fu training. The rest, of course, was from Joy and Balthasar.† I bent over and opened Nagesh’s mouth, then took the ying-yang vial from around my neck and put a drop of the antidote on the Untouchable’s tongue. â€Å"So he can hear us now, like when Joy poisoned you?† Joshua asked. I pulled back one of Nagesh’s eyelids and watched the pupil contract slowly in the sunlight. â€Å"No, I think he’s still unconscious from me holding the pressure point. I didn’t think the poison would work quickly enough. I could only get a drop of poison on my finger when I loosened my sari. I knew it would keep him down, I just wasn’t sure it would put him down.† â€Å"Well, you are truly a magus, now, Biff. I’m impressed.† â€Å"Joshua, you healed a hundred people today. Half of them were probably dying. I did some sleight of hand.† My friend’s enthusiasm was undeterred. â€Å"What’s the red stuff, pomegranate juice? I can’t figure out where you concealed it.† â€Å"No, actually I was going to ask you about that.† â€Å"What?† I held my arm up and showed Joshua where I had slashed my own wrist (the source of blood for the show). I had been holding it against my leg and as soon as I removed the pressure the blood started spurting again. I sat down hard on the sandstone and my vision began to tunnel down to a pinpoint. â€Å"I was hoping you could help me out with this,† I said before I fainted. â€Å"You need to work on that part of the trick,† Joshua said when I came to. â€Å"I might not always be around to fix your wrist.† He was speaking Hebrew – that meant for my ears only. I saw Joshua kneeling above me, then beyond him the sky was blotted out by curious brown faces. The recently murdered Nagesh was in the front of the crowd. â€Å"Hey, Nagesh, how’d the rebirth go?† I asked in Sanskrit. â€Å"I must have strayed from my dharma in my last life,† Nagesh said. â€Å"I have been reincarnated, once again, as an Untouchable. And I have the same ugly wife.† â€Å"You challenged master Levi who is called Biff,† I said, â€Å"of course you didn’t move up. You’re lucky you’re not a stink bug or something. See, destruction isn’t the big favor you all thought it was.† â€Å"We brought the things you asked for.† I hopped to my feet feeling incredibly rested and energized. â€Å"Nice,† I said to Joshua. â€Å"I feel like I just had one of those strong coffees you used to make at Balthasar’s.† â€Å"I miss coffee,† said Josh. I looked at Nagesh, â€Å"I don’t suppose you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We have swill.† â€Å"Never mind,† I said. Then I said one of those things that as a boy growing up in Galilee, you never think you’ll hear yourself say: â€Å"Okay, Untouchables, bring me the sheep bladders!† Rumi said that the goddess Kali was served by a host of black-skinned female demons, who sometimes during the feast would bring men to corners of the altar and copulate with them as blood rained down from the goddess’s saw-tooth maw above. â€Å"Okay, Josh, you’re one of them,† I said. â€Å"What are you gonna be?† â€Å"The goddess Kali, of course. You got to be God last time.† â€Å"What last time?† â€Å"All of the last times.† I turned to my intrepid minions. â€Å"Untouchables, paint him up!† â€Å"They’re not going to buy that a burr-headed Jewish kid is their goddess of destruction.† â€Å"O ye of little faith,† I said. Three hours later we were again crouched beneath a tree near the temple of Kali. We were both dressed as women, covered from head to toe by our saris, but I was looking much lumpier under mine due to Kali’s extra arms and garland of severed heads, played tonight by painted sheep bladders filled with explosives and suspended around my neck by long strands of elephant tail hair. Any observers who might get close enough to notice my protrusions were quickly deterred by the smell coming off of Joshua and me. We had used the goo from the bottom of Rumi’s pit to paint our bodies black. I didn’t have the courage to ask what the substance had been in life, but if there was a place where they allowed vultures to ripen in the sun before pounding them into a smooth paste and mixing it with just the right amount of buffalo squat, then Rumi called it home. The Untouchables had also painted huge red rings around Joshua’s eyes, fitted him with a ropey wig of oxtails, and affixed to his torso six pert little breasts fashioned from pitch. â€Å"Stay away from any open flame. Your tits will go up like volcanos.† â€Å"Why did I have to have six and you only had to have two.† â€Å"Because I am the goddess and have to wear the garland of skulls and the extra arms.† We’d made my arms from rawhide, using my primary arms as models, then drying the molded arms in place over the fire. The women made a harness that held the extra arms in place under my own, then we painted the arms black with the same black goo. They were a little wobbly, but they were light and would look realistic enough in the dark. It was still hours from the height of the ceremony at midnight, when the children would be hacked to death, but we wanted to be there in time to stop the revelers from cutting off the children’s fingers if we could. Now, the wooden elephants were empty on their turntables, but the altar of Kali was already filling with gruesome tribute. The heads of a thousand goats had been laid on the altar before the goddess, and the blood ran slick over the stones and in the grooves that channeled it into large brass pots at the corners of the altar. Female acolytes carried the pots up a narrow ladder at the back of the great statue of Kali, then dumped them through some sort of reservoir that fed it through the goddess’s jaws. Below, by torchlight, worshipers danced in the sticky shower as the blood flowed down upon them. â€Å"Look, those women are dressed like me,† Joshua said. â€Å"Except they only have two breasts each.† â€Å"Technically, they’re not dressed, they’re painted. You make a very attractive female demon, Josh. Did I tell you that?† â€Å"This isn’t going to work.† â€Å"Of course it’s going to work.† I guessed that there were already ten thousand worshipers in the temple square, dancing, chanting, and beating drums. A procession of thirty men came down the main boulevard, each carrying a basket under his arm. As they reached the altar, each man dumped the contents of the basket over the rows of bloody goat heads. â€Å"What are those?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Those are exactly what you think they are.† â€Å"They’re not the heads of the children?† â€Å"No, I think those are the heads of strangers who happened down the road we were on before Rumi came along to pull us into the grass.† After the severed heads were dispersed across the altar, the female acolytes came out of the crowd dragging the headless corpse of a man, which they laid on the steps leading to the altar. Each one mimed having intercourse with the corpse, then rubbed their genitalia against the bloody stump of its neck before dancing away, blood and ochre dripping down the insides of their thighs. â€Å"There’s sort of a theme developing here,† I said. â€Å"I think I’m going to be sick,† Joshua said. â€Å"Mindful breath,† I said, using one of the phrases that Gaspar was always barking at us when we were learning meditation. I knew that if Joshua could stay with the yeti for days at a time without freezing to death, he could certainly conjure up the bodily control to keep from throwing up. The sheer magnitude of the carnage was all that was keeping me from vomiting. It was as if the atrocity of the whole scene couldn’t fit in my mind all at once, so I could only see just enough for my sanity and my stomach to remain intact. A shout went up in the crowd now and I could see a torch-lit sedan chair being carried above the heads of the worshipers. On it reclined a half-naked man with a tiger skin wrapped around his hips, his skin painted light gray with ashes. His hair was plaited with grease and he wore the bones of a human hand as a skullcap. Around his neck hung a necklace of human skulls. â€Å"High priest,† I said. â€Å"They aren’t even going to notice you, Biff. How can you even get their attention after they’ve seen all this?† â€Å"They haven’t seen what I’m going to show them.† As the sedan chair emerged from the crowd in front of the altar, we could see a procession following it: tied to the back of the sedan chair was a line of naked children, most of them not more than five or six, their hands tied together, a less ornately dressed priest on either side of them to steady them. The priests began to untie the children and take them to the great wooden elephants lining the boulevard. Here and there in the crowd I could see people beginning to brandish edged weapons: short swords, axes, and the long-bladed spears Joshua and I had seen over the elephant grass. The high priest was sitting on the headless corpse, shouting a poem about the divine release of Kali’s destruction or something. â€Å"Here we go,† I said, pulling the black glass dagger from under my sari. â€Å"Take this.† Joshua looked at the blade shimmering in the torchlight. â€Å"I won’t kill anyone,† he said. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, drawing long red lines through the black and if anything making him look more fierce. â€Å"That’s fine, but you’ll need to cut them loose.† â€Å"Right.† He took the knife from me. â€Å"Josh, you know what’s coming. You’ve seen it before. Nobody else here has, especially those kids. You can’t carry all of them, so they have to have enough of their wits about them to follow you. I know you can keep them from being afraid. Put your teeth in.† Joshua nodded and slipped the row of crocodile teeth attached to a piece of rawhide under his upper lip, leaving the teeth to protrude like fangs. I put in my own false fangs, then ran into the dark to circle the crowd. As I approached the rear of the altar I pulled the special torch I’d made from under my girdle of human hands. (Actually my girdle of human hands was made of dried goat’s udders stuffed with straw, but the Untouchable women had done a pretty good job as long as no one bothered to count fingers.) Through Kali’s stone legs I could see the priests tying each of the children on the trunk of a wooden elephant. As soon as the bonds were tight, each priest drew a bronze blade and held it aloft, ready to strike off a finger as soon as the high priest gave the signal. I struck the tip of my torch on the edge of the altar, screamed for all I was worth, then threw my sari off and ran up the steps as the torch burst into dazzling blue flame that trailed sparks behind me as I ran. I hopped across the array of goat heads and stood between the legs of the statue of Kali, my torch held aloft in one hand, one of my severed heads swinging by the hair in the other. â€Å"I am Kali,† I screamed. â€Å"Fear me!† It came out sort of mumbled through my fake teeth. Some of the drums stopped and the high priest turned around and looked at me, more because of the bright light of the torch than my fierce proclamation. â€Å"I am Kali,† I shouted again. â€Å"Goddess of destruction and all this disgusting crap you have here!† They weren’t getting it. The priest signaled for the other priests to come around me from the sides. Some of the female acolytes were already trying to make their way across the dance floor of decapitations toward me. â€Å"I mean it. Bow down to me!† The priests charged on. I did have the crowd’s attention, though unfortunately they weren’t cowering in fear at my angry goddessness. I could see Joshua moving around the wooden elephants, the guarding priests having left their posts to come after me. â€Å"Really! I mean it!† Maybe it was the teeth. I spit them out toward the nearest of my attackers. Running across a sea of slick, bloody heads is evidently a pretty difficult task. Not if you’ve spent the last six years of your life hopping from the top of one post to another, even in ice and snow, but for the run-of-the-mill homicidal priest, it’s a tough row to hoe. The priests and acolytes were slipping and sliding among the goat and human heads, falling over each other, smacking into the feet of the statue, one even impaling himself on a goat’s horn when he fell. One of the priests was only a few feet away from me now, trying not to fall on his own blade as he crawled over the mess. â€Å"I will bring destruction†¦oh, fuck it,† I said. I lit the fuse on the severed head I held in my hand, then swung it between my legs and tossed it in a steep arch over my head. It trailed sparks on its way into the black goddess’s open maw, then disappeared. I kicked the approaching priest in the jaw, then danced across the goat heads, leapt over the head of the high priest, and was halfway to Joshua at the first wooden elephant when Kali, with a deafening report, breathed fire out over the crowd and the top of her head blew off. Finally, I had the crowd’s attention. They were trampling each other to get away, but I had their attention. I stood in the middle of the boulevard, swinging my second severed head in a circle, waiting for the fuse to burn down before I let it sail over the heads of the receding crowd. It exploded in the air, sending a circle of flame across the sky and no doubt deafening some of the worshipers who were close. Joshua had seven of the children around him, clinging to his legs as he moved to the next elephant. Several of the priests had recovered and were storming down the steps of the altar toward me, knives in hand. I pulled another head from my garland, lit the fuse, and held it out to them. â€Å"Ah, ah, ah,† I cautioned. â€Å"Kali. Goddess of destruction. Wrath et cetera.† At the sight of the sparking fuse they stopped and began to backpedal. â€Å"Now that’s the sort of respect you should have shown before.† I started whirling the head by the hair and the priests lost all semblance of courage and turned and ran. I hurled the head back up the boulevard onto the altar, where it exploded, sending a spray of real severed goat heads in all directions. â€Å"Josh! Duck! Goat heads!† Joshua pushed the children to the ground and fell over them until the pieces settled. He glared at me a second, then went on to free the other children. I hurled three more heads into different directions and now the entire temple square was nearly deserted but for Joshua, the children, a few injured worshipers, and the dead. I had built the bombs without any shrapnel in them, so those who had been injured had been trampled in the panic and the dead were those who had already been sacrificed to Kali. I think we pulled it off without killing anyone. As Joshua led the children down the wide boulevard and out of the temple square, I covered our exit, backing down the boulevard, my last explosive head swinging in one hand, my torch in the other. Once I saw that Joshua and the children were safely away, I lit the fuse, whirled the head around and let it fly toward the black goddess. â€Å"Bitch,† I said. I was out of sight when it exploded. Joshua and I got as far as a limestone cliff overlooking the Ganges before we had to stop to let the children rest. They were tired and hungry, but mostly they were hungry, and we had brought nothing for them to eat. At least, after Joshua’s touch, they weren’t afraid, and that gave them some peace. Josh and I were too jangled to sleep, so we sat up as the children lay down on the rocks around us and snored like kittens. Joshua held Rumi’s little daughter, Vitra, and before long her face was smeared with black paint from nuzzling his shoulder. All through the night, as he rocked the child, all I heard Joshua say was, â€Å"No more blood. No more blood.† At first light we could see thousands, no, tens of thousands of people gathering at the banks of the river, all dressed in white, except for a few old men who were naked. They moved into the water and stood facing east, heads raised in anticipation, dotting the river as far as the eye could see. As the sun became a molten fingernail of light on the horizon, the muddy surface of the river turned golden. The gold light reflected off its surface onto the buildings, the shanties, the trees, the palaces, making everything in sight, including the worshipers, appear to have been gilded. And worshipers they were, for we could hear their songs from where we sat, and although we could not discern the words, we could hear that these were the songs of God. â€Å"Are those the same people from last night?† I said. â€Å"They would have to be, wouldn’t they?† â€Å"I don’t understand these people. I don’t understand their religion. I don’t understand how they think.† Joshua stood and watched the Indians bowing and singing to the dawn, looking occasionally to the face of the child that slept on his shoulder. â€Å"This is testament to the glory of God’s creation, whether these people know it or not.† â€Å"How can you say that? The sacrifices to Kali, the way the Untouchables are treated. Whatever they might believe, in practice their religion is hideous.† â€Å"You’re right. It’s not right to condemn this child because she was not born a Brahman?† â€Å"Of course not.† â€Å"Then is it right to condemn her because she is not born a Jew?† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"A man who is born a gentile may not see the kingdom of God. Are we, as Hebrews, any different from them? The lambs at the temple on Passover? The wealth and power of the Sadducees while others go hungry? At least the Untouchables can reach their reward eventually, through karma and rebirth. We don’t allow any gentile to do so.† â€Å"You can’t compare what they do to God’s law. We don’t sacrifice human beings. We feed our poor, we take care of the sick.† â€Å"Unless the sick are unclean,† Joshua said. â€Å"But, Josh, we’re the chosen. It’s God’s will.† â€Å"But is it right? He won’t tell me what to do. So I’ll say. And I say, no more.† â€Å"You’re not just talking about eating bacon, are you?† â€Å"Gautama the Buddha gave the way to people of all births to find the hand of God. With no blood sacrifice. Our doors have been marked with blood for too long, Biff.† â€Å"So that’s what you think you’re going to do? Bring God to everyone?† â€Å"Yes. After a nap.† â€Å"Of course, I meant after a nap.† Joshua held the little girl so I could see her face as she slept on his shoulder. When the children awoke we led them back to their families at the pits, handing them into the arms of their mothers, who snatched each child away from us as if we were devils incarnate; they glared over their shoulders as they carried the babies back to their pits. â€Å"Grateful bunch,† I said. â€Å"They are afraid that we’ve angered Kali. And we’ve brought them another hungry mouth.† â€Å"Still. Why did they help us if they didn’t want their children back?† â€Å"Because we told them what to do. That’s what they do. What they are told. That’s how the Brahmans keep them in line. If they do what they are told, then perhaps they will not be Untouchables next life.† â€Å"That’s depressing.† Joshua nodded. We only had little Vitra to return to her father now, and I was sure that Rumi would be happy to see his daughter. His distress over losing her had basically been the reason he had saved our lives. As we came over the sandstone rise we could see that Rumi was not alone in his pit. Rumi stood on his sitting rock, stark naked, sprinkling salt on his erect member as a large humpbacked cow, which nearly filled the rest of the pit, licked at the salt. Joshua held Vitra so she faced away from the pit, then backed away, as if he didn’t want to disturb the moment of beefy intimacy. â€Å"A cow, Rumi?† I exclaimed. â€Å"I thought you people had beliefs.† â€Å"That’s not a cow, that’s a bull,† Joshua said. â€Å"Oh, that’s got to be your super-bonus abomination there. Where we come from whole cities get destroyed for that kind of thing, Rumi.† I reached over and put my hand over Vitra’s eyes. â€Å"Stay away from Daddy, honey, or you’ll turn into a pillar of salt.† â€Å"But this is my wife, reincarnated.† â€Å"Oh, don’t try that one on me, Rumi. For six years I lived in a Buddhist monastery where the only female company was a wild yak. I know from desperate.† Joshua grabbed my arm. â€Å"You didn’t?† â€Å"Relax, I’m just making a point. You’re the Messiah here, Josh. What do you think?† â€Å"I think we need to go to Tamil and find the third magus.† He set Vitra down and Rumi quickly pulled up his loincloth as the child ran to him. â€Å"Go with God, Rumi,† Joshua said. â€Å"May Shiva watch over you, you heretics. Thank you for returning my daughter.† Joshua and I gathered up our clothes and satchels, then bought some rice in the market and set out for Tamil. We followed the Ganges south until we came to the sea, where Joshua and I washed the gore of Kali from our bodies. We sat on the beach, letting the sun dry our skin as we picked pitch out of our chest hairs. â€Å"You know, Josh,† I said, as I fought a particularly stubborn gob of tar that had stuck in my armpit, â€Å"when you were leading those kids out of the temple square, and they were so little and weak, but none of them seemed afraid†¦well, it was sort of heartwarming.† â€Å"Yep, I love all the little children of the world, you know?† â€Å"Really?† He nodded. â€Å"Green and yellow, black and white.† â€Å"Good to know – Wait, green?† â€Å"No, not green. I was just fuckin’ with you.† How to cite Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 21, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Global Warming Trend Without the Contributions

Question: Descrbe about the Global Warming Trend Without the Contributions? Answer: Using of Meteorological Data of Arctic Region It has been observed that there is a noteworthy seasonality in the climate of the Arctic region like some of the great rivers of Russia and North America almost stops its flow in the winter season. Besides, in the May, it can be seen that the frozen ice in the rivers starts to break gradually and in the month of June hurried downpour of fresh water can be observed (Banerjee, 2012). This is sometimes followed by the fall in flow and this process continues up to November as in November it stars to freeze. Figure 1.1: Yearly Cycle of Arctic Region Recording the Temparature of Arctic Region Name and General Location Date Temparature EUMETNET Arctic Ocean 3rd February, 2015 -24.0 C NPEO Station 5th February, 2015 -28.0 C IABP Station 7th February, 2015 -21.0 C UpTempO Station 9th February, 2015 -23.0 C Table 2.1 Arctic Temparature Data, February, 2015 It has been observed that the temparatre of Arctic Region has been recorded in the month of February, 2015 from the for different geostations. 3rd February, the tremparatre of this region was recorded as -24.0 C while from NPEO Station te temparatre was noted as -28.0 C. From IABP station, the temparatre was -21.0 C on 7th Febraary and on 9th Febrar te temparatre was recorded as -23.0 C. Terefore, it ca be said that the minimum teprature was recored on 5th Febrary from NPEO Station while maximum temparatre was noted on 7th Febrary from IABP station (Mahlstein and Knutti, 2012). Elaboration of Data received from the Stations Here the temparatre has been recorded in the month of February. In this time, Sun is in the southern part of the world and thus in northern part it is winter solistice. In this time peroid, the Arctic region faces 24 hours of night. Chilling weather accompanied by thunder storm can be observed and this is the most common scenarion of this time period (Nagato and Tanaka, 2012). At this point of time, the Sun sheds its maximum heat in the south region and this affects the weather of Arctic in such a way that most of the time heavy thunder storm make the situation worst. As we all know the Equinoxes are on 22nd September and 20th March, therefore, the temparature statrs to rise in the month of February comparaed to the other winter months of the year. In the first part of February, the temparature tends to be low but at the end of this month, the temparature starts to rise gradually as the Equinox comes close that is in March (Perry and Andersen, 2012). Comparing the Temparature of Arctic Region in normal time and in the specified year In this report, the reseracher has selected the month of February, 2015 and has compared this data with data received from 2010, February (Showstack, 2012). Here the weather data of February, 2010 has been given for the better evaluation of the data. Name and General Location Date Temparature Eumetnet Arctic Ocean 3rd February, 2010 -24.0 C NPEO Station 5th February, 2010 -30.0 C IABP Station 7th February, 2010 -22.0 C UpTempO Station 9th February, 2010 -19.0 C Table 4.1: Arctic Temparature Data, February, 2010 It can be seen from the above table that the temparature of these stations in the year 2010 was recorded and this has differed from the temparature recorded in the month of February of 2015. the lowest temparature has been recorded as -30.0 C in NPEO station on 5th February and the highest temparature was recorded -19.0 C on 9th February, 2015 in UpTempO Station. Therefore, from the noted data it can be said that for the last 5 years the trend of temparature has changed and this is perhaps due to the global warming (Roberts, 2012). Comparing the Observed data Arctic Climate Impact Assessment focuses on the four regions of Arctic regions and this is considered as the first comprehensive as well as integrated assessment of the climatic change along with the ultra violet radiation throughout the whole arctic region (Showstack, 2012). It has been noted that middling sea ice extent for August 2015 was recorded as 5.61 million square kilometers. The rapid change of weather has been notoced here as many geographers argue that Antartic and Arctic are two vulnarable places of the world. It can be said that there is a large rate of daily ice loss since late July of 2015 and this has slowed down in August (Roberts, 2012). The ice is presently tracking poorer than the two standard deviations underneath the 1981 to 2010 long term standard. References Banerjee, S. (2012). Arctic voices. New York: Seven Stories Press. Mahlstein, I. and Knutti, R. (2012). September Arctic sea ice predicted to disappear near 2C Global Warming Above Present. J. Geophys. Res., 117(D6). Nagato, Y. and Tanaka, H. (2012). Global warming trend without the contributions from decadal variability of the Arctic Oscillation. Polar Science, 6(1), pp.15-22. Perry, C. and Andersen, B. (2012). New strategic dynamics in the Arctic region. [Cambridge: Institute for Foreign policy Analysis. Roberts, T. (2012). Arctic contaminants and climate change. Nature Climate Change, 2(12), pp.829-829. Showstack, R. (2012). Arctic region mapping tool. Eos Trans. AGU, 93(33), p.319.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

What was Romes greatest strength as a civilizatio Essays - Culture

What was Rome's greatest strength as a civilization ? Rome had been the longest lasting as well as one of the most successful civilizations in recorded history being the first to create a fully stable government. Rome went through three different cycles of government starting in a monarchy, then going to a republic, and not too long after becoming a monarchy but were gradually diminished by the Germans before they managed to reach the tyrannical stage of government. All in all, Romans had made the greatest technological and militaristic advances compared to other civilizations of the time. Rome's government was the back bone of the civilization, allowing for citizens to have a say in how things were run allowed for the people to be happy but was chaotic at the same time, but this allowed people to get what they want ed creating a better overall environment. Since Rome had a strong government it allowed for them to create an effective army as well , which included the best military leader of the time. The government also allowed for education to strive resulting in the creation of general sc hools so children could learn basic reading and writing, which was meant for citizens who didn't have much money . While those who did have money would pay for private tutors for a higher education. The ability for Rome to have most of its inhabitance to have the ability to read and write was a big plus since it allowed for easy communication between the masses. Rome's government also played a huge part in the ability to create one of the most effective army's in the worlds history as well. The army consisted of extrem ely skilled military commanders. T he army was also loyal to Rome and not the commanders , allowing for them to fight f or their civilization, creating the mentality that they had something to protect and were not just hired hands. Having a great military allowed for the empire to continually expand as well as give the republic more power. Rome's empire had been the longest lasting civilization the world has ever seen lasting for many hundreds of years, everything that the Romans did added to their strength as a nation , meaning that not one thing could have existed without the creation of the others which all came together to form the republic. which is why even today we still look in the history books at how they ran their government, military, schools, ect to learn how we can better ourselves and improve our society since it is a proven fact that history repeats its self over and over again.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Persian Gulf War Essays - IraqUnited States Relations

The Persian Gulf War Essays - IraqUnited States Relations The Persian Gulf War subject = U.S. History title = The Persian Gulf War The Persian Gulf War-the Feat of the Western Countries On August 2nd, 1990 Iraqi military forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. The order was given by Iraqi dictatorial president Saddam Hussein. His aim was apparently to take control Kuwaits oil reserves (despite its small size Kuwait is a huge oil producer; it has about 10 per cent of the worlds oil reserves ). Iraq accused Kuwait, and also the United Arab Emirates, of breaking agreements that limit oil production in the Middle East. According to Saddam Hussein, this brought down world oil prices severely and caused financial loss of billions of dollars in Iraqs annual revenue. Saddam Hussein had the nearly hopeless task of justifying the invasion. He plead the fact that Kuwait had been part of the Ottoman province of Basra, a city in the south of Iraq. However, the Ottoman province collapsed after World War I and todays Iraqi borders were not created until then. There was also a further and more obvious blunder in a bid to justify this illegal invasion. Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, had namely recognized Kuwaiti independence in 1963. Furthermore, Hussein claimed that Kuwait had illegally pumped oil from the Iraqi oil field of Rumaila and otherwise conspired to reduce Iraqs essential oil income. By invading Kuwait, Iraq succeeded in surprising the entire world. The USA ended her policy of accommodating Saddam Hussein, which had existed since the Iran-Iraq war. Negative attitude toward Iraq was soon a worldwide phenomenon. The United Nations Security Council passed 12 resolutions condemning the invasion. The ultimate decision was to use military force if Iraq did not withdraw unconditionally by January 15, 1991. Then, when the deadline was set, it was time to start preparing for the worst-the war. President George Bush confronted little difficulty in winning Americans support for the potential war against Iraq. However, the government found it difficult to decide upon and state one overriding reason for going to war. Was it to oppose aggression or was it just to protect global oil supplies? Other powers were more directly concerned as consumers of Persian Gulf oil, but they were not as eager to commit military force, to risk their youth in battle and to pay for the costs of the war. Critics of President Bush continued to maintain that he was taking advantage of the issue of energy supplies in order to manipulate the U. S. public opinion in favor of war. After consulting with U. S. Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney in early August 1990, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia invited American troops onto Saudi soil. He had seen Kuwaits destiny; therefore, he wanted protection. It was also the interest of the USA to stop any further advantage of the Iraqi army. The deployment was called Operation Desert Shield. These troops were armed with light, defensive weaponry. On November 8, 1990 President Bush announced a military buildup to provide an offensive option, Operation Desert Storm, to force Iraq out of Kuwait. The preparation of the operation took two and a half months and it involved a massive air- and sea lift. Finally, in January 1991, the U. S. Congress voted to support Security Council resolution 660. It authorized using all necessary means if Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15. Shrugging off this final warning, Saddam Hussein resolutely maintained the occupation of Kuwait. The United States established a broad-based international coalition to confront Iraq militarily and diplomatically. The military coalition consisted of Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Honduras, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The war also was financed by countries which were unable to send in troops. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were the main donors. More than $53 billion was pledged and received. Before the war, it appeared obvious that Iraq would have very little chance against the Coalition. The relative strength between the parties was extremely unequal. The most critical difference was that the Coalition had a total of 2600 aircraft, over three times more than Iraqs 800 aircraft. Most Arab observers thought Hussein would not last more than six months. Lieutenant General Khalid bin Sultan, the commander of the Arab coalition forces, gave Iraqs leader only 40 days, and repeated this prediction many times. Iraqs

Friday, November 22, 2019

Benchmarking With Costa Coffee And Caffe Nero Marketing Essay

Benchmarking With Costa Coffee And Caffe Nero Marketing Essay The organisation chosen for the report is Starbucks Corp. and the report would compare it with two similar companies, one being Costa Coffee and the other being Caffà © Nero. The report would highlight the frameworks underpinning the competitive position of Starbucks and also would identify and asses the economic and the competitive position of the firm. A financial model using appropriate ratio analysis would also be presented in a spreadsheet format identifying the industry trends and their impact on the performance of Starbucks vis-à  -vis Costa Coffee and Caffà © Nero. Both quantitative and qualitative data would be made available so as to provide an insight into Starbucks sustainable performance and prospects. Analysis of Starbucks operational, financial, organisational and marketing capabilities would be made available through application of PESTEL analysis, Porter’s 5 forces model, the Ansoff Matrix and the BCG Matrix. The report would also discuss the issues, the p roblems, the opportunities and the options available to Starbucks for future business growth, followed by conclusions to draw together all the variables identified. Recommendations would be provided for the company highlighting the direction it needs to take to ensure business profitability with comments on the suitability, acceptability and the feasibility of the options made available. INTRODUCTION The Starbucks Company was founded in Seattle in 1971 by Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin and Zev Seigel with a vision to educate American consumers about the fine coffee drinking experience. In 1987 Howard Schultz took over the Starbucks Group. Starbucks is the number one in the industry, with more than 12,000 shops in more than 35 countries. Just within a couple of years they grew from a small coffee business house to a multi-million dollar player in the coffee industry by buying the best coffee available and providing the people with an unmatched store experience. Freshly brewed coffee is the main product offered by Starbucks along with other drinks which include cold and hot teas, cakes and pastries. The Starbucks coffee comes in a many varieties each possessing a different taste, aroma and flavour. INDUSTRY TRENDS AND MARKET ANALYSIS The market right now for gourmet coffee business is hot. All the multi-national fast food chains and street-corner shops want in on the boom. Many big companies are focused on the supply of specialty branded coffees and the economic stage is heating up. Specialty coffee industry is one of the fastest growing financial services globally. Growth in the coffee industry is continuously peaking, with many new overseas companies entering the market using policies offering exclusive perks and special discounts, despite the questionable quality of the coffee being used to increase the market share. A notable trend seen is that often a significant increase in sales occurs every time a cafà © starts to use branded consumables. The consensus is that these coffee drinks would be a long-term trend, with focus on elevating the customer’s taste for a product that they are familiar with and then leading them to the coffee stores to buy it. Many companies are also tinkering with expanding the food menus as well including an in-store display of sandwiches, fresh baked goods and many confectionary items.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Creating shared valued Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Creating shared valued - Essay Example It is a shame that the responsibility of improving the social, economic problems has fallen on to the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). As companies are sole concentrating on profit maximization, these organizations are getting involved in activities that elevate the social, economic activities of the society. Because companies have failed to take up worthy causes, it has prompted the government to implement policies that force these companies to take up proactive measures to support the society. The government`s actions cause friction between them and the companies, who accuse the government of interfering with their activities. The best method to approach this problem lies in the principle of shared value. It entails the creation of economic value, which in turn addresses the society`s needs and challenges. It is good to remember that shared value is not a form of social responsibility, but a new and innovative way to bring success back to the society. When a society`s needs and challenges are addressed, the society can now fully focus on more productive ways to improve on their economic positions. It gives rise to the next major transformation in business

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Memo and sales letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memo and sales letter - Assignment Example I urge that you To employ humanity in dealing with the issue. I also would like to take you back to an issue that occurred 2 months ago where Jane Sanders, another employee, was forced out of her parking space by male employees under threats of physical abuse. The company appeared not to accord the occurrence the seriousness it deserves. Although the male employees have been reprimanded, I feel that was not at all due appeasement to the harassed employee. Furthermore, Mrs. Sanders did assert repeatedly that some of the male employees in the incident in question have made inappropriate passes at her in the past. This brings the focal point of that particular case not only to gender inequality but also sexual harassment. I would like to remind the company of the country’s constitutional provisions for gender sensitivity. The constitution provides that female members of the workforce be treated in a just and fair manner as the male members of the workforce. An oversight of this is therefore liable to legal complaint. It is only after this assertion is taken into account that the situation will be remedied. An assurance from the Human Resource department that the issues above will be handled with the utmost solemnity and reassurance of our safety in the workplace will go a long way to instill change. This would be the first, among many steps to remedy the crisis. Our company is extremely appreciative of the time that we have been able to serve you. We are honored that you have chosen us as your product provider. The last time you wrote to us you had a challenge with the gear that you purchased. I believe that the issue was well taken care of by our repair and maintenance team. Kindly get back to us and inform us whether you were fulfilled with the results. Our customer service team will review your recommendations depending on your response. We take great pride in being able to learn from our most valued and loyal

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Decrease Clabsi in the Nicu Essay Example for Free

Decrease Clabsi in the Nicu Essay The purpose of this initiative is to decrease and/or eliminate central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Aurora Bay Care Medical Center. Hospital acquired infections, including CLABSI, is a major cause of mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and extra costs for NICU patients (Stevens Schulman, 2012). The goal of this initiative is to decrease CLABSI by 75% by reducing the number of days lines are in and standardizing the insertion process and line maintenance. CLABSI is preventable and increases the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment in very low birth weight infants. It is estimated that up to 70% of hospital acquired infections are caused by CLABSI in preterm infants (Stevens Schulman, 2012). It is also estimated that 41,000 CLABSI occur in United States hospitals every year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012). It is easily preventable by managing the central line properly. Insertion of the central line must be done completely sterile and rigorous care needs to be done with catheter care. The catheter hub is the main culprit of infections so that needs to be a large part of the initiative (Stevens Schulman, 2012). The participants in this initiative include neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses, infection control personnel, the NICU supervisor, and the NICU manager. Together, they will form a core team of 10 people with at least one person from each level of care. The team will analyze the NICU practices and establish practice based on evidenced based practice. The team will investigate the cause of each infection and agree on changes that need to be made. They will meet every other week until the new practices have been established, at which time they can determine how often they need to meet. Each member must play an active role in the investigation process as well as the agreed-upon changes. There are multiple benefits to the proposed initiative. Hospital acquired infections will be reduced which means there will be a reduction in harm to the patients. This will mean a  major cost savings to Aurora Bay Care Medical Center because there will not be that additional cost of treating a preventable infection. Staff will be collaborating together for the greater good of the NICU. The best practices that come out of the initiative can be shared with other NICUs to help decrease CLABSI across all hospitals. The cost of the initiative will be minimal compared to the cost of treating a CLABSI. On top of the morbidity and mortality resulting from the infection, the financial costs are significant. Many of these costs are no longer covered by insurance because the infection was a result of the hospital stay. The CDC recently estimated the cost of a CLABSI to be $29,156 per case with an estimated mortality of 12-25% (Horan, 2010). The largest cost that will incur because of this initiative will be staffing costs. The team of approximately 10 people will get paid for their time on the team that will meet every other week for an undetermined amount of time, not to exceed 3 months. Any time spent on research will need to be reimbursed. The entire staff will need to be trained on the new processes before they are rolled out. They will be required to do hands on training as well as complete a competency designed by the team. There will not be an increase in the cost of supplies, as the NICU has all the supplies necessary at this time. If it is determined they need different supplies, it will be addressed at that time. Data definitions and the procedures used for collection will be determined by the team at the first meeting. The data will be tracked from the first day the team meets throughout the course of the quality initiative. The original goal will be to decrease CLABSI by 75% in the first year. A detailed analysis must be performed on the processes that were used to implement and maintain evidence-based practices. Each infection must have an investigational analysis completed. The data that is collected will be completely confidential so as to not break the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rules. In conclusion, the purpose of this initiative is to reduce CLABSI by at least 75% in the NICU at Aurora Bay Care Medical Center. This will be accomplished through training and education to the doctors, nurses, any staff that comes into contact with the infants, and the parents. This is a win-win for both the patients as well as the hospital because it will reduce morbidities and mortalities caused by the preventable infection as well as reduce costs significantly for the  hospital. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) event. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/pscmanual/4psc_clabscurrent.pdf Horan, T. C. (2010). Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) criteria and case studies. Retrieved from http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/hai/documents/NHSN_Workshop1_CLABSI_Criteria_Studies.pdf Stevens, T. P., Schulman, J. (2012). Evidence-based approach to preventing central line-associated blood stream infection in the NICU. Acta Paeditrica, 11-16. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02547.x

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Thousand Acres :: essays research papers

This is a book report about the book A Thousand Acres. Jane Smiley wrote this book, the grade level is 7.7 and it is worth twenty-seven points. This book is about three sisters who are each trying to be given a third of the farm corporation set up by their father. The aging father is trying to set up the corporation so that the daughters won’t have to pay inheritance taxes. The youngest daughter, Caroline, who happens to be a lawyer does not like this idea. Rose and Ginny think that it is a good idea, they live on the farm. Due to this disagreement the family gets into a big fight. Some not too good memories come out of the fight. The girlsremember the fact that their father molested Ginny and Rose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rose and Ginny get sued for the farm by their father and Caroline, in the end Ginny and Rose win the battle. After the whole court affair was over Ginny moved away to try to forget about it all, then Rose’s breast cancer comes back and she moves back to help Rose and her daughters. Then when they thought that all tragedy was over, their father died of a heart attack. Rose fought her cancer for a while, but in the end she lost her battle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The major conflict in this book was when Rose and Ginny remember about their father molesting them. Their father thought that he took the secret that he molested them to the grave, but he didn’t. It took a while for Ginny to remember that she was molested. After Rose kept on telling her that they were molested Ginny had some flashbacks and she remembered what happened. Rose and Ginny never told anyone about their father. He was a respected man in the community and Rose and Ginny were mad that their father got away with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of this story is that when something bad happens you need to talk about it. It can trigger more and more problems if you don’t get it off your chest. When you keep the secret to yourself it builds up and eats away at you. Then it makes you angrier about the problem. By not telling anyone it doesn’t help the problem any.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Foreign Exchange Guidelines for Bangladesh

INTRODUCTION 1. Assalamualaikum and Good evening , on behalf of my group I welcome you all to the presentation on FOREIGN EXCHANGE GUIDELINES IN BANGLADESH AND FINDING IN THE PROCESS ITS USER FRIENDLYNESS . Ladies and Gentlemen , the very word foreign exchange refers to foreign currency in general but crucially in text-book terms it refers to the process or mechanism by which currency of one country is converted into the currency of another country . Usually such conversion takes place in the occasion of foreign trade i. e. xport or import or remittance of earnings both inward and outward by Bangladeshi and Foreign Nationals , then in case of Foreign Direct Investments or at individual level for the purpose of traveling or official visits both by Bangladeshi and Foreign Nationals . 2. Like any other country , to regulate and control smooth functioning of such Foreign Exchange in Bangladesh , Foreign Exchange Regulations are issued by the Government of Bangladesh as well as by the Ban gladesh Bank in the form of Notifications which are published in the Bangladesh Gazette .Now the Regulations which provides the legal basis for regulating all payments and dealings of foreign exchange in Bangladesh is known as Foreign Exchange Regulation (FER) Act , 1947 (Act No. VII of1947) , that was enacted on 11th March, 1947 in the then British India , subsequently adapted by Pakistan and eventually after necessary corrections and modifications by appropriate authority it was reproduced and adapted in Bangladesh and is still in vogue . Ladies and Gentlemen by law it is the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act ! 947 that rules all sorts of transactions of FE in Bangladesh . 1 AIM 3. To provide General Idea on Foreign Exchange Guidelines for Foreign Currency Transactions in common occasions in Bangladesh in a limited scale and deduce as to whether it is user-friendly . SCOPE 4. The topic will be discussed under the following heads ; a. Definitions of Certain Terms Related to Foreign- Exchange and Common Circumstances/Occasions Involving Foreign Exchange Transactions . . b. Authorized Dealers (ADs) , Money Changers and Various Types of Accounts involving Foreign Exchange . c.Foreign Exchange in International Trade ; Export and Import and Foreign Direct Investment. d. Foreign Exchange Through Remittance ; Inward , Outward and Commercial . e. Foreign Exchange Regulations for Travels and Visits by Baladeshi and Foreign Nationals. f. Userfriendlyness of Foreign Exchange Regulations in Bangladesh . 2 5. Definitions of Certain Terms Related to Foreign-Exchange and Common Circumstances/Occasions Involving Foreign Exchange Transactions . a. Definitions of Certain Terms Related to Foreign-Exchange . 1) Money . The term ‘Money’ in modern sense is used to describe actual money in the form of coin or notes or in any other form which passes freely from hand to hand as the recognised media of value exchange inside or outside the country . (2) Currency . ‘ Cu rrency ’ is a generic term and covers not only the actual coins and paper notes in a country but also any credit instruments which convey the right to wealth in terms of any given unit such as cheques , money orders , travelers cheques , promissory notes , bills of exchange etc . 3) Foreign Currency . As per FER Act 1947 ‘Foreign Currency’ means any currency other than Bangladeshi Currency i. e. Taka. (4) Foreign Exchange . As per FER Act 1947 ‘Foreign Exchange’ means foreign currency and includes any instrument drawn , accepted or issued under all deposits , credits and balance payable in foreign currency and any drafts , travelers cheques and bills of exchange expressed or drawn in Bangladeshi Currency but payable in any Foreign Currency . 5) Resident . Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 stipulates that any person who has at any time after the commencement of Act been resident in Bangladesh be treated as resident in;CONT Bangladesh until Banglad esh Bank by general or special order 3 directs otherwise. For the purpose of the said Act, ordinarily, a resident is a person, bank or firm who/which resides/has established a place of business in Bangladesh.A person is deemed to be ordinarily resident if he maintains a home in Bangladesh or resides in the country for a substantial part of each year or pays income tax as a resident of Bangladesh and falls under any of following category ; (a) persons holding Office in the Service of the Republic ofBangladesh who go abroad or who are already abroad and residingoutside Bangladesh for the time being either on duty or on leave, (b) foreign nationals residing in Bangladesh for work or self employment, c) foreign nationals residing in Bangladesh for study under student visa, (d) foreign nationals staying in Bangladesh with residence visa, (e) officials of Bangladesh Government and public sector undertakings deputed abroad on assignment with foreign governments/organisations or posted to t heir own offices (including Bangladesh Diplomatic Missions abroad) and (f) foreign nationals residing continuously in Bangladesh for six months or more would be treated as residents. (6) Non-Resident .A non-resident is a person, bank or firm who/which resides/has a place of business outside Bangladesh. Non-residents include Bangladesh nationals who go out of Bangladesh for any purpose. On the other hand, the fact that a person gives an address in Bangladesh does not necessarily mean that he should be regarded as a resident if he is, in fact, only a temporary visitor and is ordinarily resident elsewhere . 4 (7) Authorised Dealers . The term Authorised Dealer or AD would means a bank authorised by Bangladesh Bank to deal in foreign exchange under the FER Act, 1947. (8) Money Changers .The term â€Å"Money Changer† means a sole proprietorship or partnership firm/company licensed by Bangladesh Bank under â€Å"FER Act, 1947† to act as Money Changer for dealing in certain f oreign exchange transactions as directed by Bangladesh Bank from time to time. b. Common Circumstances/Occasions Involving Foreign ExchangeTransactions . Basiacally and Most commonly Foreign Exchange Transaction takes place in the following occasions ; (1) In case of any International Trade involving Export , Import . (2) In case of Remittance of All Income (both inward and outward) and All kinds of Commercial Remittances . 3) All Foreign Investments and Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) . (4) All kinds of International Travels and Visits (Official & Unoffcial ) by both Bangladeshi and Foreign Nationals . 5 6. Authorized Dealers (ADs) , Money Changers and Various Types of Accounts involving Foreign Exchange . a. Authorized Dealers (ADs) . In exercise of the powers conferred by the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947 ; certain schedule banks which are authorized to deal in Foreign Exchange by Bangladesh Bank . The selected branches of bank which are thus entrusted to transact such FE business is known as Authorized Dealers (ADs).The ADs are authorized to make all sorts of Foreign Exchange Transactions including money changing in accordance with the guidelines provided by Bangladesh Bank . As a prerequisite to become AD a schedule bank has to obtain Authorized Dealership Licence from Bangladesh Bank after following certain prescribed procedures and after fulfilling certain requirements laid down by Bangladesh Bank . Certain regulations as per FER act 1947 ; applicable for ADs are as follows ; (1) It is only Bangladesh Bank which can issue licences normally to scheduled banks to deal in foreign exchange foe becoming ADs .All applications for Authorised Dealer Licence has to be made to the General Manager, Foreign Exchange Policy Department, Bangladesh Bank, Head Office, Dhaka with a declaration that ‘Guidelines on Managing Core Risks in Banking' (as prescribed by Bangladesh Bank vide Circular No. 17, dated 07 October, 2003) pertaining to treasury function s in foreign exchange are already in place and all steps have been taken by the bank for internal monitoring and supervision of the branches for carrying out foreign exchange transactions. ) Besides, the banks also have to provide information showing that it has adequate manpower trained in foreign exchange and there is prospect to attract reasonable volume of foreign exchange business in the desired location and the applicant bank meticulously complies with the instructions of the Bangladesh Bank especially with regard to submission of periodical returns. 6 b. Authorized Money Changers . In addition to the ADs in FE , Bangladesh Bank also authorizes certain Banks located in the port area or in and around BOPs and establishments like certain Hotels and Shops to buy and sale foreign currency in exchange of local currency .Such banks and establishments in whose favour such licences of Authorization are granted are known as Authorized Money Changers . From Capacity point of view there are two types of Money Changers ; ‘ Full-Fledged Money Changers ‘ which are authorized to both purchase and sell foreign currency and Restricted Money Changers ’ which are authorized only to purchase foreign currency notes and Travellers Cheques and under compulsion are subject to the condition that all such FE collections are surrendered by them to ADs at official rate . Certain Regulations applicable for them are as follows ; 1) The authorisations are granted to persons or firms of adequate means and status who, in the opinion of the Bangladesh Bank, will be able to conduct their dealings strictly in accordance with the foreign exchange regulations. Applications for the grant of licences with limited scope should be made to the General Manager, Foreign Exchange Policy Department, Bangladesh Bank, Head Office, Dhaka. (2) Money Changer shall have no branch office. The premise to be used for money changing business shall not be used for any other business activity. Money Changers are allowed to buy foreign currency notes, coins and TCs from incoming foreign and Bangladesh nationals coming/returning from abroad. (3) Money Changers will sell foreign currency notes, coins and TCs only to outgoing Bangladesh nationals subject to a maximum limit of USD 1000 or equivalent in the form of cash and /or TC. Release of foreign exchange in excess of USD 200 or equivalent shall require valid visa. Money Changers may also sell foreign currency notes, coins and TCs to outgoing foreign nationals having duly issued encashment certificates, subject to a maximum limit of USD 500 or equivalent . (4) The Money Changers shall fix their own exchange rates for purchase and sale of foreign currency notes and coins and TC and the rates shall be displayed prominently at their counters. (5) Any change in money changer's office location shall require prior approval of Bangladesh Bank. Applications for changing office location should be forwarded to the General Manager, Fo reign Exchange Operation Department, Bangladesh Bank . c.Foreign Accounts and Credit Instrument for Foreign Exchange. Generally the movement of Foreign Currencies or FE Transactions are settled through Banking System . Usually the banks which are ADs ; maintain FE departments and indeed are the main channels through which international payments are being made . Such banks may have their branches in various countries abroad or where that is not possible may get affiliated with some overseas bank ready to act as their agent which are then known as correspondents .In order to effect FE transactions these banks maintain certain types of Accounts in their own names in various Foreign Currencies . Infact payments of various bill as per different terms of payment are made through such accounts . (1) Types of Foreign Accounts . (a) Nostro Accounts . ‘Nostro’ means ‘Ours’ in Latin . These are the accounts maintained by concerned Bangladeshi Bank with each of their c orrespondent banks . It is also known as Foreign Currency Account in some countries . 8 (b) Vostro Accounts . ’Vostro’ means ‘Yours’ in latin .The current accounts in domestic currency maintained with the local banks by any Foreign Bank are Called Vostro Accounts or Local Currency Accounts . Usually vostro accounts are opened and maintained by local banks which are acting as the Correspondents to some Foreign Banks . (c) Loro Accounts . A Foreign Banks Account of any third party , whether in foreign currency or in local currency is referred to as ‘Loro’ or ‘Their’ Account . (d) Certain Regulations about Foreign Accounts . i) ADs may maintain accounts in freely convertible currencies with their correspondents/branches abroad. i) The ADs may enter into transactions for sale or purchase of foreign currencies with other ADs, foreign correspondents and overseas branches provided that all such transactions must be reported to the Bangla desh Bank in the appropriate Returns, daily exchange position statement and daily interbank transaction statement . iii) Banks are always required to submit a ‘Statement of monthend position of un-reconciled nostro account entries' containing summary of un-reconciled nostro account entries at the end of each month. v) The ADs may obtain short term loans and overdrafts for a period not exceeding 7 days at a time from overseas branches and correspondents at the going market rates to meet their short term needs . 9 (2) Credit Instruments and Terms of Payment . FE Transaction may take effect in the form of any of the followings as per different terms of payment which can be short , medium or long ; (a) Telephone Transfers (TT) , (b) Mail Transfers (MT) , (c) Bankers Draft , (d) Bills of Exchange , (e) Letter of Credit (LC) , (f) Stock Draft , (g) Personal Cheques , (h) SWIFT , (i) Currency Notes and Coins , j) International Money Orders , (k) Travellers Cheques , (l) Credit Cards etc . The different terms of payment set by the traders in this regard can be ; Documentary Letter of Credit ( L/C ) , Documents Against Payment ( DP ), Documents on Acceptance ( DA ) , Consignment Sale , Value payable(VP) / Cash on Delivery (COD) or could be Suppliers Credit and Buyers Credit . 10 7. Foreign Exchange in International Trade ; Export and Import and Foreign Direct Investment . a. FE Regulations for Exports in General . (1) Foreign exchange regulations regarding exports cover all goods xported to all destinations regardless of whether they are subject to Export Trade Control Regulations. Similarly, nothing in the foreign exchange regulations relieves the exporters from the necessity of complying with the Export Trade Control Regulations prescribed by the Government, including the necessity of obtaining export licences in case of goods the export of which requires such licence. (2) All exports to which the requirement of declaration applies, must be declared on the EXP Form (Appendix 5/19). These forms will be supplied by the ADs to their exporter clients. 3) Payment for goods exported from Bangladesh should be received through an AD in freely convertible foreign currency or in Taka from a non-resident Taka Account. Receipts against exports under various barter and bilateral arrangements should be settled as per instructions issued by the Bangladesh Bank from time to time, (4) The ADs should, before certifying any EXP form, ensure that the exporter is registered with the CCI under the Registration (Importers and Exporters) Order 1952. The registration number should be quoted on the relative EXP forms. 11 ) In the case of commodities export of which is subject to receipt of advance payment or confirmed and irrevocable LC (such as raw jute), shipments will be allowed by the Customs only on the basis of the certificate of the AD on the EXP forms to the effect that either advance payment or confirmed and irrevocable LC has been received covering expor t of the goods mentioned on the EXP form. 6) The period prescribed by the Bangladesh Bank within which full foreign exchange proceeds of exports must be received by exporters is four months (Vide Bangladesh Bank Notification No. FE 1/77-BB dated 16th April, 1977).If the receipt of the full proceeds of any shipment is delayed beyond this period without a special or general authorisation from the Bangladesh Bank, the exporter will be liable to action under the FER Act. (7) Before paying out money against remittances received from abroad, whether against purchase of foreign currency or debit to a non-resident taka account of a foreign bank in case where purpose of the remittance is stated to be advance receipt for goods to be exported from Bangladesh, the AD should obtain a declaration from the beneficiary on the â€Å"Advance Receipt Voucher† certifying the purpose of the remittance. 8) Unless specific approval is obtained from Bangladesh Bank, the entire export proceeds in cas e of both physical and non-physical export, must be repatriated within four months of export as usual. 12 b. FE Regulations for Export Processing Zones (EPZs) . (1) EPZ s have been established by the Act namely, Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority Act, 1980. The following types of industrial units operate in the EPZs: (a) Type A: 100 percent foreign owned including those owned by Bangladeshi nationals ordinarily resident abroad. b) Type B: Joint venture projects between foreign and Bangladesh entrepreneurs resident in Bangladesh. (c) Type C: 100 percent Bangladeshi entrepreneurs resident in Bangladesh. The broad guidelines relating to the operation of industrial enterprises in the EPZs are contained in the † Principles and Procedures governing setting up of industries in EPZ† issued by the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA). (2) Exports from EPZs are subject to the usual requirement of declaration of exports in EXP Form and repatriation of export proceeds.For identification, EXP forms for these exports should be rubber stamped or over printed with words † â€Å"EXPORT FROM EPZ† in bold letters. (3) Sales of Bangladeshi goods or raw materials to the enterprises in EPZ against payment in foreign currency shall be treated as exports from Bangladesh and normal foreign exchange regulations concerning declaration of exports on EXP Forms and repatriation of proceeds is applicable to these exports to the EPZ enterprises. 13 C.FE Regulations for Import . (1) Import of goods into Bangladesh is regulated by the Ministry of Commerce in terms of the Import and Export (Control) Act, 1950, through Import Policy Order (IPO) in force and Public Notices issued from time to time by the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports (CCI&E). The instructions contained in this chapter apply to sales of foreign exchange or transfers to nonresident taka accounts against import of goods into Bangladesh.In terms of the Importers , Exporters and Indentors (Registration) Order, 1981 no person can import goods into Bangladesh unless he is registered with the CCI&E or exempted from the provisions of the said Order. Before Letter of Credit Authorisation Form (LCAF) is issued or Letter of credit (LC) is opened or remittance is made for imports into Bangladesh the AD should verify that the importer is registered with the CCI&E or otherwise exempted from such registration. The AD should ensure that the registration number of the importer is invariably furnished on the IMP form.Where the importer is exempted from such registration, a suitable mention of this fact should be made on the IMP form. (2) The ADs must ensure that they deal only with known customers having a place of business in Bangladesh and can be traced easily should any occasion arise for this purpose. Opening of LCs and payments for imports into Bangladesh should be made through an AD in the area where the holder of the LCAF is resident . In case the importer is a new customer, the AD should obtain certificate from the AD through which the applicant imported earlier to the effect that no bill of entry is due/overdue for submission by the mporter. 14 (3) The aggregate amount of foreign exchange sold against an LCAF whether under LC or otherwise, should not exceed the value mentioned in the LCAF, In case where LC was opened and remittance is needed in a floating currency against which no forward booking has been made, the Taka value of the LCAF shall be deemed to have been increased to the extent of appreciation of the foreign currency for the purpose of allowing remittance by the . d. FE Regulations for Foreign Investments . Foreign investors are free to make investment in Bangladesh in the industrial enterprises excepting a few reserved sectors.An industrial venture may be set up in collaboration with local investors or may even be wholly owned by the foreign investors. No permission of the Bangladesh Bank is needed to set up su ch ventures if the entrepreneurs use their own funds. However, to avail of the facilities and institutional support provided by the Government, entrepreneurs/sponsors may secure registration with the Board of Investment (BOI). 15 8. Foreign Exchange Through Remittance ; Inward , Outward and Commercial . a. FER on Inward Remittance . 1) The term â€Å"Inward Remittances† includes not only remittance by T. T. , M. T. , Drafts etc. , but also purchases of bills, purchases of drafts under Travellers' Letters of Credit and purchases of Travellers' Cheques. (2) The ADs may freely purchase foreign currencies or raise debits to non-resident Taka Accounts of the respective bank branches and correspondents. Remittances equivalent to US$ 2000 and above should be reported. Remittances received against exports should be certified and reported on EXP Forms. 3) There is no objection to the ADs obtaining reimbursement from non-resident banks in freely convertible foreign currency in respect of Taka bills and drafts purchased by them under instructions from such a non-resident bank whether under Letters of Credit or under other arrangements. (4) If an inward remittance already reported to the Bangladesh Bank is cancelled, either in full or in part, because of non-availability of beneficiary or for any other reason, the ADs must report the cancellation of the inward remittance as an outward remittance on TM form. 16 b.FER on Outward Remittance . (1) Most outward remittances either in its entirety or upto a certain limit set by Bangladesh Bank may be approved by the ADs, following declaration of Taka as convertible for current account payments from March, 1994. However, the limits of release of foreign exchange set forth in this Guidelines are indicative . (2) All remittances from Bangladesh to a foreign country or local currency credited to non-resident Taka accounts of foreign banks or convertible Taka account constitute outward remittances of foreign exchange.ADs must exercise utmost caution to ensure that foreign currencies remitted or released by them are used only for the purposes for which they are released; they should also maintain proper records for submission of returns to Bangladesh Bank as also for the latter's inspection from time to time. (3) In all cases of purchase of foreign currency, an application must be made to an AD. For payments against imports into Bangladesh, the prescribed application form must be used .On receipt of the application from the client/customer, the ADs may effect the sale of foreign exchange if they are empowered to approve the application. If the transaction requires prior approval of the Bangladesh Bank, the application should be forwarded by the AD to the Bangladesh Bank for consideration. (4) Applications for Bangladesh Bank's prior approval for outward remittances, wherever required, should be submitted to the Bangladesh Bank only through the ADs and not by their customers directly. 7 (5) The amount rele ased must not exceed the authorised limit. Also, the instructions, if any, given in the approval with regard to the amounts to be released periodically e. g. monthly or quarterly must be strictly adhered to. (6) All authorisations for selling foreign exchange for outward remittances given by the Bangladesh Bank usually remain valid for a period not exceeding 30 days from the date of approval . c. Commercial remittance . Commercial Remittance can be both inward and outward .It originates from numerous sectors and in various forms . (1) Inward remittances are usually originated from freight and passage charges applicable for cargoes carried by Land Transportation , Airliner and Shipping industry . It also comes from individuals during their travels in various ports . (2) Whereas Outward remittance is originates from local distributors of the overseas cable channels . 18 9. Foreign Exchange Regulations for Travels and Visits by Baladeshi and Foreign Nationals. a.FER for Bangladeshi Nat ionals Travelling Abroad . 1) The amount of foreign exchange released by an AD to a traveller with the approval of the Bangladesh Bank or under general recorded by them on the traveler's valid passport as well as ticket under their stamp and signature at the time of release of such exchange. Release of foreign exchange in excess of USD 200 or equivalent will require valid visa. However, while issuing foreign exchange to the Diplomats/Privileged persons/UN personnel, Govt. fficials travelling on official duties, such endorsement in their passports need not be made . (2) The ADs may release foreign exchange upto US$ 1000 or equivalent per person during a calendar year to Bangladesh nationals proceeding by air to destinations in SAARC member countries and Myanmar; within this annual limit, upto US$ 500 or equivalent may be issued per person for overland travels to the aforesaid countries.Also for visits of Bangladesh nationals to destinations in countries other than those mentioned abo ve, upto US$ 3000 per person may be issued during a calendar year. However, foreign exchange in the form of cash must not exceed US$ 2000 at any one instance. For resident Bangladesh nationals proceeding abroad against one way ticket for valid job or migrating abroad, the release of foreign exchange shall not exceed the half of the un-used balance of the annual travel entitlement of the person concerned in the calendar year.Irrespective of foreign exchange entitlement, the outgoing passenger is permitted to take upto Bangladesh Taka 500 in cash at each time. . 19 (3) The annual quotas mentioned above are for adult passengers. For minors (below 12 years in age) the applicable quota will be half the amount allowable to adults . (4) While releasing foreign exchange for travel purposes the ADs should ensure that: (a) the intending traveller is a client of the AD bank or is sufficiently well known to the AD bank for it to be satisfied about the bonafide of the application. b) the intendi ng traveller is in possession of a confirmed air ticket (where applicable) for journey to be undertaken. (c) the amount released is endorsed on the passport and air ticket (where applicable) of the traveller with indelible ink, with the signature and name of the AD branch embossed in the passport and ticket (where applicable) (d) For official or semi-official visits abroad by the officials of Government/Autonomous/Semi-autonomous institutions etc. ADs may release foreign exchange as per entitlements fixed by the Ministry of Finance/respective competent authority from time to time. In such cases, the applicant for foreign exchange shall be required to submit the Competent Authority's Order/Notification /Circular authorising the travel abroad . 20 b. FER for Travels and Visits of Foreign National . The ADs may issue foreign currency TCs to foreign nationals without any limit and foreign currency notes upto USD 2000 per person against surrender of equivalent amounts in foreign currenci es.The TCs and foreign currency notes should, however, be delivered only on production of a ticket for a destination outside Bangladesh and the amount issued should be endorsed on the relative passports. c. Import of Foreign Currency Notes . (1) In terms of Bangladesh Bank Notification Nos FE-1/03-BB dated 6th January, 2003 and FE-1/04-BB dated 23rd March, 2004 any person may bring into Bangladesh from any place outside Bangladesh without any limit foreign currency notes or bank notes other than ; (a) Un-issued notes and coins. (b) Notes legal tender in Bangladesh in excess of Taka 500 in value.Provided that the concerned person makes a written declaration to the Customs Authorities at the time of arrival, in FMJ Form of the entire amount; no declaration will however, be necessary if the amount brought in does not exceed US$ 5000 or its equivalent in foreign currency and does not exceed Taka 500 in notes legal tender in Bangladesh. (2) Sending into Bangladesh by post/courier or othe rwise of any currency note, bank note or coin by any person from abroad without general or specific permission from the Bangladesh Bank is prohibited. 1 d. Export of Foreign Currency Notes . . (1) Any person ordinarily resident in Bangladesh may take out foreign exchange not exceeding US$ 5000 or its equivalent which was brought in without declaration at the time of returning from abroad. (2) Any person not ordinarily resident in Bangladesh including Bangladesh Nationals working abroad may take out of Bangladesh any amount in foreign exchange not exceeding the amount declared by him to the Customs Authority on arrival in Bangladesh.However, such a person may take out at the time of leaving Bangladesh foreign exchange not exceeding US $ 5,000 or its equivalent brought in without declaration to the Customs Authority on his arrival in Bangladesh. (3) It is not permissible to send currency notes and coins out of Bangladesh by post/courier or any other means. 22 10. Findings on Whether F ER is User-Friendly . On the basis of reasonable Studies and Analysis done on the topic followings could be deduced in this regard ; . Firstly , because of less of restrictions imposed on Foreign Currency Accounts the FER in general seems more user friendly for Outward Remittance as unlike other countries it facilitates easy remitting of any amount abroad . b. Secondly the FE rate being allowed to be dictated by open market rather than by central bank , it results in frequent inflation which goes in favour of export trade than facilitating import trade . c.Thirdly , FER facilitates easy inflow and outflow of foreign currency during travels or visits made by both Bangladeshi and Foreign Nationals , while being less liberal in this regard on local currency . d. Fourthly , less of monitoring facilities on ADs and Money Changers makes it possible sometimes to artificially overvalue foreign currency thus giving rise to inflation making it generally user friendly to the Foreign Currency h olders than to local currency bearers . e .Last but not the least for less of practice of existing rules and corruption of certain levels of regulating authority the country as a whole does not seem to rip the benefit out of the FER rather other countries seems to enjoy so . 23 CONCLUSION 11 . Although the presentation on Foreign Exchange Regulation was made on a limited scale , but the process allowed our group to have a proper realization about the fact that in case of our personal and professional life ; ther is no scope of being ignorant or having less of knowledge on FER .As in that case it may either make us suffer or make pay heavy price during our travels or while doing business . 12. It is thus needless to mention that it is to the best of our interest that we take good effort in acquiring knowledge in this regard and in future make best utilization of that knowledge in taking important decisions both in our personal and professional life and career . Thank you . 24

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Milgram Experiment

The Milgram Experiment Outline Topic: The Milgram experiment I) The experiment A) Who was involved with the experiment? B) How they got participants C) What the subjects thought was happening i)Learning Task ii) Memory Study iii) Electric shock for wrong answer iv) â€Å"Prods† to continue the shocks D) What actually happened i) It was a test for obedience not memory ii) Vocal response from the victims (staged and set beforehand) II) The results A) How many experiments were performed B) How many people were tested C) How many continued the experiment D) The video of obedienceE) What types of people were tested, and what difference that made F) Differences between each test and results G) High levels of stress for subjects III) Why did he do the experiment A) To get an understanding of Nazis B) To prove the â€Å"answer to destructive obedience lay less in the power of personality and more in the power of situation† C) Social projection D) Test the idea that some people consider themselves better than others IV) The reaction A) Self realization B) Unethical i) Manipulation ii) Disregard for rights iii) Negligent of emotional well beingC) Argument in ethics caused new rules in APA guidelines V) Applications A) Nazi Germany B) U. S. wars C) Watergate Many experiments have been performed throughout the years. One of the most shocking would have to be the Milgram experiment performed by Stanley Milgram. The experiment was to test a person’s â€Å"Obedience to Authority† by seeing if he or she would cause harm to another just because they were told. The idea of obedience has been instilled in people since the time of Cain and Able, with regard to doing as God says. There are multiple reasons for Dr.Milgram to perform this experiment, however, some did not accept this and still believed it to be a violation of the subjects human rights. The results showed that even though people believed they would not cause extreme harm to another, they wo uld if put in the position where they were pressured to by an authoritative person. This resulted in chaos in the psychological community, and concluded in major changes to what is moral, and ethical, under the guidelines provided by APA. However, his results may be used to consider what happened during World War II, along with other U. S. ars, as well as what happened during the Watergate scandal. This experiment was performed many times. It began with Dr. Milgram placing an ad in a New Haven newspaper. The advertisement asked for people between the ages of 20 and 50, those who were not currently attending school, and from all types of professions. It also claimed the experiment would last one hour, and that it was to study memory. Those who participated in the experiment would receive four dollars for participating, and fifty cents for carfare, for the one hour of participation. From this ad, he did not get enough of a response so Dr.Milgram took names from a phone directory, and send fliers in the mail. The experiment itself was performed in the Interaction Laboratory of Yale University. It consisted of two people who were aware of what was happening, one called the â€Å"experimenter,† the person in charge of managing the experiment, and another called, â€Å"the victim. † A third, was one other person involved with the experiment called the â€Å"naive subject† who was the one being tested in this experiment. The experiment called for two different perspectives, which were what the â€Å"naive subject† believed to be happening, and what was really happening.The experiment was set up so that according to the â€Å"naive subject,† â€Å"the victim† was told to memorize a list of word pairs such as: blue box nice day wild duck etc. then in the testing sequence he [the naive subject] would read: blue: sky ink box lamp (Obedience 18). If â€Å"the victim† was able to select the correct corresponding word, the â €Å"naive subject† continued by saying the next word. However, if â€Å"the victim† did not answer correctly, or took too long in answering, the â€Å"naive subject† would have to administer a shock.After each wrong answer, the next wrong answer would result in a stronger shock. The generator, which was to administer the shocks to â€Å"the victim†: Ranged from 15 to 450 volts. The labels showed a 15-volt increment from one switch to the next, going from left to right. In addition, the following verbal designations were clearly indicated for groups of four switches, going from left to right: Slight Shock, Moderate Shock, Strong Shock, Very Strong Shock, Intense Shock, Extreme Intensity Shock, Danger: Severe Shock. Two switches after this last designation were simply marked XXX. (Obedience 20)The authenticity of the generator was validated by giving the â€Å"naive subject† a 45 volt shock to the wrist. The test which the â€Å"naive subject† thought was a test for memory, was actually to test a person’s willingness to follow authority. Therefore, as the voltage was to increase, there were acted protests by â€Å"the victim† which made the â€Å"naive subject† less willing to continue. However, if the â€Å"naive subject† was having second thoughts about continuing, the â€Å"experimenter† was to give â€Å"prods† each more aggressive as the â€Å"naive subject† continued to protest, Prod 1: Please continue, or, Please go on.Prod 2: The experiment requires that you continue. Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue. Prod 4: You have no other choice you must go on (Obedience 21). Feeling obligated even though â€Å"the victim† responded with cries of pain and eventually no answer, the majority of those did continue. The results of this experiment were interesting. In the primary experiment 26 out of 40 people continued to shock a person with what he or s he believed to be 450 volts for an incorrect answer, or if they did not respond within a time limit set by the â€Å"experimenter. Another variation of this experiment he performed in which he: placed the learner closer to the teacher, including one in which the teacher actually had to force the learner’s hand onto a shock plate in order to punish him; about 30 percent of subjects continued the variation until the end (Fermaglich 86). There was another variation which used only women. The results were the same as those for men. Over three years, Dr. Milgram performed 24 different variations of his original experiment, and tested over 1,000 people. There was also one case in which Dr.Milgram videotaped a subject’s obedience, â€Å"In the full version of Milgram’s film Prozi [the subject] is shown ending up being completely obedient- that is, administering a 450-volt shock to the unseen learner† (Blass). Another result of this experiment was the experiment had a huge impact on those who were the subjects. It resulted in high levels of stress in those who were subjects, whether they obeyed or disobeyed, which Dr. Milgram himself admitted to happening, and so he had to provide a meeting for the subject and the learner, in order to try to alleviate that stress (Fermaglich 87).Although the experiment was performed many times, and on many different people, this proved that the majority will follow orders when they are given, even if it goes against their conscience. These were not the only results from this experiment; people had other thoughts about Dr. Milgram’s experiment. There have been many who have wondered why a man would perform a test that many people consider to be a violation of a person’s basic rights. Dr. Milgram had many reasons behind performed these experiments. Dr. Milgram believed â€Å"When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will ind more hideous crimes have been committed in the name o f obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion† (Obedience 2). He wanted to be able to prove his belief that the â€Å"answer to destructive obedience lay less in the power of personality and more in the power of situation† (Slater 31). He also performed it with relation to the Holocaust, and since Milgram, â€Å"a Jewish man whose relatives had hidden from the Nazis and been interned in concentration camps, [he] constructed his experiments in order to understand Nazi evil† (Fermaglich 84).Another idea posed as a reason for Dr. Milgram’s performance was the thought of â€Å"self-other bias (Brown, 1986) [which] is the general tendency for people to rate themselves as better than ‘typical others’† (Geher, Bauman, Hubbard, and Legare 3). There were those who believed the experiment to be unethical, and others who seem to be enlightened with a sense of self realization. One person found Dr. Milgram’s experiment t o give him a better sense of who he was: I felt a shock of recognition, and the immediate knowledge that I could do such a thing, unsteady as I am.And I knew I could do such a thing, not because some strange set of circumstances propelled me to, no†¦It was not external. It was internal (Slater 62) However most other people who did not participate in the experiment did not feel this way, they felt this experiment was â€Å"the subject of enormous controversy, centered on the contention that his research subjects had been unethically manipulated, without due regard for their rights or emotional well-being† (Schwartz). In the field of psychology there was an uproar, with those who found the experiment to be reprehensible.One of those people was Diana Baumrind who questioned the obedience experiment, with concern for the welfare of the subjects, and curiosity over measures taken to protect those involved and voiced her concerns in American Psychologist (Individual 140). Dr. Baumrind’s article concerning the experiment resulted in the revision of APA ethical guidelines, which went with those laid down by the federal government, which limited the use of humans as subjects in the medical and psychological field (Fermaglich 103). Many found what Dr.Milgram did to be unethical, however because of it people now have a better understanding of what they are able to do, and they are able to apply his findings to other situations that have occurred, and may happen in the future. This experiment may be applied to a multitude of different subjects that are in a person’s every day life. The major subject would be the Nazis during World War II, which was a motive for Dr. Milgram to do the experiment in the beginning. It explores why a citizen who â€Å"ran the death camps seemed to be ordinary â€Å"decent† citizens, with consciences no different from those of any of us† (Velasquez et al). Dr.Milgram also compares the killing of Jews in t he gas chambers to the manufacturing of appliances, and he says all of those deaths could not have occurred if a large number of people did not obey orders (Obedience 1). The ideas that Dr. Milgram came up with were applied as an explanation for â€Å"the massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai and the criminal activities in Nixon’s White House: ‘Stanley Milgram†¦ demonstrated in the laboratory what Lt. William Calley and his unit would dramatize later in Mylai- that man’s behavior is almost invariably dominated by authority rather than by his own morality’† (Fermaglich 111).This idea is also exemplified on television, as on a recent episode of â€Å"Law and Order: S. V. U. † viewers encounter a manager of a fast food restaurant who blatantly obeys the orders of a voice over the phone saying that he is â€Å"Detective Milgram. † The manager is told that an employee stole the wallet of a customer, and â€Å"Detectiv e Milgram† tells the manager to strip the girl of all of her clothing except for her apron, and to perform a cavity search, to look for the wallet.Later in the episode we encounter the man who posed as â€Å"Detective Milgram† who performed his own variation of the experiment, because he had been like the manager, when he allowed the doctor to go against his advice, which resulted in the death of his wife. During school, a person may be faced with a similar situation. One being seeing a person cheat on a test. The person is put in a situation with two choices, neither desirable. The person may tell the teacher, which results in anger from the person who was told on, as well as a loss of time for that person to take their own test.The other option is to do nothing, which in the long run will hurt the student as he or she never learned the material, as he or she was suppose to. Typically a student will choose the latter, and ignore the situation, which ends up hurting the other student. This examination can be viewed on a vast number of levels, but that does not change the facts and ideas behind what happened. Dr. Milgram performed a venture which is thought to have been unethical, as he tested a person’s willingness to follow orders and do as he or she was told.He discovered the majority would actually do so, even if they believed they were hurting an innocent person. The controversial research has had a variety of impacts on every different person. For some they have a self realization, thinking of why type of person he or she is and if they are sheep, blindly following authority. Works Cited for Research Paper: Blass, Thomasm. â€Å"The Milgram Obedience Experiment: Support for a Cognitive View of Defensive Attribution. † The Journal of Social Psychology (1996). library. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. . Fermaglich, Kirsten. American Dreams and Nazi Nightmares : Early Holocaust Consciousness and Liberal America, 1957-1965. Waltham, Mass. : Brand eis University Press, 2006. Geher, Glenn, Kathleen P. Bauman, Sara Elizabeth Kay Hubbard, and Jared Richard Legare. â€Å"Self and Other Obedience Estimates: Biases and Moderators. † The Journal of Social Psychology 142. 6 (2002): 677. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. Milgram, Stanley. Obedience to Authority. New York: Harper Perennial, 1974.Milgram, Stanley. The Individual in a Social World: Essays and Experiments. Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1977. Schwartz, Earl. â€Å"Why Some Ask Why. † Judaism 53. 3/4 (2004): 230. elibrary. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. Slater, Lauren. Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004. Velasquez, Manuel, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S. J. , and Michael J. Meyer. â€Å"Conscience and Authority. † Santa Clara University. 12/03/2009 . The Milgram Experiment Stanley Milgram: ‘electric shock' experiments (1963) – also showed the power of the situation in influencing behaviour. 65% of people could be easily induced into giving a stranger an electric shock of 450V (enough to kill someone). 100% of people could be influenced into giving a 275V shock. The Milgram Experiment Stanley Milgram (1963) Experiment: Focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. Investigate: Whether Germans were particularly obedient to authority figures as this was a common explanation for the Nazi killings in World War II.Milgram selected participants for his experiment by advertising for male participants to take part in a study of learning at Yale University. The procedure was that the participant was paired with another person and they drew lots to find out who would be the ‘learner’ and who would be the ‘teacher’. The draw was fixed so that the participant was always the teacher, and the l earner was one of Milgram’s confederates (pretending to be a real participant). The learner (a confederate called Mr.Wallace) was taken into a room and had electrodes attached to his arms, and the teacher and researcher went into a room next door that contained an electric shock generator and a row of switches marked from 15 volts (Slight Shock) to 375 volts (Danger: Severe Shock) to 450 volts (XXX). Milgram's Experiment Aim: Milgram (1963) was interested in researching how far people would go in obeying an instruction if it involved harming another person. Stanley Milgram was interested in how easily ordinary people could be influenced into committing atrocities for example, Germans in WWII. Procedure:Volunteers were recruited for a lab experiment investigating â€Å"learning† (ethics: deception). Participants were 40 males, aged between 20 and 50, (bias: All male) whose jobs ranged from unskilled to professional. At the beginning of the experiment they were introduce d to another participant, who was actually a confederate of the experimenter (Milgram). They drew straws to determine their roles – leaner or teacher – although this was fixed and the confederate always ended to the learner. There was also an â€Å"experimenter† dressed in a white lab coat, played by an actor (not Milgram). The â€Å"learner† (Mr.Wallace) was strapped to a chair in another room with electrodes. After he has learned a list of word pairs given him to learn, the â€Å"teacher† tests him by naming a word and asking the learner to recall its partner/pair from a list of four possible choices. The teacher is told to administer an electric shock every time the learner makes a mistake, increasing the level of shock each time. There were 30 switches on the shock generator marked from 15 volts (slight shock) to 450 (danger – severe shock). The learner gave mainly wrong answers (on purpose) and for each of these the teacher gave him an electric shock.When the teacher refused to administer a shock and turned to the experimenter for guidance, he was given the standard instruction /order (consisting of 4 prods): Prod 1: please continue. Prod 2:  the experiment requires you to continue. Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue. Prod 4: you have no other choice but to continue. Results: 65% (two-thirds) of participants (i. e. teachers) continued to the highest level of 450 volts. All the participants continued to 300 volts. Milgram did more than one experiment – he carried out 18 variations of his study.All he did was alter the situation (IV) to see how this affected obedience (DV). Conclusion: Ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of killing an innocent human being. Obedience to authority is ingrained in us all from the way we are brought up. Obey parents, teachers, anyone in authority etc. Milgram summed up in the article â€Å"The Perils of Obedience† (Milgram 1974), writing: â€Å"The legal and philosophic aspects of obedience are of enormous import, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations.I set up a simple experiment at Yale University to test how much pain an ordinary citizen would inflict on another person simply because he was ordered to by an experimental scientist. Stark authority was pitted against the subjects’ [participants’] strongest moral imperatives against hurting others, and, with the subjects’ [participants’] ears ringing with the screams of the victims, authority won more often than not. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the fact most urgently demanding explanation. Factors Affecting Obedience The Milgram experiment was carried out many times whereby Milgram varied the basic procedure (changed the IV). By doing this Milgram c ould identify which factors affected obedience (the DV). Status of Location| Personal Responsibility| * The orders were given in an important location (Yale University) – when Milgram’s study was conducted in a run-down office in the city, obedience levels dropped. * This suggests that prestige increases obedience. | *   When there is less personal responsibility obedience increases. When participants could instruct an assistant to press the switches, 95% (compared to 65% in the original study) shocked to the maximum 450 volts. * This relates to Milgram's Agency Theory. | Legitimacy of Authority Figure| Status of Authority Figure| * People tend to obey orders from other people if they recognize their authority as morally right and / or legally based. * This response to legitimate authority is learned in a variety of situations, for example in the family, school and workplace. | *   Milgram’s experimenter wore a laboratory coat (a symbol of scientific experti se) which gave him a high status. But when the experimenter dressed in everyday clothes obedience was very low. * The  uniform  of the authority figure can give them status. | Peer Support| Proximity of Authority Figure| * Peer support – if a person has the social support of their friend(s) then obedience is less likely. * Also the presence of others who are seen to disobey the authority figure reduces the level of obedience. This happened in Milgram’s experiment when there was a â€Å"disobedient model†. | *   Authority figure distant: It is easier to resist the orders from an authority figure if they are not close by.When the experimenter instructed and prompted the teacher by telephone from another room, obedience fell to 20. 5%. * When the authority figure is close by then obedience is more likely. | Methodological Issues The  Milgram studies  were conducted in laboratory type conditions and we must ask if this tells us much about real-life situati ons. We obey in a variety of real-life situations that are far more subtle than instructions to give people electric shocks, and it would be interesting to see what factors operate in everyday obedience.The sort of situation Milgram investigated would be more suited to a military context. Milgram's sample was biased: The participants in Milgram's study were all male. Do the findings transfer to females? In Milgram's study the participants were a self-selecting sample. This is because they became participants only by electing to respond to a newspaper advertisement (selecting themselves). They may also have a typical â€Å"volunteer personality† – not all the newspaper readers responded so perhaps it takes this personality type to do so.Finally, they probably all had a similar income since they were willing to spend some hours working for a given amount of money. Ethical Issues *   Deception  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the participants actually believed they were shocking a real pers on, and were unaware the learner was a confederate of Milgram's *   Protection of participants  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Participants were exposed to extremely stressful situations that may have the potential to cause psychological harm. * However, Milgram did  debrief  the participants fully after the experiment and also followed up after a period of time to ensure that they came to no harm.