Pride and Prejudice vs Bride and Prejudice Essay

More than a change of One LetterThe film, Pride and Prejudice directed by Joe Wright, had more of a natural tone setting and feeling to it. The scenery really draws the audience in by nature and the assumed innocence of the characters. Bride and Prejudice directed by Gurinder Chadha, is considered to be a Bollywood style movie. Bride†¦ had a complete makeover of Pride†¦ with an Indian traditional style twist. The main characters in both films were Lizzie (Lalita in Bride†¦) and Darcy. Both films were shot on location in the United Kingdom; with a few shots of Bride†¦ shot in the United States. The director used a lot of colors and symbolism in this movie. After reviewing both films, the claim about marriage became very evident that marriage can be beneficial to everyone involved. Women of the society in Lizzie and Latlita’s time were greatly disadvantaged compared to men. These factors put the women in a situation were they had to find a wealthy man who then becomes their economic salvation. Marriage was a condition which was seen as the most important act in a women’s life in their society. The woman was seen as being successful if she was married to a wealth bachelor. The unmarried women were considered of lower status to married women and were doomed to the unhappy life of being a governess. The prime example of this would be the marriage of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins in Pride†¦. Charlotte is in a frantic need of financial security that she is willing to obliterate her own life by marrying a arrogant butthole like Mr. Collins. Charlotte knows she is not getting any younger, so her chance of marriage is slim to none. She knew that Mr. Collins was her last chance. She married for status and went in with her eyes open. She hopes that with his character, connections, and circumstances, that her chance of happiness with him is fair (Pride†¦). Clearly there is no love between them. Charlotte suffers in tormented silence in her marriage and can be seen when she and Mr. Collins went to visit Lady Catherine. Lalita had a friend to marry a native Indian that now lived in the United States. Her marriage was the same as Charlotte’s. She married him for the benefits, not for love. The marriage between Lydia and Wickham is seen as a false marriage because it is purely based on passion; there is no reason behind their relationship.  The passion came from lust, good looks, and youthful energy. This marriage is another ploy to show how important marriage was to the people in that society. Lydia and Wickham had created a shocking scandal that reflected on Lydia and her family. The only way that she and the Bennet family could redeem their respect was for Lydia and Wickham to get married. The major conflict of this union is if Wickham decided leave her and marry someone else, Lydia would have been disgraced and would never be thought of as marriage material again. The marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth reveals the characteristics which constitute a successful marriage based on love and desire. Elizabeth is an example of a woman who does not believe in marrying for money or passion. This is shown by her turning down Mr. Collins proposal which would have insured her financial security but not happiness. â€Å"I am perfectly serious in my refusal. – You could not make me happy.† (Pride†¦) One of the uniqueness of the success of Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s marriage is the fact that they had the time to get to know each other. It was not a rushed married like that of Lydia and Wickham’s but was rather one of mutual understanding, respect and love. This marriage shows the importance of fully knowing one’s mate before marriage. Jane and Bingley’s marriage represents a healthy marriage. Jane was very much a lady and desired to be pursued. She did not run after Bingley when she thought he had moved to London permanently. Jane and Bingley also had the period of courtship where they got to know each other and realized that they were compatibly. Their mutual understanding and similarities was the foundation of their relationship and will lead them to a happy and everlasting marriage. Another marriage that sticks out to me is the one of their parents. In both films, the mothers were very over bearing. It is apparent that their marriages were arranged. There seemed to be no affection, love or emotions towards one another. This is a good enough example for Jane and Lizzie to want more out of their marriages. The husbands learned quickly to be quiet when it came many different affairs. The father in Pride†¦ remained quiet  until he could not take it anymore and had to defend his daughter’s honor. These five marriages contribute to understanding that a happy and strong marriage takes time to build and must be based on mutual feelings and respect. Hasty marriages acting on impulse, and based on superficial qualities will not survive and will lead to inevitable unhappiness. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen has denounced the elements of marriage that she found distasteful, affirming that a loving and committed relationship is privileged in her eyes. Perhaps, this is the reason she never wed, for she was not at a loss for suitors. Did she spend her life waiting for her one true love that never appeared? Works Cited Bride & Prejudice (2004 film).† Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 9 Nov 2007, 04:19 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 13 Nov 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bride_and_Prejudice&oldid=170257845. Pride & Prejudice (2005 film).† Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 7 Nov 2007, 02:21 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 9 Nov 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pride_%26_Prejudice_%282005_film%29&oldid=169756807. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361411/http://movies.about.com/od/prideandprejudice/a/pride111005.htmhttp://www.prideandprejudice.net

Healthsouth Accounting Scandal

HealthSouth Accounting Scandal HealthSouth is the one of the largest providers of inpatient rehabilitative healthcare services in the U. S. HealthSouth is fully operational in 26 states across the United States and also in Puerto Rico. HealthSouth serves patients in various settings such as; inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation satellite clinics and home health agencies. HealthSouth’s hospitals are able to provide an advanced care to patients that are recovering from neurological disorders, orthopedic, cardiac and pulmonary conditions, spinal cord injury, and amputations.HealthSouth’s corporate is office is located at 3660 Grandview Parkway Suite 200, Birmingham, Alabama 35243. The company employs around 26,000 people. The company is listed as an Industry Healthcare Facilities. The symbol used by HealthSouth is HLS. The SIC code is 8060-Hospitals. (http://investor. healthsouth. com/) Richard Scrushy the founder of HealthSouth was at one time described by Steve Barnes of the AP as a self-made son of the new South, a former teenage parent who hauled himself up from a menial job to become the emperor of the new economy.The problem was that the emperor of HealthSouth that he was describing would be later dethroned by an accounting scandal that would involve lies, bribery, and mail fraud, and deceit, prison time for several individuals, obstruction of justice and auctions. Richard Marin Scrushy was born in August 1952 in Selma Alabama. Richard grew up attending the Methodist church. Like any teenager he held several jobs. He attended Jefferson State Community College and became a Respiratory Therapist after studying at University of Alabama in Birmingham. Scrushy transferred to St.Louis, Missouri, then was promoted to the regional director of the respiratory therapy division of Lifemark Corporation. He then moved to Houston, Texas, and advanced in the company to the company’s COO. In 1984, Scrushy realized his dream of creating a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility and founded Amcare in Little Rock, Arkansas. Amcare’s new name was HealthSouth. HealthSouth started trading publicly in 1986. (www. biography. com/articles/Richard-Scrushy-235385) Richard Scrushy and some of his closest friends founded HealthSouth in 1984.The company was formed and had growth in mind from the beginning. The founding members had a plan for growth. By the end of 1987, after expanding into worker’s compensation and sports medicine, HealthSouth has doubled its revenues and had nearly $100 million in assets. By 2001, HealthSouth had more than $4. 3 billion in revenue and treated more than 100,000 patients a day around the world. The company had 60,000 employees and more than 2000 locations across the country. To accomplish the task of expansion HealthSouth opted to take over other companies with financial issues.In 2003 the company HealthSouth, the largest U. S. opera tor of rehabilitation-hospitals, was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U. S. Justice Department for overstating earnings by $2. 5 billion since 1999. In 2003, HealthSouth CEO Richard M. Scrushy directed company employees to falsely report grossly exaggerated company earnings in order to meet stock holder expectations. HealthSouth had been dishonest about its income. Richard Scrushy the HealthSouth executive was one of the first executives to be charged under the Sarbanes Oxley Act.In all a total of fifteen HealthSouth employees, including all five of the former chief financial officers, pleaded guilty to criminal charges. However the former CEO Richard Scrushy refused to admit any wrong doing involving HealthSouth. When HealthSouth requested that Scrushy resign he refused to honor the request. (www. washingtonpost. com) On October 16, 2003, Richard Scrushy flat out refused to testify before congress in a hearing. He angered lawmakers that said Scr ushy had been at the center of an organization HealthSouth whose employees were intimidated and at times threatened if they challenged his authority.Then on November 4, 2011, Mr. Richard Scrushy the ousted leader of HealthSouth was indicted on charges that he directed a $2. 7 billion fraud which designed to inflate the company’s stock prices to fund his super-luxurious lifestyle. Mr. Scrushy had purchased items like a Lamborghini, a 92-foot yacht, a private jet, paintings by Renior as well as Picasso, and a mansion surrounded by water. Next a Delaware judge on November 23, 2003, ordered Scrushy to repay $25 million in loans that he obtained from the company in 1999.When you look at his salary in 2002, it included 3 million in salary, 10 million in bonus pay, and 99. 3 million in stock sales. It should not have been difficult for him to pay the $25 million he was ordered to repay from 1999. From 1996 through 2002 it was later discovered by the government that HealthSouth had r eported 2. 74 billion in phony profits. In January 2004 the lawyers representing the former HealthSouth Corp. chief Richard Scrushy filed court motions that posed questions about the ability of the grand jury’s fairness.The grand jury that had indicted Scrushy and demanded additional information from prosecutors was under attack. Meanwhile, in July of 2004 a grand jury indicted two of the former HealthSouth Corp executives Robert Thomson and James Reilly both for a bribery scheme that included the company’s $50 million contract to run a hospital in the country of Saudi Arabia. September 28, 2004, Prosecutors said that the government would not seek additional prison time for former HealthSouth Corp. assistant controller Emery Harris who was resentenced after serving five months for fraud.On September 29, 2004, Federal prosecutors made an announcement about obstruction-of justice charges against HealthSouth’s Corp. founder Richard Scrushy. Scrushy was accused deli berately lying to regulators and urging subordinate to lie to support his story while using his position of power to intimidate them. The former chief HealthSouth scandal did not slow Richard Scrushy down at all. He continued to live the larger than lifestyle that he had become accustomed to before HealthSouth’s fortunes plunged. His larger than life persona follows him everywhere and he definitely acted the part.While his employees pleaded guilty to various fraud charges and their assets were being seized under federal forfeiture laws Scrushy continued to think of only himself. (www. nytimes. com/2003/09/26/business/healthsouth-scandal. com) The case against HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy collapsed in June 2005 under the weight of the personal baggage carried by key witnesses and the â€Å"smoking guns† the prosecutor. In Birmingham, Alabama, on June 28, 2005, after only 21 days of deliberation, the jury of men and women cleared Mr. Scrushy of all 36 crimin al charges of which he was tried.The charges included conspiracy, securities fraud, mail fraud and a single charge under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was a statue Congress enacted to force companies to strengthen their internal controls and mandate penalties for CEOs and finance chiefs that sign false financial filings. The verdict handed the government down a defeat in its high profile campaign against corporate corruption and its first attempt to try to convict a CEO for violating the Sarbanes-Oxley which were both huge failures. Four months later he was indicted on new charges of bribery and mail fraud in connection ith former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Scrushy was accused of donating $500,000 to Seigleman’s campaign in exchange for a seat on a state hospital regulatory board. Both Scrushy and Seigleman were convicted on multiple charges, including bribery, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice. Both men received sentences of close to seven years in federal prison. (www. biography. com/articles/Richard-Scrushy-235385 ) The accounting scandal was described by Securities and Exchange Commission that since 1999 the company and its profit statements were overstated by $2. 5 billion since 1997 according to the wall street journal.To boost profits HealthSouth executives overbooked certain revenue accounts that later â€Å"bled out† into revenue, according to the journal story. Scrushy was accused of insider trading and was fired as HealthSouth’s chairman and CEO. In 2009, Scrushy was ordered to pay HealthSouth shareholders $2. 9 billion to settle a civil suit. Scrushy is presently serving his imposed sentence at the Beaumont Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont, Texas. (www. biography. com/articles/Richard-Scrushy-235385 ) He is 58 years old and is scheduled to be released from prison on 06-08-2013. He will be 60 years old when he is released from prison.He is still married to his wife Leslie Ann Jones. He has nine children and several grandchildren. He was sued and his personal items were auction off to pay judgments ordered by the court against him. Other people that worked with him at HealthSouth admitted guilt and were sentenced to prison while Scrushy maintained his innocence. He is not serving time in prison for his accounting scandal but for charges that stemmed from him trying to purchase a seat on the state hospital regulatory board. I guess his story really is about an average guy going rags to riches becoming greedy and power obsessed then going to prison for several years.The wake of destruction from the HealthSouth accounting scandal not only affected Scrushy but the employees that served prison time and their families. Later even the Governor of Alabama was influenced by the former HealthSouth executive and also served time in prison. HealthSouth continues to operate today. It is The company that was started by Scrushy was not destroyed by the scandal. The HealthSouth headquarte rs is still located in Alabama. The influence that comes with money and power is something that is really obvious in this story.Scrushy was able to influence his employees into reporting false financial information by grossly exaggerating company earnings in order to manipulate stockholders into thinking that HealthSouth had met their expectations and he was able to manipulate the governor of Alabama into allowing him a seat on the state hospital regulatory board. Richard Scrushy committed accounting scandal that would involve lies by directing employees to file false financial information in order to deceive stockholder about earnings, bribery, mail fraud, prison time for several individuals employed by HealthSouth.His destructive behavior continued and later included the governor of Alabama going to prison with Scrushy. Scrushy was one man that built a mega successful business. Although the business was not destroyed by the founder during his quest for power some of the people had their lives forever altered by his decisions. Richard Scrushy directed his staff to file phony profits totaling 2. 7 billion. He then denied directing his staff to report false profits. He was acquitted of 36 charges related to HealthSouth fraud but others admitted guilt and served time in prison for the crimes.Scrushy was sued and forced to auction off his assets to pay restitution. He later attempted to buy a seat on the hospital board for the state of Alabama for $500,000 and was tried and sent to prison for 7 years. The HealthSouth case is interesting because it has negative stock holder equity. The return on common stock for HealthSouth Consolidated was -28. 63% and the debt to equity ratio are negative as well. The total asset turnover in 2010 was 94. 29% yet the company continues to operate. The Net income in 2010 was 939. 8 million.Perhaps the preferred stock is being paid large amounts so the common shares of stock would get nothing. I wonder if any of the Scrushy family h as preferred stock left in HealthSouth since he was the founder. Scrushy went from being a healthcare worker to the owner of HealthSouth then to prison for bribery instead of any charges stemming from his wrong doing at HealthSouth. In summary, Richard Scrushy had odd jobs as a teenager; he later went to college to become a Respiratory Therapist. He went to work for Lifemark Corporation. He climbed his way through the ranks.He later decided to start his own company which is now known as Amcare that later changed its name to HealthSouth. HealthSouth was a successful company. The company made lots of money. The company made Scrushy a very wealthy man. His life story is story was one from rags to riches. He was married a total of three times and has several children. He became a very influential man in Alabama. He is still married to his third wife whom he met while a Bahaman vacation. Richard Scrushy thought he was above the law. Scrushy thought he was untouchable.He never admitted gu ilt for his part in the HealthSouth Accounting Scandal nor did he serve any prison time for it. He was required to auction off items as ordered by the court to pay restitution. The HealthSouth Accounting Scandal could have been avoided if the person that started the company Richard Scrushy had not directed company employees to falsely report grossly exaggerated company earnings in order to meet stock holder expectations. It is my opinion that he should have reported the corrected information and the chain of events that followed would not have occurred.If he made the decision to report the correct information then his HealthSouth employees would not have been sentenced to prison and his company could have sustained a loss. HealthSouth remains open at its stock is trading at about $24-26 dollars a share. Works Cited â€Å"Richard Scrushy Biography – Biography. com. † Biography. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. . â€Å"Richard Scrushy Biography – Biography. com. † Biography. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . â€Å"HealthSouth Corporation – Investor Overview. HealthSouth Corporation – Investor Overview. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. . KOLATA, GINA. â€Å"Health News – The New York Times. † The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. . â€Å"The Washington Post: National, World & D. C. Area News and Headlines – washingtonpost. com. † The Washington Post: National, World & D. C. Area News and Headlines – washingtonpost. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .

Afterthoughts on Material Civilization and Capitalism

Frenand Braudel’s â€Å"Afterthoughts on Material Civilization and Capitalism† offers very sharp insight on the birth and the growth of capitalism in the history of material civilization. His theory has been used as a theoretical tool explaining the globalization of modern capitalism. Yet, the value of his book is more than its utility in globalization studies. In this book, he criticizes the European point of view on the history of material civilization and extends his scope to non-European economy.Especially, he portrays economic history as a spontaneous, slowing evolution with long term equilibriums and disequilibriums, ignoring the history of economics as the successive transitions of big events such as the stages of slavery, feudalism, and capitalism. He thinks that the preindustrial economy is also characterized by the coexistence of inflexibility, inertia and slow motion. www. rpi. edu/~kime2/ehtm/myissues/braudel. htm Braudel notes that the exchanges from Europe across Siberia to China â€Å"formed a system of interdependence.† Moreover, â€Å"at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Russia's principal foreign market was Turkey† which Braudel also classifies as a separate â€Å"world-economy† â€Å"reminiscent of Russia. † Braudel terms the Turkish economy â€Å"a fortress,† but also a â€Å"source of wealth† and a â€Å"crossroads of trade, providing the Turkish Empire with the lifeblood that made it mighty. † The Turkish economy was not any more isolated from the rest of the world than the Russian economy: A long French report on the Levant trade confirms this impression: â€Å"[French] ships carry more goods to Constantinople than to all other ports in the Levant.The surplus funds are transferred to other ports by means of bills of exchange which the French merchants of Smyrna, Aleppo and [Port] Said provide for the Pashas. † Braudel then asserts that European trade in the Turkis h empire was minimal and â€Å"merely passed quickly through [because] money, the sinews of western trade, usually only made fleeting appearances in the Turkish Empire†: as part went to the sultan's treasury, part oiled the wheels of top-level trade, and â€Å"the rest drained away in massive quantities to the Indian Ocean.† In that case, Braudel should have asked what intermediary role the Turkish economy played between Europe and India. Then too, Braudel notes that caravan routes ran from Gibraltar to India and China â€Å"the whole movement-in-space which made up the Ottoman economy,† which â€Å"owed its suppleness and vigour to the tireless convoys which converged from every direction. † Far from having a self-contained â€Å"fortress† economy, then, the Ottoman empire drew its lifeblood from being a crossroads between other economies, none of which were independent of each other.Of course, the Turks tried to maintain their power, derive maxim um benefits from their intermediary position, and bar others from sharing in it as best they could. Turkish merchants, not content with their intermediary role at home, also â€Å"invaded Venice, Ferrara, Ancona, even Pesaro, Naples and the fairs of the Mezzogiorno† in Italy and â€Å"were soon found all over Europe, in Leipzig fairs, using the credit facilities provided by Amsterdam, and even in Russia or indeed Siberia as we have already seen. † The Turkish empire hardly sounds like a dosed economyBraudel calls Asia the â€Å"greatest of all world-economies,† which â€Å"taken as a whole, consisted of three gigantic world-economies,† Islam, India, and China. He even allows that â€Å"between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, it is perhaps permissible to talk of a single world-economy embracing all three. † Toward the end of this period he observes that the center of this single economy became stabilized in the East Indies (beyond the bounda ries of these three economies) in a network of maritime traffic comparable to that of the Mediterranean or the Atlantic coasts of Europe.Of India he writes that for centuries it had been â€Å"subject to a money economy, partly through her links with the Mediterranean world. † Gold and silver were â€Å"the indispensable mechanisms which made the whole great machine function, from its peasant base to the summit of society and the business world. † Braudel suggests that the foundation of Europe's trade with India was the low wages of the â€Å"foreign proletariat† there, which produced the cheap exports exchanged for the inflow of precious metals to India.As â€Å"a historian of the Mediterranean,† Braudel declares himself â€Å"astonished,† to find that Red Sea trade in the late eighteenth century was still the same â€Å"vital channel† in the outflow of Spanish-American silver to India and beyond as in the sixteenth century. He might have n oted how American silver reached this economy not only via the Red Sea and the Levant, but also around the South African cape, and with the Manila galleons. Braudel did observe that the â€Å"influx of precious metal was vital to the movements of the most active sector of the Indian, and no doubt Chinese economy.† According to one historian, the â€Å"series of interconnected regional markets dispersed and overlapping around the globe† were really a â€Å"world market for silver. † Perhaps as much Spanish-American silver crossed the Pacific to Asia, where it competed with Japanese silver, as crossed the Atlantic. Like exchanges elsewhere, trade in the Far East was based on goods, precious metals and credit instruments. European merchants could apply to the moneylenders in Japan or in India . . . and to every local source of precious metals afforded them by the Far East trade.Thus they used Chinese gold . . . silver from Japanese mines . . . Japanese gold coins . . . Japanese copper exports . . . gold produced in Sumatra and Malacca . . . [and] the gold and silver coins which the Levant trade continued to pour into Arabia (especially Mocha), Persia and north-west India. . . . [The Dutch East India Company] even made use of the silver which the Acapulco galleon regularly brought to Manila. (Dennis O. Flynn, 1991). Temporary shortages of silver had an impact on Asia that may have helped bring down China's Ming dynasty.Prior to 1630, the inflow of silver from Spanish America and Japan promoted the monetization of the Chinese economy. The abrupt decline in silver production during the world recession after 1630 caused economic turmoil and bankrupted the Ming government, making it an easier prey to the Manchus in 1644. One scholar argues that it was no coincidence that the British monarchy was overthrown in 1640, and the Turkish government nearly fell at about the same time. (Jack A. Goldstone, 1991) Moreover, Braudel also finds a de facto globa l if not a world economy beyond the monetary sphere.â€Å"Long-term control of the European world-economy evidently called for the capture of its long-distance trade, and therefore of American and Asian products. † Braudel wrote: Who could fail to be surprised that wheat grown at the Cape, in South Africa, was shipped to Amsterdam? . . . Or that sugar from China, Bengal, sometimes Siam, and, after 1637, Java, was alternately in demand or out of it in Amsterdam, depending on whether the price could compete in Europe with that of sugar from Brazil or the West Indies? When the market in the mother country was closed, sugar from the warehouses in Batavia was offered for sale in Persia, Surat, or Japan.Nothing better demonstrates how Holland in the Golden Age was already living on a world scale, engaged in a process of constant partition and exploitation of the globe. . . . One world-economy (Asia) . . . [and] another (Europe) . . . were constantly acting on one another, like two unequally laden trays on a scale: it only took an extra weight on one side to throw the whole construction out of balance. Few historians have tried to determine whether and how cycles coincided across the supposed boundaries of these economies, yet such evidence could reveal much about whether they formed a single world economy.Braudel himself offers only a few indications of simultaneity across the boundaries of his world-economies. He devotes a special section to conjunctures, considers fifty-year cycles, as well as others that are twice as long and more; of these he writes â€Å"four successive secular cycles can be identified, as far as Europe is concerned. † On the one hand Braudel claims that â€Å"the world-economy is the greatest possible vibrating surface. . . . It is the world-economy at all events which creates the uniformity of prices over a huge area, as an arterial system distributes blood throughout a living organism.† Yet, on the other hand, Braudel ob serves that â€Å"the influence of the world-economy centered in Europe must very soon have exceeded even the most ambitious frontiers ever attributed to it. . . . The really curious thing is that the rhythms of the European conjuncture transcend the strict boundaries of their own world-economy. † Furthermore, â€Å"Prices in Muscovy, in so far as they are known, lined up with those of the West in the sixteenth century, probably by the intermediary of American bullion, which here as elsewhere acted as a ‘transmission belt'.† Similarly, Ottoman prices followed the European pattern for the same reasons. Braudel then demonstrated how such exchange transcended the economic boundaries he describes since the system extends throughout the global economy. Indeed, he observes â€Å"knock-on effects† as far away as Macao, even beyond the Manila galleon route. He also remarks that â€Å"historians (Wallerstein included) have tended to underestimate this type of exch ange. † Yet, Braudel underestimates this exchange as well.After reproducing a graph of the yearly fluctuations of Russia's exports and its wade balance between 1742 and 1785, he only observes â€Å"two short lived drops in the [trade balance] surplus, in 1772 and 1782, probably as a result of arms purchases. † The graph also shows a third big drop in 1762-63. All three coincide with a sharp drop on the graph of Russian exports, whatever may have happened to imports of arms or anything else. These three short periods occurred in Russia in the same years as three world economic recessions, which Braudel discusses at some length in another chapter without making the connection.In still another chapter, Braudel reproduces a graph of Britain's trade balance with its North American colonies between 1745 and 1776 that shows sharp declines in British imports, and lesser declines of exports in the same years, 1761-63 and 1772-73. But again Braudel does not look for connections b etween these recessions. This omission is curious since about the first of these recessions he writes that â€Å"with the currency shortage, the crisis spread, leaving a trail of bankruptcies; it reached not only Amsterdam but Berlin, Hamburg, Altona, Bremen, Leipzig, Stockholm and hit hard in London.† Regarding the next recession Braudel observes catastrophic harvests in all of Europe in 1771-72 and famine conditions in Norway and Germany. According to Braudel â€Å"capitalism did not wait for the sixteenth century to make its appearance. We may therefore agree with Marx, who wrote (though he later went back on this) that European capitalism – indeed he even says capitalist production – began in thirteenth-century Italy. . . . I do not share Immanuel Wallerstein's fascination with the sixteenth century† as the time the world capitalist system emerged in Europe.Braudel is â€Å"inclined to see the European world-economy as having taken shape very early o n. † Indeed he observes â€Å"European expansion from the eleventh century† when it was â€Å"suddenly covered with towns – more than 3,000 in Germany alone. † â€Å"This age marked Europe's true Renaissance. † Furthermore, â€Å"the merchant cities of the Middle Ages all strained to make profits and were shaped by the strain. † Braudel concludes that â€Å"contemporary capitalism has invented nothing. . . . By at least the twelfth century . . . everything seems to have been there in embryo . . .bills of exchange, credit, minted coins, banks, forward selling, public finance, loans, capitalism, colonialism – as well as social disturbances, a sophisticated labour force, class struggles, social oppression, political atrocities. † Braudel also doubts that capitalism was invented in twelfth- or thirteenth-century Venice. â€Å"Genoa seems always to have been, in every age, the capitalist dry par excellence. † Several other Ita lian cities also had capitalist activities earlier than Venice. In all of them, â€Å"money was constantly being invested and reinvested,† and â€Å"ships were capitalist enterprises virtually from the start.† He further notes that â€Å"It is tempting too to give Antwerp the credit for the first steps in industrial capitalism, which was dearly developing here and in other thriving towns of the Low Countries† in the sixteenth century. Moreover, the term â€Å"capitalism† also seems to apply at the most macro-economic level, for â€Å"if today's cycles do in fact have some resemblance to those of the past . . . there is certain continuity between ancient regime and modern economies: rules similar to those governing our present experience may have operated in the past. â€Å"Braudel, however, also cast doubt on the idea that capitalism was invented in Western Europe and then exported to Asia: Everywhere from Egypt to Japan, we shall find genuine capitalis ts, wholesalers, rentiers of trade, and their thousands of auxiliaries, commission agents, brokers, money-changers, and bankers. As for the techniques, possibilities or guarantees of exchange, any of these groups of merchants would stand comparisons with its western equivalents. Braudel avers that â€Å"the rest of the world . . . went through economic experiences resembling those of Europe.† On the other hand, referring to North and West Africa before the Europeans arrived, he writes that â€Å"once more we can observe the profound identity of action between Islam's imperialism and that of the West. † Braudel wants to â€Å"challenge the traditional image† that describes Asiatic traders as â€Å"high-class peddlars. † Moreover, after Braudel writes of Asians taking turns in a monotonous repetition for a thousand years of shifts in economic dominance, he concludes that: â€Å"For all the changes, however, history followed essentially the same course. â⠂¬  If we asked what changes in or after 1500 as per Wallerstein, the answer would be not much.Braudel quotes a contemporary French sea captain writing from the Ganges River in India: â€Å"The high quality of merchandise made here . . . attracts and always will attract a great number of traders who send vessels to every part of the Indies from the Red Sea to China. Here one can see the assembly of nations of Europe and Asia . . . reach perfect agreement or perfect disunity, depending on the self-interest which alone is their guide. † No Europeans, including their Portuguese vanguard, added anything of their own, only the money they derived from the conquest of America.A standard work on Asian trade notes that â€Å"the Portuguese colonial regime, then, did not introduce a single new element into the commerce of southern Asia. . . . The Portuguese colonial regime, built upon war, coercion, and violence, did not at any point signify a stage of ‘higher development' econ omically for Asian trade. The traditional commercial structure continued to exist. † Even Wallerstein recognizes â€Å"an uncomfortable blurring of the distinctiveness of the patterns of the European medieval and modern world†: Many of these [previous] historical systems had what we might call proto-capitalist elements.That is, there often was extensive commodity production. There existed producers and traders who sought profit. There was investment of capital. There was wage-labor. There was Weltanschauungen consonant with capitalism. . . . â€Å"Proto-capitalism† was so widespread one might consider it to be a constitutive element of all the redistributive/tributary world-empires the world has known. . . . For they did have the money and energy at their disposition, and we have seen in the modern world how powerful these weapons can be.Wallerstein's proto-capitalism also negates the uniqueness of his â€Å"modern-world-capitalist-system. † He even acknow ledges â€Å"All the empirical work of the past 50 years on these other systems has tended to reveal that they had much more extensive commodification than previously suspected. † (Wallerstein, 586-87, 613, 575) Thus, Europe's incursion into Asia after 1500 succeeded only after about three centuries, when Ottoman, Moghul, and Qing rule was weakened for other reasons. In the global economy, these and other economies competed with each other until Europe won.Historians should concede that there was no dramatic, or even gradual, change to a capitalist economy, and certainly none beginning in Europe in the sixteenth century. In conclusion it is useful to cite an Indian historian who writes that â€Å"the ceaseless quest of modern historians looking for the ‘origins' and roots of capitalism is not much better than the alchemist's search for the philosopher's stone that transforms base metal into gold. † It is better for historians to abandon the chimera of a uniquely capitalist mode of production emerging in western Europe.It is far more accurate and important to recognize that the fall of the East preceded the rise of the West, and even that is only true if we date the rise of the West after 1800. The West and the East were only parts of a single, age-old, world economic system, within which all of these changes took place, then and now. The historian Leopold von Ranke is known for having pleaded for writing history â€Å"as it really was,† but he also wrote that there is no history but world history. (Andre Gunder Frank, 1994) Reference: Gunder Frank, 1994. The World Economic System in Asia before European Hegemony; The Historian, Vol.56 Dennis O. Flynn, 1991. â€Å"Comparing the Tokugawa Shogunate with Hapsburg Spain: Two Silver-based Empires in a Global Setting,† in The Political Economy of Merchant Empires: State Power and World Trade, 1350-1750, ed. James D. Tracy (Cambridge), 332-359. Jack A. Goldstone, 1991. Revolutions and Rebellions in the Early Modern World (Berkeley); William S. Atwell, â€Å"Some Observations on the ‘Seventeenth Century Crisis' in China and Japan,† Journal of Asian Studies 45, no. 2 Wallerstein, â€Å"The West, Capitalism, and the Modern World-System,† 586-87, 613, 575.

Finance and Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Finance and Management Accounting - Essay Example No commercial entity runs an R & D department to conduct in fructuous basic research ((ICMR), 2003). Management accounting is the process of identification, measurement, accumulation, analysis, preparation, interpretation and communication of information that assists managers in specific decision-making within framework of fulfilling the organizational objectives (The ICFAI University Press, 2004). Like water, this rising tide of data can be viewed as an abundant, vital and necessary resource. With enough preparation, we should be able to tap into that reservoir -- and ride the wave -- by utilizing new ways to channel raw data into meaningful information. That information, in turn, can then become the knowledge that leads to wisdom. The idea is that information, knowledge, and wisdom are more than simply collections. Rather, the whole represents more than the sum of its parts and has a synergy of its own. In an organizational context, data represents facts or values of results, and relations between data and other relations have the capacity to represent information. Patterns of relations of data and information and other patterns have the capacity to represent knowledge. ... Without on-demand access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed based on what the individual or group brings to the situation with them. With on-demand access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed with the sum total of everything anyone in the organization has ever learned about a situation of a similar nature. Management accounting --- Importance of Stakeholders In the highly competitive environment, the survival of an organization may depend on how well stakeholders are managed. However, when managers delegate this responsibility of managing the stakeholder interests, there is no systematic way to evaluate their performance. With an evaluation method, such as a report card, managers no longer rely on observations regarding the outcomes of stakeholder management; they receive direct information from their stakeholders and can plan interventions accordingly (Slovensky, 2002). Management planning and control system is related to accounting system. Suitable goals are set based on the information provided by the accountants. Projections of futures sales, expenses, incomes and estimation of profit are made depending on the accounting information. After setting goals while examining alternatives, information about these alternatives comes from accounting system and the accountant is made to combine the data and produce meaningful reports. Though, implementation of chosen alternative is done by the mangers alone without the intervention of accounting system, the accountant is required to collect and summarize data about the success of the chosen plan. The evaluation of performance depends heavily on the accountant accumulates and reports. Though, accounting system is helpful in the process of

Are some people born serial killer Research Paper

Are some people born serial killer - Research Paper Example 12). According to this description, there has been over 200 serial killers over a period of more than 100 years, and that these murderers killed, on average, between 8 and 14 victims during the period of 4 to 8 years. Further, Scott states that the stereotype of the serial killer, according to the popular public perception, is that these killers are male, psychopathic and sexual sadists (Scott, 2000). Keeney & Heide (2000) state that serial killers must be distinguished from spree killers and mass murderers. A mass murderer is somebody who kills a large amount of people in one setting. The Columbine murders come to mind, as does the case of George Hennard, who killed 23 people in a Luby's Diner in Killeen, Texas in October of 1991. The spree killer, on the other hand, is somebody who kills many people in different locations, but in the context of one event. The case of Andrew Cunanan, who killed the designer Gianni Versace, as well as a number of other individuals around the country, before finally killing himself, is an example of this. The spree killer is different from the serial killer, because there is not a â€Å"cooling off† period. This means that there was not a chance for the killer to calm down – the killer is keyed up throughout his killing spree. The serial killer, on the other hand, kills, then has periods of calm and kills again, etc. (Keeney & Heide, 2000). There has been a number of theories about how serial killers are â€Å"formed† - are they born with the disposition to become serial killers, or is it entirely the environment, or is it a combination of both? The following will demonstrate the pros regarding the theory that serial killers are born, not made, then the cons, which argue that serial killers are made, not born. In the end, it seems to be a combination of both, although it might be different for every killer. Pros Bi-Polar Disorder, an inherited disorder, is a component in serial killer personality. The theory above has been put forth by Jonathan Pincus and Dorothy Lewis. The two have studied serial killers for years, and have written a book detailing their theory on what â€Å"creates â€Å" a serial killer. By â€Å"trifecta,† Pincus and Lewis state that serial killers invariably show a combination of brain damage, mental illness and prior abuse (Pincus, 2001, p. 27). Louis Culpepper, who was no t a serial killer, but was a child molester, was the first person who Pincus examined who showed the trifecta. Culpepper was thirty years old and was molesting his six year old stepdaughter. Pincus examined Culpepper and found that Culpepper had frontal lobe damage, and was physically and sexually abused as a child. (Pincus, 2001, p. 27). Culpepper was the initial criminal who showed signs of this trifecta. From there, Pincus examined serial killers, and found that every one of these killers had the trifecta as well. Pincus' theory led him to believe that the typical serial killer suffered from bi-polar disorder, which means that they go through bouts of mania, and it is during this mania that the killer would go through the kinds of manic urges that marks the start of the urge to kill. This is one of the reasons why many serial killers appear normal to the outside world, theorizes Pincus, because if the killer is not going through a manic state, that individual will appear calm and placid to the outside world. Thus, the typical refrain of â€Å"I can't believe that he would do this – he seemed like such a nice fellow† is explained by this, according to Pincus (Pincus, 2001, p. 129). Thus, this part of the trifecta is inherited, and it is an important component. Still, this does not tell the whole story, as evidenced below in the cons section –

Consumer Protection and the Criminal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consumer Protection and the Criminal Law - Essay Example , the plaintiff is not the actual crime victim; it is the European Union State in which the individual resides. According to the Framework Decision 2001-Standing of Victims in Criminal Proceeding, it is the responsibility of the member states to assure that the victims who wish to be informed throughout the course of the judicial process be informed. The scope of the information provided includes information on the outcome of the judicial proceeding, information necessary to maintain the security of the victims and their families, information regarding the sentence as well as the necessary services available to help the victim (Legislation Online, 2004). The Standing represented a starting point in the treatment of crime victims but it was necessary to supplement those findings. The supplementation came in the form of the 2006 recommendations. The recommendations operated with the aim of updating the standards since the laws have changed, preventing re-victimization and offering clea r an concise guidelines aimed at ensuring that the member States treat the victims in accordance with the laws (European Committee on Crime Problems, 2006). In addition to the standing of victims in criminal proceedings the notion of restorative justice looms large. ... ustice places the needs of the victims first and foremost and justice is rendered in such a manner as to enable the victim to have optimal participation in the course of justice while encouraging accountability on the part of the offender (Rigby 82). Utilizing the notion of restorative justice, a victim may request a restorative justice as a means of making the offender cognizant of the way in which the crime has affected the victim, gaining information as a means of coming to grips with the rationale behind the crime and the reason he/she has been made a victim and finally to gain closure by being able to forgive the offender in an open manner. Restorative justice marks a stark departure from the traditional form of justice which was essentially retributive justice wherein the preliminary goal was one aimed at punishing the offender by restricting his/her liberties and/or imparting monetary restitution. This is an indirect means of rendering justice as often the terms of the punitive measures undertaken are reached with minimal input or involvement by the victim (Cartwright 81). In examining the notion of restorative justice, it is prudent that we examine the rights of victims and frame this examination within the context of applications of restorative justice. First and foremost, the rights of victims and the responsibilities of the judicial system are delineated in the Human Rights Act of 1998, the Crime Victims Charters, Code of Practice for Victims, Victims Advisory Panel and other governmental bodies including the European Council. These bodies together delineate and define the treatment of crime victims with the goal of minimizing the effects of the crime on the victim while ensuring the rights of the victimizer are not violated. The rights of crime

Impact of Globalisation and Innovation on the Business Operating Coursework

Impact of Globalisation and Innovation on the Business Operating Strategies of International Financial Institutions and Systems- - Coursework Example This has not only increased international trade but has also nurtured human resource development. Thus, the globalization theories set perfect on the principles of â€Å"Ricardo’s Comparative Theory.† Although, globalization has revolutionized today’s world, there exist opponents of this trend. This includes aid organization such as Oxfam and the G77 countries (Investor Words). History of Globalization The Industrial Revolution seemed to sow the seeds of the globalization that was to come years later. The concept of globalization has gone through several ups and downs. The globalization came to an end after the World War 1 when more countries planned on practicing isolationism (Globalization, Encyclopedia of Business). There were several rules and regulations imposed regarding foreign trade and so treaties were signed that assured barriers to foreign trade in the form of duties and tariffs. The Smooth Hawley Tariffs of 1930 is a famous one (Globalization, Encyclo pedia of Business). However, after World War II, Bretton Woods resulted in the formation of World Bank, International Monetary Fund and General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (Globalization, Encyclopedia of Business). This was the beginning of a new phase of globalization. Later in 1995, GATT was replaced by World Trade Organization that has the main motive of globalization and inculcates in trade in goods, services with the added benefit of an efficient dispute settlement system (Globalization, Encyclopedia of Business). Other trade blocs such as EU, SAARC and agreements such as NAFTA have come into the scene. Financial Globalization and Innovation Over the past two decades some very pronounced changes in the world financial system have been witnessed. All the financial markets of the world have become a complex network woven in a well knitted canopy. The liberalization policy has increased opportunities and varieties all over the globe. Privatization has been on an increase. Addi tionally, new hedging tools such as derivative instruments have been introduced against markets and credit related risks (Chernobai, Rachev & Fabozzi , 2007). Securitization has been adopted as means of trading as well (Chernobai, Rachev & Fabozzi , 2007). The most prominent example of trade liberalization is the European Union. The adoption of a single currency Euro and the inter bloc tariff free trade has empowered the position of the bloc and the currency as well. Financial integration is a similar process by which a strong integrated complex network of financial markets is developed. However, the rule of one price should prevail in these kinds of market which means that the risk-adjusted real return should equalize (Gudmundsson, 2007). The manifestation of globalization is the elimination of concentration of a particular/own country and an increase in cross-border activities. This would include capital investment in cross border projects, investment in assets and liabilities as well as an increase in banking and FDI (Gudmundsson, 2007). There have been certain implications well. According to Gudmundsson (2007), the global integration of the financial markets has not provided insurance against idiosyncratic shocks. Moreover, it has been concluded that due to the volatile nature of the capital stock due to asymmetric information, it has been more a source of shock rather than smoothing. There remain many repercussions of these integrated markets. Due to this increased trend outsourcing, expansion of

Social science content standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social science content standards - Essay Example tandards presents many good points as to how students can use their knowledge of social studies in the future, whatever that future might mean for each individual student. Not only does our curriculum help enable students the knowledge of past historical events of importance, but we also present them with the tools to be able to look at the past and see how it impacts and changes the present. The age old quote is only to apt here, those who do no know the past are doomed to repeat it. We give students the tools they need to know the glories, triumphs, as well as the worldly knowledge that comes from the failures and defeats that the past teaches us as well. It is important for students to learn and apply these lessons to their own lives, and see the connections between how choices can affect their own future, and how better choices can and often do lead to a better future. This ability to think and comprehend the past and how it directly correlates to the present is all too apparent throughout our curriculum. We offer emphasis on the most important historical events, for nobody is expected to memorize and know everything that has happen, but this also helps students learn how to discern between important events and those of less importance, and see how these events directly led to the presents. It is also our hope that students will be able to see historical trends that have happened through modern history, and by recognizing these they can begin to see not only what happened, but why those things happened. We also teach students the ability to look at documents associated with an era, and learn and appreciate how these documents all go together with the events of a time period to form an overall history. This is a vital task that can be applied to any future career or job, as reading and understanding documents is a task that all students will need to be able to have if they hope to be competitive in the college level education field, or even in the work

Derivatives as a way of mitigating financial risk Literature review

Derivatives as a way of mitigating financial risk - Literature review Example Certain creditor protection rules are extended to these derivatives and this helps to increase their security and reduce financial risks. The other side is that with excessive credit protection norms, capital markets will under price the credit risks. This means that risks that should be valued at say 100 Pounds will be considered to be worth only 80 Pounds. This increases systemic risks and helps to propagate credit booms. The reason is that the lending firm considers a risk of 80 Pounds worthwhile while extending loans whereas if the assets had a risk of 100 Pounds, the lending firm would reduce the amount lent (Chance and Brooks, 2010). The paper will examine how derivatives based on standard assets and bonds can be used as a method of mitigating risk. 1.1. OTC and ETD and risk management Two main types of derivates are available and these are over the counter derivatives – OTC’ and ‘exchange traded derivative contracts’ - ETD. OTC instruments are privat ely traded between two parties and the exchange is not involved. Instruments traded included forward rate agreements, exotic options, swaps and other types. The main constituents and partners in the OTC markets are banks, financial institutions and hedge funds. The market is estimated to be worth 708 trillion USD and most of it occurs in private without any public listing and declaration. Out of this amount, 67% is for interest rate contracts, 9% are foreign exchange contacts while credit default risk make up 8% and ht rest is made up of equity contracts, commodity contracts and others. Since there is no external counterparty that acts as a central agency and mandates the exchange of contracts some, element of risks can exist. These risks can occur if either of the party cannot or will not honour its commitments to pay the contracted amount. This possibility is rare since banks and financial institutions are expected to be stable. Hence, derivatives are used to make the appropriate profits in ITC markets (BIS, 2011). In the case of exchange trade derivatives, these instruments traded through the derivatives exchange serve as an intermediary for the transactions. The exchange takes a certain percentage from both parties as the initial margin. The combined revenue of the world's derivatives exchanges was about 344 trillion USD. Examples of instruments that form ETD are futures contracts, interest rate and index products, convertible bonds, and warrants. These instruments can be traded only through special derivatives exchanges such as KOSPI Index Futures & Options, Eurex, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange and others. These instruments have certain guaranteed prices on the maturity value and the guarantee is given by the derivatives exchange that has already taken a margin from both parties. This helps to manage risks. Due to low risks, returns obtained are also less and may range in the 3 to 6% range (Bartram, et all, 2011). The derivativ es market and risks are different from the equity market where individuals can take up stock trading on their risk. The firm whose stocks are traded in the stock market will not give any assurance about the price stability or that a certain amount of dividend is payable. The stock market exchange also does not regulate the transactions between the parties. Therefore, if the price falls, the risk is borne by the party. In effect, derivatives markets transfer the risk from parties that aver risk

Haydn and Mozart Music Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Haydn and Mozart Music Analysis - Essay Example The choice of music was excellent because it illustrated three types of music genre or form of the Classical era: the Concerto/Sonata, the Symphony and the Overture of a vocal piece. These three forms started in the Baroque as smaller instrumental compositions and still exist today. The forms are concrete. The chamber orchestras are defined. The instruments, which were standardized, were used for for proper orchestration. A perfect example today is the use of the piano in the continuation of Haydn's Il ri In the Classical era, as the chamber orchestra took on a different meaning, strings and wind instruments were considered an ensemble and forms of music were more defined. Wind instruments (oboes and brass) were combined with strings. Strings were defined as violins, violas, cellos, and bass. It is interesting that the Basso was still part of Haydn's repertoire though it was not used by other composers. The bass continuo (harpsichord) was still used by Mozart but less and less. As th e chamber orchestra and musical ensembles were well defined, musical form became clearer. The sonata form of three movements differ from the baroque period where it was a group of diverse movements of music (Grout 385) The Sifonio is a short prelude to a vocal piece of music. It was commonly interchanged with overture. overture. The classic era of music lasted over a period of 70 years. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were the principal composers. Haydn spending the majority of his life under the patronage of one court, worked as the court composer, conductor, teacher, player and made sure the instruments were in playing condition. Since he was rather isolated, he nothing much to do but to compose music. Mozart started his early adult life under the patronage system and was treated as a servant. When finally got his freedom he was forced into poverty because he could not get any other court work. Beethoven was one composer who made so much money that he was able to tell everyone to go t o the devil. He abhorred being told what to do. The classical era was a period of perfecting instruments, forms of music and making instrument music the most important form of music. The sonata and the sonata form of musical of writing as in the Concerto of Haydn and the Prague Symphony of Mozart were both written in three movements. Beethoven wrote his symphonies with 4 movements towards the end of the 70 years; (1750-1830) (library.thinkquest.org) The most significant form of writing in the Classical Era was the sonata with the three movements. It was a story with a question, an explanation and the answer. Haydn never lived the life of other composers. Whereas Mozart was a child prodigy and had the constant teaching from his father, Haydn was basically self taught and was forced to make a living giving lessons. He was born in 1732 and moved to a church choir until his voice changed. In 1761, he become under the patronage of his first and only patron, the Prince Esterhazy in the Hu ngarian Empire. It is significant because Haydn stayed in his service 30 years which was unheard of. "He was inspired by the isolation of the estate as all he had was his music" (Grout, 484). He was one of the most prolific composers of the classical period. His type of instrumentation had never been done before. The Prince played the baryton, a type of string instrument which doesn't exist today. More than 200 pieces were composed for this instrument in trio form. Mozart spent most of his childhood traveling all over Europe. He would spend up to three

A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game Essay Example for Free

A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game Essay Americas Pastime has been the true root of sports in the United States of America. Baseball blew up in the late 19th century towards the end of the American Civil War. Before there were TVs, internet, or DVDs, baseball is what kids did for fun. It became the thing to do if you were a white male going into the 20th century, and that was just the beginning of a long bittersweet road of the game of baseball. Up until the 1990s many greats had walked in between the lines showing off their pure god given talent, then an era came along that makes every baseball fan cringe, the Steroids Era. Steroids started to spread throughout the league like wildfire, and sadly no one was doing anything about it. The only thing administration, owners, authorities, and fans had were suspicion no one knew for sure if these record breaking seasons were real or all just a fluke. The greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams all have been being surpassed in the record books by Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGuire, and plenty more players due to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The use of illegal Steroids in baseball has single handily degraded and disgraced the great game that once was proud to be known as Americas Pastime. The man who started it all and really brought Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) to the baseball scene in the late 1980s was Oakland Athletics outfielder, Jose Canseco. Once Canseco starting showing his teammates how influential these drugs were to their performance through his own personal achievements it wasnt long before a large amount of players were using PEDs. Canseco states in his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big that, About 85% of Major Leaguers have used it (Canseco). The MLB rarely, if at all tested for steroids during this time of the Steroids Era and if they did there was no penalty for testing positive. At the time it was virtually a win win for the players, they could juice up, exceed the stats they could only dream about, and never get in trouble during the process. Performance Enhancing Drugs became an epidemic in the world of baseball, but not only was it enhancing players performance, it was enhancing every aspect of reve nue a ball club could ever imagine. The Record books were once again open and ready for business. Athletes such as Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire, and so forth were smashing homeruns and going up on the charts little by little for the all time homerun record holder, Hank Aaron. This excitement on the field attracted more fans through these steroid years than baseball had ever seen, and when there are fans there is money, and when there is money there is no concern. The Major League of Baseball had been oblivious to the illegal use of Steroids over the years. Until 2002 there were no penalties for testing positive for PEDs. The new rules stated, A first time offense would only result in treatment for the player (Baseball-Almanac). Not one player was sentenced to any suspensions for this crime, until the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) steroid scandal came to light, and brought out many of the All-Stars of the MLB to the top of the list. Victor Cante the founder of BALCO was a god to the sports world. He was the guy that not only supplied athletes with their steroi ds, but also had ways to cheat the tests so they could come up clean. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) are always trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters workers at BALCO labs are finding ways once again come up with a new way to slide by the new and improved tests on the market (Quinn). So in 2005 The MLB created a new testing policy that was accepted by the players and owners that said, The first positive test will result in a suspension of up to ten days. The second positive test will result in a suspension of thirty days. The third positive test will result in a suspension of sixty days. The fourth positive test will result in a suspension of one full year. Finally, the fifth positive test will result in a penalty at the discretion of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Players will be tested at least once per year, with a chance that several players can be tested numerous times per year (Baseball-Almanac). That wasnt the last adjustment Bud Selig, the Commissioner of the Major League of Baseball, was going to make to the steroid testing policy. On December 13, 2007, Greg Mitchell, an investigator who was appointed by Bud Selig in 2006 to investigate the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the MLB, presented a 409 page report to Selig showing his investigation and revealing 89 alleged players who used steroids during their career (Healey). Once Bud Selig had been shown the report, his 3rd written drug testing policy came in to play which was known as the Three strikes and youre out approach (Verhaeghe). This final policy stated that, The first positive test would result in a fifty game suspension. The second positive test would result in a one-hundred game suspension. Finally, the third positive test would result in a lifetime suspension from Major League Baseball (Baseball Almanac). Bud Selig and the rest of the administration inside of the Major League of Baseball had finally seen the light, and properly taken action on how to cut down the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs throughout the MLB. Once the Mitchell Report was released many super stars and role models for fans all around the world were printed in black under the category of the illegal use of steroids throughout their career. The most popular player named in the Mitchell Report due to his court and trial issues would have to be 7 time Cy Young winner, Roger Clemens. Once he saw that his name had been brought to light in the report he went to Capitol Hill to clear his name off the list that he felt he didnt need to be on. Little did he know that when made the statement, I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchells conclusions that steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the reports allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not. (Healey) That he was entering a world of charges when committing perjury in a court of law. Many of the players claimed their innocence like Clemens did, but in the end they all served the types of charges. The original group of all time Baseball greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Cy young, etc. set a high standard for the Players after them to strive for and gave them something to achieve. Never in their minds would they of thought that the game of baseball would have turned out the way it is today. These modern day All-stars who cheated and used Performance Enhancing Drugs for a shortcut just to go ahead of someones hard work and love for the game as well to achieve their personal and selfish desires should be punished and have their awards and accolades stripped from them and taken out of the record books as if they were never there to begin with. The use of Performance Enhancing Drugs has put a permanent stain on the name of Baseball and what it is truly about. Bud Selig and the Major league of Baseball has come a long way regarding minimizing the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs by enforcing harsher penalties and consequences for testing Positive for steroids. As the years have gone by thanks to the leagues stricter policies on testing positive for PEDs the amount of players getting suspended for steroid use has decreased on a year to year basis. The Major League of Baseball will never be able to completely take Performance Enhancing Drugs out of the game, but with the right consequences, and appropriate policies they will be able continue to keep the use of Steroids at a very low rate and never re-enter the once dreaded time known as the Steroids Era ever again. Works Cited Healey, Daniel. FALL OF THE ROCKET: STEROIDS IN BASEBALL AND THE CASE AGAINEST ROGER CLEMENS. Marquette Sports Law Review 19.1 (September 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Roger The Rocket Clemens is known to be one of the best of all-time to step on the rubber in the game of Major League Baseball. The Seven-time Cy Young winner was ultimately unstoppable in the last half of his career. He was just another great phenom in the baseball world until December 13, 2007 when the Mitchell Report was released, revealing a 409-page report that was sent to the commissioner of baseball (Bud Selig) that investigated the illegal use of steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs used by players in Major League Baseball. There were over 80 players put on this report, but the one who stood out the most was Roger Clemens himself. On February 13th 2008 he went to Capitol Hill to argue the allegations against him saying, I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchells conclusions that Steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the reports allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not. Once Clemens had stated that it put a rather large target on his back not only by investigators but also the judicial system. They were trying to get him to admit using illegal steroids, but now as well they were going after him on counts of perjury. After 2 years of gathering enough evidence and testimonies on August 19, 2010 a Federal Grand Jury Indicted Roger Clemens on six counts, one count of obstruction of congress, three counts of false statements, and two counts of perjury. On July 13, 2011 Clemens first trial began, but on the second day the judge ruled a mistrial due to prosecutorial misconduct. For now Roger Clemens is a free man, but legal sources say that he will be retried. I will be using the Mitchell Report and the Roger Clemens trial to portray that not only is the use of steroids extremely risky and unhealthy but also that its against the law and you will get caught one way or another. 1991 to 2002 was known as the Steroid Era in professional baseball. Over those years particularly in 1995 after the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs and World Series the statistics of a majority of the players skyrocketed, which in retrospect played a huge role in filling the empty seats back up after the 1994 strike. Ill be explaining that up until to this point in time the MLB did not have strict regulations on testing for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) Kuenster, John. Major League Player Records Dishonored by Steroid Users. Baseball Digest. 62.2 (March 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. John Kuenster touches on a very valuable subject when it comes to records, and honors given in the MLB. Back in early in mid 1900s the greats of the game like, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, and Ernie Banks. They all set legitimate records that should never be shadowed by the players who eventually broke them. These few players all had something in common. That was hard work and love for the game. They didnt use PEDs to up there stats or to get to a higher number in a certain category. These historic greats earned their records off pure talent that was god given and worked hard to mature. The greats of our time such as, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, or Mark McGwire also hold records like men mentioned earlier. The only difference between the past greats and the current greats is that these new all-stars were accused of using Steroids to achieve their records. Not only are the players the ones to blame for the whole Steroid Era. Stricter steps should have been taken from the get go through the league to enforce steroid testing to ensure the safety and fair play in professional play of baseball before the use of steroids spread like wildfire through the MLB. Will records and awards be stripped from players whove been tested positive for performing enhancing drugs? We dont know for now, but who knows what the future holds. This article about dishonoring the awards given to players who have achieved them unfairly will allow me to voice my opinion on the topic of record breakers involving steroids. I personally am against the use of steroids solely because all it does it degrade the great game of baseball. Even though these cheaters didnt use PEDs their whole career and achieved some of their record off pure talent doesnt change the fact they broke the rules that is stated in the contract thats signed by every professional player. Its not fair that historys greatest baseball players prior to the steroid era should be passed up in the record books by players that made themselves better by an illegal drug. Not only is it a disgrace to the violators name, but more importantly its a disgrace to the game of baseball. Rutecki, Jared. A Study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball. Open Sports Sciences Journal 3 (2010): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. A chart in the article, A study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball shows the percent of the coverage on specific sports and PEDs through 1968 to 2006 in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and Time. Baseball ranks number one in all 3 magazines with 43 percent, 39 percent, and 39 percent. Coming in second was football with a significant lower percent of 19, 14, and 15. Over the years magazine articles about PEDs have increased by a huge amount due to the popularity in steroid use among professional athletes. With the widespread use of steroids in sports particularly baseball, its apparent that the talk of it in magazines and media in general has shot up too. When something isnt a public issue the media obviously isnt interested in it which is why steroids in the earlier years werent written and talked about much. When the Steroid Era came into play thats when the number of articles in magazines skyrocketed year by year and it all of sudden became a huge topic in our society. I will also be touching on the fact that even when people knew that steroids were an issue media didnt start writing about it like crazy until the 104 MLB players tested positive for PEDs in 2003. From that year on the number of articles per year were above 49. The media writes what sells and in this day and age information and insider news about the world of baseball and steroids will always sell. Solberg, Joe. Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Baseball: The Impact of Culture. Ethics and Behavior 21 (April 2011): 91-102. Philosophers Index. Web. 8 November 2011. Joe Solberg explains that once the steroid era of baseball blew up and became steady that it wasnt out of the norm anymore, it became part of the culture. Once everyone was doing it the person below them had to use PEDs in order to get to the next level. The use of Steroids is a ladder that started in the pros and worked its way down to the minors. Major League Contracts are more than less based off offensive performance rather than defensive performance. To be more specific on offensive performance homeruns are what really can land you a big money contract. Over the years the biggest category that PEDs have helped is homeruns. Of course players want a lot of money, and in order to get that money is to hit homeruns, and in order to increase the amount of homeruns is to take performance enhancing drugs. Players will do what they have to do in order to make the money that they are satisfied with, and as a result for most players it is to partake in using steroids to increase their status as an all-star. The information I gathered in this article will help me explain the players motives for wanting to use PEDs. Its not only used just to break records and be known as an all-star even though that is a plus that comes with it, but its the fact that if the person above you is using these substances then in order for you to excel above him and potentially take his spot you almost feel obligated to take PEDs as well. It was once a bad thing to be associated with the group known to take steroids back when it was a rare thing to do. Now days its such a common thing to partake in its part of the culture, its fairly normal in the MLB now to use PEDs. Sommers, Paul. The Changing Hitting Performance Profile in Major League Baseball, 1966-2006. Journal of Sports Economics 9.4 (August 2008) SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Paul Sommers showed charts over the decades of average years played by an average starter in the pros. It went from 5.2 years in the 60s to 6 in a half years in 2006. That shows that the use of steroids in the MLB increased a players career by almost 2 years. He also explains that the use of PEDs in baseball lets you peak at a higher level of skill. A persons overall skill level will increase by a big number while using steroids. Someone hitting .267 without the use of steroids could jump anywhere from a .324 to .378 average depending on the person. With all the statistics shown throughout the article its proven that Performance enhancing drugs increase a players batting average, peak, years played, MPH, and overall skill level. Before the 1960s after a players peak their batting average tended to decline steadily due to falling off from their prime, but after the 1960s a large amount of players started to excel past their peak year and raise their batting averages past their prime which was unusual. As we know now the reason for that was the use of PEDs. After 2004 the statistics seemed to start trending again like the 1960s due to the random and mandatory drug tests which disabled the players to partake in using Anabolic Steroids of HGH. I will be using this information to show how all PEDs have been proven in many to not only better athletes, but make them more durable and tack on extra years of successful productivity past their prime. PEDs arent physically making them younger, but they sure are making them produce younger aged stats in a past prime aged body. Stone, Brad. Another Poison Pill Newsweek 146.7 (August 15 2005): Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 November 2011. The MLB is by far the top sport when it comes to the abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs, but yet it holds the weakest punishment in the sports world for testing positive. Rafael Palmeiro in 2008 tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs in early August of 2008 just months after he testified before a U.S congressional committee stating that he had never used PEDs in his life. Not only did he test positive for steroids, he failed the test after lying under oath in a court of law, and all he was punished with through the MLB was a 10-day suspension and a $164,000 fine. Due to the particular steroid Palmeiro took, Stanozonol, which travels through your digestive system within 2 weeks, makes it hard for the court to prove that Palmeiro was lying when he testified. Baseball wants to stop the abuse of Steroids, but at the same time it seems like all these players that test positive these substances just get slaps on the wrist and are told not to do it again. If you want a problem to come to a halt you have to go the extra distance in order to get the results youre looking for. PEDs have been persistent in the MLB for decades now; telling a player to stop will ultimately not stop them. There needs to be an ultimatum put into action to make the abusers consider that these PEDs arent worth the loss of their career. Every other sport that has extremely harsh penalties if tested positive for PEDs dont have a very high percent of positive tests because the players dont want to take the risk to put their career on the line. In the MLBs case they arent putting a severe enough consequence for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. My main point Ill be using from this article is that if you want the use of PEDs to lower then you have to put consequences that the players dont want to deal with out there in order to produce more negative resulting drug tests. Quinn, Tom BASEBALLS STEROID ERA. Mens Fitness 23. (August 2007): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011 Throughout the history of baseball testing for either steroids or street drugs really hasnt been a big part of the games policy. Players played the game and what they did off the field was their own business. Once the early 80s hit, and PEDs came on the scene the use of them among players got out of hand. It became an almost regular regime for a majority of the MLB. Tests were eventually being given, but that didnt stop the players. When theres motive to do illegal substances theres always the backup plan to keep these athletes out of trouble. There were plenty of ways to come up clean on a test, and when the testers would find a way to stop it, Victor Cante and his crew at BALCO labs would just simply find another way to cheat. Even when the few unlucky players get caught all they have to do is admit it and simply explain they were told it was something else. For Example, Barry Bonds, when he spoke in front of the BALCO grand jury he came clean about all the PEDs he had taken, but the catch was he stated that he was oblivious to what he was actually using. People of this stature will make their illegal decisions, but dont think they dont have all the answers for when the going gets tough. Ill be using Quinns article BASEBALL STEROIDS ERA to inform how little baseball can really do to not only catch these users, but to actually put a stop to the Performance Enhancing Drugs. If not cheating tests to save their own ass these professional athletes will just find a perfect window of time to where they know they wont be tested in the offseason to fit in a couple cycles here and there to maintain the gains through using PEDs. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) will never stop trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters dont think the cheaters at BALCO labs arent finding ways to break through and find loop holes in their tests. Verhaeghe, Dan. Bud Selig Lays Down the Hammer on Performance Enhancing Drugs. Bleacher Report. (January 2008): Web. 30 November 2011

Cultural evolution Essay Example for Free

Cultural evolution Essay In his article â€Å"Where Do Social Relations Come From? †, Michael Grossetti discusses the ways that human relationships are studied by sociologists, citing that often the methodology begins by starting with the relationship ad working backward to define it (Grossetti,p. 289). The most lasting relationships are the ones that come from organizations, he concludes, especially those related to family and friends. When we related this conclusion back to cultural evolution theory, we can argue that the lasting relationships of this generation because at this point in time most relationships are forged out of organizations or via our families. However, we can clearly argue that once this may not have been true as people had longer term relationships with people in their neighborhoods and those with whom they had a physical proximity. Grossetti argues that neighborhoods do not provide a basis for lasting relationships as they do not necessarily share life values or interests which draw people together (p. 292). When discussing this assertion in relation to cultural evolution, we can argue that in the recent past, neighborhoods did share a commonality that is now missing – immigrants would tend to settle in neighborhoods, neighborhoods would be divided by racial or religious lines, or at the most tangential neighborhoods would be reflective of a certain socio-economic status. Now, according to Grossetti’s study, relationships have evolved to the point that people develop relationships based primarily on organizations which they belong to –church groups, work groups, or interest organizations. When this is combined with the use of social networks, it can be observed that people are then creating a new means to segregate themselves via their interests. People have developed a new means to identify people with like interests and create new association groups. The interesting aspect of this evolving form of meeting may be that it creates relationships among people who in previous generations may never even have met. Because social networking allows people with common interests to meet without the traditional introduction of a mutual friend, they may completely change the way relationship develop in the future, dovetailing nicely with the theory of cultural evolution.

Social Networking Is Affecting Our Reputation

Social Networking Is Affecting Our Reputation Social Media plays a big role in our everyday lives. Although social media is an easier way to socialize with other people in which you can connect with distant relatives or friends who dont often see, many have become so obsessed with checking up on their Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and etc. constantly. Social media has become a huge distraction in our daily lives. Social media is made to let people express themselves but many people use it as a way to be someone they are not or even to hurt others. Social media is harmful to our society in which allows for others to access your information. Many have become so addicted to social media that they dont have time to be physically active in which causes them to become unhealthy. Kids are spending so much time on social media and less time on studying. Overall, social media is hurting our country causing more bullying, depression, laziness and more are becoming unhealthy. Social networking is affecting our reputation. People dont realize that there isnt any privacy on social networking websites. Many arent aware what they post is out to the public, even though you deleted it, it can be retrieved. Nowadays jobs and colleges check to see if you have social media, inappropriate photos or comments can hurt your self image. The internet today is making everything easier to be viewed. Social media today lets individuals put out anything and even everything about a person. The rights to ones privacy are abused and are not persuaded to withhold ones personal information. In the article Is Your Online Activity Hurting Your Chances of Getting Into College? by Linsey Davis, basically shows us that before colleges accept you by your overall average or SAT score they will also be willing to look to see if you have any social media. Rachel is beginning to apply to college and her first choice is Bentley University, she began to worry after a college tour guide warn ed her about social media. It states He basically warned us that the admissions counselors will also look at our Facebook and any social media that we have to try and get a better picture of what kind of person we really are, Rachel said. Before colleges or even a job accepting you the first thing they will do is to see if you have any social media so they can see what type of person you really are. In the article Skarlis states He took a look all the way back to when Rachel was in middle school and first started using social media.. which basically means college admissions will be looking not only what have you been doing recently on social media but also the past back when you have first register on social media websites. Even though you have everything the college requires one little thing like having social media can affect you from getting in. In the article Privacy Invasion: Social media monitoring required to attend college or to be hired? by Ms. Smith shows us that social me dia is affecting the person chances in getting in colleges or even getting hired for a job. It states According to a Microsoft survey about the negative effects of unwise social media posts, 14% of people surveyed lost out on the college they wanted, 16% lost out on getting a job and 21% were fired from a job. Some employers and colleges may insist you friend them on social media or worse they may insist on your password to Twitter, to Facebook, Google and other social media sites so they can see what you post, your photos, what you say in DMs, and what you chat about. If you post negative comment, or photos on social media it can affect your chances into what college you want to go to, can get you fired from your job and can also hold you from being hired. This shows us that colleges and even jobs are being stricter on social media, even asking for their password to invade their privacy, what you post, and your photos that you upload and even to see what you and your friends talk a bout. Whatever you put on the Internet will follow you around forever. Social networks are giving bullies an opportunity to attack individuals online by invading their privacy. Social media makes it easier to continue bullying somebody that is being bullied on at school. By posting bad thing about the person and uploading pictures of the person. Social network creates an open access towards exposing individuals personal information. Suicide is an effect that can be the result of any form of bullying. Students come home from school expecting to find a safe place away from all the threats and dangers around them. However, victims of cyber bullying have no escape. They go home and turn on their computers or laptops and are immediately greeted with the harsh reality. Cyber bullies target their victims through electronic media such as cell-phones, websites, web-cams, chat rooms, and email. A victim is no longer able to escape from their bullies by simply leaving their presence and seeking safety and quietness in their own homes. In the article Bullied to dea th: Amanda Todd didnt do anything online that most others of her generation havent done was about a fifteen year old teenager, Amada Todd who killed herself after being bullied. It states Amanda Todd made a mistake by exposing her breast on the Internet, the stranger who pressured Todd to expose herself online and who circulated a topless photo of her wasnt a fellow teen from her high school but a 32 year old man living in Vancouver. Amanda was pressured to do something she probably didnt want to, she exposed herself to a stranger who she didnt know. In the article Cyber-bullying, social media blamed after Florida teen commits suicide Jessica Laney, 16, hung herself on Sunday after being bullied on the website Ask.fm. Her friends say cyber-bullying on the website Ask.fm is what pushed the troubled teen over the edge. Posts on Laneys page range from the innocent What class do you like the most? to the shockingly cruel Why are you so ugly? and Just kill yourself. Youre worthless. Peop le are using social media to bully others like Jessica Laney by letting her believe that she is worthless, ugly and she should go kill herself. Another story was a girl whose name is Hope Witsell. She was a 13-year-old who grew up in Florida. She forwarded a nude photo of herself to a boy she liked. Another girl borrowed the boys phone, found the image and forwarded it to other students. And so, the image found its way to a lot of other students in her school and in other schools. This then has resulted in teasing and bullying from her peers at Beth Shields Middle School, with insults such as whore and slut. When she returned to school, a counselor observed cuts on Hopes legs and had her sign a no-harm contract, in which Hope agreed to tell an adult if she felt inclined to hurt herself. The next day, Hope hanged herself in her bedroom. Many are being cyber bullied; children arent able to handle the situation, leading them to commit suicide. Some may disagree by saying that social media allows people to stay connected to family and friends, and have also been a great way for people to socialize and meet individuals. These sites are very useful, since students have the opportunity to interact with others by planning and working on school assignments. Many teachers are using social media sites to stay connected with their student once they have graduated and also to update their students on assignments, tests, grades and etc. A website elementary teachers use to interact with their student and coworkers is called Edmodo which allows students and teachers to create profiles, blogs, and gives students a place to go outside of class to contact teachers, keep current on assignments, projects, and quizzes. Social networking sites give people the chance of reconnecting with friends and family members that have not been in touch with for a long period of time, allowing them to strengthen and build good relationships. Also, social networking sites, offer free messaging, photo storage, and games among others. Social media makes it easy to connect with others. It is very helpful in long distance relationship, for example Facebook. The sites have certainly made it more convenient to get in touch with people with whom we have lost contact with. Several studies show that social networking sites have helped business, especially small businesses. They can be helpful in networking for employment purposes. In the article Benefits of using Social media for Business by Harsh Agrawal states Social media allows you to get personal with your customers and form a bond of trust with them. Replying to the concerns of your customers and by asking for their opinions, you can make your customers satisfied with what you have to offer and in this way you get more traffic, which promotes your business. The social media tools are free for use for everyone, and that is why by just working on your social media tools for a few minutes a day, you can get a lot of benefit from it and increase your sales and have better relations with your customers. Overall social media is helping businesses because social networking sites have the potential for advertising, marketing to targeted and segmented customers, and being able to reach out to users with big social networks for further business. Even though there are certain social benefits to these sites, by saying many need them to keep in touch with friends. However, the benefits do not outweigh the problems they cause. Social networking causes children and adults to be lazy and overweight, less productive at school and work. The first reason that social networking is bad for society is that it makes people lazy and overweight. Back in the days when people were bored, they would go outside to do something entertaining as in play in park, ride a bike, go jogging or hit the gym and exercise. Nowadays those who are bored go on their phones, go through others profile on Facebook or even write a status on Facebook stating Like my status for a rate, to be honest, truth is and etc. since they are bored. Many people just go on their phones and tweet about how bored they are or scroll through a friends new pictures and click the like button a few times. Doing these types of things dont help you in any way. In todays society obesit y rates are very high. In the article Causes of Childhood Obesity by Jeff Barnes states that Obesity in America is becoming a huge problem, especially in children. Statistics show that almost 60% of children in America are obese or overweight, and the number is still growing. Kids are become less active, instead of playing basketball, football or any other sports in the park, nowadays they prefer watching television or playing sports on video games, which causes to become unhealthy. Being able to shop online, socialize online, and play online interactive games without moving a muscle has created inactive lifestyles. Video games allow you to play your favorite sports without actually playing them physically. With more social networking sites being created, children are using them more. Once children get home one of the first things they do is log into their social media sites and begins to chat or text with friends. This is affecting their school work, because they arent spending eno ugh time doing homework or studying. Teens are become so addicted which causes them take up to 8 hours a day on social media. They are spending too much time on social media because they are chatting with their friends and searching for unnecessary people which prevent them from studying. This is lowering their grades. Students are spending time at night online and not sleeping enough. Without the sleep required by their body, they have a harder time paying attention in class or do not complete work. Another reason why social media is hurting our society is because a majority of employers search the Internet for information before hiring them. Inappropriate photos comments and what you like is hurting your reputation. When you delete information from Facebook, it does not disappear. Also social media decreases in face-to-face communication. In the article Social networking hurts the communication skills of college students by Megan Puglisi it states Students have become reticent and intimidated in the classroom to speak directly with me. Rather, they feel more comfortable sending me an e-mail from behind a computer screen, which is impersonal and does not contain context at all, Crowley said. Kids are becoming more comfortable sending emails to teachers if they have any questions regarding assignments or grades, rather than speaking face to face. In the article it states Students prefer to participate in brief e-mail exchanges when they should be pursuing real relationships. Avoiding personal interactions harms the competency of young professionals (Its difficult for students) to speak to respected professionals during interviews because they lack the necessary nonverbal behaviors, like eye contact. Feeling comfortable behind computer screen isnt good for you because you will have trouble communicating to others face to face, it will be hard for you to speak to others if youre constantly typing and not speaking verbally. People rather text someone or meet them online rather than communicate in person. We are losing the ability to communicate face to face. For these reasons, social networking is bad for society. Overall, social media is hurting our country in various ways causing more cyber bullying, lack of face to face communication, obesity, lack of privacy and etc. Although social media is an easier way to communicate with long distant friends or family members many have become addicted causing them to go on their profiles daily for maybe 8 hours and more. People are feeling more comfortable chatting behind the screen rather than talking to a person face to face which isnt good when comes to interviews. People arent aware that what they post online can no longer be removed and will stay with you forever. Colleges and jobs are looking at your social media websites to get a better view of who you really are, this may stop you from getting the college you want to. Think twice before uploading a photo, writing a post or liking something on social media because you never know who will be the one to view your profile. Cited Page Bullied to death: Amanda Todd didnt do anything online that most others of her generation havent done. Thats whats so disturbing. http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/magazinesDetailspage 29 October 2012, Web 14.Feb 2013 Agrawal, Harsh. Benefits of Using Social Media for Business. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. Davis Linsey, Sarah Netter and Alexander Ludka How to Use Social Media to Get Into College. ABC News. ABC News Network, 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. Kaye, Randi. How a Cell Phone Picture Led to Girls Suicide. CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. Ms. Smith. Privacy Invasion: Social Media Monitoring Required to Attend College or to Be Hired? Network World. 07 Mar. 2012, Web. 14 Feb. 2013. Murray, Rheana. Cyber-bullying, Social Media Blamed after Florida Teen Commits Suicide. NY Daily News. 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. Puglisi, Megan. Social Networking Hurts the Communication Skills of College Students. 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.