The Evolution and Potential Eradication of Cyber-crime in the Nigerian Banking Industry, using GTB as a case study.

Background to Project Over the years, the use of information communication technology has had a dramatic impact on almost all areas of human operation including, in particular, the banking and finance sector. To a certain extent, ICT can be seen to have simplified many of the business processes; however, it has also created a new breed of criminal activity, many aspects of which are aimed at the banking sector, for example, credit card fraud, identity theft and ATM fraud, as well as other related information technology issues (Singhal & Padhmanabhan, (2008). The proliferation of e-banking has offered opportunities in countries such as Nigeria to become much more global in its operation and yet it has also opened up the jurisdiction to a broad range of cyber-crimes, which will be the focus of the analysis in this research. E-banking is not limited to the more developed countries and, arguably, can be seen to transcend many of the jurisdictional borders, with countries which are developing, such as Nigeria, being able to trade internationally in a way that was not possible, previously. However, this opportunity also presents challenges, particularly when it comes to establishing systems that will prevent or limit cyber-crime. Problem Specification E-banking in Nigeria is still largely seen to be in its infancy, with the majority of banks using information technology as a means of providing information, rather than creating an interactive banking arrangement (Howard et al 2008). To a certain extent, it could be argued that this relatively low level of take-up for e-banking in Nigeria may be attributed to the insecurity and the failure of the technology to keep pace with the needs of the public, if they are to fully engage with internet banking and all its ramifications (Chiemeke, Evwiekpaefe, & Chete, 2006). Crime and corruption within the banking sectors have created a particular concern for businesses across Nigeria, which indicates that dealing with the area of cyber-crime is critically important and needs to be tackled, if Nigeria is to be able to develop as a strong international economic jurisdiction capable of attracting investment and stability. Research Aims and Objectives The overall aim of this research is to look at the evolution of cyber-crime in Nigeria and to explore ways in which it can potentially be managed, or even eradicated. In order to achieve this over-riding aim, several smaller research objectives have been identified. Firstly, it is necessary to gain an historical understanding of the Nigerian banking industry and to ascertain the ways in which the industry has operated, prior to the use of information technology, and how information technology has impacted upon the banking sector, to date. Secondly, an analysis of the current cyber-crime control processes will be undertaken, looking at a range of different banks and how they look towards managing and controlling cyber-crime (Computer Crime Research Center 2009). The research will then move on to compare banks in other regions, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, with a view to establishing whether there are additional ways in which cyber-crime could be managed more efficiently, by looking at the various different means whereby cyber-crime is managed in these other jurisdictions. The findings can then be looked at in the context of the problems being faced in Nigeria, and potential options explored. A specific case study of GTB will be used, in order to explore the issues raised above, before ultimately suggesting how the Nigerian banking sector can improve its position and reduce the level of cyber-crime, to such an extent that it is likely to improve the stability and trust within the banking sector. GTB in particular has been the subject of much discussion due to several high profile fraudulent activities that have raised the issue of managing cybercrime in Nigeria (Shittu, 2010). Offering this guidance is a critical element of the research as it will offer guidance on how to manage the difficulties being raised by the Nigerian banking industry. Research Methodology The research approach will be inductive in nature in that it will look at a wide variety of ideas and observations with the view to ultimately establishing a theory and a framework that can be relied upon to develop the future of the Nigerian banking industry. In order to achieve this, both quantitative and qualitative analysis will be undertaken. However, this will primarily involve looking at the data associated with cyber-crime, in the region, as part of the secondary research and then going on to undertake a case study, to improve the understanding of where the data has originated from, and in order to bridge between the theory and practical reality of cyber-crime, in the region. Resources Resources will primarily be derived from journals and reports dealing with the area of cyber-crime, in Nigeria, although it will also be necessary to undertake primary research with the employees of the case study bank, i.e. GTB. Suggested references to be used as a starting point are listed at the end of the proposal. Constraints Potential issues may emerge when it comes to collecting accurate data, as issues related to cyber-crime rates can be commercially sensitive, thus making it harder to ensure that the data and the subsequent analysis are accurate. It is also necessary to recognise that issues relating to cyber-crime are likely to change, very rapidly, making the research quite time-specific, in terms of its value. Gaining detailed primary research by interviewing employees may also present a problem, as employees are unlikely to be prepared to speak openly, for fear of any comeback from their employer. Projected Schedule The research will take place over one academic year, which actually spans a total of nine months. It is anticipated that monitoring the case study bank will take the longest period of time and therefore this is central to the timing and is recognised as such in the chart below. M1M2M3M4M5M6M7M8M9 Background Research Literature Review Case Study Analysis and Write-up Proofread and Presentation References Adeloye LA (2008). E-banking as new frontiers for banks. Sunday Punch, September 14, P. 25. Chiemeke, S. C., Evwiekpaefe, A. and Chete, F.(2006) The Adoption of Internet Banking in Nigeria: An Empirical Investigation, Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, Vol. 11, No.3, Computer Crime Research Center 2009. Preventive Measures for ATM frauds. http://www.crimeresearch.org/articles/preventive measures-ATMFraud, Howard, R., Thomas, R., Burstein, J., & Bradescu, R. (2008). Cyber Fraud Trends and Mitigation, 9–24. Litan, A. (2004). Phising attack victims likely targets for identity theft. Available: http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=120804 Longe, O.B.& Chiemeke, S.C. (2008): Cybercrime and Criminality in Nigeria- What roles are internet Access Points in Playing. European Journal of Social Sciences, Volume 6 No 4 Ogunsemor AO (1992.) Banking services: The emergence and impact of electronic banking. The Nigerian Banker, January – March, 1992. Omankhanlen O. (2009). ATM fraud rises: Nigerians groan in Nigeria. Daily News, Sunday, June 21, pp.8-10. Shittu, O., Submitted, P., The, T. O., Of, F., Akintola, L., State, O. Y. O., Fulfilment, I. N. P., et al. (2010). The Impact of Electronic Banking in Nigeria Banking System (Critical Appraisal Of Unity Bank Plc ), 1–62. Singhal, D., & Padhmanabhan, V. (2008). A Study on Customer Perception Towards Internet Banking : Identifying Major Contributing Factors, 5(1), pp. 101–111.

Global Warming Poses Threat to Ski Resorts in USA Essay

The American west is marvellous, it is large with grand landscapes and mountains reaching to the sky . The plains unfold to the horizon and the vistas present an unimaginable panorama. Just like any where else in the world, water is an essential element to life here but it is scarce hence creating the west’s vulnerability. Precipitation is generally low and cannot support agriculture it is for this reason that agriculture is only possible through irrigation. This precipitation is not only scarce but scarcest in the summers when it is mostly needed but falls disproportionately and mostly in the mountains in the winter. The only saving grace is that in winter it precipitates as snow and stays as snow packs throughout the winter. It is on the basis of these weather patterns that the winter sports tourism is established. This industry has served as the main economic driving machine of the west and other other areas for decades. However, changing climatic patterns and global warming has emerged as a serious threat to the existence of the winter sports industry. Projected increases in average global temperatures due to increases in green house gases in the atmosphere has been incriminated in widespread glacial and white cap decreases, ocean level rise and warming but most importantly in the reduction of snow cover and the decrease in the duration of winter tourism. The unpredictability of the future and the climate sensitive nature of winter sports tourism has led to many initiative aimed curbing the increase in green house gases and consequently making snow available. Introduction Compelling evidence suggests that global climate has been on a progressive change since the industrial era and is projected to continue over the 21st century and beyond. Global warming and climate change is an unequivocal phenomenon. Global mean temperature has been on the increase with an approximate increase of 0. 760 C between 1850-1899. the same increase has been found between 2001 and 2005. This means that global predictions of temperature bear a >90% probability (IPPC. Climate Change and Tourism, 2007). These increases in average temperatures are a direct result of human activities that increase the concentrations of green house gases in the atmosphere. The extent of these discernible human influences have also extended to other climate change aspects such as temperature extremes, changes in wind patterns, continental average temperatures and ocean warming. The same is applicable to the widespread glacial and white cap decreases coupled with warming of the ocean surface temperatures, the result is a sea level rise of approximately 1. 8mm yearly from 1961-2003 and approximately 3. 1mm yearly from 1993-2003. The resultant effect of biological response in ecosystems and species diversity presents an unpleasant scenario and these statistics are recorded in virtually every continent. It is projected that the probability of increase in global temperatures will further accelerate green house gas emissions at the present or above the present rates. The prediction pushes overall global temperature rise by 1. 80C -4. 00C. Assuming that the atmospheric concentrations of green house gases are stabilized, the warming effect would still continue due to the levels of green house gases from past emissions and the consequent thermal inertia of oceans. The biological response would also be extrapolated to future centuries even if the levels are stabilized at the present concentrations today. The discernible manifestations worldwide will be hot temperature extremes, extreme heat waves, heavy precipitation, peak wind speeds and precipitation in tropical cyclone events and an additional heavy precipitation associated with increases in tropical sea and surface temperatures. Together with these climatic changes extra tropical storm tracks are projected to shift towards the poles. All these changes together with the decreases in show cover will continue into the future. The economic and environmental risks are unfathomable and would effectively impede nations strides towards the achievements of sustainable developments. However, there is hope that if precautions and measures are taken to reduce green house gases today the high costs of environmental and economic destruction and disruption can fairly be mitigated. This calls for lifestyle changes, economic policies and regulations and international efforts that not only help reduce the causative agents of climate change and global warming but also foster adaptation and mitigation measures to meet the challenges of climate change. Climate change and Tourism Climate change, especially global warming has grown to be a pivotal issue in the development and management of tourism. The relationship between the environment, climate and tourism sector is currently a highly sensitive economic matter. Climate change is increasingly driving tourism development and decision making, changing tourism destinations and even tourist tastes. Tourism sector remains a non negligible contributor to climatic changes. GHG emissions from transport and accommodation must be reduced in accordance with international standards. Tourism sector cannot address the challenges of climatic changes themselves and in isolation but they can only do this in the context of sustainable development and the broader international development agenda. Tourism and the sustainability of tourism destinations is dependent on climate variability. The length and the quality of seasons as well as destination choice and the level of tourist spending are all determined by climate change. Climate change and winter sports Winter sports constitute a very source of income and the reliability of snow is a key element in the touristic offer. Skiing and snowboarding are the most common forms of writer sports but others such as snow hiking and cross-country skiing also depends on the reliability and the availability of enough snow. Mountainous areas are always very sensitive to climate change hence less snow, melting permafrost, receding glaciers and extreme events such as landslides. Additionally climate change shift mountain fauna and flora. These effects pose a direct threat to ski resorts in the United States. Lower earnings in winter tourism will only serve to exacerbate economic disparities that exist between the alpine regions and the more developed urban areas. These changes will also increase the risk of only skiing at high altitude up the mountain. If this was to happen there would be an intense concentration of sports activities in certain regions as well as further putting pressure on the environmentally sensitive high mountains. The extrapolation of the effects of global warming on winter tourism extends to the viability of the mountain cable way companies that use the availability of snow as a prerequisite for their financial stability. Without snow or enough snow the profitability of the ski industry is impossible. The absence of snow in the mountains will be like having a summer without a sea. The variability of the winter season with response to climate change will deny the winter sports industry the right levels of snow at the right time. These forecasts are a necessity in planning for trips at shorter notices especially the weekends (Rolf Burki et al, 2003) Studies undertaken in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and the United States to establish the impact of climate change on the tourism sector show severe implications especially to the winter sports industry. While some regions with high technological advances like adaptation strategies (artificial snow making) will maintain their tourism, others unable to adapt the expensive technologies will lose out. These transitions in business volumes will not only be driven by limiting snow levels but also the fact that skiers respond flexibility to snow conditions. During a snow poor season, 49% of skies are most likely to change to a resort that is fairly more snow reliable, 32% would reduce the frequency of skiing and only 4% would give up the sport. Coupled together with the fact that climate change has a direct effect on the number of ski days, those unable to adapt to expensive technologies will be disadvantaged and pushed out of business. (Rolf Burki et al, 2003). Snow resorts not concentrated in snow reliable high altitude areas will be forced to withdraw from the market because of decreasing levels of snow. For transport industries that will offer access to high altitude areas (sometimes higher than 200m) business prospects will be good due an expected increase in skiing at the high altitudes. The effect of this will be quantitative expansion of the high altitude skiing resorts hence eliciting a negative environmentally feedback effect caused by disruption of the ecologically sensitive high altitude mountain regions. Presently, this expected expansion to high altitude areas has been the theme of many concept studies that influence the opening up of High Mountain (Breiling and Charamza, 1999) It is for these effects of climate change that during a recent campaign in Portsmouth, N. H, Barrack Obama the Democratic Party presidential candidate reiterated that there is need to address the urgency of global warming on the ski industry. He said that global warming is not a future problem but a present one. This problem has made New Hampshire to have shorter sporting seasons and people are losing jobs. He further reiterated that residents of North America ski areas together with their customers should work hand in hand to change their energy spending. habits and resort to green technology if they were to prevent climate caused melt-downs (Laura Bly, 2007) Resorts have started investing in sustainable seafood practices, local food supplies, biodiesel powered snow cats and embracing the use of more energy efficient snow making equipment. To achieve this, campaigns on global warming and discounts are being offered to guests who come in hybrid cans. What is even more impressing is that resorts have taken the challenge of campaigning for these changes as well as acting as advocates for intergovernmental change. Effects of global warming have also been reported in Burlington Vt. The city is usually carpeted in December but unfortunately changing climatic conditions has created a mild situation where snowfall is meager just an inch thick. The temperatures are becoming warmer and fewer trails open. However, these fears have been allayed by the optimism of the meteorological department prediction that the season will progress as Christmas approaches. According to Michael Berry; president of the National ski Areas Association, the potential impacts winter recreation, the mountain ecosystem and the way of life of residents in these areas cannot be ignored. Global warming has a direct and profound effect on the ski business as it depends solely on the variability of weather. To drive this process of change, the association has adapted a policy to regulate and control climate change. The reduce, educate and advocate approach was adopted to help in the fight against global warming. Key in the policy is a call to ski resorts to work towards the reduction of green house gas emissions individually and collectively, educate the public and guests on the potential impacts of climate change to writer sports industry and be the advocate in pushing for institutional and regulatory changes aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions (Michael Berry, 2007). To this end almost half of the 59 ski resorts, who have purchased renewable energy credits or utilized green energy for their lifts and other facilities are 100% green powered hence reducing carbon dioxide emission by 427,596,000 pounds an equivalent of planting almost 17 million trees. Customers are encouraged to offset their emission and work towards increasing green energy use in their home. Generation of renewable energy through on site solar projects or micro hydro power projects and wind energy has greatly increased with Jimmy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts installing the first wind turbine powered ski area in August 2007. Resort vehicle fleets are now using alternative fuels like biodiesel, they also provide or promote car pooling or mass transit use. Ski resorts are being built using green building techniques and retrofitting existing facilities all with the aim of saving energy. Though an outreach program called â€Å"Keep Winter cool† millions of people have been educated on global warming and encouraged to institute lifestyle changes to help curb global warming. Specific Impacts of Global Warming on Winter Tourism . Snow The financial viability and stability of the winter sports tourism industry solely depends on the availability of sufficient snow. Less snow pack is caused by higher average temperatures, on the other hand if there are extremely low temperatures at night then it follows that there is likely to be an average increase in daytime temperatures. In both cases the resultant effect is less mountain snow cover and a reduction in the duration of cover. (Stephen Saunders et al, 2005). This means that recreation will be shortened and the snow will be slushier. The big difference to earlier situation where snow cover was considerably reduced is that, the capital intensity of the winter sports tourism will be considerably high. When this is analyzed in the context of profits from ski dependent businesses, taxes from local and state governments, the financial prospects of industries in the winter tourism sector look bleak. However, the most important link between climate change and mountain tourism is less snow and, as a consequence, less earnings in ski tourism. Glaciers Statistics all over the world point to the fact that there is a general retreat of glacial cover all over the world. Taking Switzerland as an example, since 1850, the Swiss glaciers have lost slightly more than 25% of their surface. If this was to continue in the future, by 2030, approximately 20% to 70% of the total Swiss glacial cover will disappear. This is a real problem for the ski industry not only in Switzerland but across the world as ski tourists will resort to other countries with snow availability. The effect of this trend will be putting more pressure on the existing ski facilities as well as acting as an incentive for investment in high altitude areas. Permafrost Melting of permafrost due to global warming makes mountain areas vulnerable to landslides. Transport facilities such as the mountain cable way stations, the lift masts and buildings become instable. Them costs incurred in bracing and anchoring such buildings when permafrost melts are extremely high. Hiking and climbing in these areas is also made more dangerous hence the loss of revenue due to potential risk of injury like rockfall or other health outcomes. Despite of cries over decreases in snow levels in the future, there is a possibility of winters with heavy snow like that of 1998/1999 that brought a great deal of losses in the winter tourism industry. The avalanche winter destroyed mountain cable ways, ski-lifts and chair lifts. The expenses incurred on sow clearing and the overall loss incurred was in excess of US $ 130 million. Adaptations for the future ski industry should therefore inculcate these historical weather unpredictability patterns in improving the industry’s financial viability. Adaptations and Strategies Used by the Tourism Industry to Mitigate Against the Impacts of Global Warming All tourism representatives at political,organizational, entrepreneurial or operational level have been in the forefront in pushing for adaptation strategies to curb climate change and help mitigate the potential effects of global warming. The experiences that project what is going to come in the future are prevalent today and is widely accepted that snow deficient conditions will determine whether winter tourism will remain a viable economic activity. To achieve this a multi sectoral framework that consists of the National Ski Areas Association(NSAA), Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), the federal government through the Senate Environment and Public Works, state stakeholders and other non governmental civil society organizations have developed a Climate Change policy aimed at reducing the concentrations of green house emissions. Ski resorts have been encouraged to adopt safe and efficient energy usage through the exploitation of renewable energy resources. It is this concerted effort in mitigating climate change challenges that also saw the support and endorsement of McCain/Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act to spearhead the fight against global warming. Specifically these attempts will help stabilize the US$ 5 billion mountain resort industry that currently offers employment to 165,000 people. Despite the existence of facts that predict radical effects in the industry, some argue that climate change issues are very exaggerated and politicized by science and the media. They argue that even though the effects could intensify problems in the industry, the majority of resorts in medium and high altitudes will be barely affected. Discussions should yield strategies that take into account the accuracy of statistical data disseminated on climate change and critically analyze the potential consequences. These issues should further be analyzed with reference to the global competition in the winter tourism sector. The facts that accrue from these forums should then be integrated in the construction of artificial snow flaking facilities, extend existing ski runs. Opening of high altitude ski resorts (2000-3000m)should be guided by the potential ecological effect. Climate change should not only be viewed as a negative challenge to winter tourism but also as a catalyst to drive radical structural adjustment and change. These developments should take into account the present risks and opportunities as well as foster development that is in line with the strive for environmental and socio economic sustainability. This will create a highly competitive market where customer preference is not only driven by snow availability but by the efficiency of service in some very high end but smaller less extensive resorts. Such top resorts will offer attractive offers for skiing tourists and hence reduce attention on expansive developments with less attractive offers. Artificial Snow making This is an ubiquitous strategy that is widely employed to mitigate the risk of climate change. Since its inception in 1953 at the Grossinger’s Resort in New York, it has grown to become the principle in the ski industry with an approximate 95% of the resorts engaged in the strategy. Its success has mainly been driven by its invaluable superior nature that offers a complete substitute to natural snow fall as well as making it possible to extend skiing durations(Daniel D. D. McGill, 2007). However, this technology is heavily dependent on temperature and is only effective in cases at low temperatures. Technological advances has seen the reduction of labor costs through the use of snow guns operated by computers. Snow making utilizes vast volumes of water and therefore the availability of water must be guaranteed for efficient blanketing of a large resort. Weather Derivatives. These are weather risk management tools structured to enable ski resorts make appropriate and informed decisions. They can be structured on snow fall temperature according to the customers specifications. Other factors that can be utilized to mitigate the effects of global warming include r4evenue diversification, cloud seeding and marketing to insulate the resorts against variability of weather by enabling them to maximumly capitalize when the weather is excellent. Conclusions Climate change and global warming remains will continue to remain key challenges in the winter tourism industry especially the ski resorts. Less snow, less glaciers and extreme weather events such as landslides are the key determinants of the future viability of ski resorts. Strategies instituted to meet the challenges of climatic change and mitigate the impacts of global warming can never be successful if implemented in isolation. It is commendable fact that the skiing industry has adopted sustainable building techniques,inculcated green principles and technology in their operations among others. These precedents are admirable but we have to admit that when taken in the global context, these measures do very little in stemming the worrying tide of global warming whose effects are felt indiscriminately. Global warming is a worldwide problem and therefore all the measures undertaken by the tourism industry must be in line with national and international guidelines that aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, tourist developments will not only be evaluated and judged with respect to their environmental or socio-economic compatibility and viability but they will also be assessed with respect to the climate-compatibility angle.

Losing Weight: Lifetime and Commitment

Dieting Is a hard task to do If you do not have the right tools to accomplish It Besides there is so many diets and exercise regimes out there in today's world that it is enough to confuse a person. It Is going to be a challenge and a personal goal for some people. How about you? Do you want to make a life time change to get your body, mind and soul on track and plus keep off for life, too? It is all about making a life change in helping people get control of there body and emotions and well-being.Many overweight people have other deficiencies in there body for they are not eating he right foods and getting the right nutrients to satisfy there bodies. They are usually nervous, irritable, moody, depressed, and feel sluggish all the time of which makes them not think clearly and have little or no energy to do there dally tasks In life. When people do not have a balanced diet and exercise regime they are constantly hungry and feel sluggish. Remember you have choices In life so make the right choice.By making a life time change and commitment to change bad habits and exercise will help anyone have positive results as live longer and maintain weight. First, you need to have a goal as to how much weight you want or need to lose. So you need to set the goal but do not set a time limit and give your self adequate time to reach it. Take as many steps as possible to reach that ultimate goal. You and everyone else can do this if you Just keep your eyes focused on the goal.People should really go too quiet place and really search down deep in side your self if you have the guts to do it or not and the commitment in doing this for there body and mind and soul. So think about if you really want this and then go do it for yourself. It would not hurt togged kind of a support team to help keep you titivated and then when It gets rough sometimes and you want to quit you will have this and won't give up. You could go to friends, loved ones, churches, diet groups and maybe come up with one but you do need to choose one. Choosing one will help give support when needed and enjoyment through your program that you chose.Rather a team Is better than one to help you reach your goals In life. Secondly, you need to choose a diet and exercise program to start to reach that ultimate goal. To find the right diet take a look at your body and analyze it to see what you need to work on In order to reach your goal. Do some research on it. Like look up different diets and chose one and same goes for the exercise program It Is actually what ever fits that person but to tell you the truth I personally found a diet after doing the Atkins Diet that really works and keeps you satisfied all day.I found that the Atkins Diet was high in fats that can raise your cholesterol and lead more to heart disease. It would keep your blood pressure up and definitely is not good for your body. We all know that none of this Is good for they don't care about there persons or natural sugar that o we not harm you. These are suppose to work together for you to lose weight. Len the Atkins Diet you only lose up to approximately 10 lbs. A month compared to the Venetian Wellness Diet.The Venetian Wellness Diet where you can eat all day long and feel full and not be Irritable. It Is all with good wholesome food and filling content with it. You still eat protein, veggies, fruits, and not breads of pasta or rice not unless It Is brown. Most of the foods maybe organic It will give It a more natural 1 OFF feeling and better tort you to eat. The change is g tort the wellness tort your body. You limit your dairy and your portions are a filling size. You are choosing your foods in a differently manner.The pounds will soon start slipping off and you will start feeling different inside to and with incorporating a exercise regime into helping you lose weight you will be helping complete your goal. You might want to do some more research on exercise you are going to chose for you self to do. Maybe you can do aerobics, swim aerobics, walking or doing a little of everything put together at least three times to five times a week. So with these tools you will be able to keep the eight off and get there body in shape.Finally it is all about making a long life commitment and life change for yourself. The Venetian Wellness Diet will do Just that for you. You can eat all day and not feel hungry and with exercising you will have all the tools you need to achieve that life time goal and commitment for life. All of this will get your body in shape emotionally and psychologically balanced in your life. So lust don't think you will have these tools your whole life to use and that meaner that you are making your body balanced and ready to fight the world out there with your new life commitment and change.After using this diet and exercise you will have a new level s of well-being in your life and energy you thought you never had before. With the Venetian Wellness Diet and the exercis ing regime that you chose you will experience this only if you commit too life change . Just watch you transform and with these tools you will be able to reach your goal. You have to be religious and passionate about yourself to do this. So make that life time long commitment and change to change your body for yourself and complete that goal. Get going now and make that change and commitment in your life for a lifetime.

If assisted suicide is to be permitted, it is essential that Essay

If assisted suicide is to be permitted, it is essential that parliament decides on legislation which, apart from the permission - Essay Example Passive euthanasia on the other hand is not by performing the act itself, but allowing someone to commit suicide. Passive euthanasia therefore is much easily accepted as compared to active euthanasia. Euthanasia by omission is the act wherein a person intentionally hastens the death of someone by not providing normal needs like food and water, and other needs that could prolong life. There also different classifications of euthanasia, there is voluntary, involuntary and non-voluntary. Euthanasia is voluntary if the patient made the request to die. If a patient for example made no actual request due to the incapability to express it, either by the severity of illness or unfit mental state, then it will be non-voluntary. The third classification is when a patient expresses a desire to live but is killed or allowed to die anyway; it is then called involuntary euthanasia. However, there are opposing views on passive euthanasia. Many claims that this type does not intend to take life and is therefore cannot be classified as such. Failure to treat a patient due to the knowledge that it will not help the patient and stopping treatments that are not effective and is not wanted or just proves to be a burden to the patient are in this category, 1 as well as giving fatal doses of pain-killers due to the patient’s need for it to alleviate pain. These practices are in fact considered as good medical practices by the law when done right. England is probably one of the latest to tackle the ethical issues regarding assisted suicide. A number of nations in Europe such as Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg have legalized different forms of physician-assisted suicide in the past few years. In the U.S., the state of Oregon has also legalized this practice, by permitting doctors to prescribe fatal doses of medicine to mentally capable but fatally ill patients. The current law in England pertaining to assisted suicide, under the 961 Suicide Act, entails that encouraging or a ssisting in a suicide can face up 14 years of imprisonment. Unfortunately, it has been found that more than a hundred United Kingdom citizens opted to travel to other places in order to end their lives.2 Recently Debbie Purdy, a patient with multiple sclerosis appealed to the House of Lords which ruled after the hearing, that there is a need for greater clarity. Purdy wanted to know if her husband will be prosecuted if he will help her to go abroad to die. Draft guidance was published by Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, soon after, acting out of his own free will and despite his lack of authority to change the law. The draft though has been taken into effect right away. Starmer laid down factors that could possibly influence the possible prosecution of a person which has now been updated after a consultation that received approximately 5000 submissions. Factors that are to be considered before prosecution includes whether the patient made a voluntary decision, if i s well-informed and if he is settled with the action to be undertaken. The motivation and agenda of the accused must also be emphasized, acting entirely out of compassion and not for any financial purposes or gain of it. The set of guides are intended to make individuals with a death wish dwell on whether the person they are asking help from will need to face prosecution or not. However, this guide offers no guarantees

Roman Abramovich Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Roman Abramovich - Essay Example 3. Qualifications: This literature review has its limitations in that literature used for the study of Roman Abramovich is limited to the articles on Roman Abramovich found in the local library and in the JSTOR and EBSCO databases and the information yielded through the Google search engine. It would have been better to have used more databases to widen the panorama of information on Roman Abramovich, but this could not be done as access to other data bases could not be secured. Another issue is that all the information available is through secondary sources. A personal interview with Roman Abramovich would have provided his perspective of his rise and growth and the manner in which he has been responsible this spectacular success in the business world. This has not been possible as access for a personal interview of Roman Abramovich is not within the scope of this exercise. Thus this study of Roman Abramovich operates within these limitations. 4. Roman Abramovich 4.1. The Humble Beginning: Roman Abramovich was born on October 24, 1966 in the town of Saratov on the banks of the river Volga in Southern Russia. His father was a construction worker. He lost his mother soon from blood poisoning, which was closely followed by the death of his father in a construction site accident. This left Roman Abramovich an orphan before his third birthday (Smith, 2006). He was adopted by his father's brother and went to live for some time with him in Moscow and from there to his maternal grandparents in the northern region of Komi. Roman Abramovich studied at the Industrial Institute, which was located in the city of Ukhta in Komi. He was drafted into the army and completed his draft time in... The list of elite properties that he owns includes a fifty-four million dollar townhouse in Belgravia, a ten million dollar townhouse in Knightsbridge, and a 440-acre estate in West Sussex that was once owned by the King of Jordan He also owns a ten million St Tropez villa, two super yachts and a Boeing 767. Roman Abramovich is a lavish spender on things that he likes. On 2003, he purchased a majority stake in the Chelsea Football Club for a princely sum of $233 million and then lavished another $470 million spent on players to make the club a force to reckon with in the English Premier League and the European Club Football scenario. He continues to underwrite $200 million towards the annual salaries of the club. The rise of Roman Abramovich from a poor orphan to among the richest ten men in the world sounds like a fairy tale, but behind this spectacular success lies a man full of characteristics that have propelled him on towards this path of fame. In a land that needs deft and quic k positioning, Roman Abramovich has been fast in spotting opportunities and utilizing them. He has shown the patience to wait for the right opportunity to make his move, and the humility to suppress his ego when the times demand it. His political shrewdness is remarkable ability to locate where the true political power lies and keeps in the good books of it. He is not daunted by setbacks and to go after his vision. With these qualities, it is no wonder that the rise of Roman Abramovich has been spectacular.

Article 1,2, &3 of the U.S. Contitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article 1,2,  of the U.S. Contitution - Essay Example This system of separating and sharing powers is also known as a system of Checks and Balances (Reitz, 2006). Each of the three branches of government has strictly defined powers and obligations, and each one of them is subject to be checked and restricted by another branch. For example, while the President has the right to appoint judges and departmental secretaries, the nominees should achieve the approval of the members of the Senate. Similarly, the Congress can pass any legislation, unless it is vetoed by the President. Also, the Supreme Court can declare a particular piece of legislation to be unconstitutional, but the Congress and the State governments have the power to amend the Constitution (Macey, 2006). It has to be noted that as a result of this system of checks and balances, governance is at times inefficient and ineffective. But thats by intent rather than by accident. By compelling the various branches to be accountable to the others, each branch is prevented from usurping much power and become dominant. Allocating governmental authority amidst three separate branches is also helpful in preventing formations that are strongly in favor of the national government, in which case it will easily overpower the individual state governments, leading to poor democratic results. But there are more subtleties to the constitution than what is obvious. Consider the following passage, â€Å"Governmental powers and responsibilities intentionally overlap. For example, congressional authority to enact laws can be checked by an executive veto, which in turn can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses; the President serves as commander-in-chief, but only the Congress has the authority to raise and support an army, and to declare war; the President has the power to appoint all federal judges, ambassadors, and other high government officials, but all appointments must be affirmed by

Law versus Morality as Regulators of Conduct Essay

Law versus Morality as Regulators of Conduct - Essay Example However, individuals tend to overlook the moral aspect of various laws, and thereby break some laws. In our instance, an individual has the freedom to choose from breaking the law, owing to the lack of supervision or strictly adhere to the law, even on condition that breaking the law would not harm any individual. As such, failure to follow traffic rules in such an instance would make an individual duplicate that habit in another instance and this may compel such an individual into unwarranted litigation.   Breaking the law in such instances in critical conditions such as saving the life of an individual in serious health challenges may be morally allowable. However, since it is evident that such an individual is not in such a critical hurry, it would be unjustifiable to break the law.   Besides, individual instincts have a significant influence on our behaviors and the way individuals conduct themselves in conditions where there is no supervision (Shavell, 2002). As such the human instincts may make an individual feel guilty, owing to such incidences. As such, to omit such guilt, it will be advisable to stop and follow the rules. â€Æ'

Theories of Conflict Resolution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theories of Conflict Resolution - Assignment Example When it comes to conflict resolution, the NGOs and IGOs have access to territories and theories that enable them to participate in eliminating and mitigating conflict. The conflict theories and intervention strategies used by NGOs and IGOs have significantly influenced world politics; thus resulting in negative implications in conflict resolution. There are several theories that attempt to explain the causes of conflict in the society. These theories include the fundamentalist theory, the conflict theory and symbolic interaction theory. Each of these theories has their assumptions and ideologies regarding the cause of conflict in the society. For example, the conflict theory argues that conflict is as a result of a need in the society. Resultantly, individuals or groups in the society spur conflict so that the other party can meet their needs. This theory is different from the functionalist theory in that it acknowledges the societal change. Therefore, conflict is not undesirable but a necessary factor for change (Shepard 2012). Arguably, the functionalist theory assumes societies are complex and at the same time organized. According to the Functionalist theory, conflict arises when certain elements do not make a positive contribution to the society. (Shepard 2012). For example, if there are bureaucratic rules in the society that inhibit justice. Supporters of this theory argue that once the dysfunction is dealt with, the society often resumes to its original structure (Shepard 2012). The three theories are integral in examining how intergroup dysfunction can contribute to the emergence of conflict. Through the efforts of psychology, we are also able to comprehend how individual cognitive processes can contribute to the onset of a conflict, thus facilitating the adoption of effective conflict resolution strategies. The International Community uses

(Corporate) Product Selection & Strategy Formulation Essay

(Corporate) Product Selection & Strategy Formulation - Essay Example Apple Inc is even enjoying the overwhelming performance in the technology industry is associated with the continuous success and dominance (Abraham 2012). In corporate strategy there are two types of diversification which are: linked and constrained. Companies that use linked diversification enter new business when they are linked with other business they are already operating, if they use constrained diversification, they enter only in new business if it is based on core resources. Apple uses the constrained diversification, Apple is a personal computer company and its business utilizes its core resources in developing the hardware and software such as, iPod, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV that allows the Apple to share its resources among the business. This even creates the economics of scope, and that create cost savings for Apple Inc., as their resources are shared across all the multiple businesses. Apple follows two strategies which are: Growth Strategy and Stability strategy (Abraham 2012). As the company has not reached to the optimum performance; therefore, there is a requirement for reaching at the optimum performance, this helps the company in expanding its profits, and market share, sales, and market coverage and product mix among the other accounting variables and market. Some of the other strategies utilized for enhancing eth growth include the market penetration enhancement in order to ensure the provision of efficient services. Another growth strategy of the Company is vertical integration, which is an efficient strategy for enhancing the growth, in that Apple Inc., takes activities which are performed by its suppliers or business in its distribution or channel. Diversification strategy is also used by the company in taking effective move for enhancing the growth; in this case the company must use the potential business ventures for enhancing its operations. The

City of God Essay Example for Free

City of God Essay In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli cements his reputation as an Italian political theorist who, wicked as he may seem, believed that morality and ethics did not mix well with politics and the mechanisms of power. From this book rose the ever famous line, â€Å"The end justifies the means†, and true enough The Prince had embodied a way of thinking so revolutionary and controversial that for hundreds of years, it had remained the ultimate handbook for political control. This is illustrated very well in Chapter 17, where Machiavelli discusses cruelty and its importance to maintaining power. â€Å"Here the question arises: is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa? I don’t doubt that every prince would like to be both; but since it is hard to accommodate these qualities, if you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved. † This quote easily became emblazoned in the reader’s minds partly because of its cruel approach, which however brutal it may seem, borders on reality and actual truth. In order to get hold of your subjects more, to keep them united and to keep them from revolting against you, Machiavelli relates that it is imperative to be punitive and exacting; to have them live in dread than to easily lose power by being mild and amiable. Fear then is necessary to be able to rule your subjects and keep them under your control. Machiavelli points out that the loyalty gained from fear is much more difficult to lose and therefore any ruler must strive to be feared. Such is the way of Machiavelli’s thinking and this quote becomes testament to his genius. His ideas, though wicked and malevolent, are worth to be considered by any one who desires to gain and control power for they stand out remarkably honest and brutally clever. Saint Augustine, being governed by his beliefs and principles, wrote in a way that he incorporates his vocation to convey and relate to the people what it is that God intends for society. In The City of God, Augustine’s work primarily takes this approach to express his ideas on the workings of an earthly city and how it is needed to be likened to the â€Å"city of God†. This work was primarily written to assuage the doubts and answer the criticisms of the people about the defeat of Rome, which was thought to be protected by God, and therefore, unlikely to fall. Moreover, Augustine heavily inclines his work towards the good and the belief of an omnipotent God and his offering of eternal happiness. In particular, Augustine stresses the importance of peace as an end goal, â€Å"Peace is such a great good that even with respect to earthly and mortal things, nothing is heard with greater pleasure nothing desired more longingly, and in the end, nothing better can be found† Augustine uses theology and the Christian doctrine to relate to the needs of his time and answer the questions that the circumstances had merited. He reiterates that attaining peace is the people’s ultimate purpose, be it heavenly peace or that maintained on earth. He addresses the difficulties that societies face and acknowledges that fact that it is necessary to create and maintain order and bring chaos to its end. Essentially, The City of God, as the quote has clearly embodied, becomes a sort of pacification to the troubles of the people, something Augustine does cleverly well. The City of God remains influential to those it had convinced to believe. Aristotle is arguably one of the famous philosophers who ever lived. As an early proponent of philosophy and critical thinking, his works had been based upon and studied countless times. His theories of state and political association are deemed basic and essential even as others have grown to reject and disprove them through time. One point he made when discussing about politics is the necessity for a man to not be isolated and completely independent of others. He relates, â€Å"The man who is isolated, who is unable to share in the benefits of political association, or has no need to share because he is already self-sufficient, is no part of the city, and must therefore be either a beast or god† In the creation of a polis or city-state, it is inevitable that men grow to need each other. Each individual member of a city is dependent on the other as well as on the entire association taken as a whole. Aristotle argues that a man cut off from society, being not part of it, is like a God with such great power, or an unworthy beast which has really no care at all. With this comes to mind the popular saying that, â€Å"No man is an island. † This stays true up to now and is one of the foundations of the principles of society. In building a state, the fundamental theory is important and highlighted that of its citizens being one with the state, growing and developing with it and them associating with each and every member of the state. From this, the concept of organization is emphasized and the primary building blocks of a state is laid out and achieved.

Theology Essays | Old Testament

Theology Essays | Old Testament Did the prophets of the Old Testament predict the future, or did they speak to change to way people were behaving? In essence, were they foretellers or forthtellers? IntroductionThe Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament recounts the history, and specifically the religious history of Israel, from the creation to a few hundred years before the birth of Christ. The Old Testament tells the story of the people of Israel and their relationship with God or Yaweh. It tells how Israel sinned against the God who had given her all that she had because the people were unable to keep to their covenant with God (Lemche, 1995). Within the Old Testament the Prophetic writings either address the specific historical conditions in Israel or they refer to social conditions. This paper will examine the books of the Prophet Amos and of the Prophet Isaiah to assess whether the prophets were foretellers or forthtellers. The paper will begin with a brief sketch of the historical background followed by an explanation of terms with reference to Amos and Isaiah.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prophets, Foretellers and Forthtellers.The writings attributed to the prophets Amos and Isaiah date from around the eighth and seventh centuries BCE. They are two of the later prophets and they spoke against the backdrop of the changing political scene which resulted in the exile of Israel, the northern kingdom, after the capture of Samaria in 721 BCE and then to the exile of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE (Clines, 1990). The central message of these prophets is to do with the exile, either warning of its coming or reflecting on its meaning and calling for the people to repent in order that God might change his mind. Scholars are of the opinion that the books have been subject to later editing, what is known as redaction, the imposition of something that happened in a different context. It is for this reason that the texts, while having a historical backdrop, and giving some historical facts, should not be regarded as a straightforward historical record. Rather they are a record of God’s dealing with his people. Unlike earlier prophets, these writings say far less about the prophets and more about the words of God that they give and receive (Whybray, 1993). The word prophet is generally accepted to have come from the Hebrew word ‘nabi’ which means to speak or to utter words. The biblical usage of the word has meant that it has come to be associated with someone who is the interpreter and mouthpiece of God.This is made clear in the opening verses of the Book of Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa. The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds wither, and the top of Carmel dries up (Amos. 1:2 NRSV). In the above verse Amos describes the way in which the Lord speaks through him and verse three then begins with Thus says the Lord. First Isaiah begins in much the same way: Hear o heavens, and listen, o earth; for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me (Isaiah, 1:2 NRSV). Here Isaiah is literally proclaiming himself as the mouth piece of the Lord. The word ‘nabi’ expresses a function, it is what the prophet does, other words are used to denote what the prophet is, an oracle or a man of vision. Isaiah is known as a major prophhet because of the length of the book and Amos a minor prophet because his writings are much shorter. The prophets then, were divine messengers who addressed the people of God. In most cases the messages were not asked for Amos chapter seven tells how God put Amos where he was: ..and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, â€Å"Go, prophesy to my people Israel† (Amos, 7:15). The book of Amos begins by introducing the prophet as a shepherd and then goes straight into the message from God as in verse two. Isaiah also begins by introducing the prophet and then proceeds to God’s word to the people. Some prophets were sons of prophets and some belonged to a community of prophets under a leader, some were solitary like Amos who did not really count himself a prophet, Then Amos answered Amaziah, â€Å"I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son†¦and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, â€Å"Go, prophesy to my people Israel (Amos, 7:14-15). Both Amos and Isaiah spoke out against social injustice and the ways in which the rich people cheated those who were poor. The prophet Amos spoke out against the idolatry of the people, who still strayed after the golden calf idol which had been set up by King Jeroboam the first when the nation was first split into two kingdoms. Amos spoke in the time of Jeroboam the second when Israel was enjoying a time of prosperity (Clines, 1990). Amos spoke out against the religious and social corruption that he saw around him. He spoke of Israel’s guilt and of their forthcoming punishment in chapter three: Hear this that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: You only have I known, of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities (Amos 3:1-2). Isaiah wrote in the eighth century BCE, almost two hundred years before the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon (Clines, 1990). He spoke to the people of Judah, and warned them of God’s displeasure. They had become complacent and tolerated all kinds of social injustice. When Isaiah wrote the people were reaching the point of no return because of their rejection of God and their constant refusal to give up their corrupt religious practices and their oppression of the poor. Thus, in the opening chapter Isaiah tells the people: When you stretch out your hands, I will turn my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers I shall not listen; your hands are full of blood. Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow (Isaiah, 1:15 and 17). The words of the prophets can be read at a number of levels. They were forthtellers in that they spoke out against injustice and called the people back to God. They were foretellers in that they warned of the judgement and punishment to come if the people continued in their idolatry and their unjust practices. The most famous verse of this nature is to be found in the book of the prophet Amos chapter five:    Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:23-24). Amos is speaking out against the social injustices of his time and saying that God’s command was for the people to be just and righteous. It was a verse used by Martin Luther King when he spoke out against the racial injustices in America and headed Black people’s struggle for civil rights in the 1960s. Isaiah also spoke out against injustice and makes use of the image of a vineyard where grapes are pressed, the injustices committed against the people, are, in God’s eyes, akin to pressing their faces in the same way that grapes are pressed. Isaiah says in chapter 5: But the Lord of Hosts is exalted by justice, and the holy God shows himself holy by righteiousness (Isaiah, 5:16) In this way the prophets were forthtellers because the word means to speak forth, or speak out against the wrong that people were doing and to tell them that what God required of them was to act justly and in this way they could achieve righteousness. The people had forsaken God’s Holy Law which had been given to them by Moses and the prophets were called by God to draw the people back. When they were not being idolatrous the people were indulging in empty religious ritual. Amos tells the people how displeased God is with their religious ‘nodding’: I hate, I despise your festivals, and I taken no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them (Amos, 5:21-22).   Amos speaks out against the people’s religious practices and tells them it is not religion that God wants from them, but justice. Whenever the prophet speaks forth and tells of God’s displeasure he also later reminds them of God’s loving and forgiving nature. Although the prophets forthtell God’s judgement on an unrepentant people, they also fortell, or speak of God’s future blessings if the people mend their ways. Even though God has spoken to the noble women, calling them the cows of Bashan (Amos, 4:1) he provides a way of escape in chapter five. Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no-one to quench it (Amos, 5:6). This is very similar to the message in the first chapter of Isaiah where God speaks against the people. Isaiah forthtells God’s displeasure but then says that if they seek God and do justice then God will repent himself of the punishment he is calling down. Clines (1990) maintains that the major job of the prophets was to call the people back to obedience. To do this they spoke out against injustice and corrupt or empty religious practice and warned of the judgement of God if they continued living life that way. Amos particularly has often been called the prophet of doom because of his warnings about the destruction of the way of life of the people and yet he also gives a message of hope. The prophets therefore forthtell in that they speak directly to the situation as they believe God has revealed to them, but they also foretell in that they speak of impending judgement if the people do not return to obedience. The prophets felt that God alone directed the course of history, a nd that God would punish the people who did not worship him in the right way. Worship applied to all areas of life, from formal worship to social justice and right relationships. The prophets called the people to repentance. Lemche (1995) maintains that the prophets observe what is going on, that society no longer adhered to the laws underlying the world God created. They then forthtell what is wrong and outline what the consequences will be if they continue. It is not easy to date exactly when or how the prophetic writings were put together, scholars are generally agreed that the book of Amos is the work of one person, either Amos himself or his scribe. The book of Isaiah on the other hand presents more problems, some scholars accept that it is the work of one person, others state that parts of the book describe events that happened long after the prophet’s death and must therefore have been written by a second and even third authors. By and large however these scholars reject the religious belief that God alone directed the course of history and this was perhaps why Isaiah could have been cognisant of future events. Certainly Isaiah lived in turbulent times, Jerusalem was under siege from the Assyrian Sennacherib and Isaiah forthtold God’s wrath over the sins of the people. Assyrian will be the means of God punishing the people, in chapter 10 God speaks of Assyria as: the rod of my anger-the club in their hands is my fury! Against a godless nation I send him and against the people of my wrath I command him to take spoil, and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets   (Isaiah, 10:5-6).   Ã‚  ConclusionThe prophets Amos and Isaiah, forthtold or spoke against the injustices that they saw. They warned the people that if they did not return to the correct form of worship laid out by Moses and reiterated in the book of the prophet Hosea: that knowledge of God was achieved through doing justice and by pleading the cause of the oppressed. The prophets may have foretold some events but what is most important about the prophetic writings is their forthtelling. The prophets spoke out against the social conditions that they observed and the ways in which people dealt with each other. When they dealt unjustly then God did not want their worship because it was empty. Religion only meant something if its effects could be seen in the pursuit of justice and of just dealings with others. The prophets warned the people that God would punish them if they did not heed his call to repent. They did not just foretell doom, God loved the people, he would forgive them if they returned to him, but if they did not then the prophets warned that only a remnant would be saved. It is not easy always to separate where the prophets may be speaking of future events or whether this has been altered when the books were edited. What is clear is that the prophets were forthtellers in that from their observation of the social conditions they spoke forth what they believed was God’s word to the people. Bibliography Clines, D. Fowl, S. and Porter, S eds. 1990 The Bible in Three Dimensions: Essays in Celebration of Forty Years of Biblical Studies in the University of Sheffield Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press Lemche, N 1995 Ancient Israel: A New History of Israelite Society Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press Holy Bible 1995 New Revised Standard Version   Michigan, Zondervan Publishing House Whybray, N 1987 The Making of the Pentateuch (JSOT, 53: Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press) http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm

Developing Social Support for Mental Health Patients

Developing Social Support for Mental Health Patients Social support plays a vital role in every individual’s life. Through comforting relationships and interactions, people are able to express their feelings and share their experiences. These relationships are essential for purposeful and meaningful life. People with mental disorders often experience difficulty in maintaining and initiating relationships with family members, friends, society and even with health care providers. ` For human beings, families are the most obvious of social systems (relationships)` (Charles Laurel., 2013). Their limited social network keeps them secluded from their environment. In contrast, a good and non threating social networks help pateints in coping with their problems. An intact social network is a precursor for the executive of social support. Person with serious mental illness not only need to overcome the symptoms of disorder but societal and family misconceptions as well. (Batastini, Bolanos Morgan, 2014) I encountered a client in AKUH Psychatric ward for last 2 months with the disgnosis of schizophrenia. Presenting complains were aggresiveness, low mood, low motivation and depression. On exploring patient’s histroy and by observing I came to know that patient is living within his boundries and remains isolated where he doesn’t interact with other patients, nor they interact with him, doesnot participate in any activities and no body came to visit him no relatives no family members . When he was at his house his neighbours used to make fun of him and even family members were misbehaving and giving him no respect. From furthur interviewing and considering above scenerio, I identified that the patient is suffering from social isolation because of lack of social support. To analyze the varying aspects of this issue, which is of great concern to mental health nurses because they have to deal with such patients who encountered many problems because of low social support and by increasing social support their mental health can be promotes and they can cope with many problems. Social support is the key to reduce social isolation by promoting interaction within society. It helps in adaptive process of adjustments and helps in sharing of feelings (Schuler, Zaider Kissane, 2012) People with mental illness often feel lonely, scared and avoided by society. Such people consider themselves as inferior and worthless. `Social relationships both quantity and quality affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and mortality risk` (Umberson montez, 2010). Social support promotes mental health by enhancing patient’s self esteem, confidence and empowerment. It aids in the course of illness from acute phase to recovery phase. It fosters prompt recovery and compliance to medical treatment. (Finfgeld-Connett, 2005). In Pakistani context, our society is bound by social ties in which people share their feelings with loved ones which indeed promotes mental wellbeing and provides person with sense of security, love and affection. Considering literature `mental health problems in Pakistan, a developing country, have in the last few decades reached an appalling level linked to both the current violence in Pakistani society and disruption in social structure ` (Khalily, 2011). In Pakistani society mentally ill are perceived as abnormal, be mocked by people and often misbehaved by younger’s. As discussed in my scenario, the family members misbehaved with him. The families are ashamed to have mentally challenged family members and they are sent to mental health care institutions giving staff the entire responsibility (Todor, 2013, pg 210). Sufferers of mental illness are often seen as most disadvantaged group whose rights are violated by the members of their own society. A study conducted in Pakistan (Lahore) where medical students and doctors were surveyed to assess their attitude towards mental illness. It came out that half of the health care professionals poses negative attitude towards mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and substance abuse regarding their da ngerousness, unpredictability and fear of communicating with patients. (Naeem, Ayub, Javed, Irfan, Haral Kingdon, 2006). Researchers have proposed several theories which describe the causes of isolation and low social support of mentally ill by society. One of them is labeling theory by Scheff in 1984. This theory proposed that public rejection is due to label such as â€Å"mentally ill† which leads to provoke negative emotions such as fear and exclusion that person labeled with mentally ill should be alarm and, therefore, be set aside from communities. (Abdullah and Brown, 2011, pp 935-948). While reviewing literature I came across several strategies to reduce social isolation in patients at an individual, group and institutional level . All these strategies are meant to encourage positive sense of self, increased confidence and self esteem. On individual level therapeutic use of self, enhancing spirituality and rebuilding family networks are considered valuable tools for patients. The professional relationship shared between a patient and nurse can decrease patient’s isolation and feelings of loneliness through therapeutic communication and active listening. (Abate, 2011). Client should also be given love and affection from family by rebuilding existing family relationships, promoting family meetings and help patients recall pleasant experiences. This will aid in increasing family bounding and augmenting sense of hope and comfort. In group level, various interventions can be done to increase patient’s coping. Referral to support groups should be incorporat ed in care plans. ’ The primary goal of support group is to increase member’s coping ability in face of stress, to strengthen the central core of individuals` (Perese Wolf, 2005). This will help cliet to express their feelings and desires with person going through same situation. It will increase their interpersonal relationships and coping skills and enhance feeling of togetherness and decrease uniqueness. Family education should be done to make them equal part of treatment. Mass media can be involved to convey our messages to population. Institutions should arrange semi structured sessions for the health care providers so as to increase their knowledge and make them competent enough to teach patient an their family members. During my clinical rotation, I identified and addressed the issue of social isolation at an individual and group level through nursing care process. The planning phase starts with assessment and purpose to promote social interaction. Firstly, I used therapeutic communication as a measure to build rapport with patient and gave him room for expressing and ventilation feelings through active listening. Secondly, I identified teaching needs of patients and delivered ongoing teaching on relaxation technique to make him feel comfortable since physical helath also plays a vital role in maintenance of functional health pattern I involved patient in different leisure activities such as playing indoor games and drawing to increase self esteem. While evaluating my patient I noticed that he started to participate in small activities with other patients . More over, becoming more sociable, interactive and willing to participate in different activities. This was the first time I dealt with mental illness patient with decreased social support. Initially I was resistant and scared in caring for these patients. However my perception changed when I came across different strategies to deal with such patients. I tried to remain non judgmental, sensitive and empathetic towards them and applied theoretical knowledge to clinical settings. In conclusion, decreased social support is the most challenging yet interesting domain which has many solutions. We should inculcate multidimensional approach to address this issue. Health care professionals should take a step forward to confront biased social attitudes In order to increase social support. Nurses should recognize the unmet needs of patients and pay them attentions that are often ignored by society. Increased efforts are needed to incorporate the practice of social support in mental health settings.

Language, Identity and Acceptance in Wright’s Autobiography, Black Boy :: Wright Black Boy Essays

Language, Identity and Acceptance in Wright’s Autobiography, Black Boy African American writer James Baldwin said that, â€Å" Language is the most vivid and crucial key to identity: It reveals the private, and connects, or divorces one from the larger public or communal identity.† The stories in Black Boy are original and captivating. It identifies Richard Wright as a writer and a person of incredible substance. The language identifies the books time frame and era. And most importantly shows Richard’s journey through social and personal acceptance. Writing this book the language used was important to Wright. It gave him the power to convey his life story to the reader. Without it his stories could have never been published and his popularity amongst readers would be nonexistent. This book is based on a factual claim. It might be biased because we read only his side of the story. It might also include a bit of fiction but his command of the words and the imagery speaks otherwise. Richard Wright infuses the book with personal stories from his experiences in life. We as the reader might find some of the stories in the book hard to believe but his use of evidence and historical facts lead the reader to deem that this book is in fact the life of Richard Wright. His use of words and his grasp of the English language allows the reader to identify with his victories and his defeats. Using the pathos appeal Wright enables the reader to be part of the story of his life. â€Å" I would hurl words into the darkness for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger of life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human. Language also identifies the books era. Reading the book one can tell that it was a time of hostility between races. The term â€Å" white man† comes up many times. It is as if Wright is reluctant to use he names of particular people even when he does know them. â€Å" White man† obtain a singular feeling from the reader. Even though most of the time there is usually more than one man he refers to them as the white man. The blacks on the other hand are â€Å"us† or â€Å"ours† .

A House Divided: Athens, Sparta, and the Inevitable Fall of Greece :: Essays Papers

A House Divided: Athens, Sparta, and the Inevitable Fall of Greece The stunning Greek defeat of the Persians, the specter of which lurks behind the events of the Peloponnesian Wars, was for Herodotus proof of the superiority of Hellenic form of government and way of life, and Herodotus ends his history at this pinnacle of Greek history. Thucydides then accepts the task of chronicling Greece’s unraveling from a position as the dominant power of the Mediterranean, and a center of cultural, technological, and political development to the final result of the Peloponnesian Wars—a fractured, demoralized, and dependent Greece that lies wide open to foreign conquest. This result is, for Thucydides, apparent from the beginning of the conflict. Greece can only dominate when the balance of power between Athens and Sparta is maintained, and the destruction of either is tantamount to the destruction of the whole. An accurate understanding of the national characters of Athens and Sparta makes it clear which of the two will ultimately be the victor o f a long, arduous military struggle, but the same understanding of national character makes it equally apparent that the one which can dominate militarily cannot lead Greece. The speeches made at the First Lacedaemonian Congress emphasize not only the character of the two nations in conflict, but more broadly, the inevitability of Hellenic demise as a result of this conflict. Thucydides sets down the development of the relationship between the power of Athens and Sparta in the Archeology. Athens emerges from the Persian Wars as the undisputed commercial superpower in Greece. Where Sparta is located in the fertile Peloponnesus, and is thus able to sustain itself on agriculture alone, making trade unnecessary and allowing it to maintain its own laws and customs for â€Å"more than four hundred years† (I.18.1), Athens’ infertile land forces it to turn to olive oil for revenue, and it consequently develops a flourishing trade economy even before the Darius set his sights on Greece. The Persian invasion itself makes a sea power out of Athens, allowing it to establish a Mediterranean empire, and export its culture and government to the rest of Greece (I.18.2, I.6.3). This serves to unify the scattered Ionian and Doric cities under the umbrella of the Hellenes culturally where the Spartan campaign to remove tyrants unifies it politically by giving Greeks relative freedom and subordinating it uniformly to the law, and the joint coalition against the Persians ultimately secured it militarily (I. A House Divided: Athens, Sparta, and the Inevitable Fall of Greece :: Essays Papers A House Divided: Athens, Sparta, and the Inevitable Fall of Greece The stunning Greek defeat of the Persians, the specter of which lurks behind the events of the Peloponnesian Wars, was for Herodotus proof of the superiority of Hellenic form of government and way of life, and Herodotus ends his history at this pinnacle of Greek history. Thucydides then accepts the task of chronicling Greece’s unraveling from a position as the dominant power of the Mediterranean, and a center of cultural, technological, and political development to the final result of the Peloponnesian Wars—a fractured, demoralized, and dependent Greece that lies wide open to foreign conquest. This result is, for Thucydides, apparent from the beginning of the conflict. Greece can only dominate when the balance of power between Athens and Sparta is maintained, and the destruction of either is tantamount to the destruction of the whole. An accurate understanding of the national characters of Athens and Sparta makes it clear which of the two will ultimately be the victor o f a long, arduous military struggle, but the same understanding of national character makes it equally apparent that the one which can dominate militarily cannot lead Greece. The speeches made at the First Lacedaemonian Congress emphasize not only the character of the two nations in conflict, but more broadly, the inevitability of Hellenic demise as a result of this conflict. Thucydides sets down the development of the relationship between the power of Athens and Sparta in the Archeology. Athens emerges from the Persian Wars as the undisputed commercial superpower in Greece. Where Sparta is located in the fertile Peloponnesus, and is thus able to sustain itself on agriculture alone, making trade unnecessary and allowing it to maintain its own laws and customs for â€Å"more than four hundred years† (I.18.1), Athens’ infertile land forces it to turn to olive oil for revenue, and it consequently develops a flourishing trade economy even before the Darius set his sights on Greece. The Persian invasion itself makes a sea power out of Athens, allowing it to establish a Mediterranean empire, and export its culture and government to the rest of Greece (I.18.2, I.6.3). This serves to unify the scattered Ionian and Doric cities under the umbrella of the Hellenes culturally where the Spartan campaign to remove tyrants unifies it politically by giving Greeks relative freedom and subordinating it uniformly to the law, and the joint coalition against the Persians ultimately secured it militarily (I.

Hipaa Case Study

HIPAA Case Study Rasmussen College Author Note This research is being submitted on November 18, 2012 for Lashonda Crockett H340/HSA3422 Section 03 Regulation and Compliance in Health Care. How does HIPAA serve to protect patient rights? Answer in general terms, but then apply the question to the case study. (Who is HIPAA serving here in terms of patient rights? Explain. Should HIPAA be applied here at all? Why or why not? ) HIPAA is in place to protect patients and all their medical information. This was a direct violation.If they would not have mentioned names, ages or other identifying factors except for the issue at hand they would not be in violation. Since they spoke of names and other identifiers in a place where they can be overheard, the people who were referred to her for help can easily be searched and found and then be ridiculed for the issues at hand. What areas of HIPAA compliance impact the employer? This employer that employees these workers can be sued. If anyone had wanted to confront the people they spoke about, it could be a way for these individuals could lose their jobs, housing or worse.They can be charge with slander as well. This is just a horrible situation for the employer since they could have criminal charges they would have to fire these workers. Then those workers would have a hard time find another job. What actions should the ICMHA director take about the alleged HIPAA violation in the case? This would definitely be an issue of considering these employees work history to see if this has happened before. Even though the work load is heavy due to losing an employee, I would have to look into suspending these workers and do a check into their work history.There would be talks with this family and grandmother who overheard them. It would possibly come down to sending them to another place for help and paying for them to get that help. There would also be an audit should be done on the department to see if this is happening with anyon e else as well as have an employee meeting to state how a new internal regulation on this matter has been made and if this does happen by anyone that termination will happen immediately.

Good Command for English

Now, the world is becoming smaller than before just because of advancement of technology and knowledge. Every person has different ideas, knowledge and strength and wants to share them with other person. There is no accepted and established common language for all other than English. This is medium language between to languages and cultures. In the course of our business or work, any where in the world, there is always possibility to come across with the people of different languages and cultures and we can simplify this situation with the help of English.We can do nothing, without having a good command of English, if we intend to do something good we like, coming out from our home. A good command of English is very necessary for the progression of my carrier in that by and large it is the most spoken language in the globe. I have a vision to connect to as many people as possible and to share issues with people of different levels and capacities. Should i use Kiswahilli or my Ateso l anguage that some people may have not even hard of?I know quite good English but still admire those best English communicators. Friends i tell you what, i have already registered for the Advanced Business English Diploma and will soon be getting my desire fulfilled. It is extremely important to have a good command of English in almost all spheres of one's working life and otherwise but in your career it gives you more confident in delivering both verbal and written correspondence.

Properties of Language, According to Linguistics Essay

Language, we use it everyday, but what exactly defines â€Å"language? † Are there generalizations to be made of all languages? Does everyone learn language same way? What are the rules of language? â€Å"What is Language? † by Neil Smith and Deirdre Wilson answers these questions and more by highlighting the three major theories of modern linguistics. The first modern linguistic theory claims that language is govern by grammar and that grammar is a set of rules with two functions: identifying possible sentences in a given language and dictate the pronunciation & meaning of a sentence in a given language. The first function provides fluent speakers the ability to understand every conceivable sentence in their language even if they never heard it before sentences. This creative quality to produce infinitely many sentences is unique to language. The second function provides fluent speakers of different dialects to communicate with each other using the grammar rules of their shared language. The two functions of the first modern linguistic theory provides effective communication between two parties and acknowledgment of it is vital in first understanding language. In part with the first modern linguistic theory’s definition of grammar is that each person’s linguistic grammar is entirely unique to him or herself, because everyone learns grammar differently due different external factors. Everyone absorbs different linguistic speech patterns from their external environment during infancy and adds it to his or her own unique grammar customs, habits or conventions. These differences are even more prominent in patients of aphasia, a language disability that breaks up certain parts of their grammar creating difficult to understand or entirely incoherent sentences. People with aphasia create their own linguistic systems, sometimes being completely incompatible with the common linguistic systems of their receivers, causing misunderstandings. Generally, the only two instances of completely unique linguistic systems are when infants first learn language and patients with aphasia. The study of these two instances are vital in understanding the degree of uniqueness a linguistic grammar systems. The second modern linguistic theory claims that grammar is psychologically real and unconsciously known. However, the idea that grammar is unconscious knowledge is a controversial one. The opposition argues that sentence understanding is formed from using analogous sentences the listener has already heard and understood. It is not unconscious knowledge, they claim, but conscious identification of previously understood sentences. However, that does not explain the creativity of forming entirely new sentences or understanding the meaning of a never heard before sentence. For example, Noam Chomsky’s famous line, â€Å"Colorless green ideas sleep furiously† understandably sounds English and follows the grammatical rules of English, but makes no semantic sense. The opposition’s claim should be understood as â€Å"previously experienced analogous rules are used to understand language. † This would be classified under grammar rules. This explains how students first learn a language by identifying patterns through multiple experiences with the same kind of sentences. L inguists, however, research existing patterns from recognizing sentence patterns that are psychologically valid, i. e. significant generalizations and sentence patterns that arose by accident or by coincidence, i.  e. accidental generalizations. Significant generalizations are formed from existing rules, such as using â€Å"mister† for a man and â€Å"miss† for a woman. Accidental generalizations are any rules that are not the currently valid linguistic rules and are formed from chance events from using rules during early development of the language or change from outside influences. A child might make an accidental generalization of â€Å"mister† and call a woman â€Å"mister,† which would be very inappropriate and incorrect. Through intensive research, linguists are able to identify which generalizations are accidental or incorrect and create generalizations that are correct. The third modern linguistic theory by Noam Chomsky claims that people learn certain language forms instinctively. Chomsky discovered this parallel from the fact that all languages are very similar to each other. A few universalities shared by all languages discovered by linguistics are that all languages have vowels, consonants, nouns, verbs, affirmative sentences, negative sentences and interrogative sentences. A study done by Russell Tomlin in 1986, London, is that 45% of all languages share the â€Å"subject-verb-object† sentence structure and 42% share the â€Å"subject-verb-object† sentence structure. Very few languages, for whatever reason, have the verb or object first, which would indicate that the formation of language favors the subject first and that most languages are predisposed to having a subject first in a sentence. Language, whether we completely comprehend its inner workings or not, is constantly a prevailing aspect of our daily lives. We use language unconsciously, and yet because of this aspect, it is very difficult to fully classify rules of language. Thankfully, we can analyze various instances of unique grammar formation to further clarify our generalizations of languages and through these generalizations, find universalities of all languages. What is language, you ask? Language is a beautiful study of unique linguistics systems, interplaying with each other to create powerful communication.

Financial Outcomes Paper

Struck Japan it already did not own for $914 million† (Derrick, 2014, Para 2). Struck acceptance of this offer can result in three potential financial outcomes; increased revenue from sales, changes in cost of goods sold, and changes in expenses. Based on Stardust's historical annual growth trends in the China/Asia markets, the most likely financial outcome of Stardust's transition to full ownership sis 15% increase in revenues. This may or may not be accompanied by with the most likely scenario of a 5% decrease in their cost of goods sold, and a 5% decrease in their expenses. Scenario AnalysisScenario analysis is about understanding what can happen when things change within a firm. Analysis will assist Struck in understanding how their buy out of their Struck Japan partnership can affect their business overall, and assist them with understanding the financial risks involved in their venture. Standard deviation of past results can assist to construct an idea of what will happen in the future, however when taking on a brand new venture unforeseen obstacles may appear. Analyzing Struck' revenue from years 201 1 through 2014, it is discovered that the standard deviation is . 45, and that the deviation in their growth percentages over the same time frame is 1. 907. These are good signs that Struck is doing well as they continue to develop new products and expand across the globe, as the standard deviation figures reflect an increase in revenue growth. Typically, scenario analysis is based on three ratings, worst-case scenario, most likely, and best-case scenario. Although it is important to understand and define other possible scenarios, improbable events should not be used because they would not result in an accurate analysis.By using extreme scenarios, such as the worst and best-case scenarios, which show the most negative and most positive, respective results, companies such as Struck can test their theories and mitigate any potential risks that they may e ncounter. Revenue Revenue analysis will help Struck understand one of the key variables that affects their business performance. Comparing current sales to previous periods provides Struck of a quick understanding of how their business is trending.Struck has seen continued growth year over year since 2011, and this positive trend provides them with insight into how well their traceries are performing. New strategies, such as growth into Japan, can be made with confidence when the business is trending positively, and previous expansions have been well received. One of the fastest growing investments for Struck is China/Asia Pacific. â€Å"Struck expects to see 16 percent to 18 percent revenue growth during fiscal 2015. Excluding the Japan impact, revenue growth is expected to be consistent with the company's previous target of 10 percent plus revenue growth† (Derrick, 2014, Para 5).The financial effect of increases or decreases in revenue from sales is substantial, specially c onsidering the high volume of transactions Struck completes internationally on a daily basis. The most likely scenario for sales growth with Struck Japan buy out is 15%. The figure is based on the growth rate of Struck since 201 1, which averages at 14%. A 15% increase in sales, With cost of goods sold and expenses constant, will result in over 1. 5 billion dollars in income for 201 5, an increase of over 30% from the previous year.The best-case scenario would result in a 20% increase in sales, and nearly 60% increase in income. In the worst-case event that Struck sales drop 5%, the many would still realize a profit. Although a decrease in revenue is unlikely considering Struck continued growth, it is a possibility as political and socio-economic changes occur around the globe. Cost of goods sold The cost of goods sold is associated with the cost of any raw materials used to produce and market Struck coffee, but does not include any indirect expenses.The cost of goods sold is an imp ortant part of a businessWith full control over Struck Japan, Struck may be able to implement a number of initiatives that would work towards reducing their cost of goods sold, such as better quality control, more effective product assortment, and reduced waste. A 5% crease in will result in a nearly 1. 2 billion decrease in cost of goods sold, which will positively affect the company's gross income. A decrease in cost of goods sold may also be a challenge, depending on how Scabby has conducted their half of the business in the past.The China and Asia Pacific region of the world operates much differently than its Western counterparts, and Struck may face ethical business challenges, as it is unknown as to how Scabby partnered with suppliers and other vendors. Struck may see costs rise if they are unable to store, ship, and promote their product as effectively s they had when in partnership. Expenses Expenses normally react to relative changes in sales, however with Struck vast distr ibution channels and vendor relationships, they may be able to lower their expenses even as they expand to new regions such as Japan.Variable expenses, such as fees such as transportation, and credit card commission fees will increase as new stores pop up and consumer purchasing increases. Fixed expenses, such as employee salaries, benefits, property and income taxes, and utility costs will also increase as Struck expands, however, since they are buying out existing locations and not looking to build new ones, these expenses may not vary greatly from the previous year. Expenses such as income tax may play a significant role in Struck income as they gain more stores in Japan and the China/Asia Pacific region.Analysis has suggested that changes could be in the range of 15%, considering increases and decreases in expenses, with a Worst-case scenario of expenses increasing by 5%, to the most optimistic scenario of a 10% decrease. Expenses will primarily come in the form of costs to impr ove UAPITA, taxes, and payroll. A consideration that is not taken into account for the most likely and optimistic scenarios is that customary increase in revenue that normally accompanies and increase in expenses.Expenses such as payroll and capital improvements can be associated with company expansion and the need for more employees, assuming that expansion is a result of consumer wants and needs, which will then increase revenue. Conclusion Struck over the years have proved themselves to be an organization that thrives year after year. Just in the last decade their revenue has increased by almost 150% (Mornings, 2015). Their passion to bring a connection to everyone they see and do business with has made them into the largest roaster and retailer of specialty coffee the world has ever known. Struck, which opened its first store outside of North America in Toss's Gina district nearly 20 years ago, said it expects the deal to immediately add to its results, excluding certain items. The transactions are expected to be fully completed in the first half of calendar 2015†³ (Beckmann, 2014, par a. 6). Its expanded investment with China/ Pacific-Asia and the acquisition of Struck Japan will also prove to be a success because not only do they want to expand their business, but more importantly they want to do it the right way to fulfill their mission in helping the world become a little better one neighborhood at a time.