Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Serial Killer Aileen Carol Wuornos Life Free Essay Example, 1250 words

When Aileen Carol Wuornos was twenty, she moved to Florida and married a rich 69-year-old man (Hickey 2009). The marriage only lasted for 60 days because the man is abusive. Her grandfather committed suicide then. She followed suit and shot herself in the stomach. Needless to say, she was unsuccessful. She had 6 attempts of suicide between her ages of 14 22. She also had unrealistic expectations this time, like, applying for a lawyer even if she did not have a college degree (Myers, et al 2005). She was working as a prostitute. She tells that she has been maced, raped and been beaten. She reported that she prostitutes herself 25-30 times a day (Hickey 2009). Then she met Tyria Moore. Moore became her first lesbian lover. Their relationship originally had been a sexual one but it had turned into a seemingly fraternal one. They moved in together, with Wuornos working as a prostitute and Moore keeping a regular job. It was during her life with Moore that she committed her crimes. Her life with Moore was filled with deceit, alcoholism, prostitution, transience (they moved from hotel to hotel) and violence. We will write a custom essay sample on Serial Killer Aileen Carol Wuornos Life or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page

Monday, December 23, 2019

Women s Role As A Female - 768 Words

The female gender has been evolving over time. During the last few years women have been rising above the obstacles and excelling. Women are now becoming the leaders in society despite many challenges. My gender as a female, possess so many positive characteristics but also negative connotations. When I think of the term female, I think of superheroes. Women are extremely amazing and we have the power to rise above all obstacles. We have positioned ourselves in society to advance in higher roles then ever imagined. It is also extremely hard being a female because of the constant issues we face. Women have been suppressed, discriminated against and degraded. Women are constantly pulled in many different directions when it pertains to our role. Women are held to many different expectations and standards, our role is sometimes confusing. As a woman there are certain expectations I have for myself but often feel pressured from other influences, such as family expectations. Female suppression is often experienced in my family. Females are not encouraged to be successful professionally. Being a woman in my family represents many different traditions. As the oldest female, I am the second mother. I am the care taker of my younger siblings. It is my responsibility to nurture the younger children and ensures their safe. It is the woman’s obligation to ensure the house is clean and food is prepared. The expectations are not always positive and it is expected to continue theShow MoreRelatedWomen s Role As A Female Dominant Profession Essay1395 Words   |  6 PagesHistory shows us that nursing has not always been female dominant profession, and men have been a part of nursing for since acient times. A once male dominated profession has transitioned into men representing only a small percentage of the nursing populat ion. 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Cultural Prohibition of Food in Two Societies Free Essays

Many people of different cultures and religions define themselves not only by what their religious beliefs are but also by what food they eat and the different ways in which they prepare it (Campo 2009). Food is one important factor of everyday life that brings people together and links people to the natural and sacred worlds (Campo 2009). Since the beginning of time dietary practices have been incorporated into the religious practices of different people around the globe. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Prohibition of Food in Two Societies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some religious sects abstain, or are forbidden from consuming certain food and drink. Others restrict food and drink in their holy days, while some associate dietary and food preparation practices with rituals of the faith (Waibel 2004). These dietary practices are known as the cultural prohibition of food. In this essay I will discuss the Islamic dietary laws and the Hindu dietary requirements that are practiced around the world. The Muslim cultural prohibition of food plays a very significant role in the lives of Muslims around the world . The Islamic dietary laws are a matter of both social custom and religion (Campo 2009). In Islamic dietary laws, foods are categorized into different groups. These groups include those that are lawful (HALAL), those that are forbidden (HARAM) and those that are pure (tahir, tayibb) and those that are impure (rajis, najis). These divisions of what foods are lawful-pure and what foods are forbidden-impure are based on the QURAN and HADITH, the Islamic sources of revelation (Campo 2009). The Quran instructs people to eat only lawful and good things from the earth and not to â€Å"follow in Satan’s footsteps† (Q 2:168). The most general statement in the Quran about food is one that was intended for â€Å"children of Adam†: â€Å"Eat and drink, but do not be wasteful, for god does not like wasteful people† (Q 7:31) (Campo 2009). It is clear from both of these verses that ethics plays a major role in the practicing of the Islamic dietary laws. The Quran also identifies specific foods that God has provided for people to eat. These include the following; dates, grapes, olives, pomegranates, grains and the flesh of domestic sheep, goats, cattle and camels (Q 6:99, 141-145; 80:25 -32) (Campo 2009). Muslims can only consume meat where the animal has been slaughtered or sacrificed in accordance to specific rules: â€Å"The name of God (BASMALA) must be invoked (Q 6:118, 121), and a deep incision with a sharp knife must be made across the throat. Most seafood can be eaten (Q 5:96; 16:14), as well as hunted animals as long as the name of God has been pronounced when the hunting weapon is discharged (Q 5:4)† (Campo 2009). The Quran also forbids believing Muslims from eating carrion (Meat from unsacrificed dead things), spilt blood, pork and food that has been offered to idols rather then God (Q 5:3; 6:145). Other forbidden food such as the flesh of predators (animals with fangs or talons) is also included in the HADITH. The Muslim jurists consider meat from an animal that has not been correctly slaughtered as carrion (inedible). This includes animals that have been beaten to death, strangled, killed by a fall, or gored to death (Q 5:3). Wine is also prohibited along with other intoxicating substances. All of these forbidden foods and substances are said to be impure and can prevent Muslims from fulfilling their religious duties unless removed or avoided. Sometimes exceptions can be made when the situation is dire (Campo 2009). Specific dietary rules can also apply when it comes to worshipping and other activities in Muslim life. Prayer, fasting during Ramadan, Almsgiving, and the Hajj all involve restrictions and procedures concerning food that people are meant to abide by (Campo 2009). The offering of food is considered an important act of charity, but the food that is offered cannot be forbidden. Rules of etiquette are also recommended for special occasions involving hospitality and feasting as well as ordinary meals (Campo 2009). Hindu dietary requirements, like those of the Islamic dietary laws play a major role into the lives of many Hindus around the world. According to Arjun Appadurai â€Å" The density, scope and taxonomic complexity of Hindu symbolic thought in regard to food is difficult to capture in a brief space† (Appadural 1981). A love of nature and the importance of living a simple, natural life are the basis of Hinduism, which is a faith that originated in India (ElGindy 2010). The Hindu faith promotes a vegetarian lifestyle and encompasses a number of health beliefs and dietary practices. These practices arise from the idea of living in harmony with nature and having mercy and respect for all of God’s creations (ElGindy 2010). Devout Hindu’s believe that all of God’s creations including both humans and animals are worthy of respect and compassion. Therefore Hinduism promotes a vegetarian lifestyle with avoidance of eating animal meat or flesh (ElGindy 2010). However some Hindu’s choose not to practice vegetarianism and may adhere to the Hindu dietary codes in different degrees of strictness. For example, some Hindu’s avoid eating beef and pork (which are strictly prohibited in the Hindu diet code, especially beef because cows occupy a special place in the Hindu religion), but will eat all other meats (ElGindy 2010). Hindu’s believe that food affects both the body and the mind and a proper diet is considered to be vital for spiritual development in Hinduism. The Hindu diet code divides food into three separate categories, based on the foods effect on the body and the temperament (ElGindy 2010). The first is known as Tamasic food. This is food that is leftover, stale, overripe, spoiled or other impure food, which is believed to produce negative emotions such as jealousy, anger and greed. The second is known as Rejasic food. This is food that is believed to produce strong emotional qualities, passions and restlessness in the mind. The food in this category includes eggs, meat, fish, garlic, onions, spices, hot peppers, pickles and other pungent spicy foods. The last is known as Satvic food. This is the most desirable food and is food that is non-irritating to the stomach and purifying to the mind. The foods in this category include fruits, nuts, whole grains and vegetables. These foods are believed to produce calmness and nobility (ElGindy 2010). Hindu’s believe that for true service to God, purity of food is necessary to maintain the desirable state of mind that leads to enlightenment† (ElGindy 2010). Food is consumed to achieve mind/body equilibrium and good pure food promotes a peaceful – non agitated-mind. â€Å"Sin or an agitated state of mind, prevents the journey to moksha (divine supreme knowledge, which leads to freedom from the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth† (ElGindy 2010). Religion is the major factor when it comes to the prohibition of food around the world. Both the Muslim culture and the Hindu culture promote Holiness and pure lives through the prohibition of certain foods. A question of ethics arises from the practicing of such laws in both cultures. They also promote kindness and charity among people. There are many similarities between the two cultures in both the way they live their lives and the way in which they consume food according to their dietary laws and requirements. One major similarity is that both cultures categorize foods into groups, with certain foods being classified as being either pure or impure. Another similarity then arises from this as there are similar foods that are classified as pure, good foods to eat in both societies ,for example fruits and grains. Both cultures have specific foods that are forbidden, such as, meat that has not been slaughtered in accordance with specific rules for Muslims and Stale, leftover, overripe and spoiled food for Hindu’s. The main similarity between the two cultures is that they both strive to live pure, spiritual lives through the practicing of their dietary laws. For both cultures, if they do not abide by their dietary laws they cannot live fulfilled religious lives. As well as many similarities between the two cultures of Muslim and Hindu, there are also a few differences between the way in which they live their lives and dietary laws that they follow. One of the main differences between them is that Muslims can eat meat, as long as the animal has been slaughtered in the correct way, whereas Hindu’s promote a vegetarian lifestyle because they believe that all of God’s creations are equal. Although some Hindu’s may choose to eat meat (apart from beef and pork), depending on the level of strictness in which they follow their dietary laws. Another difference is that Islamic dietary laws are a matter of social custom and religion. Special etiquette is required at social gatherings such as feasts, as well as ordinary meals, for example, â€Å"pronouncing the basmala, taking food and drink with the right hand and not reclining while eating† (Campo 2009). Another difference between Muslims and Hindus is that Hindus believe that food is good for both the body and the mind. They believe that certain foods can create different emotions when consumed. For example, they believe that impure food can make someone angry, jealous and greedy (ElGindy 2010). The cultural prohibition of food in both the Muslim society and the Hindu society is a very strong element in the religious lives of those who practice these faiths. Firstly I would like to point out that ethics appear to be a major influencer into the practicing of dietary laws and codes in these religions. This is because people of both religions strive to live a fulfilled spiritual life, which they cannot have if they eat foods, which are not considered as being pure. This brings me to my next point, which is, both Muslims and Hindu’s classify foods into groups based on whether the food is pure or impure. In both societies people want to eat pure food and avoid impure food so that they can live a pure life. Certain rituals and rules apply to both cultures when it comes to how food is prepared before it is consumed. Sometimes in both cultures exceptions can be made to these laws in dire circumstances. In conclusion the cultural prohibition of food in the Muslim society and the Hindu society helps people to reach religious equilibrium, which is something that all people who practice the faith strive to achieve. From the research that I have conducted into the study of the prohibition of food I have found that both the Muslim faith and the Hindu faith follow similar morals and belief systems and place significant importance on the key ideas of holiness, pure, impure, kindness, generosity, equality and charity. How to cite Cultural Prohibition of Food in Two Societies, Essays

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Analysis Stocks Of Financial Institutions †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Analysis Stocks Of Financial Institutions. Answer: Introduction The present report aims to conduct the fundamental analysis of stocks of some selected financial institutions. The analysis is carried out through examining the key financial ratios of the financial institutions and their significant business risks. The significant business risks examined are interest rate risk, credit risk, market risk, foreign exchange rate risk, liquidity risk, and capital adequacy. The financial institutions selected for the purpose are Bank of America, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Group, Barclays PLC, Bank of China, Citigroup, HSBC Holdings PLC ADR and JPMorgan Chase and Co. Key Financial Ratios The major financial ratios that help in examining the financial position of a business corporation are profitability, liquidity, efficiency, market capitalization and return on equity. The profitability ratios assess the ability of a corporation to generate earnings in comparison to revenue. The liquidity ratios determine the cash position while efficiency ratios provide an analysis of utilizing effectively the assets and liabilities of a corporation. The market capitalization ratios determine the market value of a company while return on equity assesses the profit earned by a company on its equity value. The key financial ratios of the selected financial institutions are examined as follows: The Bank of America is recognised as one of the leading bank of the country for meeting the personal financial needs of a business entity. The analyses of the profitability ratios of the bank such as gross margin, operating margin, return on invested capital, asset turnover has indicated that its profitability is increased in the last few years. The liquidity ratios such as financial leverage and debt/equity ratio indicates that the liquidity position of the banking corporation has decreased in the recent years. The financial leverage and debt/equity ratios have shown a decreasing trend from the year 2013-2016. The efficiency ratios such as receivables turnover, inventory turnover, fixed assets turnover and asset turnover of the banking corporation indicates the ability of the banking corporation. The efficiency ratios such as fixed assets turnover and assets turnover have shown an increasing trend and thus it can be said that the banking corporation possess larger ability to effecti vely use its assets and liabilities for generating profitability. The market capitalization ratio such as EPS (Earning per Share) have shown a decreased trend as analyzed from its negative growth over the past few years. The return on equity of the banking corporation has shown a decreasing trend in the past few years and has significantly decreased from 10.77 in the financial year 2007 to the financial year 2016. The Australia and New Zealand banking Group is recognised as third largest bank of Australia in terms of the market capitalization. The profitability of the banking group in the past few years has shown a decreased trend which indicates its reduced profitability. The operating profit ration of group has reduced from 51.40 in the year 2014 to 39.84 in the year 2016. Also, the EBT margin of the group has also been decreased from 51.40 to 39.84 between the periods of 2014-2016. The liquidity analysis of the group through examining the financial leverage and debt/equity ratios indicates that it has strong liquid position with the increasing trend shown in these ratios from the year 2014-2016. The efficiency ratios such as fixed assets turnover and asset turnover have also maintained a static growth rate over the past few years not showing a major increasing trend. The market valuation of the group has also reduced as depicted form its EPS ratio that has reduced from 9.14 to 0.08 from 201 4-2016. The profitability ratios of Commonwealth Bank of Australia shows that it has realized larger profits in the past few years as its operating margin and EBT margin ratios shows a positive growth from 2014-2016. However, its return on equity ratio has recorded a slightly low growth in the past few years from 2014-2016 which can have a negative impact on its earning realization capacity in the future period of time. The efficiency ratios such as fixed assets turnover and asset turnover ratios have shown a declining growth trend in the recent years which indicates that it should improvise over its ability to use effectively its assets for improving its earnings realization. The market valuation as depicted from its EPS ratio has shown a considerable decrease which is a matter of great concern for the banking group. The liquidity position is also not too good as observed from the slow growth rate of its financial leverage ratio. The profitability ratios of National Australia Bank (NAB) Ltd such as operating and EBT margin shows a positive growth rate indicating the increase in its profit over the recent years. However, the return on equity shows a decreasing rate indicating that the bank must improve its ability to generate profits from the shareholders equity. The market valuation of the banking group has also reduced with the decrease in the EPS ratio of the bank over the past few years. The efficiency ratios analysis shows a decrease in the growth rate of ratios such as fixed assets turnover and asset turnover. The banking group also shows a decreasing trend of financial leverage position indicating that it is improving debt in its capital structure. The NAB is providing good returns as indicated from the increase in its returns from 3.60 to 5.23 in the last 5 years and thus it can be said that banking group is delivering good financial performance. As such, it is advised to the investors for holding or b uying out its shares for realizing increasing returns in the future context. The Westpac Banking Group has recorded a slight drop in its operating and EBT margin ratios over the last two years indicating that it should develop strategies for improvising profitability. The return on equity ratio of the Westpac is also showing a decreasing rate and thus it is recommended to improvise over is return on equity. The cash-conversion efficiency of the bank is also not too good as indicated from the decrease in its fixed assets turnover ratio in the past few years from 15.18 in 2014 to 12.61 in 2016. The financial structure of the bank also indicates that it is incorporating less use of leverage in its capital structure in comparison to equity as indicated from the decrease trend of financial leverage and debt/equity ratio in the past few years. The EPS ratio of the company is showing a decreasing trend indicating that it is providing considerable fewer returns to its shareholders in the recent years. The Westpac is showing increasing returns in the past five years f rom 6.89 to 10.85 indicating its strong financial performance. It is recommended to the investors to hold or purchase the shares of the banking group for realizing larger returns. The Barclays PLC is showing an increasing in its profitability position with the positive growth rate depicted in its operating and EBT margin ratios from 2014-2016. The EPS ratio of the company is showing a decreasing trend indicating that is providing less return to its shareholders in the recent years. The bank is also adopting less use of leverage in its financial structure as indicated from decrease in its financial leverage ratio from 22.80 to 18.70 during 2014-2016. The banking group has shown a rise in its cash realization efficiency from the use of fixed assets as indicated from the increase in its assets turnover ratio in the recent years. The financial performance of the bank is also not too good as indicated from its declining returns in the past few years. The Bank of China profitability position is somewhat decreased as indicated from decrease in its operating profit margin ratio from 50.60 to 45.49 during 2014-106. The payout ratio and the dividend yield of the bank are also on decline indicating less returns provided to the shareholders. The bank is also using less debt proportion in its capital structure as indicated from its financial leverage ratio. The fixed assets turnover ratio is showing a decreasing trend indicating that the ability of the bank to realize cash from the use of assets is on decrease. The market capitalization of the bank from 2014 to 2016 has shown a rapid decline from USD 184,330 to 141,480 indicating that its market value is on decrease. The investors are thus recommended to sell the shares as its market value is expected to show a negative trend in the future. The analysis of profitability ratios of Citigroup Inc has indicated that its operating income has increased significantly from 2014-2016. The EPS ratio of the bank has shown an improvement in the recent years indicating that the bank returns to its shareholders have increased somewhat. The financial leverage of the bank is showing a decrease in the debt proportion in its capital structure from 2014-2016. The assets turnover ratio of the bank has also maintained a steady growth indicating that its efficiency to realize cash from the use of assets over the past few years is static. On the other hand, the HSBC Plc shows an increase in the operating margin ratio in the recent years indicating the growth in its profitability position. The dividend yield is on increase of the bank in the recent years. The financial leverage ratio has also shown a rise in the recent years indicating that it is utilizing less debt in its capital structure in comparison to equity. The fixed assets turnover ra tio of the bank has shown an increase from 2014 to 2016 and thus its efficiency to realize cash from the use of assets has shown a positive trend. The market capitalization of the bank has also improved during 2014-2016 indicating that the investors should buy out its shares for achieving larger returns in the future context. The profitability analysis of the JP Morgan has indicated that its profit margin has shown an increasing trend in the recent years. The bank is using less debt in its capital structure as its financial leverage and debt/equity ratio has reduced considerably over the past few years. The efficiency ratios of the bank have also reported a decrease indicating that its efficiency to realize profits from the use of assets has gradually declined. The market capitalization and its dividend yield has gradually increased from 2014-2016 indicating that investors should buy out its shares for realizing larger returns in the future. Interest Rate Risk The interest rate risk represents the most significant risk faced by the banking industry. The Bank of America has measured its interest rate risk by identifying the potential changes in the interest income incurred due to fluctuations in the market interest rates. The bank has analyses the future risks associated with its net interest income through developing forward-looking contracts of net interest income. The interest rate sensitivity as analyzed under various conditions through expecting future business growth and the direction of future interest movements. The bank then continually reviews its balance sheet position for maintaining an exposure to changes occurring in the interest rates. The balance sheet incorporates assumptions about the following interest rate situations such as loan, deposit growth, product re-pricing. Thus, it can be said that the bank faces significant interest rate risk being managed through the use of forward contracts. The Australia and New Zealand ban king Group (ANZ) manages the interest rate risk through the use of VaR and scenario analysis. This helps the bank to integrate risk management policies for stabilizing the optimal net interest income. The NAB does not face significant interest rate risk. The NAB faces interest risk due to changes in interest rates and has also faced negative interest rates curves in some countries where it operates. The Westpac Banking Group also faces significant interest rate risk due to the financial instruments in its balance sheet such as loans and deposits. It monitors the interest rate risk through the use of financial derivatives. The Barclays PLC also faces significant interest rate risk due to short-term borrowing rates and floating liabilities. Credit Risk The Bank of America manages its credit risk through purchasing the credit protection for the funded as well as unfunded portion. The bank has added the credit exposure within the banking industry for obtaining credit protection. The banking group is also using credit derivatives for hedging the credit risk and thus the significant loss or profit arising from credit instruments is offset by the related exposures. The ANZ has adopted a comprehensive top-down framework for managing the credit risk that helps it to minimize the chances of occurrence of financial loss resulting from its failure to comply with its contractual obligations. The NAB has also managed adequate credit policies for managing credit risk through developing Credit Assurance unit. The Westpac is a global bank and as such faces large risk of maintaining its credit position to meet its financial liabilities on time. The Barclays also faces significant credit risk across its various financial instruments as it has to me et the repayment obligations of its clients. The Bank of China has adopted the use of credit authorization and post-loan management for managing the credit risk. Market Risk The market risk is the risk impacting the value of assets and liabilities due to changes in the market conditions. The financial instruments of the Bank of America such as loan and deposit products are subject to economic value changes on the basis of market conditions. The bank in order to mitigate the various market risks such as interest rate, foreign exchange, credit and equity reports its trading positions at the fair value. The market risk is also hedged through the use of derivatives such as options, futures, forwards and swaps. The market risk of ANZ arises from the changes in its interest rate, foreign exchange rates, credit spreads, volatility and correlations in its balance sheet. It has adopted the use of market risk management and control framework for qualifying the market risk that helps it to allocate an adequate amount of capital to manage these risks. The Commonwealth bank uses value-at-risk (VaR) strategies for mitigating the traded and non-traded market risk that uses potential loss through analyzing the historic market movements. The bank faces both types of market risk such as traded and non-traded that is assesses periodically through VaR. The NAB faces significant market risks due to changes in market conditions such as change in interest rate, foreign exchange movements and is monitored through the use of Value at risk (VaR). The Westpac operates on a global scale and thus faces larger market risk on account of interest rate fluctuations and foreign currency movements that it need to manage adequately. The market risk of Barclays results from exposure of its operations to foreign market conditions and is managed through the use of hedging policies. The Bank of China develops market risk management policy for measuring the market risk. The Citigroup reviews the market risk through developing significant policies and procedures for managing the market exposures. Foreign Exchange Risk The foreign exchange risk of Bank of America represents the risk faced by the bank due to fluctuations in the current holdings and future cash flows that are denominated in foreign currencies. The major financial instruments that are exposed to this risk are foreign currency denominated loans, securities, future cash flows, debt and interest rates. The risk is managed through the use of hedging instruments such as foreign exchange options, swaps, futures, forwards, debt and deposits. The NAB also faces significant foreign exchange risk due to currency movements, profits and losses and assets and liabilities due to participation in the global financial markets. The foreign currency movements posses a large foreign exchange risk for Westpac due to its foreign subsidiaries operations. The foreign exchange risk is faced by the Barclays due to its operations in the foreign countries. The HSBC faces foreign exchange risks due to overseas payments and the use of foreign currency denominatio ns in imports and exports. It manages the risk though developing effective strategies for minimizing foreign exchange risk through reducing the exposure. The bank uses hedging strategies for reducing the foreign exchange currency risks. Liquidity Risk The liquidity risk of Bank of America arises from its inability to support the present and future cash flows through maintaining adequate funds. The bank for managing its liquidity risk maintain access to varied funding sources such as stable deposit base and align with various incentives and risk policy. The bank has developed a liquidity buffer system that incorporates global sources of liquidity that are readily available to be used by the bank in the form of high-quality liquid and unencumbered securities. The ANZ manages its liquidity risk through developing a metrics that helps in prioritizing over its short and long-term liquidity risks. The group faces liquidity risk due to its inability to meet payment obligations such as paying the depositors or in maturity of wholesale debt. The Commonwealth bank also faces significant liquidity risk that is managed through the use of liquidity and funding risk management framework. The NAB also faces significant liquid risks due to extern al market and economic events. The risk is governed through the adoption of Group Asset and Liability Committee (GALCO) that develops strategies for meeting the liquid risks. The Westpac have large liquidity risk due for meeting its daily operations on a global scale. The head office of Bank of China is responsible for managing the overall risk related to liquidity. The Citigroup manages liquidity risk through properly developing its deposits and funding activities. Capital Adequacy The Bank of America conducts an Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) periodically for analyzing the future capital needs and resources. The ANZ faces capital adequacy risk due to the significant loss it can face from maintaining an adequate capital level due to loss of confidences of investors, non-compliance with legislations or reduce goodwill. The bank capital management plans emphasize on protecting the interest of creditors, depositors and investors for managing this type of risk. The NAB has established minimum regulatory capital requirements as per the Basel Capital Framework for maintaining an adequate capital structure. The rest of the Banking Groups manages its capital risk through maintain an adequate proportion of debt and equity and also analyzing the future needs of capital requirement in advance. The JP Morgan has developed capital management policy for managing the capital structure risks. Ranking of Banks Name Ticker Domicile Industry Group Currency Business Country Uncertainty Ranking Bank of America Corporation BAC United States Banks - Global US Dollar United States High 9 Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd ANZ Australia Banks - Global Australian Dollar Australia Medium 4 Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA Australia Banks - Global Australian Dollar Australia Medium 1 National Australia Bank Ltd NAB Australia Banks - Global Australian Dollar Australia Medium 3 Westpac Banking Corp WBC Australia Banks - Global Australian Dollar Australia Medium 2 Barclays PLC BCY United Kingdom Banks - Global Euro United Kingdom High 7 Bank Of China Ltd H BACHF China Banks - Global US Dollar China High 8 Citigroup Inc C United States Banks - Global US Dollar United States High 6 HSBC Holdings PLC ADR HSBC United Kingdom Banks - Global US Dollar United Kingdom Medium 5 JPMorgan Chase Co JPM United States Banks - Global US Dollar United States High 10 List of Financial Institutions Websites Bank of America Corporation: https://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/71/71595/BOAML_AR2016.pdf Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd https://news.iguana2.com/anz/ASX/ANZ/459865 Commonwealth Bank of Australia https://www.commbank.com.au/content/dam/commbank/about-us/shareholders/pdfs/annual-reports/annual_report_2017_14_aug_2017.pdf National Australia Bank Ltd https://www.nab.com.au/content/dam/nabrwd/About-Us/shareholder%20centre/documents/2016-annual-financial-report.pdf Westpac Banking Corp https://www.westpac.com.au/content/dam/public/wbc/documents/pdf/aw/ic/2016_Westpac_Annual_Report Barclays PLC https://www.home.barclays/content/dam/barclayspublic/docs/InvestorRelations/AnnualReports/AR2016/Barclays%20PLC%20Annual%20Report%202016.pdf Bank of China Ltd H https://pic.bankofchina.com/bocappd/report/201703/P020170331589265982242.pdf Citigroup Inc https://www.citigroup.com/citi/investor/quarterly/2016/ar15c_en.pdf HSBC Holdings PLC ADR https://www.hsbc.com/investor-relations/group-results-and-reporting/annual-report JPMorgan Chase Co https://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/investor-relations/document/2016-annualreport.pdf

Friday, November 29, 2019

Bryan Velazquez Essays (717 words) - , Term Papers

Bryan Velazquez Rathbone Intro to Public Admin October 24, 2017 Topic Report II The issues with the McCain law appeal is that committees are getting large sums of money to better the candidates campaign and funds for projects. It gives wealthy people the ability to donate as much many to a committee as many times as they want thus making politics revolve around money in a way and making money a big component when it comes to politics. This adds corruption into politics which has already always been in politics but this takes it to another level because of all the money that can be collected by the parties. In just about every major election the candidates take a different approach in terms of public financing and campaign funding. With the Super Pac, it has played a major influence on the latest elections in terms of the money that was raised by the parties. Super PACs have become very major keys in the campaign process over the past years and will continue to grow and play a huge role in the future elections. With the ability for people, groups, and companies to be able to donate many and publish ads in favor of their supporting candidate or against the other candidate it creates unlimited amounts of money to go towards a candidate's campaign. McCain knew that this was a problem thus he enforced a law that limited the amount of money that a campaign can receive but as of late with the law repeal Super PACs are able to play a massive role in the election. The new brand of Super PACs play into this topic because this law repeal allows for them to give as much money out to candidates as they want anonymously also so they are making politics very money centric. To put it in perspective with the law repeal these Super PACs will donate millions of dollars to both campaigns and before it was not that much. Should an election revolve around mil lions of dollars? The McCain law repeal is just another way for the wealthy to just get wealthier and it's not surprising that this is going on because of how money centric the United States is. Me personally I do not feel like this is the right thing to do, I would've rather the McCain law not be repealed because an election and campaign is more than money. It's a really big deal and too have millions of dollars be put into these candidates' campaigns is mind blowing because it shouldn't be about the money to these candidates, it should be about influencing the people of the United States and making them believe in your plan. If I was in charge of a campaign reform I would limit the amount of money that these Super PACs could donate and also make it to where the donors couldn't be anonymous. It's a problem if money is starting to take over politics like it is with just about everything else in the United States and I would change that and make politics about politics and not about the millions you can get from donations. The McCain law should've never been repealed because once it was people found lupeols in the repeal and now Super PACs are having a massive impact on the e lection. There shouldn't be a problem with people complaining about how much money they can get donated to them because it shouldn't be about that also with the millions of dollars being put into campaigns, there will be corruption in the campaign just like every other thing that has a lot of money in it. If you are limited to a certain about of donation money than it won't be unfair to one party that might not get as much money in donations by these Super PACs. Political money machines aren't good and need to be taken care of and that's why I would limit the amount of donation money a campaign can receive. Super PACs have been growing enormously and will continue to grow unless someone does something about it. Work Cited BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Rowen, Beth. Infoplease. 26 October 2017. Web Site. 26 October 2017. The Editorial Board . How

Monday, November 25, 2019

Middle East Studies in Fromkins A Peace to End All Peace

Middle East Studies in Fromkins A Peace to End All Peace The writer of the book â€Å"a peace to end all peace† makes a strong case on the contribution of the European nations in the unrest and volatility in the Middle East. The author evaluates the decisions made by the European nations, especially, Britain, France and Germany, after WW1 and their effects on the situation in the Middle East.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Middle East Studies in Fromkin’s A Peace to End All Peace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He opines that these decisions were full of mistakes, miscalculations, misunderstandings, and inefficacy. The consequence of the decisions is the Middle East in his time; apparently, which is not much different for the present one. These decisions included the contributions of the politicians, the formation of the Arab bureau, making promises to the Arabs and allies. He also evaluates the effects of the British defeat on the future of the region. Dur ing the time of the war, the making of judgments was the function of the assorted officers with varying capacities. These included civilians who had acquired credence to make such decisions through politics, such as Churchill. Others had arrived at their positions through long military service. These groups of individuals had different incentives in their arriving at decisions. For example, when the war at Gallipoli proved to be a failure, Churchill, a politician, refused to consent to the fact because he could not admit his defeat, and Kitchener, an army officer, refused to accept defeat because it was a disaster to the reputation of the British army (Fromkin 159 165). These dissimilarities in motives amid the different individuals who were in the making of the decisions contributed to their ineffective nature. Additionally, after the quitting of Fisher, the chief commanding officer, the intentions of other Admiralty Board remained hidden; leading to a period of speculations (160) . After the opposition parties had been able to force Churchill out of the government, their intentions were devoid of accuracy, since they did not have a clear understanding of the situations in the battle fields (163). The author, while describing the war, considers the Gallipoli war as deterministic in the progression of affairs in the Middle East. The war was significant for both parties, especially, the British, because it would have ended the stalemate. However, the defeat of a modern European army by a backward Asian army signified a lack of solution and a worsening of the situation (Fromkin 166). Sykes had the jurisdiction in overseeing the joining of Arabs into the pool of British allies. The said individual consulted with a variety of individuals on matters concerning Arabs. These individuals had different motives, and Sykes did not practice discretion in the choice of what was true and genuine, and what was untrue.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's se e if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There was a lack of central policy in such matters: difference officials were working in ignorance of what others were doing, often cross-purposing (170). The promises made to the Arabs lacked coherence, were easy to misunderstand. For example, the promises given to Emir Hussein led to his letter demanding kingdom; such confusions would not have led to any meaningful solutions to the problems in the east (174). The last of the factor showing the contribution of the west to the situation in the Middle East, in this part of the book, is the defeat of the Britons in the battle at Tigris. The British had lost at Gallipoli, and further loss did not help the matter. The army faced rough terrain with no infrastructure. Their supplies run out, and they suffered defeat. Their standing and influence in the east was once again questioned (202). Fromkin, David. A Peace to end all peace. New York: Henry Holt and company, 2001. Print.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The State as Policy Maker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The State as Policy Maker - Essay Example State powers were supposed to be given to the public authority to avoid superiority in the markets and also individualized and economic relations that had been made private (Alden 160-158). In 1960s and 1970s the key role of the state was to help making plans on how to divide and provide basic necessities. The idea was changed to a policy known as Structural Adjustments Lending (SAL). It was basically meant to explain economic and institutional measures through which, many huge organizations like the World Bank, IMF, and many aid donors would use to get policy oriented loans .Its main aim was to end importing manufacturing regimes bring together a free market and also privatize the government property. In other words SAL was meant to bring in ideas of freedom in the economy, have free markets, private sector projects and also throw away conditions meant to harm the economy of the state (Judd 1992). Public polices of any country are not totally shaped by the politics in the government but by the social policies brought forward by the global organizations like non-governmental agencies. The state was also supposed to play a part in social regulation and provision of basic needs. This was done by development of initiatives and programmes like World Health Organisation (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO) and many others. The state was also supposed to help in building the Nation after the colonial rule .After colonisation, it was the role of the state to help people in recovering and help.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Recommendation on Hiring an External Advertising Agency Research Proposal

Recommendation on Hiring an External Advertising Agency - Research Proposal Example The recommendation is to hire an external advertising agency to mitigate the risk associated with a failed advertising. The company is on a limited budget because it is still a start-up company. XYZ Company can remedy this shortcoming by resorting to a Limited-Service Advertising agency whereby some of the advertising function such as planning and strategic functions may require XYZ Company’s greater involvement. Unlike in a full-service advertising service where the company only need to state its objective, Limited Advertising Agency would require greater involvement (http://adworld2020.blogspot.com/). XYZ would assume a greater responsibility for the strategic function of the campaign which is advantageous to the company because it can include inputs which are a very valuable aspect of the campaign since the company knows best its market. In effect, XYZ Company will have the best of both worlds in this approach because its inputs will be guided by a professional that would h elp determine if the formulated strategy will work or not. Thus, a $15,000 advertising budget for a limited service advertising would suffice. Limited-Service Advertising agency is more appropriate for XYZ Company for a variety of reason. Limited-Service Advertising agency is an advertising agency that supplies only one or two basic services such as creative advertising but will also provide strategic planning service (http://adworld2020.blogspot.com/). Hiring a Limited-Service Advertising agency is more appropriate for XYZ Company to mitigate the risk in advertising. Hiring a Limited-Service Advertising agency will avoid an advertising failure due to lack of expertise. The company cannot afford this mistake because it is still a start-up and therefore, it would be best for the company if it will hire professional ad agencies which have records of the high degree of success in raising consumer awareness.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Free market in the economical world and business Assignment

Free market in the economical world and business - Assignment Example Explain how the system works to allocate resources The allocation of resources depends on supply and demand of those resources in a free market economy. The buyers and sellers, or their agents undertake all the exchanges and transaction voluntarily (Friedman, 2003: 36). Both the seller and the buyer accept the transaction because both expect to gain from it. Consequently, the two may repeat the exchange conditions the next time (or refuse to transact) if their expectation was met (or disregarded) in their past transactions. Ultimately, the reason for engaging in the transaction is that both the parties expect to benefit from the exchange. This is the main reason that distinguishes the free market from the free trade of the mercantilist period, expounded by French essay-writer Montaigne. According to Montaigne, the mercantilists held that in any trade transaction, there must be a loser and a winner: the loser is the â€Å"exploited party† while the winner is the â€Å"exploite r†. The mercantilists’ belief is invalid because the eagerness and even willingness of both the sellers and the buyers mean that they expect to benefit. Translating the trade of free market in modern game-theory jargon, transactions are a win-win exchange. They result to a positive sum rather than the conventional â€Å"negative sum† or â€Å"zero sums† game. Two factors determine the availability and allocation of resources in a free market: the value of the resources according to each participant, and the bargaining skills of the participants. How the buyers value the resources comparative to the other resources they could buy largely determine the distribution and allocation of these resources in the market (Friedman, 2003: 82). The exchange terms, or prices, depend on the quantity (measure) of the particular resource in the given market set up. Ultimately, the allocation of the resources depends on their availability measure in the market in relation t o the evaluation of the buyers. In summary, resource allocation relies on their demand and supply. In the supply of a resource, an increase in its price reflects an increase in demand on the mind of the buyers resulting to more money bidding for it, thus the price of the resource shoots up. The reverse will occur if the price, and thus the demand, for the resource decrease. In contrast, the buyer’s evaluation is that the increase in supply of a resource brings the value of the resource down. The reverse occurs when the supply of the resource decreases. From the demand and supply effects on the allocation of resources, the free market incorporates a highly interactive and complex pattern of transactions. Arguments in favor of this system The manner in which the free market works to allocate resources has come under debate and criticisms by economists. Nevertheless, the free market has four distinct arguments that enforces it existence, and which are discussed accordingly. The first argument is the efficiency of allocating scarce resources in the economy. This argument relates to the neoclassical economic tradition of benefits for all the participants in the transaction. In a completely free market, supply of goods and services matches their demand. The participants maximizes their benefit in the exchanges, everybody is a

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Preservation Of Heritage Properties History Essay

The Preservation Of Heritage Properties History Essay The preservation of heritage properties is an important undertaking. It is so important that even the United Nations has set up a subsidiary responsible for this purpose called the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This organization declares cultural sites from around the world as being protected in order to preserve global heritage. Similarly, Canada has organizations that are dedicated to the preserving national heritage. This function is important because this helps foster a strong sense of national identity. Another reason these sites are preserved are to encourage tourism. Canadian history is important to all Canadians and all the other nationalities that live in Canada. The stories that are told by these structures do not always depict Canada in a positive light, but that is not the point. They are important because they are the reason we are where we are and without them we would lose a critical element of our identity. Heritage sites need to ac tively be preserved so that they do not fall into disrepair, this means that funds need to be allocated towards this and the money for these programs come from Canadian tax dollars. As we all pay for the maintenance of these structures, we all has a financial vested interest in their maintenance in addition to our national pride. Organizations that have the specific purpose of maintaining heritage sites are needed because these sites need to be protected from incursion, in the same fashion that natural preserves need to be protected from human encroachment. As a citys population density increases so too does the threat that these heritage sites may be erased to cope with the expanding population. Exacerbating the issue of space is the fact that many of these structures are on prime real estate. This must cause conflicts with city developers who would much rather have buildings that foster economic growth built in the place of these culturally significant structures. Politics The political impetus that lead to the creation of Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada was initially given by Canadas first commissioner of national parks James Bernard Harkin. In addition to preventing corporations mining resources from national parks, it was his recommendation that lead to the creation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1919. The organizations role was to advise the Canadian Minister of the Environment about sites that are of national interest. The current political landscape with respect to Canadian heritage is very diverse. The organizations that are responsible for preserving these heritage sites are differentiated on the level of government that they represent. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) is the federal organization that is responsible for promoting and showcasing Canadian heritage sites. Their mandate is very narrow, unlike other Canadian organizations (mainly provincial and municipal), the HSMBC is no t provided the power that would allow it to preserve the national sites in question. The HSMBC plays more of an advisory role in this respect; they take a more laissez fair approach to the problem. The HSMBC itself says that they are there to bring cultural sites to the attention of the Canadian public and to the provincial and municipal authorities that have the legal power to preserve these sites. The aforementioned body of the United Nations UNESCO, plays a similar role in Canada. There are sites in Canada that have been declared as belonging to a group of world heritage sites and while the United Nations has very limited powers pertaining to the preservation of these sites. At the municipal level there are public organizations like the city of Torontos Heritage Preservation Services whose mandate is to advise the city council on matters that are important to the citys historic cultural sites. On the provincial level there are organizations like the Ontario Heritage Foundation w hich is tasked with identifying, preserving and promoting sites of cultural importance in Ontario. The Ontario Heritage Act is the legal framework that empowers Heritage organizations in Ontario to preserve the sites that are deemed to be culturally and historically important. This Act gave the power to provincial and municipal governmental bodies the right to designate specific areas as being culturally integral to Canadas identity. The act limits the rights of the owners of the properties that are designated as heritage sites. They are only able to alter the site or demolish it with the appropriate permission from the local municipality. This is the highly controversial part of the Act. In a democracy where property rights are for the most part assured it is unconventional to prevent an individual from doing what they like to their own property within reason. The Act seems to mirror the notwithstanding clause in the Canadian constitution. This clause is used by the government to infringe upon the rights given to Canadian citizens by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when doing so will serve the greatest good. Similarly, the Ontario Heritage Act inconveniences and limits the rights of the owners of historic structures so that they may be of the most benefit to all Canadian citizens. It is because of this that all Canadians have an interest in the preservation of these structures. The individuals against these policies are typically the individuals who own the properties that fall under the restrictive laws. One of the groups that have arisen to encourage the preservation of sites in Toronto is the Toronto Historical Association. They are composed entirely of volunteers and serve to educate the public about their efforts and to showcase the areas that are of interest. They also claim to provide mayoral candidates with a public forum which helps the organization lobby its case. The volunteer organization is only able to influence events because of its fundraising abilities; it provides workshops for its members that teach them how to perform this essential role. Workshops are also held to train members on how to organize their efforts and on how to communicate to their community to garner support. The organization also teaches its members to leverage their political position by writing letters, meeting with local politicians, resident groups and scheduling appearances before government committees. The Toronto Historical Association encourages their members to help mobilize the public by i nforming them and helping them find information about their family history and issues about land registration. Members also perform a number of volunteer services for the community, including but not limited to tours and heritage walks. The law was on side of the individuals who owned the heritage sites designated by the municipality or province. The law initially was not as severe towards these people as it is now. In its original form the law did not require a property owner to abide by the municipalitys or provinces wishes. The law only required the individual with the property rights to wait for six months and attend meetings with city representatives so that everyone could come to an amicable solution. The laws was created with the best of intentions as the government did not seek to snatch the rights away from these individuals so they only created a period within which the owners would be required to listen to reason. Instead of having its intended effect all the law did was to postpone the destruction or alteration of heritage sites. The proprietors would just have to wait out the 180 days and they would be free to legally do whatever they wanted with their property. On observing this the provincial governme nt of Ontario decided that they needed to give the law teeth. They made it so that the proprietor would not be allowed to do as they wished once the time had lapsed and that a settlement needed to be reached for the owner to make modifications to the protected building. It is difficult for these individuals because they are placed in a precarious position by the law and because of the unwanted attention such a position would bring. Intergovernmental Relations The federal government is responsible for the overall direction that the heritage organizations in Canada take. Heading the Canadian position on heritage sites is the Minister of Canadian Heritage. His job is to support Canadian media, arts, heritage and sport. These responsibilities are somewhat overlapped with the Minister of the Environment who is also responsible for the maintenance of heritage sites. They are the ones who are able to designate sites as being culturally or historically sensitive. Following this the government gives the power to the province in the form of acts that are designed to give the provinces the power they need to deal with these problems themselves. The provinces in turn give their municipalities powers not dissimilar from those at the federal level. At the municipal level the municipal government has bodies that are able to assign sites of interest as being heritage sites; they typically follow the direction set out by the ministers but are able to actu ally stop an individual from modifying or destroying a site of cultural heritage. Once this is done the provincial department is the one that has the ultimate say in the matter. When the proprietor of the property in question appeals the decision made by the municipal board they are appealing to the provincial board. When this committee makes their decision, it is ultimately this decision that is enforced. Federal policies set the stage for the provincial and municipal authorities to act. It would be foolish to think that the federal level of influence would end here, there is undoubtedly a significant amount of political pressure exerted from the ministers and their offices and this must make it to the top of the priority list on the provincial and municipal levels. While this may seem odd, it would be a very practical measure as losing some of the more important sites could become a source of national embarrassment. Both the Toronto and Ontario Heritage conservation bodies are des igned to make full use of the laws that are made available to them, the most notable of which is the Ontario Heritage Act. Case Analysis Toronto is a city that is known for its cosmopolitan nature and its deep rooted artistic culture. It is home to the Toronto Opera House, innumerable other vocal artist studios, painting galleries, dance studios and even a plethora of restaurants. The Heritage Preservation Services (HPS) are responsible for the preservation of buildings that are important to Torontonian and Canadian heritage. It is part of the citys planning division and is responsible for the preservation of over 8,000 different properties. This organization is even empowered by the Ontario Heritage Act enough that it is able to designate entire areas as being Heritage Conservation Districts. In an effort to be more amenable to the property owner affected by HPS decisions, Heritage Easement Agreements are made between property owners and the city. These contracts identify parts of a building that are to be retained undamaged regardless of the owners improvements or alterations to the property. In addition the laws th at designate that a certain building need be conserved do not affect the title of the property. The owners are free to sell the property according to their wishes regardless of the status of their building. The city does provide grants for the owners of these historic properties that can pay for up to half the upkeep of said property. In addition to this, the owners are also eligible for a for tax benefits that can provide up to 40% relief from municipal taxes. These funds are set up to mitigate the negative and authoritarian impact of having property that the Heritage Preservation Services is interested in. An example of a structure that is protected by Torontos Heritage Preservation Services is the MacLean House located on 7 Austin Terrace. This house is a ten part rental unit that has been designated as a heritage site by HPS. The owner o the site wanted to demolish the building and sent an application to do so to the city. Upon the advice of HPS the city council denied the acquiescing to the owners wishes. John Bayne Maclean  lived in this home until his death, he was responsible for founding Canadas MacLeans magazine and the Financial Post. City staff was employed to ensure that the house did not suffer from neglect after the rulings that ensured the structure stayed in good condition. The importance given to the house is mainly due to the people that were involved in the history of the building. The publishing company founded by John Bayne Maclean  was the largest of its kind, not only in Canada, but in the entire commonwealth. John M. Lyle was the architect of this building an d he was responsible for the building of notable structures, including the Royal Alexandra Theatre. In 1922 He won the Gold Medal of Honor from the Ontario Association of Architects on account of the design he made for the Thornton-Smith Building. Thornton went on to become the president of the Art Gallery of Ontario. MacLean and Lyle were two of Toronto societys key figures. Their efforts have helped to make indelible marks on Toronto culture and even Canada itself. The building itself was constructed in 1910 making the building over a hundred years old. The notice declaring 7 Austin Terrace a heritage site came on January 27th last year. The notice informed the landlord that if they objected to the buildings designation as a heritage site that they should appeal this within thirty days of the notice. Despite having rejected the owners application for demolition, neither the city council nor the Heritage Preservation Services have the absolute right to deny all landlords the right to demolish heritage sites. They have to comply with applications depending on the owners proposal for the structure that will replace the building to be demolished and have to be in line with city bylaws. In the case of the MacLean house the application was to build a smaller housing unit and this was rejected by the city council as it was not in keeping with the neighborhood. This was in addition to the status given to the site by the HPS. Recommendations While the Toronto procedure for maintaining its cultural integrity is well thought out, there are still problems with this system. The first problem that comes to mind is the authoritarian nature of the current system. Under the current management, the owner is told that the building is a heritage site and has thirty days to appeal this label. Following that the owner has to file for permission by the city council to make modifications to this property. Instead of telling the owner what the situation is through a letter the government should have to send a representative to meet with the individual and discuss the issue with them. Following this if an agreement cannot be reached then more authoritarian measures should be taken. The point of this change would be to place the onus of change solely on the shoulders of the city. The owner is a single individual and should not be expected to carry the burden of having to appeal to the city to change the designation of the property that wa s legally bought. The owner should be able to meet with a city representative and explain to them that they want to appeal the citys classification of the property and the representative should be the one who has the responsibility to file the appeal. This would ensure that the proprietor wouldnt have the additional expense of requiring a lawyer to draft a letter or the inconvenience of having to waste time pushing the paperwork through the system. The city has provisions by which they are able to give certain monetary allowances to the owners of the homes that are inconvenienced by the city. In the interests of evenhandedness the city council should readily make this financial relief available for those that are inconvenienced by the city instead of having them apply for it. The province did well to retain the final authority on the matter as this prevents individual interests from competing on a level playing field with the interests of the nation as a whole. While it is true that the maintenance of an individuals rights are critically important for the functioning of any democratic nation, it is also true that there are times (not often) when these rights need to be set aside for the greater good. an example of this would be in the building of a bridge, if there are owners of the houses that are in the way of such a construction then they are compensated but for all practical purposes forcefully evicted from their homes so that society can benefit from the construction of the bridge. It is the same concept when it comes to heritage and cultural identity. When the presence of a building or even district serves a cultural and historic purpose, it would be ill advised to squander this based on the whims of the individual who owns the property. Any municipality would benefit from adopting many of the policies set in place by the Toronto municipality as they try to balance the individuals rights alongside those of the nation. While the nation should ultimately preserve its physical history, it should not trample the rights of its citizens in the process. The few alterations that should be made to these rules are to placate the injured party, which in this case always happens to be the individual who owns the property whose rights are being narrowed. If the municipality wishes for a structure to be maintained against the wishes of its rightful owner, the city should have to bear a significant portion of the costs associated with the upkeep of the property it has set its eyes on. The money that is required for this should come from donations and tax dollars as is the current arrangement made by the city of Toronto. History is important because it brings us all together and this is a cornerstone of nationhood that should be pro tected by every country and culture. http://www.toronto.ca/heritage-preservation/index.htm http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/clmhc-hsmbc/ressources-resources/protection.aspx http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/ http://www.nationalpost.com/Fight+stop+Hearn+demolition/3978609/story.html http://www.toronto.ca/involved/statutorynotices/archive2010/jan/hl_012710.htm is to preserve structures and monuments that are important to the history of the Canadian nation, these monuments would otherwise be neglected, or even worse, they would be destroyed to make way for housing or other building projects.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Are Group Rights Justified? :: essays research papers fc

Are differentiating measures justified in the name of a group right or interest or should they be condemned as violating the rights of individuals to equal treatment? It has been argued that differentiating measures that grant rights exclusively to groups are unjust as they trespass on the individual’s fundamental right to equal treatment. This essay seeks to prove that when applied in a fair manner group rights can enhance the equality of treatment received by the individual. The notion that equal treatment is of vital importance and that discrimination is immoral is widespread. The interpretation of â€Å"equal treatment† and â€Å"discrimination† however, is not . For some, equal treatment implies that each individual will be treated in the exact manner all other individuals are treated. There should be no distinction made between race, sex, religion or language in order to allow individuals receive preferential treatment because of their membership of a certain group. Others argue that if each person is given exactly the same rights regardless of race, sex, religion or language then members of minorities are put at a disadvantage and equal treatment is impossible. In order to justify the entitlement of certain groups to exclusive rights it is important to define what the exclusive rights are. According to Baker these rights can be divided into two groups, those pertaining to intra-groups relations and those pertaining to inter group rights. The first type of rights involves relationships between group members and may lead to individual oppression. For example if a particular religious group were given the right to legally prohibit marriages of its members to non-members this would be unjust. Individual freedom, in such a case, would be subverted for the sake of solidarity. Intra groups rights can be very treacherous to individual rights especially in theocratic and patriarchal cultures where there is a huge danger that women will be oppressed . Having established that intra-groups are potentially subversive and therefore undesirables the remainder of this essay will deal with inter group rights. Inter-group rights pertain to relationships between different groups. Inter-groups rights can, therefore, only exist in a pluralist state. Such preferential treatment seeks to protect a minority group against the larger society. The belief is that these rights will rule out the unfair advantage members of the majority group may have over members of the minority and will prevent marginilisation and segregation of the minority . These special rights can take various forms.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Aggression Theory

Physical violence is one of the types of violence that may be clearly explained theory. Physical violence entails: â€Å"choking, grabbing, hitting, hitting with weapons or objects, kicking, obliging a person to do something involuntarily, pulling, punching, pushing, scratching, shoving, slapping, etc.†Ã‚   (Do.., n.d.).Aggression Theory Explaining the Type of Violence ChosenExternally-stimulated Aggression is the school of Aggression Theory which can clearly explain physical violence. Externally-stimulated Aggression begins with the premise that aggression occurs because of â€Å"innate predispositions† as well as â€Å"external stimuli† (Smith, 1999).The external stimuli referred to here is technically known as â€Å"frustration† (Types, n.d.). Explaining further, let’s take the following example:Let’s look into my father’s motivation of fear, anxiety, and violence which all contributed largely to his â€Å"frustrations†. My f ather has always been a violent individual. He flares up over little â€Å"frustrations† like:1) when mother asks how utility bills are going to be paid this time;2) when my big brother complains about how small our house is;3) when my little sister asks him to help get something at the top of the closet;4) when I ask him not to hurt or yell at my mother etc.It all started when he resigned in 1983 as a city engineer and he puts up his own and went into private construction instead. This new business/job of his, however, is not helpful since it is irregular, unlike when he was working for the government where he receives a fixed monthly income.In fact, it is too irregular that he cannot even provide the family’s basic needs like food, school supplies, health insurance etc. Sometimes he has clients who would pay him to build their houses, swimming pools, renovate their homes, etc, however, most of the time he does not have anything to do, thus, most of the time he doesnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t have money.He gets â€Å"frustrated†, and depressed, then drinks, or proceeds to the casino to play poker and does not come home until early morning. He became an alcoholic, and he also became addicted to poker. He still gets contracts to build houses and other infrastructure projects but he only obliges to the most expensive ones.Because he is too picky, there were only a number of offers coming in then until no offers were coming in at all, which of course contributed largely to his â€Å"frustrations†. Even though large infrastructure projects were coming in then and the profits were a bit high, my father still cannot contribute to the family’s needs.This is because when he gets a contract, he tends to make a loan without even making sure if it is worth it. What happened was he earned but his debts were thrice his gains. He borrowed money from his friends but these were not enough to pay off everything.In the end, he was sued for bouncing checks. He was also sued by his friends. We lost some of our properties because of the aforementioned as well.Since then he became so â€Å"frustrated† and fearful, he would not come out of the room when he hears that some people knock over at our gate and then throws whatever he gets hold of, kicks whatever is available, or hit whomever is in the room with him.He feels that every time somebody comes over to visit, these people are either arresting officers who are going to invite him down to the police station for questioning or people whom he promised he’d pay back on that certain day.What he would do is to ask my mother to go outside and tell them he is not home (which makes me so scared since somebody might just hurt my mom for all her alibis or the people’s anger might be transferred to her and she would be the one to get hurt).This situation of ours became worse as days go by. He became so â€Å"frustrated† he would slap my mother when my mother refuses to giv e him money he would spend on poker, throw breakable things at us when he is too irritated with his problems, unleash his exceedingly big guard dogs inside the house to threaten us, and countless other violent acts.There are three basic conditions which bring forth anxiety (Franken, 1994). It could be: 1) Overstimulation, wherein information for a certain individual is overflowing; 2) Cognitive Incongruity, wherein an individual is having difficulty reconciling with some event; and 3) Response Unavailability, wherein a person does not know how to handle an excruciating situation (Franken, 1994).The three basic conditions aforementioned apply to my father. â€Å"Overstimulation† appears in this situation as the countless monetary problems which have too many details for him to handle. Cognitive Incongruity, on the other hand, emerges as the several cases with regards to bouncing checks and the debts he owes to other people.Response Unavailability, however, surfaces as the debt s he incurs every time he gets infrastructure projects or every time he needs it. Instead of working hard and saving, his only recourse is to borrow money which causes his downfall.This only shows as well that he does not know how to handle a difficult situation which is what exactly termed as Response Unavailability. And this increases his anxiety and â€Å"frustrations†.Reduction or Elimination of ViolenceFortunately, there are ways to reduce, if not totally eliminate violence as suggested by the Theory of Aggression utilized:It is important for my father, for example, to â€Å"focus on the other components of the frustrating stimulus than the frustration† (Dugan, 2004).Instead of losing control over the irrepressible and uncontainable occurrences or instead of believing that there is no way to solve the problem, he should be â€Å"self-certain† meaning not only knowing his strengths but both strengths and weaknesses since if that is the case then he would not be able to cope with any stressful incident in his life since a solution to a problem is only devised when he turns his anxiety into fear and then deal with the other components of the frustration that has been produced (Franken, 2004).ReferencesDo You Have A Problem With Violence? (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.daniel-sonkin.com/violence.htmlDugan, M.A. (2004). Aggression. Retrieved September 8, 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/aggression/Franken, R. E. (1994). Human Motivation, 3rd ed. CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.Smith, A.K. (1999). Theories of Aggression. Retrieved September 8, 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web3/Smith.htmlTypes of Aggression. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2007 fromhttp://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:q5ApqUItbrcJ:psych.fullerton.edu/navarick/aggression.ppt +theories+of+aggression&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=ph&client=firefox-a

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Obedience to Authority Essay Example

Obedience to Authority Essay Example Obedience to Authority Essay Obedience to Authority Essay Obedience is a virtue, disobedience is a vice (Fromm 267). In Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem, the author Erich Fromm implies that to be a human an individual must be free to obey and disobey (272). Being obedient requires the removal of freedom, which comes from expressing your thoughts, feelings and emotions, without any boundaries or pressures from other individuals. An obedient individual is submissive towards anothers will and does not have very much freedom. Obedience occurs and can be analyzed when there is a setting of power and expectations to follow authority and a shift in viewpoint. The Stanford Prison Experiment can be interpreted in terms of Milgrams findings on submission to authority. In The Perils of Obedience, Stanley Milgram conducts an experiment where individuals are forced to violate their conscience and to either obey or disobey the dissolute demands of an authority. The experiment tests the extent to which individuals will obey immoral commands when they are ordered to inflict pain on to learners. The teacher is a genuinely naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve subject who has come to the laboratory for the experiment. The learner, or victim, is actually an actor who receives no shock at all (Milgram 223). The experimenter orders the teacher to ask word pairs to the learner; for every word pair wrong, the learner gets shocked with increasing intensity. The individuals administering the shocks would do what was expected of them, [obeying] the orders of the experimenter to the end, punishing victim until they reached the most potent shock available on the generator. After 450 volts were administered three times, the experimenter called a halt to the session (224). The teachers did what they were told to do, even when the learners produced loud cries and screams; they simply obeyed the rules and performed their assigned tasks because it was expected of them. Milgram learned that, the experimenters physical presence has a marked impact on his authority (232). If the experimenter was present in the laboratory rather than on the phone, the teachers would refuse to do their assigned task less than if the experimenter were on the phone giving orders. In The Stanford Prison Experiment, Philip K. Zimbardo conducts an experiment where a group of males are selected to be prison guards or prisoners in a mock prison. The setting of the experiment was designed, as if it was a real prison. The prison guards were allowed to keep order in the prison by any means necessary; they obeyed the rules and performed their jobs as expected of them. They made the prisoners feel powerless, arbitrarily controlled, dependent, frustrated, hopeless, anonymous, dehumanized and emasculated (Zimbardo 256), simply because they were obeying rules. The authoritarian nature of the guards became serious when they insulted the prisoners, threatened them, were physically aggressive, used instruments to keep the prisoners in line and referred to them in impersonal, anonymous, deprecating ways (260). In order to fit into the setting the guards were in competition with each other to be stronger and more respected. They wanted to follow the behavior of the good guards [which] seemed more motivated by a desire to be liked by everyone in the system than by a concern for the inmates welfare (261). We learn that if the setting requires an individual to become an authoritarian, others will be submissive and obedient towards them. Also, the expectations to follow authority are highly regarded until a shift in viewpoint occurs within the individuals. A shift in viewpoint occurs when an individual realizes what they have done or are doing is not civilized and wrong. The essence of obedience is that a person comes to view himself as the instrument for carrying out another persons wishes, and he therefore no longer regards himself as responsible for his actions (Milgram 231). After the shift in viewpoint, obedience follows and the individuals dont regard themselves as being responsible for their own actions. The individuals feel responsible to the authority thats directing them but not responsible for their actions done in return to the command of the authority. An example in Milgrams experiment was a woman, Gretchen Brandt, who refused to continue on with the experiment after she administered 210 volts. We came here of our free will. If he wants to continue Ill go aheadIm sorry. I dont want to be responsible for anything happening to him. I wouldnt like it for me either. (Milgram 223). She kept proceeding at the experimenters command until she realized that she had the freedom and right to refuse. She did not want to be held responsible for the harm of the learner so she implicitly tried to leave the blame on the experimenter. In Zimbardos experiment, a prison guard gave his perspective on what it felt like to be a guard in the experiment: What made this experiment most depressing for me was the fact that we were continually called upon to act in a way that was contrary to what I really felt inside. I dont feel like Im the type of person that would be a guard-it just didnt seem like me, and to continually keep up and put on a face like that is just really one of the most oppressive things you can do. Its almost like a prison that you create yourself-you get into it, and it becomes almost the definition you make of yourself. (261)  The guard implies that you become a prisoner of your own obedience. He treated the prisoners unfairly because he wanted to be seen as a good prison guard. As a result, at the end of the experiments, the teachers and prison guards dont see themselves as being responsible for their actions; they hold others responsible for their actions. The teachers implicitly blame the experimenter and the prison guards implicitly blame the higher authority. In order to be obedient, individuals must be provoked by some sort of authority for the shift of viewpoint to prevail and become successful. Milgram implies that, [obedience is] socially organized evil in modern society (233). Therefore, in conclusion, obedience is a vice because it is an immoral practice, which causes human beings to play the blame-game in life.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Definition and Examples of Defective Verbs in English

Definition and Examples of Defective Verbs in English In English grammar, defective verb is a traditional term for a  verb that doesnt exhibit all the typical forms of a conventional  verb.   English modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, and  would)  are defective in that they lack distinctive  third-person singular and nonfinite forms.  Ã‚   As illustrated  below, discussions of defective verbs commonly  appeared in 19th-century school grammars; however,  modern linguists and grammarians rarely use the term. David Crystals Take In grammar, [defective is] a traditional description of words which do not display all the rules of the class to which they belong. The English modal verbs, for example, are defective in that they do not permit the usual range of verb forms, such as an infinitive or participle forms (*to may,  *shalling, etc.). Because of its pejorative connotations in general usage, the term needs to be used cautiously. It tends to be avoided  in modern linguistic analysis (which talks more in terms of irregular forms and exceptions to rules), but will be encountered in studies of linguistic historiography. The distinction between defective and irregular needs to be appreciated: a defective form is a missing form; an irregular form is present, but does not conform to the rule governing the class to which it belongs.(David Crystal, A  Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6th ed. Blackwell, 2008) Beware and Begone Some verbs are termed  defective;  they are such as want some of the parts ordinarily ascribed to verbs.  Beware  is a  defective verb being  used  only  in the imperative or to give a caution. . . .  Begone  may be accounted another  defective verb  like  beware.  Begone  is a compound, made up of  be  and  gone,  that is  get  away; and  beware  is composed of  be  and  ware  found in  aware,  and  wary.(John R. Beard, Lessons in English, LXII. The Popular Educator, Vol. 3, 1860) The Defective  Copula Is A defective verb  is one which has not all the usual verbal forms.  Is, the copula, is irregular. It is also defective as it has no imperative or autonomous forms, no verbal noun or verbal adjective.(Irish-English/English-Irish Easy Reference Dictionary. Roberts Rinehart, 1998) George Campbell on the Defective Verb Ought [I]n order to express the past with the  defective verb ought, we must use the perfect of the infinitive, and say for example, he ought to have done it; this in that verb being the only possible way of distinguishing the past from the present.(George Campbell, The Philosophy of Rhetoric, Volume 1, 1776) Discussions of Defective Verbs in 19th-Century School  Grammars What do you mean by a  Defective Verb?A  Defective Verb  is a Verb that is imperfect; that is, that cannot be conjugated through all the Moods and Tenses; such as the Verb Ought, which has  just been repeated.Which are the Defective Verbs?The Auxiliary Verbs are in general defective, because they have not any Participles; neither do they admit another helping Verb to be placed before them.Repeat the Defective Verbs.The Defective Verbs are, Do, Shall, Will, Can, May, Let, Must, Ought.How are the Defective Verbs used?They are always joined to the Infinitive Mood of some other Verb; as for example, I dare say, I ought to learn my lesson.Must implies necessity, as I  must do well, i.e. it is necessary that I should, or I am obliged to do so: why? because I ought, i.e. it is my duty to do well.Are the Auxiliary Verbs Have, and Am, or Be, Defective Verbs?No; they are  perfect, and formed like other Verbs.(Ellin Devis,  The Accidence, or, First Rudiments of English Grammar, 17 th ed., 1825) A List of Defective Verbs Defective verbs are those that can be used only in some particular modes and tenses. They are few in number and are as follows: ambeencancouldmaymightshallshouldwaswillwould Various Discussions on Defective Verbs Love  is not a  defective  verb;  you can use it in any mood and tense. You can say, I love, I loved, I have loved, I had loved, I shall or will love, I shall have loved, I may, can or must love: but  can  is a  defective verb.  You can say  I  can,  but you cannot say I have can, I had can, I shall can or will can,  I  may  can,  or  must  can.(J.H. Hull,  Lectures on the English Language: Comprehending the Principles and Rules of  Syntactical Parsing on a  New and Highly Improved System,  8th ed., 1834) A  defective  verb  is that which wants some of the modes and tenses; while an  irregular  verb  has all the modes and tenses, though  irregularly  formed.(Rufus William Bailey,  English Grammar: A Simple, Concise, and Comprehensive Manual of the English  Language,  10th ed., 1855)   Verbs which are not used in all the moods and tenses are called Defective. But the student must not  suppose  from this that Defective constitutes a separate or fourth class  of verb. This is not at all the case.  Quoth,  for  example,  is a  Defective  verb, but also Intransitive. Again wit is a Defective verb, but also Transitive. Again, may is a Defective verb, but also Auxiliary.(John Collinson Nesfield,  English Grammar Past and Present: With Appendices on Prosody, Synonyms, and  Other Outlying Subjects, 1898)

Monday, November 4, 2019

Different Types of Yoga in Hinduism Serves Different Functions Research Paper

Different Types of Yoga in Hinduism Serves Different Functions - Research Paper Example This is accomplished through various stages in Yoga. In the present context, evolution of yoga, its types and their bases will be studied through the available literature. 2. Historical perspective: Yoga is a proven method of application to achieve a stress-free life. Yoga, in Sanskrit, means ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’ (Feuerstein, 36). The Bhagavad-Gita is the sacred text of the Hindus and the basis for Hindu religion, which contains teachings from the Hindu deity, Lord Krishna. This text explains that human beings are constantly in conflict with self and surroundings through emotions, which is the reason for all misery. In order for humans to liberate themselves from various forms of misery, it is important to achieve a balance between the mind, body and soul, which can be accomplished through Yoga. This art helps in uniting the mind, body and soul through various postures, breathing patterns, meditation, chanting, worship etc. These differential practices ar e different forms of Yoga. 3. Types of Yoga: Numerous types of yoga have been described in various texts, and classification of yoga has constantly been debated. In fact, the ancient text on Yoga identifies almost 112 types of yoga (Singh, p.ii), and is based on Hindu Lord, Siva’s teachings. ... 3.1 Karma Yoga: This yoga forms Lord Krishna’s basic teaching in the Bhagavad-Gita, and implies that ‘duty,’ ’deed,’ or ‘action’ alone should be the main aim of human being. Human beings should perform their rituals and duties in the most ethical and honest manner without expecting any return. This yoga is derived from the doctrine of Karma and reincarnation, which means an individual’s present life is shape by his/her actions in past life; and that the individual’s present actions and work would shape the future births (Robinson, 39). Karma yoga is the yoga of service or work, and actions. Actions include prayers and rituals for self-purification and service is that of serving the humanity. Every human being born on earth has to fulfill his duties and responsibilities, which will ultimately bring liberation from bonding and obligations through righteous actions/deeds (Robinson, 60). Moreover, experiences, results, happines s, sadness, pain and sorrow are all results of one’s own actions. Karma Yoga teaches that all human beings should strictly fulfill their respective responsibilities without expecting any specific outcomes. Such dedication towards duties will ease tension, stress, and attachments because actions will determine the results. 3.2. Jnana Yoga: This is the yoga of Knowledge about the self, God and the real world, which is acquired through the senses upon meditation. This Yoga requires the mind to settle in a peaceful state. Jnana Yoga is extremely difficult to practice because this requires a perfect balance between the mind and the body. Here, knowledge does not refer to information and understanding, but realization of the self. So, to practice Jnana