Short Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Short Story - Essay Example â€Å"The Lottery† highlights the fact that societies must adjust themselves to the need of changing times. Leaving behind the past beliefs, which have no meaning, is the only way to reform the society in a progressive manner. The central point about the story is the blinding faith in the past traditions and customs that these villagers would not like to change. This connects the story to the kind of superstitious values that the village people were following. An example of this can be traced to the fact that the lottery box has almost lived its life and become worn out, as this box is used every year for the ritual of conducting annual lottery draw in the village. However, the people of this village would not like to change the box as it has the pieces of wood taken from the earlier box, which was probably used for centuries. Although the lottery conductor, Mr. Summers raised the point of replacing this box, the people of the village would not listen to him as no body wanted to replace it. The draw of lottery had nothing to do with the age or construction of the box. Such blind beliefs are found in most of the countries. For example, people in India would not conduct an important business during certain period of the year, which is considered inauspicious. Like the tradition of celebrating the Halloween, which this village also enjoyed, worshipping the dead is not considered a good sign in India. Such traditions leave along-lasting image on the psyche of the people, who are not prepared to change the age-old beliefs. Such beliefs are worldwide. For example, the Irish village folks believe that ghosts will occupy the house, after they vacate it. Hence, they have the tradition of breaking the doors and windows of the house, before vacating it. Although such beliefs are followed blindly, no body has a logical explanation to justify them. However, people invoke stars and

Explain the Concept of Ideals in Plato’s Writings Essay Example for Free

Explain the Concept of Ideals in Plato’s Writings Essay â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living† according to Plato. He argued that we should always pursue knowledge and ask questions to do this. A key part of Plato’s philosophy is epistemology – his theory of how we know things. His concept of Ideals, also known as Forms, is Plato’s explanation of how true knowledge can be sought. Plato understood that there are concepts that we can all recognise in various things, for example the concept of beauty. We all recognise beauty in art, nature, people, or music, and we all understand the idea when we hear the word used. Although we can all recognise beauty, our opinions of what classes as beautiful are widely varied and subjective. The conclusions Plato drew from this is that beauty must exist, otherwise we would not know it at all. This is the Perfect Form of Beauty. However, we must have only partial knowledge of it or we would not have subjective opinions. Forms are absolute versions of concepts and ideas. They are perfect ideas of everything and therefore they do not change – perfect things cannot change for the better and would not change for the worse. They are also eternal as to begin or to stop existing is a change. They cannot live in this world as it is constantly changing and forms are unchangeable, so they can only exist in the Realm of the Forms. The form of Beauty is absolute and true; it is not an opinion but an idea or concept, therefore no-one can know the real meaning of Beauty as it cannot exist in this world and it is eternal. We will never know forms fully as we are imperfect. Forms give us knowledge and allow us to have some understanding of the truth. Although, we know that we do not know them fully as we can form our own opinions on things, e.g. what is beautiful and what is not. Forms are in the Realm of the Forms, we can recognise them as this is where our soul originates from, however because they come from there and not from where we are, we do not know them fully. Also as they are perfect we cannot understand them fully. In the Realm of the Forms there are Ideals of everything we have a concept of such as Beauty, Justice, Truth, and the Form of the Good. The Form of the Good is the highest of the forms and is the foundation and essence of everything. The Form of The Good represents Plato’s idea of goodness and is what you should most want. For Plato this was eudaimonia, living a good and fulfilled life. All other forms such as beauty, justice or truth are part of eudaimonia and so part of Good. The Form of the Good is therefore the most important Form as it gives us full and true knowledge of what we should pursue. It is our ultimate goal and the source of all truth and goodness. In this way, it has influenced the development of the Christian idea of God. Plato uses the Cave Allegory to present his ideas about Forms. He does this by using symbolism, by representing the Forms as objects outside of the cave. He then represents the Form of the Good as the sun; the sun shines light onto the objects outside, allowing us to see them. The light represents knowledge and the objects represent Forms – the Sun shows us the Forms and gives us knowledge. The prisoner’s journey illustrates Plato’s concept of Ideals or Forms – they provide truth but must be pursued individually and by looking away from things that keep us ignorant.

Education - What is it Really Worth? Essay -- Educate Education Essays

Education - What is it Really Worth? Carl Jung believed that, One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is a vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child (Fitzhenry 135). Education is important to succeed in life, but it needs to come along with compassion and learning on a personal level rather than in an autocratic atmosphere. Everyone has different views of education, but what they all have in common is how necessary it is when one wants to become a self-actualized individual. Education also plays an important role in getting a job in todays world and leading a self fulfilled life. Authors such as Bell hooks, Mike Rose, Jon Spayde, and Adrienne Rich all see education through the eyes of the excluded and emphasize the importance of education and what its really worth. I believe that education helps us achieve what we want to do but its actually up to each and every one of us to carry through. Every one of us could be educated but it doesnt necessarily mean that we learned anything to help us in the real world. We also need to self educate ourselves and not always rely on the classroom. We could do this by reading newspapers, magazines or even watching the news to expand ones awareness of the worlds issues. We need to be able to think for ourselves and make our own decisions rather than relying on what we have been taught in school. I am not saying that we should disregard what we have been taught, we just need to be able to relate to what we have been taugh t and make our own decisions. Education is especially valued in North America, it is very hard to truly succe... ...homework and sitting in class, it also about learning to work with others and making choices about the future. Works cited Fitzhenry, Robert I., ed. The Harper Book of Quotations, Third Edition. NY: HarperPerennial, 1993, 135. Hooks, Bell. Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education. The Presence of Others. eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, NY: Bedford/ St.Martins, 2000, 93-103. Rich, Adrienne. What Does a Woman Need to Know? The Presence of Others. eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, NY: Bedford/ St.Martins, 2000, 65-71. Rose, Mike. Life on the Boundary. The Presence of Others. eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, NY: Bedford/ St.Martins, 2000, 105-118. Spayde, Jon. Learning in the Key of Life. The Presence of Others. eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, NY: Bedford/ St.Martins, 2000, 58-63.

Project Management Essay -- Business and Management Studies

Project Management Project management is an essential part of the work environment and its purpose within business, academic backgrounds and research are crucial to the development of solutions and products that enable a company to be successful. The idea of project management is quite simple; a group of people are detached from the company and given a goal to focus their efforts on. The size of the group is entirely dependant on the size of the company. When looking to put together a project management team, there are two key factors that many, if not all, companies take into consideration; the skills that each individual possess in the team and whether these skills can be utilised in such a way to achieve their goal in a team environment. Each company requires different qualities that a successful applicant for Project Manager should fulfil. While trying to find a job in the summer, I came across a job posting for a Software Project Manager for a small team. Some of the required attributes that a candidate should possess are as follows: â€Å"A desire to motivate, share knowledge and provide for continuous learning†¦excellent communication skill†¦ Must be able to enthuse and engage at all levels of business†¦Develop findings and recommend solutions to customers as applicable. A good â€Å"all-rounder†.†1 Since many large companies and organisations no longer just restrict their services to their domestic customers, another key requirement for a Project Manager seems to be the ability to contribute in an international market. For example, in the current business world, there are very few companies and organisations that will limit their research only to Japan, for instance. As a result, the openings for project managers seem mainly to be located in the European countries such as France, Germany and the UK. Thus having a position in a project management firm is not only a lasting responsibility to national business and research but it is also an international commitment. Project management also varies in accordance with the size of the companies that it is carrying out its work for. In a small business, the project management team may be assigned projects of a local nature where their performance will be assessed on a small scale. For example, if the team was to make a project management plan for a small local company, the c... ... two sectors are managed separately, so in a way it can been seen as a type of project management since both sectors are detached form each and come together when a new product is being made. Within these two sectors, there are many different projects being undertaken in order to make its products better. Measuring the performance of these two sectors is done by looking at their yearly revenue and seeing how it changes, i.e. does it go up, down or fluctuates. Another way to measure the success of project management within Monsanto is to see how well the new product is received by the public by doing a type of census that will allow Monsanto to attain data that will help them to see where they have gone wrong so that they can improve their services in the future. References Websites - www.monster.co.uk - www.tenstep.com - www.pmtoday.co.uk - www.projectmanagement.com - www.financial-conferences.com - www.monsanto.com Books - Project management for Dummies – Stanley Portney - The Art of Project Management – Scott Berkun - The Practice of Project Management; A Guide to the Business-Focused Approach – Enzo Frigenti and Dennis Comninos

Currency War Between China and Usa Essay

Currency War: Currency war, also known as competitive devaluation, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their own currency. As the price to buy a particular currency falls so too does the real price of exports from the country. Imports become more expensive too, so domestic industry, and thus employment, receives a boost in demand both at home and abroad. However, the price increase in imports can harm citizens’ purchasing power. The policy can also trigger retaliatory action by other countries which in turn can lead to a general decline in international trade, harming all countries. Reasons of Currency War Between USA and China: Competitive devaluation has been rare through most of history as countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency,but it happens when devaluation occur. China keeps its dollar artificially low so that countries like the US will buy its goods. China is the US’s largest trading partner and if they didn’t sell their goods for super cheap, markets like India would be able to under cut the Chinese and then the US would buy goods from Indian instead of China. There is so much trade between China and the US that China profits immensely without needing it’s Yuan to appreciate. This of course hurts the average Chinese person in that their labour is devalued but it beneficial for the country as a whole as it has quickly become a super power economicaly. In 2008, a trader paid one Ghana Cedi for one U.S. dollar, but at the beginning of April 2012, the same trader travelling to Dubai paid GH ¢1.74 for one U.S. dollar. This means that year-on-year decline in the value of cedi against the US dollar was 74 per cent over a three-year period. A point to note is that during the global economic crises of 2008-2009, the cedi depreciated by 25 per cent against the dollar. Between 2010 and 2011, the cedi again depreciated 18.5 per cent against the US dollar. For last month, the cedi exchange rate depreciated 4.29 percent against the US dollar. So is the current downward slide in the cedi value as a result of the slowdown in the global economy or due to internal structural weaknesses? This question requires a detailed research work beyond the scope of this article but it is a very relevant question to ask at this time. In economics, depreciation is basically the symptoms of an underlying problem, specifically imbalances in the Balance of Payment (BOP), emanating from excess demand for dollars. So instead of discussing the depreciating cedi, I will rather focus my attention on the causes or factors that cause currency to depreciate and what the government can do to arrest this problem in special cases. Before then, I must let readers know the difference between currency fluctuation and depreciation. Fluctuations in currency value are a common event and are usually no cause for concern. The minor daily increases and decreases in value are generally due to â€Å"random walk† and not due to an economic event or fundamental problems. However, changes in currency value become significant when the decline in value of the currency is an ongoing trend. Technically, when currency depreciates, it loses value and purchasing power, with impact on the real sectors of the economy. Although, the economic effects of a lower cedi take time to happen, there are time lags between a change in the exchange rate and changes in commodity prices. Factors that determine the value of a currency include the current state of the overall economy, inflation, trade balance (the difference between the value of export and import), level of political stability, etc. Occasionally, external factors like currency speculations on the foreign exchange market can also contribute to depreciation of the local currency. Such being the case, a government can intervene into the foreign exchange market to support its national currency and suppress the process of depreciation. Currency depreciation can positively impact the overall economic development, though. It boosts competitiveness through lower export costs and secures more income from exported goods in a similar way devaluation does. On the contrary, depreciation makes imports more expensive and discourages purchases of imported goods stimulating demand for domestically manufactured goods. Globally, governments intentionally influence the value of their currency utilising the powerful tool of the base interest rates, which are usually set by the country’s central bank and this tool is often used to intentionally depreciate the currency rates to encourage exports. Factors that can cause a currency to depreciate are: Supply and Demand †¢ Just as with goods and services, the principles of supply and demand apply to the appreciation and depreciation of currency values. If a country injects new currency into its economy, it increases the money supply. When there is more money circulating in an economy, there is less demand. This depreciates the value of the currency. On the other hand, when there is a high domestic or foreign demand for a country’s currency, the currency appreciates in value. Inflation †¢ Inflation occurs when the general prices of goods and services in a country increase. Inflation causes the value of the cedi to depreciate, reducing purchasing power. If there is rampant inflation, then a currency will depreciate in value. What causes inflation? †¢ Printing Money. Note printing money does not always cause inflation. It will occur when the money supply is increased faster than the growth of real output. †¢ Note: the link between printing money and causing inflation is not straightforward. The money supply does not just depend on the amount the government prints. †¢ Large National Debt. To finance large national debts, governments often print money and this can cause inflation. Economic Outlook If a country’s economy is in a slow growth or recessionary phase, the value of their currency depreciates. The value of a country’s currency also depreciates if its major economic indicators like retail sales and Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, are declining. A high and/or rising unemployment rate can also depreciate currency value because it indicates an economic slowdown. If a country’s economy is in a strong growth period, the value of their currency appreciates. Trade Deficit A trade deficit occurs when the value of goods a country imports is more than the value of goods it exports. When the trade deficit of a country increases, the value of the domestic currency depreciates against the value of the currency of its trading partners. The demand for imports should fall as imports become more expensive. However, some imports are essential for production or cannot be made in the country and have an inelastic demand—we end up spending more on these when the exchange rate falls in value. This can cause the balance of payments to worsen in the short run (a process known as the J curve effect) Collapse of Confidence If there is a collapse of confidence in an economy or financial sector, this will lead to an outflow of currency as people do not want to risk losing their currency. Therefore, this causes an outflow of capital and depreciation in the exchange rate. Collapse in confidence can be due to political or economic factors. Price of Commodities if an economy depends on exports of raw materials, a fall in the price of this raw material can cause a fall in export revenue and depreciation in the exchange rate. For example, in 2011, a ton of cocoa sold for US4,000 per ton. Currently, it is going for US$2,300 per ton, translating into fewer inflows of dollars. Interest rate Differential I will use the International Fischer Effect to explain the relationship between the expected change in the current exchange rate between the cedi and the dollar, which is approximately equivalent to the difference between Ghana and US’ nominal interest rates for that time. For example, if the average interest rate in Ghana for 2011 was 24 per cent and for US was three per cent, then the dollar should appreciate roughly 21 per cent or the cedi must depreciate 21 per cent compared to the dollar to restore parity. The rationale for the IFE is that a country with a higher interest rate will also tend to have a higher inflation rate. This increased amount of inflation should cause the currency in the country with the high interest rate to depreciate against a country with lower interest rates. Market Speculations Market speculations can contribute to a process of spiraling depreciation after smaller market players decide to follow the example of the leading dealers, the so-called market makers, and after they lost confidence in a particular currency start to sell it in bulk amounts. Then only a quick reaction of the country’s central bank can restore the confidence of investors and stop the currency rates of the nation’s currency from continuous decline. When the currency depreciation is based on market speculations, in other words, not backed by fundamental economic factors, then the central bank comes to the rescue- intervene. A sterilised intervention against depreciation can only be effective in the medium term if the underlying cause behind the currency’s loss of value can be addressed. If the cause was a speculative attack based on political uncertainty this can potentially be resolved. Because after a sterilised intervention the money supply remains unchanged at its high level, the locally available interest rates can still be relatively low, so the carry trade continues and if it still wants to prevent depreciation the central bank has to intervene again. This can only go on so long before the bank runs out of foreign currency reserves. In conclusion, currency depreciation is the result of fundamental deficiencies with the domestic economy which must be corrected over a period of time to restore balance. However, where the depreciation is out of speculative attacks on the currency, then the central bank can intervene to correct the temporary anomalies, which, often is short term in nature. Lastly, intervention in the foreign exchange market by the central bank to correct fundamental weaknesses, just like the Ghanaian situation will not work, because, very soon, the central bank will run out of international reserves; hence, the cedi must therefore seek its equilibrium level. The writer is an economic consultant and former Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics at Alabama State University. Montgomery, Alabama. Currency War in the Great Depression During the Great Depression of the 1930s, most countries abandoned the gold standard, resulting in currencies that no longer had intrinsic value. With widespread high unemployment, devaluations became common. Effectively, nations were competing to export unemployment, a policy that has frequently been described as â€Å"beggar thy neighbour†.[30] However, because the effects of a devaluation would soon be counteracted by a corresponding devaluation by trading partners, few nations would gain an enduring advantage. On the other hand, the fluctuations in exchange rates were often harmful for international traders, and global trade declined sharply as a result, hurting all economies. The exact starting date of the 1930s currency war is open to debate.[23] The three principal parties were Great Britain, France, and the United States. For most of the 1920s the three generally had coinciding interests, both the US and France supported Britain’s efforts to raise Sterling’s value against market forces. Collaboration was aided by strong personal friendships among the nations’ central bankers, especially between Britain’s Montagu Norman and America’s Benjamin Strong until the latter’s early death in 1928. Soon after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, France lost faith in Sterling as a source of value and begun selling it heavily on the markets. From Britain’s perspective both France and the US were no longer playing by the rules of the gold standard. Instead of allowing gold inflows to increase their money supplies (which would have expanded those economies but reduced their trade surpluses) France and the US began sterilising the inflows, building up hoards of gold. These factors contributed to the Sterling crises of 1931; in September of that year Great Britain substantially devalued and took the pound off the gold standard. For several years after this global trade was disrupted by competitive devaluation. The currency war of the 1930s is generally considered to have ended with the Tripartite monetary agreement of 1936.

Portrait of a Serial Killer Analysis Essay

Portrait of a Serial Killer Analysis Essay Portrait of a Serial Killer Analysis Essay Sample Portrait of a Serial Killer Analysis Essay Sample When one hears about a new serial killer in the neighborhood, the usual stereotype depicts a raging maniac who rapes and tortures young girls. Such a description can characterize a serial killer but only a small percentage. On the average, many murderers are no more insane than any other person. In fact, the serial killer can appear in any form. A well-groomed nurse who poisons her infirm patients to â€Å"play God,† an exhausted mother who smothers her children to stop them from crying, a disturbed man who murders prostitutes to punish them for their sins, a high-maintained prostitute who kills her clients to avenge herself for all the insults and abuses she experienced, a respectable father and a member of the community who slaughters strangers to exert power at least in some sphere of his life (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 410). All these cases can fit into a serial killer profile. It is true that in many cases serial killing is predetermined by sexual lust that is aggravated by a sadistic component (Purcell, 2006). However, it is not always the case. Apart from killing for any kind of pleasure and cases of schizophrenia or â€Å"voices form God†, there are other factors that contribute to the necessity to kill people (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 442). Gaining profit may seem a motif not strong enough for engaging into the frenzy of serial murder. However, there are cases when women killed their husbands to provide themselves with their insurance (Ramsland, 2006, p. 4). The main factor for serial killing is still the desire to dominate. The overwhelming majority of researches prove that serial killers come from dysfunctional households or from families where children were not connected to their primary caretakers. It led to alienation and emotional closeness (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 179). Despite the fact that white males in their late twenties take leading places in Serial Killer Top 100, females also found their way of escaping depression and ennui of their lives in putting other human beings to death. Even young children picked on the trend for serial murder. Schurman-Kauflin wrote about the three cases of school students committing serial killings, all in the late 1990s (2000, p. 22). The fact that in one case an 11-year-old female is the lead suspect in the serial murders of 4 children cannot help but frighten. We come across the horrifying examples of people’s cruelty every day. It is impossible to always screen them off with â€Å"I cannot believe it.† We have to believe it and do something. The society has to address the issue of serial murder. The first step is to learn about the factors that contribute to the development of sadistic and perverse personalities. When we know who can commit it and in what circumstances, then we can resist and combat it. If we do not do it now, they can come and get us later. Our perception is often distorted by fiction and mass media. We are left with a wrong impression about the serial killers’ preys and that it will never involve us and our families. However, not knowing, or not understanding, how the serial killers operate and thinks will make us walk right into their hands. At the moment, there is a wealth of information on the subject. We just need to tap into it and make conclusions. Warned means armed. What Makes a Serial Killer? It is a general knowledge that serial killing involves individual psychopathology. After watching movies about exceptionally weird serial killers people begin to think that only sociopaths or mentally insane people may kill other human beings premeditatevely and repeatedly. However, it is not always the case. Scholars say that antisocial behavior â€Å"reflects a disorder of character or personality rather than of the mind† (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 420). On the whole, serial killers can tell right from wrong and are aware of what they do. They are even capable to control their wild fantasies, however they choose not to (p. 419). Until recently the majority of psychiatrists considered mental insanity to be the primarily cause for multiple murders (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 419). Apart from the movies on extravagant serial killers (Silence of the Lambs, for example) that fed off such an opinion, there were cases when murderers suffered from schizophrenia or imaginary voices that ordered to kill. However, according to Fox and Levin, â€Å"only one in twenty sexually sadistic serial killers studied by Warren, Hazelwood, and Dietz was psychotic† (p. 419). If not mental illness thrn what makes a serial killer? Do they hate people? It is true that sociopaths fit the mold to commit multiple murders. They lack remorse, do not sympathize, and care exclusively for their own pleasures in life. Simply put, they have no conscience (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 420). At the same time, sociopathy in its pure form can rarely be met, even in serial killers. However, serial killers may suffer from â€Å"borderline personality disorder† when a person has fits of bad mood, â€Å"impulsivity, intense anger, chronic feelings of boredom †¦ a profound sense of abandonment and rejection† (p. 420-421). In such a case, people are capable of qualms of conscience and remorse. In order to overcome it, murderers may compartmentalize their victims by applying some criteria to them (Ramsland, 2006, p. 179). For example, they do not feel pangs of guilt towards the strangers and can murder them easily. Another loophole for their conscience can be an expl anation to themselves that their victims â€Å"deserve† the punishment. For instance, prostitutes are filthy and it is their own fault that they fall a prey to sex criminals; vagabond alcoholics became subhuman and therefore, it is not a sin to kill such beingd; gays are seen as AIDS carriers and by eliminating them they make the world a better place (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 423). The myth of the victims â€Å"deserving the punishment† makes serial murderers unable to feel remorse. The fantasy world screens off from them the startling reality. Therefore, it may happen that while on trial the serial killers are subjected to the numerous evidence against their world view. Seeing what the victim’s relatives and friends suffer may prompt the murderer to perceive what he or she had done and repent. That was the case of Milwaukee’s Jeffrey Dahmer who apologized to the families right in the courtroom for murdering, abusing, and cannibalizing his seventeen victims (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 424). Criminologists, psychologists and other related experts continue to look for reasons for such inhuman behavior. Both health issues and environment can influence a person to develop into a maniac (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 448). Among biological factors, Fox and Levin mention the presence of head trauma or frontal lobe epilepsy and the chemical imbalances in the brain (p. 448). Environmental premises may include unsuccessful adoption cases, child abuse, and humiliation or rejection (p. 448). In fact, serial killers, when caught, tend to play the abusive childhood card. Sociopaths are especially good liars because they have enough cold-blooded boldness to lie convincingly. There were cases when serial murderers managed to fool psychiatrists with their tales of child abuse such as the cases of the Hillside Strangler Kenneth Bianchi and the Genesee River Killer Arthur Shawcross (p. 449). The problem with a psychotic serial killer is the following. In order to be named a serial killer, a person should murder no less than four people (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 408). Most psychotic killers are very sloppy, act impulsively and do not pay enough attention to cover the traces. That is the reason they get caught before they kill enough victims to be classified as a serial killer (Brown, 2003, p. 36). The FBI offered the organized/disorganized distinction between multiple murderers. There are serial killers who are well-organized, intelligent, have romantic partners and children, good workers, curious about their crime in mass media, from a fine family; and another type of serial killers who are disorganized, less intelligent, lonely, jobless or an unskilled worker, and do not follow the investigation of their crimes (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 428). Definitely such descriptions are very polarized, and in real life it is difficult to find a killer who ideally fits the profile. Rather the profiles are used â€Å"as a tool to focus on a range of suspects† (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 428). They give clues and provide a direction to search for a suspect. Therefore, it is difficult to foresee whether a person can develop into a serial killer or not. A range of biological and behavioral peculiarities influence it. However, in general it would be wise not to think all serial murderers are insane or they all are evil. Rather they are extremely self-centered, are not thoughtful of consequences, and experienced violent treatment before. Time to Take into Account Startling Rates of Female Serial Killing Edna was a single African American female who was known for a jobless status and her promiscuous sexual relations to pay her rent. Having babies almost every two years for 10 years, Edna miraculously lost them to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome when they were in her care with no other witnesses. With no relatives and no steady job, Edna managed to work on sympathies of the general public and jurors when her case was brought to court even after she admitted to suffocating the fifth child. Edna served 10 years for killing five children (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 184). A typical serial killer profile is a white male in his late twenties or early thirties (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 413). However, there already exists statistical and scholarly information on female multicide (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 3). Despite making only a small percentage of total multiple murders (one eighth of the general number), female serial killing is on the rise. In the last thirty years, there were recorded 26 female serial killers in the United Stated, which is a huge increase from previous years (p. 12). It should not be ignored. Women are rarely thought of as murderers so female serial killers may go unpunished for years making more and more harm. Their seeming innocence is what makes them more dangerous than men. Indeed, there is a difference between male and female killers. If not in the commonalities of the background, which are often similar, such as violence and abuse in childhood, than in methods of committing a crime (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 4). Male perpetrators rarely use firearms preferring to â€Å"take an active part in producing [their victims’] suffering and misery† by stabbing or strangling (Fox Levin, 1998, p. 416). Meanwhile female serial killers typically suffocate or poison because due to average physical abilities they choose their prey among elderly and young who are weaker than them (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 10). Both male and female serial killers choose the weakest as their victims but they look for them in different surroundings. Female multiple murder usually involves elders or children in care, while male serial killing sees easy prey in prostitutes, young women, and homeless alcoholics (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 18). According to recent studies, female serial killers tend to be care-givers (p. 17). They come from traditional families with sex roles defined conventionally so they choose female dominated professions of nurses, teachers, cooks or other types of caketaking (p. 17). However, the idea that women can be premeditate and murder people in their care is still unacceptable to many people. In fact, so strong is people’s disbelief in female serial killers that they often simply refuse to believe that a frail woman can conceive and execute a cold blooded murder, especially a series of them. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin tells the case of the nurse’s aides Gwen Graham and Cathy Wood of Michigan who played the game of spelling â€Å"murder† with the initials of their victims who they smothered to death at a nursing home (p. 13). Even after the women vividly described their crimes to police, â€Å"to this day, many refuse to believe that [they] could commit such atrocious acts† (p. 13). In any case, both male and female serialists share a common characteristic – they come from an abusing household (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 179). Violence breeds violence. Therefore, multiple murderers see the same hostility and unloving attitude as they have experienced in their families in their childhood. â€Å"With this expectation of abuse and distrust comes emotional isolation, which manifests itself in the forms of being emotionally flat and failing to feel empathy for others† (p. 179). As a result, being very lonely and isolated, the serial killers believe that they can restore their psychological balance through exerting power. In their case, it can be done through serial killing. The researchers ruled out the tornado effect that begins as a feeling of powerlessness in the face of humiliation and abuse experienced in their childhood. It accumulates into rage and anger which breed violent thoughts and fantasies. When another act of humiliation and powerlessness happens a next bout of more violent fantasies follows. After that usually the female multiple murderers begin to take it on small animals and later on children. The next step can be murder (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 192). In addition, the feeling of inadequacy and anger is intensified by their inability to express themselves. There is evidence that the female offenders often suffer from verbal difficulties. â€Å"Much like male offenders, this leads to increased levels of isolation and anger, which in turn becomes suppressed aggression† (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 124). When being children they had troubles in recognizing and describing their emotions, both written and verbal. Apart from a lack of education, the reason for it may be the detachment from other people. Not having close relationship with parents or siblings and being isolated from their peers, due to difficulties in communication and feeling different, such children shut down emotionally (p. 125). It can contribute to all other factors that constitute a profile of a serial killer. Primarily, it is up to the society to turn their gaze to the problem of the female multiple murders. Very often public opinion is not ready to accept and, therefore, to punish the female offender. So strong is the belief in caring capacities of women and their inability to act so atrociously. If it concerns a one-time murder we can believe that a woman could be driven to despair by an abusive father or a partner but to assume that a woman could kill her children, one a year, it is beyond our comprehension and, hence, impossible. Schurman-Kauflin mentions the case of the 72-year-old Maria Noe from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who received probation after confessing the murder of her eight children (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 13). Her advanced age and her gender influenced the jurors not to put her to prison. However, it is nothing else than a serial killer and it deserves to be judged with all severity. The method of choosing a victim among people in direct care and the geographical proximity of murder cases in close vicinity make the female serial killer extremely dangerous. You never know who will be her next prey: your neighbor, your child, or even you. The detectives, criminologists, and other related experts polish their profiling skills. Even if through profiling a criminal cannot be indicated at once, the results of the research demonstrate commonalities in the backgrounds and behavioral patterns of assailants (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 213). Therefore, it narrows a search. Those who want to help in apprehending serial killers and, for example, to become a profiler, first of all, need to extensively study the multiple murders and its motivation. Without understanding the psychology of a serial killer and his or her background it would be impossible to track them. With proper academic training (Ph.D. or a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, Psychology, or Sociology) and homicide investigative experience, a good profiler should have first-hand experience with serial killers; otherwise, there can be blank spaces in the understanding of their motivation (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 218). Not all multiple murderers are eager to allow to dig into their heads and research the subject of their crimes. Especially female convicts are rather reticent concerning their background and what their reasons for killing were (p. 95). Some may think that so many efforts are excessive in the era of computers. However, in the case of studying human psyche, no machine can outdo an intelligent individual. Until today, computer profiling served as to point in the right direction rather than as a reliable source of exact information (Schurman-Kauflin, 2000, p. 219). Apart from difficulties to systemize all relevant information, computers simply do not have intuition which is very helpful when working with people. â€Å"A good profiler gives direction, elucidates difficult subjects, predicts behavior, aids in investigative techniques, provides interview suggestions, and helps in court situations† (p. 218). Besides the work of professional experts, each of us can armor oneself against becoming a potential victim. It is obligatory for everyone to educate oneself what we can do to protect ourselves. Questions to check the understanding of the material provided 1. Are the serial killers mentally insane? 2. What is an average portrait of a serial killer? 3. How female serial killers chose their victims? 4. What is the tornado effect? 5. What was the most startling information you learned from reading the magazine?

machiavelli, Aristotle, August essays

machiavelli, Aristotle, August essays Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince examines the nature of power and his views of power in the leadership that he observed in his time. Machiavelli discusses power over the people, dictatorial power, and the power with the people. The struggle to retain, hold, and apply one power is human nature and this nature is agreeable with Aristotle's argument that "man is a political animal." In The Prince, Machiavelli discusses two distinct groups of people, the political elite, including nobles and the public. Machiavelli claims that ambition and dictatorial power drive most nobles and princes. Because shared power is only effective between the prince and his people and not between the prince and the nobles because the people depends on the prince and the prince needs his people but since nobles and the prince are driven by the same motivations shared power would be useless. "Whether men bear affection depends on themselves, but whether they are afraid will depend on what the ruler does" (p.60-61). While Machiavelli emphasizes power over in relations between the political elite, he discusses a different kind of power in the relationship between a prince and the public. Machiavelli notes that a prnice can share power with the people, since a prince can trust the people much more than he can trust the nobles. Nobles" can not be satisfied if a ruler acts honorable but the people can be thus satisfies, because their aims are more honorable than those of the nobles are for the latter only want to oppress and the former only wants to avoid being oppressed" (p. 35). The people are not unforgiving and greedy so the prince can place more trust in the people. Since the prince can trust the people the people will feel empowered and the people will in turn protect the prince rather than revolt against him, "when you arm them, these weapons become your own" (p 72). In this way the prince power is greater. The prince's pursuits for power the nat...