Ayn Rand essays

Ayn Rand essays Ayn Rand was a well-known novelist and philosopher who upheld individualism over collectivism and egoism over altruism. She defended the individual over all the forces that could weaken it. Ayn wrote several popular novels. Some of which included Anthem, Fountain Head, and Atlas Shrugged. She defended her thoughts about God that lead her to believe it weakened her and led her to become an atheist (Smith, 1991, pp. 30-35). Ayn founded the philosophical movement of objectivism. This was a movement that was based on the basis of her life and her works (Smith, 1991, p. 67). Ayn Rand was born Alissa Rosenbaum on February 2, 1905 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She was the oldest of three children who all received a quality education in different private school systems. Ayn learned how to read and write at the age of six. She was always known to express her strengths in school (Yang, 2000, pp.139-152). She was a very intelligent teenager and an asset to her peers at school. After she graduated from high school, Ayn attended the University of Arizona. She believed in her own advice and studied the impractical dimensions of history. Thus being the initiation of Ayns career as a famous novelist and philosopher. Ayns first doubt about her religious beliefs was during her high school years. It all began one day at band practice. One of Ayns fellow band members became overly excited before practice had begun. Ayn was curious to find out what had happened to her. Her friend announced that day she had found God (Erickson, 1997, pp.54-57). Ayn was happy for her friend as she sat and listened to her stories of God. But now Ayn began to wonder if she really believed in God herself (Peikoff, 1988, pp. 1-8). A few weeks after the incident occurred in band, Ayn was still confused on what her religious beliefs really were. She decided to focus more attention on several different biblical phrases. She believed it wou...

Tamarisk - the Noxious Western Tree

Tamarisk - the Noxious Western Tree Saltcedar is one of several common names for an invasive non-native tree that is spreading rapidly through the intermountain region of the western United States, through the Colorado River Canyons, the Great Basin, California, and Texas. Other common names include tamarisk and salt cedar. The tamarisk is degrading the rarest of habitats in the desert southwest - the wetlands. Salt cedar invades springs, ditches, and streambanks. The tree has taken over more than 1 million acres of the precious Western riparian resource. Rapid Growth Rate Under good conditions, the opportunistic tamarisk can grow 9 to 12 feet in a single season. Under drought conditions, saltcedar survives by dropping its leaves. This ability to survive under harsh desert conditions has given the tree an edge over more desirable native species and causing a sharp decline in cottonwood populations. Regenerative Ability Mature plants can survive flooding for up to 70 days and can quickly colonize moist areas due to the constant availability of seeds. The plants ability to exploit suitable germinating conditions over a long time period gives saltcedar a considerable advantage over native riparian species. Habitat Mature tamarisk can also resprout vegetatively after fire, flood, or treatment with herbicides and can adapt to wide variations in soil condition. Saltcedar will grow at elevations up to 5,400 feet and prefers saline soils. They typically occupy sites with intermediate moisture, high water tables, and minimal erosion. Adverse Impacts The serious direct impacts of saltcedar are numerous. This invasive tree is now taking over and displacing native plants, specifically cottonwood, using its aggressive growth advantage in areas where natural native communities have been damaged by fire, flood or some other disturbance. Native plants have proven to be more valuable in retaining moisture on wetlands than tamarisk. The loss of these native species to tamarisk eventually leads to a net loss of water. A Water Hog The tamarisk has an extremely rapid evapotranspiration rate. There is a fear that this rapid loss of moisture could possibly cause serious depletion of groundwater. There is also an increased deposition of sediments in tamarisk-infested streams which causes a blockage. These sediment deposits encourage dense clumps of saltcedar growth which then promotes flooding during periods of heavy rain. Controls There are essentially 4 methods to control tamarisk - mechanical, biological, competition, and chemical. The complete success of any management program depends on the integration of all methods. Mechanical control, including hand-pulling, digging, use of weed eaters, axes, machetes, bulldozers, and fire, may not be the most efficient method for removal of saltcedar. Hand labor is not always available and is costly unless it is volunteered. When heavy equipment is used, the soil is often disturbed with consequences that may be worse than having the plant. In many situations, control with herbicides is the most efficient and effective method of control for removal of tamarisk. The chemical method allows regeneration and/or re-population of natives or re-vegetation with native species. The use of herbicides can be specific, selective and fast. Insects are being investigated as potential biological control agents for saltcedar. Two of these, a mealybug (Trabutina mannipara) and a leaf beetle (Diorhabda elongata), have preliminary approval for release. There is some concern over the possibility that, due to the environmental damage caused by tamarisk, native plant species may not be able to replace it if the biological control agents succeed in eliminating it.

English Language Skills for Academic Study Essay

English Language Skills for Academic Study - Essay Example Conversely, the possibility of all the income going to one person denoted as having a Gini coefficient of 1 (Minton, 2012).Global inequality is demonstrated through income gaps that have been witnessed between individuals, where the gap between the rich and the poor has drawn closer. Therefore, income inequality has a negative effect on economic growth. Intensive Global Inequality Apparently, income equality as an extra ordinary economic development is not based on the United States of America only. Other countries in the world such as Britain, Canada, China, India, and even Sweden have experienced an increase in the national economic share to around 1 % (Cleaver, 2013). Similarly, one of the world’s famous magazines, Forbes has argued that in the United States of America, there are around 421 billionaires, Russia has 96, China has 95 and India has 48. In addition, Santiso & Blommestein, 2007 argues that the world richest man is a Mexican who is worth approximately $ 69 Billio n, the largest building belongs to an Indian among other economic income disparities. In a general sense, the concentration of wealth has become part of a wider disparity in the in income distribution. This is arguably true because some parts and groups of people do not receive the share of resources. This leads to negative economic growth. Consequently, the income gap has continually varied in most countries in the world for the last three decades. For instance, the Gini coefficient in the United States of America has gone up to almost 30% from 1980 with coefficient ranging at 0.39. In China, the coefficient has increased by 50% reading at about 0.42. In the same way, Sweden has increased by around 25% read at 0.24 Gini coefficient (Jubis, 2013). However, in contrast to this, Latin America has been named as the world unequal continent since it has experienced a down ward trend demonstrated through the sharp decline of the Gini coefficient (Dicken, 2010). In light of such deliberati ons, it is correct to argue that the income gap leads to negative economic growth. This assertion is true because people with low income would not be in a position accomplishing all their needs. Income Inequality as the ‘Delay Factor’ to Recession Recovery It is argued that income inequality has become a barrier or a slowing factor towards the recovery of the great recession. A recent debate economic contraction has given a vivid picture on the level of income inequality in the economic development. In light of this, two liberalist economists have given their contribution toward this debate (Stevenson & Duch, 2008). According to Stigliz, the economic inequality is preventing the recovery of the global recession due to numerous reasons. To begin with, the liberal economist argues that the middle class is not capable of giving support to consumer spending, which has driven the growth of the economy for the longest period (Stevenson & Duch, 2008). For this reason, most peo ple in the United States of America cannot manage to pay education for themselves and their children. Moreover, Stigliz articulates that the enormous lack of income from the middle class has led to the lack of tax payments a situation that is associated with frequent and more severe cycles of income inequality (Jubis, 2013). It is apparent that with low income, some people would not be able to revive any economic activities within

Compare and contrast the four images below Essay

Compare and contrast the four images below - Essay Example The images depicted in each painting manifest the embodiment of masculinity at a time where it was glorified. The perfect aesthetic human qualities were the pinnacle of success. The strong link between each of this image that is made from bronze is the fact that it testaments athleticism in an era where physical strength was huge. Olympics that started in Athens gave birth to these paintings. It is evident that Olympics played a crucial role in western part of Peoloponnese. (â€Å"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History†) For instance, the movie such as 300 depict soldiers as perfectly chiseled and powerful men. Similarly, the correlation of perfection in the sculpture is embodied in every genre. This is perfectly displayed in Figurine of an athlete making an offering. The athlete in this context is accepting the gift as a symbolism of celebration. The second element that these images manifest themselves that is Greek original in bronze by Polykleitos dates back to 430 AD. (â€Å"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History†) The kylix image along with athlete of the diadoumenos type It again manifests the male body of perfection in which aesthetics were crucial. In this particular image, the artist clearly has been extremely creative from every angle and touch. This graphic is a great image as it depicts a typical hand brush that is utilized for cleaning purposes. The brush itself is painted in a very elegant manner with amazing finish. Every bristle is clear and gives the feeling of cleanliness to the audience. Furthermore, the bristles variation in color is a clear depiction of a unique style that the artist has embraced. This is created via bronze and stood in Olympics. Each male body part is symmetry of thorax and pelvis creates a contrast of the body itself. The proportions and the stance is for the audience to appreciate th e sense of potential movement. In art class, my main focus was to observe

Managing Employee Relations in Contemporary Organisations Essay - 2

Managing Employee Relations in Contemporary Organisations - Essay Example 201). The modern approach to employee relations is people management. The employees to the organization were employed based on their skill and as part of a team that would meet the requirements of the organization (Kessler and Purcell, 2003, p. 28). Human management as a style that is used by the ACME organization concentrates on the skills that an individual brings into the company (Legge, 2005, p.102). Prior to securing a job with the company, it is important that what the employee brings to the table is analyzed and this is part of the enrolment (Purcell, 1987, p. 29). The company has stringent policies on which employees it employs, a fact that is expressed in different settings such as when referring to family, (Legge, 1995, p. 99), i.e. potentially some members may feel offended if they cannot get their friends/family in but so be it. We will never compromise the arrangement that we will go for the best person for the job. But with 500 people there are going to be individuals, but relatively few, we wouldn't recruit again. If one of these few recommended friends/family we would look, but look very carefully. The company has also adopted a structure that is based on personal and team responsibilities within the organization, which differ from any trade union system of operation. The organisation’s policy on performance and pay states that, If somebody is not performing they get told about it. We have annual appraisal and salary is directly linked to contribution across a number of factors, so people get a message both financially and otherwise across the table from the manager at the appraisal, if not at other times of the year, which does not include any responsibilities to any party or individual outside the organisation. The system used is analytical based on the quality an individual brings to the company (Salamom, 2000, p. 291). The approach to management takes on a modern management style that gives employees roles, responsibilities as well as a supervisor to answer to in the course of their employment. The approach means that individual contributions to the company are looked into during the running of ACME. The management considers the goals set by management, in terms of economics, finances, growth, marketing and advertising among others (Williams and Adam-Smith, 2009, p. 102). Although the system makes use of preset performance requirements, the company ensures that it appreciates the efforts put in by the employees at any one given time in every position as it is stated by the company as directly linked to a number of factors contributing to outcomes in the financial and other concepts. 2. Critically discuss why they use this approach (cite evidence from both the case study and academic literature to justify this discussion). The performance of employees in the organisation is an important goal and objective driven element of analysis. The chosen employee management style in relations allows the management to keep t rack of the growth of the organisation on an overall state as well as in the personal concept. The style emphasizes the fact that individual workers are the unit by which the ACME organisation operates. By choosing the individualistic approach to employee relations, the organisation

Should Gun Ownership Be Banned?

Should Gun Ownership Be Banned? Gun is a weapon which consists of a metal tube from a projectile which is fired at high velocity into a flat projectile. There are many different types of guns such as rifles, shotguns, and handguns. 1.2 The habits of gun ownership The culture of the United States cultivates an attitude toward firearms and a right of the armed citizens. They believe that the gun is used for survival. The entertainment drama and movies in America have shown that the gun acts as an instrument to promote personal fairness among people. Many authorities claim that handguns are involved in the violence issues in the United States because handguns are easily available and they function as an instrument to commit suicide or a crime at any time without much effort. 1.3 Gun laws in the United States There are several gun laws present in the United States 1.3. 1 State and local gun control 1.3.1.1 Concealed weapon laws About seven states in US prohibit concealed weapons and it requires individual to show a need prior to obtain a license to carry a concealed firearms. The private sale to minor has been regulated. 1.3.1.2 Federal law, Minors underage18 are prohibited from owning guns and minor under age 21 are prohibited from purchasing any gun from dealers. 1.3.1.3 One handgun a month laws It limits legal purchases of handguns once a month per buyer. The majority of states have a pre-emption law which prohibits local authorities from passing local gun control ordinances, crediting to a dramatic reduction in violent crime. (n.d 2009) 1.3.2 Possession Americans underage 18 may own a firearm only if they have a valid hunters safety certificate and are overage 14, or are supervised under a parent or guardian or another person authorized by the parent or guardian. Americans below 18 may also posse any legal firearm while hunting with a valid license, participating in lawful target shooting or organized competition, attending a hunter safety or firearms training course, or are traveling to or from such activity with an unloaded and inaccessible firearm. Any person who is not a citizen of the United States to carry or possess any firearm, without first obtaining an alien firearm license which is valid for 5 years from the director of licensing is a serious crime. 1.3.3 Carry A person shall not carry a pistol concealed on his own without a permit license but he may carry concealed without a license in his place of abode or fixed place of business. American are not allowed to carry or place a loaded handgun in any vehicle unless he has a license to permit him to do so, or the person with the concealed carrying license is in the vehicle at all times that the handgun is there, or the person with that license is away from the vehicle and the handgun is locked within the vehicle and concealed from view from outside the vehicle. American above 18 years old who possesses an unloaded handgun shall not leave it in a vehicle unless it is locked within the vehicle and concealed from view from outside the vehicle.(Mantaldo n.d)It is unlawful for an Americans to possess on public, private elementary, secondary school buildings, school-provided transportation, and areas of facilities while being used exclusively by public or private schools any firearm which propel a p ellet or other projectile by the discharge of compressed air, carbon dioxide or other gases. It is law disobeys to carry, transport, convey, possess or control in or on a motor vehicle a shotgun or rifle containing shells or cartridges in the magazine or chamber, or a muzzle-loading firearm loaded and capped or primed. 1.3.4 Miscellaneous It is unlawful to alter, remove, or obliterate the name of the maker, model, manufacturers number, or other mark of identification on any firearm which creates a legal presumption that the possessor committed the offense. It is illegal to carry, display or draw any firearm in such a way as to manifest intent to intimidate another as it does not apply to persons who instances of self-defense or acting in furtherance of ones official duties. (n.d 2009) 2.0 The benefits of gun ownership There are a lot of purposes for owning guns in the United States. 2.1 Provides effective self-defense For those people who own guns, they can protect themselves. They can also defend their friends and families from violent crimes. The police cannot protect the public and the belongings of everyone at the same time so the United States citizens have their own responsibility to protect our property. (Phil 2006). Guns protect the victims during attacks. For instance, an individual can defend himself with a gun when he encounters a rapist, a robber, or a mugger. (Torr 2002). The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) generally believes that if more law-abiding citizens are armed, they would be better prepared to stop criminals from committing murders and other violent crimes.(n.d 2009) 2.1.1 For weaker sex or handicapped victims For example, women are usually physically weaker than men .A woman carrying a gun has greater effect on the crime than a man. This phenomenon will lower the rate of murder for women by 3-4 times. (Kim 2006). A 2003 study from the USA shows that having a gun in the home increased the overall risk of someone in the household being murdered by 41% whereas for women in particular the risk was nearly tripled. Women think having a gun in the home makes them safer to live there; a large majority of men think just the opposite.A handicapped person who is not very smooth in his movement might face a big threaten when he encounters an armed criminal. Owning a gun can help to ensure his safety. 2.2 Reduce gun violence Personalized guns are created by equipping the normal gun with some specific safety features which allow the adult owners to use them only. Such guns help to lower the rate of incidents such as homicide, robbery, suicide and accidental death from occurring in the real world. Personalized guns can reduce the injuries or the accidental death of the victims of unintentional and wrong gun usage. These guns also reduce gun violence are stolen and used by criminals to commit crimes. (Egendorf 2005)The law-abiding citizens cannot protect their own property and their lives. A woman who always goes back home late and passes through any gang-infested housing project. She needs a handgun so that she will be in safer condition and will not be a victim of the robbed and violated. (Kim 2006) 2.3 Protects the country from being invaded Countries where gun ownership is prevalent are also far less likely to be successfully invaded. No invader will want to invade a country where virtually every America citizen already has the means to fight back against them. 2.4 Protects people from the government Gun ownership is not simply a means for protecting oneself from those who may pose a danger within our society, but also a means of protection from the government, which as noted, can sometimes be pretty malevolent. Our right to bear arms is part of what keeps us free. With a gun in hand, the government dares not to violate peoples civil rights, enter peoples homes randomly and place political dissidents in prison camps. (Mccracken n.d ) 2.5 Protects ones family and property Having a gun in the home can greatly increase the chances of survival because if someone is trying to break in ones house and he is the only one in the house at that particular time, he might as well use the gun he owned to protect his property. With the present of at least one gun in each family, this may help to ensure the safety of each of the family members. Half of the people who have been interviewed think that having a gun in the home makes it safer for the people who live there versus about one-third who feel the opposite way. 2.6 Unites Citizens Police cannot be everywhere simultaneously, and have no duty to protect everyone. Armed citizens can help to decrease the number of violent crimes committed by cooperating with the police which actually decreases the police workload. This enables the police to be more productive. 3.0 Disadvantages of gun ownership There are several disadvantages of gun ownership. 3.1 Contributes to violent crimes In general, the higher the gun ownership in a state, the higher is the percentage of the occurrence of the homicides caused by firearms. Due to little gun control law enforcement, murder and crimes are on the rise. This is because the handguns are too easily accessible to the children, the teens and the adult and this increases the risk of gun violence towards innocent people. The gun owners can use their gun to commit suicide when they wish to. The robbers use the gun to get involved in robbery cases. (Egendorf 2005).Torr (2002) argues that a prayer service at the Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, a gunman who opened fire with his handgun for killing seven people, injuring the other seven and kill himself. Within a week from February 7, 2008, the United States had seven shooting incidents happened, leading to 23 deaths and dozens of injuries. On March 27, 2008, five people in Georgia and Kentucky were shot dead (The Associated Press 2008). On the night of April 18, nine shootings were reported in a period of less than two hours in Chicago (The Chicago Tribune 2008). In year 2005, 30,694 people died from gun violence which includes 12,352 people murdered; 17,002 people who killed themselves; 789 people killed accidentally; 330 killed by police intervention; and 221 who died, with an unknown intent. While in year 2007, 69,863 people survived after gun injuries, including 48,676 people injured in an attack; 4,291 people injured in a suicide attempt; 15,698 people shot accidentally; and 1,198 people shot in a police intervention.( n.d 2009) Some Americans are convinced that more federal regulation of firearms is necessary to reduce the number of murders and injuries that are inflicted with guns and to ensure a safer, more civilized society. 3.2 Decreases personal safety Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) is an activist organization which claims that owning a gun in home will increase the risks of accidents to occur. There are many cases show that the victims are dying in their houses because they are shot by a robber. The Usage of guns increases the risk of death and injury among people as well as creates a false sense of security. A study by Peter Hart Research shows that many parents realize the dangerous of handgun for their children but they still keep their handgun in the unsafe place. (Torr 2002) Public shooting There is very common for a public shooting to be occurred anywhere and anytime. The students will feel very angry and unhappy if they are scolded or ridiculed by other students, and therefore they might shoot at people to vent their anger. The children who are unhappy with their teachers might shoot at the targeted teachers. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.35 million high school students in 2007 were either threatened or injured with a firearm at least once in school premises (United Press International 2008). A record about 34 Chicago Public School students were killed in 2007-08. (The Chicago Tribune 2008) 4.0 Conclusion Gun ownership among Americans brings them lots of advantages when compared to the disadvantages. Owning gun makes Americans to be able to defend themselves from dangers but in the meanwhile it also increases the crime rate. The increasing crime rate can be overcome by the actions taken by the government which includes the regulation of the gun ownership. Gun ownership should not be banned in USA because it brings a lot of advantages for the people who own the guns as they can use guns to protect themselves, families and property.

psychology and gender :: essays research papers

In a showdown of the sexes on Friday, Johnstone Professor of Psychology Steven Pinker and Professor of Psychology Elizabeth Spelke debated whether innate differences lead to the underrepresentation of tenured women in math and the sciences. In front of a packed Science Center B crowd, they analyzed the data behind University President Lawrence H. Summers’ controversial January comments on women in science. Pinker, whom Summers recruited to Harvard last year, cited evidence arguing that male superiority in skills like mental object rotation and problem solving provides a biological basis for the argument that men are more talented at math and science. Spelke countered, acknowledging the existence of differences between men and women, but arguing that the reason â€Å"women are as scarce as hen’s teeth† in academia is due to discrimination. â€Å"The debate is not, ‘are there sex differences,’ it’s, ‘do they add up to an advantage for one gender over the other,’† Spelke reminded the audience. Prefacing his comments by saying that he was a feminist, Pinker stressed the importance of distinguishing between the moral and empirical claims about gender differences. â€Å"The truth cannot be sexist,† he said. Though Spelke attacked his yardstick indicator—the SAT mathematics examinations—Pinker maintained that â€Å"the tests are very good. They have an enormous amount of predictive power.† Pinker also noted that men and women tend to have different priorities in life; men seek status and money, while women look more for interpersonal relationships. â€Å"What this means is that there are slightly more men than women who don’t care whether or not they have a life,† Pinker said. Spelke did not address the argument about motives directly, saying that she did not think there was evidence available to evaluate the claim that motives are biologically determined. She focused on proving the existence of covert discrimination by looking at how gender stereotypes influence the way men and women are perceived. She presented studies in which employers were given identical resumes—with only the candidate’s gender switched—that found that men were perceived as being more productive than women. She admitted, however, that â€Å"we’re not dealing with overt discrimination,† saying that in unambiguous situations, where one candidate is clearly superior to the other, there is no evidence of sex discrimination. Pinker later noted that women are not underrepresented everywhere, but only in the hard sciences. Several audience members said they thought the evening concluded in Spelke’s favor.