Essay --

There were many great composers during the late baroque period, each with their own distinct talents. Each composer played a key role in shaping the baroque period. Arcangelo Corelli was one of those important composers that influenced many people during his time. He lived in Italy from 1653 to 1713. He was a composer, teacher, and a violinist. Corelli was an influential person in the baroque period; â€Å"History has remembered him with such titles as ‘Founder of Modern Violin Technique,’ the ‘World's First Great Violinist,’ and the ‘Father of the Concerto Grosso.’† (Arcangelo Corelli: A Concise Biography). Little was known about Corelli’s early life. Arcangelo Corelli was born in Fusignano, Italy. His mother, Santa Raffini, named him after his father who had passed away a month before he was conceived. Corelli’s mother had to raise five children, including Arcangelo, by herself. However, she was well of because she owned land and was fairly wealthy. When he was thirteen, he began learning about music from Leonardo Brugnol. Corelli studied about the violin at Bologna. Eventually, at age... Essay -- There were many great composers during the late baroque period, each with their own distinct talents. Each composer played a key role in shaping the baroque period. Arcangelo Corelli was one of those important composers that influenced many people during his time. He lived in Italy from 1653 to 1713. He was a composer, teacher, and a violinist. Corelli was an influential person in the baroque period; â€Å"History has remembered him with such titles as ‘Founder of Modern Violin Technique,’ the ‘World's First Great Violinist,’ and the ‘Father of the Concerto Grosso.’† (Arcangelo Corelli: A Concise Biography). Little was known about Corelli’s early life. Arcangelo Corelli was born in Fusignano, Italy. His mother, Santa Raffini, named him after his father who had passed away a month before he was conceived. Corelli’s mother had to raise five children, including Arcangelo, by herself. However, she was well of because she owned land and was fairly wealthy. When he was thirteen, he began learning about music from Leonardo Brugnol. Corelli studied about the violin at Bologna. Eventually, at age...

Alcohol Addiction Essay

It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the problem of addiction, which affects many individuals, families and communities everyday. This essay is going to look at the prevalence of addiction in Scotland and what the Scottish Government are proposing to do to reduce the damage caused by addiction. There are many other stakeholders in the scheme to make Scotland a better place these are: individuals themselves, friends, family, communities, local governments and the National Health Service. Everyone is working together to try and make Scotland a better and safer place to live. The definition of addiction has changed so many times over the years from when people believed that addiction was basically â€Å"a physiological adaptation to the presence of a drug in the body so that the absence of the drug leads to physiological dysfunction which is manifest to the sufferer as unpleasant or even life-threatening ‘withdrawal symptoms'† (West and Hardy, 2006). This definition howeve takes into consideration the idea that an addiction only has a physiological effect on the body rather than a psychological one. Now, addiction is to be defined as â€Å"a syndrome at the centre of which is impaired control over a behaviour, and this loss of control is leading to significant harm† (West and Hardy, 2006). One of the main reasons that the definition has changed so many times is the fact that addiction is socially defined rather than having a matter of fact definition of an object. It has been found that everyone is addicted to something; however, it may not be an illegal substance. It can range from anything that is immediately harmful like drugs to some other substances that become dangerous in larger quantities. Many people have become addicted to things such as exercise, food and gambling. Although these do not seem to be dangerous, addiction is more of a lifestyle and therefore addicts normally only live to get their next ‘fix’. So if done too often can become harmful, for example, putting on too much weight from eating a lot of food is psychologically damaging as well as bad for your mental health. Whereas shopping and gambling can put you in serious money debt, which in turn may cause a distress and psychological problems. Although there are many different types of addiction this essay is going to look at alcoholism in particular. An alcoholic is defined as a person who has â€Å"a tolerance for alcohol, they are dependent on alcohol, and the develop withdrawal symptoms when alcohol use is terminated† (Bennett and Holloway, 2005). Unlike other substances alcoholics tend to start in lower doses and work up to higher. In the UK, the recommended daily intake of alcohol, for men is 21 and women are 14 units. However, in 2008, it was found that â€Å"50% of men and 30% of women are regularly drinking of the sensible drinking guidelines†. Because of this, the Scottish Government has started to make many changes to the way alcohol is sold. This essay will look at the different effects that alcohol addiction has on a person’s life and what strategies the Government have put in to place. Many researches have taken place to determine whether or not there is a single gene that can decide whether a person will become dependant on alcohol in their life and without any proof it is understood that there is no genes that can influence this. However, there are countless factors that influence the prevalence of a person becoming an alcoholic from the environment they live in to the choices they make. In recent research carried out by the Scottish Government it was found that â€Å"One in 4 women consume alcohol during pregnancy†. Foetuses can become dependent on the alcohol that the mother is drinking throughout the pregnancy. This can also mean that the foetus can develop some kind of alcohol related birth defects, such a â€Å"malformations, growth retardation and abnormalities, which have ‘considerable individual variation'†. The environment that a child grows up in also plays a role in the way a person views alcohol. If a child grows up with parents who are either alcoholics themselves it is very likely that the child will start drinking at a younger age so therefore increasing their risk of alcohol dependency in later years. It has been found that male and females react differently to addiction, as women tend to start at lower doses than men, however they are increase their dosage at a higher rate than men. This is still the same when it comes down to dealing with addiction, women are more like to go and get help than men. With lack of quality education in the most deprived areas of Scotland many people are unemployed. It is these people with no real life prospects that turn to alcohol. With alcohol dependency being more of a lifestyle, an addicts life is very chaotic, only making sure they have enough money for the alcohol they need. Addiction can also be difficult for family and social life, as addicts are usually unable to look after children or other family member. This can lead to breakdown of families and communities, which can add more violence to an area. The government have estimated that â€Å"alcohol misuse costs Scotland  £2.25 billion every year†. This figure includes all of the social problems that alcohol misuse creates. For instance paying for the NHS to treat people who have had accidents while being intoxicated or domestic abuse cause by alcohol. In the policy the government aimed to reduce the alcohol related hospital admission by 2011. (Scot Gov, 2011) Scotland is well known around the world for the drinking and the whisky that the country produces. In a study that was carried out by Biggar Economics (Blackett, G. 2013) in 2012, it found that the whisky industry employs a massive 10,284 workers in Scotland and had a turnover of  £3,940 million in 2008. A survey was carried out to find if Scots enjoy a night better if they are drinking alcohol. It showed that 32% of people said that they found it easier and of the 32%, 42% of them were men. In the UK alone Scotland has the highest mortality rate out of each country. Scotland (26 deaths per 100,000 people) has double the amount of deaths by alcohol than England (13 deaths per 100,000 people). To reduce alcohol related violence the government put forward legislation to stop nightclubs from serving their drinks in glasses and serve them in plastic cups instead. This meant that let people were being injured from broken glass being thrown. â€Å"Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action (2009)† is a follow on policy from a, well received by the public, discussion paper, â€Å"Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol†, where they proposed different ways to reduce alcohol misuse in Scotland. The policy states that alcohol is a bigger problem than anybody realised with  many factor contributing to it such as, â€Å"socio-economic, cultural, educational, community-based, health-related, or linked to individual behaviors and choices† (Sturgeon, N. 2009). The main stakeholders of the policy are the Scottish Government, local Governments, health organisations (NHS), individuals and the alcohol trade market. The policy starts by stating the main reason that the alcohol misuse is becoming such a problem in Scotland, which is the fact that it has become so affordable, it is now â€Å"70% more affordable than in 1980† (Sturgeon, N. 2009). The main aim of the policy is to reduce alcohol consumption by supporting individuals and communities by improving their own attitude towards the ever-growing problem of alcohol misuse. The first thing that the government want to do is ban off-sales from selling alcohol as a loss leader to bring customers into their premises. The way to enforce this was to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol. This also meant that shops could no longer advertise alcohol based on price reduction alone. Another aim of the policy was to raise the legal age for buying alcohol from off sale to 21. There were mixed votes, with were in favour† (Sturgeon, N. 2009). In a test run of the project in Cupar, Stenhousemuir and Armadale, only running on Friday and Saturday evening, it was found that there was a reduction in anti-social areas in all three area. However, with so many people being against it the Scottish Government have refrained from putting this in force. â€Å"Plan for action on alcohol problems: update (2007)† is policy written by the Scottish government as an update of the â€Å"Plan for action on alcohol problems (2002)†. The main stakeholders of this policy are the Scottish Government, Local Government, the Scottish education system, individuals, health organisations (NHS) and the alcohol trade industry. One of the first aims of the policy is to educate young people about the dangers of alcohol and alcohol misuse. This is in hope that if they educate the young people then when they grow up and become the age of legally being able to drunk that they will have enough knowledge and education to be able to handle it with care and therefore reducing alcohol misuse in the future. The Scottish government have introduced the â€Å"Alcohol. Don’t Push It† campaign, set out to not only educating the young people but everyone of all ages not to abuse alcohol but rather to have it as part of a healthy, balanced li festyle. The  Scottish Government has put in â€Å" £13 million over 2005/06 and 2006/07 to support local alcohol treatment, support and prevention activities† (Kerr, A. 2007). This shows that they are trying to tackle local authorities to ensure that they have the knowledge and support to be able to educe their alcohol misuse problems themselves. It has been found that â€Å"the number of liquor licences in Scotland has increased by 23%†(Kerr, A. 2007). This is making alcohol more and more accessible meaning that people are able to drink to so much excess with alcohol being sold in off-licenses, supermarkets, pubs and little local shops. â€Å"Alcohol-related industries are estimated to employ around 155,000 people (6% of total employment in Scotland) (Kerr, A. 2007)† This means that a lot of people’s livelihood relies on the production and sale of alcohol in Scotland and if sales decrease too much these people lose out. The UK Government receives taxes of â€Å"7% of total Customs and Excise revenue† (Kerr, A. 2007) from alcohol alone. This means that if the alcohol sales were to go down they would lose out on money however, sa ying that they would also save the money that they currently spend on the restoring the problems that alcohol misuse cause, such as treating people that have illnesses relating to alcohol. When providing alcohol all premises have to have a license to allow the to do this. The Alcohol Etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 was written by the Scottish Government to ensure that all premises were following the laws and regulations of their license. The main stakeholders in this act are the Scottish Government and the alcohol sales industry. The act outlines the rule and regulations for the sale and pricing of alcohol. The act states that if â€Å"A package containing two or more alcoholic products (whether of the same or different kinds) may only be sold on the premises at a price equal to or greater than the sum of the prices at which each alcoholic product is for sale on the premises† (Anon. 2011). This means that if two products are packaged together that they must be sold for at least the price of the products if they were sold separately if they are also sold separately on the same premises. The act also states that a premise must have a scheme in place to make sure that age verification is being carried. Many place take the ‘Think 25’ approach, where they must ask verification of anyone who looks aged 25 or under. This is to ensure that young people who look older  than they are are being checked for identification. This is one way the Scottish Government are trying to reduce the underage drinking in Scotland. Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 was put into place to ensure that alcohol was not being sold at too much of a reduced price. The reason for this is to stop alcohol being made too accessible, especially to people who are not able to afford the necessities such as food, water and safe shelter. An equation was put in to place to ensure that everyone was complying with the same legislation, it was: â€Å"MPU x S x V x 100† (Anon. 2011). MPU is maximum price per unit, S is Strength of the Alcohol and V is the Volume of alcohol. In conclusion of this essay, alcohol misuse is still a major problem in Scotland to this day but with the leadership of the government and the help of every individual, community and local government then hopefully in the future we can say that Scotland is still as social and hospitable as ever. The only change will be that there is a decrease in the deaths, injuries and social problems cause by alcohol. REFERENCES Bennett, T. and Holloway, K. 2005. _Understanding drugs, alcohol and crime_. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Drink Aware. 2013. _Alcohol Dependence_. [online] Available at: http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-dependence. Unknown. 2003. _Percentages of Past Year Alcohol Dependence or Abuse among Adults Aged 21 or Older, by Age at First Use_. [image online] Available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k4/ageDependence/ageDependence.htm. Scot Gov. 2011. _Varying risk of crime – proportion of adults who were victims of crime by area deprivation_. [image online] Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/10/28142346/5. West, R. and Hardy, A. 2006. _Theory of addiction_. Oxford: Blackwell Pub./Addiction Press. Ford, K. Unknown. Understanding of the use of alcohol in pregnancy amongst women in Scotland. Published by General Register Office. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/175356/0066306.pdf Kerr, A. 2007. Plan for action on alcohol problems: update. Published by the Scottish Executive. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/02/19150222/0 Sturgeon, N. 2009. Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action. Published by the Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/262905/0078610.pdf Anon. 2010. Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010. Published by the Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2010/18/contents Anon. 2012. Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012. Published by the Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Services/Alcohol/minimum-pricing Scot Gov. 2009. Tackling alcohol misuse. Published by the Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/03/02085300 Blackett, G. 2013. Contribution of the Scotch Whisky Industry to the Scottish Economy. Published by Biggar Economics. Available at: http://reidfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Whisky-and-the-Scottish-Economy-BiGGAR-Economics-Nov12.pdf 8

Judaism and Christianity Essay

What beliefs and practices does Islam share with Judaism and Christianity? Specify what is distinctive about the Islamic form of those beliefs and practices. The relationships between Islam, Judaism and Christianity in the later parts of the 20th century appear to have improved as well as worsened from different perspectives as compared to any other period in history. A noteworthy aspect of the current relationships is that Muslims are now engaged in dialogues with Christians and Jews. Islam is now the fastest growing religion in the world and Muslim leaders and clerics can be observed functioning together with ministers, priests and rabbis in several religious endeavors. However, the three religions continue to have major differences and are engaged in nationalist and territorial conflicts that have gradually been characterized with religious or sectarian differences. This paper makes an analysis of the beliefs and practices that Islam shares with Christianity and Judaism because the misunderstandings between the three religions can be resolved only in recognizing that they have the same roots and share several social and religious pract ices. Islam is a monotheistic religion and is the second biggest in the world after Christianity. The religion has its origin in the Middle East and has several customs and beliefs that are the same as Christianity and Judaism. These three religions are commonly referred to as the Abrahamic religions; they believe in one God and trace their lineage from the Prophet Ibrahim, as evident in the Hebrew. Islam, Christianity and Judaism believe there is only one God who is the creator of all things that exist in the world and He is the one who takes care of every living being. The three religions provide that God believes in justice and He has established fundamental rules in guiding people about how they can become virtuous and honorable in complying with His intentions. The three religions hold that God believes in mercy and that with His grace people get the power to become more like what is desired of them to become (Wells, 2011). Islam, along with Christianity and Judaism, holds that all human beings are Ibrahim’s children and are the most capable living beings on Earth. Human beings were created with an element of mystery in being given immense potential to grow constantly, individually as well as a species. When people strive towards achieving good, righteous and loving qualities they transform into what God desired them to become. If such freedom is misused and others are harmed with one’s actions, it implies that such people are transgressing God’s will, which makes them evil. The three religions believe that it is possible for every individual to seek God’s help in achieving the capability to ward off evil influences. Eventually, the message in all three religions is to be devoted and obedient to God (Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center, 2012). In being monotheistic, the three religions are different from Buddhism and Hinduism. They share common beliefs about history being the arena of God’s activities and His encounters with human beings, Satan, angels, heavenly revelation and prophets. All three religions focus on t he importance of Judgment Day, accountability, responsibility and perpetual rewards and punishments. The three religions give immense importance to peace, which is evident from historical patterns of greeting one another, implying Peace Be Upon You, beginning with Assalamalaikim in Islam, with pax vobisum in Christianity and salom aleicham in Judaism. However, such greetings of peace have primarily pertained to greeting one another in a given community or society. All three religions believe that it is essential to engage in holy wars to espouse the cause of empires and to protect societies. The relationships between religion and politics is apparent in the present times also although in different ways, such as the circumstances that prevail in present day Israel, Palestine, Middle East and other parts of the world. All the three religions share the same ancestry and believe in scriptures that were delivered through heaven. They have similar religious practices and rites relative to charity and regular prayers, value of pilgrimage and common holy places. The three religions give the promise that appropriate behaviors will be rewarded and inappropriate behaviors will be punished in life as well as in the afterlife. They balance and integrate many elements of piety, devotion, legalism and mysticism and appear to be suitable in co-existing mutually in reinforcing one another (Peters, 1990). Islam has similarity with Judaism in regard to the focus on practice instead of beliefs. The main basis of religious obedience in Islam and Judaism is religious law, while in Christianity the focus is on theology. Across history, the main differences between Islam and Judaism have pertained to disagreement of religious practices and religious law. The disputes between Islam and Christianity have pertained primarily to the divide amongst communities about theological belief systems, relative to the relationships between divine and human characteristics. Christianity and Judaism are given special consideration in Islam in view of the Islamic beliefs that God had conveyed His will through His Prophets, namely Ibrahim, Moses and Jesus. In this regard, the Quran specifically states that God revealed his will throug h Ibrahim, Ismail and their progeny, as well as through Moses and Jesus. There is no difference amongst them and in what they say, which is why Muslims adhere to what was said by these Prophets (Newby, 1996). Islam and the Quran hold that Christians and Jews are Ibrahim’s children and relate to them as people of the book (Esposito, 2011). This is because the three religions originate from the same lineage of Ibrahim. Muslims trace their lineage from Ibrahim and his servant Hagar, while Christians and Jews trace their lineage from Ibrahim and his spouse Sarah. Muslims hold that God’s revelation in the form of the Torah was first delivered to the Jews by Prophet Moses and later to Christians by the Prophet Jesus. Muslims are in agreement about some biblical prophets such as Jesus and Moses and use their names as Isa and Musa respectively (Hipps et al, 2003). They also use the Virgin Mary’s name as Mariam and it is evident that her name appears more frequently in the Quran than in the New Testament. Muslims do not refute the status of Virgin Mary and Jesus’ virgin birth but they hold that in due course, over the centuries, the original revelation as made to Jesus and Moses became despoiled. Muslims view the Old Testament as a mix of human manufacture and of God’s messages. They hold the same views about the New Testament and believe that doctrines referring to Jesus as the Son of God are erroneous without any truth. They do not believe that the death of Jesus represented the redemption and atonement for mankind’s sins. It is apparent that Islam, Christianity and Judaism have some common roots and share several common practices. This is because they are all having the same Abrahamic heritage. Islam, Christianity and Judaism are monotheistic religions as they believe in a single God in focusing on the unity and oneness of God. The confirmation of one God in Christianity has been often debated because of its adherence to the Holy Trinity but this cannot be considered as a refutation of monotheism. It is only an acknowledgement of the ways in which God is viewed because in Christianity the Divine Being is God. Islam, Christianity and Judaism hold that God is the source and foundation of all that exists in the world and takes care of all His creations in ensuring their wellbeing. All the three religions confirm that people are governed and guided by basic rules that make them take the right path and become righteous in complying with God’s will. References 1. Esposito, John L. (2011). What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam, Oxford University Press. 2. Hipps, Amelia., Kayanaugh, Dorothy., and Khaled Abou El Fadl. (2003). Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Mason Crest Publishers. |Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center. (2012). Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Similarities, | |http://chinese-school.netfirms.com/Judaism-Christianity-Islam.html, Accessed on 16 October, 2012. | |Newby, Gordon. (1996). Muslim, Jews and Christians – Relations and Interactions,The Muslim Almanac, Gale Research Inc, Detroit, p.423-429. | |Peters, F. E. (1990). Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,Volume 1: From Covenant to Community, Princeton University Press | |Wells, Mark. (2011). Comparison of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, http://smileyandwest.ning.com, Accessed on 16 October, 2012 | | |

Critical Review of a Paper Investigating the Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy The WritePass Journal

Critical Review of a Paper Investigating the Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Introduction Critical Review of a Paper Investigating the Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy ) into the application of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB, Ajzen, 1988, 1991) and its effectiveness in predicting intention to carry out health related behaviours. The TPB is a social cognition model, meaning that it seeks to predict intention to carry out a behaviour and to understand why individuals may fail to adhere to a behaviour to which they were once committed. The theory claims that three variables can be used to predict an individual’s behaviour: the individual’s attitude toward the behaviour, the attitude of significant others toward the behaviour and the individual’s perceived control over a behaviour. Perceived control over behaviour is governed by both internal factors such as an individual’s skills or available resources, and external factors such as actual opportunities to carry out the behaviour. Unlike the individual’s attitude toward the behaviour and the attitude of others, perceived control over the behaviour is believed to i nfluence both the intention to carry out the behaviour and the behaviour itself. In particular, the authors were investigating whether the TPB could be used to predict intention to consume alcohol during pregnancy. Previous research has found the TPB to be useful for predicting a range of other health related behaviours (Godin and Kok, 1996) and alcohol consumption behaviours in particular (Marcoux Shope, 1997; McMillan Conner, 2003). The authors focused on the role of TPB in being able to predict the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Drinking during pregnancy is a major health issue. It has been found to influence a number of outcomes for the child including maladaptive behaviours (Sood et al., 2001) and weight at birth (Mariscal et al., 2006). Despite its relation to negative outcomes for the child, up to 54% of women in the UK have claimed to have consumed alcohol during their pregnancy (Bolling et al., 2007). Study Description 130 women based in the Aberdeenshire area returned a questionnaire that was distributed to them at their 20-week pregnancy scan. Of these, analysis was carried out on 116 women. The questionnaire included questions designed to gather information on demographic details, past and present alcohol consumption, and TPB variables. The TPB variables included measuring the participants’ intention to engage in the behaviour, their attitude toward the behaviour, their beliefs about the subjective norm and their perceived behavioural control. The study found that the majority of participants made changes to their drinking behaviour once they found out that they were pregnant, with these changes taking the form of a reduction in alcohol consumption. 64.7% abstained from alcohol altogether during their pregnancy, 34.5% continued to drink to some level and 0.9% did not answer. Of those women who continued to drink during their pregnancy, 13.4% were drinking above the recommended maximum lev els whereas the rest were drinking one to two units between two and four times per month. It was also found that although most participants received information about drinking during their pregnancy, 12.9% received no information. In relation to the TPB theory, it was found that women who abstained from drinking after finding out they were pregnant had significantly higher scores on the intention scale, suggesting that they had a significantly greater intention to quit alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Abstaining participants also had significantly higher scores on the subjective norm scale, indicating that they felt more pressure from what others thought about drinking during pregnancy. Abstainers were also found to have significantly lower scores on the attitude scale, suggesting a much less positive attitude toward the behaviour of drinking during pregnancy. In contrast,, the scale that measured perceived behaviour control did not show any significant differences between those women who abstained and those who continued to drink during their pregnancy. Attitude toward the behaviour and the influence of what others thought of the behaviour were found to be strongly and significantly correlated with intention to carry out the behaviour of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy. TPB was able to explain 59.3% of variance in intention to drink during pregnancy. Furthermore, the theory was able to correctly classify 91.8% of cases and as a result, was statistically able to distinguish between drinkers and abstainers. The authors concluded that as attitude was found to have the greatest statistically significant contribution to predicting intention and to contribute significantly to predicting actual behaviour, it would be an ideal candidate for intervention focus. As perceived behaviour control was the only TPB component found not to contribute, the authors suggest that the model without this component would be appropriate for predicting intention to consume alcohol during pregnancy. Critical Review The reviewed article addressed an important health issue, namely investigating how drinking alcohol during pregnancy could be reduced by understanding what drives or stops women from having the intention to carry out this behaviour. The finding that attitude toward drinking whilst pregnant has a significant impact on both intention to drink during pregnancy and actual drinking during pregnancy could have wider clinical and educational applications. Nevertheless, the authors are vague in how their findings could be applied in the real world and fail to make useful suggestions based on their data. The finding that some women were not provided with information pertaining to the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy is also an important one because it highlights that some health trusts are failing to help women make informed decisions about this subject. However, it is not touched upon in the discussion. The study’s introduction is a little weak in that it does not make an overly convincing argument as to why their chosen topic is important and worth investigating. It makes only a brief reference to the negative impact that alcohol consumption can have on both mother and baby, and the literature to which it refers is quite outdated. This suggests that a thorough and recent literature review may not have been carried out. Furthermore, the study could present a much stronger argument as to why the TPB may be applicable to this health behaviour in particular. There is some justification in that the authors of the paper chose this particular theory on the premise that a socially-based theory such as TPB could highlight risk factors for the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy that could be more easily influenced than previous risk factors that have been identified such as drinking habits before pregnancy and socioeconomic status (Stewart Streiner, 1994; Yamamoto et al., 2008). Risk factors such as these cannot be easily changed. In contrast, risk factors based on attitudes toward a behaviour can be more easily altered through education or government interventions. The discussion does not flow particularly well and the overall conclusions of the study are not entirely clear. An advantage of the TPB is its holistic approach. It attempts to understand the behaviour of an individual in the context of both an individual’s attitude toward a behaviour, their perceived control over that behaviour and how they perceive others to judge the behaviour. However, our intentions to carry out a behaviour or not are the result of an incredibly complex process during which many variables are taken into account. Although the limitations of the study’s methodology are touched upon in the discussion, the authors fail to explore the limitations of the TPB and how these may affect their findings. For example, McKeown (1979) argued that negative health behaviours are determined on the individual level by the choices we make to behave in a certain way. Therefore, the theory may place too much emphasis on the importance of what others think of a behaviour. Indeed, in the current study, individual attitudes toward a behaviour were found to be more influential than subjective norms. One criticism of this study is its potential lack of representativeness, both culturally and geographically. Ethnic minorities made up only 6.9% of the sample, meaning that the results may not be generalisable to ethnic minorities. Furthermore, the sample was collected from only one geographic area, although the authors argue that their findings are in keeping with previous studies that used samples from a much wider geographical area (Anderson et al., 2007; Bolling et al., 2007). There may also have been a bias in the way in which participants were recruited. Women were approached by the researchers whilst awaiting their 20 week antenatal scans in hospital. The scans are designed to screen for any anomalies in the baby and to check that development is normal. These scans are not compulsory, potentially creating a bias in the sample. For example, Alderdice et al. (2007) found that women without qualifications or women from areas of high deprivation were significantly less likely to u ptake an offer of a 20 week screen for Downs Syndrome than women from affluent areas or women with degree-level qualification. This suggests that the women who were approached by the researchers in the current study may have been under-representative of women from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Furthermore, the study does not provide detail on the demographic information of the women who responded to the questionnaire, which would have been useful in evaluating generalisability. The measure used to ascertain TPB variables was developed using guidelines for the development of questionnaires designed to measure TPB behaviours (Francis et al., 2004). However, the measurement used was not a validated questionnaire. Furthermore, the authors do not provide examples of how they measured the three variables of intention, subjective norm and perceived behaviour control. This means that the measure cannot be opened up for scrutiny or re-used in later studies to assess its validity and reliability. Before the main study, a small pilot study was carried out with seven pregnant women to ensure that the questionnaire was easy to understand. Pilot studies are essential for establishing a sound study design (van Teijilngen Hundley, 2001). Although, it should be noted that the authors did not report the results of any reliability or validity tests. As part of the test battery, the study did use the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, a reliable and valid measure for gathering information on alcohol consumption that was developed by the World Health Organisation (Saunders et al., 1993, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, 2004). This measurement has been reported to be superior to other measures designed to collect data on the same subject (Reinert Allen, 2002). Self-report measures in themselves have a number of limitations. Firstly, they are subject to social desirability bias. Social desirability bias acknowledges that participants may report carrying out behaviours that are socially desirable or may cover up being involved in behaviours that are frowned on. Based on the finding that subjective norms had a significant impact on both intention and behaviour, social desirability bias may have affected the results of this study. If participants were so influenced by what others thought of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, then they may have been likely to cover up occasions on which they did drink during their pregnancy. This means that the number of participants who did drink during pregnancy may have been higher than the study reported. Recommendations for Improvement and Future Research If this study is to be replicated, it could be improved in a number of ways. Firstly, ethnic minorities must be better represented. Great Britain is now a multi-cultural country and research must reflect this. The authors must provide more information or a copy of the questionnaire designed to measure TPB variables so that reliability and validity can be assessed. A useful future study would be to assess the impact of an intervention designed to change the attitude of women who do not perceive drinking alcohol during pregnancy to be an issue. As attitude was found to be the most important factor in intention to carry out this behaviour, the currently reviewed study would be strengthened if an intervention based around attitude was found to change behaviour. References Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personality, and behavior. Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211. Alderdice, F., McNeill, J., Rowe, R., Martin, D. Dornan, J. (2008). Inequalities in the reported offer and uptake of antenatal screening. Public Health, 122(1), 42-52. Anderson, S., Bradshaw, P., Cunningham-Burley, S., Hayes, F. Jamieson, L., MacGregor, A. et al. (2007). Growing up in Scotland: A study following the lives of Scotland’s children. Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Executive. Bolling, K., Grant, C., Hamlyn, B. Thornton, A. (2007). Infant Feeding Survey, 2005. Leeds, UK: The Information Centre. Duncan, E.M., Forbes-McKay, K.E. Henderson, S.E. (2012). Alcohol use during pregnancy: An application of the theory of planned behaviour. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(8), 1887-1903. Francis, J.J., Eccles, M.P., Johnstone, M., Walker, A., Grimshaw, J., Foy, R. et al. (2004). Constructing questionnaires based on the theory of planned behaviour: A manual for health service researchers. Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Centre for Health Services Research. Godin, G. Kok, G. (1996). The theory of planned behaviour: A review of its applications to health-related behaviors. American Journal of Health Promotion, 11, 87-98. Marcoux, B.C. Shope, J.T. (1997). Application of the theory of planned behaviour to adolescent use and misuse of alcohol. Health Education Research, 12, 323-331. Mariscal, M., Palma, S., Llorca, J., Perez-Iglesias, R., Pardo-Crespo, R. Delgado-Rodriguez, M. (2006). Pattern of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and risk for low birth weight. Annals of Epidemiology, 16, 432-438. McKeown, T. (1979). The role of medicine. Dream, mirage or nemesis? Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publisher Ltd. McMillan, B. Conner, M. (2003). Using the theory of planned behaviour to understand alcohol and tobacco use in students. Psychology, Health, and Medicine, 8, 317-328. Reinert, D. Allen, J.P. (2002). The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): A review of recent research. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 26(2), 272-279. Saunders, J.B., Aasland, O.G., Babor, T.F., de la Fuente, J.R. Grant, M. (1993). Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption. Addiction, 88, 791-804. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. (2004). The management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in primary care: A national clinical guideline. Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Sood, B., Delaney-Black, V., Covington, C., Nordstrom-Klee, B., Ager, J., Templin, T., et al. (2001). Prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood behaviour at age 6 to 7 years: I. Does- response effect. Pediatrics, 108(2), 34-43. Steward, D.E. Streiner, D. (1994). Alcohol drinking in pregnancy. General Hospital Psychiatry, 16, 406-412. van Teijilngen, E. Hundley, V. (2001). The importance of pilot studies. Social Research Update, 35, 1-4. Yamamoto, Y., Kanieta, Y., Yokoyama, E., Sone, T., Takemura, S., Suzuki, K. et al. (2008). Alcohol consumption and abstention among pregnant Japanese women. Journal of Epidemiology, 18, 173-182.

Study of Mercury †Astronomy Essay

Study of Mercury – Astronomy Essay Free Online Research Papers Study of Mercury Astronomy Essay Suppose mercury is our home planet(Although it is not possible)but we concive by the imaginary that, we are animal of mercury planet. then A.U and Orbital period will be of other planet is:- Planet A.U Orbital period - - Mercury 1 88 Days Venus 1.86 223.16 Days Earth 2.58 364.6 Days Mars 3.93 685.5 Days Jupiter 13.34 4335.76 Days Saturn 24.64 10762.4 Days Uranus 49.51 30693.5 Days Neptune 77.89 60499.2 Days About the deflection of planetary winds:- Infact, durinal motion of Mercury is very slow. For this slow motion, there is no deflection of matters on Mercury. Hence, Mercury has no deflection of planetary winds. Suppose the 1st days Mercury enters on Aries then 29.4 Days enters cancer, 51.5 days Libra, 73.5 Days capricornius and again 88 days enter on Aries. HOW MUCH TIME WILL BE REQUIRED FOR COMING OF LIGHT FROM SUN TO MERCURY AND MERCURY TO OTHER PLANET? Sun to Mercury 3.2 minutes Mercury to Venus 2.7 minutes Mercury to Earth 5.0 minutes Mercury to Mars 9.4 minutes Mercury to Jupiter 40 minutes Mercury to Saturn 1.2 Hour Mercury to Uranus 2.6 Hour Mercury to Neptune 4.1 Hour AN AVERAGE DISTNCE OF MERCURY FROM THE SUN IS 57900000 KM(APPROX)SO WHAT IS DISTANCE OF MERCURY TERMS OF LIGHT-YEAR? Light year of mercury is 6.1*10^-6 ly. COMPARE OF AXIAL ROTATION PERIOD BETWEEN THE EARTH AND MERCURY:- EARTH MERCURY AXIAL ROTATION PERIOD 5.6 Minutes 5.5 Hours 1.4 Degree 11.25Minutes 11.06 Hours 2.8 Degrees 22.5 Minutes 22.12 Hours 5.6 Degrees 45 Minutes 22.12 Hours 11.25 Degrees 1.5 Hours 88.5 Hours 22.5 Degrees 3 Hours 177 Hours 45 Degrees 6 Hours 354 Hours 90 Degrees 12 Hours 708 Hours 180 Degrees 24 Hours 1416 Hours 360 Degrees Note:- Axial rotation period of earth and Mercury is respectively 24 Hours and 1416(59Days). VARIATION OF g WITH ALTITUDE:- Altitude(Km) ag(m/s^2) 0 Km 3.70 8.8Km 3.67 36.6Km 3.59 400 Km 2.73 35700Km 0.0 RELATION OF SYNODIC PERIOD BETWEEN THE MERCURY AND OTHER PLANETS:- Planet Sidereal period synodic peroid - Mercury 88 Days Venus 224.7 Days 145 Days Earth 365 Days 116 Days Mars 678 Days 101.11 Days Jupiter 11*3/4 Years 89.9 Days Saturn 29*1/2 Yaers 88.7 Days Uranus 84 Years 88.3 Days Neptune 164*3/4 Years 88.2 Days pluto 247*3/4 Years 88.1 Days SIZE a) Mercury is 2.4 times smaller than Venus. b) Mercury is 2.5 times smaller than Earth. c) Mercury is 1.3 times smaller than Mars. d) Mercury is 28.5 times smaller than Jupiter. e) Mercury is 23.8 times smaller than Saturn. f) Mercury is 10.3 times smaller than Uranus. g) Mercury is 9.9 times smaller than Neptune. h) Mercury is 1.1 times smaller than Pluto. i) Sun is 278.4 times bigger than Mercury. j) Moon is 1.4 times smaller than Mercury. Research Papers on Study of Mercury - Astronomy EssayThe Spring and AutumnThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Hockey GameThe Project Managment Office SystemQuebec and CanadaThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsResearch Process Part OneBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Assessment of the Idea of Liberty As Illustrated By Hannah Arendt In, What Is Freedom

Assessment of the Idea of Liberty As Illustrated By Hannah Arendt In, What Is Freedom The concept of freedom is an abstract one that is only realized when a person sets it into motion. In What is Freedom, Hannah Arendt challenges the widespread belief that liberty extends from the freedom of thought and will. Arendt emphasizes that actions performed unhinged from consequences are true bouts of freedom. What is Freedom dispels the accustomed definition found in government, textbooks, and marketplace and replaces it with freedom as a gateway of creativity and boundlessness. The common sense notion of freedom has been etched into the framework of our society. The â€Å"Land of the Free† otherwise known as the United States of America, etches the entitlement to our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the focal point of its’ Constitution. Similarly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines freedom as â€Å"the state of being free† and â€Å"a political right† (Merriam-Webster.com). In economics, the term laissez-faire, the abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market† is the quintessential cornerstone of one of our most defining national traits, capitalism (OxfordDictionaries.com). All three of these definitions stress, in one form or another, that freedom is possessive. We possess rights that protect us from an oppressive government, slavery, or even the business-incentive crushing Communism. The most general of these meanings â€Å"the state of being free† only serves to a dd intangibility and uncertainty to an already scantly defined concept. This common sense notion of freedom umbrellas the different ways a person can make decisions. These can be the rationality of a person to select a choice, to want/need to have ownership of property, or incentive work towards a cause of interest. Despite this general understanding, Arendt argues against these concepts. While â€Å"we hold human freedom to be a self-evident truth† Arendt defines the common sense notion just as the inward space into which men may escape from external coercion and feel free† (Arendt 647, 649). Freedom in its pure form is an abstract concept. Since we cannot empirically measure freedom by the number of people emancipated from slavery, nor can we quantify its’ workings through calculating marginal utility, the crux comes from establishing an encompassing operational definition. Arendt developed a solution stating that for an â€Å"Action to be free, it must be free from motive on one side, from its intended goal as a predictable effect on the other† (Arendt 653). Thus for the infinite number of possibilities that can result from making a choice or an action, as long as the person makes a choice unbeknownst of any external influence, they are free. For example choosing between multiple choice options on an AP exam does not entail freedom if the test taker reads the question and selects the answer that best fits, even if there exist a potential margin of error. Contrariwise, if the student spontaneously selects a choice based on intrinsic preferences for an answe r letter, ignoring the terms of the question and the answers, he has attained freedom. In this way the answer â€Å"as it is free is neither under the guidance of the intellect nor under the dictate of the will† (Arendt 654). If will and intellect are engaged, however, the person is guided towards a solution logically and thus freedom is not present. The student is using goal setting, or aim. Since â€Å"Aim is not a matter of freedom, but of right or wrong judgment† if the student answers option C because the question leads them to the logical conclusion that the text in C is correct they practiced aim not freedom (Arendt 653). Arendt’s conception of freedom is based on the concept of principles. These principles â€Å"such as honor or glory, or love of equality . . . inspire. . . [and become] fully manifest only in the performing act itself† (Arendt 654). This inspiration is the reason for freedom’s volatility. When a person exerts an action in a free state the person is guided by this burst of inspiration from the principle to select one out of an unlimited number of outcomes. Inspiration differs from that of an aim because is not fully realized until the action is completed. Additionally principles lose â€Å"nothing in strength or validity through execution† unlike goals which vanish once they are completed (Arendt 654). Since principles are everlasting sources of inspiration, they outline the creative freedom that exists within man. Arendt arrived at the conclusion that the ability to act freely, guided only by principles, is the reason that art exists. Humans exercise unrestricted talents with unlimited outcomes guided by undefined inspiration when creating art. This is why â€Å"the element of freedom, certainly present in the creative arts, remains hidden† (Arendt 655). Although the end result of art is often guided by a motive such as recognition or money, the artist that created it was guided freely without any bounds. The effect of inspiration on a person becomes the axiom that â€Å"freedom is a worldly reality, tangible in words that can be heard, in deeds which can be seen, and in events which are . . . incorporated into the great storybook of human history† (Arendt 656). Arendt imposes a new meaning on the liberty of humans. Unlike the common sense notion where freedom exists in the forms of; ownership of property, the right to unalienable rights, and options to choose, a person practicing Arendt’s notion of freedom is not restricted by the choices in front of them. By letting go of your ephemeral motives, by replacing it with inexhaustible principles you unlock a freedom that has no bounds. Instead of having a choice from options, you can pick an undefined number of other options that are not listed. Conclusively Arendt believes that, freedom is not the right to choose your own adventure. Freedom is the ability to create it.

Bulling in the Public Schools and the Laws that Protect Students and Essay

Bulling in the Public Schools and the Laws that Protect Students and Teachers - Essay Example Still, the public has the right to be informed as much as possible. Two Case Studies of Bullying The following are stories of two victims of bullies: ("Case Studies," 2008) Case 1: MY name is Katelyn Weinert and earlier this year I was bitten on the arm by another student at high school.The school suggested I move away from my group of friends and find somewhere else to "hang out" to lessen the chances of this student and I coming into contact with each otherThis boy doesn't just contain his harassment to school either. My mum has witnessed him approaching me on a number of occasions in public harassing me. Case 2: MYfirst few years of high school were torture. If it wasn't bad enough being new to the school certain people went out of their way to make it worse. There were a few people who used to write nasty notes, follow us home and make prank calls. This one particular bully used to harass my younger sister who was 10 at the time. It only happened when I was not there. It wasn't long until she started with me These days I look back and wish I could have ignored the harassment, but during school that's when you're trying to find yourself, and it's little things like that that can affect us in adult life. The cases cited above should be an eye opener to legislators, educators, and students of education that bullying could victimize practically anyone. The frustrations expressed by the two victims should obligate authorities to tackle this problem seriously. But first things first, facts about bullying should be set straight. Myths about bullying must be deconstructed as shown in the next section. Myths about Bullying According to psychologist Dan Olweus, there are ten myths about bullying. To the degree that these are not addressed,... This essayb approves that regardless of the causes of bullying, the people in the receiving end of bullying had the right for protection, students and teachers alike. With this need in mind, there were several legislations passed against bullying although these by themselves are not enough. It is important for teachers and parents to consult lawyers and other legal experts about the technicalities involved with federal and state laws on bullying. For example, there is a prevailing 10-day myth on suspensions. According to this misconception, the maximum cumulative days that an offender must be suspended is 10 days. This is not entirely true. This is only true with students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act. But even if students have disabilities according to the definition provided by IDEA, if such students pose clear and present danger, the safety of other students must also be considered. Hence, the law does not preclude school administrators from disciplining such bullies beyond 10 days. This report makes a conclusion that anyone charged with a crime cannot make ignorance of laws as an excuse. Ignorantia legis neminem excusat or ignorance of the law excuses no one. Every person is presumed to know the provisions of the law. With this in mind, victims of bullies should not be afraid that the law will favor those offenders. On the part of school administrators and teachers, they ought to be informed of specific laws that will tackle and deal with problems of bullying. And they should utilize every provision of state and federal laws in favor of the victims, since bullying is an offense that should not be taken lightly.