O’Henry

O’Henry a great American writer was born and grew up in North Carolina. O’Henry was just a pen name. His real name is William Sydney Porter. After growing up in North Carolina he moved to Texas. His father was a doctor named Dr. Algemon Sidney Porter; his mother’s name was Mary Jane Virginia Swaim Porter. When O’Henry was about 3 years old his mother died of tuberculosis. O’ Henry had to move in with his grandmother. O’Henry loved to read as a child. Who knew this would be the beginning of a great writer. After O’Henry moved in with his grandmother he went to middle and high school. His father’s sister tutored him. After he finished high school he went to work for his uncle at his drug store. By the time he was nineteen he was a licensed pharmacist. He would also sketch people that came in to the drugstore for entertainment. O’Henry always had a persistent cough so he thought if he moved to Texas it would get better. He went to work on a sheep herder’s ranch, doing everything from babysitting, cook, and ranch hand. He still read all the time. He also played and sang all the time at social gatherings where he met Athol Estes. Her family was wealthy and didn’t approve of O’Henry so they eloped. They later had a baby boy who didn’t live long and then a year later had a daughter named Margaret Worth Porter around 1889. He became a draftsman who drew maps for the Texas land office. But he also was writing and his wife encouraged him to write. He eventually went to work for the bank but he also was working on his writing. He did not keep his books well and the bank and he was accused of embezzling money from the bank. He lost his job but there charges against him at the time. He and his family moved to Houston and he started working for the Post. The bank did finally charge O’Henry for embezzlement and as soon as he made bail he moved to New Orleans and later to Honduras. He wrote many short stories there but he missed his family. He was going to send for his wife to come but found out she was very ill with tuberculosis and was dying. He came back to Texas and surrendered. He was locked up but his father-in-law bailed him out to be with his daughter. O’Henry’s wife died in 1897. He was found guilty of embezzlement and was sentenced to five years in prison. While O’Henry was in prison he wrote fourteen stories that were published. A friend of his would pass his stories on to publishers who had no idea that the writer was in prison. After 3 years of good behavior in prison O’Henry was released and he was able to be with his eleven year old daughter. In 1902 he and Margaret moved to New York where he did a lot of his great writing. He wrote all the time over 300 stories while in New York. He eventually married someone from his childhood from North Carolina named Sarah Coleman. He continued to write but O’Henry was a heavy drinker and his health failed and he died of June 5, 1910, of cirrhosis of the liver. He was buried in Ashville North Carolina. O’Henry was a very well liked writer. He was known for his different surprise endings to his stories. Writings like â€Å"The Gift of Magi† â€Å"The Last Leaf† and â€Å"The Ransom of Red Chief† are read over and over again my adults as well as students today.

Case Study †Angus Cartwright III Essay

I. Case Overview Angus Cartwright III, an investment advisor, was asked to provide investment advisory services for two clients, John DeRight and Judy DeRight. They both wanted to purchase a property that (1) is large enough to attract the interest of a professional real estate management company and (2) has a minimum leveraged return on their investments of 12% after tax. Their major goals are: Diversification of investment portfolio Protection from future inflation Take some tax advantages (especially for John) Mr. Cartwright selected four properties and performed various financial analyses to best match the needs of his clients with the characteristics of the properties and the returns they offered. II. Assessment of the Analyses and Assumptions: Cartwright employed three stages of analysis: Preliminary Analysis (Exhibit 1 to 3), Risk Analysis (Exhibit 4) and Financial Analysis (Exhibit 5 to 10). Preliminary Analysis starts with gathering key facts and data such as purchase prices, current and future income, depreciation, estimated sales price and cash flows, loan and its rate and amortization, taxes and etc. The 1st year setups (Exhibit 2) for each property were developed and major comparable statistics (Exhibit 3) were calculated. Such analyses serve as a foundation for identifying directions and strategies for further detailed analysis, including financial analysis, physical inspection and an examination of day-to-day operations of potential investment properties. Risk Analysis consisting of a review of financial leverage (loan to value ratio) and operating risk (debt coverage ratio) can help a real estate investor to weigh the level of risks in relation to his investment objectives. In this case, Fowler had the highest leverage of 74.47%, while Alison Green had the highest Debt Coverage Ratio of 2, followed by Ivy Terrace(1.92), Stony Walk(1.46) and Fowler(1.26). The cushions they had are all sufficient for most lenders. The Break-Even Analysis, shown in Exhibit 4, was valuable to understand how a small change in occupancy levels can make a corresponding change in a property’s financial performance; most real state analysis assume the initial occupancy rate to remain at the same level through the investment period. Once all the relevant and key financial data is gathered, a number of effective financial analyses were performed; they are capitalization rate on both purchase and sale, cash-on-cash return rate, Internal Rate of Return (â€Å"IRR†), Net Present Value (â€Å"NPV†), Profitability Index and Cash Flow Analysis. The Quality of the financial analysis outcome heavily depends on the quality and accuracy of implicit assumptions used. However, applying financial analysis is still the best way to estimate the future performance of investment properties and comparing or prioritizing multiple investment opportunities. IRR is the most important and frequently used investment analysis indicator. Understanding various components of an IRR (Exhibit 8, 9 and 10) can help to carefully plan the timing, the sequence and size of events within an investment that will  impact the performance/outcome of the investments. In his analysis, Cartwright used the following assumptions: Annual increase in cash flow from operations: 4% for Fowler and 3% for the others. Vacancy rate: 5% for Alison Green and Stony Walk, 7% for the others. Capital reserve: $250 per apartment p.a., timing of when to disburse the reserve and its tax implication Sufficient funding of the equity investment Tax laws remain stable with ordinary tax rates: 35%; Capital gain tax rate: 15%; tax rate on the depreciation related gain: 25% Cartwright made, in general, conservative assumptions to simplify his analysis, and therefore, no particular assumption stood out to be unreasonable. As a continuing effort to improve quality of his assumptions, we could revisit and review his assumptions with the following generic questions: Is 3% or 4% increase in cash flow reasonable in current market/economic condition? How realistic is it to negotiate a rental guarantee with developers to be at 93% occupancy rate? How realistic is it that the capital reserve will remain at the same level for the next 10 years? How realistic is it that the leasehold payment will remain at the same level for the next 10 years? Should there be any significant changes in the outcome of the analysis, if the timing of the reserve disbursement is not assumed to be at the end of the lease term? Will there be any trend or expected government legislating new tax laws that will have significant impact on real estate investments? All properties appear to be large enough to attract the interest of professional real estate management companies and all exceeded the minimum leveraged return on investments of 12% after tax. On the simple return measures, Stony Walk had the highest Capital Rate on Purchase where Fowler ranked at the highest in Capital rate on Sales; Alison which had a high cash flow with low vacancy rate, and thus a high effective gross income was ranked in first for the Cash-on-Cash Return; Fowler which was still under construction and appeared to be undervalued had largest increase in capital value. On the discount return measures, Fowler had the highest IRR at 15.38 while Stony Walk had the lowest rate at 14.54, with a difference of 0.84; Alison had largest NPV with a difference of $115K comparing with the lowest NPV; Fowler which required the smallest equity investment had the highest Profitability Index. While the two residential properties have higher returns from their on-going cash flows, the increase in the investment value of the other two commercial properties will come from future value increase – see Exhibit 9. Completed exhibits for all four properties are included in the Appendix. The relevant analysis of other financial exhibits is integrated in the following chapter as reasoning of the recommendations. IV. Recommendations If we simply select an investment choice based on the highest IRR rate, Fowler should be recommended for both clients. However, as we better understand the components of the IRR (see Exhibit 9 in Appendix), we should try to best match each client’s ultimate investment goal to distinct character of each property instead of recommending an investment base only on the highest IRR rate. Exhibit 9. Percent of Total Benefits (@IRR) For John, our team recommends Alison Green with the following reasons: John is a retired, passive investor who wants to live comfortably from stable income/returns from the savings he accumulated, and was particularly interested in taking advantage of the new tax law, which will give him a favorable capital gain’s tax. As we can see from the breakdown of IRR, Alison Green and Ivy Terrace were projected to have higher steady income streams than the other two properties. Between them, Alison, although with a lightly lower IRR, has much higher tax benefit than the Ivy. Alison requires a higher initial equity investment than Ivy. However, Alison is estimated to be appreciated more at the end of 10 year and therefore will produce higher capital gain. Since John wants to take advantage of the new tax law and pay his capital gains at the newly enacted 15% rate, Alison is a better choice than Ivy. For Judy, our team recommends Fowler Building with the following  reasons: Unlike John, Judy is an active executive who can be a more aggressive investor and has some available fund for outside investment to diversify her portfolio. She may not care about the stable incoming cash flow as much as John. She will be more tolerant on any fluctuations such as a short-term, negative operating risks such as lower occupancy rate or lower investment value at the beginning as long as her investment will appreciate adequately at the end. We consider Judy as an investor focused more on ‘growth’ than ‘value/steady income’ seeking investor, and therefore we recommend Fowler because of its highest Profitability Index (=NPV/Equity).

Capabilities and Resources of Westfield

Capabilities of Westfield include their global operation. This is due to the reason that according to the reports, Westfield is having their operations in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Croatia and the United States. Thus, they are already having the experience of entering and operating in new countries. It will be beneficial for them to use these experiences in entering in other foreign markets. Moreover, they are listed under the Australian stock exchange and are publicly traded company. Thus, they are having huge access to the financial resources. Their capabilities also include diverse product areas. According to the reports, Westfield is mainly having their business growth in the fashion and leisure sector. Thus, these sectors will also help them in having their market growth in the proposed host country. One of the major strengths for Westfield is the positive brand image and established market in Australia. This will help them to take more risks in the host country. The positive brand image of them will help in pushing their brand in the new markets. Another strength of them is having diverse business presence. Thus, it will help them to cater to different business sectors in the target market. This will also reduce their risk in entering in the new markets. Westfield is already having their presence in different countries and thus it will be easier for them to target the new market more effectively. Entering in the emerging countries will have more business potentiality for Westfield due to the reason that in the current time, developing economies are witnessing more growth compared to the developed countries. Another probable opportunity for Westfield will be lower cost of operation in the developing countries. This is due to the reason that Westfield will find cheaper resources for their business operation in the developing countries. Thus, the profitability of them will get increased. China is a highly populated nation in the world. The huge lucrative market of China is great for business opportunity. With the GDP rate of 6.8% in 2017, it is expected to be the fastest growing economies in the coming years (Festing & Schà ¤fer, 2014). China is always perceived as market growth to provide cheap labor and facilitates in low manufacturing costs.   Westfield Group has to bring something unique in the Chinese market otherwise the company will land itself in a passive position. While entering the market with new resources and productivity would lead to provide a major threat to the existing companies (Andersà ©n, Jansson & Ljungkvist, 2016). The regulatory bodies of China mostly operate in an opaque way that makes the country too difficult to forecast the regulatory changes. Joint venture is beneficial as the low risk market strategy. The GDP rate of China has been growing recently since the past few years and the growth rate is at 6.8%. (Kozlenkova, Samaha & Palmatier, 2014). The existing population of the region also provides a great opportunity for the multinational companies to establish business. This facilitates in providing abundant of human resources to the firm. Westfield Group can enter the Chinese market and expand its business as the China has a favorable business market environment. Cross border economic activities has also increased to a great extent. The literacy rate in China has also increased and majority of the people within the country is literate. Joint Venture will be more beneficial to do business in China (Nyberg et al., 2014). It is the most effective way to enter in the emerging market. The cultural differences between the two countries should be ascertained to maximize profit in the overseas target market. Though the common business language is English still there can be language issue in the market of China. Moreover, legislation policy also varies worldwide, hence Westfield need to investigate the legal policies and adhered to the local laws. Andersà ©n, J., Jansson, C., &Ljungkvist, T. (2016). Resource Immobility and Sustained Performance: A Systematic Assessment of How Immobility Has Been Considered in Empirical Resource?based Studies.  International Journal of   Management Reviews,  18(4), 371-396. Brandon?Jones, E., Squire, B., Autry, C. W., & Petersen, K. J. (2014). A contingent resource?based perspective of supply chain resilience and robustness.  Journal of Supply Chain Management ,  50(3), 55-73. Festing, M., &Schà ¤fer, L. (2014). Generational challenges to talent management : A framework for talent retention based on the psychological-contract perspective.  Journal of World Business,  49(2), 262-271. Kozlenkova, I. V., Samaha, S. A., &Palmatier, R. W. (2014). Resource-based theory in marketing.  Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,  42(1), 1-21. Lin, Y., & Wu, L. Y. (2014). Exploring the role of dynamic capabilities in firm performance under the resource-based view framework.  Journal of business research,  67(3), 407-413. Nyberg, A. J., Moliterno, T. P., Hale Jr, D., &Lepak, D. P. (2014). Resource-based perspectives on unit-level human capital: A review and integration.  Journal of Management,  40(1), 316-346. www.theaustralian.com.au. (2018).  Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/property/westfield-corporation-to-navigate-retail-storm/news-story/498245965eb0a4e94f61b855d718c8bb

Drama Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Drama - Research Paper Example The theatrical form requires that even the audience in the last row catch the emotion expressed by the actor without it being rendered awkward due to the element of exaggeration involved. This is the context where physical acting can save the occasion. Also, physical action involves movement that can be weaved into the movement of the plot of the play itself to bring about a kind of doubled impact. Simon McBurney categorized human behavior into seven levels of tension, namely, coma, relaxed, neutral, alert, suspense, passionate and explosion so that there can be a level of standardisation on how the actor can express emotions in the form of physical actions on stage. Stanislavski on the other hand had much earlier developed the method of physical actions by which an actor supplements his/her emotional acting with corresponding physical actions. Both these approaches to physical acting have been lauded as systems that immensely help methodical acting yet criticized as well as constrictive to the real spirit of the total emotional experience involved. This has been a criticism raised against all kinds of physical theater. Yet, even the critics will agree that relying on facial expressions and internal feelings alone will render theater motionless and boring. While Stanislavski has more or less tried to provide just a physical actions-based loose framework corresponding to emotio nal states, the McBurney method prescribes specific physical actions for different emotions and thereby faces the risk of reductionism. Hence, Stanislavskys method of physical actions can be said to be imparting more freedom to an actor than McBurneys method. Method of physical actions was not merely a directive of physical training for Stanislavsky but the the psychological aspects of any physical action was also accounted for in this method (Chushkin, 1998, p.16). It was acknowledged by this theater maestro that the actor necessarily needed to have an â€Å"inner

Special Interests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 5

Special Interests - Essay Example The relationship between political parties and interest groups is also discussed and the clear aims of the interest groups towards the making of policies are outlined. Interest groups also influence the president and the congress in the making of policies. This happens through the employment of lobbyists, most of whom are former government employees. The structure of the American government invites the participation of interest groups at various stages of policy making. Citizens have formed groups and elect representatives in their neighborhoods or cities, and lobby the city council and their state government. Keywords: Interest Group, Political Party, Lobby, Lobbyist, President, Congress, Policy, Policy Making, Legislators, Government 1. Define an interest group, with examples There has been a lot of confusion when it comes to getting the clear understanding of what interest groups are. This confusion occurs when people think that the interest groups are those that are primarily par t of an existing political party, and are politically active. This understanding fails to acknowledge the many numbers of non-membership organizations that are active in politics, like business or law firms that are not affiliated to any political party. An interest group refers to any non-Party organization that involves itself in political activity in order to influence public policy and in turn gain favors. An interest group is usually a formally organized group or association that seeks to influence public policy. The interest groups share a desire of affecting government policies, in order to benefit their cause or themselves. There are examples of interest groups in America like the American Red Cross; inasmuch as it is not political in nature and in as much as some of their time is spent in helping the needy people, some of their time is spent in trying to influence the government (Nownes, 2013). Interest groups are of different categories; there are those that are known as e conomic interest groups whose main aim is on the side of the economy like the business interest groups and public employees’ unions. Also, there is another category known as a public interest group that is concerned with the overall community and national good, rather than the narrow interest of a particular group. Despite the different types of interest groups that exist, they have characteristics that bind them together and make them to be referred to as interest groups (Bardes, Shelley, & Schmidt, 2010). These characteristics are as follows: They are organized. A group is not considered an interest group if it is not organized, this means that it should have a budget, employers, and at times an office (Nownes, 2013). Should not be affiliated to any political party. This means that it should not be formally part of any political party (Nownes, 2013). They are involved in political activity. The main difference between interest groups and other groups is that, the interest g roups are known to lobby, this means that they attempt to influence the government decisions (Nownes, 2013). The following are some of the examples of the major groups that can be termed as interest groups. Profit business firms. These are enterprises that make, buy and sell goods and services for profit. Many of them have an interest in politics and government because the government is involved in policy making, and thus they must look for ways that will ensure that those policies favor them in

The Role of Rearmament in International Relations Essay

The Role of Rearmament in International Relations - Essay Example After the World War I, many nations were disarming themselves to concentrate on rebuilding as the war had destroyed a lot of resources in terms of public infrastructure, killed a lot of people and the economies of most nations were on the downfall. Germany on the other hand left the league of nations and begun rearming itself again. This caused a threat to other nations in the region they could no sit back and wait to be attacked. 1The UK also embarked on rearmament program because Germany was becoming a threat. In the middle of 1930s, the British government obtained the biplanes to be used by the Royal Air Force and this was quite different from that which was being used in the First World War. Other weaponry obtained by the rearmament program included hawker hurricane, battleships, aircraft carriers and super marine spitfire. This came to be useful to them during the Second World War. 2 The end of the First World War was marked by the signing of the accord termed as the treaty of Versailles in the year 1919. The treaty was assented to by France, Italy, the Great Britain and not the US since it was later to draft its own accord with Germany in 1921. Many historians view the signing of the Versailles treaty as the major driving force that lead to the Second World War. ... Rearmament in the Rest of the World It's quite obvious that the most war oriented nations are those that spend a lot on rearmament obtaining more dangerous weaponry and military personnel. Germany has been criticized a lot for stimulating or rather initiating the Second World War. This is because by the time other nations were disarming and concentrating on development to recover what had been lost in the war, the Germans did the contrary and started building new weapons. In reaction to that, other countries like the UK begun to build weapons in fear that the Germans would attack them as the memories of the First World War were still fresh in their minds. 3 Hitler decided to violate the Versailles treaty claiming it was imposed to the German people. He called on all Germans to reunite and rearm and he stated clearly that the German would be the centre of the Europe and use the land to produce the food that the nation needed. For him to achieve this, Adolph Hitler realized that he needed a stronger army, than what he had inherited from his predecessor. He ordered the then army general to prepare an army of about 300,000 men, the ministry in charge of military was ordered to build 1,000 war planes and more military barracks were built as well. When the French refused his proposal to rearm, Hitler led the Nazi Germany out of the Geneva conference and was seen by many leaders as not being a supporter of external democracy and foreign policy. This led to reaction from other nations to follow suit. Japan was one of the nations to initiate a rearmament program. In 1936, its expenditure on national defense was estimated to be about 307 million dollars. France spent 716 million, the United Kingdom spent

Introduction to Combustion and Fire Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Introduction to Combustion and Fire - Case Study Example For example, when chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are exposed to high energy sun rays, chlorine and bromine atoms are released. These chlorine/bromine atoms act as catalysts in the breaking up of ozone molecules. Free radicals are atoms or molecules possessing one or more unpaired electrons. Free radicals are formed as intermediaries of reactions. One of the most common free radicals is the hydroxyl free radical (HO∙). Ions, free atoms, and free radicals are reaction intermediaries. While ions are charged species, free radicals are groups containing unpaired electrons, and free atoms are single atoms without charge. Ions can exist in a stable equilibrium, but free atoms and free radicals are highly unstable and react with other atoms or molecules soon after formation. During bond formation, an electron from 2s orbital is moved to 2pz orbital. This process requires a small amount of energy as the energy gap between 2s and 2p orbitals are less. So the new electronic structure is 1s22s12px12py12pz1 Pentane has a molar mass of 72.15 gmol-1. For 1 mole of pentane, mass is 72.15 g. As calculates earlier, at temperature 298.15K and pressure 1.013Ãâ€"105 Pa, the volume of 1 mol of pentane is 2.447Ãâ€"10-2 m3. A reaction where the products are in the most stable state is known as a complete chemical reaction. In the fire, a complete chemical reaction with no fuel and oxygen left is known as a stoichiometric reaction. The reaction mixtures in such a state are stoichiometric mixtures. The stoichiometric oxygen to fuel mass ratio r is determined from the equation. The equivalence ratio () which describes the state of the reactant mixture, is defined as (Quintere, 2006): Concentration is a measure of the packaging of particles per unit volume and its unit is moles per dm3 or moldm-3. A mole is a unit to measure the amount of substance. One mole of a substance contains 6.023Ãâ€"1023 atoms, molecules, or ions.   

The Doctrine Of Insurable Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Doctrine Of Insurable Interest - Essay Example The earliest references to insurable interest simply emphasised this characteristic of insurance. Since the insurer's contractual undertaking was to indemnify the insured for patrimonial loss, the latter had to prove that he had a financial interest upon the happening of the insured event because there could be no loss without an interest. In this very respect insurance was considered to differ from a wager because wagers did not contain an indemnity clause. The English common law was much to the same effect until 1774 when the Life Assurance Act3 was adopted. This Act introduced some important changes. South Africa inherited the English doctrine of insurable interest. This was brought about by certain colonial legislation4 which adopted English insurance law in the then Cape Colony and the Orange Free State. For this reason English law must be considered. In the recent case of Feasey v Sun Life Insurance Corp of Canada the Court confirmed that the interest necessary for life assurance must sound in money. At the same time it acknowledged the differences between indemnity and non-indemnity insurance. Special emphasis is put on the question of precisely what interest the parties intended to insure. It is clear that English law has not made much progre... It has even been suggested that insurable interest in life assurance in many respects is clearly out of touch with reality and that reform is necessary. Some important aspects of the English rules on insurable interest have indeed become firmly entrenched by trade usage and no turn-around seems possible, e.g. the rule that a person may insure his or her own life and that of his or her spouse for any amount he or she deems appropriate. On the other hand, some important matters must after the repeal of the provincial ordinances be considered as being open. Thus the question may be asked whether the existence of an actual insurable interest at the time of contracting is a separate requirement in law for the validity of a true contract of insurance. May a future interest for instance be insured on condition that the interest materialises before occurrence of the insured event (http://www.ombud.co.za/res/pdf/INSURABLE%20INTEREST%20IN%20THE%20CONTEXT%20OF%20LONG.pdf) Here there are in effect two questions. The issue raised most commonly is whether the definition of insurable interest is too narrow. Should unmarried cohabitants not be able to insure each other's life even in the absence of financial dependency Should the requirement of a proprietary interest be retained The more fundamental issue is whether it is obligatory to keep hold of the doctrine of insurable interest at all. In United Kingdom it seems to have been eliminated for definite types of business.1 The problem will have to be measured in the light of apprehensions about moral risks and, at a lawful level, the probable result of the Gambling Act 2005, which makes gambling contracts enforceable. Although the 2005 Act has not

Explain the main determinants of exchange rate behavior in the long Essay

Explain the main determinants of exchange rate behavior in the long run and in the short run. In the context of your analysis di - Essay Example The speculation concept in this market has made it hard for achievement of stability. Gains and losses can be made in the same breath in this market. This presents a challenge in both the macro and micro economics world. The factors that influence this behaviour in the foreign exchange market has been a topic of concern to many scholars and economists the world over. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the main determinants of exchange rate behaviour both in the short-run and long-run by illuminating a number of theories and explain why exchange rates tend to be volatile and notoriously hard to predict. To better understand the exchange rates, the paper will first discuss the foreign exchange market and then it will look at the exchange rate regimes. The The Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and the asset market approach through the Uncovered Interest Rate Parity (UIRP) will also be analyzed here.   Overview of the Foreign Exchange Market As the name suggests, a foreign exchange marke t is a market where currencies are traded. Foreign exchange market is also known as forex market. In this market, money is traded for other money. This is the basic definition of the foreign exchange market but in broader terms, the foreign exchange market is not restricted to the exchange of currencies. ... Gains are made in the same breath as losses in this market. This is so because the price of the currency in the market is determined by forces of demand and supply (Carbaugh, 2011). The financial market like goods market obeys the laws of demand and supply; the demand for currency varies inversely with price (Williamson, 2009). If demand for a currency increases its price increases (appreciates) making it unattractive in the market. Buyers thus switch to buying products where value of currency is low leading to depreciation of the currency until equilibrium is reached. For example, in a market involving dollars and pounds whereby the dollar is the domestic currency and the pound is the foreign currency, an increase in demand for foreign currency (pound) results in depreciation of the domestic currency (dollar) while an increase in supply of foreign currency leads to appreciation of the dollar until equilibrium is reached (Sercu and Uppal, 1995). The demand and supply concept As shown in figure 1, Do represents the demand curve for pounds while So represents the supply curve. Equilibrium exchange rate is obtained at the point where demand curve intersects with supply curve (point E). At this point, the exchange rate of dollars per pound is stable hence the market is efficient (Carbaugh, 2011 p. 399). The demand curve in this case represents the desire of the Americans to purchase British goods, services and assets and by observing the law of demand; the US demand for pound varies inversely with price. If price increases, the demand for pounds decreases and if price decreases the demand for pound increases. This means that if the dollar price of pound increases, exports from

Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks Essay Example for Free

Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks Essay Abstract Better beverage choices can help fight and prevent obesity and diabetes. Water, of course, is the best beverage option. It delivers everything the body needs—pure H2O—with zero calories. But for some tastes, plain water is just too plain—and it may be unrealistic to ask everyone to kick the sugar-water habit overnight. We must instead work to retrain the American palate away from sweet drinks. Cutting our taste for sweetness will require concerted action on several levels—from creative food scientists and marketers in the beverage industry, as well as from individual consumers and families, schools and worksites, and state and federal government. Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks? What’ the Best Choice? Soft drinks are the beverage of choice for millions of Americans. Some drink them morning, noon, night, and in between. They’re tasty, available everywhere, and inexpensive. They’re also a prime source of extra calories that can contribute to weight gain. Once thought of as innocent refreshment, soft drinks are also coming under scrutiny for their contributions to the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Diet soft drinks, made with artificial sweeteners, may not be the best alternatives to regular soft drinks. The term â€Å"soft drink† covers a lot of ground. It refers to any beverage with added sugar or other sweetener, and includes soda, fruit punch, lemonade and other â€Å"ades,† sweetened powdered drinks, and sports and energy drinks. In this section of The Nutrition Source, we focus on non-alcoholic sweetened drinks. Drunk every now and then, these beverages wouldn’t raise an eyebrow among most nutrition experts, any more than does the occasional candy bar or bowl of ice cream. But few people see them as treats. Instead, we drink rivers of the stuff. According to figures from the beverage industry, soft drink makers produce a staggering 10. 4 billion gallons of sugary soda pop each year. That’s enough to serve every American a 12-ounce can every day, 365 days a year. The average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch provides about 150 calories, almost all of them from sugar, usually high-fructose corn syrup. That’s the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of table sugar (sucrose). If you were to drink just one can of a sugar-sweetened soft drink every day, and not cut back on calories elsewhere, you could gain up to 15 pounds in a year. Soft Drinks and Weight Historians may someday call the period between the early 1980s and 2009 the fattening of America. Between 1985 and now, the proportion of Americans who are overweight or obese has ballooned from 45 percent in the mid-1960s to 66 percent today. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an online slide show that shows the spread of obesity in the U.S. ) There’s no single cause for this increase; instead, there are many contributors. One of them is almost certainly our penchant for quenching our thirst with beverages other than water. Once upon a time, humans got almost all of their calories from what nature put into food. That changed with the advent of cheap sugar, and then cheaper high-fructose corn syrup. High-fructose corn syrup has been fingered as one of the villains in the obesity epidemic, but in fact, table sugar and corn sweeteners likely have the same physiological impact on blood sugar, insulin, and metabolism. Sugar added to food now accounts for nearly 16 percent of the average American’s daily intake. Sweetened soft drinks make up nearly half of that. Dozens of studies have explored possible links between soft drinks and weight. It isn’t an easy task, for several reasons (read Sorting Out Studies on Soft Drinks and Weight to learn why). Despite these research challenges, studies consistently show that increased consumption of soft drinks is associated with increased energy intake. In a meta-analysis of 30 studies in this area, 10 of 12 cross-sectional studies, five of five longitudinal studies, and four of four long-term experimental studies showed this positive association. A different meta-analysis of 88 studies showed that the effect appeared to be stronger in women, studies focusing on sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and studies not funded by the food industry: Studies in children and adults have also shown that cutting back on sugary drinks can lead to weight loss. On the surface, it makes sense that the more ounces of sugar-rich soft drink a person has each day, the more calories he or she takes in. Yet that runs counter to what happens with solid foods. People tend to compensate for a bigger than usual meal or for a snack by taking in fewer calories later. That’s how weight stays stable. This compensation doesn’t seem to happen with soft drinks. No one knows for sure why this happens, but there are several possibilities: Fluids may not be as satiating as solid foods. That means they don’t provide the same feeling of fullness or satisfaction that solid foods do, which might prompt you to keep eating. The body doesn’t seem to â€Å"register† fluid calories as carefully as it does those from solid food. This would mean they are added on top of calories from the rest of the diet. It is possible that sweet-tasting soft drinks—regardless of whether they are sweetened with sugar or a calorie-free sugar substitute—might stimulate the appetite for other sweet, high-carbohydrate foods. Use headings and subheadings to organize the sections of your paper. The first heading level is formatted with initial caps and is centered on the page. Do not start a new page for each heading. Subheading Subheadings are formatted with italics and are aligned flush left. Citations Source material must be documented in the body of the paper by citing the authors and dates of the sources. The full source citation will appear in the list of references that follows the body of the paper. When the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal structure of the sentence, the year of the publication appears in parenthesis following the identification of the authors, for example, Smith (2001). When the authors of a source are not part of the formal structure of the sentence, both the authors and years of publication appear in parentheses, separated by semicolons, for example (Smith and Jones, 2001; Anderson, Charles, Johnson, 2003). When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, all authors are included the first time the source is cited. When that source is cited again, the first author’s surname and â€Å"et al. † are used. See the example in the following paragraph. Use of this standard APA style â€Å"will result in a favorable impression on your instructor† (Smith, 2001). This was affirmed again in 2003 by Professor Anderson (Anderson, Charles Johnson, 2003). When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are cited every time. If there are six or more authors to be cited, use the first author’s surname and â€Å"et al. † the first and each subsequent time it is cited. When a direct quotation is used, always include the author, year, and page number as part of the citation. A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double quotation marks and should be incorporated into the formal structure of the sentence. A longer quote of 40 or more words should appear (without quotes) in block format with each line indented five spaces from the left margin. 1 References Anderson, Charles Johnson (2003). The impressive psychology paper. Chicago: Lucerne Publishing. Smith, M. (2001). Writing a successful paper. The Trey Research Monthly, 53, 149-150. Entries are organized alphabetically by surnames of first authors and are formatted with a hanging indent. Most reference entries have three components: Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the source, using surnames and initials. Commas separate all authors. When there are seven or more authors, list the first six and then use â€Å"et al. † for remaining authors. If no author is identified, the title of the document begins the reference. Year of Publication: In parenthesis following authors, with a period following the closing parenthesis. If no publication date is identified, use â€Å"n. d. † in parenthesis following the authors. Source Reference: Includes title, journal, volume, pages (for journal article) or title, city of publication, publisher (for book). Appendix Each Appendix appears on its own page. Footnotes 1Complete APA style formatting information may be found in the Publication Manual. Table 1 Type the table text here in italics; start a new page for each table [Insert table here] Figure Captions Figure 1. Caption of figure [Figures – note that this page does not have the manuscript header and page number].

The Consequential Or Teleological Theories Philosophy Essay

The Consequential Or Teleological Theories Philosophy Essay Introduction This chapter presents an overview of the literature on the concept of ethics. First, we present the different definitions of ethics in the existing literature. An overview of the ethics current theoretical developments is then presented. Section 1: Concept of ethics Contrary to what one might think, ethics is not a new pheromone (Gà ©nard, 1992). It was originally identified by Greek and Roman philosophers. Inspired by the works of his predecessors Socrates and Plato, Aristotle is considered as the father of the ethics concept (Lavorata, 2004) which had been widely discussed over several decades by many philosophers who proposed several definitions to this concept. I. Ethics definitions The word Ethics is derived from the ancient Greek word Ethikos, which mean character (Reese, 1990). According to the Universal Philosophical Encyclopedia, ethics is the science of moral and human conduct. Nonetheless, many definitions of this concept had been suggested in the literature. For example, Taylor (1975, p.1) defined ethics as an: inquiry into the nature and grounds of morality, where morality means moral judgments, standards, and rules of conduct. Gove (1976, p.210) defines ethics as the study of what constitutes good and bad human conduct, including related actions and values. For Beauchamp and Bowie (1983, p.3), ethics is the inquiry into theories of what is good and evil and into what is right and wrong, and thus is inquiry into what we ought and ought not to do. As it could be noticed, in all the above definitions the term ethics refers to the study of moral conduct (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). However, the boundaries between morality and ethics are sometimes blurred and they should be differentiated in order to clarify the concept of ethics (Shaw and Barry, 2001). 1. Ethics and morality The terms ethics and morality are derived from the same root which often causes confusion. Some authors consider that the distinction between the two concepts is unnecessary (Ricoeur, 1990; Even-Granboulan, 1998). However, others academicians make a distinction between them (Iannone, 1989; Boatright, 2000; Ferrell et al.; 2000; and Petrick and Quinn, 2001). For example, Grace and Cohen (1998, p.4) claim that there is no reason to make a distinction in meaning between ethical and moral. There is no difference in meaning which could be attributed to their etymological roots, while, Beauchamp and Bowie (2001) argued that morality is the principles of moral as defined by society, while ethics refers to individual rules. In fact, ethics concept had been also closely related to deontology. In the following, this relation is presented in more details. 2. Ethics and deontology Ricoeur (1990) identifies three components of ethics: a subjective component (life good for itself according to Aristotle), an interpersonal one (or the concern for others in reference to Kant) and a societal component (or the concern for the institution). The societal component refers to the concept of deontology. Thus, the definition of deontology is literally a set of codes of conduct specific to a profession. The following diagram summarizes the different concepts and relationships between ethics, morality and deontology. Figure 1: Definitions and relationships between Ethics, morality and deontology, (Lavorata, 2004, p.20) II. Ethics school of thoughts There are three approaches in the study of ethics: normative ethics, descriptive ethics, and meta-ethics (De George, 1982). Normative ethics Normative ethics is the study of how we should behave (Pascal, 1670; Spinoza, 1677; Kant, 1781). It attempts to justify the principles or the values of a moral system (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). The normative ethical theories are classified into three groups: 1-Consequential or teleological theories; 2- Single rule non-consequential or deontological theories; and 3-Multiple rule non-consequential theories. Consequential or teleological theories These theories argue that the evaluation of the rightness of an action is determined by considering its consequences (Ferrell and Gresham, 1985). Researchers have demonstrated that teleological theories involve several constructs such as: (1) the individuals behavior and its effect on various stakeholder groups particularly customers and employers; (2) the estimate probability that the consequences will occur to the stakeholders;  (3) the evaluation of desirability or undesirability of each consequence; (4) the analysis of the importance of the stakeholder groups (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). Moreover, according to these authors, when using teleological evaluation, the individual acts in a manner that produces at least as great a ratio of good to evil as any other course (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989, p.697). The two major consequential theories are egoism and utilitarianism. Egoism holds that individuals act in a way that creates the greatest gain for their self-interest (Hunt and Vitell, 1986). Contrary to ethical egoism, utilitarianism holds that the individual behaves in a manner that produces the greatest good for everyone (DeConinck and Lewis, 1997; Loo, 2004). These theories only look at the consequences of actions, not at its foundations (the end justifies the means) (Bougerra et al., 2011). Single rule non-consequential or deontological theories Some researchers contend that to determine the morality of an action, many other factors should be taken into account other than its consequences. These theories appeal to a single rule. The two main single rules non-consequential theories are: the golden rule: Do unto others as youd have them unto you. In other words, we have to treat individuals the way we want to be treated (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). The other single-rule non-consequential theory is Kants categorical imperative (Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.). Multiple rule non-consequential theories These theories claim that the moral rightness or  wrongness is determined by moral rules that cant be reduced to a single moral rule. These theories are a mixture of teleological and deontological theories. 2. Descriptive ethics The second approach is descriptive ethics and it deals with the human behavior. This approach aims to study and describe what is moral and immoral, as well as the factors affecting the evolution of moral principles and values (Rich, 1994). According to Pera and Van Tonder (2005, p.7), descriptive ethics does not pass moral judgments on conduct or beliefs; it merely describes what certain people believe to be right or wrong without judging these beliefs. Desjardins and McCall (2000, p.5) noted that the distinction between descriptive and normative ethics is related to the difference between what is and what ought to be. In the same vein, Beauchamp and Bowie (2001, p.6-7) claimed that normative moral philosophy aims at determining what ought to be done, which needs to be distinguished from what is, in fact, practiced. 3. Meta-ethics The third approach was defined as the study of moral reasoning (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). It analyzes ethical concepts, which explains why it is also called analytical ethics (Rich, 1994). Meta-ethics analyses questions about the meaning of right and wrong or good and bad (Pera and Van Tonder, 2005). According to Creasia and Parker (1991), meta-ethics is the linking between ethical beliefs and the real world. Section 2: Business ethics As we stated before, research on business ethics, and most importantly on marketing ethics has begun to expand since the publication of Bogarts article (1962) The Researchers Dilemma (Jones and Kavanagh, 1996; Rao and Singhapakdi, 1997; Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). It has gained growing interest among marketing scholars in the 1980s (Hunt and Vitell, 1983; Chonko and Burnett, 1983; Gresham, 1985). Studies in this domain had taken two main orientations: normative one or positive one. Normative studies aimed to develop guidelines and rules for marketers. Positive studies, in particular, in the last three decades focus on the description and the development of models and theories (Chonko and Hunt, 2000). But, what are the reasons behind this interest to study ethics in marketing? I. Reasons of the growing interest in business ethics According to Lavorata (2004), this growing interest in business ethics can be explained by several reasons: 1- external reasons and 2- internal reasons. 1. External reasons The integration of ethics by organizations can be explained by external reasons such as consumers pressure (Mercier, 1999). According to a survey conducted by the Foundation of France in 1997, 63% of consumers claimed to be sensitive to firms supporting a humanitarian cause. Thus, Ethics becomes a way to retain consumers. In fact, competitive pressure incited firms to look for new positioning and for means of differentiation from their competitors. Implementing strategies based on social responsibility and ethical practices is considered as a means to achieve this objective. Indeed; this may boost one firms public image and contribute in building long-term relationships with clients (Schwepker and Hartline 2005; Thomas et al., 2004). Moreover, the awareness about ethics importance and consequences seems to be boosted by top managers as a result of many scandals that had shaken the business world: WorldCom, a huge accounting scandal estimated at $11 billion. Enron, fraud and conspiracy in January 2006. Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, pharmaceutical companies, have had to retire drugs that have been considered unsafe for public use. Each new disgrace seemed to create a buzz for organizational change (Barnes, 2006). As a matter of fact, in 1920, Henry Ford wrote: A company must make profits otherwise it will die. But if we want the company to only run for profit, it will also die since it will have no reason for being. In 2001, the CEO of Lafarge B. Colomb has echoed these ethical concerns: Far from being expensive, ethics is a critical success factor. 2. Internal reasons The internationalization of organizations has led to a weakening of the corporate culture and in particular a loss of collective benchmarks (Lavorata, 2004). Moreover, individual ethics is the subject of an ongoing dilemma (Seidel, 1995). In fact, the organization must ensure its profitability and profit: its objective is then to reduce costs while boosting employee productivity (Mercier, 1999). Conclusion Despite its historical origins, ethics remains a subject matter of a special concern for contemporary academicians. In fact, it has been shown that ethics domain has undergone major changes in its foundations. This current widespread preoccupation among researchers about ethics led to an increased awareness about business ethics. The marketing is seemingly even more concerned. Indeed, the activities in this domain are often considered to be unethical (Baumhart, 1961; Brenner and Molander, 1977; Murphy and Lazcniak, 1981). According to Chonko et al. (1996), ethical abuse may take place as marketing professionals and particularly salespersons often face bothersome ethical problems in business. In fact, sales representatives are under great pressure and they are constant targets of ethical criticism (Mantel, 2005; Abratt and Penman, 2002). In this context, according to a survey of 1,324 workers including salespersons, managers, and executives conducted by USA Today, 48% of workers admit to do unethical or illegal acts (Jones 1997, p.1). In the same line, Jolson (1997) argued that for a long time, the sales representative was a person who put pressure on his customer by questionable techniques and whose only philosophy was increasing sales regardless the means used. The following chapter deals more in details with the (un)ethical behavior of sales representatives in marketing literature.

STAR INVESTIGATION :: essays research papers

Format: Internet Journalism and the Starr Investigation The Starr Investigation was an important time in journalism, because it forced the traditional media to overhaul their ways of presenting news online in order to meet the needs and demands of Internet users. New technology was used in this case to break the news of the scandal, to voice new allegations, and to release in its entirety Starr’s final report of the investigation. This case provided the first detailed look at the differences in character between the Internet and traditional broadcast and print media. The ethical issues in Internet Journalism and the Starr Investigation: 1. Was this a legitimate news story? 2. Intense journalistic competition? â€Å"Journalists of all stripes were chasing the story.† 3. CREDIBILITY of the paper? Reporting Facts that in the end proved false. Editors doubtful of the story’s accuracy? The reliability of the information? 4. The Value of Verification to get the story right? 5. Anonymous Sourcing/ Unidentified Sources - â€Å"Journalists scrambled to confirm the allegations, but often ended up running them with only anonymous sourcing.† 6. Speed, sensation and conjecture over accuracy? CNN's Scott Woelfel says he sensed in the early going that, "there was an attitude of, 'I don't know if we could put this in the paper, but we could put it on the Web site'." 7.News Leakage? Certain sources in the independent counsel’s office were using the press, selectively leaking information to gain tactical advantage with reluctant witnesses like Lewinsky. McManus recalls. â€Å"So there was clearly a lot of leakage.† 8. The breaking of the story. Matt Drudge breaking the story through his online newsletter? - Wire services sent the story worldwide. Cable networks, radio shows, and local television newscasts led with the report. Larry King interrupted his program to read the story live. 9. The story was so explosive that Bill Clinton’s attorney called Nightline and DENIED the story on the air. 10. SHAKY SOURCING? Reports were based around shaky sourcing. - The Dallas Morning News and the Wall Street Journal reported that the president and the intern had been seen together in a compromising situation. - Starr’s staff member called the source to take back the claim because it was FALSE. - Langer told the employees that the News had unwittingly relied on only one source to publish its original story. 11. Timing and public interest 12. Violating the paper’s two-source standard. 13. Miscommunication - Senior editors mistakenly believed that a second source existed because of a â€Å"miscommunication† between Dallas and the Washington bureau.

The Porter Analysis Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To perform the Industry Analysis it is better to follow Michael Porter's five forces model. This analysis framework was created so that it helps managers in their task to analyze competitive forces to the company. (Hill & Jones 80) This model is only one of the models that can be used for this task but it is one of the more popular models. The five forces that we will have to look at for this model are (1) the risk of new and potential competitors; (2) the bargaining power of suppliers; (3) the threat of substitute products; (4) the bargaining power of buyers; and (5) the degree of rivalry among established companies within an industry. (Hill & Jones 80) Barriers to Entry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first force in Porter's Five Forces Model is Entry Barriers. These factors are those that make it harder or easier for another company to enter into the industry. High barriers to entry will keep potential competitors out of the industry and low barriers to entry will give an opening for competitors to enter into the industry if the industry returns are high enough. (Hill & Jones 82) The fewer competitors in an industry the more the existing companies can take advantage of higher prices and better returns. One barrier to entry is brand loyalty. Brand loyalty is very important for the sales of IBM. When personal computers first came out you had to choose from IBM or Apple. Both computers were great machines but when IBM became a better-known computer the name was very recognizable. Today your choice in computers is much more extensive. Even though there are many more brands to choose from IBM is still a popular name. If not for it's own products it is for their platform it has. IBM compatible is a widely used term when talking about computers. Many people when looking for a new notebook computer will then think about the name first. You may think well if the other computers are compatible then why not just get something that is cheaper? This is an option but the other way of looking at it is the name brand will be a better product. A second barrier to entry is switching costs. When IBM and Apple were the only computer systems to choose from people had to make a choice. When you went to buy one system then you had to buy all the software that went along with that system. Ultimately, IBM became the mor... ...oking at industry analysis is that the Five Forces model looks at an industry as a whole instead of each individual company. Bibliography www.britannica.com Hill, C. & Jones, G. Strategic management: an integrated approach, 5th ed. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston. 2001. www.ibm.com www.msn.encarta.com   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World Wide Web March 13, 2001, Insight.com http://www.insight.com/web/apps/products/†¦esentation_print.php?product_id=IB264747U   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World Wide Web March 13, 2001, Insight.com http://www.insight.com/web/apps/products/†¦5B%5D=IBT264792U&product_id%5B%5D=SOFX190   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World Wide Web March 13, 2001, Apple.com http://www,apple.com/powerbook/ http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/We†¦ZWOLk9/0.3.0.3.29.23.0.3.3.3.1.1.0?80,30   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World Wide Web March 13, 2001, ZD NET http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/stories/reviews/0,6755,2676495,00.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World Wide Web March 13, 2001, Personal Technology from the Wall Street Journal, http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20010104.html Rupley, S. (2000, November 21). PC Magazine†¦ Apple's Latest (pg.83-84)

Perspectives of Psychology :: Humanistic Psychology Human Behavior Essays

Psychology as we all know is the scientific study of the behavior of humans and animals. The following paragraphs will compare and contrast Psychodynamic, Behavioral, and Humanistic perspectives of psychology. Each one of these perspectives searches for answers about behavior through different techniques and through looking for answers to different kinds of questions. Due to the different approaches, each perspective form their own assumptions and explanations. Some perspectives are widely accepted while others struggle for acceptance Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow were the key people in developing the Humanistic Perspective, Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson were the key people in developing the Psychodynamic Perspectives and American psychologist John B. Watson was the key person in developing the Behavioral perspective. The Psychodynamic Perspective focuses on unconscious mental activity. This perspective suggests that both normal and abnormal behaviors are determined primarily by unconscious forces (Davis And Palladino). The Behavioral Perspective focus on observable behaviors; but does not speculate about mental processes such as thinking (Davis And Palladino). It also focuses on learning in understanding how various behaviors occur. The Humanistic Perspective focuses on how people can come to achieve their fullest potential as individuals who make choices and who take control of responsibility for their mental, social, and personal experiences. It also emphasizes free will and individuals’ control of their own behavior (Davis And Palladino). The cognitive process which is defined as some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents; the process of thinking; and the cognitive operation of remembering. The view of the cognitive process of The Behavioral Perspectives is due to private events not subject to scientific examination, best explained by examining the environment. The view of the cognitive process of The Psychodynamic Perspective is due to unconscious processes determine about 6/7 of our behavior. The cognitive process of The Humanistic Perspective is due cognition and emotions; and that behaviors are mostly determined by emotions. The Humanistic Psychology is influence by individual growth, personal responsibilities, and free will. The Psychodynamic Psychology is influence by unconscious mental process (needs and conflicts), and the Behavior Psychology is influence by interaction with other behavior and the environment.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 27

Chapter 27 The angel and I watched Star Wars for the second time on television last night, and I just had to ask. â€Å"You've been in God's presence, right, Raziel?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Do you think he sounds like James Earl Jones?† â€Å"Who's that?† â€Å"Darth Vader.† Raziel listened for a moment while Darth Vader threatened someone. â€Å"Sure, a little. He doesn't breathe that heavy though.† â€Å"And you've seen God's face.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Is he black?† â€Å"I'm not allowed to say.† â€Å"He is, isn't he? If he wasn't you'd just say he wasn't.† â€Å"I'm not allowed to say.† â€Å"He is.† â€Å"He doesn't wear a hat like that,† said Raziel. â€Å"Ah-ha!† â€Å"All I'm saying is no hat. That's all I'm saying.† â€Å"I knew it.† â€Å"I don't want to watch this anymore.† Raziel switched the channel. God (or someone who sounded like him) said, â€Å"This is CNN.† We came up to Jerusalem, in the gate at Bethsaida called the Eye of the Needle, where you had to duck down to pass through, out the Golden Gate, through the Kidron Valley, and over the Mount of Olives into Bethany. We had left the brothers and Matthew behind because they had jobs, and Bartholomew because he stank. His lack of cleanliness had started to draw attention lately from the local Pharisees in Capernaum and we didn't want to push the issue since we were walking into the lair of the enemy. Philip and Nathaniel joined us on our journey, but stayed behind on the Mount of Olives at a clearing called Gethsemane, where there was a small cave and an olive press. Joshua tried to convince me to stay with them, but I insisted. â€Å"I'll be fine,† Joshua said. â€Å"It's not my time. Jakan won't try anything, it's just dinner.† â€Å"I'm not worried about your safety, Josh, I just want to see Maggie.† I did want to see Maggie, but I was worried about Joshua's safety as well. Either way, I wasn't staying behind. Jakan met us at the gate wearing a new white tunic belted with a blue sash. He was stocky, but not as fat as I expected him to be, and almost exactly my height. His beard was black and long, but had been cut straight across about the level of his collarbone. He wore the pointed linen cap worn by many of the Pharisees, so I couldn't tell if he'd lost any of his hair. The fringe that hung down was dark brown, as were his eyes. The most frightening and perhaps the most surprising thing about him was that there was a spark of intelligence in his eyes. That hadn't been there when we were children. Perhaps seventeen years with Maggie had rubbed off on him. â€Å"Come in, fellow Nazarenes. Welcome to my home. There are some friends inside who wanted to meet you.† He led us through the door into a large great room, large enough in fact to fit any two of the houses we shared at Capernaum. The floor was paved in tile with turquoise and red mosaic spirals in the corners of the room (no pictures, of course). There was a long Roman-style table at which five other men, all dressed like Jakan, sat. (In Jewish households the tables were close to the ground and diners reclined on cushions or on the floor around them.) I didn't see Maggie anywhere, but a serving girl brought in large pitchers of water and bowls for us to wash our hands in. â€Å"Let this water stay water, will you, Joshua?† Jakan said, smiling. â€Å"We can't wash in wine.† Jakan introduced us to each of the men, adding some sort of elaborate title to each of their names that I didn't catch, but which indicated, I'm sure, that they were all members of the Sanhedrin as well as the Council of Pharisees. Ambush. They received us curtly, then made their way to the water bowls to wash their hands before dinner, all of them watching as Joshua and I washed and offered prayer. This, after all, was part of the test. We sat. The water pitchers and bowls were taken away by the serving girl, who then brought pitchers of wine. â€Å"So,† said the eldest of the Pharisees, â€Å"I hear you have been casting demons out of the afflicted in Galilee.† â€Å"Yes, we're having a lovely Passover week,† I said. â€Å"And you?† Joshua kicked me under the table. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"By the power of my father I have relieved the suffering of some who were plagued by demons.† When Joshua said â€Å"my father† every one of them squirmed. I noticed movement in one of the doorways to Jakan's back. It was Maggie, making signals and signs like a madwoman, but then Jakan spoke. Attention turned to him and Maggie ducked out of sight. Jakan leaned forward. â€Å"Some have said that you banish these demons by the power of Beelzebub.† â€Å"And how could I do that?† Joshua said, getting a little angry. â€Å"How could I turn Beelzebub against himself? How can I battle Satan with Satan? A house divided can't stand.† â€Å"Boy, I'm starving,† I said. â€Å"Bring on the eats.† â€Å"With the spirit of God I cast out demons, that's how you know the kingdom has come.† They didn't want to hear that. Hell, I didn't want to hear that, not here. If Joshua claimed to bring the kingdom, then he was claiming to be the Messiah, which by their way of thinking could be blasphemy, a crime punishable by death. It was one thing for them to hear it secondhand, it was quite another to have Joshua say it to their faces. But he, as usual, was unafraid. â€Å"Some say John the Baptist is the Messiah,† said Jakan. â€Å"There's nobody better than John,† Joshua said. â€Å"But John doesn't baptize with the Holy Ghost. I do.† They all looked at each other. They had no idea what he was talking about. Joshua had been preaching the Divine Spark – the Holy Ghost – for two years, but it was a new way of looking at God and the kingdom: it was a change. These legalists had worked hard to find their place of power; they weren't interested in change. Food was put on the table and prayers offered again, then we ate in silence for a while. Maggie was in the doorway behind Jakan again, gesturing with one hand walking over the other, mouthing words that I was supposed to understand. I had something I wanted to give her, but I had to see her in private. It was obvious that Jakan had forbidden her to enter the room. â€Å"Your disciples do not wash their hands before they eat!† said one of the Pharisees, a fat man with a scar over his eye. Bart, I thought. â€Å"It's not what goes into a man that defiles him,† Joshua said, â€Å"it's what comes out.† He broke off some of the flatbread and dipped it into a bowl of oil. â€Å"He means lies,† I said. â€Å"I know,† said the old Pharisee. â€Å"You were thinking something disgusting, don't lie.† The Pharisees passed the â€Å"no, your turn, no, it's your turn† look around the room. Joshua chewed his bread slowly, then said, â€Å"Why wash the outside of the urn, if there's decay on the inside?† â€Å"Yeah, like you rotting hypocrites!† I added, with more enthusiasm than was probably called for. â€Å"Quit helping!† Josh said. â€Å"Sorry. Nice wine. Manischewitz?† My shouting evidently stirred them out of their malaise. The old Pharisee said, â€Å"You consort with demons, Joshua of Nazareth. This Levi was seen to cause blood to come from a Pharisee's nose and a knife to break of its own, and no one even saw him move.† Joshua looked at me, then at them, then at me again. â€Å"You forget to tell me something?† â€Å"He was being an emrod, so I popped him.† (â€Å"Emrod† is the biblical term for hemorrhoid.) I heard Maggie's giggling from the other room. Joshua turned back to the creeps. â€Å"Levi who is called Biff has studied the art of the soldier in the East,† Joshua said. â€Å"He can move swiftly, but he is not a demon.† I stood up. â€Å"The invitation was for dinner, not a trial.† â€Å"This is no trial,† said Jakan, calmly. â€Å"We have heard of Joshua's miracles, and we have heard that he breaks the Law. We simply want to ask him by whose authority he does these things. This is dinner, otherwise, why would you be here?† I was wondering that myself, but Joshua answered me by pushing me down in my seat and proceeding to answer their accusations for another two hours, crafting parables and throwing their own piety back in their faces. While Joshua spoke the word of God, I did sleight-of-hand tricks with the bread and the vegetables, just to mess with them. Maggie came to the doorway and signaled me, pointing frantically to the front door and making threatening, head-bashing gestures which I took to be the consequences for my not understanding her this time. â€Å"Well, I've got to go see a man about a camel, if you'll excuse me.† I stepped out the front door. As soon as I closed it behind me I was hit with the spraying girl-spit of a violently whispering woman. â€Å"YoustupidsonofabitchwhatthefuckdidyouthinkIwastryingtosaytoyou?† She punched me in the arm. Hard. â€Å"No kiss?† I whispered. â€Å"Where can I meet you, after?† â€Å"You can't. Here, take this.† I handed her a small leather pouch. â€Å"There's a parchment inside to tell you what to do.† â€Å"I want to see you two.† â€Å"You will. Do what the note says. I have to go back in.† â€Å"You bastard.† Punch in the arm. Hard. I forgot what I was doing and entered the house still rubbing my bruised shoulder. â€Å"Levi, have you injured yourself?† â€Å"No, Jakan, but sometimes I strain a shoulder muscle just shaking this monster off.† The Pharisees hated that one. I realized that they were waiting for me to request water so I could go through the whole hand-washing ritual before I sat down to the table again. I stood there, thinking about it, rubbing my shoulder, waiting. How long could it possibly take to read a note? It seemed like a long time, with them staring at me, but I'm sure it was only a few minutes. Then it came, the scream. Maggie let go from the next room, long and high and loud, a virtuoso scream of terror and panic and madness. I bent over and whispered into Joshua's ear, â€Å"Just follow my lead. No, just don't do anything. Nothing.† â€Å"But – â€Å" The Pharisees all looked like someone had dropped hot coals into their laps as the scream went on, and on. Maggie had great sustain. Before Jakan could get up to investigate, there came my girl – still shrieking, I might add – a lovely green foam running out of her mouth, her dress torn and hanging in shreds on her blood-streaked body and blood running from the corners of her eyes. She screamed in Jakan's face and rolled her eyes, then leapt onto the table and growled as she kicked every piece of crockery off onto the floor where it shattered. The servant girl ran through screaming, â€Å"Demons have taken her, demons have taken her!† then bolted out the front door. Maggie started screeching again, then ran up and down the length of the table, urinating as she went. (Nice touch, I would never have thought of that.) The Pharisees had backed up against the wall, including Jakan, as Maggie fell on her back on the table, thrashing and growling and screaming obscenities while splattering the front of their white cloaks with green foam, urine, and blood. â€Å"Devils! She's been possessed by devils. Lots of them,† I shouted. â€Å"Seven,† Maggie said between growls. â€Å"Looks like seven,† I said. â€Å"Doesn't it, Josh?† I grabbed the back of Joshua's hair and sort of made him nod in agreement. No one was really watching him anyway, as Maggie was now spouting impressive fountains of green foam both out of her mouth and from between her legs. (Again, a nice touch I wouldn't have thought of.) She settled into a vibrating fit rhythm, with barking and obscenities for counterpoint. â€Å"Well, Jakan,† I said politely, â€Å"thank you for dinner. It's been lovely but we have to be going.† I pulled Joshua to his feet by his collar. He was a little perplexed himself. Not terrified like our host, but perplexed. â€Å"Wait,† Jakan said. â€Å"Festering dog penis!† Maggie snarled to no one in particular, but I think everyone knew who she meant. â€Å"Oh, all right, we'll try to help her,† I said. â€Å"Joshua, grab an arm.† I pushed him forward and Maggie grabbed his wrist. I went around to the other side of the table and got hold of her other arm. â€Å"We have to get her out of this house of defilement.† Maggie's fingernails bit into my arm as I lifted her up and she pulled herself along on Josh's wrist, pretending to thrash and fight. I dragged her out the front door and into the courtyard. â€Å"Make an effort, Joshua, would you,† Maggie whispered. Jakan and the Pharisees bunched at the door. â€Å"We need to take her into the wilderness to safely cast out the devils,† I shouted. I dragged her, and Joshua for that matter, into the street and kicked the heavy gate closed. Maggie relaxed and stood up. A mound of green foam cascaded off of her chest. â€Å"Don't relax yet, Maggie. When we're farther away.† â€Å"Pork-eating goat fucker!† â€Å"That's the spirit.† â€Å"Hi, Maggie,† Joshua said, taking her arm and finally helping me drag. â€Å"I think it went really well for short notice,† I said. â€Å"You know, Pharisees make the best witnesses.† â€Å"Let's go to my brother's house,† she whispered. â€Å"We can send word that I'm incurable from there. â€Å"Rat molester!† â€Å"It's okay, Maggie, we're out of range now.† â€Å"I know. I was talking to you. Why'd you take seventeen years to get me out of there?† â€Å"You're beautiful in green, did I ever tell you that?† â€Å"I've got to think that that was unethical,† Joshua said. â€Å"Josh, faking demonic possession is like a mustard seed.† â€Å"How is it like a mustard seed?† â€Å"You don't know, do you? Doesn't seem at all like a mustard seed, does it? Now you see how we all feel when you liken things unto a mustard seed? Huh?† At Simon the Leper's house Joshua went to the door first by himself so Maggie's appearance didn't scare the humus out of her brother and sister. Martha answered the door. â€Å"Shalom, Martha. I'm Joshua bar Joseph, of Nazareth. Remember me from the wedding in Cana? I've brought your sister Maggie.† â€Å"Let me see.† Martha tapped her fingernail on her chin while she searched her memory in the night sky. â€Å"Were you the one who changed the water into wine? Son of God, was it?† â€Å"There's no need to be that way,† Joshua said. I popped my head around Josh's shoulder. â€Å"I gave your sister a powder that sort of foamed her up all red and green. She's a bit nasty-looking right now.† â€Å"I'm sure that becomes her,† said Martha, with an exasperated sigh. â€Å"Come in.† She led us inside. I stood by the door while Joshua sat on the floor by the table. Martha took Maggie to the back of the house to help her clean up. It was a large house by our country standards, but not nearly as big as Jakan's. Still, Simon had done well for the son of a blacksmith. I didn't see Simon anywhere. â€Å"Come sit at the table,† Joshua said. â€Å"Nope, I'm fine by the door here.† â€Å"What's the matter?† â€Å"Do you know whose house this is?† â€Å"Of course, Maggie's brother Simon's.† I lowered my voice. â€Å"imon-Say the eper-Lay.† â€Å"Come sit down. I'll watch over you.† â€Å"Nope. I'm fine here.† Just then Simon came in from the other room carrying a pitcher of wine and a tray of cups in his rag-wrapped hands. White linen covered his face except for his eyes, which were as clear and blue as Maggie's. â€Å"Welcome, Joshua, Levi – it's been a long time.† We'd known Simon as boys, spending as much time as we did hanging around Maggie's father's shop, but he had been older, learning his father's craft then, and far too serious to be associating with boys. In my memory he was strong and tall, but now the leprosy had bent him over like an old woman. Simon set the cups down and poured for the three of us. I remained against the wall by the door. â€Å"Martha doesn't take well to serving,† Simon said, by way of apologizing for doing the serving himself. â€Å"She tells me that you turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana.† â€Å"Simon,† Joshua said, â€Å"I can heal your affliction, if you'll allow me.† â€Å"What affliction?† He lay down at the table across from Joshua. â€Å"Biff, come sit with us.† He patted a cushion next to him and I ducked in the event that fingers started flying. â€Å"I understand that Jakan used my sister as bait for a trap for you two.† â€Å"Not much of a trap,† Joshua said. â€Å"You expected that?† I asked. â€Å"I thought there would be more, the whole Pharisee council perhaps. I wanted to answer them directly, not have my words passed through a dozen spies and rumormongers. I also wanted to see if there would be any Sadducees there.† Just then I realized what Joshua had already figured out: the Sadducees, the priests, weren't involved in Jakan's little surprise inquisition. They had been born to their power, and were not as easily threatened as the working-class Pharisees. And the Sadducees were the more powerful half of the Sanhedrin, the ones who commanded the soldiers of the Temple guard. Without the priests, the Pharisees were vipers without fangs, for now anyway. â€Å"I hope we haven't brought the judgment of the Pharisees down on your head, Simon,† Joshua said. Simon waved a hand in dismissal. â€Å"Not to worry. There'll be no Pharisees coming here. Jakan is terrified of me, and if he really believes that Maggie is possessed, and if his friends believe it, well, I'd bet he's divorced her already.† â€Å"She can come back to Galilee with us,† I said, looking at Joshua, who looked at Simon, as if to ask permission. â€Å"She may do as she wishes.† â€Å"What I wish is to get out of Bethany before Jakan comes to his senses,† Maggie said, coming from the other room. She wore a simple woolen dress and her hair was still dripping. There was still green goo on her sandals. She came across the room, knelt down, and gave her brother a huge hug, then a kiss on the eyebrow. â€Å"If he comes by or sends word, you'll tell him I'm still here.† I sensed Simon was smiling under the veil. â€Å"You don't think he'll want to come in and look around?† â€Å"The coward,† Maggie spat. â€Å"Amen,† I said. â€Å"How did you stay with a creep like that all of these years?† â€Å"After the first year he didn't want to be anywhere near me. Unclean, don't you know? I told him I was bleeding.† â€Å"For all those years?† â€Å"Sure. Do you think he would embarrass himself among the members of the Pharisee council by asking them about their own wives?† Joshua said, â€Å"I can heal you of that affliction, if you'll allow me, Maggie.† â€Å"What affliction?† â€Å"You should go,† Simon said. â€Å"I'll send word about what Jakan has done as soon as I know. If he hasn't done it already, I have a friend who will plant the idea that if he doesn't divorce Maggie his place on the Sanhedrin might be questioned.† Simon and Martha waved to us from the doorway, Martha looking like a compact ghost of her older sister and Simon just looking like a ghost. And thus did we become eleven. There was a full moon and a sky full of stars thrown over us as we walked back to Gethsemane. From the top of the Mount of Olives we could see across the Kidron Valley to the Temple. Black smoke streamed into the sky from the sacrificial fires which the priests tended day and night. I held Maggie's hand as we walked through the grove of ancient olive trees and out into the clearing near the oil press where we camped. Philip and Nathaniel had built a fire and there were two strangers sitting by it with them. They all stood up as we approached. Philip glared at me, which baffled me until I remembered that he'd been with us at Cana, and seen Joshua and Maggie dancing at the wedding. He thought I was trying to steal Joshua's girl. I let her hand go. â€Å"Master,† said Nathaniel, tossing his yellow hair, â€Å"new disciples. These are Thaddeus and Thomas the Twins.† Thaddaeus stepped up to Joshua. He was about my height and age, and wore a tattered woolen tunic and looked especially gaunt, as if he might be starving. His hair was cut short like a Roman's, but it looked as if someone had cut it with a dull piece of flint. Somehow he looked familiar. â€Å"Rabbi, I heard you preach when you were with John. I have been with him for two years.† A follower of John, that's where I knew him from, although I didn't remember meeting him. That explained the hungry look as well. â€Å"Welcome, Thaddaeus,† Joshua said. â€Å"These are Biff and Mary Magdalene, disciples and friends.† â€Å"Call me Maggie,† Maggie said. Joshua stepped over to Thomas the Twins, who was only one guy, younger, perhaps twenty, his beard still like soft down in places, his clothes finer than any of ours. â€Å"And Thomas.† â€Å"Don't, you're standing on Thomas Two,† Thomas squealed. Nathaniel pushed Joshua aside and whispered in his ear a little too loudly. â€Å"He sees his twin but no one else can. You said to show mercy, so I haven't told him that he's mad.† â€Å"And so you shall be shown mercy, Nathaniel,† Joshua said. â€Å"So we won't tell you that you're a ninny,† I added. â€Å"Welcome, Thomas,† Joshua said, embracing the boy. â€Å"And Thomas Two,† Thomas said. â€Å"Forgive me. Welcome, Thomas Two, as well,† said Joshua to a perfectly empty spot in space. â€Å"Come to Galilee and help us spread the good news.† â€Å"He's over there,† said Thomas, pointing to a different spot, equally empty. And thus did we become thirteen. On the trip back to Capernaum Maggie told us about her life, about the dreams she had set aside, and about a child that had died in the first year of her marriage. I could see Joshua was shaken when he heard of the child, and I knew he was thinking that if we hadn't taken off to the East, he would have been there to save it. â€Å"After that,† Maggie said, â€Å"Jakan didn't come near me. There was bleeding right after the baby died, and as far as he knew it never stopped. He's always been afraid that someone might think that there's a curse on his house, so my duties as a wife were public only. It's a double-edged sword for him. In order to appear dutiful I had to go to the synagogue and to the women's court in the Temple, but if they thought I was going there while I was bleeding I would have been driven out, maybe stoned, and Jakan would have been shamed. Who knows what he'll do now.† â€Å"He'll divorce you,† I said. â€Å"He'll have to if he wants to save face with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin.† Strangely enough, it was Joshua who I had trouble consoling about Maggie's lost child. She'd lived with the loss for years, cried over it, allowed it to heal as much as it would, but the wound was fresh for Joshua. He walked far behind us, shunning the new disciples who pranced around him like excited puppies. I could tell that he was talking to his father, and it didn't seem to be going well. â€Å"Go talk to him,† Maggie said. â€Å"It wasn't his fault. It was God's will.† â€Å"That's why he feels responsible,† I said. We hadn't explained to Maggie about the Holy Ghost, the kingdom, all the changes that Joshua wanted to bring to mankind, and how those were at odds, at times, with the Torah. â€Å"Go talk to him,† she said. I fell back in our column, past Philip and Thaddaeus, who were trying to explain to Nathaniel that it was his own voice he heard when he put his fingers in his ears and spoke, and not the voice of God, and past Thomas, who was having an animated discussion with empty air. I walked along beside Joshua for a while before I spoke, and then I tried to sound matter-of-fact. â€Å"You had to go to the East, Joshua. You know that now.† â€Å"I didn't have to go right then. That was cowardly. Would it have been so bad to watch her marry Jakan? To see her child born?† â€Å"Yes, it would have. You can't save everyone.† â€Å"Have you been asleep these last twenty years?† â€Å"Have you? Unless you can change the past, you're wasting the present on this guilt. If you don't use what you learned in the East then maybe we shouldn't have gone. Maybe leaving Israel was cowardly.† I felt my face go numb as if the blood had drained from it. Had I said that? So, we walked along for a while in silence, not looking at each other. I counted birds, listened to the murmur of the disciples' voices ahead, watched Maggie's ass move under her dress as she walked, not really enjoying the elegance of it. â€Å"Well, I, for one, feel better,† said Joshua finally. â€Å"Thanks for cheering me up.† â€Å"Glad to help,† I said. We arrived in Capernaum on the morning of the fifth day after leaving Bethany. Peter and the others had been preaching the good news to the people on the shore of Galilee and there was a crowd of perhaps five hundred people waiting for us. The tension had passed between Joshua and me and the rest of the journey had been pleasant, if for no other reason than we got to hear Maggie laugh and tease us. My jealousy of Joshua returned, but somehow it wasn't bitter. It was more like familiar grief for a distant loss, not the sword-in-the-heart, rending-of-flesh agony of a heartbreak. I could actually leave the two of them alone and talk to other people – think of other things. Maggie loved Joshua, that was assured, but she loved me as well, and there was no way to divine how that might manifest. By following Joshua we had already divorced ourselves of the expectations of normal existence. Marriage, home, family: they were not part of the life we had chosen, Joshua made that clear to all of his disciples. Yes, some of them were married, and some even preached with their wives at their sides, but what set them apart from the multitudes who would follow Joshua was that they had stepped off the path of their own lives to spread the Word. It was to the Word that I lost Maggie, not to Joshua. As exhausted as he was, as hungry, Joshua preached to them. They had been waiting for us and he wouldn't disappoint them. He climbed into one of Peter's boats, rowed out from the shore far enough for the crowd to be able to see him, and he preached to them about the kingdom for two hours. When he had finished, and had sent the crowd on their way, two newcomers waited among the disciples. They were both compact, strong-looking men in their mid-twenties. One was clean-shaven and wore his hair cut short, so that it formed a helmet of ringlets on his head; the other had long hair with his beard plaited and curled in the style I had seen on some Greeks. Although they wore no jewelry, and their clothes were no more fancy than my own, there was an air of wealth about them both. I thought it might have been power, but if it was, it wasn't the self-conscious power of the Pharisees. If nothing else, they were self-assured. The one with the long hair approached Joshua and kneeled before him. â€Å"Rabbi, we've heard you speak of the coming of the kingdom and we want to join you. We want to help spread the Word.† Joshua looked at the man for a long time, smiling to himself, before he spoke. He took the man by the shoulders and lifted him. â€Å"Stand up. You are welcome, friends.† The stranger seemed baffled. He looked back at his friend, then at me, as if I had some answer to his confusion. â€Å"This is Simon,† he said, nodding toward his friend. â€Å"My name is Judas Iscariot.† â€Å"I know who you are,† Joshua said. â€Å"I've been waiting for you.† And so we became fifteen: Joshua, Maggie, and me; Bartholomew, the Cynic; Peter and Andrew, John and James, the fishermen; Matthew, the tax collector; Nathaniel of Cana, the young nitwit; Philip and Thaddeus, who had been followers of John the Baptist; Thomas the twin, who was a loony; and the Zealots, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot. Fifteen went out into Galilee to preach the Holy Ghost, the coming of the kingdom, and the good news that the Son of God had arrived.

Philosophy Epistemology Essay

Epistemology is one of the very important branches of philosophy. It is also known as the knowledge theory. The knowledge theory consists of three questions; â€Å"What is the origin of knowledge? What is the reliability of knowledge? & What is the criteria of knowledge? † Rene Descartes and John Locke really looked into epistemology and both had different theories to approach it. John Locke looked at empiricism and Rene Descartes looked at rationalism. John Locke was an English philosopher and formed his opinion around empiricism. Empiricism is an approach to doing philosophy stressing experience as the in road to all knowledge. The human being is a blank slate to him. Locke was a moderate skeptic, who doubted until valid proof was given to substantiate truth claims of a demonstrative and sensitive nature. The foundations of knowledge functioned in the following manner according to Locke. The human being takes in the external world through sensation (the five senses) and gives form to the experiential data through the processes of reflection. To Locke, intuitive knowledge is the most trustworthy because we automatically recognize the agreement or disagreement of ideas without the intervention of a â€Å"proof†. His criterion of knowledge depended on the force and intensity with which someone perceives either agreement or disagreement between ideas. So for example, we know that 2+3=5. We also know that 2+3 does not equal 7. Locke, unlike Descartes, argues against innate ideas. However, Locke believes that we are all born with the ability to acquire knowledge through the organization of sensate data by the cognitive capacities and capabilities we possess at birth, which are innate to the human. Descartes had a different view of epistemology. He argued for rationalism. Rationalism is an approach to philosophy that employs â€Å"pure reason† to acquire instances of fundamental truth. In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes comes up with three fundamental truths by way of pure reason. The first fundamental truth is â€Å"I think, therefore I exist. † This fundamental truth establishes for Descartes the â€Å"essence† of the human being in his philosophy, as the â€Å"thing that thinks. † He is reflecting on himself as the â€Å"object of deception† and reasons that despite being deceived, as long as he can think about it, he exists. Having a clear perception of the fundamental truths can guarantee they can be trusted with absolute certainty and cannot ever be false. The three fundamental truths (self, god, & mathematics) are examples of innate knowledge, or truths that all humans are born with given to by God. Descartes says we can discover these truths through the Meditations, by way of doing philosophy, but we do not pursue these in the same manner we pursue other forms of knowledge such as science. The dream argument is aimed at the external world. It says that â€Å"I often have perceptions very much like the ones I have while I’m dreaming. There are no definite signs to distinguish dream experience from wake experience, so it is possible that I am dreaming right now and all my perceptions are false. † In my opinion, I think that John Locke’s position on empiricism is more philosophically sound to me. Just to re-cap, empiricism is an approach to doing philosophy stressing experience as the in road to all knowledge. The human being as a blank slate really makes sense to me. We automatically know that we can agree or disagree without having to have proof to go along with it. I think that sense experience is always the starting point to knowledge. I think in order to learn something in life you have to experience it first. You can’t just go out and expect the knowledge to be in your brain for no reason. For example, how would you know what the color blue looks like if you were born blind? You would need to use your senses to try and understand what the color is. God couldn’t just put it in your mind because it’s something that you just need to see. Also, you can learn from the experiences you go through. If you do something and it ends up being wrong, then you learn from that experience and how you can go about it differently next time. In my opinion, rationalism has some defects that would make it harder to understand philosophically. A rationalist comes to believe that knowledge is a lot like math. So pretty much, it is knowledge that comes before experience. Something that you already know, but have never experienced before. I think that is a bit problematic because how can you know something that you never experienced? Epistemology plays a big role in philosophy as does John Locke and Rene Descartes. They both have great views on epistemology looking at rationalism and empiricism. When thinking about rationalism, we know that knowledge can be acquired through reason alone and that we don’t need experience. But when thinking about empiricism, we know that we learn through our experiences as a person. Justifying truth as a philosopher, I would agree more with Locke’s view on empiricism. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that you need experience to learn, and to grow as a person.

Incentive Plans

Companies’ presidents, CEOs, and managers for decades have used incentives to attract, reward, and retain employees. Dessler (2011) recognizes that most employees receive salary or hourly wage as well as other incentives (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) reports a variety of incentive plans ranging from piecework plans to the earning at risk pay plans (Dessler, 2011). While there are many incentive plans that can be discussed, this paper will only highlight the advantages and disadvantages of merit pay as an incentive and profit sharing plans.Merit Pay  Dessler (2011) defines merit pay as a salary increase awarded based on performance and becomes part of the employees’ base pay salary (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) asserts that merit pay has advocates who argues that rewards tied to performance can motivate performance and detractors claim that merit pay undermine teamwork and misconception of pay as a whole (Dessler, 2011). As Dessler (2011) defines merit pay with adv ocates and detractors other authors such as Longenecker and Goff (1992) uses the term performance appraisal instead of merit pay.Longenecker and Goff (1992) states that merit pay or performance appraisal is believed to be effective by managers and subordinates because it help clarify employee input about his or her job (Longenecker and Goff, 1992). At the same time, both managers and subordinates viewed merit plans as ineffective for linking pay to performance, ineffective for improving motivation and performance as well as ineffective for managers and subordinates working relationship (Longenecker and Goff, 1992).While Longenecker and Goff (1992) referred to merit pay more as performance appraisal others such as Hayes (1999) questions incentive programs altogether. In the article ‘Pros & Cons of Pay for Performance’ the author claims that no one really knows if incentive programs truly work (Hays, 1999). This article further asserts that incentive programs such as this plan create competitiveness that is not necessarily best for a company (Hays, 1999). This article proposes that rewards control behavior through seduction, that it ruins relationships, create competitiveness, that it reduces risk taking, creativity, and  innovation (Hays, 1999).Profit Sharing Plans Profit sharing plans are incentive plans where employees receive a share of a company’s annual profits (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) asserts that there is ample evidence that profit sharing plans boost productivity, but the effects on profits is insignificant once one factor in costs (Dessler, 2011). In fact, the article ‘Profit-Sharing Plans Work’ the author proposes that cash profits are the best way to let employees know that they are important to the company and profit sharing is a tool that could turn the country around (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988).Further, the article emphasizes how workers worry less about management receiving massive profits at the ex pense of the employees’ earnings and for management it provides a financial cushion that limits losses in economic downturns (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988). All the while, this article argues that profit sharing plans where proceeds go into retirement funds instead of employees’ pockets fail to motivate and improve performance (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988).In any case, this article suggests that company morale can be damaged when upper management or salaried employees are the only participants in the profit sharing plans of the company (Profit-Sharing Plans Work, 1988). Yet, Flesher (1993) article describes the profit sharing plans as the type of contribution plans that enables employees to share in accumulated profits of the company, and it is divided among the participants on a pro rata basis based on the participants and the total income of all participants in the plans (Flesher, 1993).Such plans offer the advantages of immediate tax deductions for corporatio n and no immediate tax payable by the employee (Flesher, 1993). Nevertheless, Hays (1999) questions the use of incentive programs for improving performance and asks the question: why do so many companies claim that incentive programs administered effectively or improve company performance? Hays (1999) reports in his article that personal recognition can be more motivational than money, clearly the times have changed because it is this author’s opinion that people are first motivated by monetary reward, then material reward, and then personal recognition.Conclusion Dessler (2011) describes individual incentive programs as performance based pay and team based incentives as performance pay for the team, as variable pay pays a group for its productivity (Dessler, 2011). Dessler (2011) continued by describing the various types of incentive pay plans ranging from the piecework plan to the earning at risk pay plans (Dessler, 2011). After analyzing some of the authors’ article and this author concluded that incentives are not just for the employees but for the employers as well.Pay incentives such as the merit pay plans and the profit sharing plans can be used as tools in an effective manner to increase productivity for a company, but as for motivational purposed for the employees, this could be in some ways for some employees a positive thing and for other employees a negative thing.Also, when asked the question 🙠 do profit sharing plans improve performance?), people like Hays (1999) seem to think that personal recognition can be more motivational than money. While people like Flesher (1993) seem to think that merit pay and profit sharing offers advantages of immediate tax deductions for corporation and no immediate tax payable by the employee (Flesher, 1993). Last, incentive pay has been and will always continue to be used in corporate America as a tool to attract, reward, and retain employees.