Mayan Civilization and ruins

Since the dawn of mankind, there has always been civilizations have that have made a lasting impression on the world. There very few civilizations that have been that have achieved the term greatness associated with it and ‘Mayan civilization’ is one of the rare few. It can be dubbed as one of the longest serving civilizations of the ancient times as it is noted that it started around 1000 B.C but ended by 1500 A.D. It was considered as they were one of the most advance civilizations on the western hemisphere until the arrival of the Europeans. This civilization was located in Central America and was found from the north central down to the southern part of Mexico. This was a civilization that went through periodical changes in its living due to external factors associated with it. This Native American culture is noted in the history as one of the advance civilizations of that era. There has been a popular belief that has been associated with the Mayan civilization that it was an amalgamated empire. In actual terms it was a whole host of divided units having a common cultural background. The entire ‘Yucantan Pennisula’ had around 20 states which were all ruled by different sovereign leadership, but on an inventive logic, they were a nation on their own with religion being an important aspect of their lives. Since the Mayan civilization was spread on a large area, the geographical conditions for the civilization varied with extremities, which can adjudged from the fact they had volcanic mountains from the highlands in the south to porous limestone areas dominating the central and the northern regions of the civilization. Mayan civilization can be categorized into three categories, pre-classic period, classic period and post classic period. The entire culture has revolved and evolved around these three periods. The civilization had huge forests and because of the diversity of the topographical situation of the civilization, varied no of animals like the ‘caiman’, a fierce kind of crocodile to different kinds of monkeys was found. Mayan pre classic period This was supposed to be the period of formulation in which the population boomed and new innovative techniques were made for agriculture. The leaders were chosen from strong spiritual backgrounds and it was considered as that the lowlands of the civilization held acute importance because it was supposed to be a ceremonial centre. The following will explain the Mayan professional inclinations and techniques: ‘In the Preclassic period, they adopted intensive farming techniques such as continuous cultivation involving crop rotation and fertilizers, household gardens, and terraces. In some areas, they built raised fields in seasonal swamps. Their main crops included maize (corn), beans, squash, avocados, chili peppers, pineapples, papayas, and cacao, which was made into a chocolate drink with water and hot chilies. Rabbits, deer, and turkeys were hunted for making stews. Fishing also supplied part of their diet. Turkeys, ducks, and dogs were kept as domesticated animals. When they were not hunting, fishing, or in the fields, Maya men made stone tools, clay figurines, jade carvings, ropes, baskets, and mats. The women made painted pottery vessels out of coiled strands of clay, and they wove ponchos, men’s loincloths’ (Encarta) Mayans were very much influenced by spirituality and had gods for almost every thing that even included gods for rains, good harvest. As time passed by the study of astronomy became popular in that era leading to studies of astrology on the basis of sun moon and other planets. Major edifices were constructed then like ‘kaminaljuyu’ and ‘tikal’ were constructed which were pyramid shaped high temples, where the system of sacrifice was started to be used. More and more massive pyramids started building in that era and the priests started enjoying super powers. Women weren’t that important from political point of view and it was a very rare sight to see women on top chieftain positions. Mayan Classic period This was an era of the Mayan civilization that can be considered as its prime era and here the system of king and kingship started which had a system of the king’s family continuing as future leaders. There was also a hierarchical system in which the government functioned.   There was major research done in the field of medicine and writing was developed extensively. The subject of astronomy had become more enhance with calculative movements predicting rains to fortune to the cities.   This was the time when societies had turned into complex models the king was noted the highest figure after which there were the priests and then the nobles who mainly responsible for protecting land and attacking enemies. This was the time of more gore and violence and mini wars were constantly waged between one and other. What mad this era special was the Mayan civilization themselves started noting rituals and their history with their elaborative writing skills. The transition of power from generations to ethical rituals along with its architectural secrets was all jotted down on stone and wood. Later on folding tree books were made as they were more handy then carrying stones. Due to the high humidity and invasions, these books didn’t survive and only 4 books are known today, i.e., the Dresden codex, the Madud coded, the Paris codex and the Grolier codex. The learning also was limited to mostly priests and few nobles and a monopoly was played so that only few people could learn and use their knowledge on others. The writing also consisted of mostly pictures and pictography was first devised by Mayan civilization for learning purposes. This was also an important era that marked trade as an important aspect of the civilization. Sacrifice was an important aspect for the culture and the following would hard line the fact of Mayan civilizations involvement in sacrifices:‘Indian pictorial texts known as â€Å"codices,† as well as Spanish accounts from the time, quote Indians as describing multiple forms of human sacrifice. Victims had their hearts cut out or were decapitated, shot full of arrows, clawed, sliced to death, stoned, crushed, skinned, buried alive or tossed from the tops of temples. Children were said to be frequent victims, in part because they were considered pure and unspoiled. The first researchers tried to make a distinction between the ‘peaceful' Maya and the ‘brutal' cultures of central Mexico and But in carvings and mural paintings, he said, â€Å"we have now found more and greater similarities between the Aztecs and Mayas,† including a Maya ceremony in which a grotesquely costumed priest is shown pulling the entrails from a bound and apparently living sacrificial victim’ (Mark Stevenson). Mayan post Classic period This can be considered as a time when the decline of the Mayan civilization started step by step. Since the governments had become much segmented, there was more violence and war during that phase, where entire villages would get destroyed in the name of war. There was also the Toltec domination followed by Spanish invaders taking over Mexico by the early 16th century.   This was however the phase of having plastered walls and painted murals. Socially the civilization had peaked and it was mandatory for guests to bring in gifts while visits. Slave culture flourished in this era and slaves which were mostly people who were captured from wars were highly mistreated and often sacrificed after their masters dies, as they had an ideology that they would serve their masters in afterlife. Mayan Ruins Ruins of Mayan civilization can still be found it the entire peninsula. Their culture had so many architectural advancements that it is today possible to watch quiet a lot of their ruins and gather more information about them. Ruins like ‘the temple of the inscriptions’ in Mexico and the ‘palenque’ are very prominent ruins of the civilization. The former rises 75 feet and it is rested neatly over a hill and is one of the prime examples free standing pyramids. Another site in Mexico located in Coba, was built around 4 large lake structures and had been inhabitant for more than thousand years. The biggest pyramid of that site 120 feet and is known as Nohoch Mul. The following piece will explain the beauty and architectural genius of the civilization: ‘Miguel à ngel Asturias, named Nobel Laureate in 1967, wrote â€Å"Only Guatemala is comparable to itself,† describing it as â€Å"a land of natural dreamscapes†¦mysterious presences and absences.† Tikal, the largest known Mayan city, is incomparable in the same way; its size imposing and intimidating, its setting lush and teeming with wildlife, and with a mysterious and overwhelming atmosphere best described in the writing of Asturias’ Works Cited: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Encarta, â€Å" Mayan civilization†. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mark Stevenson, â€Å"Evidence may back human sacrifice claims†. http://www.livescience.com/history/human_sacrifice_050123.html 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maya Ruins, â€Å"Photos of Tikal†. http://www.mayaruins.com/tikal.html 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://archaeology.about.com/od/archaeologic7/Ruins_of_the_Maya_Civilization.htm                     

Juice Bar and Boost Juice Essay

Channels differentiation is their expertise and performance in their field. An advantage in people differentiation is when a particular business will employ only the best people fitted for the job, who may be trained particularly for that role in order to efficiently set out their duties and image differentiation is when a company will set themselves apart with for example, a logo or a slogan so consumers will recognize such and know that brand name. Boost Juice Vibe club card, image, Boost Juice, viewed 5 April 2012, < http://www. oostjuice. com. au/vibe>. Boost Juice Vibe club card, image, Boost Juice, viewed 5 April 2012, < http://www. boostjuice. com. au/vibe>. Through product differentiation, Boost have been able to set themselves apart from the competition with their healthy products with fresh fruits and vegetables in their drinks. By doing so Boost have been able to target the healthy conscious consumers as well as those who are trying to be healthier. Using the f resh produce it also provides consumers with daily nutritional intake but with a great taste. With all this freshness Boost are still able to compete with brands such as Easyway with their prices being roughly the same. Boost Juice has differentiated through their services by the use of taking people’s names with their orders to make it a much more friendlier environment. Boost is also able to channel their services to fit each customer with their specific orders. With people differentiation Boost hires many young employees around their late teens to twenties in order for a more friendly and relaxed surrounding. With image differentiation, Boost is well known for their right green Styrofoam cups. The colour green also links them to the fresh quality of their products. Using these differentiation variables, Boost is able to have a competitive advantage over its competitors in the market, providing great service with their freshness all packed into their well-known green cups. The six major forces in the company’s macroenvironment are: * Demographic * Economic * N atural * Technological * Political * Cultural The factors that may affect Boost Juice are demographic, economic, and natural. The demographic environment is the human population and changes in this area can affect Boost through its target market. Boost Juice bars are usually located in shopping centres, which will attract all different kinds of people. A lot of Boosts consumers tend to be the younger adults who spend a lot of their time in shopping centres. It is a comparative advantage that Boost Juice has in their location, choosing a widely populated area such a shopping centre where lots of people go instead of on a strip of street where less people will go. Consumers look at the convenience of a shopping centre to be able to purchase all their needs and wants in one place. The economic environment involves the powers that will affect consumers and their choice to purchase and spend. The recent recession saw that consumers were more restricted on their spending behavior, cutting back on goods that were seen as unnecessary. Another factor is income; people who earn more are more likely to spend more so the working sector will be attracted to Boost as they have the spending power to indulge in a healthy drink. Changes in economic factors such as interest rates will also play a role in Boost’s successfulness in the market. If interest rates rise, households will need to set aside more money to pay of their debts and will spend less of wants. Consumers will rather save money and not spend it on Boost Juice drinks and instead drink water instead. So negative impacts on the economy will affect Boost Juice and their business. The natural environment includes the natural resources that will affect the businesses supplies.

Organizational Health and Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Health and Safety - Essay Example Harris (2007) proposes preventive OHS strategies that can be used to provide to an employee-friendly environment in modern organizations. He proposes that the best strategy to control risk factors in the working environment is to institute mitigation measures as a pro-active action to guarantee employee safety, rather than compensate them while they risk their lives. In his view, this would include protective clothing for technical personnel, gas masks for individual working in environments with chemical gases and chemical treatment of gases before their release.The government in many states has instituted government policies to regulate pollution and the health and safety issues that arise within organizations as a strategy of protecting the community. In the UK, the British non-departmental civic body provided regulations to safeguard the health of the employees in their occupations.Other OHS activists have suggested an integrated strategy that includes risk mitigation and employee compensation to ensure a healthy working environment (Andonakis & Loosemore, 2006). Â   In conclusion, Organizational Health and Safety has become a major concern for the human resource management in most of the states. The changes in the working environment have resulted from the incentives of companies to integrate technology in every business aspect, hence bringing a whole new environment in the workplace. It has predisposed certain groups of employees to higher risks of suffering from injury or illnesses resulting from the environment they work in.... In the last 30 years, industrial revolution has become evident in most parts of the world including UK (Holmes & Gifford, 2002); most countries have engaged in industrial development as a strategy to develop their economic status by providing cost effective goods and providing employment for the majority of employees. The industries have attracted many employees in the diverse departments of the organization and the economic benefit that has resulted from this kind of trend cannot be undermined. However, this has brought a new challenge to the employees’ health and safety welfare due to the environmental impact of these industries. For instance, petroleum industries have become a great threat not only to the health of employees but to the world at large. The emissions associated with these companies contain a lot of harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and sulfur-dioxide which is known for their atmospheric pollution. This has become a demotivation for employees in this secto r and their withdrawal has had adverse effects on productivity of these companies. In brief, changes in the industrial sector has changed the working environment, exposing its employees to toxic gases that may are hazardous to their lives. Another change that has impacted on the health and safety issues in the work environment is the introduction of sophisticated technology in the workplace. The investment of many companies in the IT technology has been emphasized due to the technological demands of the dynamic market conditions. It is indisputable that introduction of this technology has come along with numerous merits in the transformation of service efficiency. With implementation of LAN technology it is possible for managers to

Clinical Chemistry Practical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Clinical Chemistry Practical - Essay Example The supernatant was neutralized with 3.2M K2CO3. After recentrifugation, the glucose fraction was extracted from the second supernatant by rapid sequential anion and cation exchange chromatography . The fraction containing glucose was dried before derivatization . The 297-to-299 ionic ratio responses were calculated in terms of isotopic enrichments using a standard curve made up from a known enrichment of glucose solutions. The diagnosis is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Three key features of diabetic ketoacidosis are hyperglycemia, ketosis, and acidosis. The conditions that cause these metabolic abnormalities overlap. DKA is defined as an increase in the serum concentration of ketones greater than 5 mEq/L, a blood glucose level of greater than 250 mg/dL (although it is usually much higher),blood pH of less than 7.2, and a bicarbonate level of 18 mEq/L or less. DKA usually occurs as a consequence of absolute or relative insulin deficiency that is accompanied by an increase in counter-regulatory hormones (ie, glucagon, cortisol, growth hormone, epinephrine). This type of hormonal imbalance enhances hepatic gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, and lipolysis. Hepatic gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis secondary to insulin deficiency, and counter-regulatory hormone excess result in severe hyperglycemia, while lipolysis increases serum free fatty acids.

This is an individual assignment in two parts (1 and 2). Part 1 - 1

This is an individual in two parts (1 and 2). Part 1 focuses on a critical review of a published academic article on - Assignment Example There are many ways on how students can effectively evaluate the validity and credibility of each article published online. Aside from examining the rationale behind the needs to conduct a research study, it is necessary to critically analyze the main argument presented in the paper and originality of the research study (Colorado State University 2011). In line with this, whether or not the author has a bias conclusion can be noted by considering not only the personal background and credibility of the author but also the research evidences presented in the appendixes. With regards to the validity of the information gathered in the research study, it is best to check the date of each article, books, or website listed in the bibliography or reference page. Likewise, students should take note that reading materials gathered more than 10 years ago is often considered out-dated not unless the author is pertaining to information that happened in the past. Other than critically analyzing th e valid literature, charts and graphs that strongly supports the argument presented in the study, the credibility of the author in terms of his/her expertise in the field of study should also be considered (Colorado State University 2011). About the Author Wei Song is currently working as assistant professor at the School of Business Economics at Thompson Rivers University in Canada. Her educational background includes: PhD in Management at the University of Edinburgh in UK, MSc in Management Science by Research at the University of Edinburgh in UK, MBA at Frostburg State University in US, and BA at East China Normal University in Shanghai China (Thompson Rivers University 2011). As an assistant professor, she is teaching MBA courses related to strategic management, financial management, marketing management, strategic marketing, advanced marketing management, directed research project, project management, organizational behaviour, international business and research design among ot her subjects offered in BBA courses (Colorado State University 2011). Aside from having written a long-list of publications, she is also affiliated with the International Journal of Management and Business as editorial board and honorary advisory board member, the American Collegiate Retailing Association (ACRA), International Academy of Management and Business, and Journal of Academy of Business and Economics as a member of review board (ibid). This increases the author’s credibility in writing the article being examined in this paper. Critic on Published Article Title and Publication Date of the Article There is no problem with regards to the publication date of the article being examined. Since the article will be published on February 2011, this article is up-to-date. With regards to the article’s title, it is aligned with the research topic and purpose of the study. Thus, it gives a clear direction about what the readers would expect in the study. Abstract The abs tract is clear and specific in terms of discussing the purpose of the study, the research method, the sample population and the site where the primary research was conducted. The abstract also provided the readers with a clear overview with regards to the significance of the research findings to future research studies. Since the research abstract was written in 175 words, this section did not discuss the research findings and conclusion. The abstract also failed to mention the implications, limitations and future direction of the

Family on Film Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Family on Film - Movie Review Example Atticus is a lawyer who does not bend his ideals and principles. Though everyone was discouraging him to defend a black man—because he is already guilty by the mere color of his skin, he was determined to prove the innocence of Tom. Although it was a very unpopular decision, a white man defending a black man accused of raping a white woman, Atticus stuck by his principles; undeterred by the social pressures caused by his unpopular decision. Although he successfully defended Tom and proved his innocence yet lost the case, his social defiance sent a very powerful message to his children. Unlike Atticus, Antonio of â€Å"The Bicycle Thief† was someone who wanted to stay true to his principles but failed to do so due to social pressures. Like Atticus and all decent fathers, Antonio also wanted to provide for his family to the best of his capacity. That is why the bicycle is symbolic in so many ways—income, dreams, hope, escape, and security among others. But because Antonio was hard-pressed in all possible ways, he no longer could stand-by his morals. In the end, he opted to steal a bike, and ended up embarrassing himself not just in front of the whole community, but in front of his son.

Analyse a case of Georgia v Russian Federation Essay

Analyse a case of Georgia v Russian Federation - Essay Example At this time both Georgia and South Ossetia were basically Christian territories. As the time passed by, the increased intermarriages between residents of Georgia and South Ossetia resulted in emergence of autonomous groups which were multi-ethnic (Hafkin, 2009, pp. 222). The attack by Russia in 1990s ruined these relations and heightened political unrest between Russia and Georgia that would further result into a series of incidents that resulting into loss of lives, displacement of people and massive destruction of properties (Nichol, 2008, pp. 4-5). In the case, the question of which of the two states invaded the territories of the other and for what reasons has been a hard one to define. Historically, South Ossetia declared itself an independent state from Georgia in 1990s, this is the incident that led into a civil war between Georgia and South Ossetia militants that lasted for at least three years and led to thousands of deaths and thousands of displacements before an agreement was reached by these two nations in 1992 (Nichol, 2008, pp. 4; Hafkin, 2009, pp. 222). Was Georgia responsible for these deaths or was it Russia? Russia had a stake in the 1991 war since Russia provided South Ossetia with the necessary arms and mercenaries to fight Georgia. Who was responsible for the deaths and displacement of thousand people? Both Russia and Georgia fully participated in war in one way or another. This did not end here. After reaching a peace agreement between the three states, there still existed tensions between Russia and Georgia . People from Georgia and Ossetia had to live with mistrust amongst them for Georgia viewed South Ossetia as a tool of Russians to destroy them (Nichol, 2008, pp. 5). According to Toal (2008, pp. 1-2), it is clearly evident that Russia led South Ossetia into a retaliatory fight against Georgia that resulted into numerous damage all over Georgian State. This conflict

The News Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

The News Corporation - Case Study Example Especially, in this year TNC acquired the film company Twentieth Century Fox. The acquisition was drawn attention since it provided the company with access to studios for making films and television programmes, to a film library and to a distribution platform which created opportunities for TNC develop and expand its businesses to a multinational, multimedia company at the forefront of global marketing. From then on, TNC became a citizen of the global village. On Feb 5th 1989 TNC launched Sky Television in the UK, a direct-to-home (DTH) satellite broadcasting television network. Satellite broadcasting provided the opportunity for broadcaster to increase the footprint (distribution) of any channel, allowing the distribution of programs to more than one country for the first time. It was seen of great importance for the media industry in term of distribution channel. In the 1990's the economy was slowing down and banks worldwide experienced a liquidity crisis. TNC experienced a bad performance from Ansett Airlines and Twentieth Century Fox. The investment of new printing equipment for the UK resulted in a financial gap. Due to that fact, it was realized that the company needed restructuring to repay all loans. There were a number of key issues with regard to recovering the company: After experiencing Strengthening the company's balance sheet Improving and expanding existing businesses Building new businesses Nurturing and guiding of company's products Strategic planning, examining opportunities around the world After experiencing bad performance in its business and restructuring of the company, TNC has endlessly expanded its business throughout the world and notably as early as 1993,TNC moved into Asia with the acquisition of the Hong Kong-based satellite TV company Star TV, which broadcasts free-to-air over China, India and other 51 other countries. These markets were seen potential for TNC in a long run as they cover around 2/3 of the world's population. 1995 TNC joined with 3 other television, programming, and distribution groups to create a satellite service covering Latin America. This showed joint venture and alliances are in strategic choices of TNC which can help the company be better off in a long run and a beneficial for the parties involved and can offer more values for the customer. 2000 TNC restructured all its satellite interests into a new entity named Sky Global so as to enable the management team to build on the successes of BSkyB and to migrate those to the other satellite platforms of Sky Global.With regard to parenting, TNC was the creation of one man. Rupert Murdoch has been the chief executive since 1953. He is the driving force and most major decisions are made by him. His management style was supplemented by an extremely efficient reporting system. The business is built on Rupert Murdoch's Empire and his vision, ruthlessness and daring. He maintains control of his businesses by looking outside of the business to the regulatory environment that might constrain his activities. Besides that, Murdoch was affected by national regulatory systems and his political friendships have brought him influence in this area. In addition, his personal politics are right

Sales Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Sales Management - Essay Example There is a growing body of evidences that argue about the nature of sales ethics and claims in to be oxymoron; however, another school of thought believe that sales ethics are practically followed within the business world and opposes the impression that these are only formal expressions of the company values to built its better image3. The following essay aims to discuss the general conception about the sales ethics that deem them as oxymoron. In this regard, the essay also explores different situations where the sales personnel have to decide whether to practically follow the described ethical values and principles of their company or prefer the interest of company in terms of increasing sales volume. The essay basically opposes the notion that sales ethics are oxymoron and provides the arguments to support this standpoint. The essay strives to explain how sales ethics can act beyond the formal descriptions to support the products and companies’ image. At present there are large inspections about the companies’ business that puts pressure upon them to fulfil the ethical requirements and follow the basic ethical principles. These principles ought to be straight forward, reasonable and clear so that the companies could deliver the same values to the customers. The companies are expected to respect these values because it is generally accepted notion that the societies giving due attention and value to these principles can prosper and develop significantly. Hence, the issue of the fulfilment of the ethical values becomes very important in this scenario and the companies have to draw a clear line between the theory and practice of the ethical values4. The customers of today’s technology driven world have more choices in front of them as compared with the consumers of the past. The international availability of products options have made them more demanding and

Critically evaluate evidence obtained from a range of sources Essay

Critically evaluate evidence obtained from a range of sources demonstrating how it can inform practice - Essay Example In Wales, the National Health Services (NHS) holds the mandate of providing a functional framework that guides the entire social and health sector address the health needs of all the different groups. NHS also sets the required standards of health care that the people of Wales should enjoy (National Service Frameworks, 2012:1). The organization came into place in order to address the issue of inconsistency that had prevailed concerning the availability of and access to healthy care. Therefore, the organization has the special mandate of ensuring that a level of consistency does exist. In order to make its goals a success, the body sets up assessment measures of determining the rate at which the departments and organizations involved meet their goals. Moreover, NHS has multiple programs that foster implementation of its goals. Upon defining the desired health standards, it becomes easy for the body to recognize and address the issues that arise (Pierson, 2011:243). However, despite it s efforts, the organization lacks the capacity of handling all the health issues of the people of Wales (Pierson, & Thomas, 2010:185). The government of Welsh government has monitors and regulates the care delivery systems to its people (Welsh Government, ‘Bill’, 2012:20). It does this by designing policies, setting of standards, and inspection of service delivery programs and provision of funding to the local authorities. An independent committee looks into the delivery of social services in Wales and presents reports on the areas that need improvement (Independent Commission, 2010:8). According to recent statistics, a third of people in Wales live with a permanent condition reducing the quality of life that they lead. Moreover, a fifth of the entire population had disability issues in 2010 and the prevalence keeps increasing. Other researches indicated that the chances of disability increased with age. This translates to the fact that the

Cyclical Political Theory Essay Example for Free

Cyclical Political Theory Essay Personally, I subscribe to the opinion that what we have in this world is a necessary connection between things. Technically, something can not come out of nothing. Actions are interrelated and whether we accept it or not, they overlap. Thus, I accept George Modelski’s position in his cyclical political theory. However for me, this principle is not only limited to only political events but all areas of life. In the case of World War I and World War II, I hold the position that both of them are not two separate political events. Why do I hold this claim? The truth is that if we look at both events critically, one would see that both wars are one and the same, only that it was fought in different locations and at different years. I provide the reasons for my position below. To begin with, the issues that surrounded the war are one and the same. The Germans wanted to dominate Europe and knew that to achieve this, they had to root out some other powerful nations like France, Britain, Russia and America. The German leaders also felt threatened by the expansion of Russia and wanted to root them out before they could overshadow the Germans. Furthermore, both of them were between colonial Lords. Apart from this, both wars was a scenario where the good guys are trying to stop the bad guys – the Allies being the good guys while Germany and their alliance being the bad guys. In both wars, we see elements of ideological propagation where one party wanted to feed their ideas to the other party. Summarily, I believe that the world war two was just a way of bringing what could have been brought to an end in World War I to an end. It involved the same set of people who were fight for the same cause and wanted to achieve the same results. Reference: †¢ Microsoft Encarta Dictionary 2008, â€Å"World War I†. †¢ Colby University Website, â€Å"German Responsibility for the Outbreak of the War† Retrieved August 5, 2008 from http://www. colby. edu/personal/r/rmscheck/GermanyC1. html †¢ Daniel Pipes, â€Å"Similarities in treason during World War II, the Cold War, and now† Retrieved from http://www. danielpipes. org/comments/11660 August 5

The Introduction To Argos And Amazon Information Technology Essay

The Introduction To Argos And Amazon Information Technology Essay This report has been prepared regarding the operations of Argos and argos.com and it will look at their operational processes and also with discussed in details the theory of capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain management, performance measurements and total quality management and will look at the chosen organizations with relation to above mention theories. Operational management is the process of effectively managing resources and converting them into final goods and services to offer to the customers, the process of operational include all the management of all the resources which are used in the manufacturing of goods and services to used them effectively for the better result and achievement of goals for the organization. In this assignment the operational management processes of two organizations Argos and Amazon.com will be look into with details and they efficiency regarding the operations will be discuss to see how they manage their operations to provide better goods and services to the customers. Argos is one of the U.K leading retailer and it provide customers different goods, the company was establish in 1973 and now it is part of Home Retail Group, which is UKs leading home and general merchandise retailer. Argos, has nationwide network of over 670 stores coupled with its many ways to shop via catalogue, online and in store allows customers to mix and match from the full range of selection, order, pickup and delivery. The Argos retail experience is also made more convenient with home delivery, the innovative check and reserve and text and take home services, and the in-store Quick Pay kiosks, enabling consumers to make the best use of their free time. According to an HPI tracking study running from January to March 2006, 96% of customers would recommend Argos to a friend. Moreover some research agencies has issued interesting figures about retail sector businesses like Argos, Tesco and Asda. According to new Nielsen Online figures, Argos held its number two ranking above Tesco and below Amazon, with a 32% year-on-year growth in the number of UK visitors to 8.2m (homeretailgroup.com) Argos has supply chain management system which is very effective it provide the services through its catalogue system which allows the user to check the item without visiting the store and finding the best product their looking for and booking it online and collecting it either from the store or by home delivery. Argos also has a very effective distribution channels which enable them to have outlets on different locations so the customers can visit the stores and select the items from either looking at the catalogue or at their online system and making the payment on the system and just collect the items they want to purchase which reduces the time which usually customers have to face in order to buy the item because of this effective management of the Argos supply chain and distribution channels the users can get their items less than the time which they will take in other stores which is one of the reason of Argos success. Amazon.com:- Amazon was first establish as a book selling website in 1995 but diversify itself to selling other items such as DVDs, appliances, video games and other electronic goods it also provide the users and option to download some of its item instead of waiting to received it on mail. Amazon.com work on the basis of e-commerce providing its customers different facilities to use for their shopping and its simply a website for online shopping and provides latest items to different customers according to their needs. The features provide by amazon.com are: Reviews By Customers:- Amazon.com provide the customers to review any item they have bought from the website and rank it on the scale from 1 to 5 stars and also discuss what they think about the product this feature enables the other buyers understand the product help them make their decision regarding the product. The view are check by amazon.com to avoid any false information provided by the users and amazon.com like to post both good and bad reviews about the item for the convenient of their customers and to make them understand about each aspect of the product. Content Search:- This is one of the most useful tool provide by amazon.com for its users, the content search tool allow the customers to search for a specific word or content in a book. This feature has been design for customers who wants to buy books regarding specific information this tool enable them to find out what books have the information required by them and show them a photo of the page from the book and sometime give a free preview of the book to its customers to help them decide whether it is the book or information they were looking for it not. Third Party Sellers:- Amazon.com also helps in selling product from third parties on their website by listing them at amazon.com and directs the customers to other sellers product according to their desired information needed. Amazon.con use a centralized payment system for all its users whether sellers or buyers and control and monitor it. Just like Argos the company Amazon.com also has a very effective supply chain management system which enables them to deliver the products desired by the customers on time, with their content search feature the customers get the chance to select their products. They also have an effective distribution system usually the customers who order from amazon.com get their delivery within 2 to 4 days which make the whole process of shopping very enjoyable for the customers. By using the principle of operational management both the companies Argos and Amazon.com have been proving the customer best service and which is one of the reason of the success of both companies that their users prefer to shop from them and also recommend them to their friends and family, the principle use by Argos and Amazon.com are the basic principle of operational management and if used correctly can result in success for any organization in the long run. Part B Capacity Planning:- Capacity planning is the process of determining the amount of work that an organization can do in any given time it is basically determines the capacity of the organization to meet the demands in the market which is always changing due to change in customer taste or in technology. Capacity planning is the crucial part of any organization operational management which determine the capacity of the firm to meet the demands of customers in the market as it will provide the organization the competitive advantage and better utilization of the resources of the organization. Capacity planning is part of the strategic planning of the organization and it provides them a guide to utilize the resources with full capacity and managing the organization resources effectively and making the organization a success. Inventory Management:- Inventory management system was already used in America and Japan it is the most important part of any organizations operation as organization need to maintain a sufficient level of inventory not only helps in the production processes but also it helps in meeting the demands of the market as the manufacturer needs to have sufficient level of stock to supply to the market. Maintaining sufficient level of stock whether raw material or finished products to supply to the market involve many costs such as maintaining cost, ordering costs and carrying cost handling these costs is also a part of a better inventory management system as it is the responsibility of the operations management to handle this processes they need to be sufficient enough to manage the processes of inventory handling efficiently. There are many inventory management systems available to help the management in this processes some of the famous systems are Economic Order Quantity and Just In Time inventory management which enables the managers to use the inventory effectively in the operations. A example of inventory management systems can be seen in the Sainsburys operations where they focus on the maintaining the inventory in the stores through computerized systems and whenever a item short on inventory the system automatically place the order for the new one and which arrive before the item ran out of stock thats been a major part of Sainsburys success. Supply Chain Management:- Supply chain management consist of managing the supplies of the organization efficiently to maintain the level of organization products and services, it not only consist of managing the suppliers but also consist of monitoring and controlling the activities associate with the production of the products and their effective management the process consist of many activities which are: Procurement. Customer service management. Physical distribution. Product development. With these activities an organization creates chain of values and add values in them for the customers and in the product as well which is why these are one of the important activities in the operational management process. An example can be seen in the case of Toyota where the company understands the importance of these activities and provide the customers with products with added value through not only their manufacturing processes but also through their distribution and customer relationship process also this is one of the reason that the company Toyota has grown over the years and its customers preferred to buy its car because they believe that they get value for money. Performance Measurement:- Performance measurement is the process which enables the organization to set the measurements to determine where they are in terms of goals and their achievement it gives the organization an overview of their current position and where they want to be in the future. It is a great way to control and measure the activities of any given department by measuring the actual performances to the target it gives them an idea about their performances and what improvements they need to make. Many organizations used this model in their employee appraisal as well to reward the employees who have achieved the tasks to motivate them also to identify the employees who are behind the tasks to ask them the reasons behind it and if there any help they need in order to achieve the tasks. The application of performance measurement is used at every level of the organization as it is a used for tool for the organization it helps them where they, How they will improve and such questions are answer through performance measurements therefore it is a useful tool. The example of companies using performances management can be seen in Sainsburys where the company not only measures the performances of its employees but also the performance of its store by sending mystery shoppers to the store and checking the budget performances of the stores and also doing performance appraisal for the employees as well. Total Quality Management:- Total quality management is a programme use by many firms to gain competitive advantages by providing the customers with best quality products and increasing their satisfaction, it is a philosophy of management which emphasis on continuous improvement in the quality of the product. The process of total quality management involves involve everyone working in an organization as it is believe that every one working is the organization is responsible for the continuous improvement of the product and services and it should not be consider the activity of only one department. In application of quality management can be seen in the case of sports direct where every employee working in the organization strives to provide best quality services to their customers not in terms of products but also in customers services which result in many customers preferring sports direct over the other sports shop, once a customer enter into the outlet of sports direct they get the feeling of somewhere really sports related from shelving to staff working there the sports fan get this feeling when they are shopping at sports direct because of their total quality control management and which result in many customers buying their sports related stuff from the company because they trust the name and the quality of sports direct which is because sports direct never disappointed them when they come to shop over there. Part C In this part of the assignment the application discuss above will be relate to the organizations or Argos and Amazon.com to see how these applications helps these companies to achieved their goals and objective and what competitive advantages the company are having due to each module and how they develop the companies strategies over the years. Argos:- The first organization that will be look in detail regarding the above mention theories will be Argos as it is the believe of many that these theories are working fine with Argos and they will be look one by one with operations of Argos. Capacity Planning at Argos:- As it has already been discuss how proper capacity planning helps an organization in its operations and proper planning of resources to achieve the goals set by the management. Being one of the biggest retailer of U.K Argos understand the importance of capacity planning and plan all its operations based on the proper planning of its resources as many customers can get the information about the product they want to buy from Argos website that where they will be available and if not available at one store where else they can find the item and how much quantities left to collect which enables the customers to know about the product and how much time they will have to wait to get their hand on the product. Due to this properly planning of capacity Argos has been having competitive advantage over its competitors and it also helps them in their marketing strategy by distributing their catalogue to the customers for free and providing the idea of items they can collect from the outlets of Argos. Inventory Management:- Inventory management has been one of the strong points of Argos operations as Argos has to hold many items in their inventory to meet the demands of customers they been keen on providing the products by different manufacturers to the customers. One of the unique features which is provided by Argos is that it provide the customers information about the products and their availability by providing them information is the item available for home delivery or if the item out of stock in one store which other store they can collect the item and it also provide them the option to reserved the item on their website if the item left has not much quantity so by reserving the item on the website the customers make sure that the item will not be sell by the time they reach they store and they can collect is because of this method of maintaining inventory the operational capacity of Argos can be seen and understand properly. Supply Chain Management:- Argos has many outlets all over U.K and supply the items to all the stores is not an easy job and Argos realized that but they overcome this problem but having a good chain of distribution channels and also by providing information about the product and its availability and also make sure that the customers will get their desired product on time and without having to wait much for the product, the distribution channel consist of both the supplies for stores and also for home deliveries as well to manage effective system of deliveries. Performance Measurements. The use performance evaluation techniques have been an integral part of any organization and Argos is no difference in fact using performance measurement has been a part of Argos success and it gave them an idea how the company is performing not only with the products but also with the customer satisfaction which make them realised the areas they need to make improvements and the areas where they are working fine can improve even more to provide better services to the customers. Total Quality Management:- Just like other features the total management concept has been also used by Argos under this principle the Argos staff has been trained to make them understand the role they play in the success of Argos and what they can do to improve the services at Argos even more. Argos not only emphasis on improving the quality of the services offer by the staff but also make sure that the products offers by Argos are of great quality and value to the customers as they know that making the customers happy is the most thing to do if a business wants to survive. Amazon.com:- Same like Argos the company Amazon.com also employed the principles discusses in part b of this assignment and will be look one by one. Capacity Planning:- Millions of customers visit amazon.com daily and do their shopping form the website due to which it is very important for the website amazon.com to provide their customers the best items they has to offer and keeping this thing in mind the company use their resources very well in term of proper capacity planning this can be seen by looking at the growing number of people who log in to amazon.com to buy the stuff they need with confidence and amazon.com has been delivering stuff from books to health equipment to all sort of customers and making them happy which is the reason they achieved the competitive advantage. Inventory Management:- Amazon.com has storage facilities all over the world and due to which the company is able to deliver anything anywhere in the world and due to having storage facilities all over the world the delivery cost is less for some countries. They have an effective system of managing the inventories which are far more than any other company as the website provide many options to the customers and their customers are in millions they know how important it is for them to utilized their inventory management to provide the customer the products they need on time and with less delays. Supply Chain Management:- Being provider of many products and having millions of customers supply chain management its one of the biggest issue for amazon.com and the company knows its importance that is why they manage their supplies very carefully to make sure that the products ordered by the customers reach them on time and without any delays due to which the company gain popularity. Amazon.com has also introduced the service for their customers where they can also sell their items on amazon.com website to other customers for some fee chargeable by amazon.com for providing these services but the company make sure that whatever the item is presented for sale by other customers of amazon.com should meet the quality standards of amazon.com and provide their other customers the products which give them value for money because when a customer visits amazon.com they visit with the expectation that they will get good deals from amazon.com than any other supplies of the goods and it provide amazon.com not only the competitive advantage over the competitors but also it helps them market their name all over the world due to the services they offer to their customers. Performance Measurement:- For the purpose performance management amazon.com always ask its customers for feedbacks about the services provided by amazon.com and also it provide them a review system in each item where the buyers of that item post their reviews about the experience they had with the product and does it meet with their requirement so the other customers can see and decide whether they should buy the product or not amazon.com not only publish the good reviews but also the bad reviews of the website and products and try to improve the areas where they have been criticized by the customers to provide them best quality services. Total Quality Management:- The quality of the product and services offer by amazon.com is the main focus point of their business and they take it very seriously through conducting surveys and reviewing the reviews post by the customers to understand their weakness and overcome them. As it been said before the company provide other users to sell their products on their website as well but they make sure that the product presented for sale meets the quality requirement of amazon.com and all the sellers are present with stars based on the feedback they get on their sales by doing this amazon.com make sure that the buyers get the best quality products from the sellers and also to make sure that the quality standards are maintain by amazon.com at all time, they also make sure that the staff at their customer service communicate with the customers positively and help them out in their queries to give a positive image of the company to the customers and by doing this the company has been able to increase its market share over the years. Sources:- Â  Operation Management By Frank Rowbotham, Masoud Azhashemi, Les Galloway Operation Management By C. Donald, J Waters, Donald Waters. Service Management Improving Service by Robert Johnston and Graham Clark Operations management policy, practice and performance improvement by Steve Brown, Kate Blackmon, Paul Cousins www.argos.co.uk www.amazon.com www.thetimes100.co.uk

Mental Health Professionals Risk Assessment Health And Social Care Essay

Mental Health Professionals Risk Assessment Health And Social Care Essay This assessment item requires students to compare and contrast traditional risk assessment approaches that offer static predictions of risk versus risk assessment approaches that offer dynamic holistic predictions of risk. Students are expected to research theoretical and empirical literature. This assignment emphasizes academic writing skills. Since the 1980s there has been increased pressure on mental health professionals to improve their ability to predict and better manage the level of risk associated with forensic mental health patients, and offenders being dealt with in the justice system (Holloway, 2004). This increased pressure has also increased interest within a wider spectrum of researchers and forensic clinicians working within the justice system to improve the accuracy and reliability of their analysis of whether recidivism is a high possibility. The overall value of this research is that it enable the improvement in the assessment, supervision, planning and management of offenders, in conjunction with a more reliable base line for follow up evaluations (Beech et al., 2003). However there continues to be an increasing interest and expectation on professionals from the public and the criminal justice system in regards to the potential danger posed by serious offenders being released back into the community and the need for the offenders to be better managed, in order to adequately protect the public from dangerous individuals (Doyle et el, 2002). As the assessment of risk is made at various stages in the management process of the violent offender it is extremely important that mental health professionals have a structured and consistent approach to risk assessment and evaluation of violence. (Doyle et el, 2002). This paper will examine three models of risk assessment that are used currently in an attempt to reduce potential danger to others when integrating violent offenders back into the community. These three approaches are unstructured clinical judgement, structured clinical judgement and actuarial assessment. It is not intended in this paper to explore the various instruments used in the assessment process for the respective actuarial and structured clinical approaches. Unstructured Clinical Judgement Unstructured clinical judgement is a process involving no specific guidelines but relies on the individual clinicians evaluation having regard to the clinicians experience and qualifications (Douglas et al, 2002). Doyle et el(2002, p650) refers to clinical judgement as first generation, and sees clinical judgement as allowing the clinician complete discretion in relation to what information the clinician will or will not take notice of in their final determination of risk level. The unstructured clinical interview has been widely criticised because it is seen as inconsistent and inherently lacks structure and a uniform approach that does not allow for test, retest reliability over time and between clinicians (Lamont et al, 2009). It has been argued that this inconsistency in assessment can lead to incorrect assessment of offenders, as either high or low risk due to the subjective opinion inherent in the unstructured clinical assessment approach (Prentky et al, 2000). Even with these limitations discussed above the unstructured clinical interview is still likely to be the most widely used approach in relation to the offenders violence risk assessment (Kropp, 2008). Kropp (2008) postulates that the continued use of the unstructured clinical interview is that it allows for idiographic analysis of the offenders behaviour (Kropp, 2008, p205). Doyle et al (2002) postulates, that past clinical studies have shown that clinicians using the risk analysis method of unstructured interview, is not as inaccurate as generally believed. Perhaps this is due largely to the level of experience and clinical qualifications of those conducting the assessment. The unstructured clinical assessment method relies heavily on verbal and non verbal cues and this has the potential of influencing individual clinicians assessment of risk, and thus in turn has a high probability of over reliance in the assessment on the exhibited cues (Lamont et al, 2009). A major flaw with the unstructured clinical interview is the apparent lack of structured standardized methodology being used to enable a test retest reliability measure previously mentioned. However the lack of consistency in the assessment approach is a major disadvantage in the use of the unstructured clinical interview. The need for a more structured process allowing for predictable test retest reliability would appear to be a necessary component of any risk assessment in relation to violence. Actuarial Assessment Actuarial assessment was developed as a way to assess various risk factors that would improve on the probability of an offenders recidivism. However Douglas et al (2002, p 625) cautions that the Actuarial approach is not conducive to violence prevention. The Actuarial approach relies heavily on standardized instruments to assist the clinician in predicting violence, and the majority of these instruments have been developed to predict future probability of violence amongst offenders who have a past history of mental illness and or criminal offending behaviours. (Grant et al, 2004) The use of actuarial assessment has increased in recent years as risk assessment due to the fact that more non clinicians are tasked with the responsibility of management of violent offenders such as community corrections, correctional officers and probation officers. Actuarial risk assessment methods enable staff that do not have the experience, background or necessary clinical qualifications to conduct a standardised clinical assessment of offender risk. This actuarial assessment method has been found to be extremely helpful when having to risk assess offenders with mental health, substance abuse and violent offenders. (Byrne et al, 2006). However Actuarial assessments have limitations in the inability of the instruments to provide any information in relation to the management of the offender, and strategies to prevent violence (Lamont et al, 2009). Whilst such instruments may provide transferable test retest reliability there is a need for caution when the instruments are used wit hin differing samples of the test population that were used as the validation sample in developing the test (Lamont et al, 2009). Inexperienced and untrained staff may not be aware of the limitations of the test instruments they are using. The majority of actuarial tools were validated in North America (Maden, 2003). This has significant implications when actuarial instruments are used in the Australian context, especially when indigenous cultural complexities are not taken into account. Doyle et al (2002) postulates that the actuarial approach is focused on prediction and that risk assessment in mental health has a much broader function and has to be link closely with management and prevention (Doyle et al, 2002, p 652). Actuarial instruments rely on measures of static risk factors e.g. history of violence, gender, psychopathy and recorded social variables. Therefore static risk factors are taken as remaining constant. Hanson et al (2000) argues that where the results of unstructur ed clinical opinion are open to questions, the empirically based risk assessment method can significantly predict the risk of re offending. To rely totally on static factors that are measured in Actuarial instruments and not incorporate dynamic risk factors has lead to what Doyle et al (2002) has referred to as Third Generation, or as more commonly acknowledged as structured professional judgement. Structured Professional Judgment Progression toward a structured professional model would appear to have followed a process of evolution since the 1990s. This progression has developed through acceptance of the complexity of what risk assessment entails, and the pressures of the courts and public in developing an expectation of increased predictive accuracy (Borum, 1996). Structured professional judgement therefore brings together empirically validated risk factors, professional experience and contemporary knowledge of the patient (Lamont et al, 2009, p27). Structured professional judgement approach requires a broad assessment criteria covering both static and dynamic factors and attempts to bridge the gap between the other approaches of unstructured clinical judgement and actuarial approach (Kropp, 2008). The incorporation of dynamic risk factors that is to say taking account of variable factors such as current emotional level (anger, depression, stress), social supports or lack of and willingness to participate in the treatment rehabilitation process. The structured professional approach incorporates dynamic factors which have been found to be also significant in analysing risk of violence (Mandeville-Nordon, 2006). Campbell et al (2009) postulates that instruments that examine dynamic risk factors are more sensitive to recent changes that may influence an increase or decrease in risk potential. Kropp (2008) reports that research has found that Structured Professional Judgement measures also correlate substantially with actuarial measures. Conclusion Kroop (2008) postulates that either a structured professional judgement approach or an actuarial approach presents the most viable options for risk assessment of violence. The unstructured clinical approach has been widely criticised by researchers for lacking reliability, validity and accountability (Douglas et al, 2002). Kroop (2008) also cautions that risk assessment requires the assessor to have an appropriate level of specialized knowledge and experience. This experience should be not only of offenders but also with victims. There would appear to be a valid argument that unless there is consistency in training of those conducting risk assessments the validity and reliability of any measure either actuarial or structured professional judgement will fail to give the level of predictability of violence that is sought. Risk analysis of violence will always be burdened by the limitation which lies in the fact that exact analyses are not possible, and risk will never be completely era dicated (Lamont et al, 2009, p 31.). Doyle et al (2002) postulates that a combination of structured clinical and actuarial approaches is warranted to assist in risk assessment of violence. Further research appears to be warranted to improve the methodology of risk management and increase the effectiveness of risk management. References Beech, A.R., Fisher D., Thornton D, 2003. Risk Assessment of sex offender. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice 34: 339-352. Borum, R. (1996). Improving the clinical practice of violence risk assessment. American Psychologist, Vol 51, No 9, 945-956. Byrne, J.M., Pattaviana, A. 2006. Assessing the role of Clinical and Actuarial Risk Assessment in an Evidence-Based Community Corrections System: Issues to Consider. Journal of Federal Probation, Vol 70, No 2 p64-66. Douglas, K.S., Kropp, P.R., 2002, A prevention-based paradigm for violence risk assessment: Clinical and Research Applications. Criminal Justice and Behaviour, Vol. 29, 5, 617-658. Doyle, M., Dolan, M. 2002. Violence risk assessment: combining actuarial and clinical information to structure clinical judgements for the formulating and management of risk. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 9: 649-657. Grant, T.H., Rice, M.E., Camilleri, J.A., 2004. Applying a Forensic Actuarial Assessment (the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide) to Nonforensic Patients. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol 19, p 1063-1064. Hanson, R. Karl, Thornton, David, 2000. Improving Risk Assessments for Sex Offenders: A Comparison of Three Actuarial Scales. Law and Human Behaviour, Vol 24, No 1. Holloway, F. 2004. Risk: More questions than answers. Invited comment on Psychodynamic methods in risk assessment and management. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 10: 273-274. Kropp, P.R., 2008, Intimate Partner Violence Risk Assessment and Management. Violence and Victims, Vol 23, No 2. Lamont, S., Brunero, S.,2009. Risk analysis: An integrated approach to the assessment management of aggression violence in mental health. Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care, Vol.5, 25-32. Maden, A., 2003. Standardised risk assessment: Why all the fuss? Psychiatric Bulletin, Vol 27: 201-204. Mandeville-Norden, R., 2006. Risk Assessment of Sex Offenders: The Current Position in the UK. Child Abuse Review, Vol 15, 257-272. Prentky, R.A., Burgess, A.W., 2000. Forensic Management of Sexual Offenders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press: London. Introduction Since the 1980s there  has been increased  pressure on mental health professionals to improve their ability to  predict  and better manage the level of risk associated with forensic mental health patients, and offenders  being dealt  with in the justice system (Holloway, 2004).  This increased  pressure  has also increased interest within a wider range of researchers and forensic clinicians,  working in the justice system to improve the accuracy and reliability of their analysis of whether recidivism is a strong possibility.  The overall value of this research is that it allows the improvement in the assessment, supervision, planning and management of offenders, in conjunction with a more reliable base line for follow up evaluations (Beech et al., 2003). However, there continues to be an increasing  interest  and  expectation  on professionals from the public and the criminal justice system in regards to the potential  danger  posed by  serious  offenders  being released  back into the community and the need for the offenders to be better managed, in order  to adequately protect  the public from dangerous individuals (Doyle et el, 2002). As the assessment of risk  is made  at various stages in the management process of the violent offender,  it is  extremely  crucial that mental health professionals have a structured and consistent approach to risk assessment and evaluation of violence. (Doyle et el, 2002). This paper will examine three models of risk assessment that  are used  currentlyto  reduce  potential danger to others when integrating violent offenders back into the community.  These three approaches are unstructured clinical judgement, structured clinical  judgement  and actuarial  assessment. It is not intended, in this paper, to explore the various instruments used in the assessment process for the  respective  actuarial and structured clinical approaches. Unstructured Clinical Judgement Unstructured clinical judgement is a process involving no specific guidelines,  but relies on the individual clinicians  evaluation  having regard to the clinicians experience and qualifications (Douglas et al, 2002).  Doyle et el(2002, p650) refers to  clinical  judgement as first generation, and sees clinical judgement as allowing the clinician  complete  discretion in relation to what information the clinician will or will not take notice of in their final determination of risk level. The unstructured clinical  interview  has been widely criticised because it  is seen  as inconsistent and inherently lacks structure and a  uniform  approach  that does not allow for  test, retest reliability over time and between clinicians (Lamont et al, 2009). It  has been argued  that this inconsistency in  assessment  can lead to  incorrect  assessment of offenders, as either high or low risk due to the subjective opinion inherent in the unstructured c linical assessment  approach  (Prentky et al, 2000). Even with these limitations discussed above the unstructured clinical  interview  is still likely to be the most widely used  approach  in relation to the offenders violence risk assessment (Kropp, 2008). Kropp (2008), postulates that the continued use of the unstructured clinical  interview  allows for idiographic analysis of the offenders  behaviour (Kropp, 2008, p205).  Doyle et al (2002) postulates, that  clinical studies have shown,  that clinicians using the risk analysis  method  of unstructured interview, is not as  inaccurate  as  generally  believed.  Perhaps this is due, largely to the level of experience and  clinical  qualifications of those conducting the assessment. The unstructured clinical  assessment  method  relies heavily on verbal and non verbal cues and this has the potential of influencing individual clinicians assessment of risk, and thus in turn has a high probability of over reliance in the assessment on the exhibited cues (Lamont et al, 2009).  A major flaw with the unstructured clinical  interview,  is the apparent lack of structured standardized methodology  being used  to  enable  a  test  retest relia bility  measure  previously mentioned.  However, the lack of consistency in the assessment approach is a  substantial  disadvantage in the use of the unstructured clinical interview.   The need for a more structured  process  allowing for  predictable  test retest reliability would  appear  to be a  necessary  component of any risk assessment in relation to violence. Actuarial Assessment Actuarial  assessment  was developed  to  assess  various risk factors that would improve on the probability of an offenders recidivism. However, Douglas et al (2002, p 625) cautions that the Actuarial  approach  is not conducive to violence prevention. The Actuarial approach relies heavily on standardized instruments to assist the clinician in predicting violence, and the majority of these instruments  has  been developed  to predict future  probability  of violence amongst offenders who have a history of mental illness and or criminal offending behaviours. (Grant et al, 2004) The use of actuarial  assessment  has increased in recent years as risk assessment due to the fact that more non clinicians  are tasked  with the responsibility of management of violent offenders such as community corrections, correctional officers and probation officers.  Actuarial risk assessment methods enable staff that do not have the experience,  background  or necessary  clinical  qualifications to  conduct  a standardised clinical  assessment  of offender risk. This actuarial  assessment  method  has been found  to be extremely  helpful  when having risk assessing offenders with mental health, substance abuse and violent offenders. (Byrne et al, 2006). However, Actuarial assessments have limitations in the inability of the instruments to provide any information in relation to the management of the offender, and strategies to prevent violence (Lamont et al, 2009).  Whilst such instruments may provide transferable  test  retest reliab ility, there is a need for caution when the instruments  are used  within differing samples of the  test  population that  were used  as the validation  sample  in developing the  test  (Lamont et al, 2009).  Inexperienced and  untrained  staff  may not be aware of the limitations of the  test  instruments they are using. The majority of actuarial tools  were validated  in North America (Maden, 2003). This has  significant  implications when actuarial instruments  are used  in the Australian context, especially when indigenous cultural complexities are not taken into account. Doyle et al (2002) postulates that the actuarial  approach  are  focused  on prediction and that risk assessment in mental health has a much broader  function  and has to be  link  closely with management and prevention (Doyle et al, 2002, p 652). Actuarial instruments rely on measures of static risk factors e.g. history of violence, gender, psychopath y and recorded social variables.  Therefore, static risk factors  are taken  as remaining constant.  Hanson et al (2000) argues that where the results of unstructured  clinical  opinion  are  open  to questions, the empirically based risk assessment  method  can significantly predict the risk of re offending. To rely  totally  on  static  factors that  are measured  in Actuarial instruments,  and not incorporate dynamic risk factors has  lead  to what Doyle et al (2002) has referred to as, Third Generation, or as more commonly acknowledged as structured professional judgement. Structured Professional Judgment Progression toward a structured professional  model  would  appear  to have followed a process of evolution since the 1990s.  This  progression  has developed through  acceptance  of the complexity of what risk assessment entails, and the pressures of the courts and  public  in developing an expectation of increased predictive accuracy (Borum, 1996).  Structured professional judgement  Ã‚  brings together empirically validated risk factors, professional experience and contemporary knowledge of the patient (Lamont et al, 2009, p27).  Structured professional judgement approach requires a  broad  assessment  criteria covering both static and dynamic factors, and attempts to bridge the gap between the other approaches of unstructured clinical judgement and actuarial  approach  (Kropp, 2008).  The incorporation of dynamic risk factors that are  taking account of variable factors such as current emotional  level  (anger, depression, stress), so cial supports or lack of and willingness to participate in the treatment rehabilitation process.  The structured professional approach incorporates  dynamic  factors, which  have been found, to be also crucial in analysing  risk  of violence (Mandeville-Nordon, 2006).  Campbell et al (2009) postulates that instruments that  examine  dynamic risk factors are more  sensitive  to  recent  changes that may  influence  an increase or decrease in risk potential. Kropp (2008) reports that research has found that Structured Professional Judgement measures also  correlate  substantially  with actuarial measures. Conclusion Kroop (2008) postulates that either a structured professional judgement approach, or an actuarial approach presents the most viable options for risk assessment of violence.  The unstructured  clinical  approach  has been widely criticised by researchers for lacking reliability, validity and accountability (Douglas et al, 2002). Kroop (2008) also cautions that risk assessment requires the assessor to have an appropriate level of specialized knowledge and experience. This experience should be not only of offenders but also with victims.  There would  appear  to be a valid argument that unless there is consistency in  training  of those conducting risk assessments the validity and reliability of any  measure  either actuarial or structured professional judgement will fail to  give  the  level  of predictability of violence that  is sought.  Risk analysis of violence will always be burdened by the  limitation  which lies in the fact that  exact   analyses are not  possible, and  risk  will never be totally eradicated (Lamont et al, 2009, p 31.). Doyle et al (2002) postulates that a combination of structured clinical and actuarial approaches  is warranted  to assist in risk assessment of violence. Further research appears to be warranted to improve the methodology of risk management and increase the effectiveness of risk management.

The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner - Original Writing :: Free Essays

The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner - Original Writing First, we set out from our homeland, Scotland. We sailed on southwards and were picked up by dreadful wind, we found ourselves being controlled by the wind and the sea. There was nothing we could do to stop it, it had driven us to the cold south, were mist, fog and treacherous seas all belong. Then from beneath the emerald green ice grabbed the sides of our ship, we were stationary, unable to move. It was quiet, then when we thought all was lost an albatross came and flew over our ship and it made the ice crack and we sailed north again so for many days we gave it food and played with the creature. Then one awful day when the sun was setting I got my crossbow and did shoot the albatross. The crew was so angry and cross with me that they cursed me saying how I dare to have shoot the albatross. From then on we lost our fortune and a great and terrible mist or fog came upon us but just few days later the mist was gone and the crew were telling me that it was a good thing to have killed the albatross. Then everything was getting bad we were running very low on water until just yesterday when it all was gone, oh the torture how there is water all around us but not a drop to drink. Soon our lips were baked black, our throats dry as a bone; surely we would all die soon. But then from out of nowhere a ship sailed towards us, but then I realised how could it be sailing when there was no wind? Then it came between us and the sun (which lay on the east side) then it struck us it was a GHOST SHIP! The sun was like it had been imprisoned. It neared and then I beheld two figures on the ship and these two figures were the only people on board. One was wearing a cloak and was like the most darkness I had

United States Foreign Policy Following World War II Essay -- America C

Though the United States was the military power of the world prior to World War II, its foreign policy was one of detachment. The government was determined not to get involved in other countries affairs barring unusual circumstances. A World War provided big enough means to become involved, as many Americans became enraged with the military ambitions of Japan and Germany. Following World War II, Soviet leader Stalin initially agreed to a democratic government in Poland and to free elections in other Soviet-occupied countries, but he ignored his own promises. This caused the United States and Britain to ignore Stalin’s wish of taking a hard line with Germany in settlement talks. The Soviets formed the Socialist Unity party in East Berlin and effectively gained control of East Germany. Though this had a lot to do with the fact that the European people were increasingly tired and lacked the energy to fight a growing Socialist party line, another major factor was that there were enough citizens in this area and in â€Å"other Soviet-dominated countries who believed communism was a better social system and that it could breed a new kind of humanity† (Stranges, 193). The apparent spread of communism caused many to question the government’s policy of non-intervention in foreign affairs. A counselor in the United States Embassy in Moscow, George Kennan, introduced the policy of containment which said that America needed to stop the spread of communism and that it would eventually die out so long as it did not broaden. Not only were the American people scared of the spread of communism, but the United States government believed that communist nations would spread like falling dominoes if even one country in a region began enacting socialist policies. The United States implemented this new policy with the passage of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan of June5, 1947. In the Truman Doctrine, then President Truman pledged $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece in an effort to avert communist takeovers. This served as an open ended offer to nations â€Å"to choose between freedom and democracy or terror and oppression† (Stranges, 194). The Marshall Plan was an effort to rebuild 16 nations in Europe. $13.326 billion was pledged to Britain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, an... ...n claims that they it was winning the war seemed inaccurate as the North Vietnamese were able to launch the Tet Offensive in January of 1968. As the American public rapidly began to oppose the war, Nixon began to remove American troops from Vietnam while increasing the bombing at the same time. Nixon claimed he was ending the war, but the United States forces invaded Cambodia in april of 1970. The United States had removed all troops from the area by March of 1973, much later than most Americans believed this should have happened. Following the war with Vietnam, America foreign policy saw a new shift. This shift is marked by the decline of containment to a policy of a ‘here and now’ approach. That is, the United States’ new policy was to deal with each situation on a case by case basis rather than treating every threat of communism as a threat to containment. This reclaimed part of the old policy of objectivity in international affairs. As the past shows, controversies and wars alike have the power to dramatically shift a countries foreign policy. One can only wonder what will cause the next change. Works Cited: Stranges, George. The Cold War. New York: Random House, 1997

Advanced Technology of the Treatment of Breast Cancer Essay -- essays

Advanced Technology of the Treatment of Breast Cancer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This year 203,000 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and 40,000 of them are expected to die. Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women the ages of 35-54. There are numerous ways breast cancer can be treated if found early. The key to treating breast cancer is early detection, beast self-exams, and early mammograms. One out of every eight women will get diagnosed with Breast Cancer this year; therefore, new advanced technology of the treatment of Breast Cancer is the key to life after the disease. There is a lot of information that has to be known about breast cancer in order to do something about the disease such as what breast cancer is, the history and some risk factors.Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. Breast cancer is found mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer. Being a women and getting older, put women at higher risk of getting diagnosed with breast cancer. As women get older their risk continues. Many factors that contribute to the risk of breast cancer, such as the history of breast cancer in your family, or close relatives. â€Å"Researchers are investigating genes that may be related to breast cancer, and they are examining whether smoking or estrogen levels influence that incidence of the disease† (N.W hospital 1). However, some women who have one or more risk factors may not get diagnosed with breast cancer, but most women who don’t have any risk factors get diagnosed with the disease. Today there are many risks that go along with Breast Cancer,some can not be changed but some can be stoped. One risk factor that cannot be changed is gender, women are at higher risk for breast cancer then men are. Age is also a factor that cannot be controlled, because the chance of breast cancer goes up, as women get older. Furthermore genetic risk factors cannot be changed. â€Å"About one case of breast cancer in ten is linked to changes (mutation) in certain genes† (Illinois Department 4).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early detection is the key to life after Breast Cancer. Effects that help to early detection goes as the fallowing; Yearly mammograms, Clinical Examinations, and checking yourself monthly. â€Å"Mammograms are a specific type of imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray system a... ...y is the most common form of drug treatment. â€Å"Chemotherapy uses different kinds of drugs that can kill cancer cells† (NW Hospital). Chemotherapy can also kill cancer that has spread throughout the body as well. Again there are some advantages and disadvantages. When the surgery is over the person will be as a smaller risk of the cancer returning. Disadvantages include disruption of the menstrual cycle in women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Learning that one is infected with breast caner is traumatizing and can cause depression. Women who are diagnosed must remember and understand that they are not alone in the struggle with their disease. Many women today aren’t aware of what breast cancer really is and how it works. Hopefully after this paper women will become more aware of this cancer and want to be more involved. Breast cancer works in mysterious ways, from finding out you have breast cancer, and the people who are at risk, to early detection and then later the advanced technologies of the treatment to the disease. Breast cancer is a very serious disease but if there is early detection, there can and will be life after Breast Cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Advanced Technology of the Treatment of Breast Cancer Essay -- essays Advanced Technology of the Treatment of Breast Cancer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This year 203,000 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and 40,000 of them are expected to die. Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women the ages of 35-54. There are numerous ways breast cancer can be treated if found early. The key to treating breast cancer is early detection, beast self-exams, and early mammograms. One out of every eight women will get diagnosed with Breast Cancer this year; therefore, new advanced technology of the treatment of Breast Cancer is the key to life after the disease. There is a lot of information that has to be known about breast cancer in order to do something about the disease such as what breast cancer is, the history and some risk factors.Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. Breast cancer is found mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer. Being a women and getting older, put women at higher risk of getting diagnosed with breast cancer. As women get older their risk continues. Many factors that contribute to the risk of breast cancer, such as the history of breast cancer in your family, or close relatives. â€Å"Researchers are investigating genes that may be related to breast cancer, and they are examining whether smoking or estrogen levels influence that incidence of the disease† (N.W hospital 1). However, some women who have one or more risk factors may not get diagnosed with breast cancer, but most women who don’t have any risk factors get diagnosed with the disease. Today there are many risks that go along with Breast Cancer,some can not be changed but some can be stoped. One risk factor that cannot be changed is gender, women are at higher risk for breast cancer then men are. Age is also a factor that cannot be controlled, because the chance of breast cancer goes up, as women get older. Furthermore genetic risk factors cannot be changed. â€Å"About one case of breast cancer in ten is linked to changes (mutation) in certain genes† (Illinois Department 4).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early detection is the key to life after Breast Cancer. Effects that help to early detection goes as the fallowing; Yearly mammograms, Clinical Examinations, and checking yourself monthly. â€Å"Mammograms are a specific type of imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray system a... ...y is the most common form of drug treatment. â€Å"Chemotherapy uses different kinds of drugs that can kill cancer cells† (NW Hospital). Chemotherapy can also kill cancer that has spread throughout the body as well. Again there are some advantages and disadvantages. When the surgery is over the person will be as a smaller risk of the cancer returning. Disadvantages include disruption of the menstrual cycle in women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Learning that one is infected with breast caner is traumatizing and can cause depression. Women who are diagnosed must remember and understand that they are not alone in the struggle with their disease. Many women today aren’t aware of what breast cancer really is and how it works. Hopefully after this paper women will become more aware of this cancer and want to be more involved. Breast cancer works in mysterious ways, from finding out you have breast cancer, and the people who are at risk, to early detection and then later the advanced technologies of the treatment to the disease. Breast cancer is a very serious disease but if there is early detection, there can and will be life after Breast Cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Bullfighting & history

Since civilisation, humans entertain themselves in typical and traditional ways. Bullfighting is one of them and a part of Hispanic culture. Bullfighting is a national sport and spectacle of Spain. It is called the corrida de toros in Spanish; the bullfight takes place in a large outdoor arena known as the plaza de toros. The object is for one of the bullfighters (toreros) the matador to kill a wild bull, or toro, with a sword. At best, the term â€Å"bullfighting† is a misnomer, a confused, maimed, psychologically tormented, and physically debilitated bull. Supporters justify the act by calling it a tradition.Opponents maintain that no matter what its history, bullfighting is the torture, mutilation, and slaughter of animals for entertainment. Bullfighting can be traced back to ancient days. They were popular spectacles in ancient Rome, but it was in the Iberian Peninsula that these contests were fully developed by the Moors from North Africa who overran Andalucia in AD 711. Bullfighting developed into a ritualistic occasion observed in connection with feast days, on which the conquering Moors, mounted on highly trained horses, confronted and killed the bulls.The Minoans of Bronze Age Crete practiced bull leaping as part of religious ritual, and later Greek and Romans also had rites that involved the slaughter of bulls. The Moors, who fought bulls from their horses and killed them with javelins, probably introduced the sport to Spain (c. 11th cent. ). Originally the central figure in the Spanish bullfight was the mounted torero; Francisco Romero is generally credited with being the first (c. 1726) to fight on foot. Bullfighting is also popular in the Latin American countries of Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, and in S France.The Portuguese practice a style of fighting from horseback in which the bull is not killed in the ring. Critics contend that bullfighting is an inhumane spectacle of animal torture; aficionados respond that it is a c omplex ritual central to Spanish culture. In Spain the bullfight is called the Fiesta National (The national Sport). There are few places in Spain where a bull-ring can not be found within a short drive. It is the most common thing associated with Spain, and rightly so for its origins date back to 711AD when the first bullfight (corrida) took place in honour of the crowning of King Alfons VIII.Every week, all over Spain, many thousands of Spaniards flock to the nearest bullring, but not all Spaniards agree with the sport, or like it. It is reported that each year, within Spain, 24,000 bulls are killed in front of an audience of 30 million people. The bullfighting season runs from March to October. Felipe V prohibited the nobles from practicing the sport as he felt it was a bad example for the public's education. From then on the commoners took on the sport, facing the bulls unarmed, dodging and taunting the bull then eventually placing small spears into the bull, the origin of the b anderillas of today’s bullfights.Around 1724 the sport was transformed from horseback to foot. The bullfight is literally a dance with death. The bullfighter has to carefully examine and study the movements and strengths of the bull. One wrong move and he will end up gored or seriously injured. It is certain though that at the end of the show, the bull will die, yes, it is literally a show. The bullfighter has to demonstrate his skills to the audience in a dramatic and enthusiastic way. If he makes a good job of it and gets a good round of applause at the end, he could be bestowed the ultimate honour by being presented with one of the bull's ears or its tail.If he has been really good he may even be carried round the arena. One variation of the traditional bullfight is bull running where bulls are released into the streets and masses of participants do their best to avoid them and stay alive. Pamplona is the best place to see this. One of the oldest bullrings in Spain is loca ted in the hilltop village of Ronda in Andalucia, southern Spain. It is the venue for one of the most spectacular corridas of the year. In early September the ring hosts a week-end of bullfights in celebration of Pedro Romero, the Saturday corrida being staged in Goyesc costume for which tickets are very hard to obtain.The bullring in Ronda is open to the public, with a small admission charge. The bullring also houses an interesting museum dedicated to the sport. A modern bullfight consists of three stylized parts (tercios). When the bull enters the ring, toreros wave capes to prod it to charge; then the picadors administer pic (lance) thrusts, which tire the animal and cause him to lower his head; in the second part, the banderilleros come out and, while on the run, plant banderillas on the withers of the bull; these often spur him into making livelier charges.In the final segment the matador, almost always a man, although some women have entered the sport in recent decades, amid c ontroversy, holds the muleta, a small cloth cape, in one hand, and a sword in the other. Feet Square on the ground and head hung low; the matador must then approach the bull from the front and kill him by thrusting his sword between the shoulder blades and into the heart. A matador's performance requires great skill and courage and successful matadors reap immense awards in money and adulation. Fighting bulls are bred and selected for spirit and strength.One of the biggest supporters of bullfighting is the tourist industry. Travel agents and bullfight promoters portray the fight as a festive and fair competition. What they do not reveal is that the bull never has a chance to defend himself, much less to survive. The bulls are intentionally debilitated with sandbags dropped on their backs. (1) One of Spain’s bullfighting critics, Joaquin Vidal of El Pais, wrote of drugged bulls at one bullfight, â€Å"There was nothing in the arena to fight. The bulls were mostly moribund.â⠂¬ (2)A study conducted by scientists at Spain’s Salamanca University found that 20 percent of the bulls used for fighting are drugged before they step into the ring. In the sampling of 200 bulls, one in five had been given anti-inflammatory drugs, which mask injuries that could sap the animal’s strength. One common practice is to â€Å"shave† the bulls’ horns by sawing off a few inches. (3) Bulls’ horns, like cats’ whiskers, help the animals navigate, so a sudden change impairs their coordination. Shaving is illegal, so a veterinarian sometimes inspects the horns after a fight.But in 1997, the Confederation of Bullfighting Professionals, including Spain’s 230 matadors, went on strike in opposition to these veterinary inspections. The bulls aren’t the only victims of the arena. The horses used in bullfights are blindfolded so that they don’t become frightened of the charging bull. They are often gored. At the Barcelona Olympics, The Philadelphia Daily News reported, â€Å"One time last night, the bull charged the horse, knocked off the rider, knocked over the horse and got his horn tangled up in all the padding.The frightened horse, still blindfolded, kicked furiously as it lay on its side. The bull pushed and pulled, shoved and yanked, unable to free itself from the horse’s padding. † (4) American author Ernest Hemingway, famous for romanticizing the bullfight ritual, once described the scenes of horses being gored: â€Å"I have seen these, call them disembowelling, that is the worst word when, due to their timing, they were very funny. This is the sort of thing you should not admit, but it is because such things have not been admitted that the bullfight has never been explained.Selective breeding has enabled ranchers to create a bull who will die in a manner most satisfying to the public. Mexican bullfighting also includes â€Å"novella,† or baby bullfights. The bulls that are used are all less than 3 years old. (5) The Portuguese bullfights that are legal in many U. S. states involve people’s teasing and attacking the bull. Eight men, known as â€Å"grabbers† line up in front of the bulls to grab the bull’s horns, piling on top of the animals and tackling them until they fall to the ground. (6) In Portuguese bullfights in many countries, the bulls are still stabbed with banderillas and have their horns shaved. (7)Although tormenting and abuse is part of the show, killing must be done outside the arena. In Colombia, there is an annual festival in which solitary bulls are tormented by thousands of people who think they are testing their â€Å"bravery† (aided by a festive atmosphere and large quantities of alcohol). â€Å"If nobody gets killed, it’s boring,† laments Carlos Perez, head of the committee that organized the contest in 1996. But even Colombian bullfighter Luis Cuadrado admits, â€Å"It’s just one bull against a thousand. morons.†Cuadrado prefers to sit on the ground until the bull is close enough to stab with a lance, after which Cuadrado promptly scurries away to safety. These festivals last four or five days, with at least 35 victimized bulls each day. Pope St. Pius V decreed that bullfights are â€Å"altogether foreign to piety and charity. † He wished that â€Å"these cruel and disgraceful exhibitions of devils and not of men be abolished† and he forbade attendance at them under pain of excommunication. 8) Even supporters cannot deny that the practice is barbaric.The Mexican author Eduardo del Rio glorified the maiming of bulls, candidly described bullfighting as â€Å"a stumbling block for the humanization of man. † Lyn Sherwood, publisher of a pro-bullfighting magazine, proudly declared, â€Å"I have no moral problem promoting something I consider morally unjustifiable. † Most forms of the practice are illegal in the United States because of its inherent cruelty. But tourists, especially from the U. S. , keep bullfighting in business. . According to a 2002 survey by InterGallup S. A. , 69 percent of Spaniards show no interest in bullfights, up from 30 percent in the ’90s. (9)At the same time, more young Hispanic people are protesting the crude ritual. In 1995, Madrid was besieged with 5,000 Spanish demonstrators calling for an end to the practice. Many anti-bullfighting groups have sprung up worldwide, including the Spanish Alternativa para la Liberacion Animal, the Mexican Pena Antitaurina Mexicana, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Tijuana and Mexico City. Spain’s Green Party has been working with the country’s Association for the Defence of Animal Rights (ADDA) to have bullfighting banned.In 1993, a petition drive by the coalition garnered more than 1 million signatures.References: 1) Phil Davison, â€Å"Matadors on Horns of a Dilemma,† The Independent , 12 Feb. 1994.2) Reuters, â€Å"One-Fifth of Spain’s Fighting Bulls Drugged? † 28 Nov. 2000.3) Al Goodman, â€Å"Machismo vs. Money: Whose Bull Is Gored? â€Å" The New York Times, 9 Mar. 1997,p E6.4) Bill Lyon, â€Å"A Slaughter That Is Really a Slaughter,† The Philadelphia Inquirer, 27 Jul. 1992, p. C1.5) Tony Hendra, â€Å"Man and Bull,† Harper’s Magazine, Nov. 1996, Vol. 293, No. 1758, p. 69.