Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The War on Iraq Essay Example for Free

The War on Iraq Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there’s one country that you would want to go to, the country Iraq would be on your list. Iraq is a country of heritage and historical value. It has been known to the world for housing numbers of archaeological sites and art pieces. It is acknowledged for having one thousand archaeological sites including ruins of their past wars. Iraq has been the place for the oldest churches in the world and the first city of the world. The country’s archaeological sites can be dated back even before Christ was born; the mainland for the Old Testament. Scholars and curators fear the possibility that the civil war in Iraq might destroy the archaeological sites of the country (Guardian, April 2, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The United States and Iraq conflict began on the twentieth of March of the year Two-Thousand and Three. The main reason for the development of the war is that His Excellence, President George W. Bush along with British Prime Minister Tony Blairand their fellow allies was threatened by the speculations that the Iraq government was developing weapons of mass destruction; nuclear bombs and the likes. The war went on until the defeat of the Iraqi terrorist Saddam Hussein. The war deteriorated this year, two thousand and seven, but the war between Sunni and Shia Muslims continued up to this date (A timeline of the Iraq War,) Shia vs. Sunni Muslim   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sunni and Shia Muslims are only two among the subgroups of the Muslim religion. Sunni and Shia have the same culture, it is homogenous. Although both share the common Islamic beliefs they do not share common beliefs when it comes to political issues and practices. There is diversity within the Islamic groups regionally. The division between Sunni Islam and Shia Islam started when the prophet Muhammad died, leadership of the Muslim was then a big question. Who would take the place of Muhammad was at stake, whether it should be a relative or it is just okay for a capable leader to take his place. The Sunni Muslims agreed upon the election of a new leader among the capable ones. On the contrary, the Shia Muslims believed that the leadership should have been passed to Muhammad’s relatives, particularly to his cousin Ali. All throughout the Muslims’ history, the Shia subgroup never have recognized the authority of their elected leaders. From this initial political issue of leadership, the two subgroups’ spiritual beliefs were divided.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are theological or spiritual differences between the Shia and Sunni Muslims. The Shia subgroups believe that their Imam or leader is a sinless leader since it was appointed by God. They often make shrines for their Imams because they believe that they are saints. On the contrary, Sunni Muslims contradicted the Shia beliefs; they say that there’s no basis for the veneration of saints and that there’s no such thing as the hereditary succession of spiritual leaders (Huda, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the practical differences between Sunni and Shia is through praying. Shia Muslims pray three times a day wherein they combine their prayers; their prayers can be identified by a tablet of clay from what they call Karbala or a holy place, on which their foreheads are pressed against. On the contrary, Sunni Muslims pray five times a day without combining their prayers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Temporary marriage or what Muslims call Muttah marriage is legal to Shia but the Sunni Muslims do not consider it. Sunni Muslims believe that Muttah marriage is a forbidden act, thus, believing that the Prophet forbid the act (Hourani, 1991).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are also differences in the kind of government the Sunnis and Shias wanted to have; the political culture differences. Shias are rebellious and always contradict the tyrannical rulers and are against Sunni injustices. They believed in the modern world democracy, in which avoidance of accountability and tyranny is stressed. They are anti-authoritarians and it is known to be an inherent culture of the Shias; they believed in the justification of fair rulers and that justice is fair and without any bias. On the contrary, Sunnis uphold any kind of government, be it democratic or not for as long as it maintains the order and the stability of the Muslim community. Not to mention that it should also protect the Muslim communities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gender relations among the Sunni Islam and Shia Islam have differences also. Shias’ allow a fairer gender relation than the Sunnis. The presence of sexual inequality for them is the absence of democracy; this is what the Shias believed in. On the other hand, Sunni Islam communities believed that women should be a subordinate of men; wives should obey their husbands. Thus, it shows that their differences are completely extreme, because one opposes the other (Chaulia,February 16, 2007) Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚     Like other religions, Muslims also have differences, be it political, cultural and regional diversity. The fact is that they are all the same when it comes to spiritual concerns. The most important thing is to be united with God despite of the differences. Holy war is not supposed to be an issue because we are all the same in the eyes of our creator. Our fellow Muslim should unite instead of continuously building up the wall between them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Iraq should be a sanctuary and not a place for war and conflict. Shias’ and Sunnis’ differences should not hinder them from being united for the sake of peace for the fact that they are both Muslims. References Chaulia, S. (February 16, 2007 ). Shia Democracy:Myth or Reality?   [Electronic Version] from http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2677.cfm. Guardian, T. (April 2, 2003). The end of civilization [Electronic Version] from http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,927788,00.html. Hourani, A. (1991). A History of the Arab Peoples [Electronic Version] from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sunnishia_4.shtml. Huda. (2007). Whats the Difference Between Shia and Sunni Muslims? [Electronic Version] from http://islam.about.com/cs/divisions/f/shia_sunni.htm. A timeline of the Iraq War [Electronic ( ). Version]. Retrieved 2005-2007 from http://thinkprogress.org/iraq-timeline.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay -- Pregnancy Neurology Medicine Papers

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental, physical, and behavioral defects that may develop in the unborn child when its mother drinks during pregnancy. These defects occur primarily during the first trimester when the teratogenic effects of the alcohol have the greatest effect on the developing organs. The symptoms associated with FAS have been observed for many centuries, but it was not until 1968 that Lemoine and his associates formally described these symptoms in the scientific literature, and again in 1973 when Jones and associates designated a specific pattern of altered growth and dysmorphogenesis as the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Rostand, p. 302). The set of abnormalities characterized by Jones included; "intrauterine growth retardation, an unusual facies, psychomotor retardation, and a 25% incidence of congenital anomalies (especially cleft palate and cardiac malformations)" (Luke, p. 3330. The incidence of FAS world-wide, can be illustrated on the basis of the extre me to which the characteristics of mental, physical, and behavioral defects are exhibited in the newborn. Full characteristics are estimated to be present in 1.9 per 1,000 live births, and partial characteristics are evident in approximately 3-5 per 1,000 live births. The incidence of FAS increases dramatically when only alcoholic women are considered to 25 per 1,000 for full characteristics and as high as 90 per 1,000 for partial characteristics (Luke, p. 333). Currently, FAS is the most common cause of birth defects leading to mental retardation. Down’s Syndrome and spina bifida, the other two most common causes, can be identified and managed during pregnancy. Yet, FAS remains the only cause of retardation that is co... ... and Fetal Alcohol Effects". New York: Plenum Press (1984). p. 64. Feld, S. M. "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Prevention Through Education". Medical Student, 19(2), pp. 15-17. Gottesfeld, Z. and E. L. Abel "Maternal and Paternal Alcohol Use: Effects On The Immune System of the Offspring". Life Sciences, 48,1991, pp. 1-8. Kotch, L. E. and K. K. Sulik "Experimental Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Proposed pathogenic Basis for a Variety of Associated Facial and Brain Anomalies". American Journal of Medical Genetics, 44, 1992, pp. 168-176. Luke, B. "The Metabolic Basis of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome". International Journal of Fertility, 35(6), 1990, pp. 333-337. Walpole, I. et.al. "Low to Moderate Maternal Alcohol Use Before and During Pregnancy, and Neurobehavioural Outcome in the Newborn Infant". Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 33, 1991, pp. 875-883.

Monday, January 13, 2020

The Price of Beauty

In today’s society it is believed that being of a certain color, a certain weight, and having specific characteristics is what makes someone beautiful. The movie â€Å"Little Miss Sunshine† directed by: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, is about a young girl named Olive who dreams of being in beauty pageants. In the first scenes of the movie it shows Olive mimicking the winner of the Miss America pageant in ah and amazement. Olive is invited to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California by default, which leads her and her dysfunctional family on a great journey to California. Although the journey is filled with turmoil and loss, their main priority is to get Olive to the pageant. At first glance, Olive is not what one would think of when beauty comes to mind. She is pudgy, very tall for her age, with black rimmed coke bottle glasses, and a style only she can appreciate. By setting a specific model and certain standards The Little Miss Sunshine pageant is a symbol of commercialized American beauty. The pageant is a shallow representation of beauty in America. Children’s beauty pageants are filled with prosthetic teeth, fake and teased hair, makeup, and very risque outfits. This is what America is portraying to society and even more to its young contestants as being beautiful. Anna L. Wonderlich of the University of Minnesota did a study on twenty two women, eleven had participated in childhood beauty pageants and eleven had not. â€Å"This study evaluated the association between childhood beauty pageants and adult disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem. Childhood pageant participants scored higher on body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse deregulation than non-participants, and showed a trend toward greater ineffectiveness. (Wonderlich) Many of the young contestants are led to believe that if they fit into a specific mold rather than being themselves they will be beautiful. By being judged on their outer appearance, it begins to take an effect on their psyche, self-esteem levels, and the way they see themselves. When only being judged and criticized on what is wrong with them, they take that same mind set in their older and later years. By allowing the young girls to prance and parade on stage in their flashy costumes they are seen and represented as a young sex symbol. The young girls receive indecent and unnecessary attention from older men. The former America Little Royal Miss, JonBenet Ramsey was killed at the age of six the same age Olive is portraying in the movie. Not only was her murder gruesome it is a mystery; she was found gagged and sexually molested in her parents basement. After her death the children’s beauty pageant world was put under great scrutiny for the â€Å"novelty of putting mascara on the lashes of a 6-year-old. †(Alder) Many wondered and still do why this little girl was targeted, was it because of her participation in the beauty pageants that make her look a younger version of Marilyn Monroe? The world will never know, the reasons behind this grisly murder, but the thought of JonBenet and beauty pageants will always stick out in the public’s mind. Olive represents an unconventional ideal of beauty. When Olive registers for the beauty pageant all the attention of the other contestants parents, and the girls is placed on her. They stare and make rude comments and gestures, because Olive does not look like the other beauty contestants that all remind one of a miniature Barbie, while in this scene Olive is still in her jeans and converses she most definitely stands out. Olive is soon approached by a set of twin girls. â€Å"Are you on a diet?†¦ What?†¦.. Are you on a diet?†¦ No!†¦ I didn’t think so! † It is believed that one must be skinny to be perceived as beautiful or even attractive to many. Although Olive is faced with criticism she remains confident, optimistic and strong. This is shown in one of the end scenes when she is getting ready for the pageant. Olive’s dad- â€Å"I don’t want Olive to go on. † Sheryl- â€Å"Are you kidding? † Dad- â€Å"We’re not in Maryland anymore, all right! She’s out of her league here. † Sheryl- â€Å"So? † Dad- â€Å"Sheryl! She’s not gonna win. There’s no fucking way†¦.. Dwayne, the brother- â€Å"Where’s Olive? I don’t want Olive doing this†¦. Mom, look around! This place is fucked! I don’t want these people judging Olive! Fuck them!†¦.. She’s not a beauty queen mom. † Sheryl- â€Å"Olive is who she is. This is what she’s chosen to do. † Olive is off stage and is able to hear everything that is being said. The assistant comes on stage and notes it is time for Olive to go on but she does not move. Sheryl to Olive- â€Å"You don’t have to do this if you don’t want. If you want to sit this one out, that’s fine, we’re proud of you anyway, oka y. † Olive says to the assistant- â€Å"Okay let’s go. † Her brother and her father rush backstage to stop her from humiliating herself because she does not look like the other blonde beauties that are competing. They are afraid that she will be embarrassed and are trying to protect her, but sometimes trying to protect one only hurts them even more. Olive knows she does not look like the rest of the girls, but having her family support is what’s important to her and that they see her as beautiful for who she is. Although she does not have the expensive outfits, big hair, and the tiny physique she is who she is and that she doesn’t have to conform to those standards to be beautiful. Beauty is not a specific characteristic; it is a combination of attributes, personality, and self-esteem. One does not have to have a specific look to beautiful, being beautiful starts in the soul if one has an ugly soul then what is on the inside portrays the outside. Although Olive may not look like the average beauty contestant, everything about her screams beauty; she is sweet, kind, caring, and has a beautiful soul; she knows who she is, and believes in herself even when others do not. By not conforming to the commercialized standards of American beauty, Olive is the definition of what beauty should be.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

The Strategy Of Risk Management - 1541 Words

Banc One’s overall strategy of risk management is to stay within a permissible limit of earnings sensitivity. Based on the last meeting, it was decided that for 50 basis points increase (average over a year) in the interest rates, the level of earnings change should not be more than 4%. Banc One also used a balancing portfolio for asset-liability management, which consisted of investments in conventional securities and derivatives with an underlying mandate to achieve a reasonable rate of return, fulfill short term liquidity needs, manage interest rate exposure, and maintain a modest regulatory capital obligation. Also, Banc One has recently shifted its focus to synthetic instruments owing several advantages these new securities present. Specifically, Banc One aims to be liability sensitive i.e. have a negative earnings sensitivity. This means that the earnings are depressed in a period of interest rate increase. Having a controlled exposure to longer term fixed rate assets exceeding shorter term floating rate liabilities, the bank can earn the interest rate spread. This is because the yield curve is generally upward sloping, which implies that longer term securities will have a higher yield compared to shorter term securities. However, this leaves the bank exposed to interest rate risk when the yield curve has a large upward shift (the interest income falls more than the interest expense, and the earnings decline). 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