Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1092 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/07/30 Category People Essay Level High school Topics: Rene Descartes Essay Did you like this example? Descartes findings through skepticismThrough the entirety of Meditations on First Philosophy by Renà © Descartes, the concept of skepticism is brought upon its readers quite heavily. Within this text, Descartes addresses the notions of ones self-ability to know. He utilizes multiple reasoning which can positively account for his overall ideology. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Meditations on First Philosophy by Renà © Descartes" essay for you Create order The initial thought is that one cannot believe everything that is presented to them. One must have doubt in order to find the truth. Essentially, through his meditations, he suggests that an individual may not rely on his own ability or senses.Within these six meditations, Descartes presents various arguments. One which specifies in dreams. To put it simply, Descartes questions as to whether or not one is being deceived by their own dreams and potential reality. He wrote I see so plainly no definitive signsto distinguish from being awake from being sleep (Descartes and Cress, 1993). Through this meditation, Descartes expresses his doubtful thoughts in reference to his own dreams. He blatantly suggests that an individual cannot fully distinguish between what is real and what is not. These doubts are in accordance with images that one obtains while in slumber. How is one able to fully decide which is the true reality? Everything that an individual knows is derived from a perception or experience. He basically questions an individuals ability to know which world is deceiving them. If colors and shapes are similar in both realms, how does one know which is true? Here Descartes suggests that one should not rely on retained knowledge. Such knowledge may often fail a being. To further explain he uses the example of himself sitting and writing beside a fireplace. How is that he may be in this specific room writing? He does not know. He believes that he will not soon.Aside from the uncertainty of dreams, Descartes also questions ones ability to know by presenting an evil deceiver within his first meditation. He presents such deceiver as someone who can distort the reality that one may think is true. Essentially, Descartes suggests that his evil deceiver is conspiring against him. This argument implies that the deceiver is not presenting the truth towards him. Therefore, he cannot rely on what has been taught to him for it may be false. Meaning, that all humans may not r ely on their own understanding. What they know, their senses, and thoughts are not true. The two previously discussed arguments aid Descartes explanation for thinking I. These two arguments, dreams and the evil deceiver, allow for one to understand that even though ones knowledge is false, he still exists. This refers back to Descartes famous realization. He created the term I think, therefore I am. The term defines the fact that one does really exist even though everything else in the universe is proven incorrect. Descartes wrote I exist is necessarily true every time I utter it (Descartes and Cress, 1993). He, Descartes, exists in his dream scenario because he is able to doubt. He doubts whether he is really in that room, sitting and writing. Therefore, this means that even if one is dreaming it does not matter. Doubt and reasoning make humans existent. Without it, one is not able to decipher what is real. Though, that is okay. The mere ability to think makes an individual existent. Just as he wrote if I were to cease all thinking I would then utterly cease to exist ( Descartes and Cress, 1993) If an individual is not able to think rationally then he does not exist. Though, if he is then his body is nonexistent is soul and mind are. To Descartes, the mind and soul are all that really matter.When introducing the evil deceiver in his first meditation, Descartes also implies that there is a God. He does not try to prove his existence until the third meditation. Within the third section, Descartes notices that not only does he exist but so do other factors on earth. These factors include arithmetic or geometry (Descartes and Cress, 1993). Though, he also notices that they are not able to exist on their own. The reality of God and idea assist Descartes in supporting this belief by explaining so. He stated that if God really created him, an existent soul, then he must have created other existent objects. This train of thought leads to Descartes declaring that God necessarily exists (Descartes and Cress, 1993). Descartes has a valid point here. If God, who is considered to be perfect, can allow for one to acquire such knowledge of arithmetic then he must exist. For one cannot break apart numbers in the same way as other forms of ideas.It would appear to be that Descartes idea of Gods existence does not lead to the problem of evil. Rather it is the free will of man that causes the error in the world. Descartes mentions this in his fourth and fifth meditations. Descartes wrote that he certainly understands that erroris not something real that depends on God (Descartes and Cress, 1993). He further explains that because of this free will and the ability to be deceived; individuals are prone to sin. Overall, it seems to be that this is a serious criticism. Descartes fully explains as to how God has created well and how humans strive for it but, free will gets in the way. Ultimately, this free will leads to the mid becoming deceptive. This initial thought leads some to believe that Descartes is r ight in this particular sense. Even though there might be individuals who disagree. Those that do not agree with the thought of free will leading to the error may use the idea that God can be thought of as nonexistent (Descartes and Cress, 1993). These individuals would try to completely debunk the idea of God himself. Yes, it is difficult to prove his physical and spiritual existence at times. Though, according to Descartes, it is highly evident in the creation of the mind and soul. Thus, making the idea that God does not pertain to the evil of the world a solid thought. Especially since he is not a deceiver.In conclusion, Descartes uses the idea of skepticism to explain why one should not rely on their own rationalizations for they are simply in an uncertain universe that is full of deceit. Through his short meditations he suggests that even though everything may be false, the one thing that he can be sure of is his existence and that of God.BibliographyDescartes, Renà ©, and Don ald A. Cress. (1993). Meditations on first philosophy. Hackett Publishing Co. Inc.

A Case Study on the Effects of Playing Dota - 6511 Words

CHAPTER I The Problem and its Background Introduction There are many students and even some young professional are addicted to Defense of the Ancients or DotA. This is a kind of computer games that can be played by many players and is one of the most popular games to young students. Many students get addicted to this game and they even long hours inside the computer shop just playing this kind of game. There are studies that getting addicted in playing computer games affects their studies and this is the cause why they are lying to their parents that they need extra money for their school project but the truth is they are just using the money to rent a computer where they can play DotA with their classmates. Sometimes in†¦show more content†¦Statement of the Problem The researcher aims to know the effects of playing DotA. Specifically, the researcher ought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: 2. Age; 3. Gender; 4. Years of playing DotA 2. What are the reasons why the respondents play DotA? 3. Does playing DotA affect the life of the respondents? 4. What are the effects of getting addicted to DotA games to the life of the respondents? Hypothesis of the Study The researcher has formulated the following hypothesis: 1. There are more male students that are addicted in playing DotA. 2. Playing DotA is an exciting game because players are given the chance to bond with other players in order to win the game and also it is a test of intelligence on how to defeat their enemy. 3. Playing DotA affect the life of the respondents; physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. 4. Getting addicted to DotA results to poor academic performance and lesser productivity. Significance of the Study The importance of the study is to give information about the effects of getting addicted in playing DotA. The significance of this study is to inform the following: Students. 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Character Sketch For Shiloh Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Character Sketch For Shiloh Essay, Research Paper Character study for Shiloh Character Sketch In Bobbie Ann Mason s narrative Shiloh she presents the character of Norma Jean as holding a strong personality but an emptiness deep within. Norma Jean is presented as a strong character on the exterior in the gap of the narrative. She lifts three-pound dumbbells to tune-up, the advancements to a twenty-pound barbell. ( Mason p. 46 ) . However as the narrative progresses she exhibits the emptiness which she feels. One twenty-four hours Leroy arrives place from a thrust and finds Norma Jean in cryings. ( Mason p. 50 ) . Norma Jean feels an emptiness toward her asleep kid, her hubby, and besides her female parent. Her emptiness toward her hubby may be seen in the manner she interacts with him. She feels really uncomfortable when she is around him. Norma Jean is ever seeking to happen something for him to make. When he arrived back place Mason states the she seems a little defeated. ( Mason p. 47 ) . The emptiness she feels toward her female parent is presented in the feelings she has toward her. Her asleep boy symbolizes her emptiness because of his decease. In the beginning of the narrative Norma Jean tries to hide the emptiness that she has felt for so many old ages. Mason first presents her as a strong character by explicating how she works out and would wish to go stronger. She may go stronger physically, but nil can get the better of the emptiness which she feels. Norma Jean tries to aid her hubby acquire a occupation, and she gives him a assortment of thoughts for this. She does non enjoy being around him because their relationship makes her experience uncomfortable. Mason nowadayss Norma Jean and Leroy as holding many differences. The two do non cognize how to discourse their jobs, hence Norma Jean conceals all of the emptiness she feels inside her. Norma Jean feels an emptiness towards her hubby because he has been gone so long. She has learned how to populate without him but, the emptiness settles in due to this. Norma Jean does non cognize how to show her feeling of emptiness to her hubby. Due to this, Norma Jean lets her emptiness get the better of the strength that she is perceived as holding and decides to stop her matrimony. As the narrative returns, Norma Jean s emptiness begins to get the better of her. She feels more of an emptiness toward her female parent. She feels as though her female parent, Mabel, is ever pecking her about something ; whether it be smoking or that her wash is stacking up. The scene in which her female parent catches her smoke and Leroy arrives place to happen her weeping symbolizes her emptiness. She feels overwhelmed when her female parent starts speaking about Leroy and Norma Jean taking a trip to Shiloh. Norma Jean has no apparent ground to travel at that place. When her female parent starts coercing her about taking the trip, it makes the feeling of emptiness overcome her because of all the emotions she is experiencing. Norma Jean believes that Mabel brings up treatments merely to do her emptiness show through. Mabel tells Norma Jean about a babe who has its leg chewed of by a Canis familiaris, due to its parents neglect. This treatment makes Norma Jean feel an emptiness in herself for her asleep boy. A feeling of emptiness is created through the decease of her boy due to the emotions which she felt. Norma Jean did non experience comfy plenty to portion her ideas of her boy s decease with her hubby. After her boy s decease, she bottled up her emotions and neer radius of them once more. They neer speak about their memories of Randy, which hold about faded, but now that Leroy is home all the clip, they sometimes wonder if one of them should advert the kid. ( Mason p. 47 ) . Norma Jean could non discourse the jobs of her boies decease with anyone. She let these feelings take over her life and make an emptiness. Throughout the narrative it is seen how the sequence of events that happen get down to unfold the empty feeling that Norma Jean feels but how she is besides portrayed as a strong adult female. Sometimes no affair how much strength one has, a failing may fall over them. Norma Jean s failing was the emptiness that she felt in her life. She did non allow anyone know that she felt such an emptiness and this is what destroyed her and her matrimony in the terminal.

The hobbit Analysis Essay Example For Students

The hobbit Analysis Essay The book begins with Biblo Baggins enjoying a pipe after breakfast. This is one of his favorite pleasures and he feels quite content in doing so. He is middle-aged, and resides in a burrow in the ground. One morning Gandalf, a wizard stops by to talk with Biblo. He tells Biblo that he is looking for someone to go on an adventure with him. Although Biblo is tempted he declines, but not before inviting Gandalf for tea the next morning. The next day Biblo hears his doorbell and he remembers inviting Gandalf for tea, but instead of the wizard at the door, there is a group of dwarves, thirteen in all. Thorin son of the dwarf king starts to outline a plan on how to regain the treasure stolen by the dragon Smaug. Biblo is shocked to realize these plans involve him. He then realizes that Gandalf has tricked him by inscribing on his door that he was a burglar seeking a job with lots of excitement. With all this talk of quests and glory Biblo decides to join the party after all. Gandalf reveal s a key and a map of their journey, which ends at the Lonely Mountain. It is there that the treasure of Thorins ancestors is guarded by Smaug. The quest begins and the party meets at the Green Dragon Inn. From there they venture into the Lone-lands. As heavy rains begin to fall, Biblo notices that Gandalf is missing. When it starts to pour they stop to investigate a light. Their Biblo finds three trolls grumbling about food. Biblo decides to live up to title of burglar and attempts to pick one of the trolls pockets. However they quickly capture him. The dwarfs see whats going on and try to save Biblo but all of them except Thorin are caught. Thorin formulates a plan to free them but fails. Gandalf returns and occupies the trolls till dawn, and then they turn into stone. The group takes the two swords and a knife the trolls were carrying. The travelers come across the Secret Valley. There they stop at Elronds Last Homely House. Elrond tells them the only way to use the key that Thori n possesses is to wait where the thrush knocks and the setting sun will shine up on the keyhole. The next morning the group heads toward the Misty Mountains. A storm has caused them to seek shelter in a cave. The cave however turns out to be an entrance to the goblin kingdom. Again the group is captured. Only Gandalf is free, and he slays the Goblin King, and once again frees the party from doom. During the escape Biblo is knocked unconscious and is left behind. He awakes to find a ring of power that belongs to Gollum, which makes its wearer invisible. Biblo slips the ring on his finger and disappears. He follows Gollum invisibly toward the entrance to the outside world. He then jumps over Gollums head to freedom. Outside he is finds his dwarf friends. Later they encounter Wargs, which are large savage wolves. The Wargs chase the party into the trees. High in the trees Gandalf uses a spell to start the pine cones on fire, in order to drive the wolves away. However the plan backfires and the very trees they took refuge in is now burning. Luckily for them the king of the eagles spots them. He and his eagles drop out of the sky and saves the party. The eagles drop them off near Mirkwood Forest. This is where they come across Beorn; a bear like man who can change into a bear. He puts them up for the night and outfits them with supplies for their trip into Mirkwood. He also warns them not to stray from the path in the forest. When they are ready to enter the forest, Gandalf announces he will not be accompanying them in this part of the journey. The group feels lost without him but they go on. They come across a black river. It is here that Bombur, one of the Dwarves falls in and is forced into a sleep from which he cannot awake. Food is scarce now and the hungry travelers are lured off the path by visions of elves feasting in the forest. To their surprise every time they announce their presence to the elvesthey elves vanish! Once again Biblo finds himself separated from the group. He stops for a short nap and awakes to find himself tied down by a giant spider. He uses his sword to cut himself free. He then attacks the spider and kills it. Feeling proud of his deed, he decides to name his sword Sting. Biblo finds his friends deep within the forest. They too have been captured by spiders, but have not escaped. Biblo puts on his m magic ring and forms a plan to rescue his friends. It works and the party gets out of danger. The celebration of escaping the spiders is short lived since the dwarfs are again captured by Wood Elves. Biblo again uses his ring and escapes capture. He followed the elves to there home in the forest. There he forms a plan to free his friends. He opens their cells and seals them in barrels. He then floats the barrels up the river to Lake-town and freedom. In Lake-town they get more supplies and venture to the Lonely Mountain. On the mountain they heard a thrush drop a snail to the rocks. Recalling what Beorn told them about the thrush and sunlight, they quickly found the hidden back entrance to Smaugs lair. Biblo puts on his ring and goes to confront the dragon. It is there he notices that in Smaugs underbelly there is a place that is not covered by his iron like scales. After conversing with the dragon Biblo returns to the party. Smaug however is angry about his little invisible visitor and heads to destroy Lake-town. When the dragon attacks, a thrush told Bard (the captain of the archers) that Smaug has a weak spot in his breast. Bard used his black arrow to slay the beast. Then the towns people made him king of Lake- town. With smaug dead the men and elves go to claim his hoarded treasure. Dwarf troops under Thorins kinsman Dain also appear. There fighting is soon changed to alliance when the Wargs and Goblins approach and so The Battle of the Five Armies begins. During the battle Thorin is hurt and Biblo gets knocked unconscious by falling rocks. The eagles as well as Beorn, in bear form join the fray. The Wargs and goblins are defeated. Biblo later returns to his burrow under the hill with a chest of treasure, a ring of power, and a great story to tell. I liked this book a lot because the author uses characters that appear only in fairy tales, but gives them human traits. I especially liked the way Biblo changed from a tea drinking *censored* to an iron-fighting adventurer. I would highly recommend this book for children of all ages as well as adults. It has something about it that wont let you put it down, it is a very good novel. .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 , .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .postImageUrl , .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 , .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134:hover , .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134:visited , .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134:active { border:0!important; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134:active , .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134 .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u80c857d9327e0bb3fdc12cace8c91134:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Police Brutality Essay We will write a custom essay on The hobbit Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

Modernist Art in Europe essays

Modernist Art in Europe essays Modernist Art in Europe 1910-25 by Robert l. Herbert Herberts thesis of his essay is to investigate the arrival of the machine and modern art and its complexities. During WWI, modernist painting and sculpture paid major attention to machinery, science and industry. Modern art during that time has become a central factor in our culture due to its dominance in public art, museums, media and literature. Herbert brings in background information and stated the avant-garde of Pisarro, van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, etc. The industrial revolution had a stronger grip on society during the 19th century, and during this time, modern art was associated with primitive nature. During the rise of industrial art their was a rise of landscapes and paintings of rural everyday life. Also, the new technique and style which became the handcraft to modern art was so avant-garde from the academic art. Modern art was involved with cubism, futurism and vorticism. He explains that all of these arts consisted of the importance of handcraft, creativity, individuali ty, and original expression. Herbert keeps bringing in the fact the machine was the leading sign of modernity. There was no more of a gap between handwork and the machine. Also, that the machine became so important in modern art because it was now a part of daily urban life, due to subways, telephones, automobiles, sewing machines, bicycles, televisions, cinema, and more advanced photographic and advertising developments. Herbert states that although the machine became a large factor in art that it was not incorporated in the work of all modernists, such as Picasso and Braque. The author then describes the modern art in epic cubism, and how it focused on geometric architecture and structures of mechanical parts with organic rhythm of daily life. And how Italian futurism dealt with modern city life, but with more immediacy, more implied movement. It was similar to cubist but with more calc ...

Biography of Saddam Hussein, Dictator of Iraq

Biography of Saddam Hussein, Dictator of Iraq Saddam Hussein (April 28, 1937–December 30, 2006) was the ruthless dictator of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. He was the adversary of the United States during the Persian Gulf War and found himself once again at odds with the U.S. in 2003 during the Iraq War. Captured by U.S. troops, Saddam Hussein was put on trial for crimes against humanity (he killed thousands of his own people) and was ultimately executed on December 30, 2006. Fast Facts: Saddam Hussein Known For: Dictator of Iraq from 1979–2003Also Known As: Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti, The Butcher of BaghdadBorn: April 28, 1937 in Al-Ê ¿Awjah, IraqParents: Hussein Abd al-Majid, Subha Tulfah al-MussallatDied: December 30, 2006  in Baghdad, IraqEducation: High school in Baghdad; law school for three years (did not graduate)Published Works:  Novels including Zabiba and the King, The Fortified Castle, Men and the City, Begone DemonsSpouses: Sajida Talfah, Samira ShahbandarChildren: Uday Hussein, Qusay Hussein, Raghad Hussein, Rana Hussein,Hala HusseinNotable Quote: We are ready to sacrifice our souls, our children, and our families so as not to give up Iraq. We say this so no one will think that America is capable of breaking the will of the Iraqis with its weapons. Early Years Saddam, which means he who confronts, was born in 1937 a village called al-Auja, outside of Tikrit in northern Iraq. Either just before or just after his birth, his father disappeared from his life. Some accounts say that his father was killed; others say he abandoned his family. At almost the same time, Saddams older brother died of cancer. His mothers depression made it impossible for her to care for the young Saddam, and he was sent to live with his uncle Khairullah Tulfah who was briefly imprisoned for political activity. Several years later, Saddams mother remarried a man who was illiterate, immoral, and brutal. Saddam returned to his mother but hated living with his stepfather and as soon as his uncle Khairullah Tulfah (his mothers brother) was released from prison in 1947, Saddam insisted that he go live with his uncle. Saddam didnt start primary school until he moved in with his uncle at age 10. At age 18, Saddam graduated from primary school and applied to military school. Joining the military had been Saddams dream and when he wasnt able to pass the entrance exam, he was devastated. (Though Saddam was never in the military, he frequently wore military-style outfits later in life.) Saddam then moved to Baghdad and started law school, but he found school boring and enjoyed politics more. Saddam Hussein Enters Politics Saddams uncle, an ardent Arab nationalist, introduced him to the world of politics. Iraq, which had been a British colony from the end of World War I until 1932, was bubbling with internal power struggles. One of the groups vying for power was the Baath Party, to which Saddams uncle was a member. In 1957 at age 20, Saddam joined the Baath Party. He started out as a low-ranking member of the Party responsible for leading his schoolmates in rioting. In 1959, however, he was chosen to be a member of an assassination squad. On October 7, 1959, Saddam and others attempted but failed to assassinate the prime minister. Wanted by the Iraqi government, Saddam was forced to flee. He lived in exile in Syria for three months and then moved to Egypt, where he lived for three years. In 1963, the Baath Party successfully overthrew the government and took power, which allowed Saddam to return to Iraq from exile. While home, he married his cousin, Sajida Tulfah. However, the Baath Party was overthrown after only nine months in power and Saddam was arrested in 1964 after another coup attempt. He spent 18 months in prison, where he was tortured before he escaped in July 1966. During the next two years, Saddam became an important leader within the Baath Party. In July 1968, when the Baath Party again gained power, Saddam was made vice president. Over the next decade, Saddam became increasingly powerful. On July 16, 1979, the president of Iraq was forced to resign and Saddam officially took the position. The Dictator of Iraq Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq with a brutal hand, using fear and terror to stay in power. He established a secret police force that suppressed internal dissenters and developed a cult of personality to build public support. His goal was to become the leader of the Arab world, with territory to include the oil fields of the Persian Gulf. Saddam led Iraq in a war against Iran from 1980 to 1988, which ended in a stalemate. Also during the 1980s, Saddam used chemical weapons against Kurds within Iraq, including gassing the Kurdish town of Halabja which killed 5,000 in March 1988. In 1990, Saddam ordered Iraqi troops to take the country of Kuwait. In response, the United States defended Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War. On March 19, 2003, the United States attacked Iraq. Saddam fled Baghdad during the fighting. On December 13, 2003, U.S. forces found him hiding in a hole in al-Dwar, near Tikrit. Death In October 2005, Saddam was tried by the Iraqi High Tribunal on charges of killing the people of the town of Al-Dujay. After a dramatic nine-month trial, he was found guilty of crimes against humanity, including killing and torture, and was sentenced to death. On December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging; his body was later removed to a secret location. Legacy The actions of Saddam Hussein have had a powerful impact on international politics for the 21st century. Americas relationship with Iraq and other nations of the Middle East were strongly influenced by the conflicts with Saddams Iraq. The fall of Saddam in 2003 was pictured around the world with images of his statue being pulled down by cheering Iraqis. Since Saddams fall, however, a number of challenges made life in Iraq extraordinarily difficult; employment remains low, and the rise of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) led to violence. Sources: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. â€Å"Saddam Hussein.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 18 Jan. 2019.â€Å"Saddam Hussein Biography.†Ã‚  Encyclopedia of World Biography, Advameg, Inc.Saddam Caught Like a Rat in a Hole.  CNN.com, 15 December 2003.â€Å"Saddam Hussein Biography.†Ã‚  Encyclopedia of World Biography.

Literary criticism of exegesis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Literary criticism of exegesis - Research Paper Example Luke’s gospel has many features, distinguishing it from other scripts. Since Luke explicitly says that it intends to describe everything in order, the great interest is dedicated to the structure of his Gospel and its comparison with the other parts of the Holy Bible. He uses the same general scheme as Matthew and Mark, although the details of the structure have a lot of specific features. Analyzing the verse of Luke 9:18-36, we can see a lot of peculiarities, which arise during the reading of the script. The context, preceding this verse reveals the following. Sending to the service his twelve disciples, Jesus gave them two assignments. They were to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick people. They were able to commit this will, because Jesus gave them power over the world of demons and above the sphere of physical ailments. Christ Himself has revealed His power over both of these areas. Healing must have been performed particularly by the disciples as the evidence of their faith. That fact that Jesus gave them the appropriate "power" represents Him as the Messiah, who has the ability to enter a person into the kingdom of God. From this moment people had to show their faith also in relation to the twelve disciples, because in this way they would have revealed their faith in the Messiah. Hosting the disciples was the indicator, which revealed the confidence of people in them. The mission of disciples was not long and soon they returned to Jesus with the report.

Banking and Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Banking and Finance - Essay Example Globalisation has not only offered a whole range of opportunities to the corporate world, but the retail customer too has a whole range of options to carry out banking transactions. The banking industry too has implemented a wide range of strategies in order to make its services more attractive to the customers, while taking best advantage of the advancements in the IT. In this study an effort would be made to form a reliable strategic analysis about the banking industry in general with particular emphasis about the industry in Cyprus. Banking services in general are broadly of two types namely, retail banking and corporate banking or business banking. While retail banking serves the individual customer, Corporate Banking, as the name itself suggests, implies that the services are extended by banks and financial institutions towards fulfilling the diverse banking needs of the corporate world. The banking and financial services offered for local as well as global operations by banks forms the working capital of the companies. Different banks have different types of strategies to deal with corporate customers, but Tyler and Stanley (2001) emphasize that a strong inclination towards the use of personal relationship between banker and company client continues to be the cornerstone of this type of banking. In today's context such interactions become all the more crucial because more alternatives are available to the customers now. Banks and financial institutions also realize the heightened levels of competition and try to adopt as many customer friendly measures as possible to have good customer profile. The ongoing economic recession has had an adverse impact on the Cyprus economy as well. If recent reports are an indication, the economic activity in Cyprus is yet to see an upward trend. News reports indicate that despite some indications of revival in the economic conditions of rest of the European region, the Cypriot economy appear to see a full year of contraction (EIU, 2009). Slump in construction activity, falling investment spending and weak external demand are termed as major factors contributing towards this scenario. This might result in a challenging situation for the banking industry in Cyprus. 1.4. Banking Industry in Cyprus: PESTLE Analysis Tools like PESTLE and Porter's five forces analysis help in analyzing the overall situation prevailing in the market in an effective manner. PESTLE stands for political, economical, socio-cultural, technological, legal and ecological factors. It is

Moral Education Essay Example for Free

Moral Education Essay Moral education can be given better by parents at home, than by schoolmasters and professors in schools and colleges. Parents have numberless opportunities of guiding their children by pre ¬cept and example, opportunities denied to the teacher. Who generally meets his pupils in large classes, and seldom has the means of becoming intimately acquainted with their several char ¬acters and the faults, other than intellectual faults, to which each of them is particularly prone. The first point of importance to notice with regard to moral instruction is that, in the words of the proverb, example is better than precept. This is too often forgotten by parents, especially in the case of young children. Many parents are emphatic in incul-cating truthfulness, but, on very slight occasion think it advisable to escape the importunity or curiosity of children by deception, if not by actual falsehood. They fondly hope that the deceit will pass unnoticed; but children are keener observers than they are generally supposed to be, and very quick to detect any discrep ¬ancy between preaching and practice on the part of their elders. It is therefore imperative that parents in all cases should them ¬selves act up to the moral precepts that they inculcate upon their children. Another important point in the home training of children is careful selection of associates of their own age who will not teach them bad habits. For the same reason, especially in rich houses, great care must be taken that the servants do not exert an evil influence on their moral character. Bad servants teach a child to be deceitful and disobedient by secretly helping him to enjoy forbidden pleasures, which of course they warn him he must on no account mention to his parents. They may also render a child rude and overbearing by servile submission to his caprices and bad temper. If we now pass from home to school life, we see that the first great disadvantage that the school-master labours under is that it is very difficult for him to gain the affections of his pupils. A father can generally appeal to filial love as an inducement towards obeying the moral rules he prescribes. But a school-master ap ¬pears to boys in the position of a task-master, and is too often without reason regarded by them as their natural enemy, particu ¬larly by those whom he has to punish for idleness or other faults, that is, by the very boys who stand most in need of moral instruction. Even when a school-master has got over this hostile feeling, he finds that the large amount of daily teaching expected from him leaves him little leisure to give his pupils friendly advice in the intervals between lessons. It has been proposed in India that formal lessons in morality should be given in schools and colleges. But it is to be feared that lessons so delivered from the school-master’s desk or the professor’s chair would produce little more effect than is obtained by the writing of moral sentences in copy-books. In the great public schools of England the masters have opportunities of de ¬livering moral lessons under more favourable conditions, when they preach the weekly sermon on Sunday in the sacred precincts of the school chapel. The Indian teacher has no such opportunity of using his eloquence in guiding the members of his school towards moral enthusiasm. Yet he can do much by the power of personal example, and by creating in the minds of his pupils admiration for the great English writers, who in prose or verse give expression to the highest moral thoughts. In addition to this, all intellectual education is in proportion to its success a powerful deterrent from vice, as it enables us to see more clearly the evil effects that follow from disobedience to moral rules.

Ford Motor Company Supply Chain Strategy Essay -- Ford business Strate

Ford Motor Company Supply Chain Strategy Background In 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized product manufacturing by introducing the first assembly line to the automotive industry. Ford’s hallmark of achievement proved to be a key competence for the motor company as the low cost of the Model T attracted a broader, new range of prospective car-owners. However, after many decades of success, customers have become harder to find. Due to relatively new threats to the industry, increasing numbers of cars and trucks are parked in dealer lots and showrooms creating an alarming trend of stagnation and profit erosion. Foreign-based automakers, such as Toyota and Honda, have expanded operations onto domestic shores and, in turn, have wrestled market share from American automakers. As a direct result, unit over-capacity has steadily risen, while heightened competition and diverse product lines have led to increasing customer demands. To answer these threats, Ford has made recent attempts to transform its dated vertical integration production model into a maneuverable, efficient supply chain. Emphasizing methods such as Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory, Total Quality Management (TQM), and Synchronous Material Flow (SMF), Ford has derived a multi-tiered system of supply. The tier system consists of numerous generic suppliers, â€Å"tier two† and below, who are managed by â€Å"tier one† vehicle sub-system suppliers. The â€Å"tier one† suppliers, by nature, are completely dependent upon Ford’s survival since the provided sub-system component is specific solely to Ford. Dell and Virtual Integration Despite the revamping effort, Ford remains plagued with prolonged Order-To-Delivery (OTD) time periods, congested inventories and error-ridden procurement processes. Upon investigation, these troublesome issues appear to be well addressed by the radically new direct business model of the Dell Computer Corporation. Dell differentiates itself through the utilization of virtual integration, an efficient and effective direct business model facilitated by electronic business providing Build-To-Order (BTO) products directly to customers. The process begins with the customer specifying exactly which features are to be included in the desired computer. Dell, then, buys components from several different suppliers via Internet-based JIT ordering. By using Dell’s process of JIT ordering , misal... ...ndustry by integrating a direct supply network. Ford’s goal of TQM could be easily met by implementing a variation of Dell’s already successful virtual integration business model. Fostering cooperation through incentives is key since compliance of supply chain partners is necessary to gain first-mover advantage. Conclusion In today’s competitive environment, it is important for any business to focus on the customer and to provide unique value in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Without virtual integration, competitive advantage is lost. Successful implementation of virtual integration initiatives allows supplier companies, which are performing only certain processes, to work together as one entity. Therefore, operations become more efficient by reducing inventory, assuring quality, and reducing delivery time. More importantly, the organization maintains the ability to thrive in a competitive marketplace by achieving increased customer satisfaction through unique and strategic core competences. Virtual integration will redefine corporations and , eventually, entire industries as supply chains evolve into a new business model of cooperation and sharing.

Benford’s Law Essay

Benford’s law, aka first-digit law, states that in lists of numbers of naturally occurring data, the leading digit is distributed in a specific, non-uniform way. In number sequences, most people assume that in a string of numbers sampled randomly all nine numbers would be equally probable for the leading digit. Benford’s Law states otherwise. He found that the number 1 will appear first about 30% of the time and the number 9 will only appear first around 4.5%. Naturally occurring can be anything from check amounts or stock prices to lengths of rivers. Benford’s law is both scale invariant and base invariant. If something is scale invariant that means if you multiplied every number in the list by the same constant, it does not significantly change the distribution. For example, it does not matter whether the numbers are based on the dollar prices of stocks or their prices in Yen or Euros. Mathematicians have found that the larger and more varied the sampling of numbers from different data sets, the more closely the distribution of numbers approaches Benford’s Law. Benford’s Law does have limitations. Benford’s Law does not apply to uniform or non-naturally occurring data sets. Examples of non-naturally occurring data sets are made up of pre-assigned numbers like zip codes or UPC numbers. Benford’s law can only be applied to data that are distributed across multiple orders of magnitude. Moreover, if there is any cut-off which excludes a portion of the underlying data above a maximum value or below a minimum value, then the law will not apply. Benford’s law has many applications. Several countries, states, large corporations and accounting firms use detection software based on Benford’s Law. Benford’s Law is used in the accounting profession to detect fraud. It can be a powerful and simple tool for detecting frauds, embezzlers, tax evaders, inaccurate accounting and computer glitches. Dr. Mark Nigrini used Benford’s Law to test the first digit in approximately 170,000 IRS model files. Dr. Nigrini found that these lines follow Benford’s Law very closely. He then used Benford’s Law on fraudulent data taken from King’s County, New York District Attorney’s Office. The fraudulent data consisted of cash disbursements and payrolls, none of which followed Benford’s Law. In general, Dr. Nigrini found that fraudulent or concocted data have far less numbers beginning with 1 and far more numbers beginning with 6 than true data do.

A good leader Essay

INTRODUCTION There has been always considerable discussion about connection between great leaders and good followers. It is said that in order to be a good leader person should be a good follower. In my point of, a good leader is the person who also has been a good follower, person who has proven oneself ability to follow the instructions, who can subjugate one’s will to the will of others who has undertaken the responsibility of leadership, able to make constructive comments and debate issues when necessary and able to stand up for the principles in which one believes. The person who can manage to perform about mentioned missions can be called a good follower. However, it does not mean all good followers become always good leaders. There are some people who are astounding as choir singers but awful as choir directors. There are many great followers who are not good leaders. Nevertheless, it should be noted that good leaders and good followers usually posses the same characteristics and responsibilities which may be the main reason for considering an opinion that a good leaders also obliged to be a good follower. Leaders the ones who have brought our life many changes, make differences and make our life more interesting and interactive. But, if there were not followers there would not be a good leader, as, followers the most essential assets of a good leader. 1. Some people understand a leader simply as somebody whom people can follow or as someone who guides or directs others, while others define leader as a person who affects a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. With regard to follower, follower is a person who follows another`s teachings and  belief, one who admits the command, guidance and leadership of another one (www.vtaide.com). Some held conception that to be a good leader you ought to be a good follower. In order to be a leader, a person at first should learn how to be a good follower. Initially, majority of great leaders followed in the footsteps of other good leaders and utilized training to achieve their leadership goals. In order to have followers, a good leader must have ability to comprehend his or her followers and what the followers desire from the leader. And, the best way to implement it, the leader should be a good follower. As, rich people usually cannot understand poor people`s condition, if only the rich did not experience the poverty in their own life. The poor people can comprehend each other better because they have similar problems. Moreover, we are all followers in some spheres of our lives. And in this case, we can obtain some essential qualities and skills which help us to become a good leader. The reason for this is training which considered as a powerful tool in order to attract one’s vision to higher sights, increasing their performance to a higher standard, and forming a personality beyond its usual limitations to its full potential. For instance, in the history, the Apostle Peter had made a lot of mistakes before he followed Jesus. After following Jesus for three years Apostle Peter and his fellow-disciples â€Å"turned the world upside down†( John C.Maxwell,1998) Besides, leaders and followers divide some characteristics. 2. These are the following qualities: Awareness Ð ¡urrently, leÐ °ders have to know about different audiences including board members, customers, coworkers, colleagues, and the audience on the whole. You oblige to know what it tÐ °kes to bring them Ð °long, if you desire to be good a leader. In order to be a follower you should educate yourself how to be conscious of the requirements of public as well as their potential to â€Å"make one`s life hell from one second to the next† (Barbarra Kellerman) .Good followers study to read public and comprehend what distresses and stimulates them. Diplomacy When good followers meet a co-worker with frantic political beliefs or an offensive manager, they are maybe not going to struggle every fight. To take  part in a position of the follower is less risky, easier, and often simpler. Good followers observe how to handle with those who possess dissimilarities while not disregarding those differences. That is an essential leadership feature, for the reason that a manager or leader cannot afford to be unconscious to the relations of those people who surrounds him or her (www.success.bz). Courage Being a good follower indicates owning the bravery to disagree if you believe your manager, superior or leader is acting something incorrectly. That is always complicated, but it demands the strength of belief which is very essential to good leadership. Being a good leader is complex in methods that are rather alike to being a good follower. It means paying attention, being engaged, having the bravery to cry out when something is not proper way. Also, it means possessing the power and activity to encourage a leader or manager who is implementing things wisely and well. Collaboration In many cases, the leader influences if and how the goals are accomplished while followers are able to implement or break. Even though the leader may receive most of the credit, in many business sectors, followers are the people who are acting much of the creative work. Leaders who have been good followers comprehend how to work with people who can help to bring out the well enough in them. One of great leader said that â€Å"Was it the imaginative collective of team members at Apple, or did Steve Jobs really invent the iPod and iPhone? Currently, leaders may be reckoned up not only by how much is accomplished or produced, but by the quality of its members and the team or organization† (Ronald E. Riggio). Critical Thinking You need to be able to believe for yourself, in order to be a good follower. The best followers encourage and help the leader when he or she is acting the correct thing, and stand up to the leader when he or she is directed in the wrong direction. Many of the same qualities that we are enraptured with leaders competence, motivation, intelligence-are similar characteristics that we desire in the very best followers (www.lifehack.org). Besides, leaders, in spite of their degree, they also must follow. 3. Even though, leaders and followers share the same qualities, also, there is still much dissimilarity between them. Leader has to be isolated and independent in order to rely on himself. A bright example of this can be seen in the book called â€Å"Ender`s game†Ender had been isolated in order to make him struggle. That was the only way he would ever have been otherwise. Moreover, it made him untrusting, angry, strong and lonely. But, maybe these qualities made him a better soldier† (michaelhyatt.com). . Leader is usually the person who is being relied on his followers. Followers only must be efficient during the struggle. They have to be capable to implement the commands by their leader, with own skills. In other cases, it is not so essential to be that competent. They could ask aid from their leader or friends. But, leaders, cannot ask for aid from his followers because, otherwise his followers may consider him incompetent. Being a leader is not as easy as being a follower. Leaders illustrate inventiveness; when they have a general clutch for a project they can strategically lay out the most appropriate way to reach the final goal while followers require step by step instruction and expect direction to follow by the leader. They need regular approval and guarantee, in case, something goes wrong. Leaders are not content with simply expecting for the next step because they are very active. They disdain inactivity and when there is lack of progress. They are motivated by subjugating any obstacles in their way and accept responsibility. With regard to followers, they escape from amenability and would prefer when somebody else is â€Å"amenable† instead of them. Also, they agree with inaction as long as a leader does not motivate them to carry out the objectives. When followers usually experience obstacles in certain kind of work, they are not capable to manage with them alone. Leader is the one who can help to a follower how to handle with difficulties. Leaders are not afraid of a strong sense of anxiety or fear; on the contrary they prosper on it. They show that they have ability to manage with everything and very quick in making decisions. They attack fear and tackle it head on and show it who the boss is. With reference to followers, when they have to make a decision, they usually feel fear which causes to escape from a challenge without any real exculpation. Because they try rarely to make something new and they are not capable to risk (Dale Carnegie, 2010). Followers disdain any alterations and attempt to avoid them. Leaders are innovators and  intuitive so they accept changes. Moreover, they are aware that sometimes it is possible that some changes can be very beneficial and may help people to achieve their objectives as well as improving and flourishing their experiences too. 4. Like many traits of the prominent people, being a good leader is an elusive characteristic and very complicated to describe. Many people have different conception of a great leader. But, in my view, a good leader is the person who, first of all, has ability to make impossible things possible in order to be distinguished from other people and his followers. Also, a leader needs to comprehend what objectives and purposes are to be accomplished and needs to stick to those objectives and purposes and by never compromising with the truth. Even though, there are times when leader may have to yield a little, bend a little, but he should always have a clear vision of the final objective that he and his followers have wish to achieve. He must focus completely and totally to attaining the aim, by not permitting himself to be diverted, inactive, complaisant and negligent (www.fastcompany.com).In order to be a good leader, I would try to be quicker to evaluate and criticize myself in order th at I may benefit from my personal self-analysis and amend myself constantly and try to not to be hurry to adjudicate others. A good leader has to listen to constructive remark and must hear frank complaints and reckon up them with good criticism in order to appeal that which is affirmative and positive to the achievement of the objectives to which I am dedicated. If, I were a leader the first thing I would do is analyzing the aim which is needed to achieve and arranging everything in proper way. Analyzing includes not only finding out the goals, but, it also comprises followers or people who will work with you and what is the best appropriate method to attain the goal with the help of your team. When you analyze your followers, you will be aware what they desire and which qualities and abilities they have and how to help them to overcome and turn their weaknesses into the strength in order to achieve common goals. Moreover, it is vitally essential to work out and develop a strategy in order to attain objectives with a help of your team and find out your concur rents and enemies and how to overcome them so as to become more powerful and successful. A bright example of a great leader that I would like to take is Alan Mulally who is CEO of Ford Motor Corporation and also has taken the third place in the list of Great leaders in the world (Fortune  Magazine, 2014). He says that â€Å"One of the most essential tasks of the leader’s work is intensifying the process we are utilizing to attain our objectives. Furthermore, it is not only the way of simply asking, â€Å"How are we doing?† It is requiring, â€Å"How are we performing against the project? What are the spheres that demands particular attention? At the end of the year, what strategies have we worked out to ameliorate our fulfillment in next year?†(Rirk Kinkland, McKinsey Publishing 2013). 5. Some key qualities that I would like to possess and implement, if I were a leader are the following: Honesty and Responsibility An essential and basis element of a great leader is honesty. Your business and followers are a reflection of yourself, and if you are honest and behave yourself ethically it will be a key value for your followers to follow suit. Moreover, if you are not honest, responsible and reliable person you will not have people who will follow you. So, if your co-workers and followers do not trust you, it is impossible to be a leader. It is very important for the people who will follow you to be sure that they can rely on you and that you keep your promises. Also, the good leader should be dedicated towards his or her job because it shows that you feel responsibility. However, a good leader also must differentiate the people and followers whom he can trust in order not to be sure that his followers will always support him during attaining the goals. Communication Good communication skills aid the leader to communicate easily and to share ideas or exchange with opinions with his followers. Also, it is important to elude misunderstanding in an organization because knowing what you desire to be implemented might seem transparent in your head, but if you try to clarify it to somebody else and it may be comprehended in a different way which may cause to a problem. So, being capable to succinctly and clearly describe what you want to be accomplished is vitally essential. Besides, a leader should possess this trait to communicate with his client with various backgrounds. Vision Being a great leader also includes possessing and developing vision. It means having â€Å"vision† to forecast the future as if it were already here. A bright  example can be Steve Job, who often performed this. He created a transparent picture in minds of people how a new output would alter the world — before even it was launched. He had ability to make humans excited about the future which he imagined in his mind. Good leaders must develop the talent of vision in them as well as in followers to encourage them to be better in those skills which they possess. It helps to commit innovations and attain common goals. Positive Attitude A good leader should have a positive thinking and attitude in order to stimulate confidence and acquire inner strength. It is essential to remember, that confident and calm leader is a good example for his followers to feel the same. Besides, a great leader must motivate his followers and people around. If your followers feel happiness and are motivated, there are more chances to reach the best achievements and moving ahead. Also, a good leader must be capable to solve problem and find the solution to every problem which he encounters in life and not avoid it. And, it is usually easier to find solution to the problem when you are calm, confident and have positive mind-set. Conclusion By way of conclusion, it can be marked that being a leader is more complicated than many people expect it. Being leader requires many efforts, hard work and a plenty of affirmative traits which hare complex to attain. With regard to followers, it is easier to be a follower rather than being a leader. Even though, followers and leaders share similar qualities, not every good follower can become a good leader because there are many differences as well. One of the main differences between them is responsibility. Leaders oblige to be responsible not only for their actions, but, as well as they must be responsible for deeds of their followers. Furthermore, leaders are braver, creative and more inclined to risk. People who try to avoid challenges are better to be followers than being a leader of a group of people. I think every leader must always learn in order to be very smart and try to obtain more knowledge and experience in different kind of spheres. But, the main task of leaders to help people to achieve common goals and direct his followers. Also, leaders have to always try to  be a great person who can change the world to the positive side and make it better. References 1. Barbara Kellerman [2009] â€Å"How Followers are Creating Change and Changing Leaders† Available [online]: http://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/bottom-line/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader [March 17, 2009] 2. Carol Giannantonio[2011] â€Å"A Great Leader Is A Great Follower† Available [online]:http://www.success.bz/articles/1833/a_great_leader_is_a_great_follower [July,2011] 3. Dale Carnegie [2010] â€Å"How to Win Friends and Influence People† Available [online]: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/15-best-leadership-books-every-young-leader-needs-read.html [February, 2008] 4. Fortune Magazine[2014] â€Å"Fortune ranks the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders† Available [online]: http://fortune.com/2014/03/20/fortune-ranks-the-worlds-50-greatest-leaders/ [March, 2014] 5. Gwen Moran[2007] â€Å"A person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal† Available [online]:http://www.vtaide.com/gleaning s/leader.htm[September 26, 2007] 6. James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner[2010] â€Å"The Truth about leadership† Available [online]: http://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/bottom-line/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader[September, 2010] 7. John C. Maxwell [1998] â€Å"The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership † Available from:http://michaelhyatt.com/why-the-best-leaders-are-great-followers.html [September, 2008] 8. Rik Kirkland[2006] â€Å"Leading in the 21st century† Available [online]: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/strategy/leading_in_the_21st_century_an_interview_with_fords_alan_mulally [ November, 2013] 9. Ronald E. Riggio[2013] â€Å"Leaders lead. Followers followâ€Å"Available[online]: http://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/bottom-line/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader[April, 2014]

The ABCs of APR Everything You Need to Know

The ABCs of APR Everything You Need to Know SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When you look at a loan or credit card offer, you’ll see the term â€Å"APR,† or annual percentage rate, popping up all over the place. What is APR, exactly, and why is it important when taking out a loan or choosing a credit card? This guide will tell you everything you need to know about annual percentage rate and how you can use it to understand the annual costs of a loan or credit line. To start, let’s establish a working definition of APR. What Is APR? What is APR? What does APR stand for? APR stands for annual percentage rate, and it tells you the total amount of interest and fees you’ll pay each year on borrowed money. It’s a more comprehensive value than interest rate, and it’s meant to help you compare loans and credit cards on a standardized basis. APR is presented as a percentage of the total amount borrowed, or the principal. That being said, APR works differently on loans than it does on credit cards. Let’s take a closer look at both, starting with loans. How Does APR Work on Loans and Mortgages? On a loan or mortgage, APR tells you to the total amount of interest and fees you’ll pay each year. The types of fees depend on the type of loan. On a personal loan, for instance, a common additional fee is an origination fee. On a home loan, the main additional fee is closing costs. If your loan or mortgage doesn’t have any fees, then the APR will equal the annual interest rate. Let’s say you borrow $100,000 at a 5% interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. You pay $1,000 in closing costs. Your APR, then, is 5.1% (interest rate + closing costs, as a percentage of the principal). You would pay $5.10 each year for every $100 you borrowed. APR includes closing costs, so it’s a more realistic representation of your long-term costs than the annual interest rate is. Because of the Truth in Lending Act of 1968, lenders must calculate loan APR in the same way. This consistency allows you to compare offers and clearly see your long-terms costs. APR gives customers a quick and easy way to compare the terms of loans or mortgages on an apples-to-apples basis. By knowing the APR, you can use an APR calculator to calculate your monthly payments and figure out how much you’ll end up paying in fees and interests. Usually, a lower APR means you’ll spend less money over the long term. To see why, consider the example of a $200,000 mortgage below with two loan APRs that differ by just a few percentage points. Thanks to the 1968 Truth in Lending Act, all lenders must calculate APR in the same way. Examples of APR on a 30-Year Mortgage Let’s consider two scenarios using a $200,000 mortgage. In the first scenario, you get a 5.5% APR on a 30-year mortgage. In the second, you manage to get just a 5.2% APR over 30 years. By comparing the two rates, you can see how much money you save in the long run with an APR that’s only slightly lower than another one. Scenario 1: $200k Mortgage With a 5.5% APR Using Bankrate’s APR calculator, let’s consider a $200,000 mortgage over a 30-year term with a 5.5% APR. To pay off this mortgage over 30 years, you’d have a monthly payment of $1,135.58. After 30 years, you’d end up paying a total of $408,807. Since you initially took out $200,000, this means you’d end up paying $208,807 in interest and other fees. Scenario 2: $200k Mortgage With a 5.2% APR What if your APR was a bit lower, say 5.2%? How much would you save in the long run? With a 5.2% APR on a $200,000 loan, you’d pay $1,098.22 a month for 30 years for a total of $395,361. Your additional costs would add up to $195,361 - a large amount, but significantly lower than the costs incurred with a 5.5% APR. You would pay $13,446 less on a $200k, 30-year mortgage with a 5.2% APR than you would with a 5.5% APR. As you can see, getting a mortgage with a slightly lower APR can save you a significant amount of money in the long run. When you're shopping for a mortgage, you should compare offers to get the best deal. Now that you have a sense of how APR works on a loan or mortgage, let’s look closer at how annual percentage rates work on credit cards. When you're choosing a 30-year mortgage, remember that a difference of just one or two percentage points in an APR can make a big difference in your long-term costs. How Does APR Work on Credit Cards? When you look at a credit card, you’ll see several APRs. Credit cards have different APR for different types of transactions, like one for making purchases and another for transferring cash. For most people, the APR related to making purchases is the most important rate. On credit cards, APRs don’t typically include additional fees related to cash advances or late payments. Rather, they reflect the daily periodic rate, or the interest that’s calculated on your account each and every day, over the entire year. If you want to know your daily periodic rate, then you can simply take the APR and divide it by 365. How do credit cards come up with APR? They use the U.S. prime rate and then add their own margin. For instance, the prime rate could be 5% and the issuer could charge a 12% margin. The APR, then, would be 17%. APR on a credit card could stay the same from year to year, or it could fluctuate along with the U.S. prime rate. APRs that change are called floating or variable APRs. Your APR may also depend on your creditworthiness, as you’ll see in the example below. People with higher credit scores get a lower APR, and people with lower credit scores get a higher APR. Credit card companies may also offer promotional APRs when you open a new account. You could get 0% APR on purchases for the first year. After that promotional period, the APR would return to the normal rate. While you’ll see a lot of promotions regarding APR from credit card companies, you should keep in mind that APR may not matter. In fact, it shouldn’t even be a factor for many people. Read on to learn why. Are you making a purchase? Transferring cash? A credit card usually has several APRs, one for each kind of transaction. APR on Credit Cards: Does It Matter? If you pay off your full credit card balance every month, then you will never have to pay interest. For all intents and purposes, your APR is always 0%. To use a credit card responsibly, you should always pay off your full balance every month. Credit card interest rates are high, and carrying a balance is one of the quickest ways to get into debt. If you’re spending more than you can afford to pay off within the month, then you need to step back, make a budget, and take steps to control your personal finances. If you’re using a credit card well, then the promotional and regular APR offers should not matter. Instead, you can choose a credit card based on other perks, like cash back and travel points. Speaking of travel rewards, let’s look at one of the best cards for travel points, the Chase Sapphire card, to get a sense of its various APR structures. If you pay off your full credit card balance every month, then your purchase APR will be 0%. Example of APR on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card Here are the various APRs on the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, as borrowed from its website. Notice how it offers a range of rates, based on your â€Å"creditworthiness.† The first is the one that applies to credit card purchases, while the others have to do with other transactions. INTEREST RATES AND INTEREST CHARGES Purchase Annual Percentage Rate (APR) 16.24% to 23.24%, based on your creditworthiness. These APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Balance Transfer APR 16.24% to 23.24%, based on your creditworthiness. These APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Cash Advance APR 25.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Overdraft Advance APR 25.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. How does Chase Sapphire calculate its credit card APR rates? It uses the U.S. prime rate as of December 22, 2015, which was set at 3.5%. According to Chase, â€Å"We add 12.74% to 19.74% to the Prime Rate to determine the Purchase/Balance Transfer APR...We add 21.74% to the Prime Rate to determine the Cash Advance/Overdraft Advance APR.† As with many other lenders, Chase sets its own margin and adds this margin to the prime rate. Then, it assigns APRs based on the creditworthiness of each individual. Again, credit card APR might not come into play if you pay your balance off in full from month to month. It’s still important to know what you’re signing up for, though, just so you understand the costs that you can incur from using a credit card. In closing, let’s go over the key points you need to remember about APR, including what it is and how you can use it to decide between loans, mortgages, or credit cards. Some credit cards have a floating APR that fluctuate along with the prime rate. APR: Just the Basics APR, or annual percentage rate, works a little differently on loans than it does on credit cards. A loan APR tells you what percentage of your loan or mortgage you’ll be paying in interest and other fees each year. Because it incorporates costs beyond interest, APR is a more inclusive rate than interest rate. If there are no additional costs, then the loan APR will be the same as the annual interest rate. Since all lenders must calculate APR in the same way, APR helps consumers compare loan and mortgage offers on a standardized basis. In most cases, you’ll save money by getting the lowest APR you can. If you’re comparing credit card offers, remember that the â€Å"purchase APR† is likely the most relevant piece of data. Ideally, you won’t be paying any interest on your credit card. If you always pay off your monthly balances in full, then you can choose a credit card based on its rewards and points structure rather than on its various APRs. Whenever you’re taking out a loan or opening a card, make sure to read the ins and outs of any contract before you sign it. By looking at APR, you can gain a clear understanding of your long-term costs. What's Next? Which credit card is best for you? Check out our personal spending quiz to find the best credit card for your habits. Do you want to take a more proactive approach to managing your finances? Check out our 7-step guide for taking control of your personal finances. Are you starting to think about investing in the stock market? Check out our full guide to figure out what kind of investor you are and learn how to invest in the stock market.

The Womans Bible and Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Genesis

The Woman's Bible and Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Genesis In 1895, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a committee of other women published The Womans Bible. In 1888, the Church of England published its Revised Version of the Bible, the first major revision in English since the Authorized Version of 1611, better known as the King James Bible. Dissatisfied with the translation and with the failure of the committee to consult with or include Biblical scholar Julia Smith, the reviewing committee published their comments on the Bible. Their intent was to highlight the small part of the Bible that focused on women, as well as to correct Biblical interpretation which they believed was biased unfairly against women. The committee did not consist of trained Biblical scholars, but rather interested women who took both Biblical study and womens rights seriously. Their individual commentaries, usually a few paragraphs about a group of related verses, were published though they did not always agree with one another, nor did they write with the same level of scholarship or writing skill. The commentary is less valuable as strictly academic Biblical scholarship, but far more valuable as it reflected the thought of many women (and men) of the time towards religion and the Bible. It probably goes without saying that the book met with considerable criticism for its liberal view on the Bible. An Excerpt Heres one small excerpt from The Womans Bible. [from: The Womans Bible, 1895/1898, Chapter II: Comments on Genesis, pp. 20-21.] As the account of the creation in the first chapter is in harmony with science, common sense, and the experience of mankind in natural laws, the inquiry naturally arises, why should there be two contradictory accounts in the same book, of the same event? It is fair to infer that the second version, which is found in some form in the different religions of all nations, is a mere allegory, symbolizing some mysterious conception of a highly imaginative editor. The first account dignifies woman as an important factor in the creation, equal in power and glory with man. The second makes her a mere afterthought. The world in good running order without her. The only reason for her advent being the solitude of man. There is something sublime in bringing order out of chaos; light out of darkness; giving each planet its place in the solar system; oceans and lands their limits; wholly inconsistent with a petty surgical operation, to find material for the mother of the, race. It is on this allegory that all the enemies of women rest, their battering rams, to prove her. inferiority. Accepting the view that man was prior in the creation, some Scriptural writers say that as the woman was of the man, therefore, her position should be one of subjection. Grant it, then as the historical fact is reversed in our day, and the man is now of the woman, shall his place be one of subjection? The equal position declared in the first account must prove more satisfactory to both sexes; created alike in the image of God -The Heavenly Mother and Father. Thus, the Old Testament, in the beginning, proclaims the simultaneous creation of man and woman, the eternity and equality of sex; and the New Testament echoes back through the centuries the individual sovereignty of woman growing out of this natural fact. Paul, in speaking of equality as the very soul and essence of Christianity, said, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. With this recognition of the feminine element in the Godhead in the Old Testament, and this declaration of the equality of the sexes in the New, we may well wonder at the contemptible status woman occupies in the Christian Church of to-day. All the commentators and publicists writing on womans position, go through an immense amount of fine-spun metaphysical speculations, to prove her subordination in harmony with the Creators original design. It is evident that some wily writer, seeing the perfect equality of man and woman in the first chapter, felt it important for the dignity and dominion of man to effect womans subordination in some way. To do this a spirit of evil must be introduced, which at once proved itself stronger than the spirit of good, and mans supremacy was based on the downfall of all that had just been pronounced very good. This spirit of evil evidently existed before the supposed fall of man, hence woman was not the origin of sin as so often asserted. E. C. S.

The case of christ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The case of christ - Essay Example From this movement has come the Christian apologetics who, according to The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, are a group of people that â€Å"use logic and evidence to defend Christianity and promote the truth of the Bible†(Slick, 2011). Perhaps one of the most influential books from the Christian Apologetics movement is The Case for Christ which proposes a myriad of evidence that supports the existence of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Lee Stobel and Jane Vogel, authors of the Student Version of The Case for Christ, provide a summary of who Jesus Christ was. At the very core of the argument is that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God (Strobel and Vogel, 23). His role on Earth was to save the sinners which was accomplished by sacrificing himself and dying on the cross for everyone’s sins. One of the important aspects of this that the authors take on is the fact that Jesus did not explicitly state that he was God: â€Å"Some of Jesus’ statements a s they are recorded in the Bible don’t seem to be clear claims that Jesus is God†(Strobel and Vogel, 23). However, Strobel provides several scriptures that support the claim that Jesus believed he was God and through conversations with disciples, followers, and others stated as much. Some of the evidence included Matthew 16: 15-17 where Jesus asks Peter who he (Peter) thinks Jesus is and Peter replies â€Å"You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God†(Strobel and Vogel, 23). Strobel present very convincing evidence that Jesus was in fact the Messiah by way of presenting Isaiah 53 which is in essence a prophecy of who the Messiah would be. Strobel claims that Jesus matched the prophecy and that many of these aspects could not be manipulated by Jesus in order to make them match such as birthplace, family, the betrayal by Judas Iscariot, and the guards that gambled over Jesus’ clothes when he was dying on the cross(Strobel and Vogel, 44-4 6). Since Isaiah 53 was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the argument that Jesus was indeed the Messiah is extremely convincing. The next step in presenting the case for Christ is to delve into the reliability of the Gospels which are the books of the Bible that detail Jesus Christ and his life. Strobel presents evidence that indicates that these books are quite reliable. The biggest piece of evidence is the differences between Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Although many people would say these contradictions make the books less reliable, Strobel disagrees stating that â€Å"the idea is that if the writers were lying, they’d make sure to get their stories straight—and they’d agree in every detail. What seems to be a contradiction is often the same event viewed from different perspectives†(Strobel and Vogel, 54). Additionally, Strobel brings up an interesting point about the timeline of Christ’s death and the teachings of Paul. Accor ding to Strobel, the timeline suggests that Paul came to learn about Christ dying on the cross for the world’s sins and his resurrection within 2-5 years of it occurring. Strobel makes the argument that the fact Christianity was already teaching this aspect about Christ suggests that â€Å"that’s far too fast for legend to have developed and wiped out a core of historical truth†(Strobel and Vogel, 60). This is compelling evidence since it is widely thought that the time

LukoilBP Comparison Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LukoilBP Comparison - Case Study Example Nonetheless, its performance in boosting its market value has been described as hyper in nature as evidenced by the graph below: This ratio is the company's share price at year end divided by basic income per share. Basic earnings per ordinary share amounts are calculated by dividing the profit for the year attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year. The average number of shares outstanding excludes treasury shares and the shares held by the employee share ownership plans. The following tables detail BP and OAO LUKOIL share price, basic income per share and the price to earnings ratio: BP, having wider operations than LUKOIL, registers a higher P/E ratio. However, computing for the rate of change of the P/E, it is found that LUKOIL is registering much higher growth than BP. The results are shown below: With this information, it can be seen that LUKOIL registers double digits for the P/E ratio. This growth essentially tells the investor that LUKOIL is outperforming BP. Although the investor can expect higher returns for BP, this may not be the case in the future as LUKOIL's P/E growth rate is double that of BP. Basically, the P/E ratio is expected to increase as Basic Earning Per Share are also up with share price also expected to increase because of the good performance of LUKOIL. ... Sample Computation: ( LUKOIL 2005) P/E = Share Price / Basic Earnings Per Share = 59.40 / 7.91 = 7.51 BP, having wider operations than LUKOIL, registers a higher P/E ratio. However, computing for the rate of change of the P/E, it is found that LUKOIL is registering much higher growth than BP. The results are shown below: Table 4. Rate of Change Profile P/E Rate of Change (%) 2003-2004 2004-2005 LUKOIL 13.62 28.60__ BP 6.07 12.36__ The computation for the rate of change was carried on using the following equation: Rate of Change = ( P/E for Year End - P/E for the Previous Year End) * 100% P/E for the Previous Year End With this information, it can be seen that LUKOIL registers double digits for the P/E ratio. This growth essentially tells the investor that LUKOIL is outperforming BP. Although the investor can expect higher returns for BP, this may not be the case in the future as LUKOIL's P/E growth rate is double that of BP. Forecast The most recent available projection for LUKOIL is a 9M 2006 projections and is conveniently compared to 9M 2005. It is shown below: Table 5. Financial Forecast Source: 2006 Financial Results from www.lukoil.ru/ investorcenter Basically, the P/E ratio is expected to increase as Basic Earning Per Share are also up with share price also expected to increase because of the good performance of LUKOIL. The company is currently very aggressive in entering and capturing a major portion of the US market. It has already purchased rights to Getty and its oil distribution facilities in the US. With regards to BP, the P/E ratio is forecasted to increase as well

What problems in other approaches to political analysis has feminism Essay

What problems in other approaches to political analysis has feminism sought to address - Essay Example Such a strategy can become an obstacle in managing efficiently, the types of problems, as described above. Precaution needs to be taken not to unnecessarily reject an approach leading to actual analysis, thus limiting feminist considerations (Lawson, 1999). The aim of feminist approaches in politics is to change the research and practice of politics, differentiating it from actions that just include women or links between women and men as a field of significance. For many academicians, a major add-on is the notion of ‘gender’. Although this term is mostly taken for ‘women’, feminist study is precautious to differentiate between ‘sex’, biological variations between women and men and ‘gender’, social contexts provided to these differences in terms. A change to gender has two wide implications: one is to shift the attention away from biological sex to framed gender identities, and the other is that it shifts overall concern with women while thinking of the effect of masculinities and femininities, besides the relations between men and women, on political awareness and results (Childs and Krook, 2006). Given women’s concurrent cornering from the political arena, centring on ‘women’ becomes significant for measuring designs of political empowerment, attitudes and impacts. Nevertheless, theories of gender provide an opportunity to study more deeply by researching masculinities and femininities, along with the comparative ranking of men and women, in the behaviour of political life. Another aim of feminists is to widen the scope of ‘politics’. Political scholars are in the habit of using this term to mean formal political procedures in relation to government and elections. Nevertheless, women’s movement activism has led scientists to theorize two more meanings. On the one side, feminists have enlarged the meaning of ‘politics’ to include informal politics and the f orces of routine life. Feminists view social movements as a type of inclusion equal to their participation inside the state (Beckwith, 2007)). On the same line, they point out towards the power relations that cover all aspects of social life, including relations within the private arena, assuming ‘the personal is political’ (Okin, 1979)). Other than that, feminists and postmodern theorists have also followed a concept of ‘politics’ as any representation of power relations (Butler, 1990)). This approach separates most from positivist premises, theorizing about not only the politics of the state and social movements but also the politics of language (Driscoll & Krook, 2011). A third trait of feminist study is a dedication to bring about political transformation. In certain cases, this aim is employed as an opposition to feminist work on the basis that it is not ‘objective’, as political aims intrude with the finding of ‘truth’ (Hamme rsley and Gomm, 1997)). In reaction to these objections, feminist philosophers debate for identifying the contextual and incomplete nature of all knowledge assertions, with some ideating that the outlooks of the sidelined should be considered as a man for creating relatively sound knowledge about the world (Hartsock, 1983)). Irrespective of their methodological approaches, which may catapult between wide agreement of the present instruments of the subject, a state called as feminist empiricism, to tryst

Importance of Nutrition in Patient Care

Importance of Nutrition in Patient Care Nutrition and hydration are essential human needs that should be the main focus of the nurse in the care of the patient/client. If the nutritional state of the patient is inadequate or unbalanced the effect of therapeutic medical interventions can be ineffective therefore nutrition is as important as medication in the recovery from chronic diseases, wounds, infections and surgical operation. The lack of a balanced diet can lead to malnutrition which is considered to be a major risk for morbidity and mortality among the elderly (Webb and Copeman, 1996). Research done by the European Nutrition for Health Alliance (2005) found that four out of 10 older people admitted to hospital are malnourished on arrival and six out of 10 are at risk of becoming malnourished or their condition worsening. Florence Nightingale stated that, thousands of patients are starved in the midst of plenty, from the want of attention to the ways which alone make it possible for them to eat (Webb and Copeman 1996) . It is vital for nurses to implement a patient centred care to develop trust as meeting the needs of the elderly can be challenging. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) acknowledges that nurses should make the care of people their first concern treating them as individuals and respecting their dignity therefore providing food and help with eating are important elements in maintaining dignity. This essay is going to focus on the importance of nutrition in the care of adults mainly the elderly as care for the elderly is different in that a childs main focus is growth and maturation while that of the elderly is maintaining a healthy physical status, building strength and avoiding excess weight. It is going to look at the definition of nutrition, some of the essential nutrients, ways of nutritional support, malnutrition, role of nurse in preventing malnutrition and barriers faced. This report is going to have different materials that back up evidence based practise and support the importance of nutrition in patient/client care. Essential nutrients Williams, (1999) describes nutrition as the sum of the processes involved in food nutrients, assimilating and using them to maintain body tissue and provide energy which is the foundation for life and health. There are different types of nutrients which are responsible for regulating different functions, providing energy, enable growth and maintain cell tissue. There are two categories of nutrients which are classified as macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients Protein is an essential nutrient needed by every human being as it is vital for the growth and repair of tissues (Quinn et al 1987). It is responsible for making hormones, enzymes and antibodies which help fight infections as well as deliver oxygen and transportation of other nutrients to the body. Nurses should encourage strict vegetarian patients to take a complementary protein to ensure they have a sufficient supply of amino acids as the lack of these can lead to protein- energy malnutrition (PEM) (Beck 1985). Evidence from a systematic review (Potter et al 1998) suggests that protein and energy supplementation improves outcomes in the elderly patients with multiple medical and surgical conditions. Enough energy intakes is required to help in restoring and preventing loss of fat stores which provide cushioning against pressure in patients with wounds and pressure ulcers (Thomas 2001). As people age their energy and calorie intake declines because of the decline in metabolic rate, lean body mass and physical activity. The Food Standard agency (FSA) (2001) emphasises that patients with wounds and pressure ulcers should be encouraged to have a carbohydrate source with each meal. Fibre is a form of indigestible carbohydrate which increases the muscle tone in the digestive tract and lowers the risk of developing bowel cancer, constipation, piles and osteoporosis which are common in the elderly (BDA, 2003). Fat provides a store of concentrated energy, heat, insulation and protection from injuries. Fats, especially mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids are responsible for reducing the incidences of heart diseases, brain function, regulating mood and lower depression. They are helpful in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as coronary thrombosis (COMA, 1992). High levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet may increase the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases while reducing fat in the diet may deplete levels of serotonin in the brain causing mood changes and depression (Beck et al, 2005). Micronutrients As people age they need more vitamins and minerals to support their general wellbeing. Vitamins are found in fruits and vegetables as well as dairy products, meat and fish. Vitamin B12, B6 and folate are examples of water soluble vitamins which are good at fighting heart diseases, cancers and prevent declining neurological deficiencies such as memory loss and anaemia. It is important for nurses to recommend five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and supplements for patients who cannot receive enough from their normal diet. Minerals are responsible for hormonal, enzymatic, transportation of molecules and electrolyte balance. Calcium is an example of a mineral found in the bones and teeth responsible for the function of muscles, nerves and blood clotting. Fluid intake is a vital nutrient needed for the maintenance of healthy tissues, regulating temperature and transportation. Patients who have an imbalance in fluid are unable to efficiently oxygenate vital organs or carry waste products to be excreted. As the kidneys function deteriorate with age this can impair the renal function in regulating salt and electrolyte balance and this can lead to dehydration (Nursing standard 2009). This can cause renal and cardiac problems especially in patients who have suffered from stroke and Alzheimers disease who can be insensitive to thirst (Water UK 2006). It is important for nurses to encourage frequent sips of water to vulnerable patients as some may have lost a sense of thirst from medication. Types of nutritional supply Food can be administered through oral feeding using modified foods; food fortification moulded foods, finger foods, snacks as well as using enteral (tube feeding inserted in the nose directly to the stomach) and parenteral feeding (intravenously using a sterile liquid) (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2006). Malnutrition NICE (2006) defines malnutrition as, a state in which a deficiency of nutrients such as protein, energy, vitamins and minerals causes measurable adverse effects on body composition, function and clinical outcome. Elderly patients are at risk of malnutrition caused by hospital diet, processes and shortcomings known as iatrogenic malnutrition (Coates 1985). Some of the factors that increase the risks are poor dentures, hearing difficulties, chronic diseases, surgical treatments and other degenerative diseases. Social factors such as isolation, poverty, culture and bereavement can also contribute to the risk. This could lead to a number of deficiencies which may include reduced immunity, impaired function of the heart and lungs. This can increased the risk of admission to hospital and length of stay. NICE (2006) stated that if poor dietary intake or complete inability to eat persists for weeks the resulting malnutrition can be life threatening. Patients are usually screened on admission using their dietary history or screening tools such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) to check if they are malnourished, at risk of malnutrition or obese (British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) 2003). This screening tool consist of a five step guide based on the patients body mass index, weight loss, illness score, overall score and management guidelines. It is important in guiding the carers on which steps to follow which can help to develop and manage an individual care plan. There are a lot of campaigns that are on going to help reduce the number of malnutrition in hospitals such as Hungry to be heard (Age concern 2006) and Nutrition Now (Royal College of Nursing (RCN) 2007). Nutritional screening done in 2007 found that 28% of hospital patients were at risk of malnutrition, of which 22% were considered to be at high risk and 6% at medium risk (BAPEN 2008). Role of nurses and barriers they face The Roper, Logan and Tierney model for nursing states that the nurse has a primary role , within the multidisciplinary team, in ensuring that patients receive food, fluids and adequate nutrition whilst they are in their care and health education regarding a healthy diet (Holland et al 2008). It is important for the nurse to have relevant physiological knowledge and understanding of what makes a balanced diet and different constituent food groups (Docherty and McCallum 2009). Assisting patients to eat is regarded as a fundamental nursing skill that nurses need to develop for the health and wellbeing of patients as well as prevention of diseases. The nurse plays a big role in meeting the nutritional needs of patients by assessing them on admission, monitoring, providing help, advice and referrals. It is the role of the nurse to ensure that collaborative care with other multidisciplinary team such as dieticians, rehabilitation nurses, social workers and occupational therapists is implem ented as soon as possible in cases of malnutrition, anorexia or obesity disease (Docherty and McCallum 2009). The Caroline Walker Trust (2004) recommends that staff should be present and involved at mealtimes, respecting individual preferences, making sure that patients are sitting in an upright position to encourage normal digestion and making the environment pleasant by removing bed pans and commodes to enhance a good appetite. Nurses, in collaboration with the catering staff should respect individual cultural preferences such as providing Kosher for Jews, meat free dishes for vegans/vegetarians and recognising any food allergies and intolerances such as gluten (NMC 2008). Nurses should identify patients who need assistance using the red tray initiative as directed in the Nutrition Now campaign (Royal College of Nursing (RCN) 2007). It is important for the nurse to imply good interpersonal communication skills with the patient as this will encourage the patient to eat. The nurse should also check that all records are well documented such as care plans; food and fluid balance charts as it is a good way of communicating with the other staff and gives a clear nutritional outcome. From the experience I had at my placement the red tray initiative was a good form of identifying patients who needed assistance. It gave me the chance to be aware that meeting nutritional requirements of older patients can be more challenging as the patient declined to be assisted in feeding (Docherty and McCallum 2009). Barriers faced by nurses lack of nursing time, lack of nutritional training, lack of communication, trust and respect within the multidisciplinary team. Conclusion In conclusion providing good nutrition is important in the prevention of malnutrition, degenerative diseases and overall well being of patients. It is vital for nurses to develop good nutritional knowledge and interpersonal skills to be able to provide holistic quality care towards the recovery of patients.