Criminal Justice Essay

In my essay I will explicate how the various aspect of criminal justice relate to one another as well as why it so important in society. Criminal Justice refers to the facet of social justice that concern violators of criminal law. The community interest within the criminal justice system demands the apprehension and punishment of law violators (Schmalleger, 2012, pg. 7). The concept of criminal justice is that someone or persons accused of crimes are innocent till proven guilty though the proof is overwhelming. The three major elements of the criminal justice system are the police, the courts and the correctional facility and everyone play a major role within the criminal justice system. These processes involve a series of steps starting with a criminal investigation and ending with the discharge of a convicted offender from correctional supervision. The primary element of the criminal justice system is law enforcement. Police are public agencies whose functions are to take care of order within the community, manage crime by implementing the criminal law, and supply accommodations. They assist the prosecution by getting proof compulsory to convict an offender in court. Within the policing method the subsequent problems are dealt with: the crime, initial contact either with the victim or the suspect, investigation, apprehend and custody. The second element is that the court system. This is where the person charged with committing a criminal offense has their case determined by a judge or jury. It’s within the court system where justice and truth prevails. It’s the prosecutors’ job to ascertain his or her case. The defense is there for the offender and therefore the judge is there to stay order on each side. Within the court process charging, preliminary hearing perceiving of whether or not or not an arraignment or grand jury hearing, bail or detention, plea negotiations, trail/adjudication and sentencing takes place. Lastly is the correctional facility. At Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility we’ve been told that our agencies purpose is to up hold the penalization that was imposed by the court, to rehabilitate, and maintain safety. Whether public or behind the fence, we must maintain safety. During this stage it’s determined whether or not you go home or to jail, parole/probation or house apprehend. These agencies process suspects, defendants, and convicted offenders and are interdependent insofar because the selections of one agency have an effect on different agencies. The importance of criminal justice system in our society goes without verbally expressing. If you take a glance around without those systems in place crime rates would be at an all-time high. Applied to society, criminal justice is the system that guarantees fairness and equal treatment to any underneath its guidance. The agencies directly or indirectly associated with the criminal justice system have an effect on everything that transpires in our everyday lives. Law enforcement ascertains that laws are being obeyed; judges ascertain that people who transgress the law are penalization fairly and attorneys ascertain that everybody has a voice in a court of law. The components of the criminal justice system are the police, courts and corrections. All of these components have on common goal and that’s to protect society from crime and criminals. Our criminal justice system plays a vital role in ensuring that this is done. Without our criminal justice system it would be like the quote from Dr. Martin Luther King; â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere†.

Child Observation Essay

For this assignment, I observed my six year old niece, Faustine Bui who was born on August 16, 2007, at the park where I was babysitting her with her mom for approximately thirty minutes. The park I observed her at is packed with children and dogs are allowed. There is a large play area with jungle-jims and slide and it includes a sandy area which has a variety of playing equipment as well. I first observed Faustine’s biosocial development such as physical growth, gross motor and fine motor skills. Faustine is 3 feet tall and she weighs 41 pounds according to my Aunt. She is a little shorter than a lot of the six year old that she hangs out with and the ones in the park but I think that her height is in the normal range for kids her age and considering that her parents are already short to begin with, I am not surprised that she is a little shorter than all the other kids. Faustine used to look like a very chubby baby with a large head and stubby limbs but she’s grown u p now to be very lean. She is not chubby nor way too skinny. According to our textbook, â€Å"The Developing Person Through the Lifespan†, Faustine’s physical growth is normal. By the age of six, the average child weighs between forty and fifty pounds and is at least 3  ½ feet tall. They have adult like body proportions which means that their legs constitute about half their total height and they are usually lean considering children around ages five and six have the lowest body fat compared to all the other ages. I believe that Faustine’s lean figure isn’t just due to the normal growth pattern around her age but that shes lean because of her eating habits at home. Fat isn’t really common in her diet at home and vegetables and fruits are mandatory for three meals a day, everyday. I can also tell she eats healthy because for our trip to the park today, my aunt brought a container of fruits and a couple bottles of homemade fruit juice. Faustine’s gross and motor skills are up to par with the skills of children her age. I observed her running across the park many times with the other children and even beating them in the race that they were holding. She had a hard time conquering the jugle-jim though. She kept waddling back and forth every time she tried to get her feet up on the next bar and she eventually gave up and refused to return to the jungle jim again. She threw a few balls here and there but she was unable to throw it very far or accurate. By the age of three, children can already kick, throw, jump and climb things such as ladder. By the age of six, children can skip, climb trees and over  things, and catch a ball (uofmchildrenshospital.org). I was unable to observe a lot of fine motor skills from Faustine but she did pick up a stick from the ground, hold it like a normal adult would hold a pencil, and started drawing in the sand. By the age of 2, children can scribble, fold paper, draw vertical lines and manage semi-large object with their hands. By the age of six, children can copy letters, grasp pencils like a grown adult, and copy complex shapes (kamloopschildrenstherapy.org). I then observed her cognitive skills which included her language, memory, and perception. When observing Faustine, I realized that she is one extremely talkative child. She would talk about everything and anything sometimes she’d just sit in fro nt of us and talk to us and to herself while playing in the sand. According to Lev Vygotsky and his social learning theory, children use private speech (â€Å"The internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves, either silently or out loud† (The Developing Person Through the Lifespan)) to review, decidem and explain events to themselves. Lev Vygotsky’s theories â€Å"stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition, as he believed strongly that community plays a central role in the process of ‘making meaning’† (simplypsychology.org). A lot of the things she would say to us would be question like â€Å"why this† and â€Å"why that†. Other times she would run up to us just to blabber out a very nonsensical sentences and run off and other times she would just run up to the other children and make conversation with them. Her vocabulary has almost fully developed and all her sentences made sense even though what she was say were so silly and wild. She is a balanced bilingual and can speak Vietnamese and English fluently. All of this is normal for a child her age. A the age of 3 children can babble and pretend to read, by the age of five, children begin to read, talk, and write and by the age of six, a child has almost developed their language skills full (ed.gov). I was unable to observe Faustine’s memory during my day at the park with her but according to Baddeley’s model of working memory, children ages 4 and up have gained skills in working memory. Memory of children under age 7 is very weak but over seven, children memory have improved to the point where they can remember not only what happened, but where and when these things happened (sciencedaily.com). Faustine was very aware of her surrounding. She liked to dig in the sand to find pebbles and other small objects. She was very  curious about things around the park and would go exploring with the other children. I then observed Faustine’s psychosocial skills. Faustine is not a shy girl. She ran through the park making friends with everyone she bumped into and she even went up to an extremely shy little girl and talked to her as if they have been best friends forever. She hardly came up to ask us to play with her and sometimes acted like we weren’t even there. According to our textbook, children â€Å"prefer to play with peers rather than alone or with parents†. It also states that young children like to play with kids their age and of same social status. In the case of Faustine, she just liked to befriend any kid that was there at the park and willing to play with her. Faustine and the other children did a lot of sociodramatic playing where they would stand on top of the play equipment and pretend to be pirate by scoping out the â€Å"sea† and using the slide when they want other children to â€Å"walk the plank†. She was very friendly to everybody and didn’t cause any trouble with the other children. She was eager to get back to the playground to play with the other children every time we called her back to adjust her clothes or have her eat her snacks. According to Erik Erikson and his stages of psychosocial development, which are eight â€Å" stages through which a healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood† (simplypsychology.org), Faustine is in the Competence Stage (Industry vs. Inferiority). The age range for this stage is five to twelve years and this is the stage where Children become more aware of themselves as individuals.They work hard at being responsible, being good and doing it right (http://psychology.about.com). I saw this in Faustine because she rarely needed us for anything while she was at the park and she liked to explore and learn things on her own like how to work the equipment. I think that Faustine still need to learn about the f eeling of other people. She loved to make friends and talk to all the children at the park but she did not realise that some of the children just wanted to be left alone of didn’t like and but she kept persisting on making friends with them anyways. She also needs to be more aware of her surrounding. Although Faustine loved to explore the park and things around her, she didn’t realize what was going on around her with the other children. For example, she kept jumping from kids to kids not realizing that they were in the middle of play with her. She would jump from one area to the next and forget where she had previously  left her toys, and on some occasions, she even forgot that we were still watching her because she was to entranced in her own activities. During my observation. I observed that Faustine is a very healthy and fit child. Her biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development is up to par compared to children of the same age as her. She is very athletic and her social skills are very strong.

Business Intelligence Advantages and Disadvantages

Business Intelligence Advantages and Disadvantages Introduction The purpose of this report is to discuss the both the advantages and disadvantages of using Business Intelligence within a business. As well as to discuss the potential algorithms which could be used to achieve datamining which will allow for discovery of information who may be existing or potential future customers. By the end of this report I aim to make it clear the advantages of incorporating these tools and techniques within the business, and the benefits that will be seen. Business Intelligence Business Intelligence (Business Intelligence , 2007) is a collection various technologies and tools which are used for collecting, organizing and analysing data and information, and then providing the user with the information in a form which will help them with making business decisions. There are 3 major parts to business intelligence Reporting, Integration and Analysis. Reporting is essentially the creation and use of reports, while integration is about taking da ta from a source and being able to modify it to fit another purpose and data source. Finally, Analysis is the producing and organizing structures that have been filled with data taken from a separate source, commonly tools such as OLAP (OLAP, n.d.) (Online Analytical Processing) are used in order to achieve this. This process if often referred to as Data Mining. Using Business Intelligence has numerous advantages and is something that every company should consider using. One of its most obvious advantages is that it can help show trends and correlation in statistics (E.G user activity, sales, and complaints) and this can then be used by businesses in order to improve. Another considerable advantage of using Business Intelligence is also the reliability of the presented information and allows for relatively accurate prediction which greatly improves planning. Although it should be noted that there are some disadvantages to using Business Intelligence, this is that the historical data that is recorded needs to be stored somewhere, and this takes up more memory, which not only means more cost in storage, but also a speed reduction as there will be a huge amount data to be analysed. Another notable disadvantage is the potentially high initial cost, as well as maintenance cost, and although these costs should pay for themselves with improved decision making there is a possibility of the investment not paying off. There are not many disadvantages to using business intelligence, but they should still be taken into consideration. (Disadvantages of Business Intelligence, n.d.) A good example of business intelligence being used by other recognisable companies is that Netflix (Business Intelligence, 2015), the online media streaming service, using this system of business intelligence to work out which shows will be popular, and which of their categories may need a little reworking. This gives them the information they need to stay ahead of the curve and to make sur e the shows that remain on the site are popular. Datamining algorithms With computers being used more and more within businesses, the information that the business needs to function is also stored on these computers (E.G Sales records, customer information etc.) so the ability to scan and analyse these massive amounts of information is incredibly beneficial to not only making business based decisions, but to predict sales trends or areas in need of improvement. There are a wide range of different Data Mining algorithms available to use, the ones discussed here will be the Decision tree, Bayesian Classification as well as K-Means. I have chosen to discuss and compare these 3 as they are quite different in how they operate.    One of the most commonly used Data Mining algorithms is the Decision Tree (Decision Tree Algorithm, n.d.), at the top of the decision tree we have a Root, which is essentially a check on an attribute, and from there the answers to the check make the bran ches. The leaves of the tree are in fact formed from each class label. The advantages of using this algorithm compared to the others is that in order to function it requires to prior knowledge of the domain, the other huge advantage which makes an attractive solution is that it is also very easy to follow and understand compared to more complex algorithms. The complexity for this algorithm can be worked out by the number of leaves that the decision tree has. This algorithm is often called ‘Supervised Learning’, this basically means that the data is already labelled within classes. ( Image taken from ( http://www.saedsayad.com/decision_tree.htm (Decision Tree Algorithm, n.d.) ) The second mostly commonly used algorithm for Data Mining is known as Bayesian Classification (Bayesian Classifcation, n.d.), this algorithm effectively works via predicting the probability that a pattern or set of information belongs to a specific class. This algorithm is often favoured am ong the Data Mining techniques for its efficient results, although it needs to be taken into consideration that if the data is highly random then another algorithm would be preferred over the Bayesian Classification. It is also not recommended to use this algorithm with small data sets as this came mean a very low precision as well as recall. Although this algorithm might seem simple, it’s also highly accurate and is used often in filtering software (email spam, language filters). This algorithm is a supervised learning, as the user provides it with an already labelled dataset. The third algorithm which should be considered for the Crowd Funding System is ‘K-Means’ (k-means, n.d.). This algorithm works by creating groups based on the set of objects this results in the in the members of the group more similar, this algorithm is often referred to as ‘Cluster Analysis’. ‘Cluster Analysis’ is a collection of different algorithms which all follow the same pattern (Clusters, n.d.). The pattern being that they create groups (or clusters) in a way which means that the cluster members are much more similar as opposed to non-grouped members. This is not quite unsupervised nor supervised learning, this is because the user states the number of clusters needed, but it still features unsupervised learning as well as the algorithm learns where the cluster belongs without the user needing to provide it with any more information. I’ve compared 3 algorithms, a decision tree based one, a clustering based one and a naà ¯ve one. My recommendation for use with the Crowd Funding Software would be the Decision Tree, this is for a number of reasons, the first being that it’s extremely easy to follow, even by someone who has no prior knowledge to the algorithm. Also because it’s easy to follow and understand it’s also easy to maintain and tweak it depending on the circumstance. Another major reason that I wo uld chose decision tree is that they work quickly as well being non-parametric. Non-parametric means that the algorithm doesn’t need specific data distribution in order to function. Data-mining advantages and disadvantages The main advantage of using Data-Mining for the Crowd Funding System would be that it could use ‘Affinity Analysis’ (Affinity Analysis, n.d.), this is basically a scan off all the customers previous shopping history and then be able to advertise to them directly. This applies to the Crowd Funding System as we can use data mining to find out what projects a customer prefers and then advertise those projects directly to them. (E.G If a particular user often supports Gaming Software projects on the webpage, then we can use this information to have all Gaming Software projects as the top hit on their home page.) Affinity Analysis can often be used to detect fraud, which is useful for any company. Another advantage that this business can gain fr om Data Mining is Customer Segmentation, this is the process of breaking the customers down into smaller group based on say age, occupation or even gender. The advantage of doing this is that you can then target your advertisement to people who will be highly interested, and the more effective the advertising the more money people will donate to the projects. This applies directly to the Crowd Funding Systems first example, using this customer segmentation the film writer / director will be advertise her project to all her previous fans, or even people who are interested in that genre, this will mean she can reach a much more interested user base. The other huge advantage of Data Mining that can be applied to the CFS is that it can help to achieve Sales Forecasting, this is exactly what it sounds like, and it uses previous sales records to relatively accurately provide predictions for future sales. This can be used by the system for the second example the Kinect mobile phone battery , if they can predict how many donations the project is going to get they can either boost its advertisement, or perhaps communicate with the user that previous similar projects haven’t been able to reach their goal or at least direct them where they went wrong. One of the concerns the current business has is damage to its reputation, using data mining techniques they will be able to not only boost their donations and improve their advertisement, but also be able to learn more from the customers, and this can only be beneficial for the company. Donor exhaustion was also on the companies list of concerns, but data mining will be able to prevent this because it can be used to keep track of what advertisement has been sent to who, and what projects they are likely to bid on, so routinely changing the projects they are advertised will keep the users hopefully interested. CRM CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management (CRM, n.d.) And is used by businesses to keep their customers happy, it uses data mining techniques in order to get feedback and improve on their products constantly. The data mining algorithms discussed earlier are extremely useful for gathering and analysing information and data about customers and opinions on projects. We can then use this information to make improvements or changes where they are needed, and this will greatly increase customer satisfaction as customers will be able to see the changes they wanted. Although it is recommended to only try this with a vast amount of data, and huge amount of transactions. As smaller amounts of data can provide in accurate information. Using CRM will greatly improve the Crowd Funding Company’s reputation and mean they have a lot more satisfied donors. Conclusion In conclusion I strongly recommend that the crowd funding system decides to include data mining algorithms. It has a long list of advantages including sales prediction, improved advertisement, and mostly importantly i mproved customer satisfaction. I would also highly recommend the use of the decision tree algorithm as it’s easy to follow and can easily be modified depending on the information that needs to be collected. It should be noted that choice of data source is important, as some of them may provide useful information, but there are quite a few that should be ignored.   CRM should also be taken into consideration, as using this software has proven to greatly improve the publics opinion of a business. A modern business can’t afford not to use these data mining techniques, as failure to utilize these tools will mean a huge disadvantages against its competitors. The more information that can be collected from this companies customers, the more value the company can provide them, and the happier the customer the more donations that will be made. References Affinity Analysis . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_analysis Bayesian Classifcation . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tutorialspoint.com/data_mining/dm_bayesian_classification.htm Business Intelligence . (2007, March 6). Retrieved from http://www.cio.com/article/2439504/business-intelligence/business-intelligence-business-intelligence-definition-and-solutions.html Business Intelligence . (2015, Febuary 26). Retrieved from http://businessintelligence.com/big-data-case-studies/data-driven-proof-netflix-needs-buy-blockbuster/ Clusters . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_analysis CRM . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/definition/CRM Decision Tree Algorithm . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.saedsayad.com/decision_tree.htm Disadvantages of Business Intelligence . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://business.mapsofindia.com/business-intelligence/disadvantages.html k-means . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-means_clustering OLAP . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://olap.com/olap-definition/ S tar Schema Notes The use of BLOB is so that the users can store there video sales pitches within the database, after some research I realised there wasn’t a dedicated media storage format and instead have to suffice story it in binary.

Freedom of Expression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freedom of Expression - Essay Example The Alien and Sedition Acts are landmark policies that aimed to curtail the freedom of expression. The Alien Acts pertain to the status of naturalization of aliens, extending the required years of residence from five to fourteen years. They also include the legalization of actions against aliens, such as giving the President or his administrative assistants, the power to deport aliens who are deemed as threats to the government. The Sedition Act of 1798 made it a crime for any person to make â€Å"any false, scandalous, and malicious† statement about the U.S. government, Congress, or President (Werhan 12). The Congress opposed the Sedition Act. Republicans argue that the First Amendment does not give power for Congress to regulate the freedom of expression (Werhan 12). They also emphasize that it prevented citizens from getting the information they need to vote their officials in and out the office (Werhan 12). This movement expanded the freedom of expression to closely reflec t the goals of the First Amendment and to protect the freedom of speech in relation to criticisms against the government.The Alien and Sedition Acts are landmark policies that aimed to curtail the freedom of expression. The Alien Acts pertain to the status of naturalization of aliens, extending the required years of residence from five to fourteen years. They also include the legalization of actions against aliens, such as giving the President or his administrative assistants, the power to deport aliens who are deemed as threats to the government. The Sedition Act of 1798 made it a crime for any person to make â€Å"any false, scandalous, and malicious† statement about the U.S. government, Congress, or President (Werhan 12). The Congress opposed the Sedition Act. Republicans argue that the First Amendment does not give power for Congress to regulate the freedom of expression (Werhan 12). They also emphasize that it prevented citizens from getting the information they need to vote their officials in and out the office (Werhan 12). This movement expanded the freedom of expression to closely reflect the goals of the First Amendment and to protect the freedom of speech in relation to criticisms against the government. The abolitionists used the freedom of speech to fight for the â€Å"immediate end of slavery† (Werhan 15). They formed organizations, held public rallies and meetings, and even directly advocated slaveholders, by sending them antislavery publications (Werhan 15). The abolitionists attacked slavery in the national media because they believed that by doing so, they could make the abolition of slavery as the primary agenda of the government (Werhan 15). The Southern slave states fought back by banning anti-slavery speech (Werhan 15). When the abolitionist, Presbyterian minister Elijah P. Lovejoy was killed by a mob trying to burn his warehouse, where he protected free press, it further fueled the fire for freedom of expression (Werhan 16). His death highlighted the urgency of protecting the freedom of expression as a right of all citizens, so that they may be protected against the infringement of civil freedoms.

Political Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Ethics - Essay Example Many political initiatives include national health care, public education reform, the so-called digital information superhighway, affirmative action, disposal of toxic and nuclear wastes, abortion, and immigration. In each instance, the breadth of membership in a particular "we" is at issue. In some of those instances, belonging to a "we" in the first place is at issue (Bernstein, 2002). The duty and responsibility of a political leader is to change life of ordinary people and improve social institutions. In each instance, significant changes loom in the lives of those who belong to a "we." In each instance, competing proposals for transforming an institution-such as health care in the United States-are central features of the debate. n each of these contemporary cases, members of a particular "we" seek ways to protect what is important to them, and they frame the prospects for particular kinds of institutional change in such terms. Even if political leaders drop out their promises it should not considered as ethical behavior. The opportunity to retain the services in any new national system is a case in point about a politics of inclusion tied up in a politics of institutional change (Nader and Krimsky 2004). Members of the political media expose and shame the politics by singing the praises of political persons who make social contributions of their own choosing.

Business Function Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Function Assignment - Essay Example They will influence the decision-making process of the government regulators, the third stakeholder group. Moreover, the concerns of the environmentalists will be muted, as they have been in North America, if the European public-at-large is confident that the science behind GM products is sound and that the risks to the environment and to public health are minimal if not absent. European consumers essentially share the same interests as environmentalists, but couched in a somewhat different way. This stakeholder group expects the products they purchase, and particularly their food supply, to be 100% safe. They understandably want to protect themselves and their families from any potential harm or risk that might be associated with consumption of GM products. While environmentalists are concerned more with the effects of production on the environment as a whole, consumers are more specifically concerned with individual safety. That being said, much of the concern of European consumers regarding GM products is fed by the anti-GM campaign carried on by the environmentalists. The third stakeholder group is government officials and regulators. This group has an interest in carrying out its responsibility to the European public safety. They also have a significant political interest in holding onto power in a democratic system. Doing so requires that they maintain a strong correlation between their own regulatory activities and the will of the public (Minder par. 5). To some extent, this political interest is also tied to the interests of the environmentalists, who also wield political power in the form of campaign contributions and general support or lack of support... This paper talks that the main stakeholders relevant to Monsanto’s attempt to introduce GM products to Europe are special interest groups, particularly environmentalists, European consumers, European governmental officials and regulators, and Monsanto itself along with its employees and shareholders. Each of these stakeholders has unique interests in the outcome of this process. To sum up, the paper says that Finally, Monsanto’s shareholders must be convinced that the company has a sound strategy for moving forward into new markets. This means marketing the marketing efforts. Even if Monsanto remains short of success, as long as it can show a strategy that is highly likely to lead to success within a specific, reasonable time frame, the shareholders should be satisfied that the company is on the right track for long term growth. Shareholder confidence depends on effective management and strategic focus of the company’s long term business plan. Clearly, effective marketing and communications activities that are fully aligned with Monsanto’s long term business growth objectives are the heart beat of that business plan. Informing shareholders and employees about these efforts grows confidence within the company and ensures that the investment capital will continue to be there to support the plan over the long time. Monsanto would like to become an active contributor to environmental groups and devise ways of helping their causes that transcend the GM issue.

BP In The World Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BP In The World Market - Essay Example Understanding all the relative dynamics enables one to make informed decisions regarding the amount of finances to invest, at what time to make the investment and at what time to pull out of the company. Timely decisions in this regard would go a long way in ensuring the safety and security of the respective investment. Most importantly, informed decisions in this regard would enable the investor to attain the primary goal of profiting from the respective business. It is against this background that this paper provides a share portfolio review. The company of choice pertains to the BP gas and oil company that has been stable in the financial share market over time. To enhance a coherent consideration, it begins by justifying the choice of the company. It then proceeds to an analysis of the performance of the invested shares and provides an informed judgment as to whether the performance was good. Finally, it presents the reasons that informed the investor with respect to keeping the shares in the company. The company has a broad consumer base comprising of various clients drawn from diverse economic backgrounds. These customers are scattered across the globe in 90 different countries. Its business segments include production, exploration, marketing and refining (BP, 2011). Through the respective segments, it has succeeded in providing fuel as well as fuel products employed for transportation, providing energy, heating and lighting. The relative retail brands have equally been important as a part of the company’s diversification plan.

About japanese history Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About japanese history - Coursework Example One would argue that if any punishment or the seppuku had to be committed; it should only have affected the alleged perpetrator; in this case Asano. Why kill him and his entire army? What is worse, his lands and all properties were to be taken. This type of punishment was just too harsh. And to imagine that it came from Kira, the supreme judge at the time!. The ronins were to be made leaderless besides confiscating their property. Their entire generations were to be wiped off the surface of the land. Irrespective of the strict nature of the laws, it is unjustifiable to kill impose seppuku on Asano and his men. A lesser form of punishment should have been used instead. In fact, I view the actions of the 47 ronins as heroic. They were revolutionary and although they knew they would be punished for killing Kira and his officials, they showed courage and loyalty to Asano who had refused to accept the bribe. I find Seppuku punishment just too irrational. The consequences of the actions of the ronins are that they proved they could be loyal to their master and that they could set an example even for future generations. This was a great sacrifice that would be very significant in marking neo-Confucianism. The Bakafu law and the Confucian classics most of the time complements each other in that they allow for revenge (Kaempfer et. al. 15). In this case, the revenge for Asano’s death is justified. He was a true Confucian. He was courageous enough to die for his master, an honorable act in Japanese history. He was a faithful servant. Through the revenge, they showed that they were real chuushingishi. During this era, it was also fashionable to avenge the death of a relative, friend or a master. A likely consequence of the killings would be that different factions would be divided about the authenticity of the punishment. Obviously, there would be varying views. The Confucians would want to justify the actions of Asano and the 47

Coming to the states Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coming to the states - Essay Example These facts relate to the level of freedom, quality of life, and the cultural diversity here in the US. This is why the United States is a popular destination for students who are seeking a high quality education in a multi-cultural environment. Over time I have realized that the country is so racially diversified that I do not feel as if I have come to an alien place and it automatically helps me integrate into the society over here. Hence, the United States is a perfect location not only to study but also to live in. I have never felt more freedom in any other place than in the United States, which is why I like doing my studies here in the US. Freedom is a major plus point of studying in the United States. Every individual has the freedom to do whatever they want without being restricted. I am guaranteed my fundamental rights in every way including freedom of speech, actions, and thought. This can be clearly witnessed in the fact that no one points a finger at me or my religion even if I practice it openly without indulging others. Moreover, the kind of dressing that I wear does not concern anyone whereas in my country a person is judged upon by the clothes he wears. Similarly at many instances I have freely expressed my notions regarding the American culture without any fear of being suppressed by the nationals. Because I am not always studying, I also get a lot of free time. In my free time, I can travel to other places without any restriction. I can travel wherever I want, even at night, without being afraid of my security at night. This confirms Further there is no restriction on the time; I can eat and sleep any time I want. At the same time, my usual life and studies are also not affected. Furthermore, I am not restricted or inhibited in any way. I am free to do as I like without affecting the rights of others. As a student as well, I have a lot of flexibility in terms of my schedule. After my classes I am free for a considerable amount of time

Cultural Norm Assignment cultural anthropology using book by carol r Essay

Cultural Norm Assignment cultural anthropology using book by carol r. ember Melvin Ember - Essay Example The definition of culture that relies on social groups means that it is a relative concept that varies from one cultural group to another (28). One of the major characteristics of culture is its dynamism that can be considered from two perspectives, cross sectional dynamism and dynamism. Cultural dynamism refers to transition in cultural constructs within a cultural group over a period, or across cultural groups. Dynamism within a group may for example be realized across generations while dynamism across groups identifies fundamental differences in values and practices among cultures. The dynamic feature of culture is important to anthropologists’ interest of understanding and explaining how the changes occur and driving factors behind the changes (Ember and Ember, 6). Other important characteristics of culture include mode of learning that is social, the fact that it is shared among members of a community and its associated symbols. Anthropologists therefore need to understand what culture is and how it works so that they can identify and develop meanings from the different characteristics of culture. This is particularly important with indigenous cultures whose fundamentals can be traced over time, and compared with other cultures (Anthro 1). The observed cultural norms in a nursing set up were scientific belief on causes of illness and honest expressions in communications. These two are considered norms because they are common practices that have been historically observed and considered cultural. They facilitate service delivery in the health care set up that requires cooperation between care personnel and patients. Cultural belief on causes of diseases is for example instrumental on a patient’s willingness to seek treatment and the scientific norm of causes of diseases facilitates scientific approaches towards provision of health

Biodiversity Essay Example for Free

Biodiversity Essay Biodiversity presents occurrence of variety of species and their natural community in which they live. By the definition it is â€Å"The degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. It is a measure of the health of ecosystems and is in part a function of climate.† (Rutherford) Ecosystem is on the other hand, â€Å" community and its abiotic environment†( Rutherford). Biodiversity exists in every ecosystem, weather it is big one, or just ecosystem of one garden, it has the same importance because without it nature loses its ability to perform major functions needed for life on Earth, as it is oxygen production. Trough this investigation, two different ecosystems will be explored and the level of their biodiversity on certain area. Research question â€Å"To what extend is one ecosystem more diverse than other one?† Hypothesis If ecosystem has more number of species and organisms within those species, it will have higher biodiversity. Justification of hypothesis According to formula for Simpson`s diversity index, D = N (N-1) / ÃŽ £ n (n-1), where N is total number of organisms, while n is sum of individuals within a specie, we can see that sum of all individuals and total number of organisms of particular species affect the biodiversity index. Variables Dependent variable Biodiversity of ecosystem. Dependent variable is key of the study and it will be tested on independent and controllable ones. It will be derived from sufficient collection of data and using Simpson`s index. Finally it is going to be presented as number of species in two different ecosystems. Independent variable Size of area of ecosystem tested, which is going to be presented in m2. This variable does not depend on other ones, and I decided to calculate biodiversity on 3 m2 in both ecosystems, making sure that conditions are same for both. Controllable variables: Time, weather conditions. These variables control the biodiversity index which is going to be derived and will be controlled as I will decide at which time am I going to measure number of species in ecosystem. In my case, it will be beginning of June. As well as I am going to make sure that I measure it on optimal temperature, without rain or strong sun. PROCEDURE Material: * Meter * Paper * Pen * Calculator * Thermometer Procedure Plan is the key point of each procedure. As I already found material needed for beginning of my investigation, I have to decide on two different location for measuring. It is going to be meadow and garden around family house. In both locations, area of measurement is going to be 3 m2 and I am going to make sure that during the measurement in both locations, conditions of temperature are approximately the same. As I labeled the area of 3 m2 in meadow, I will count the number of different species living there. In addition, I will count number of organisms of each specie. While doing that, I will see the temperature on the thermometer. The same procedure is going to be repeated in garden. After collecting all the raw data, it is going to be presented through value of biodiversity index.

Trends in Fiscal Policy of India Essay Example for Free

Trends in Fiscal Policy of India Essay ABSTRACT This essay traces the major developments in India’s fiscal policy from the early stages of planned development in the 1950s, through the country’s balance of payments crisis of 1991, the subsequent economic liberalisation and rapid growth phase, the response to the global financial crisis of 2008 and the recent post-crisis moves to return to a path of fiscal consolidation. The initial years of India’s planned Development strategy were characterised by a conservative fiscal policy whereby deficits were kept under control. The tax system was geared to transfer resources from the private sector to fund the large public sector driven industrialization process and also cover social welfare schemes. However, growth was anaemic and the system was prone to inefficiencies. In the 1980s some attempts were made to reform particular sectors. But the public debt increased, as did the fiscal deficit. India’s balance of payments crisis of 1991 led to economic liberalisation. The reform of the tax system commenced. The fiscal deficit was brought under control. When the deficit and debt situation again threatened to go out of control in the early 2000s, fiscal discipline legalisations were instituted. The deficit was brought under control and by 2007-08 a benign macro-fiscal situation with high growth and moderate inflation prevailed. During the global financial crisis fiscal policy responded with counter-cyclical measures including tax cuts and increases in expenditures. The post-crisis recovery of the Indian economy is witnessing a correction of the fiscal policy path towards a regime of prudence. In the future, the focus would probably be on bringing in new tax reforms and better targeting of social expenditures. INTRODUCTION Fiscal policy is the means by which a government adjusts its levels of spending in order to monitor and influence a nations economy. It is the sister strategy to monetary policy with which a central bank influences a nations money supply. These two policies are used in various combinations in an effort to direct a countrys economic goals. Here we take a look at how fiscal policy works, how it must be monitored and how its implementation may affect different people in an economy. Fiscal policy deals with the taxation and expenditure decisions of the government.Monetary policy, deals with the supply of money in the economy and the rate of interest.These are the main policy approaches used by economic managers to steer the broad aspects of the economy. In most modern economies, the government deals with fiscal policy while the central bank is responsible for monetary policy. Fiscal policy is composed of several parts. These include, tax policy, expenditure policy, investment or disinvestment strategies and debt or surplus management. Fiscal policy is an important constituent of the overall economic framework of a country and is therefore intimately linked with its general economic policy strategy. For example, if taxes were to increase, consumers would have less disposable income and in turn would have less money to spend on goods and services. This difference in disposable income would go to the government instead of going to consumers, who would pass the money onto companies. Or, the government could choose to increase government spending by directly purchasing goods and services from private companies. This would increase the flow of money through the economy and would eventually increase the disposable income available to consumers. Unfortunately, this process takes time, as the money needs to wind its way through the economy, creating a significant lag between the implementation of fiscal pol icy and its effect on the economy. In broad term fiscal policy refers to that segment of national economic policy which is primarily concerned with the receipts and expenditure of central government. The importance of fiscal policy is high in underdeveloped countries. The state has to play active and important role. In a democratic society direct methods are not approved. So, the government has to depend on indirect methods of regulations. In this way, fiscal policy is a powerful weapon in the hands of government by means of which it can achieve the objectives of development. BASIC CONCEPTS : A spending item is a capital expenditure if it relates to the creation of an asset that is likely to last for a considerable period of time and includes loan disbursements. Such expenditures are generally not routine in nature. By the same logic a capital receipt arises from the liquidation of an asset including the sale of government shares in public sector companies (disinvestments), the return of funds given on loan or the receipt of a loan. This again usually arises from a comparatively irregular event and is not routine. In contrast, revenue expenditures are fairly regular and generally intended to meet certain routine requirements like salaries, pensions, subsidies, interest payments, and the like. Revenue receipts represent regular earnings for instance tax receipts and non-tax revenues including from sale of telecom spectrums. There are various ways to represent and interpret a government’s deficit. The simplest is the revenue deficit which is just the difference between revenue receipts and revenue expenditures. Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure – Revenue Receipts (that is Tax + Non-tax Revenue) A more comprehensive indicator of the government’s deficit is the fiscal deficit. This is the sum of revenue and capital expenditure less all revenue and capital receipts other than 6loans taken. This gives a more holistic view of the government’s funding situation since it gives the difference between all receipts and expenditures other than loans taken to meet such expenditures. Fiscal Deficit = Total Expenditure (that is Revenue Expenditure + Capital Expenditure) –(Revenue Receipts + Recoveries of Loans + Other Capital Receipts (that is all Revenue and Capital Receipts other than loans taken)) â€Å"The gross fiscal deficit (GFD) of government is the excess of its total expenditure, current and capital, including loans net of recovery, over revenue receipts (including external grants) and non-debt capital receipts.† The net fiscal deficit is the gross fiscal deficit reduced by net lending by government (Dasgupta and De, 2011). The gross primary deficit is the GFD less interest payments while the primary revenue deficit is the revenue deficit less interest payments. ARCHITECTURE: The Indian Constitution provides the overarching framework for the country’s fiscal policy. India has a federal form of government with taxing powers and spending responsibilities being divided between the central and the state governments according to the Constitution. There is also a third tier of government at the local level. Since the taxing abilities of the states are not necessarily commensurate with their spending responsibilities, some of the centre’s revenues need to be assigned to the state governments. To provide the basis for this assignment and give medium term guidance on fiscal matters, the Constitution provides for the formation of a Finance Commission (FC) every five years. Based on the report of the FC the central taxes are devolved to the state governments. The Constitution also provides that for every financial year, the government shall place before the legislature a statement of its proposed taxing and spending provisions for legislative debate an d approval. This is referred to as the Budget. The central and the state governments each have their own budgets. The central government is responsible for issues that usually concern the country as a whole like national defense, foreign policy, railways, national highways, shipping, airways, post and telegraphs, foreign trade and banking. The state governments are responsible for other items including, law and order, agriculture, fisheries, water supply and irrigation, and public health. Some items for which responsibility vests in both the Centre and the states include forests, economic and social planning, education, trade unions and industrial disputes, price control and electricity. There is now increasing devolution of some powers to local governments at the city, town and village levels. The taxing powers of the central government encompass taxes on income (except agricultural income), excise on goods produced (other than alcohol), customs duties, and inter-state sale of goods. The state governments are vested with the power to tax agricultural income, land and buildings, sale of goods (other than inter-state), and excise on alcohol. Besides the annual budgetary process, since 1950, India has followed a system of five-year plans for ensuring long-term economic objectives. This process is steered by the Planning Commission for which there is no specific provision in the Constitution. The main fiscal impact of the planning process is the division of expenditures into plan and non-plan components. The plan components relate to items dealing with long-term socioeconomic goals as determined by the ongoing plan process. They often relate to specific schemes and projects. Furthermore, they are usually routed through central ministries to state governments for achieving certain desired objectives. These funds are generally in addition to the assignment of central taxes as determined by the Finance Commissions. In some cases, the state governments also contribute their own funds to the schemes. Non-plan expenditures broadly relate to routine expenditures of the government for administration, salaries, and the like. While these institutional arrangements initially appeared adequate for driving the development agenda, the sharp deterioration of the fiscal situation in the 1980s resulted in the balance of payments crisis of 1991, which would be discussed later. Following economic liberalization in 1991, when the fiscal deficit and debt situation again seemed to head towards unsustainable levels around 2000, a new fiscal discipline framework was instituted. At the central level this framework was initiated in 2003 when the Parliament passed the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBMA). Taxes are the main source of government revenues. Direct taxes are so named since they are charged upon and collected directly from the person or organization that ultimately pays the tax (in a leg al sense).Taxes on personal and corporate incomes, personal wealth and professions are direct taxes. In India the main direct taxes at the central level are the personal and corporate income tax. Both are till date levied through the same piece of legislation, the Income Tax Act of 1961. Income taxes are levied on various head of income, namely, incomes from business and professions, salaries, house property, capital gains and other sources (like interest and dividends).Other direct taxes include the wealth tax and the securities transactions tax. Some other forms of direct taxation that existed in India from time to time but were removed as part of various reforms include the estate duty, gift tax, expenditure tax and fringe benefits tax. The estate duty was levied on the estate of a deceased person. The fringe benefits tax was charged on employers on the value of in-kind non-cash benefits or perquisites received by employees from their employers. Such perquisites are now largely taxed directly in the hands of employees and added to their personal income tax. Some states charge a tax on professions. Most local governments also charge property owners a tax on land and buildings. Indirect taxes are charged and collected from persons other than those who finally end up paying the tax (again in a legal sense). For instance, a tax on sale of goods is collected by the seller from the buyer. The legal responsibility of paying the tax to government lies with the seller, but the tax is paid by the buyer. The current central level indirect taxes are the central excise (a tax on manufactured goods), the service tax, the customs duty (a tax on imports) and the central sales tax on inter-state sale of goods. The main state level indirect tax is the post-manufacturing (that is wholesale and retail levels) sales tax (now largely a value added tax with intra-state tax credit). The complications and economic inefficiencies of this multiple cascading taxation across the economic value chain (necessitated by the constitutional assignment of taxing powers) are discussed later in the context of the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST). EVOLUTION (TILL 1991) India commenced on the path of planned development with the setting up of the Planning Commission in 1950. That was also the year when the country adopted a federal Constitution with strong unitary features giving the central government primacy in terms of planning for economic development (Singh and Srinivasan, 2004). The subsequent planning process laid emphasis on strengthening public sector enterprises as a means to achieve economic growth and industrial development. The resulting economic framework imposed administrative controls on various industries and a system of licensing and quotas for private industries. Consequently, the main role of fiscal policy was to transfer private savings to cater to the growing consumption and investment needs of the public sector. Other goals included the reduction of income and wealth inequalities through taxes and transfers, encouraging balanced regional development, fostering small scale industries and sometimes influencing the trends in econ omic activities towards desired goals (Rao and Rao, 2006). In terms of tax policy, this meant that both direct and indirect taxes were focussed on extracting revenues from the private sector to fund the public sector and achieve redistributive goals. The combined centre and state tax revenue to GDP ratio increased from 6.3 percent in 1950-51 to 16.1 percent in 1987-88.For the central government this ratio was 4.1 percent of GDP in 1950-51 with the larger share coming from indirect taxes at 2.3 percent of GDP and direct taxes at 1.8 percent of GDP. Given their low direct tax levers, the states had 0.6 percent of GDP as direct taxes and 1.7 percent of GDP as indirect taxes in 1950-51. The government authorised a comprehensive review of the tax system culminating in the Taxation Enquiry Commission Report of 1953. However, the government then invited the British economist Nicholas Kaldor to examine the possibility of reforming the tax system. Kaldor found the system inefficient and inequitable given the narrow tax base and inadequate reporting o f property income and taxation. He also found the maximum marginal income tax rate at 92 percent to be too high and suggested it be reduced to 45 percent. In view of his recommendations, the government revived capital gains taxation, brought in a gift tax, a wealth tax and an expenditure tax (which was not continued due to administrative complexities) (Herd and Leibfritz, 2008). Despite Kaldor’s recommendations income and corporate taxes at the highest marginal rate continued to be extraordinarily high. In 1973-74, the maximum rate taking in to account the surcharge was 97.5 percent for personal income above Rs. 0.2 million. The system was also complex with as many as eleven tax brackets. The corporate income tax was differential for widely held and closely held companies with the tax rate varying from 45 to 65 percent for some widely held companies. Though the statutory tax rates were high, given a large number of special allowances and depreciation, effective tax rates were much lower. The Direct Taxes Enquiry Committee of 1971 found that the high tax rates encouraged tax evasion. Following its recommendations in 1974-75 the personal income tax rate was brought down to 77 percent but the wealth tax rate was increased. The next major simplification was in 1985-86 when the number of tax brackets was reduced from eight to four and the highest income tax rate was brought down to 50 percent. In indirect taxes, a major component was the central excise duty. This was initially used to tax raw materials and intermediate goods and not final consumer goods. But by 1975-76 it was extended to cover all manufactured goods. The excise duty structure at this time was complicated and tended to distort economic decisions. Some commodities had specific duties while others had ad valorem rates. The tax also had a major †cascading effect‟ since it was imposed not just on final consumer goods but also on inputs and capital goods. In effect, the tax on the input was again ta xed at the next point of manufacture resulting in double taxation of the input. Considering that the states were separately imposing sales tax at the post-manufacturing wholesale and retail levels, this cascading impact was considerable. The Indirect Tax Enquiry Report of 1977 recommended introduction of input tax credits to convert the cascading manufacturing tax into a manufacturing value added tax (MANVAT). Instead, the modified value added tax (MODVAT) was introduced in a phased manner from 1986 covering only selected commodities. The other main central indirect tax is the customs duty. Given that imports into India were restricted, this was not a very large source of revenue. The tariffs were high and differentiated. Items at later stages of production like finished goods were taxed at higher rates than those at earlier stages, like raw materials. Rates also differed on the basis of perceived income elasticities with necessities taxed at lower rates than luxury goods. In 1985-86 the government presented its Long-Term Fiscal Policy stressing on the need to reduce tariffs, have fewer rates and eventually remove quantitative limits on imports. Some reforms were attempted but due to revenue raising considerations the tariffs in terms of the weighted average rate increased from 38 percent in 1980-81 to 87 percent in 1989-90. By 1990-91 the tariff structure had a range of 0 to 400 percent with over 10 percent of imports subjected to tariffs of 120 percent or more. Further complications arose from exemptions granted outside the budgetary process.In 1970-71, direct taxes contributed to around 16 percent of the central government’s revenues, indirect taxes about 58 percent and the remaining 26 percent came from nontax revenues. By 1990-91, the share of indirect taxes had increased to 65 percent, direct taxes shrank to 13 percent and non-tax revenues were at 22 percent. COMPOSITION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT REVENUES (1970-71): SOURCE: , http://dbie.rbi.org.in (Reserve Bank of India, 2011) COMPOSTION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT REVENUES(1990-91): SOURCE: , http://dbie.rbi.org.in (Reserve Bank of India, 2011) India’s expenditure norms remained conservative till the 1980s. From 1973-74 to 1978-79 the central government continuously ran revenue surpluses. Its gross fiscal deficit also showed a slow growth with certain episodes of downward movements.The state governments also ran revenue surpluses from 1974-75 to 1986-87, barring only 1984-85. Thereafter, limited reforms in specific areas including trade liberalisation, export promotion and investment in modern technologies were accompanied by increased expenditures financed by domestic and foreign borrowing (Singh and Srinivasan, 2004). The central revenue deficit climbed from 1.4 percent of GDP in 1980-81 to 2.44 percent of GDP by 1989-90. Across the same period the centre‟s gross fiscal deficit (GFD) climbed from 5.71 percent to 7.31 percent of GDP. Though the external liabilities of the centre fell from 7.16 percent of GDP in 1982-83 to 5.53 percent of GDP by 1990-91, in absolute terms the liabilities were large. Across the same period the total liabilities of the centre and the states increased from 51.43 percent of GDP to 64.75 percent of GDP. This came at the cost of social and capital expenditures. The interest component of aggregate central and state government disbursements reflects this quite clearly. The capital disbursements decreased from around 30 percent in 1980-81 to about 20 percent by 1990-91. In contrast, the interest component increased from around 8 percent to about 15 percent across the same period.Within revenue expenditures, in 1970-71, defence expenditures had the highest share of 34 percent; interest component was 19 percent while subsidies were only 3 percent. However, by 1990-91, the largest component was the interest share of 29 percent with subsidies constituting 17 percent and defence only 15 percent. Therefore, besides the burden of servicing the public debt, the subsidy burden was also quite great. While India‟s external debt and expenditure patterns were heading for unsustainable levels, the proximate causes of the balance of payments crisis came from certain unforeseen external and domestic political events. The First Gulf War caused a spike in oil prices leading to a sharp increase in the government‟s fuel subsidy burden. Furthermore, the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi increased political uncertainties leading to the withdrawal of some foreign funds. The subsequent economic reforms changed the Indian economy forever. LIBERALIZATION ,GROWTH ,INCLUSION AND FISCAL CONSOLIDATION (1991-2008): Following the balance of payments crisis of 1991, the government commenced on a path of economic liberalisation whereby the economy was opened up to foreign investment and trade, the private sector was encouraged and the system of quotas and licences was dismantled. Fiscal policy was re-oriented to cohere with these changes. The Tax Reforms Committee provided a blue print for reforming both direct and indirect taxes. Its main strategy was to reduce the proportion of trade taxes in total tax revenue, increase the share of domestic consumption taxes by converting the excise into a VAT and enhance the contribution of direct taxes to total revenue. It recommended reducing the rates of all major taxes, minimizing exemptions and deductions, simplifying laws and procedures, improving tax administration and increasing computerisation and information system modernisation. As a part of the subsequent direct tax reforms, the personal income tax brackets were reduced to three with rates of 20, 30 and 40 percent in 1992-93. Financial assets were removed from the imposition of wealth tax and the maximum rate of wealth tax was reduced to 1 percent. Personal income tax rates were reduced again to 10, 20, and 30 percent in 1997-98. The rates have largely remained the same since with the exemption limit being increased and slab structure raised from time to time. A subsequent 2 percent surcharge to fund education was later made applicable to all taxes. The basic corporate tax rate was reduced to 50 percent and the rates for different closely held companies made uniform at 55 percent. In 1993-94, the distinction between the closely held and the widely held companies was removed and the uniform tax rate was brought down to 40 percent. The rate was further reduced to 35 percent with a 10 percent tax on distributed dividends in 1997-98 (Rao and Rao, 2006). Despite these reforms, the tax system continued to have preferential exemptions and deductions as tax incentives for various socio-economic goals including location of industries in backward areas, export promotion and technology development. This led to the phenomenon of „zero-tax companies‟ whereby imaginative arrangements were use to leverage all these tax incentives with an intent to minimise tax liabilities. To counter this trend,the Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT) was introduced in 1996-97. It required a company to pay a minimum of 30 percent of book profits as tax. Further attempts to expand the tax base and increase revenues were the introduction of the securities transaction tax (STT) in 2004 and the fringe benefit tax (FBT) in the budget of 2005-06 In indirect taxes, the MODVAT credit system for excise was expanded to cover most commodities and provide a comprehensive credit system by 1996-97. The eleven rates were merged into three with a few luxury items subject to additional non-rebatable tax in 1999-2000. In 2000-01, the three rates were merged in to a single rate and renamed as central VAT (CENVAT). There remained three additional excises of 8, 16 and 24 percent. In case of custom duties, in 1991-92 all duties on non-agriculture goods that were above 150 percent were brought down to this rate. The „peak rate‟ was brought down to 40 percent in 1997-98, 30 percent in 2002-03, 25 percent in 2003-04, and 15 percent in 2005-06. The number of major duty rates was also brought down from 22 in 1990-91 to 4 in 2003-04. These four rates covered almost 90 percent of customs collected from items. This period also saw the introduction of the service tax in 1994-95, which was subsequently expanded to cover more and more services. Given that the Indian economy was having an increasingly large service component this increasingly became a major source of revenue. Eventually, provisions were made for allowing input tax credits for both goods and services at the central indirect tax level. Despite the reforms in central taxes, even after the economic reforms of 1991, state government tax reforms were inadequate and sporadic. A major move in this direction was the coordinated simplification of the state sales tax system in 1999. This eventually led to the introduction of a VAT in 21 states in 2005. The value added tax gives credit to taxes paid on inputs and provides relief from cascading. Implemented at the retail level this replaced the cascading sales tax providing great relief to consumers and traders alike while enhancing the revenues of the state government. The administrative design of the VAT ensures reporting of inputs and outputs resulting in substantial reduction in tax evasion. The basic features of the tax include two rates of 4 percent for common consumption commodities and inputs and 12.5 percent for the others. Some essential items are exempted and precious metals are taxed at 1 percent. The credit system covers inputs and purchases as also capital goods for manufacturers as well as dealers. Credit for capital goods taxes can be availed over three years of sales. The tax credit operates fully only for intra-state sales (Rao and Rao, 2006). This is a major hindrance to the formation of a smooth nationwide market and is to be addressed by the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST). In consonance with the tax reform plans, the sources of central government revenue shifted from indirect taxes towards direct taxes. In 1995-96, about 54 percent of revenues came from indirect taxes while around 20 percent were from direct taxes (Figure 8). In 2000-01, the share of indirect taxes had gone down dramatically to around 45 percent while the contribution from direct taxes had increased to about 26 percent (Figure 9). By 2005-06, indirect taxes accounted for approximately 43 percent while the direct taxes share was about 35 percent.

Study of the Structural Functional Paradigm

Study of the Structural Functional Paradigm The structural-functional paradigm is a framework for the structure of society. The structural-functional approach tells that all parts in the society works together in order to form a harmonious, sensible and stable society. This approach sees the society as a macro-level orientation. Each and every component is interrelated and it is concerns with broad patterns that shape society as a whole. The larger social institutions of the society such as population, education, economy, government play very important roles on shaping our lives. The family is considered as the most favourable body composition of the social organization because family is the most elementary and closest social structure which every individual attached to. For example, assume that if the students are not present, the teachers would not exist as well. Because there is an interrelated relationship between the students and teachers which represents that the society is a complex system where parts coordinate togethe r to balance and stabilize the civilization. Auguste Comte, the Father of Sociology said that it is very important to keep the society together because many traditions were weakened due to the rapid change of the humanity. Herbert Spencer linked the society to the human body. For example, a society is composed by a large number of individuals as a complete functional group.  In human body, many cells and tissues form the organs of the organism, such as hands, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. Various organs of the organism have its unique features to meet the needs of the organism and to maintain its survival.  Similarly, various social structures have its unique features to meet the needs of the community and provide a stable and balance society.   Case Study of Structural-Functional Paradigm The social structures of marriage and family create deep social and emotional bonds that give individuals in depth systems of support and generate expectations of  social responsibility  within their members, achieving the function of creating social cohesion. Basically, spouses support each other financially, socially, emotionally and physically and are driven to achieve by socially defined expected standards of married life. Families provide the same systems of support for all of their family members, providing healthy settings and opportunities for individual growth for the children.   The structural functionalism perspective sees the family doing its part by preparing its members in a way that will benefit the society. The family is like a body or system and each member performs vitally important functions. Similarly, the heart is dependent on the lungs and brain for the body to function properly. If one part or a person is not doing its or his/her part then it is said to be dysfunctional. The family is said to be not functioning as a whole and something is wrong with that family. Social-Conflict Paradigm The social-conflict paradigm is also a macro-oriented paradigm. The social-conflict paradigm is one of the ideas of Karl Marx. He believes that social-conflict is unavoidable. It is the driving force to improve and progress to a better society.  Human beings compete with each other to acquire the maximum benefits. The social-conflict theory opposes with the structural-functional theory where the social components work together to stabilize the society. A person who poses powers and resources tend to oppress other groups which are lower social class and this resulting in social-conflict. One will also be able to force others to accept his/her views if they have the authority.   Social-conflict not only happens between different classes, it can also occur in various religious, ethnics, cultural, etc. The demand of human beings is endless, when the most basic desires are met, new needs will then emerge. For example, pacers want to have a bike; bicyclists want to have a motorbike; mo torcyclists plan to buy a car  The needs and desires of humans are endless caused humans have to work hard every day to fulfil their desires. However, this phenomenon eventually leads to a progressive society because everyone strives to achieve their needs. Case Study of Social-Conflict Paradigm A conflict theorist might ask, Who benefits from the current higher educational system? The answer, for a conflict theorist attuned to unequal distributions of wealth, is the wealthy. The educational system often screens out poorer individuals, not because they are unable to compete academically, but because they cannot afford to pay for their education. Because the poor are unable to obtain higher education, they are generally also unable to get higher paying jobs, thus they remain poor. The functionalist might say that the function of education is to educate the employees, a conflict theorist might point out that it also has an element of conflict and inequality, favouring one group (the wealthy) over other groups (the poor). Thinking about education in this way helps illustrate why both functionalist and conflict theories are helpful in understanding how society works. Symbolic-interaction Paradigm Symbolic-interaction theory focuses on the study of the relationship between the individual and others. It is a micro-level orientation which emphasizes the social interactions between the individuals in some specific situations. As people interact with each other, a persons self-awareness is the result of the judgement from the surrounding people. The symbolic-interaction theory advocate humans have their own self, and because of this self people play a role of others, and they gain the ability to look at themselves through the eyes of others.  If one does not have the ability to interact with the people and society, the social stability cannot be maintained.  Because of the shared reality that human created, the human social interaction can be stable, expand and maintained. George Herbert Mead says that symbolic-interaction has three characteristics: It has an explanation on the behaviour of others; there is a definite process, which means one is ready to tell others when they do something; have a prediction on others reaction, which is able to predict what they do will cause what responses from others. This depends on the interaction between two individuals have a shared meaning of the symbol system.  Mead sees society as an organized interaction between different individuals, this interactive form of organization depends on the role of the spirit, but also to establish an internal communication process on the basis of the use of meaningful symbols. Case Study of Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm Consider applying symbolic interactionism to the marriage. The things such as, commitments between spouses, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a wedding ceremony, a wedding band and flowers are the symbols of marriage. People relate some general meanings to these symbols. For certain individuals, they maintain their own perceptions of what meaning are these symbols carrying. For instance, one of the spouses may see their wedding rings as a symbol of endless love while the other may just see them as a simple financial expense. Much faulty communication can result from the perceptions of different people on the same events and symbols. Besides, the people choose to marry symbolizes that human beings need a companion for their life. It symbolizes that every individual needs financially, socially, emotionally and physically supports to lead a balanced and steady lifetime.

The Beginning of Human Life Form Essay -- Artificial Protocells Essays

The Beginning of Human Life Form As science and technology advance, an understanding of the origin of life becomes a feasible possibility. Artificial life research seeks to mimic life and to gain knowledge of the origin of life through reenacting it. This research strives to create the simplest possible â€Å"organism† that fulfills all of the requirements of life. These researchers define life as that which can evolve, self-reproduce, metabolize, adapt to environmental changes, and, ultimately, die. A fundamental concept behind research attempts is emergent properties, those that arise in more complex levels and are not predictable from the properties of lower hierarchical levels. Researchers use two approaches to create protolife: the â€Å"bottom up† approach strives to create life from nonliving components, while the â€Å"top down† approach attempts to simplify living cells to create the simplest possible cell and thus give a glimpse of a possible form of the first living cell. The â€Å"bottom up† approach seems to be the more widely attempted method because it is believed that if nature had to start with simple building blocks, we should do the same. There are two theories about the order in which life emerged; â€Å"one [†¦] assumes the primacy of metabolism and cellular organization [while] the other [†¦] assumes the primacy of reproduction and genetic information† (Lifson). Thus, much relevant research focuses on determining whether the origin of life began with self-replicating, information storing molecules (such as RNA or PNA) or with other molecules such as lipids or proteins (which form, for instance, encapsulating membranes). Whatever the order in which these characteristics evolved, there are three components a protocell m... ... Internet document accessed 11/21/04. http://www.geocities.com/giantfideli/ CellNEWS_Scientists_to_Create_A_New_Form_of_Life.html Lifson, Shneior. â€Å"On the Crucial Stages in the Origin of Animate Matter.† Journal of Molecular Evolution (1997) 44:1-8. Rasmussen, Chen, et al. â€Å"Transitions from Nonliving to Living Matter.† Science. Volume 303. 02/13/04. Rasmussen, Steen, et al. Bridging Nonliving and Living Matter. (2003). Bada, Jeffrey L. and Antonio Lazeano. â€Å"Prebiotic Soup—Revisiting the Miller Experiment.† Science. Vol. 300: 745-56. May 2003. â€Å"Scientists Create a Virus.† CreationTalk.com Forum. Internet document accessed 11/21/04. http://www.creationtalk.com/message-board-forum/viewtopic.php?t= 482&view=next Zimmer, Carl. â€Å"What Came before DNA?† Discover. Vol. 25: 34-41. June 2004.

Comparing Edna Pontellier and Adele in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing Enda and Adele in The Awakening In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the setting is in the late 1800s on Grand Isle in Louisiana. The main character of the story is Edna Pontellier who is not a Creole. Other important characters are Adele Ratignolle, Mr. Ratgnolle, Robert Lebrun, and Leonce Pontellier who are all Creole's. In the Creole society the men are dominant. Seldom do the Creole's accept outsiders to their social circle, and women are expected to provide well-kept homes and have many children. Edna and Adele are friends who are very different because of their the way they were brought up and they way they treat their husbands. Adele is a loyal wife who always obeys her husband's commands. Edna is a woman who strays from her husband and does not obey her husband's commands. Kate Chopin uses Adele to emphasize the differences between her and Edna. Edna Pontellier is not a Creole, so her relationship with her husband is difficult. In her husband's eyes she has failed in her duties as a wife and as a mother to her own children. What Enda's husband expects from her is never what she does. Leonce comes home in the middle of the night and talks to Edna while she is sleeping. Then he tells her that Raoul one of their sons is sick and tells her to get up and check on him. Edna had never really had the desire to have children but she did anyway. She was not a "mother-woman" because she would rather be alone sometimes; she did not feel she had to be with her children twenty-four hours a day. If one Edna's boys "....took a tumble whilst at play, he would not apt rush crying to his mother's arms for comfort; he would more likely pick himself up"(16). Enda never felt that she fit in with Creole society because she "...most forcibly was their entire absence of prudery"(19). The Creoles' would talk about things such as childbirth and would flirt with others and not mean anything. Yet Edna would never dream of talking about her childbirth's with anyone or flirting unless she meant it. Creole women devoted their whole lives to their husbands where Enda was carefree and did as she pleased. She was carefree because she would go out onto the beach with only a sundress and a little hat on when she was suppose to be all covered up so she would not become sun burnt.

Pictures :: essays research papers

Pictures The main conflict in the text is about having different religions. It's about how a little girl is having problems about understanding why she can't paint religious persons with dark skin. At school the teacher says that Amina can take the picture to show her mom. Amina doesn't understand why it can't hang on the wall together with the other childrens'. But the teacher gives another excuse and Amina "surrenders", and takes the picture home. But as her mother sees the picture she tears it apart, and tells Amina to never say anything to Amina's father and she tells Amina explicitly not to draw anymore pictures of the Prophet of Nazareth. It is obvious that Amina's mother is scared of how the father will react if he sees that her daughter has painted people from the Bible. Amina and her family are muslims, that's why her mother can't accept the drawing Amina brings home. The reason why she doesn't want the father to know is that he's the dominant one in the family. Maybe the mother is scared that he will punish Amina, or maybe even the mother, for not bringing up her daughter properly. Then Amina's mother teaches her to draw patterns from the Koran. Amina likes to draw the patterns and she is no more confused. Next day at school, they're all going to draw nice Christmas cards. Amina draws the patterns that her mother has just taught her. The teacher tells her to draw people instead, and she throws away the Christmas card with patterns on it. Amina refuses to draw people, and reminds the teacher of what she'd told Amina the other day. The teacher tries to behave nice and convinces Amina that she will put Amina's picture next to the others'. During the two discussions the teacher and Amina are having, the teacher is having a hard time justifying what she is actually doing. She gives no particular reason for telling Amina to take home the picture. Just as well as she gives no explanation for, why Amina can't draw patterns from the Koran. Instead she tries to flatter Amina by telling her that she is good at painting. Even more confused, Amina draws people instead. At school she's told to draw people from the Christian Bible and at home she's told that's wrong. At home her mom tells her to draw patterns from the Muslim Koran, but when she comes to school she is told to draw people, - no wonder she is confused! The ending is from the parents' point of view very contradictive ( I assume that the

Role of Parents Towards Their Children in a Society That Does Not Help in Raising Children Properly

bismiAllah hir Rahman nir Raheem Role of parents towards their children in a society that does not help in raising children properly A very common problem seen in youth in western countries is that their parents allow them to indulge in some form of haram in the hope that that will stop them from committing worse haram. An example of this is that parents will say that they allow their children to indulge in music in the hope that that will stop them from going out with bad people or leaving their home all together. Parents are afraid that if they enforce the law of Allah in their homes, that their children will leave. What is Islam’s position on this sort of compromise? Some parents also say that they only have the duty to tell their children something is haram, and then their children have to choose for themselves because they are already young adults (i. e. 13 -18 yrs old and unmarried, living at home). Don’t the parents have to forbid haram by all means, or do they just say that is haram and then leave them be? To what extent do parents have to go to forbid their children from haram? Parents also believe that once their children reach the age of puberty they are no longer responsible for their sins or actions, and so say they will have no sin if they advise their children something is haram and then leave them. Is this true? Or do parents always have the responsibility of forbidding their children from haram, and will they be responsible if they see their children doing haram and just leave them after advising them?. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The success or failure of the Muslim in raising his children depends on a variety of factors, which undoubtedly includes the environment in which they live, which plays a major role in the success or failure of that upbringing. Please see the answer to question no. 52893. Secondly: The parents have to understand that Allaah has given them responsibility over their children, and they have to fulfil the trust as Allaah has enjoined in the Qur’aan. The Sunnah also confirms this command in many saheeh ahaadeeth. The texts of the Revelation also warn the one who does not look after his lock sincerely and who neglects the trust with which Allaah has entrusted him. It was narrated that Ma’qil ibn Yasaar al-Muzani said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: â€Å"There is no person whom Allaah puts in charge of others, and when he dies he is insincere to his subjects, but Allaah will forbid Paradise to him. † According to anothe r report: â€Å"†¦ and he is insincere towards them, but he will not smell the fragrance of Paradise. † Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6731) and Muslim (142). See the answer to question no. 20064. Thirdly: Allaah has enjoined those who are in charge of children to raise them from when they are very small to obey Allaah and love Islam. Even though they are not accountable because they have not reached puberty, one should not wait until puberty to teach them, guide them and tell them to obey Allaah, because in most cases at that age (i. e. puberty) they will not respond unless they have been brought up in this manner and have learned it from their families since a young age. Hence parents are enjoined to teach young children how to pray from the age of seven and to smack them if they do not pray when they are ten. The Sahaabah used to make their young children fast, so as to get them used to loving Islam and its rituals, so that it would be easy for them to follow its commands and keep away from the things it forbids when they grow up. It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: â€Å"Teach your children to pray when they are seven years old, and smack them if they do not do so when they are ten, and separate them in their beds. † Abu Dawood (495), classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. It was narrated that al-Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwidh ibn ‘Afra’ said: On the morning of ‘Ashoora’, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent word to the villages of the Ansaar around Madeenah, saying: â€Å"Whoever started the day fasting, let him complete his fast, and whoever started the day not fasting, let him complete the rest of the day (without food). † After that, we used to fast on this day, and we would make our children fast too, even the little ones in sha Allaah. We would make them toys out of wool, and if one of them cried for food, we would give (that toy) to him until it was time to break the fast. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1960) and Muslim (1136). Just as they raise them to do acts of worship, they should also prevent them from doing haraam things. If the child does an act of worship, the reward will be for him and for the one who taught him and encouraged him to do it. As for doing acts of disobedience or sins, the minor does not sin, rather the one who enabled him to do it and left the door open for him to do it and did not close it, is sinning. As for the one who tells him to do it, he is like the one who did it. Hence it is not something extreme at all if a Muslim raises his children to obey Allaah and prevents them from doing haraam things, such as males wearing gold or silk, or females wearing male clothing, or lying, stealing, swearing and other sins. Similarly, it is not something extreme if a Muslim raises his daughter to be modest and chaste and not to mix, because if a person gets used to something when he is young, there is the fear that he may persist in it. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Even though the child is not accountable, his guardian is, and it is not permissible for him to enable him to do something haraam, for he will get used to it and it will be difficult to wean him from it. Tuhfat al-Mawdood bi Ahkaam al-Mawlood (p. 162). And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The one who neglects to teach his child that which will benefit him and leaves him with no care has done a very bad deed. The corruption of most children is due to their parents and their neglect of (their children), because they neglect to teach them the obligations and Sunnahs of Islam. So they neglected them when they were small, and (the children) turned out unable to benefit themselves or to benefit their parents when they are old. Tuhfat al-Mawdood, p. 229 The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: With regard to my small children, should I teach them the etiquette of Islam and make the young girls wear Islamic clothes, or this regarded as extremism? If my doing this is correct, what is the evidence for it from the Qur’aan and Sunnah? They replied: What you have mentioned about making girls wear loose and concealing clothing and making them get used to that from a young age is not extremism, rather you are doing the right thing in giving them an Islamic upbringing. Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (25/285, 286). In his book Majmoo’ah As’ilah Tuhimm al-Usrah al-Muslimah, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The scholars say that it is haraam to dress a child in clothes that it is haraam for an adult to wear. Clothing on which there are images is haraam for an adult to wear, so it is also haraam for a child to wear it. What the Muslims should do is to boycott such clothes and shoes so that those who want to spread evil and corruption will not be able to reach us by these means. If they are boycotted they will never find a way to make them reach this land. After that, he was asked: Is it permissible for male children to wear things that are only for females, such as gold and silk, etc, and vice versa? He replied: This is to be understood from the first answer. I said that the scholars say that it is haraam to dress a child in clothes that it is haraam for an adult to wear. Based on this, it is haraam to dress male children in that which is only for females, and vice versa. After that, he was asked: Does this include isbaal or making clothes come below the ankles for male children? He replied: Yes, it includes that. End quote. And Allaah knows best. http://www. islam-qa. com/en/ref/103526 Praise be to Allaah. There is no greater calamity than that which befalls one’s religious commitment. That is true calamity. We ask Allaah to keep us safe from it. Nothing is more precious to a person – after his own self – than his child. Children are the apples of our eyes. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): â€Å"And those who say: ‘Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of the Muttaqoon (the pious)’† [al-Furqaan 25:74] But the heart cannot find true joy except through righteous offspring. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: â€Å"This joy means seeing one’s wife, brother and close friend obeying Allaah. Tuhfat al-Mawdood by Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 424. Undoubtedly the most important thing that is asked of parents is to protect their children and take care of them, to bring them up to worship and obey Allaah and to keep them away from disobeying Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): â€Å"O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) †¦Ã¢â‚¬  [al-Tahreem 66: 6] Mujaahid and others of the salaf said: Advise your families to fear Allaah and discipline them. Qataadah said: Tell them to obey Allaah and forbid them to disobey Him. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: â€Å"Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler who is in charge of the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s household and is responsible for her flock. A servant is the shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for his flock. Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. † Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2554; Muslim, 1829. This hadeeth indicates that the one who is accountable will be brought to account for any shortcomings in those who are under his authority and under his care. The hadeeth states that parents are included in the general principle: â€Å"A man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s household and is responsible for her flock. So the parents are responsible for their children, because they have been commanded to strive to protect them from the Fire and to follow the commands of Allaah and to avoid the things that He has forbidden. If the parents do that which has been enjoined upon them, namely giving the children a sound upbringing and not falling short in that, then there is no sin on them if their children go astray. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): â€Å"and no bearer of burdens shall b ear the burden of another† [al-An’aam 6:164] If a person understands Islam clearly and has an ounce of common sense, he will understand that if he neglects his duty of guiding and teaching his children, then he is responsible for any deviation that they fall into. The responsibility of families who live in the west towards their children is of another kind that is even greater than that, because they are responsible for throwing the apple of their eyes into the sea bound and tied. It is even worse than that, it is the Fire and torment of Allaah. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. In the case of your son, and many others, you should have closed the door to temptation before things got out of control. In Islam there is no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman who is not his mahram, especially at this dangerous stage of your son’s life. But the important question now is: what to do about it? You and his father have to act quickly to get your son away from these sinful relationships and cut off all ties with non-mahram women, even if you know that these relationships have not reached the level of zina. As we have stated, these relationships are not allowed in Islam in principle. One of the most important means of getting him away from these haraam relationships may be to protect him by means of marriage. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: â€Å"O young men, whoever among you can afford to get married, let him do so, and whoever cannot, let him fast, for it will be shield for him. † Agreed upon. What is meant by it being a shield is that it will protect him from falling into sin. But you know that keeping young men away from such haraam relationships is no easy matter; it may be almost impossible in the country in which you are living, because the western environment in which the hearts and minds of this generation have grown up is completely contaminated with every kind of temptation and whims and desires, temptations which surround the second and third generations of Muslims there, generations which are losing touch, day after day, with the symbols and laws of Islam, and imbibing instead the values and attitudes of the west, until there is nothing left but the â€Å"blessing† of their background? I ask you again: Are you serious about following the command of Allaah, and do you really fear betraying the trust towards your own soul first of all, then towards your offspring? Do you have the desire to set things straight? Do you have any motive to sacrifice the worldly pleasures and comforts of the west and bring your children back to your own land, or go to a place where your religious commitment will be safer, before it is too late and death comes when you are in this state, then one may say: â€Å"‘My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind! ’ No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected† [al-Mu’minoon 23:99-100]; before we see the outcome of our deeds, i. e. , the consequences: â€Å"On the Day the event is finally fulfilled (i. e. the Day of Resurrection), those who neglected it before will say: ‘Verily, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth, now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf? Or could we be sent back (to the first life of the world) so that we might do (good) deeds other than those (evil) deeds which we used to do? ’ Verily, they have lost their ownselves (i. e. destroyed themselves) and that which they used to fabricate (invoking and worshipping others besides Allaah) has gone away from them† [al-A’raaf 7:99]. Or does this responsibility not deserve such a sacrifice? You may say that most of the Muslim lands nowadays are filled with temptations and evils, so we will never find the right atmosphere to raise our children in an Islamic way, so what would be the point of making this move? The answer is: Yes, you are right to a great extent, but even if we cannot achieve all the good things, we should do as much as we can; if we cannot ward off all evils we should ward off as much as we can; and some evils are less serious than others. All that is needed is to be sincere with oneself. Allaah has indeed spoken the truth: â€Å"Nay! Man will be a witness against himself, 15. Though he may put forth his excuses (to cover his evil deeds)† [al-Qiyaamah 75:14-15] May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.