Dont Talk To Cops Essays (538 words) - Arrest, Criminal Law

Don't Talk to Cops By Robert W. Zeuner, Member of the New York State Bar " GOOD MORNING! My name is investigator Holmes. Do you mind answering a few simple questions?" If you open your door one day and are greeted with those words, STOP AND THINK! Whether it is the local police or the FBI at your door, you have certain legal rights of which you ought to be aware before you proceed any further. In the first place, when law enforcement authorities come to see you, there are no "simple questions". Unless they are investigating a traffic accident, you can be sure that they want information about somebody. And that somebody may be you! Rule number one to remember when confronted by the authorities is that there is no law requiring you to talk with the police, the FBI, or the representative of any other investigative agency. Even the simplest questions may be loaded and the seemingly harmless bits of information which you volunteer may later become vital links in a chain of circumstantial evidence against you or a friend. DO NOT INVITE THE INVESTIGATOR INTO YOUR HOME! Such an invitation not only gives him the opportunity to look around for clues to your lifestyle, friends, reading material, etc., but also tends to prolong the conversation. The longer the conversation, the more chance there is for a skill investigator to find out what he wants to know. Many times a police officer will ask you to accompany him to the police station to answer a few questions. In that case, simply thank him for the invitation and indicate that you are not disposed to accept it at this time. Often the authorities simply want to photograph a person for identification purposes, a procedure which is easily accomplished by placing him in a private room with a two-way mirror at the station, asking him a few innocent questions, and then releasing him. If the investigator becomes angry at your failure to cooperate and threatens you with arrest, stand firm. He cannot legally place you under arrest or enter your home without a warr ent signed by a judge. If he indicates that he has such a warrent, ask to see it. A person under arrest, or located on premises to be searched, generally must be shown a warrent if he requests it and must be given to chance to read it. Without a warrent, an officer depends solely upon your helpfulness to obtain the information he wants. So, unless you are quite sure of yourself, don't be helpful. Probably the wisest approach to take to a persistant investigator is simply to say: "I'm quite busy now. If you have any questions that you feel I can answer, I'd be happy to listen to them in my lawyer's office. Goodbye!" Talk is cheap. When that talk involves the law enforcement authorities, it may cost you, or someone close to you, dearly. This info came from a leaflet that was printed as a public service by individuals concerned with the growing role of authoritarianism and police power in our society. Please feel free to copy or republish. This info also applies to dealing with private investigators, and corporate security agents.

Consultation For Leaders In Management - Smart Custom Writing Samples

Consultation For Leaders In Management - Smart Custom Writing Letter of CreditAssess the place of Letters of Credit in the International commercial arena What is International Finance Management? The international financial management of a trust/company is concerned with management of its funds which reflects how efficiently the company is managing its funds. The overall objective of all business is to secure funds at low cost and their effective utilisation in the business for a profit. The funds so utilised must generate an income higher than the cost of procuring them. Here it is to be noted that all companies need both long-term and short-term capital. The finance manager must therefore keep in view the needs of both long-term debt and working capital and ensure that the business enjoys an optimum level of working capital and that it does not keep too many funds blocked in inventories, book-debts, cash, etc. The capital structuring and average cost of capital for the company should also be examined.[1] Financial analysis is analysis of financial statements of a company to assess is financial health and soundness of its management. "Financial Statement analysis" involves a study of the financial statements of a company to ascertain its prevailing state of affairs and the reasons therefore. Such a Study would enable the public and investors to ascertain whether one company is more profitable than the other, and also to state the causes and factors probably responsible for this[2]. Letters of Credit In a document, the bank agrees to honor a draft drawn on the importer, provided the bill of lading and other details are in order. Obviously, the local bank will "not issue a letter of credit unless it feels the importer is creditworthy and will pay the draft. The letter of credit arrangement pretty much eliminates the exporter's risk in selling goods to an unknown importer in another country. Illustration of a Confirmed Letter The arrangement is strengthened further if a bank in the exporter's country confirms the letter of credit. A New York exporter wishes to ship goods to a Brazilian importer located in Rio de Janeiro. The im ­porter's bank in Rio regards the importer as a sound credit risk and is willing to is ­sue a letter of credit guaranteeing payment for the goods when they are received. Thus, the Rio bank substitutes its credit for that of the importer. In fact, the deal is mutually between the Rio bank and the New York exporter- the beneficiary of the letter of credit,. The exporter may wish to work through her bank, because she has little knowledge of the Rio bank. She asks her New York bank to confirm the Rio bank's letter of credit. If the New York bank is satisfied with the creditworthiness of the Rio bank, it will agree to do so. When it does, it obligates itself to honor drafts drawn in keeping with the letter of credit arrangement.[3] Thus, when the exporter ships the goods, she draws a draft in accordance with the terms of the letter of credit arrangement. She presents the draft to her New York bank and the bank pays her the amount designated, assuming all the conditions of shipment is met. As a result of this arrangement, the exporter has her money, with no worries about payment. The New York bank then forwards the draft and other documents to the Rio bank. Upon affirming that the goods have been shipped in a proper manner, the Rio bank honors the draft and pays the New York bank. In turn, it goes to the Brazilian importer and collects from him once the goods have arrived in Rio and are delivered. Trade Facilitation Rather than extending credit directly to an im ­porter, the exporter relies on one or more banks, and their creditworthiness is sub ­stituted for that of the importer. The letter itself can be either irrevocable or revoca ­ble, but drafts drawn under an irrevocable letter must be honored by the issuing bank. A revocable letter makes sure for an arrangement for pay ­ment of cash. However we cannot guarantee that the draft will be paid. Most letters of credit are irre ­vocable, and the process described assumes an irrevocable letter. The three documents described- the draft, the bill of lading, and the letter of credit- are required in most international transactions. Established procedures ex ­ist for doing business on this basis[4]. Process of the Letter of Credit transaction and the problems associated with enforcement of parties’ rights in a conflict situation.    Expansion and Contraction    Countertrading In addition to the documents used to facilitate a standard transaction, more customized means for financing trade. One method is the countertrade. Countertrade agreement is where the selling party accepts payment in the form of goods as opposed to currency. When exchange restrictions and other preclude payment in hard currencies, such as dollars and yen, it may be to accept goods instead. These goods may be produced in the country .But this need not be the case. Countertrading is nothing more than anything.-l needs to be mindful that there are risks in accepting goods in lieu of a hard facts. Quality and standardization on receipt may differ from what was there. There may be volatility in prices, if indeed a viable market exists at all. All the method involves risk, countertrade associations and consultants, together other infrastructure, have developed to facilitate this means of trade. Factoring . The factor assumes the credit risk, so the exporter is assured of being true. The typical fee is around 2 percent of the value of the overseas shipment. But receivable is collected, a cash advance is possible for upward to 90 percent a shipment's value. For such an advance, the exporter pays interest, and this is   and above the factor's fee. Most factors will not do business with an exporter . less the volume is reasonably large, say at least $2 million in annual transactions,   Also, the factor can reject certain accounts that it deems too risky For accounted are accepted, the main advantage to the exporter is the peace of mind that credit   entrusting collections to a factor with international contacts and experience. Forfeiting Forfeiting is a means of financing trade which resembles factoring. An expo who is owed money evidenced by a longer-term note, as opposed to sell the note to a financial institution at a discount. The discount reflects I length of time the note has to maturity as well as the credit risk of its drawer usually the note is for 6 months or longer and involves larger transactions. An institution would not engage in forfeiting a $9,600 note but might if it were $180,000. [5]    Expansion abroad is undertaken to go, into new markets, acquire less costly pro ­duction facilities, and secure raw materials. Foreign investment different from domestic investment, as there are a number of reasons left behind that. Taxation is different, and there are risks present in po ­litical conditions. A company faces three types of risk in its foreign operations: translation exposure, trans ­actions exposure, and economic exposure. Changes in exchange rates cause translation exposure and its change in accounting income and balance sheet statements. Transactions exposure relates to settling a particular transaction, like open account credit, at one exchange rate when the obligation was booked at another. Economic exposure has to do with the impact of changing exchange rates on the existing balance sheet of a foreign subsidiary and on the expected future repatriated cash flows. Two frameworks were presented for measuring the degree of eco ­nomic exposure. The first aggregated the indi ­vidual exposure coefficients for all balance sheet items.[6] The second measured the degree of net exposure for expected future cash flows. This was net of any natural hedge, where local cur ­rency margins adjust naturally to offset a change in exchange rates. A natural hedge de ­pends on the degree to which prices and costs are globally determined or domestically deter ­mined. A relationship can be plotted between the value of repatriated cash flows and the ex ­change rate. The direction of the line and its steepness tells us whether or not we are hurt if the foreign currency appreciates (depreciates) in value and the degree of exposure. Net expo ­sure is that which remains after any natural hedge.[7] Using several protective devices, a company can protect against any net exposure. If the expo ­sure is short-term in nature, it can adjust intercompany accounts in what is known as an operating hedge. For longer-term exposure, it can undertake a hedge by financing in differ ­ent currencies. The major sources of interna ­tional financing are commercial banks, discounted trade drafts, Eurodollar loans, and in ­ternational bonds. The last includes Eu ­robonds, foreign bonds, floating-rate notes linked to LIBOR, currency-option bonds, and multiple-currency bonds. Eventually, we can see that there are currency hedges, may include, futures contracts, forward contracts, currency swaps, cur ­rency options etc. For the first, one buys a forward contract for the exchange of one procedure for another at a specific future date and at an exchange ratio set in advance. For this protection, there is a cost that is determined by the difference in the forward and spot exchange rates. Currency futures contracts are like forward contracts in function, but there are differences in settlement and other features. Currency options afford protection against "one-sided" risk. Fi ­nally, currency swaps are an important longer-term risk-shifting device.    There are several theories provide a better understanding of the relationship be ­tween interest rates, inflation, and rate of exchange. Purchasing power parity is the idea that a basket of goods should sell at the same price internationally, after factoring into account ex ­change rates. Relative inflation has an impor ­tant influence on exchange rates and on rela ­tive interest rates. Interest-rate parity suggests that the difference between forward and spot currency exchange rates can be explained by differences in nominal interest rates between two countries. Three principal documents are involved in international trade. The draft is an order by the exporter to the importer to pay a specified amount of money either upon presentation of the draft or a certain number of days after pre ­sentation. Translation Exposure Translation exposure relates to the accounting treatment of changes in exchange rates. State ­ment of the Financial Accounting Stan ­dards Board deals with the translation of for ­eign currency changes on the balance sheet and income statement. An American company must determine a func ­tional currency for each of its foreign sub ­sidiaries under those mentioned rules, If the subsidiary is a stand-alone op ­eration that is integrated within a particular country, the functional currency may be the lo ­cal currency; otherwise, it is the dollar where high inflation occurs the functional currency must be the dol ­lar regardless of the conditions given.    The functional currency used is important because it determines the translation process. Moreover, translation gains or losses are not reflected in the income statement, but rather are recognized in owners' equity as a translation adjustment. The fact that such ad ­justments do not affect accounting income is appealing to many companies. If the functional currency is the dollar, however, this is not the case. Gains or losses are reflected in the income statement of the parent company using what is known as the temporal method. In general, the use of the dollar as the functional currency re ­sults in greater fluctuations in accounting in ­come, but in smaller fluctuations in balance sheet items than does the use of the local cur ­rency. Let us examine the differences. Differences in Methods With the dollar as the functional currency, bal ­ance sheet and income statement items are cat ­egorized as to historical exchange rates or as to current exchange rates. Cash, receivables, lia ­bilities, sales, expenses, and taxes are trans ­lated using current exchange rates[8], whereas in ­ventories, plant and equipment, equity, cost of goods sold, and depreciation are translated at the historical exchange rates existing at the time of the transactions. This differs from the situation where the local currency is used as the functional currency; here all items are translated at current exchange rates. To illustrate, a company we shall call Richmond Precision Instruments has a sub ­sidiary in the Kingdom. At the first of the year, the exchange rate is 8 to the dollar, and that rate has prevailed for many years. During the year however, it declines steadily in value to 10 to the dollar at year end. But the rate of exchange comes to 9. It shows the balance sheet and the income statement for the foreign subsidiary at the beginning and at the end of the year and the effect of the method of transla ­tion.    The oppo ­site would occur in our example if the liso in ­creased in value relative to the dollar. We see that there is substantially more change in total assets when a local functional currency is used than when a dollar functional currency is employed. In our example, sales are adjusted by the average exchange rate that prevailed during the year for both accounting methods. For column 4, local functional currency, all cost and expense items are adjusted by this exchange rate[9]. For the last column, dollar functional cur ­rency, cost of goods sold, and depreciation are translated at historical exchange rates whereas the other items are translated at the current average rate. We see that operat ­ing income and net income are larger when the local functional currency is used than when the functional currency is the dollar. For the latter method, the translation gain is factored in, so that net income agrees with the change in re ­tained earnings from 12/31/xl to 12/31/x2. W e see that this change is $845 - $750 = $95. In contrast, when the functional currency is local, the translation adjustment occurs after the in ­come figure of $111. The adjustment is that amount, - $176, that, together with net income, brings the liability and net worth part of the balance sheet into balance. This amount then is added to the sum of past translation adjust ­ments to obtain the new accumulated transla ­tion adjustment figure that appears on the bal ­ance sheet. As we assume past adjustments total zero, this item becomes - $176. Thus, the translation adjustments far in two methods are in opposite directions. Shot the liso increase in value relative to the data the effect would be the reverse of that illus ­trated: Operating income would be higher. Implications Because translation gains or losses are not re ­flected directly on the income statement; it supported operating income tends to fluctuate when the functional currency is local when it is the dollar. However, the balance sheet items is increased, o the translation of all items by the current change rate. Because many corporate fives are concerned with accounting FASB No. 52 is popular, as long as qualifies for a local functional currency ever, this accounting method also has its backs. For one thing, it distorts the sheet and the historical cost numbers over, it may cause return on asset and other measures of return to be less.    RISK MANAGEMENT AND WEALTH MAXIMISATION    Here the techniques for managing financial risks, in particular those that arise more prominently in the context of international finance are being discussed. The above discussion of the impact of risk on the value of the firm gives rise to a very important and interesting question: what should be the attitude of the firm's management regarding firm-specific risks? It appears that since these risks are diversifiable, they are not "priced" by the investors, that is, they do not affect the expected rate of return demanded by the investors- the discount rate. Why then should the firm spend resources to insure against these risks? Even if certain risks are systematic in the sense that they affect almost all firms adversely, it is not clear hedging such risks necessarily adds to shareholder value.[10] Risks can be hedged only at a cost since the party to whom the risk is transferred will demand compensation for bearing the risk. Thus, while it is true that increase in energy costs will ha ve an adverse impact on almost all firms, in an efficient market, the compensation that has to be paid for bearing this risk would just equal the increase in the value of the firm resulting from eliminating this risk; on balance the firms’ shareholders will neither rain nor los[11]e.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Risks arising out of fluctuations in exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices are pervasive, It is, they affect most firms; however they affect different firms in different ways and are therefore idiosyncratic.[12] Finally, even if the irrelevance argument is not found to be convincing, the well-known Modigliani-Miller analysis of a firm's optimal capital structure offers another argument against hedging. In a world of no taxes, no transactions costs and no information asymmetries, they demonstrated that a firm's financing policy does not matter as long as it does not affect its investment policy. If some shareholders are unhappy with the particular debt-equity structure adopted by the firm, they can achieve whatever leverage they de ­sire by trading on their own account. The same argument can be extended to hedging risks such as ex ­change rate risks. A firm which exports to the United States and has dollar receivables can hedge these with forward sales of dollars against rupees; but if its shareholders can achieve the same result on their own (by taking similar but smaller positions in the dollar-rupee forward market), hedging by the firm will add no shareholder value. If capital markets are perfect, individual investors, in particular a firm's share ­holders can replicate any financial strategy adopted by the firm. In such a world active risk management policy cannot add value. In practice, we find that firms do expend considerable amount of resources- managerial time and money- in an attempt to hedge firm-specific risks. For instance, they avoid highly risky investment projects, purchase insurance against product liability suits, enter into forward contracts in foreign ex ­change, and specific commodities and so forth. Is there a rationale for these actions? In addition to the "irrelevance of unsystematic risks" or "shareholders can do it themselves" arguments against hedging, it has also been argued that since financial markets are efficient, it makes little difference in the long run whether and what kind of risk management posture a firm adopts. This means that with efficient markets it would not matter in the long run whether a firm follows an active hedging policy, a purely passive strategy of hedging all risks at all times, or a policy of no hedging at all. Note however that the hypothesis of efficiency of financial markets is far from firmly established. If active risk management by a firm adds shareholder value it must be (i) because it alters the firm's cash flow in a way which is beneficial to the shareholders even after meeting the cost of hedging and (ii) the firm can achieve this at a lower cost than what the shareholders would have to incur if they did it on their own. This is possible in the presence of some capital market imperfections which are assumed away by the Modigliani-Miller theorem. With reference to the valuation equation, hedging can increase shareholder wealth both by influencing future cash flows and by reducing the discount rate at which these cash flows are discounted. In general it is true that the former effects stronger though there can be circumstances under which hedging can reduce the expected return investors demand from a particular firm[13]. One of the most cogent arguments for hedging by the firm has been presented by Froot et al (1994). They not only provide a rationale for hedging as such but also put forward an explanation as to why selec ­tive or discretionary hedging rather than 100 per cent hedging might be an optimal policy under certain conditions. The main thrust of their argument can be summarized as follows: Firms enhance shareholder wealth- create "corporate value"- by making good investments. "Invest ­ments" here means not only physical plant and equipment but also RD, product development, mar ­ket investments such as advertising and promotion and so forth.[14] THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL MARKET The last two decades have witnessed the emergence of a vast financial market straddling national boundaries enabling massive cross-border capital flows from those who have surplus funds and are in search d high returns to those seeking low-cost funding. The phenomenon of borrowers, including governments, one country accessing the financial markets of another is not new; what is new is the degree of mobility d capital, the global dispersal of the finance industry, and the enormous diversity of markets and inst which a firm seeking funding can tap.    THE LETTER OF CREDIT MECHANISM   In such a case, the opening bank "accepts" the draft and it becomes A Banker's Acceptance: The exporter can get immediate payment by discounting the accepted draft either with the opening bank, o with his own bank or by selling the acceptance in the market'. Financing is thus provide* by the bank which discounts the draft or by a money market investor who buys the acceptance. (With sigh drafts, the importer's bank may provide credit to the importer as a part of their ongoing business relationship). To cater to the wide variety of transactions and customers, different types of letters of credit have evolved. A Revocable L/C is issued by the issuing bank and contains a provision that the bank may amend or cancel the credit without the approval of the beneficiary. An Irrevocable L/C cannot be so amended or cancelled without the exporter's prior approval. A Confirmed, Irrevocable L/C contains an extra protection; in addition to the issuing bank's commitment, a Confirming Bank adds its own undertaking to pay provided a] conditions are met. The confirming bank (which may be but need not be the same as the advising bank will pay even if the issuing bank cannot or will not honor the exporter's draft. A Revolving L/C is use when the exporter is going to make shipments on a continuing basis and a single L/C will cover several shipments. A Transferable L/C permits the beneficiary to transfer a part or whole of the credit in favor of one or more secondary beneficiaries. This type of L/C is used by trader exporters who act as middlemen on recourse basis. The ultimate holder of the notes than presents them to the bank at which they are pay ­able, as they fall due.[15] Traditionally, Forfeiting used to be a form of fixed rate, medium-term funding, but over time Forfeiters have become very flexible and are willing to offer terms to suit the needs of their customers. Some Forfeiting houses will accept paper with maturities up to ten years while in other cases it may be as short as 180 days. The secondary market for the paper generally ranges between one and ten years, depending upon the reputation of the importer, the country to which the importer belongs and the reputation of the bank providing the guarantee. Normally Forfeiters will ensure that the importer, not the exporter bears the cost of financing. That is, the face value of the notes is such that after applying the discount, the exporter gets paid what he would normally charge for cash payment. However for competitive reasons some exporters may choose to ab ­sorb some of the financing cost to make the transaction more attractive to the importer. Charges depend on the market interest rates for the currency of the underlying contract and on the per ­ceived credit risks related to the importer, his country and the credit rating of the availing (or guaranteeing) bank. The interest cost is made up of the following components: (1)   The Forfeiter’s refinancing costs benchmarked to the cost of funds in the relevant Euromarkets seg ­ment applicable to the average life of the transaction. For a five year deal, for example, repayable by ten semi-annual equal installments, LIBOR rate applicable for 2.75 years would be used. (2)   A margin or spread for covering the political, commercial, and transfer risks attached to the availed/ guarantor. It varies from country to country, and guarantor to guarantor[16]. (3)   Some additional charges such as interest for "grace period" granted to the importer and a commit ­ment fee when necessary. The whole transaction can be processed quite fast. Many Forfeiters claim that they take no more than two days after the exporter presents all the proper documents. Buyers' Credits are a form of Eurocurrency loans designed to finance a specific transaction involving import of goods and services. The importer works out a deferred payment arrangement with the lending bank which the bank treats as a loan. [17] Traditionally, Forfeiting used to be a form of fixed rate, medium-term (one to five years) funding, but over time Forfeiters have become very flexible and are willing to offer terms to suit the needs of their customers. Some Forfeiting houses will accept paper with maturities up to ten years while in other cases it may be as short as 180 days. The secondary market for the paper generally ranges between one and ten years, depending upon the reputation of the importer, the country to which the importer belongs and the reputation of the bank providing the guarantee. Normally Forfeiters will ensure that the importer, not the exporter bears the cost of financing. That is, the face value of the notes is such that after applying the discount, the exporter gets paid what he would normally charge for cash payment. However for competitive reasons some exporters may choose to ab ­sorb some of the financing cost to make the transaction more attractive to the importer.[18] Charges depend on the market interest rates for the currency of the underlying contract and on the per ­ceived credit risks related to the importer, his country and the credit rating of the analyzing (or guaranteeing) bank. The interest cost is made up of the following components: (1)   The Forfeiter’s refinancing costs benchmarked to the cost of funds in the relevant Euromarkets seg ­ment applicable to the average life of the transaction. (2)   A margin or spread for covering the political, commercial, and transfer risks attached to the availed/ guarantor. It varies from country to country, and guarantor to guarantor. (3)   Some additional charges such as interest for "grace period" granted to the importer and a commit ­ment fee when necessary.    Bibliography A.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Articles/Books/Reports Kraus, M.W.; Keltner, D. (2008), "Signs of Socioeconomic Status Barro, Robert (1979) "On the Determination of the Public Debt", Journal of Political Economy, Vol 87, pages 940-71. Barro, Robert (1999) "Notes on Optimal Fund Management", Harvard University, May2006 Dornbusch, Rudi (2001) 'A Primer on Emerging Market Crises', MIT, January. Leong, Donna (1999) " Fund Management: Theory and Practice", HM Treasury Occasional Paper. Boushey, Heather and Weller, Christian. (2005) â€Å"What the Numbers Tell Us.† Pp 27-40. Demos. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cases Lucas, Robert and Nancy Stokey (1983) "Optimal Fiscal and Monetary Policy in an Economy without Capital", Journal of Monetary Economics 12, pp. 55-93. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Legislation Missale, Alessandro (1997) "Managing the Public Fund: The Optimal Taxation Approach", Journal of Economic Surveys Vol 121 No.3.

Religion - St. Augustine's Confessions Research Paper

Religion - St. Augustine's Confessions - Research Paper Example Augustine is an influential man. Beyond his obvious influence in the faith, he has exerted tremendous sway on philosophy, theology, and even education. Augustine was not originally a believer. His autobiographical book, Confessions, details his conversion. However, unlike a standard autobiographical book, Augustine recounts the events of his life in terms of how they impact his faith and his beliefs. Many people find the story of Augustine infinitely inspiring and fascinating. Indeed, Benedict XVI called him â€Å"one of Christian history's greatest converts† during his address to the General Audience at the Paul VI Audience Hall. Augustine’s conversion is not a story of blinding light or a single moment that shifted everything. It is, rather, a story of small steps toward an ultimate goal. It is the story of how many forces work to point a person in the direction they need to go. It is the story of how listening to small signs and signals can help a person find their r ightful spot. Although Augustine grew up with religious instruction, he was not a believer in the way he was after his conversion. In fact, he describes his feelings regarding spirituality and faith quite clearly. â€Å"Thus I at that time believed with my mother and the whole house, except my father; yet he did not overcome the influence of my mother’s piety in me so as to prevent my believing in Christ, as he had not yet believed in Him† (Schaff and Augustine, Chapter XI). ... Augustine’s background did not lend itself to faithfulness. His world was much like that of the modern child and adolescent: pleasure and material focused. He recounts the specifics of the society and family in which he was reared. Augustine’s first mention of any sort of spiritual awareness is after entering school. School was a place of wretched existence for Augustine, who was fearful of beatings from his teachers. Augustine recalls his introduction to God: â€Å"O Lord, I observed men praying to thee, and I learned from them to conceive thee--after my capacity for understanding as it was then--to be some great Being, who, though not visible to our senses, was able to hear and help us† (Augustine, 50). He explains that he sought God’s assistance with his everyday concerns at the time, which centered upon comfort. â€Å"Small as I was, I prayed with no slight earnestness that I might not be beaten at school† (Augustine, 50). Augustine’s upb ringing continues in a typical manner; he is consumed with concern over material items and pleasure. His thoughts are not focused toward God. In fact, his thoughts turn to lust as he approaches adolescence. He speaks about the fact that lust is almost taught to boys through their education. He points out that they read about the gods, who deeds are wicked and within whom lust is strong and overpowering. His point is fair that lust is almost taught to boys as a natural condition, one which they can excuse. After all, if even a god cannot overcome his desires, how could a mere mortal be expected to do so? Augustine discusses in depth his battle with lust. This is a battle which will plague him throughout his life, even unto his life as a servant of God. It is a very mortal

Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Social Psychology - Essay Example There are also distortions in the type of research that is conducted by students in psychology because they only cover one age group and occupation. There are four interrogative themes in the social psychological world which include: power relations; situated knowledges; individual-society dualism; and agency-structure dualism. There are also four very critical social psychological perspectives which are cognitive social, discursive psychological, phenomenological and psychoanalytic perspectives. I will analyze how two of these perspectives work with and against a social psychological system and also provide a bit of a background on some psychological terms to ensure a clear understanding of the topic. Background and Body To keep a good head on our shoulders and stand strong, it is important to use the identity development technique of Erik Erikson which is to symbolize items we have left behind, symbolize items that we look forward to, have symbols of what we look above or up to, an d have items below us; what we have to the left and right is also important. In social psychology, there tends to be a dualistic viewpoint of either seeing the individual's perspective or that of society. These items are referred to as dichotomies. Individual society dualism and agency structure dualism are very important dichotomies in social psychology. Dichotomous thinking is deemed unhelpful according to social psychologists. Emotion is looked at in social psychology and refinements to the epistemology and ontology aspects in this subject are constantly being reviewed and developed. Dualisms lead to distortions when handled improperly by individual or groups. Dualisms must be minimized as much as possible in order to create a free individual and society. Verbal and non-verbal emotion are constantly being analyzed in order to best meet the needs of the individuals or society in an environment. Embodiment is another social psychological topic that is important. There are critiques on mind-body, individual-society, and agency structure dualisms in order to capture this term's requirements. In order to be strong we must strive to balance all of the above dualisms. Social psychology has only existed for about 100 years. Social psychology had been defined and it was founded in North America. Social psychology is defined as the study of an individual, either male or female, and how they are involved in their surroundings and environments. The social scientists did not want to reduce psychology to an individual or social basis which is what the individual-social dualism is all about. There are two kinds of social psychologies in the field. They are named psychological social psychology and sociological social psychology. Psychological social psychology is about the individual while sociological social psychology is macro. Both of these types of psychology were developed in North America like most concepts and definitions of social psychology. Many forms of social psychology exist to be critiqued in order to analyze and develop new theories to its already extensive structural base. The first world war created a lack luster attitude toward social psychology and by the time the second world war came about, it was in demand to find new ways to treat people and remove the racism for lesser thans in society. The second world wa

Business Ethics and the Global Dimensions of Business Essay

Business Ethics and the Global Dimensions of Business - Essay Example Many businesses are targeting the real estate market of both India and China (Plunkett Research, 2011). The Asian markets are a great target, but the company has to select its location carefully and expand slowly to minimize business risk. I do not recommend a full expansion plan into Asia because they are a lot of countries in Asia that are extremely poor with a lack of economic resources. A country that must be an immediate target for the company is the island of Japan. Japan eight months ago was hit by the fourth biggest earthquake in the world’s history; a massive 8.9 richer scale earthquake (CountryWatch, 2011). As a construction company the firm can capitalize on the natural disaster to profit in the short and medium term. There should be plenty of construction projects in Japan for the next five years. The firm should seek a horizontal growth expansion plan. This plan works best if the country selects locations that have a high demand for the service the industry offers . Emerging economies typically have plenty of construction projects available since better infrastructure is needed to achieve social progress. Asia is the world’s largest continent with an area of 17.3 million square miles (CultureGrams, 2011). ... The two most practiced religions are Buddhism and Muslim. People in Asia are disciplined and believe in the common good of the group. Socialism is widely practice throughout Asia. The eastern economic region is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. Eastern Asia is composed of the following countries: 1. China 2. Japan 3. North Korea 4. South Korea 5. Mongolia 6. Taiwan China has been the fast growing economy during the past three decades reaching yearly GPD growth of approximately 9%. The income per capital in China is one the rise. In 2008 the real gross domestic product of China was $7,600. That number is relatively high since the prices of goods in China are similar to the prices Americans paid during the 1950’s. China is the most populated place in the world. XYZ could promote housing projects of very tall building in order to optimize their real estate capacity per square feet of land. The real estate markets in China are extremely favorable due to a rising mid dle class that is looking to upgrade their current living accommodations. India has also become a hotspot for business due to the high quality of labor at affordable prices (Plunkett Research, 2011). There are ethical issues that should be considered when entering the Asian markets. Corruption is widespread across many governments in Asia. Executives have to make tough decisions whether to participate in what would be considered unethical behavior in the United States due to the difference in business customers and overall cultural factors. Bribes are not considered the same in China than in the United States since Chinese culture on many instances accepts bribe as normal behavior of doing business. There is also the consideration of labor laws. Labor laws in many emerging economies

Role of Silicosis in Silica-associated Lung Cancer

Role of Silicosis in Silica-associated Lung Cancer Background Crystalline silica is a mineral compound composed of silicon and oxygen atoms that are arranged in a repeating pattern. Common polymorphs of crystalline silica include quartz, cristobalite and tridymite, with quartz as the most common form. Human exposure to crystalline silica is most often from occupational tasks that involve disturbance, use or manufacture of quartz-containing materials, including stonecutting, mining, quarrying and ceramics.[i],[ii] In 1997, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded there was sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity in humans with occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica in the quartz or cristobalite form.[iii] The 1997 IARC Monograph noted the greater part of epidemiologic studies reported the presence of silicosis (referring to the chronic or also known as classic type), a fibrotic disease of the lung that is associated with high exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust, increases excess lung cancer risk among workers exposed to silica. However, it remains unclear whether lung cancer development among these workers is due to the presence of silicosis or due to exposure to significant silica levels with silicosis being a confounder rather than a prerequisite. A recent literature review of relevant epidemiological studies confirmed that there remains uncertainty about excess lung cancer risk exclusively among silicotic workers due to the shortcomings of the design of existing epidemiological studies, including the inaccurate measurement of silica exposure, inadequate characterization of the exposure-response relationship between crystalline silica and lung cancer, inadequate control for potential confounders such as known lung cancer risk factors and the presence of other carcinogenic agents in the workplace, and the absence of comparing the lung cancer risk between silicotics and non-silicotic (do not have silicosis) workers as controls. The proposed research study attempts to clari fy the role of silicosis in silica-associated lung cancer development by addressing some of the identified study design challenges. Significance Determining if silicosis is a prerequisite for lung cancer development has important public health implications for setting occupational standard for silica exposure, implementing workplace medical surveillance programs and determining causation in medico-legal cases. For example, if it is determined that lung cancer risk increases among workers exposed to silica only in the presence of silicosis, then efforts should be focused on reducing high silica exposure to a level that reduces the risk of developing silicosis. However, if it is determined that silicosis is not a prerequisite, then lung cancer development can occur at silica exposures lower than those likely to cause silicosis, which makes prevention of exposure to high silica levels not adequate for worker protection. Specific Aims To better understand the role of silicosis in the pathway leading to lung cancer from occupational exposure to silica, the specific aims of the study are: To examine the association between occupational exposure to crystalline silica and lung cancer risk in the presence and absence of silicosis and To measure the exposure-response relationship between crystalline silica and lung cancer risk with risk estimates adjusted by silicosis Procedures/Methods Study Design and Population A nested case-control study design will be utilized to analyze the association between occupational exposure to crystalline silica and lung cancer risk among silicotic and non-silicotic workers from an original cohort mortality study. The original study was conducted among workers from the Vermont granite industry.[iv] They were identified from a group insurance program enrollment between January 1st, 1947 and December 31st, 1998, Vermont Department of Health Division of Industrial Hygiene (DIH) records, pension records, data from a study of workers employed from 1979 to 1987 and data from a study of retired workers.iv The data from the multiple sources were linked to avoid duplications. As a result, the cohort consisted of 7052 Vermont granite industry workers. The mortality follow-up of the cohort identified 359 observed lung cancer deaths. iv Age at death, smoking history and silica dust exposure, medical history of obstructive lung disease and demographics will be compared betwee n the cases and controls. Workers that did not have sufficient smoking information, work histories and available chest radiographs were excluded. The exposure of interest will be the cumulative exposure to silica dust. The study population is unique in that the Vermont granite industry has a long history of silica exposure, medical surveillance and a general exclusion of occupational exposures associated with lung cancer. Case Ascertainment Lung cancer cases will be ascertained from the original Vermont granite industry cohort study. The vital status and cause of data was ascertained from the US National Death Index (NDI), US Social Security Administration vital status records and the Vermont State Records Office. The cause of death was coded to the 9th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9). Control Ascertainment Controls will also be ascertained from the original cohort study. The controls are defined as workers who did not die from lung cancer. Lung cancer cases will be matched to 2 controls by age. Silicosis Ascertainment The presence of silicosis among the cases and controls would be obtained from compensation and medical surveillance records. Silica Exposure Measurement Cumulative exposure to respirable crystalline silica was measured using a job exposure matrix that utilized industrial hygiene measurements. The cumulative exposures are categorized in quartiles. Sample Size Justification According to the sample size calculator (http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm), it is estimated that this study would need approximately 360 subjects are required in the study to obtain the confidence level of 95% with an interval of 5%, if we are selecting subjects from the 7052 Vermont granite industry workers cohort. We will strive to obtain 90 cases and 180 controls, based on the availability of sufficient smoking information, work histories and chest radiographs. Statistical Analysis Statistical analysis will be performed to calculate odds ratios to examine the association between lung cancer and total and each quartile of cumulative silica exposure in the presence and absence of silicosis. Odds ratios will be adjusted for smoking, obstructive lung disease and age as they are potential confounders. Odds ratios will be calculated with 95% confidence intervals. Study Strengths Strengths of the proposed study include: comparing the association of silica exposure and lung cancer in both silicotic and non-silicotic workers measuring the exposure-response relationship between silica and lung cancer risk, taking into account the presence and absence silicosis controlling for potential confounders of smoking and obstructive lung disease excluding potential confounders of other occupational exposures associated with lung cancer by studying the granite industry cohort conducting a nested case-control study is less expensive than a full cohort study since a comparably significant number of lung cancer cases have emerged Study Limitations Potential biases and study limitations are: Selection bias is a concern as silicotic workers are identified from compensation and medical surveillance records Silicotic workers may be diagnosed by different criteria, but resulting in non-differential misclassification Differential misclassification may result from categorizing the silica exposure in quartiles Silica exposure assessment may not be accurate if the job exposure matrix is methodologically sound Only studied one type of industry associated with silica exposure Non-diseased persons from whom the controls are selected may not be fully representative of the original cohort due to loss to follow-up or death References [i] International Labour Organization (ILO)/SafeWork Bookshelf (2006). ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety: Volume 1, Part I. Body: Chapter 10 Silicosis. Available at http://www.ilo.org/safework_bookshelf/english?dnd=170000102nh=0. [ii] Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (2002). OSHA Fact Sheet: Crystalline Silica Exposure Health Hazard Information [Electronic Version]. Available at http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/crystalline-factsheet.pdf [iii] WHO/IARC (1997). IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Silica, Some Silicates, Coal Dust and para-Aramid Fibrils [Electronic Version]. Volume 68; available at http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol68/mono68.pdf. [iv] Vacek PM, Verma DK, Graham WG, Callas PW, Gibbs GW (2010). Mortality in Vermont granite workers and its association with silica exposure. Occup Environ Med, 68(5), 312-318.

freeclo Freedom in Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange :: Clockwork Orange Essays

Freedom in A Clockwork Orange A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess tells a story about a young man and his choices of freedom. The book asks the question "is it better to have someone constantly do the right thing, or to have the freedom of choice to do the right or wrong thing". The author shows the affect of society on a human who has been institutionalized and let back into society. The author of the book goes on to show how the protagonist copes with society under his given conditions. "Georgie let go of holding his goobers apart and just let him have one in the toothless rot with his ringy fist, and that made the old veck start moaning a lot then, then out comes the blood, my brothers, real beautiful." (Page 7) This had been an occurrence that took place when the protagonist was walking down the street with no apparent intention of harming anyone. This occurrence shows the time in Alex's life where he is able to make decisions on his own, weather he chooses for those actions to be morally appropriate or not is up to his discretion. "He has no real choice, has he? Self-interest, fear of physical pain, drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice." (Page 126) This is the occurrence of Alex's life after he has been arrested for his wrong doings and has been brought to the institute. This is where the reform of Alex has occurred. He had been tortured beyond his belief. Now each time that Alex has a thought of an immoral deed he gets sick to his stomach. Alex now has no choice of doing what he wishes to do; he has no real choice. This is what the doctors and observers believe was the reform of Alex. "I could viddy myself carving the whole litso of the creeching world with my cut-throat britva. And there was the slow movement and the lovely last singing movement still to come. I was cured all right." (Page 179) The government does try to make Alex an unconditionally good person through institutionalization: however, since it is a forced goodness, conflicting his own will, a complete goodness is not attained. This shows that the reform of Alex is now over and has no significance over him.

Captain Ahab portrayed as monomaniacal in Moby Dick Essay

Monomania, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is the pathological obsession with one subject or idea. In Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, an obsession causes monomania in its main character. Through his actions, words, thoughts, and what others think about him, Captain Ahab is truly monomaniacal. Ahab is monomaniacal through his words and thoughts. â€Å"Talk not to me of blasphemy,man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me.† This shows Ahab’s madness because only he would have the nerve to say that no matter who it is, great or small, he would stand up to them; this includes Moby Dick. Ahab often smokes a pipe, but he realizes something and says â€Å"What business have I with this pipe? This thing that is meant for sereneness, to send up mild white vapors among mild white hairs, not among torn iron-grey locks like mine. I’ll smoke no more.† He admits that he is not a peaceful man, which is quite monomaniacal. Another event that shows Ahab’s monomania is when he talks directly to a dead whale’s head, saying â€Å" Speak, thou vast and venerable head, mighty head and tell us the secret thing that is in thee†¦O head! thou hast seen enough to split the planets and make an infidel of Abraham, and not one syllable is thine!† His obsession leads him to even say that he will pay someone to kill Moby Dick just for the sake of revenge. â€Å"Whosoever of ye raises me that same white whale, he shall have this gold ounce, my boys!† When Ahab finally meets Moby Dick, his monomania hits its high point as his last words before his death are â€Å"Sink all coffins and hearses to one common pool! And since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!† Captain Ahab is not only monomaniacal through his words, but through his actions, also. In one incident, Ahab holds Starbuck at gunpoint just because he asked if he could have a crew of men fix a leak. Is that not an action of a madman? Ahab also breaks the ship’s compass at one point in the story so that the crew learns how the ship moves. He also refuses to recognize the warnings that are presented during gams; he dismisses them without any thought or hesitation because his obsession makes him blind to the reality and stupidity of the search for Moby Dick. Ahab also has no respect for his  fellow sailors, as he has manipulated them quite often. Everyone on the Pequod, especially Ishmael, thought that they were going on a normal whaling voyage, not a suicidal chase for a deadly white whale. If someone is to be called monomaniacal, not only one point of view can confirm that. The thoughts of fellows crew members on the Pequod often comment on how they feel about Ahab. Ishmael describes Ahab as being â€Å"A grand, ungodly, god-like man, Captain Ahab; doesn’t speak much;Ahab’s been in colleges, as well as among the cannibals; been used to deeper wonders than the waves; fixed his fiery lance in mightier, stranger foes than whales.† Queeqeug gives his two cents worth when he says â€Å" More than once did he put forth the faint blossom of a look, which, in any other man, would have soon flowered out in a smile.† Obviously, Ahab did not like to smile, which is something that happy people do. Finally, Stubb comments that â€Å"The sea had jeeringly kept his finite body up, but drowned the infinite of his soul.† He says that Ahab has wasted his soul in pursuit of Moby Dick, and that if it was not for the sea and the white whale, Ahab would not be monomaniacal. Ahab is monomaniacal through what he says, what he does, and what other think of him. He not only manipulates his fellow sailors, he also acts like a madman because of his obsession with the pursuit of Moby Dick. Captain Ahab is seemingly monomaniacal despite what he thinks of himself.

Anomic Suicide essays

Anomic Suicide essays Durkheims theory of anomic suicide presents itself in a complex yet sound manner. He chooses to concentrate wholly on society as a force on individuals than individuals as a force upon themselves. Isolation and lack of participation in normal social activities according to Durkheim is the root and cause of suicide. Those that commit the act of suicide are deemed to have felt a sense of purposelessness in their lives. Excessive ambition and aspiration towards unrealistic goals followed by failure is also a determining factor in anomic suicide. Setting limitations upon oneself and practicing modesty, humility, discipline and reason coupled with understanding would liberate man from the thoughts of self-destruction. Lack of religion in recent history has negatively affected some people due to deficiency of belief in an all-powerful being watching and loving mortals indiscriminately. Opulence of a man generally causes a decreased belief in religion and a greater belief in self. This mil d sense of grandiosity can at any trying moment veer into great depression triggering suicidal acts. Simmel discusses the mentally evolved state of being and thought in man living in a metropolitan society. The presence of varying types of people, institutions, and things as a whole desensitize man, to a point, from certain situations. Intellect and wealth, according to Simmel are interrelated. A notion of blas is prevalent in a metropolitan man since he dwells in a diverse environment. However, this certain indifference may develop into a belligerence from individually defined triggers of aversion. ...

Minors are Clearly in Need of Protection essays

Minors are Clearly in Need of Protection essays Minors are clearly in need of protection in the formation of a contract, but not at the expense of fair-minded adults with whom they may be dealing. How far does the law of contract support this view? A minor is a person under the age of 18, although in 1969, before the Family Law Reform act was passed, a person under the age of 21 was classed as an infant. The Family Law Reform act lowered the age to 18 and introduced the term minor. A minors capacity to contract is very much restricted but if there was no protection at all for minors then it would be seen that the law is too harsh on young people. Considering at 16 a minor can get married, have children and get a job it seems strange that the age has not been brought down further to 16 instead of 18 as the Law Commission suggested in 1982.The aim of this age limit is to protect minors from their own inexperience and perhaps from unwise transactions whilst not being too harsh on any adult dealing with a minor. In the case of Nash v Inman (1908) a Cambridge university graduate ordered eleven fancy waistcoats from a Savile Row tailor. He did not pay for them, relying on the fact that he was not of full capacity. As waistcoats were normal student clothing at Cambridge they were classed as necessaries meaning that a contract did exist between Inman and Nash. However, the father of the university graduate had already bought him a substantial amount of clothing including waistcoats so the additional ones he ordered were not necessary at all. The law protected the student very well but was incredible harsh on the tailor who after all of that received nothing at all. There is a great difference in the experiences of various young people. In a case where a minor had knowingly taken advantage of an adult, using the law of contractual capacity to his benefit, there appeared to be injustice arising out of a law that ai...

Eurasian Energy Politics and Security Research Paper

Eurasian Energy Politics and Security - Research Paper Example The existing projects and pipelines between Russia and the EU, including the issues in these projects shall be discussed. Alternatives to Russia, especially South Caucasus and Central Asia will also be considered. The proposed pipelines, Nabucco, Transcaspian pipeline, and BP’s new project for natural gas shall be included in this discussion. Finally, China’s entrance to Eurasian energy politics shall also be considered under this discussion. This paper is being discussed in order to conceptualize a clear understanding of energy politics, including its significant points of interest which now impact on the current relations between Eurasian nations. States in the Caspian and Central Asian region have proven oil reserves numbering about 38 billion barrels and this does not include possibly undiscovered barrels of crude oil in the region (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5). Kazakhstan is considered to be the largest oil producer in the region with onshore fields in the northern Caspian Sea and other regions. Turkmenistan is the largest natural gas producer in the Caspian region and is serving the energy needs of the region well. Since the Caspian oil reserves were discovered, most energy exports from the Caspian and Central Asia came from the Caspian and Central Asia came from the Russian Empire, supplying consumers in Europe and Soviet Union (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5). Significant exports from the Caspian started with the establishment of the 1997 100,000 Baku-Novorossiysk pipelines transporting oil to Georgia’s Black Sea Coast (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5). In 2001, Kazakhstan started pumping oil from its Tengiz oil fi eld into Novorossiysk via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium or the CPC. The CPC is shared by various oil companies from different countries. Russia lost its control of the Caspian oil exports in 2005 when the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline was opened (Cohen and DeCarlo-Souza, p. 5).  

Problems Of The Beginning Writer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problems Of The Beginning Writer - Essay Example Writing about my anger did not offer enough time for my learning because I would not have enough time to express ideas. There was no one who would come by to support my desire to develop. This environment meant that my literacy skills failed to develop because the family condition denied me the opportunity I needed to develop them through experience with books and through correction. I discovered the importance of these skills in my life but it was unfortunate that I had no place or tools to facilitate the development competence in the language. In my young adulthood, I started to develop my language literacy skills but many times, I faced numerous challenges from my foster parents. At that age, it was very unfortunate that I lacked the vocabulary to construct sentences. I discovered that I had a hard time to make meaningful sentences regardless of the effort I put to write about my anger and the experiences I underwent at home. This issue exposed my limited skills in language litera cy because it was evident enough that I struggled to combine vocabularies to make sentences and combining them to form a good paragraph. This situation was discouraging to me but I had to do it regularly so that I could establish my competence in language and grow to be a good reader and writer later in my life. Later on, I would try to advance my writing skills through writing about the things in my family that angered me and in that way, I was able to relieve myself of the disappointment I experienced.... I discovered the importance of these skills in my life but it was unfortunate that I had no place or tools to facilitate the development competence in language. In my young adulthood, I started to develop my language literacy skills but many times, I faced numerous challenges from my foster parents. At that age, it was very unfortunate that I lacked vocabulary to construct sentences. I discovered that I had a hard time to make meaningful sentences regardless of the effort I put to write about my anger and the experiences I underwent at home. This issue exposed my limited skills in language literacy because it was evident enough that I struggled to combine vocabularies to make sentences and combining them to form a good paragraph. This situation was discouraging to me but I had to do it regularly so that I could establish my competence in language and grow to be a good reader and writer later in my life. As a student in college, I have discovered the importance of reading because I ha ve many volumes that I need to go through to achieve what I need to attain a degree. Through this experience, I discover how much I need to have the skills to avoid the negative impact of their lack on my performance while in college. I also discovered that my writing skills are below the average for a college student but, instead of getting discouraged by this, I feel motivated to develop them so that I can achieve my dream of authoring a book about my life dedicated to all women. Although I have put substantial effort, I have determined that my writing skills are not up to standard and therefore, I continue to develop my skills in reading and writing, to grow in vocabulary. My encounters as a child undermined my attempt to learn and