Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Essay Example

Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian scholar renowned for his military understanding and his views on leadership. Over his lifetime, he wrote many famous texts that scholars still revere top this day. His most famous work was The Prince, a title that mostly discusses the dynamics of power. In many of his works, Machiavelli discussed the different ways that a leader should behave and the values and attributes that they should have. Machiavelli practiced his own advice whenever he got the opportunity to do so. In The Prince, Machiavelli outlines the different ways that princes can succeed. He achieves this by using examples to show different successes in gaining and keeping power. One of the things that Machiavelli wrote about was the acquisition of power. Machiavelli claimed that it was best to use arms and virtue because when a prince acquired territory using his own troops and strengths, it would be easier for them to retain control of the land. One thing to note is that for Machiavelli, virtue mainly meant manliness and strength. Machiavelli also claimed that a leader should have evil qualities because that way it would be easier to hold on to power. For instance, he argued that it was better to be feared, but not hated, than to be loved. Lastly, he stated that a prince did not need to be trustworthy. In his life, Machiavelli adhered to some of the principles that he explains in his writings. Using his intellect and skills, he gained a series of promotions that helped him rise through the ranks of government in Florence. At one point he was in a close to the chief magistrate of Florence and in this position, he pushed for the use of local militia in the state. This conformed to one of the ideals that he stated in The Prince on the rejection of mercenaries in favor of local armies. When Florence had its own militia, Machiavelli was placed in charge of the militia. In this position, he showed great military understanding to capture Pisa (Unger 163). After Machiavelli lost his position, he was never able to rise to the same level of political prestige and was thus unable to apply his own principles. Work Cited Unger, Miles. Machiavelli: A Biography. New York, NY: Simon Schuster, 2011. Print. Class Struggles in the Contemporary World Scholars widely consider Karl Marx to be the father of Communism. His thoughts, works and ideas inspired leaders and political figures such as Josef Stalin, Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong. Marx’s works touched on a large number of issues affecting humanity such as governance, equality and wealth. To explain some of these issues, Marx introduced the concept of class struggles, or class conflict, to explain many of the issues that Europe was grappling with at its time. In his view, that many of the problems that were in Europe at the time, such as poverty, crime, war and unemployment could be explained by analyzing the concept of class conflict. Many of the issues that Marx talked about are still relevant in the contemporary world. Governments all over the globe are still struggling to deal with poverty, crime and unemployment and some of these crises seem to be worsening by the day. Class conflict can still be applied in the contemporary world to explain many of the problems th at humanity is facing. To explain class conflict, Karl Marx started by introducing two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. The bourgeoisie were the capitalists who owned Europe’s means of production. This meant that they were the richest people, had strong political connections and were the employers of the wage laborers (Marx and Engels 14). Marx argued that this class arose from the feudal society that had previously been in place in Europe (14). The feudal class had instituted class antagonisms and following its revival as the bourgeoisie, it was coming up with a new way of oppressing the people in lower socio-economic classes. The fresh system instituted new classes, methods of oppression and struggles within Europe (Marx and Engels 14). In contrast, Marx referred to Europe’s working class as the proletariat. This class provided the wage labor and worked in the companies owned by the bourgeoisie. Since they had no capital or means of production, these people were forced to provide labor for the upper classes as their only way of making a living (Marx and Engels 14). History shows that the feudal class, which became the bourgeoisie, had also been oppressing the working class in the previous feudal systems. This had come after most communities in Europe and Asia abolished the systems of common land ownership and replaced them with structures that created the antagonistic classes that Marx was discussing (Marx and Engels 14). Within this context, Marx explained that there was a perpetual struggle and conflict between the two main classes. The bourgeoisie and the proletariat were constantly in opposition to each other and this struggle between them played out in a persisting fight that took place in the background of their daily relations. Marx argued that history had seen people occupying positions of slaves, serfs and plebeians engaged in a constant struggle with their opposites such as freemen, lords and patricians (14). At the time that Marx was developing this theory, many of these positions had changed. The introduction of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat had made class struggles a much simpler concept to grasp. The divisions within society were limited to the two groups, with the classes consistently becoming larger as they simultaneously grew further apart. Capitalism grew hand in hand with class conflict, and it allowed the bourgeoisie to expand their industries and employ more people from the working class (Dahrendorf 5) The class conflict that Marx described was mainly the result of contrasting fortunes between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marx argued that the upper classes, needed to revolutionize the means of production to ensure that they remained at the top of the system. This was followed by the domination of global trade and the world market to create consumption for the products that their industries created. This system continually expanded into a massive global force that forced the bourgeoisie to spread and settle in other parts of the globe (Marx and Engels 16). Since the bourgeoisie employed the working class in the industries and other means of production, the proletariat grew along with the system that the upper class was instituting. Marx claimed that the situation was very different for the proletariat (18). In their case, they could only survive as long as they found work and they were only employable as long as their labor created capital for the bourgeoisie. Additionally, the use of advanced technology had taken away the pride that workers formerly had in their work (Marx and Engels 18). This contrasting situation created a lot of tension between the two classes as the proletariat felt that the bourgeoisie was using them to advance its position at their expense. One of the key issues surrounding class conflict was inequality. Karl Marx felt that the situation with the bourgeoisie and the proletariat created a lot of inequality between the two classes. The proletariat worked hard within the industries owned by the upper classes, but were paid meager wages. In contrast, the bourgeoisie were able to make large profits from their industries through systems that Marx argued were oppressive. For instance, by underpaying their employees, the companies were able to make sure that the profits that they made were larger. Additionally, these profits all went to the bourgeoisie meaning that regardless of how well the industries did, the working class would still earn the same salary. In the modern world, inequality still exists in various forms. Racial prejudice and sexism are good examples of inequality. For some scholars, the reality is that there can never be a society or community in which all men, women and children are afforded equal chances (Dahrendorf 23). There are varying reasons for these disparities, with some people arguing that the diversity found in society cannot allow there to be complete equality. Within a single community, there exists a wide range of tasks that need to be done along with a large number of diverse interests and abilities. A combination of these factors is what causes the inequality (Dahrendorf 23). However, this still does not explain the reason why some members of society place themselves in positions of complete dominance over others by using oppressive systems such as the one that Marx described. Dahrendorf argues that in the modern world, the shape of class conflict has changed in some ways (24). During Marx’s time, the conflict was typified by a system of social immobility that was deeply entrenched with European society. The problem then was not just that the system oppressed the working class, but that the proletariat had no chances of moving upwards towards a higher social class. The structures within society confined them to an unsatisfactory life of hard labor and low wages. The situation is different in the modern world. The issue of entitlement has substituted that of social mobility (Dahrendorf 27). Class conflict is now about the status that people hold in society and the different opportunities attached to those positions. One real problem involving inequality in the modern world is income disparity. Income disparity can be used to show the inequality that causes class struggles within the same economic context that Marx used to apply the situation. The American society is currently struggling to contain a growing gap between the top earners and the bottom earners in the nation’s economy. The end of the World Wars and the economic depression that came in between them saw the American government develop economic policies that were supposed to deal with the issue of income inequality (Schmitt 1). The policies were able to cause a reduction in this disparity but the 1970s saw all of the progress come undone. Income disparity in the country started to rise again and this trend has continued to this day. Subsequent economic scandals and crises such as the late 2000s recession have worsened the situation making it harder for American’s in the lower social classes to cope in the prevailing econo mic conditions (Schmitt 1). Class conflict helps to explain these disparities in many ways. Firstly, the American economy still relies on a capitalist system. The only change that has happened is that the structure is no longer centered on means of production but on financial systems (Foster and Holleman 191). The oppressive systems that Marx described in his works still exist, albeit in a different form. The bourgeoisie now depend on other systems to dominate society. The capitalist systems have allowed the upper classes to control national, regional and global economy and this has caused friction between them and the working class (Foster and Holleman 192). Class conflict also explains this income inequality by showing that there is a competition between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat where the former are trying to sustain the status quo in their favor while the latter keep trying to gain dominance over the other. This conflict has translated itself into tensions between the two classes as the workers pu sh for governments to increase taxes on the higher classes. This whole situation has seen different presidents elected around the world on campaigns that appear to be against the rich (Schuman 1). In other cases, the tensions have escalated into mass protests against financial institutions and other organizations that are deemed to be under the control of the upper class (Leavitt 2). There are several arguments that can be made against the idea that class conflict still applies in the world today. Firstly, society has evolved over the past few years, leading to the formation of new classes that do not fall under the categorization of either bourgeoisie or proletariat. The rise of the middle class is a good example of these changes within the class system that is now found in the world. The middle class is usually seen to be apathetic and uninvolved in the struggle between the classes and this opposes the ideas put forward by Marx in some ways. One of the reasons why the middle class are uninvolved in the struggle is the fact that they are trying to break into the bourgeoisie as opposed to bringing it down. Another counter argument to Marx’s theories entails the fact that there have always been members of the lower classes who are in control of some means of production. These people may not have owned large industries or companies but they were employers themselves and they were not struggling as much as their companions were even though they were employed as wage laborers by the bourgeoisie. Dahrendorf notes that this contradiction was there when Marx was coming up with his views, even though his works completely failed to acknowledge the existence of these people (9). The fact that some workers are capable of owning their own businesses and industries negates one of the key arguments that Marx made concerning chances and opportunities within a class system. This situation implies that there are possibilities for the working class to create their own industries and take control of some means of production. It also suggests that social mobility was not as limited as Marx made it to be. The concept of class conflict has influenced political discourse within society for years and years. Karl Marx came up with the idea as a way of explaining the different issues that were affecting European society during the nineteenth century. Even though the concept was developed almost two centuries ago, the ideas it held still apply today. Our societies are still divided into social classes, and these divisions have been the cause of a perpetual state of conflict and never ending tension. The same problems that created the class conflict still exist today, as different countries are struggling to deal with inequality, particularly in the incomes earned by different citizens. These disparities have worsened the situation, as the conflict between the two classes has been brought out in the open. Works Cited Dahrendorf, Ralf. The Modern Social Conflict: The Politics of Liberty. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers, 2008. Print. Foster, John Bellamy and Hannah Holleman. â€Å"The financialization of the capitalist class: Monopoly-finance capital and the new contradictory relations of ruling class power.† Imperialism, Crisis and Class Struggle: The Enduring Verities and Contemporary Face of Capitalism. Ed. James F. Petras and Henry Veltmeyer. Leiden: Brill, 2010. 191-202. Print. Leavitt, Gregory C. Class Conflict: The Pursuit and History of American Justice. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2013. Print. Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. London: Pluto, 2008. Print. Schmitt, John. Inequality as policy: The United States since 1979. Real-World Economics Review 51.1 (2009): 1-9. Print. Schuman, Michael. â€Å"Marx’s revenge: How class struggle is shaping the world†. Time. Time Inc. 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Individual Project Essays

Individual Project Essays Individual Project Essay Individual Project Essay For your selected company you must provide a formal management review report that contains the following sections: 1 . Executive Summary a. You will need to provide a concise summary (or extract) of your findings followed by a general recommendation on how well this company performs the main functions of management and where any major Improvements could be made. 2. An overview of this company a. Its name, location of head office, location of subsidiary offices b. Its main line of work (services, products) 3. Governance a. Composition of its Board of Directors b. Committee Structures (such as whether It has a separate audit committee, insemination committee) c. Major shareholders or shareholder groups (such as Pension Fund Managers for example) d. How effective is its governance? Can you suggest improvements? 4. Ethics and Social responsibility a. Is this an ethical company? Is it socially responsible? You will need to support your position. B. Has the company ever been featured in the press in a negative way that was attributable, whether correctly or Incorrectly, to ethical or social responsibility Issues? If so, were these allegations founded? If not has your research uncovered any areas Tanat could pose a rills to tens company In accessibility or ethics? 5. Organization ten areas AT social a. How is this company organized? What is its organizational structure? B. Is there a prevailing organizational culture? How is this evident? If this is not obvious from your research what type of organizational culture would you expect to find and why? C. Link as much of the course material concerning organization to your research into this company d. How effective is its organization? Can you suggest improvements? 6. Planning a. How does this company conduct its strategic planning? Its operational planning? B. Link as much of the course material concerning planning to your research into this company. C. How effective is its planning function(s)? Can you suggest improvements? 7. Leading a. Who are the key leaders in this company? B. Which leadership styles are evident? If this is not obvious from your research, which leadership styles would be most appropriate and why? C. Link as much of the course material concerning leadership to your research into this company. D. How effective is its leadership? Can you suggest improvements? 8. Controlling a. What control mechanisms do you feel would be most critical to this company and why? B. Link as much of the course material concerning control to your research into this company. . How effective is control in this company? Can you suggest any 9. Written Assignment Grading Report a. Every assignment must be submitted with an academic attestation (as below) signed by every member of the group, and, b. A Grading Report Sheet as given on page 4 Your written assignment MUST: Clearly contain bold headers for each section; Be free of grammatical errors; Respect scholarship by appropriately referencing all material that is n ot original; Contain the academic attestation form, signed by all members of your group; and, Not exceed 15 pages, 12-pitch font, double-spaced, excluding cover page, bibliography and references. The outline of your written report must be as follows: Executive Summary Company Overview Governance Ethics and Social Responsibility organization Planning Leading Controlling The Academic Attestation MUST be the following and MUST be signed: Academic Integrity Integrity is a basic value of our society and of the business world. Academic integrity is also a key value of the Teller School of Management. To underline its importance, all assignment, report, project, or other work submitted in partial fulfillment of the acquirement of a course at the Teller School of Management must include on its front page the following signed statement (signed by each member of a team in the case of a group assignment or team work): Statement of Academic Integrity This work conforms to the rules on academic integrity of the University of Ottawa. Signature: add a signature sheet.

How to Quit College and Drop Classes with Minimal Risk

How to Quit College and Drop Classes with Minimal Risk No one wants to quit college, but sometimes dropping out is the only option. Illness, family issues, financial problems, or other hardships may make it impossible to continue with your classes. When it comes to quitting college, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Don’t just stop showing up and turning in your assignments. The long-term consequences of a disappearing act may haunt you for years to come. Instead, use this time-tested advice: Talk to Your Teachers Depending on your situation, professors may be able to cut you a bit of slack and make it possible for you to have an extension on your work instead of dropping out. Many colleges allow professors to create a contract with students, allowing them up to a year to complete late assignments. This might give you enough time to resolve outside issues and still stay on track. Extensions are less likely at the beginning of the semester, but if you only have a few weeks or one big project left, there’s a good chance your teachers will show leniency. Meet with a Counselor If receiving an extension from your professors won’t work, college counselors can walk you through the steps necessary to withdraw from the university. Be sure to ask about any tuition and fees that you’ve paid. Will you receive the full amount or a prorated portion back? Will you be expected to pay back any ​financial aid or scholarships if you leave university? Does a hardship situation change the way the school treats cases like yours? Don’t take your name off the rolls until you have solid answers.​ Try to Get Away with a Clean Record Aside from getting an extension, the best thing you can do for your future college career is to make sure that your transcript stays spotless. If you simply stop going to class (or logging in to your assignments), you’ll probably receive an entire semester of F’s. That’s bad news if you ever want to come back to college, enroll in another school, or become a grad student. Recovering from a semester of F’s is extremely difficult, and your college may even put you on academic probation or suspension. You may not care now, but it could become a problem years down the road. If you’ve passed the deadline for a clean record, you may be able to get a special exception if you’re going through some sort of hardship. If That Doesn’t Work, Aim for a â€Å"W   If you cannot get away with a clean record, at least try to get a line of W’s on your transcript in place of failing grades. A â€Å"W† means â€Å"withdrawn.† While a lot of W’s may indicate unreliability on the student’s part, they generally have no effect on your GPA. Your transcript won’t be pretty, but it’s better than being put on academic probation or having difficulty re-enrolling in college. Ask About a Leave of Absence or Deferment Do you think you might want to return to college? If there’s any question in your mind, ask about a leave of absence or deferment before you withdraw from the university. Many schools have a program in place to allow students to leave for up to a year and return to the school without re-applying. There are programs designed specifically for hardship cases. There are generally also programs available for students that don’t have any extenuating circumstances. That means, if you want to drop out just to spend a year on the beach, you may be able to pick up classes a year from now without any penalty. Just make sure that you submit the papers before you leave; deferment doesn’t work in reverse.

Financila Performance and Positioning Assignment

Financila Performance and Positioning - Assignment Example A projected profit and loss account of Clinton Cards plc has also been included in this part to add to the analysis. Shareholders need to analyse the management's performance and efforts put into the company affairs through the financial results so as to realise its strengths and weaknesses. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says, "the profitability ratios portray ability of the firm to efficiently use the capital committed by stockholders and lenders to generate revenues in excess of expenses". Therefore, the analysis for the shareholders has been done with the help of following profitability ratios: The above chart depicts the profitability ratios for Clinton Cards plc indicating the financial performance of the company over the last five years. Shareholders are interested in the company's profit records and being the real owners of the firms, they constantly need to appraise the company's performance. If the company is able to generate a stable profit for its shareholders out of its business activities, then it is said to be a good performer in the financial sense. The Gross Profit Margin Percentage evaluates the percentage of profit earned by a company on sales after the production and distribution activities (Mcmenamin, 1999). It shows how well the company manages its expenses so as to attain maximum profit out of its total sales. Clinton Card plc's gross profit ratio shows that the company is sustaining a stable profit margin with a slight increase in profitability. It further illuminates that the company manages to keep about 11% of its total sales revenue out of all the production and distribution expenses. This can also be inversely stated that the company loses about 89% of the total turnover in meeting cost of sales. The Net Profit ratio shows what percentage of profit a company earns on its sales (Mcmenamin, 1999). It reveals the profit retained by a company after accounting for its various operating costs. The difference between the company's net and gross profit ratios indicate the amount of profit foregone by them in the course of meeting various selling and administrative expenses. Thus the above graph shows that the company manages to retain about 6% of the total sales after accounting for various operating costs. The company's net profit margin is also rising sparingly at a stable rate showing the management's efficiency in managing costs. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says that the return on capital employed ratio "indicates how efficiently the capital supplied by the common stockholders was employed within the firm". Clinton Card plc's return on capital employed ratio reveals that the company is having a slightly fluctuating rate of profit on the funds invested by the shareholders. However the rate of fluctuation is not high and thus the graph shows that the company gains profit as about 30% of the total equity funds. The return on asset ratio indicates the returns or profits generated after utilising the financial resources of the company determine the company's financial performance throughout the year (Meigs & Meigs, 1993). The company in consideration has had a significantly

How to Replace the LCD Screen in a Laptop Assignment

How to Replace the LCD Screen in a Laptop - Assignment Example The manual also enable the technician to understand how the system works. This manual outlines the steps followed when changing a laptop LCD screen. The first part gives instruction on how to remove the LCD screen while the second part shows how to assemble the laptop This is the first and the most important step. Different manufacturers have different methods of assembling the LCD screen. It is necessary to go through the laptop manual to identify the requirement for opening the laptop and its internal structure. Before opening the laptop, all the power cables should be disconnected. This prevents the risk of shock and also prevents the computer from short circuit which damages the mother board, the processor and other gadgets. Remove the laptop battery, this battery is located at the side where the LCD screen is hinged to the main laptop body. Removing the battery ensures no damage of the delicate electronic circuitry of the laptop. Remove the rubber seals at the all the sides of the laptop screen. These rubber seals can be identified readily as they are in the form of rubber projection. In some laptop designs, countersunk bolts are used without a rubber seal cover. These bolts can be seen by carefully observing the edges. Removing the seal exposes the bolts. A sharp object is used to remove the seals. Figure 2 showing the removal of the rubber seals. ... 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm ) (D)Remove the rubber seal Remove the rubber seals at the all the sides of the laptop screen. These rubber seals can be identified readily as they are in the form of rubber projection. In some laptop designs, countersunk bolts are used without a rubber seal cover. These bolts can be seen by carefully observing the edges. Removing the seal exposes the bolts. A sharp object is used to remove the seals. Figure 2 showing the removal of the rubber seals. (Adapted from Fona Books. Dell Laptop Screen Repair - Illustrated how to replace a Latitude notebook backlight and LCD. 2009 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm ) (E) Unscrew the bolts Unscrew the exposed bolt. Use a Phillips 'star' screw driver. Keep the bolts in a safe place as they will be used when the set is reassembled. It is important to check position of each screw as some are not the same size. Picture 3 showing unscrewing of the bolts during laptop repair (Adapted from: Fona Books. Replacing LCD Laptop Screen - Illustrated how to replace a laptop screen on PowerBook 180.2009. 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm ) (G)Remove the front and side seals Adapted from: Fona Books. Replacing LCD Laptop Screen - Illustrated how to replace a laptop screen on PowerBook 180.2009. 7 July 2009 http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_6.htm Remove the side seal; this exposes more bolts, again take note of the bolts positions. Different bolts used have differing lengths and thread types. (H)Removing the LCD bezel Remove the LCD bezel. Do this by wriggling the bezel so that it is released by the latches. Latches are made of plastic. Unhook the bezel from latches

Cyber-Bullying and aTeenage Suicide Essay Example for Free

Cyber-Bullying and aTeenage Suicide Essay A study done by Pew Research Center from 2007-2010 stated that 95% of all teens use the internet and 80% of them use social networking sites (www. Edgewave. com). One in three teens is cyber-bullied (The Guardian, Tues, Aug 6, 2013). One in 13 teens face persistence abuse online (The Guardian. ). Cyber-bullies do not see the harm they cause or the consequences of their actions which minimizes any feelings of remorse. This gives the kids more advantage to say crude and hurtful things they would not do in person. Cyber-bullying is devastating when nasty things are verbalized, but when someone sends pictures of one that is not meant for the world to see this type of damage is more detrimental than the nastiness of words. The betrayal one must feel to know someone close to them would hurt them by exposing such material. The aftermath, for that experience is destructive for one’s self-image and self-esteem. When a teen is subjected to such negativity, it may push them over the edge. The damage cyber-bullying causes can be deep and long lasting. The damage that cyber-bullying can cause is low self-esteem, withdrawal, poor grades, school absences, self- harm, depression, risks for addictive behaviors such as drinking and using drugs and in the worst cases one take their own life, because they can no longer take the never ending pain that is being caused by the bullying. Cyber-bullying has been the final cause in the teens mentioned in this report as to why they committed suicide. Although, this was not the only underlining factor, many of these teens suffered from depression and other mental illnesses (WebMD, 2007). I have found several articles about teen suicides that were connected to cyber-bullying. The first such case of teen suicide connected to cyber-bullying was reported on October 7, 2003 in Essex Jct. , Vermont. Ryan Halligan was a 13 year old and he was bullied for numerous years. His parents thought the bullying was done and over with until his suicide. His father went into his computer and found that Ryan was being severely harassed. The person who bullied him years before, but became friends with later bullied Ryan. His parent has warned Ryan not to trust this person, because he betrayed him before. Ryan told his friend stories and eventually his friend turned on him unknowingly to Ryan and he was being bullied over social media sites and at school. Ryan’s father was not aware of this until after Ryan’s death and he was trying to make sense of why he son took his own life. He soon figured it out. Ryan’s parents were devastated. John Halligan has been totally dedicated in honoring the memory of his son. As well as to raise awareness on the issues, that led to Ryan’s death. John spearheaded the Vermont’s Bully Prevention bill that was signed into law (ACT 117) in May 2004 just a few months after Ryan’s death (RyanPatrickHalligan. Mr. Halligan has also successfully led the passage of the law pertaining to mandatory suicide prevention education in public schools (ACT 114) signed in April 2006 (RyanPatrickHalligan. Org). John Halligan has been recognized with five award for his outstanding community service, hard work and outreach he has done in his sons memory and his dedication to educate others on these issues (RyanPatrickHalligan. Org). Prior to their suicides, some of these teens did cry out for help by posting heartbreaking videos and updates on their sites. The examples I would like to use to support this statement are as follows: â€Å"My Story: struggling, bullying, suicide, and self-harm’ Amanda’s YouTube Video. Watching this video of Amanda was heartbreaking. To see any children go through that kind of pain and they feel they have nowhere to turn just breaks my heart. I have a teenage daughter who has been bullied in every way imaginable. I know what problems being bullied and harassed can create. She cried out for help with the Facebook posts, the flashcards, cutting and other behaviors. As I stated earlier, cyber-bullying is not the only problem that causes one to commit suicide there are other factors involved. I can relate to an extent with the parents who have lost their children to suicide. My daughter has attempted suicide and almost succeeded. It has been the worst experience to go through. She has refused all the help that was always there for her until the last attempt where she has been placed in a residential facility that I feel has saved my daughter’s life. Tyler Clementi was a quiet 18-year-old talented violinist. He started his first year at Rutgers University in 2010. Tyler â€Å"came out of the closet† with his family before leaving for college his brother James said in a statement where he discussed what a wonder person Tyler was, the suicide of his brother, what life is like without him and the close bond they shared growing up and that they both are â€Å"gay†. (James Clementi, www. queerty. com). Tyler discovered his roommate used his webcam to stream intimate moments with his boyfriend over the internet (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Tyler sent and e-mail requesting a single room, because of the webcam spying issue on September 21, 2010 about 4 a.m. (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Dharun Ravi whom was the roommate of Tyler apparently searched the internet prior to starting Rutgers and discovered Tyler’s sexuality. Dharum was not pleased to have a â€Å"gay† roommate and sent several texts to friend about keeping gays out (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Tyler asked his roommate for some privacy one evening to spend time with his companion. This second attempt to use his webcam to mainstream activity between Tyler and his companion was halted, because Tyler found the camera pointed at his bed (New York Times, March 16, 2012). Dharum tweeted â€Å"that he seen his roommate making out with a dude† and invited others via text to watch the live stream action (New York Times, March 16, 2012). From all the information, I have read on this case the final message from Tyler that was discovered after his death in a gay chat room was how to deal with the invasion of his privacy in such intimate moments and facing the people who were ignorant enough to watch it. I am going to assume that he felt he would have been bullied and harassed constantly, because of the webcam video. On September 22, 2010 at 8:42 P. M. Tyler Clementi posted on Facebook â€Å"Jumping off the GW bridge, sorry†. Tyler’s body was not recovered, but the police did pull an unidentified male body from the Hudson River north of the river where he jumped. Tyler’s wallet with his freshman identification was at the scene (ABC News, Sept 29, 2010). Dharum Ravi was charged with several charged and served a jail sentence. The other person involve exchange her testimony for reduced charges (New York Times, March 16, 2012). A huge problem with cyber-bullying is that is can be done with complete anonymity. Teenage years are tough enough to experience. When a teenager is being cyber-bullied and humiliated in front of the millions of people, it is like having a brown bag over your head in the social media world many can take a jabs instantaneously. When they feel like â€Å"everyone† is against them their self-esteem is non-existent and they slowly fall into a depressive type state. Not knowing who is saying or doing the harsh content makes it worse and makes it easier for the teenager to withdrawal. With the research I have done for this project, the experiences I have experienced as a parent and help from my teenagers, I have found many social networking sites that allow anonymity postings. A few examples of these social networking sites are www. pencourage. com, www. youmitter. com , Tumblr. com and formspring. me. The one that I found the most information on was the social networking site Ask. fm. All of these sites mentioned are question and answer social networking sites that allow anonymous participation. Ask. fm has been in the national headlines involving several teenage suicides. Ask. fm has 30 million participators who minors (Huffington Post, August 30, 2013). With the research I have done on Ask.fm, I came across the story of Hannah Smith a beautiful, 14 year old who committed suicide due to being subjected to cruel taunts and insults on Ask. fm (The Huffington Post, Aug 30, 2013). David Smith, Hannah’s father stated in the Huffington Post on August 30, 2013, â€Å"These sick people are just able to go online and hide behind a mask of anonymity while they abuse vulnerable teenagers†¦ When they’re sitting behind a computer screen you can say whatever you want and there no comebacks, but these trolls need to realize that they are affecting people’s lives in the most horrific way imaginable† (Huffington Post, Aug 30, 2013). In my opinion, Mr. Smith stated this perfect. I have wondered if any of the people involved in the cyber-bullying that finally pushed Hannah and other teens over the edge to end their lives if they have a conscience. I wonder if they are able to sleep at night knowing they are some of the reason another person ending their life. Interesting, with more investigating for this report I found on a website called www. cyberbullyingresearchcenter. us . The information that is in investigation on the case with Ask.fm and the cyber-bullying case of Hannah Smith has been founded that 98% of the messages sent to Hannah were from the same IP address as Hannah was using which indicates she was sending the hateful, threatening messages to herself (www. cyberbullyingresearchcenter. org). IP is short for Internet Protocol Address. IP addresses are assigned to every computer on an Ethernet Network (www. dummies. com). The IP address is similar to your home address. No two computers can have the same IP address on the same network (www. dummies.com). Ask. fm has identified four messages that were sent to Hannah from different IP addresses and has agreed to turn the information over to the police (The Telegraph August 11, 2013). There is no guaranteed proved that Hannah sent these messages to herself. There are other possibilities of how the messages were sent from the same IP address such as Wi-Fi connection or a school network. Mr. Smith does not deny Hannah may have sent herself some of these messages, but feels Ask. fm are trying to cover their butts. Mr. Smith has the name of one of the trolls that was harassing his daughter and the authorities do not seem interested in the information. In my opinion, there is much more to this suicide story than we the public will ever know about. Due to the recent suicides that involved Ask. fm on August 19, 2013 the social networking website agreed to make some changes (www. heavy. com). Ask. fm has implicated a report bullying or harassment button that would compel the website to investigate reported comments (www. heavy. com). This feature is expected to go live in September 2013. Ask.fm stated â€Å"they wanted their users to be able to have fun, share information and make friends freely they want their younger users to be able to do this in a safe environment† (www. heavy. com) Finally, the teen suicide rate has increased over the last 15 years (WebMD 2007). In my opinion, this has a lot to do with the advanced technology that teens have constant access to today. The ole bullying has transpired into a more severe problem called cyber-bullying. This is done through social networks, instant messages, e-mails and text messages. Electronic bullying is instant. Bullying is no longer the traditional note passing in the halls at schools. Bullying and cyber-bullying does not stop at the end of the school day as it did prior to the internet and other advanced technology we have today. Cyber-bullying triples suicide risks in teens (Sherry Boschert, Pediatric News. Digital Network). Girls are often the target of being cyber-bullied than boys. Usually by a 9% difference in studies, I came across. Being victimized by a bully can happen at any given time of the day, by anybody and regardless of what stance in authority they may hold. I was completely shocked to have come across the Andrew Cain story. Andrew Cain was a 19 year old from Pullman, Washington, whom had a criminal history since he was a minor. Most recently, Andrew failed to appear for a court hearing for charges he received in March 2013 for a probation violation (Huffington Post, June 27, 2013). Not appearing for the court hearing, warrants were issued for his arrest. The deputy posted on the Sheriff’s Facebook page that included a wanted poster and this statement â€Å"We have decided that Andrew Cain is no longer the wanted person of the week. He is the wanted person of the month of June Congratulations! † (www. heavy. com). Andrew had received texts, Facebook messages, e-mails and instant messages about this post on the Sheriff’s Facebook page about what a horrible person he was. It was not long until bogus rumors started about the charges Andrew had. According to his sister, Alise Smith she received a text from Andrew about how this has bothered him and feels that it was just too much for him to handle. Andrew Cain was in the process of turning his life around. Unfortunately, due to heartless people we will never see how Andrew Cain’s life could have turned out. On June 13, 2013, Andrew Cain committed suicide. Indeed, while I do feel the advanced technology we have today are very beneficial in many aspects of everyone’s lives. I feel that the advanced technologies that we have become accustomed to should be used with responsibility and integrity. Cyber-bullying in a nutshell is a deadly game to play. Cyber-bullies do not see what harm it causes their victim by harassing them via social media sites unless something drastic happens to their victim due to them being bullied. I really would like to ask some of the teens that have been charged in connection to these suicides if they are able to sleep at night. How the teens involved are going to feel knowing they have been a reason, why another human being took their life? They may not think about it now, because they were able to be that cruel to someone, but what about when they are older and realize what their actions caused? I would like to ask the parents of the cyber-bullies who have been charged in the suicide cases if â€Å"they† had any issues growing up or any un-resolved issues that would cause them to be so hateful to another human being. What is your opinion? I am hopeful one day that the internet world will become a safe place for all children to enjoy. Where a child can go for fun and not become depressed to the point they want to take their own life, because they have no idea how to handle all the pain and pressure of being bullied and being a teenager. I do feel so much sadness in my heart with all the young lives lost to the cruel, senseless act of other humans.

Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big

Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big To fully understand this book, people must go behind the book and find the true state of mind of the author. Unfortunately in this case, the author is the one and only Jose Canseco. Jose Canseco is what I like to call, â€Å"The black sheep in the family of baseball.† Canseco’s history can be related to such incidents of drug using, heavy drinking, numerous sexual encounters with hundreds of partners, and unreasonable acts of violence. This book goes into grave detail on how steroids have changed his life and how it is currently changing baseball. Juiced starts off with what appears to be a legal disclaimer. "This book does not intend to condone or encourage the use of any particular drugs, medicine or illegal substances." Yet the author spends most of the time doing nothing but repeating his assertions that taken under proper supervision, these drugs can enhance everyday life. Jose Canseco says he wrote Juiced because he wanted his fans to listen to him and hear him out on what he has to say about the current state of baseball and it’s future. I believe this former 40-40 had another reason for writing this book and it’s plain and simple†¦money. Money encourages the human mind to perform selfish and somewhat outlandish stunts in order to achieve wealth. I believe that Jose Canseco’s mind consists of slop and greed. It’s a proven fact that this 1988 Major League MVP has a truly unstable mind. One incident in his book that proves this is the time he went â€Å"deep sea fishing.† The story begins with Jose Canseco’s wife leaving him for Kansas City Chiefs’ all-star tight end, Tony Gonzalez. Mr. Canseco reacted by grabbing his 12-gauge shotgun and taking his boat out to sea where he decided to shoot sharks with his shotgun when they surfaced. This incident is one of the very many incidents that question the complete truth in Juiced. Jose Canseco is best known for several things: A fly ball bouncing off his noggin and landing over the fence, dating Madonna, his tape measure home runs, having numerous run-ins with the law, being the first man to ever hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season, and his bulging biceps. In Juiced, Canseco recalls other steroid user’s stories within the sport ... ...baseball and hold them responsible. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of bad things rising from the depths of this book. One of these would be the fact that Jose Canseco is gaining more attention for these appalling allegations and stories. Not only is Canseco gaining attention from the media but he’s also profiting immensely from his book, book signings, talk shows, and television appearances. The only thing worse than a regular Jose Canseco is a rich Jose Canseco. We are simply feeding the dragon himself by agreeing and believing all his allegations in Juiced. The book clearly depicts that there are holes within his stories and these prevent the truth to be fully told. Although I have an undying hatred for Jose Canseco, he deserves credit for forcing America to give serious attention to the steroid problem not only in baseball but all of professional sports. Without Jose Canseco’s deceiving stories about the abuse and the media attention that this is creating, there is a possibility that this could have been unnoticed for many years to come. This drug usage throughout the league is clearly paving a dark future for our national pastime.