Impact of War in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried :: Things They Carried Essays

Impact of War in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried      For young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past and they can only learn about it from second hand sources. In Tim O'brien's The Things They Carried, it becomes very apparent that the Vietnam conflict has proved to be one that many of the participants have not been able move away from, while getting on with their lives. O ²brien shows that the conflict takes on a parasitic form that eats away on its victims for the rest of their lives.      A parasite is defined as an organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while harming its host. The war in this case takes the place of the organism, and the host becomes the soldiers. There are several examples of the parasitic nature of war through out the book. In one particular section, Tim O'Brien returns to Vietnam with his daughter. Twenty years had gone by, but it seems as though all of his thoughts are geared back to the time he had spent in the jungle so long before.   The two of them travel all over the country, but before their departure, he returns to the field where he feels he lost everything.   On this list he includes his honor, his best friend, and all faith in himself. For O'Brien, evidence of the parasite is not solely in his return Vietnam, but rather a constant personal preoccupation that seems to flow through the collection of stories. O'Brien shows how the memories of the war take on a parasitic form, and uses himself as an example.      In the chapter  ³Speaking of Courage ², O'Brien introduces a character by the name of Norman Bowker. In the story Norman finds him self home after serving his time in Vietnam. Even though he is back in his home town, things do not seem the same to him. The was seems to have put a new spin on his life. Most of the story he spends driving in circles while thinking about the war and his lack of place in his old society. The war becomes his whole life, and he feels as though he is to far distant from the town people for them to understand. The reader then finds out that Bowker

Power Markets and Electricity Derivatives :: essays research papers

Since the early ‘90s, the electrical energy sector has undergone profound and dramatic changes. More and more countries moved towards the deregulation of their energy sectors, from a regulated and monopolistic industry to one were the market forces of supply and demand determine the unit price of electricity. The first case of energy sector deregulation in Europe was recorded when the United Kingdom with the Electricity Act of 1990 created the Electricity Pool for England and Wales. Norway soon followed suit (Norwegian Energy Act of 1991) and set up the Norwegian Pool in 1993, which eventually became the Nord Pool in 1996. At the same year, the European Union issued its Electricity Directive (Directive 96/92/EC) according to which the electricity markets of all EU countries should be open for competition by 2003, with the exceptions of Greece and Ireland which were granted a one year extension [13]. Deregulating a country’s energy sector is a complicated and difficult task. The typical power utility operation is divided into three main functions: electricity generation, its transmission over the power grid and finally the distribution to the end users. Deregulation stipulates that all three functions should be open to competition. In particular, new and existing power generation utilities/companies (GenComs) should be able to compete with each other at a wholesale level. For this to be possible though, the access to the power grid should be offered with the same terms to all players. The only way to avoid any bias or conflict of interest is hence to ensure that the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity are either run by different companies or under different management (unbundling). Furthermore, the electricity distribution sector may also be segmented for different geographical areas, (DisComs). The actual trading of electricity, either the physical as set itself or financial products on it, is organized and takes place in a formal power exchange, or Pool [13]. The passage from a regulated to a deregulated power industry is seen in Figures 1 and 2. Deregulation of the energy sector is all the more challenging due to the particular characteristics of electricity that differentiate it from other traded commodities; namely limited storability and transportability. Electrical energy cannot be stored after it has been produced, except in the case of hydroplants where electricity is notionally stored indirectly in the form of the water kept in the reservoirs. Even in this case though, high demand can be satisfied for a limited time only, while the use of larger in size and/or number reservoirs is either unfeasible or uneconomical.

Mechanical Mammals :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day I went to buy a brand new Ford Mustang. The reason I wanted a new car is because I saw this commercial about a new kind of car that had instincts like an animal. I thought it would be really strange to have one of those. As soon as I saw that commercial I knew I had to get that car. I thought that it would be cool to have a car with those instincts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I went to the car dealership I found that car on sale with a 30 day money back guarantee only because it was a new kind of car. It was a 2008 model it was painted dark blue with white racing strips. I drove it home and it was a real comfortable ride. The next day I woke up and heard a honking noise I got dressed real quick, and went to see what the noise was and it was my new car! So I called the dealership and asked what was going on. They said that the cars get lonely and they can’t be alone for more than 12 hours. I also asked them if there is anything else I should know about this new kind of car. They said, â€Å"Yes, if its not clean it gets mad and gives you a very rough ride.† So right after I hung up the phone I started to clean my car. When I was cleaning it, it made a sound like a cat like it was purring because it was happy. Right after the first month all I could think about was why didn’t I trade it back in for a full refund. The reason why I wanted to trade it in was because it was very hard to keep up with and in good shape. But as the months past I started getting used to it and I guess you could say it was getting used to me also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I asked the dealership how long it would last.

Career Paper – Fashion Buyer

Career Paper April, 8 2013 My career goal is to become a fashion buyer, I chose this career because this is something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life, becoming anything that has to do with fashion had always been a child hood dream of mine. I’ve always wanted to partake in something with fashion but didn't really know what it was until I started working at my current job. Working at a jewelry store helped me learn a lot with deciding what part of the fashion world I would like to choose to become my career.Working at a jewelry store and helping the owner also gave me all the experience and knowledge about being a buyer. I finally realized that this is something I would Sparingly do when is something I would even do it for free. In addition, fashion Buyer also get the opportunities to travel certain places regarding work related tasks. all in all, I see myself waking up with a smile on my face knowing that I am going to do something I enjoy with this career. The job description of a fashion buyer is to be responsible for a variety of tasks that connect the design world to the retail industry.For instance, a fashion buyer’s main duty is to select and buy products, according to market trends, customer demands and sales forecasts, which a retailer will sell. Buyer also try to maximize profits by obtaining the highest quality products at the lowest cost. According to BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), buyers employed by small retailers are usually responsible for deciding the store’s entire merchandise assortment, whereas buyers for large retailers may specialize in one type of merchandise, such as women’s outerwear or mens suits.According to the BLS, there are no strict education requirements for becoming a buyer, but employers typically prefer applicants with a college degree. Candidates with bachelor's degrees in business, marketing or merchandising may enjoy higher employment opportunities. Students should select courses that focus on sales forecasting, business operations, commerce and inventory. The salary of a fashion buyer it really depends on the level and the type of company but on a range of $34,832 a year on an entry level and a great amount of $72,772 for a senior buyer.A fashion buyer needs to be versatile and flexible as the buying schedule may include sitting behind a desk one day writing reports and communicating by phone or email, traveling out of the country to identify forthcoming trends the next week, then flying to another the following month to meet and negotiate with suppliers. A good buyer needs stamina but should also be enthusiastic,professional,decisive,creative and well motivated. To succeed in this career buyers need to have foresight and develop skills in people management and time management.It is rare to find someone with an equal balance between these qualities and skills and many buyers will excel in some while being only adequate in others. In conclusion although the y do ask for a lot when it comes to being a buyer I believe the skills are learnt within the job,and to succeed, one must be passionate and persistent. Resources Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, â€Å"Buying Managers, Buyers, and Buying Agents, on the Internet ‘ [visited April 07, 2013]. â€Å"Buyers. † Riley Guide. The Riley Guide, 07 APR 2013. Web. 7 Apr 2013. .

Theodore Adorno’s notions of ‘standardisation’ and ‘pseudo-individualism’ might be applied to contemporary pop music

Basing your discussion on an analysis of at least 2 contemporary artists or bands, consider the ways that Theodore Adorno's notions of ‘standardisation' and ‘pseudo-individualism' might be applied to contemporary pop music. Do you see any problems or shortcomings from this approach? Popular Culture has enticed much research; with the increase of media studies there are a number of minds picking apart what they see. With icons filing up and saturating mediums such as television, magazines, radio stations to name a few, the celebrity filled industry is undoubtedly causing a stir amongst the masses. Theodore Adorno (1903-69) emigrated to England in 1934 to escape Nazism. He lived in the United States of America for 10 years, (1938-48) before returning to Frankfurt, where he was a member at the ‘Frankfurt Institute of Social Research'. Theodore Adorno was a key figure in the study of popular music and had intrinsic Marxist view on the capital nature of society. Adorno believed that the culture industry â€Å"is the central agency in contemporary capitalism for the production and satisfaction of false needs†. (Adorno, T and Horkheimer, M. 1977, p349). He argues that popular music is a mass-produced and shallow standardised part of the culture industry. This would suggest that all aspects of popular music including types of songs, song lyrics and parts of songs e.g. chorus, are all standardised. (Longhurst, B. 1995, p5). Popular music is therefore divided into particular categories or genres of music such as rock, pop, rap, heavy metal and reggae etc, however according to Adorno, all popular music is standardised consisting of verse, chorus, bridge, that are interchangeable from one song to another. The effects of standardisation are often hidden by what the industry calls pseudo-individualisation. These are incidental differences, also known as ‘frills' that are put within a song to disguise that it sounds the same. Adorno distinguishes sharply between pop music and serious music between high culture and low cultures. Serious music, which he regards as classical, Beethoven or Mozart for example, plays to the pleasures of the imagination offering an engagement with the world, as it should be. Especially due to this separation his theories were often attacked for being elitist. The comparison of pop music and serious music was a main topic for him. Adorno describes individuals who enjoy popular music â€Å"corrupt by immersion and open to the domination of industrialised capitalist systems.† (Longhurst, B. 1995, p8). This view accounts for the emotional needs that popular music may fulfil as ‘false and immature, rather than deep and/or penetrating. â€Å"Adorno continued to equate the form with Tin Pan Alley and jazz orientated variations of it, ignoring the rise of rock and roll in the early 1950's. This undermined his critique and resulted in his views generally being strongly rejected by more contemporary rock analysts.† (Shuker, R. 1994; 23). Adorno claims that Popular music is churned into a production line where everything sounds similar, it's an industry that exploits us for profit and social control, to accept certain conditions about the world in which we live through a capitalist society. It would be fair to say that to some extent this is true. We do live in a capitalist society and in the music industry the process of absorption is achieved by capitalism through advertising and marketing of a product with a pop star or pop band. Everything about them becomes a commodity, their clothes, image, likes and dislikes etc, transcends its immediate functional use to become a key symbol of a whole lifestyle. The argument implies that the rise of the popular music to mass status is a consequence of the symbolic strategies invested in it rather than the actual quality of the music. This essentially means that although the products of the culture industry are alike in most cases, some ‘individuality' is consciously added to make it different from the rest even though essentially it is the same product. This is pseudo individualism. Adorno uses the Hollywood star system as an example, â€Å"the more dehumanised its method of operation and content, the more diligently and successfully the culture industry propagates supposedly great personalities, and operates with heart throbs.† (Adorn, T. 1991, p87). A modern day example can be seen in boy bands such as ‘Westlife', ‘Nsync', ‘Backstreet boys' and the most recent ‘One true voice' derived from ‘Popstars the rivals', a spin of show produced originally as ‘Popstars' in January 2001. Although the music is very similar in structure, tonality and content, the customer can choose between several versions of these boy bands. It could be suggested, â€Å"the culture industry produces culture, which the masses consume unthinkingly and are thus confirmed as unthinking. It is a culture which produces satisfaction in the here and now, depoliticising the working class, limiting its horizon to political and economic goals that can be achieved within the oppressive and exploitive framework of capitalist society†. (Storey, J. 1998 p188). The audience, through a selection process selected the new boy band, One True Voice over a number of weeks. A group of 5 males aged between 17 and 22, they do fit into a typical boy band category. They released a Christmas song called ‘Sacred Trust' which is actually a cover version of another male group the ‘Bee Gees'. Adorno would claim that we as masses consume everything the business churns out and on a personal level I would agree as this appears to be both standardised and contains pseudo individualism as it is sung by a new group with added frills however this has been apparent in popular music for generations and manufactured groups will continue to use this method in order to generate more sales. We live in a consumerist society where these manufactured groups are providing a service for their audience. A major critique of this is that Adorno does not look at the emotional response of the audience and how standardisation is also a form of pleasure. By this it mea ns that standardisation is a form of security for the audience and this predictability is often welcoming. Adorno and other writers of the Frankfurt school, especially Herbert Marcuse (1898-1978) sees the process of the culture industry as a means of capitalist society to stabilize itself. Theodore Adorno claimed that popular music operates as a tool of social ‘cement'. Although his writings was published in 1941, his accounts on popular music does not account for the complexities of recent popular music and popular culture. He is heavily criticised due to his unchanging elitist views and it would be fair to say that popular music is not as monolithic as Adorno claims. The perspectives offer a relevant but quite pessimistic and what can be considered as narrow minded views of popular music. They have offered foundations for interpretation and understanding of music however many theories since have built on how audiences' contextualise and use the products of mass culture rather than what the culture industry does to the audience. Antonio Gramsci's (1891-1937) work on Hegemony opened many doors for thought, including ideas that ‘members of society negotiate with the products of the culture'. (Fiske, J. 1992, p309). Hegemony helps identify that popular culture is not simply imposed on the subordinates by the bourgeoisie and that people are not simply â€Å"passive and helpless mass incapable of discrimination and thus at the economic, cultural and political mercy of the barons of the industry†. (Fiske, J. 1987, p309) Fiske suggests that audiences draw contrasting ideas from different text. Madonna is a fine example where pleasure of the audience is in the â€Å"power of a severely suboridatly subculture to make their own statements and own meaning†. (Fiske, J. 1987, p233) These theories have their strengths and differences in helping unpack the tapestry of music. One element they all share is the acknowledgement that pop music has important social effects. Who are the main consumers of popular music? Youth are highest consuming marketing within pop music accounting for the highest percent of single sales. Bradley (1992) accounted the significance with youths and music as reaction to post war teenager with an increase in disposable income and new position in society. James Coleman (1961) highlighted the separateness of youth culture from adult society and its closeness to the market through consumption of popular music. Consumption has been linked to youth culture as far back as the 50's, where growing western markets created specific products and goods for the teenager. (Wulff, H. and Taliai, A. 1995). An example of success in popular music is Madonna. She is a key figure in the pop industry as a pioneer for breaking conventions within gender and sexuality, and has been around for 3 decades, now in her 50's still appealing to the youth, However much debate on Madonna has taken place focusing on her image rather than her music. She has been perceived as ‘the lowest form of irresponsible culture a social disease' and ‘an inauthentic product of the culture industry who was involved of the exploitation of others of the gain of that industry'. (Bryman, A. 2001). In relation to Adorno he may have perceived Madonna to be a cultural product, taking pseudo individualism to an extreme, which in turn made her very popular. Madonna moves from various genres of music and blends them together; she had a hit record with ‘Don't cry for me Argentina' a more operatic song very different to what is considered mainstream music. I feel that Adorno would have critiqued this as popular classical as she took something that can be considered elitist and brought it into popular culture. This view is contrasted with her comparison as an ‘organic feminist who ‘allows girls to see that the meaning of feminine sexuality can be in their control, can be made in their interests, and that their subjectivity's are not necessarily totally determined by the dominant patriarchy'. (McClary, S. 1991.) McClary in her analysis of Madonna has found her to be exceptional as a musician who has endured maintained an incredible amount of power as a successful female artist over three decades. A simple look at her back catalogue and it is apparent that she uses sexual power as a commodity alike many women throughout western history. Including seventeenth century composer Barbara Strozzie, who was one of a few women who broke through the elite circle of classical music, by posing bare breasted for publicity. It would be very interesting to know what Adorno would account for that. (Rosand, E. 1986). Madonna however ‘brings hypocrisy to the surface and problematizes it'. With publications of her book, sex and video discourses like ‘in Bed with Madonna' She takes a key role in the aggressor sexually. She connects the notions of power and sex and projects it back outwards into the main stream hands on hips Gautier bust pointy and proud. Her intentions never simplistic, it is possible her representations aim to detach stigmas and notions of taboo to certain sexual matters. ‘This may lead to greater tolerance for those engaged in these ‘perverted' practices' and a layered stream of meanings dipictable from her messages. Irony has been depicted as a key strategy in her possible master plan. In ‘Like a Virgin' her little girl voice and play with signs of famous temptresses, her pouts, her coquettish nature and using ‘†traditional music signs of childish vulnerability projecting her knowledge that this is what patriarchy expects of her and also her awareness that this fantasy is ludicrous†. (McClary,S. 1991, p153). A principal factor in the understanding of Madonna messages is the language of cultural experiences and perceptions that she speaks to her audience with. Madonna gives her audience standardisation in the sense that some of her music can be chopped and changed however she also gives her audience challenging and contrasting views about being a woman in today's society, that could be argued against Adorno as being engaging, testing and also plays to the pleasures of the imagination offering engagement to the world as it is now. Her audience within popular music are aimed specifically at the mass (for financial and wider broadcast of her messages) and ‘as evidence in that she plays for the lowest common denominator-that she prostitutes her art an extension of her self'. Prostitution is a service never the less, and it evident that she uses her role to play with traditional boundaries and identities. Madonna uses the tool of fantasy a mode typical of the culture industry, however she here compliance to the powers stop, as she twist notions within them. Her fantasies have been seen as ambiguous and unsuccessful for men and she has been compared to a genuine ‘Boy Toy' as male interpretations and reactions to a majority are often that of anxiety and unease rather than appease. (Rolling stone 508 March 28th 1989). On the other hand, the power of Madonna is undoubtedly clear, her vast empire of her Production Company, her own music label and a net value of 600 Million speaks volumes about her nature as a business women as well as an artist and social figure. It is fair to say that that although popular music in today's generation can be considered as standardized, and to a great extent, manufactured music will always be so, Adorno's views are out of date and biased as he had a very low opinion of popular music. Being a musician himself, his opinions were based on his own assumptions of high and low culture and although he did make some substantial claims about standardization and pseudo individualization, popular music today has more important factors to be dealt with such as the messages it is portraying. One being that we do live in a consumerist society where essentially everything is a product, even classical music today, which Adorno would have considered high art is now commercialized and used as a commodity to sell through advertising. Through it all music captures a moment or feeling that Adorno does not account for. Music is another form of expressing an emotion whether it is classical or pop music and it is there for enjoyment, to provide a service and an option to listen to whatever pleases the ear.

Crime and Individual Choice Essay

Crime is a common phenomenon. Huge investments of any government go towards the containment and apprehension of crime offenders. The more crime acquires various forms and becomes prevalent, the more studies and theories are brought out to analyze the causes and motivations. A look at Australia in the recent past indicates public outcry over increased incidences of crime, although incidences of organized crime are becoming rare, the same cannot be said of petty thefts. Criminologists have over the years stepped up their efforts in examining the motivations of crime. This is an issue that sparks controversy as some sociologists blame it on the society, pointing out that it is the prevalent circumstances in the society that are behind crime. In the light of this row, this paper maintains that crime is as a result of individual choices rather that the prevalent social circumstances. A study of the possible causes of crime is core to understanding crime, the information generated is crucial as afar as government’s response and approaches to fighting crime is concerned. A dearth of information on such a common problem means that law enforcement agencies spend valuable resources and time on addressing the symptoms rather than the causes. It is this fact that motivates criminologists to dig out the real causes of crime. Economists traditionally have not been involved in the analysis of crime, the issue of causes and prevention was seen as being outside the realm of economics. It was seen as a preserve of sociologists and criminologists. This however changed in the late 1960s when economists brought in an argument that represented a radical paradigm shift from afore recognized sociological and criminological theories. They deviated from the societal foundations of the motivation of crime to a more individualized approach. A good theory of crime according to Becker (1968) has to â€Å"dispense with special theories of anomie, psychological inadequacies or inheritance of special traits and simply extend the economist’s usual analysis of choice. † The economic theory of crime focuses on the aspect of an individual’s rational choice as the key motivation behind crime. This is a theory that is based on the assumption that each and every individual engages in crime in their bid to increase their utility. Crime should be regarded as a venture; it is an enterprise which an individual engages in with an intention of gaining something just like in business. This hence means that any one can become a criminal, there is no particular group that is inherently criminal, it is just that people tend to move in and out of crime when there is an opportunity and there are ample conditions for a crime. Just like in business ventures, a potential criminal takes time to plan his activities and also makes decision in regard to the amount of time to be appropriated in each activity so as to maximize the gains. In making a decision of whether or not to engage in crime, an individual takes into account all the possible benefits and also the likely costs. People engage in criminal activities not because they have some natural or psychological motivations but because they have amply taken into consideration the perceived benefits and costs. This means that a certain crime will not be committed if the costs exceed the benefits. In such a case hence it is possible to see a particular crime being the most preferred in comparison to another due to the net benefits associated with that crime. Indeed crime is driven by the resultant benefits and decreased if the punishment meted out is harsh in comparison to the crime. According to the economic theory, â€Å"an increase in the probability and/or severity of punishment (representing costs of criminal behavior) will reduce the potential criminal’s participation in illegitimate activities. † (Philip & Cameron) This is what motivates the deterrence theory. It is important to point out that the issue of costs and benefits must be carefully analyzed, the cost does not only revolve around the aspect of incarceration but also encompasses the social cost, this applies even to the perceived benefits. A rational individual wishing to engage in crime hence puts into consideration all these factors and weighs his options, his decision and choice is influenced by the resultant weight, either towards the benefits or towards the costs. If the costs outweigh the benefits, the individuals is unlikely to engage in the crime; the vice versa is also true (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990). The Rational Choice Theory, on which the economics theory is founded, is derived from the utilitarian belief that indeed human beings are rational; their decisions are independently influenced by the factors of costs and benefits. In the propagation of this theory, several assumptions are made. There is the assumption that people are driven by utility; they are motivated by the urge to increase their happiness which mostly is in terms of wealth. they also are supposed to have goals and they pick the choice that enables them to accomplish such goals. The theory of rational choice can be traced to the early works of Cesare Beccaria who set out to explain crime using the enlightment ideas. According to Cessare, â€Å"people want to experience pleasure and avoid pain, and while criminal acts can bring pleasure of various sorts, possible punishment can bring pain. † (Laura, 2007, 231) This is a theory that has immensely been used in the justice system; it is based on the thinking that for crime to be prevented, punishment must outweigh the benefits of the crime. This is because if the pain is less than the benefits, then there is no motivation to quit crime. Bentham also was in agreement over the aspect of crime boiling down to individual choice, and influenced by the perceived benefits. He noted that â€Å"the profit of the crime is the force which urges a man to delinquency. The pain of the punishment is the force employed to restrain him from it. If the first of these forces is greater, the crime will be committed; if the second, the crime will not be committed. † (Cited in Maurice, 1993, 311) An important aspect that has to be looked at is why some people or groups show a higher prevalence to crime. Indeed, people can not have a similar response to crime. This is so as people have individual differences that affect their preferences. There are those that may prefer honesty, have a higher income and hence value their reputation. The perceived gains and costs are also regarded differently. The prospects of experiencing a certain level of pain might be motivating enough to some people to avoid crime. The decision to engage in one sort of crime and avoid others also follows a similar pattern. It is influenced by opportunity, available information, costs and benefits (Loftin, & McDowell, 1982). The view that crime is influenced by rational individual choices has most often than not been put into disrepute by a flurry of other available studies done on the subject. A majority of the existing studies are influenced by the social conditions and environment rather than the individual choice. One of the existing schools of thought that points at the relationship between social factors and crime is the positivist school of thought. According to this thinking, crime and criminality is influence by internal and external factors that are beyond the control of an individual. The answer to criminality lies in the biological, psychological and social foundations. Those that propagate the thinking that crime can be explained by physiological factors do it on the basis that those individuals that have a higher affinity towards crime tend to have some specific physiological traits. This thinking influenced the thought that crime is a natural trait and hence cannot be individually controlled. Some individuals are born criminals and they cannot change this. It is this argument of inherent criminality that was used to fuel the arguments behind the abolishment of capital punishment, on the basis that criminals were being punished for things they had no control on. There is also the thinking that crime can be closely linked to neuroticism and psychotism. In this, crime is seen as a mental disease where the criminal develops a psychotic compulsion to engage in crime. The prevalent theory that challenges the aspect of individual choice in crime is the sociological positivism. This is a theory that traces crime to societal factors such as poverty, subcultures and lack of education. The social disorganization theory for example has been able to establish a positive link between the collapse of important social institutions and crime. The society is held together by institutions such as religion and also the justice system. The collapse of these core institutions contributes to an increase in crime. Poverty and lack of economic development fuels an increase in crime. As the theory claims, places that are characterized by neighborhoods with high population and failed social structure record high instances of crime compared to others. Poverty leads to social disorder and is characterized by physical evidences of collapsed buildings and deteriorating neighborhoods. This leads to what has been referred to as the deterioration concentration effects. Such neighborhoods attract crime (Maurice, 1993). It is important to observe that social factors can indeed fuel crime. There exist immense studies that have focused on crime and ethnicity and have come to conclude that there are certain social conditions that influence such communities to commit crime. Poverty has been pointed out as one of the leading factor, where people resort to crime as a means of acquiring wealth and prosperity. This however does not mean that the role of an individual in making such a choice diminishes. People are influenced by their own rational choice to engage in crime, in consideration of the existing benefits and costs of such a crime, should the cost override the benefits; then crime is reduced. References Maurice P. F. (1993) The psychology of crime: a social science textbook. Cambridge University Press. Laura L. F. (2007) Encyclopedia of juvenile violence. Greenwood Publishing Group. Brantingham, P. J. & Brantingham, P. L. (1991). Environmental criminology. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. Gottfredson, M. , T. Hirschi (1990). A General Theory of Crime. Stanford University Press. Becker, G. S. (1968) Crime and punishment: an economic approach. Journal of Political Economy, Loftin, C. and McDowell, D. (1982) The police, crime and economic theory. American. Sociological Review Philip M. B & Cameron M. Crime, punishment and deterrence in Australia: A further empirical investigation. International Journal of Social Economics retrieved on April 28, 2009 from http://www. uq. edu. au/~ecpbodma/ijse. pdf.

My Essay

Tymaine McBee March 21, 2013 Personal Statement Essay My name is Tymaine McBee and I am currently a student/trainee at OBT (Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow). The reasons why I have enrolled in OBT are to obtain my GED, get enrolled on a good college, and to get a good job. The main reason why I’m here is because high school didn’t really work out for me. I was always getting into trouble and everything else you can imagine. I was just a problem child but I hope I can get through OBT. I have faith that I can.The first reason why I chose to enroll in OBT is to get my GED. I feel that high school really wasn’t for me. Why you ask? Well, when I was in high school, I used to get in lots of trouble like fighting, hanging around with the wrong crowd, and getting locked up. I feel that OBT will help me obtain my GED because the staff here no only help you with school work they help you get ready for the business world as well. I think these skills will help me surviv e because in the real world you need business skills and school smarts to survive.My second reason why I enrolled into OBT is to get a job. The reason why I want a job is to help my grandmother out around the house, with bills and rent. I’m also looking to get a job so I can support myself like buying stuff that I need. Another reason why I’m looking to get a job because this will be the first job I ever had. I had previous chances to work for summer youth but I messed those chances up by getting locked up. But the main and most important reason why I’m hoping to get a job is so I can take care of my grandmother because she is very sick.The third reason why I go enrolled in OBT was to get into a good college. I’ve always wanted to go to college but I wasn’t the brightest kid in the world. One of the colleges I would like to go to is Hunter College. I would like to go to college to study computer networking, law, and nursing. The reason why I want t o study computer networking is because I love computers and I want to learn how to network one. The reason why I want to study in law is because I’m a good speaker and I fight for what’s right also I know how to hold a good argument.The reason why I want to study in nursing is because I want to give back to the community like I want to help old people get better when they are sick. In conclusion, I enrolled in OBT to get my GED, get into a good college, and to get a good job. I just hope that I can make it through this program without any slip-ups or anything. I really have faith that I can make it through these 23 weeks and get my GED and do something productive with my life instead of doing wrong. I’m glad that I’m a student/trainee at OBT its going to open new doors and opportunities for me in the future. My Essay Tymaine McBee March 21, 2013 Personal Statement Essay My name is Tymaine McBee and I am currently a student/trainee at OBT (Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow). The reasons why I have enrolled in OBT are to obtain my GED, get enrolled on a good college, and to get a good job. The main reason why I’m here is because high school didn’t really work out for me. I was always getting into trouble and everything else you can imagine. I was just a problem child but I hope I can get through OBT. I have faith that I can.The first reason why I chose to enroll in OBT is to get my GED. I feel that high school really wasn’t for me. Why you ask? Well, when I was in high school, I used to get in lots of trouble like fighting, hanging around with the wrong crowd, and getting locked up. I feel that OBT will help me obtain my GED because the staff here no only help you with school work they help you get ready for the business world as well. I think these skills will help me surviv e because in the real world you need business skills and school smarts to survive.My second reason why I enrolled into OBT is to get a job. The reason why I want a job is to help my grandmother out around the house, with bills and rent. I’m also looking to get a job so I can support myself like buying stuff that I need. Another reason why I’m looking to get a job because this will be the first job I ever had. I had previous chances to work for summer youth but I messed those chances up by getting locked up. But the main and most important reason why I’m hoping to get a job is so I can take care of my grandmother because she is very sick.The third reason why I go enrolled in OBT was to get into a good college. I’ve always wanted to go to college but I wasn’t the brightest kid in the world. One of the colleges I would like to go to is Hunter College. I would like to go to college to study computer networking, law, and nursing. The reason why I want t o study computer networking is because I love computers and I want to learn how to network one. The reason why I want to study in law is because I’m a good speaker and I fight for what’s right also I know how to hold a good argument.The reason why I want to study in nursing is because I want to give back to the community like I want to help old people get better when they are sick. In conclusion, I enrolled in OBT to get my GED, get into a good college, and to get a good job. I just hope that I can make it through this program without any slip-ups or anything. I really have faith that I can make it through these 23 weeks and get my GED and do something productive with my life instead of doing wrong. I’m glad that I’m a student/trainee at OBT its going to open new doors and opportunities for me in the future. My Essay Tymaine McBee March 21, 2013 Personal Statement Essay My name is Tymaine McBee and I am currently a student/trainee at OBT (Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow). The reasons why I have enrolled in OBT are to obtain my GED, get enrolled on a good college, and to get a good job. The main reason why I’m here is because high school didn’t really work out for me. I was always getting into trouble and everything else you can imagine. I was just a problem child but I hope I can get through OBT. I have faith that I can.The first reason why I chose to enroll in OBT is to get my GED. I feel that high school really wasn’t for me. Why you ask? Well, when I was in high school, I used to get in lots of trouble like fighting, hanging around with the wrong crowd, and getting locked up. I feel that OBT will help me obtain my GED because the staff here no only help you with school work they help you get ready for the business world as well. I think these skills will help me surviv e because in the real world you need business skills and school smarts to survive.My second reason why I enrolled into OBT is to get a job. The reason why I want a job is to help my grandmother out around the house, with bills and rent. I’m also looking to get a job so I can support myself like buying stuff that I need. Another reason why I’m looking to get a job because this will be the first job I ever had. I had previous chances to work for summer youth but I messed those chances up by getting locked up. But the main and most important reason why I’m hoping to get a job is so I can take care of my grandmother because she is very sick.The third reason why I go enrolled in OBT was to get into a good college. I’ve always wanted to go to college but I wasn’t the brightest kid in the world. One of the colleges I would like to go to is Hunter College. I would like to go to college to study computer networking, law, and nursing. The reason why I want t o study computer networking is because I love computers and I want to learn how to network one. The reason why I want to study in law is because I’m a good speaker and I fight for what’s right also I know how to hold a good argument.The reason why I want to study in nursing is because I want to give back to the community like I want to help old people get better when they are sick. In conclusion, I enrolled in OBT to get my GED, get into a good college, and to get a good job. I just hope that I can make it through this program without any slip-ups or anything. I really have faith that I can make it through these 23 weeks and get my GED and do something productive with my life instead of doing wrong. I’m glad that I’m a student/trainee at OBT its going to open new doors and opportunities for me in the future.