Central Teachings Essay Example for Free

Central Teachings Essay The central teachings of Islam are oneness of God and of humanity; prophethood and the compass of Islam; human relationship to the divine; belief in the unseen life; and belief in the Last Judgment (Fisher, 2005). Oneness of God and of humanity Islam teaches that there is only one God. This is why the first words spoken to a Muslim infant are the words of the Shahadah – â€Å"la ilaha ill-Allah Muhammad-un Rasulu-llah† (â€Å"There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God†). According to Muslims, God may be called by many names, but all the attributes assigned to those different names only make up the totality of the One God who created the universe. They contend that there must be absolute unity among all men of all races because they were all created by only one God and should therefore be brothers under the same God. Stretching this argument further, Islam maintains that no one race should be considered the chosen race, nor be considered superior than other races. Islam teaches that the individual should be one with God, therefore his or her thoughts and deeds should always be inspired by God. This oneness of God and of humanity was very emphatically expressed by Abu Hashim Madami, an Indian Sufi sage, when he said that â€Å"There is only one thing to be gained in life, and that is to remember God with each breath; and there is only one loss in life, and that is the breath drawn without the remembrance of God† (Fisher. 2005). Prophethood and the compass of Islam All the prophets from Abraham to Jesus Christ are honored, but they maintain that Muhammad was the last prophet sent by God with the final message. This means, therefore, that the Qur’an sums up all the messages from God so Islam should include all religions, including Christianity and Judaism which also trace their roots to Abraham (Fisher, 2005). Muslims believe that although God sent many messengers namely: â€Å"Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad,† the message He revealed to Muhammad was the final message intended for all of mankind (Robinson, 2007). Human relationship to the divine They believe that God created the universe for a specific purpose or purposes. To achieve His purpose/s, He set down particular laws to govern the actions of everybody. For this reason, Islam maintains that man could live in peace and prosperity only if he recognizes the laws which were set by God and faithfully abide by them. The set of laws of Islam is called the Sharia Law which has been derived from the Qur’an and the Sunna, which has been considered as the Islamic â€Å"custom or practice; particularly that associated with the exemplary life of the Prophet Muhammad, comprising his deeds and utterances as recorded in the hadith† (Robinson, 2007). Belief in the unseen life They accept the existence of the unseen life such as angels. Specifically, they believe in Gabriel, whom they have credited with bringing down the messages of God to humanity. Muhammad, for one, related that the revelations were sometimes brought to him by an angel in human form who would recite the Qur’anic passages to him. They likewise believe that Satan exists just as they believe that there are saints. Belief in the Last Judgment For them, the Last Judgment means that dead Muslims are allowed some rest before being raised from the grave for the final reckoning, after which the sinners and the unbelievers are sent to hell (Fisher. 2005). Those who lived their lives on earth believing in Allah and his prophets and messengers would enter paradise while â€Å"Agnostics, Atheists, Polytheists, and followers of non-Abrahamic religions† would be rejected. Entry into Paradise, according to Muslims, would likewise be denied to all those whose lives were dominated by â€Å"evil deeds† (Robinson, 2007).

Video game speech Essay Example for Free

Video game speech Essay Murder, assault, theft and even rape. This is the type of degenerate criminal influences shown to YOUR children on a regular daily basis. Series of dangerous, virtual and physical violence our preserved society has tolerated for far too long, but I say NO MORE. NO MORE influenced violence being shown upon our youths. NO MORE increased crime rates in our society and most definitely NO MORE children being denied their protected safety rights because as parents and guardians we OWE them at least this. I am not here today to tell you what you should and should not be showing to your child. I know that I have no right in telling you this. However I am here today to remind you of what YOU have already acknowledged, what YOU have been too afraid to admit to. Something YOU have been hiding from your children for a far more devastating way than you think†¦ a progressing life of freedom that is not bound to immoral games that are far below the approved age limit. I know, personally, that raising a child in a society maintained by constant evolving technology is hard and it can be beyond tempting to engage your child in the latest video games and games consoles. Nevertheless, I want to tell what the impact of you succumbing to your temptations have done to your children and potentially the generations after. Did you know that 70% of young children aged between 6 – 10 years old that regularly play any type of video game are mentally and physically inflicted by video games which can create a chain reaction to an aggressive and violent behavior? It is within these aggravating behaviors that your child is becoming more and more dangerous in this reality as well as in the virtual world. They are given the impressions that their life is relatable to the video games they are playing and that they must react to their life issues with violence the way the characters within the video games would react. An example of what I am initially trying to explain is the Norway massacre of 2012. One man. One man, who had become so mentally inflicted by playing violent video games and brutal games consoles since the young age of 9, had brutally massacred 77 people on the isolated island of Utoya, Norway. He became so mentally inflicted and attached to violent video games that he stated â€Å"I had trained and prepared by playing ‘call of duty’ for an average of 6 hours and 50 minutes every day to get ready for this day†. Imagine is this was your child doing these disgusting, ruthless and vicious actions. Many of you may not see the outstanding effect and impact of video games on your child right at this moment, but you WILL see the impact on your child in the nearby future and I can guarantee you will not like it. I know it is a terrible thought to think of your child acting as that man once did, but it is a potential circumstance. Video games are one of the key links between anger and violence most definitively with young children. Violent images and audio, brutal story backgrounds, realistic assassin characters are the main problems as they are most effective. The only thing stopping our society from becoming a brutal, vicious town run by mentally afflicted and aggressive people are YOU. You can change not only our future, not only our town but the entire world and even the generations to come. Not only is your child becoming mentally inflicted by video games by also physically inflicted. The whole body internally and externally are becoming more and more damaged through the constant use of video game consoles. With the lack of social interaction your child’s mind is being affected as it will slowly deteriorate and will become illiterately desensitized. This will impact them in their daily routines such as brushing their teeth, memory loss and even with their school performance. The amount of sleep will also become majorly affected for your child due to the constant use of video games resulting in the lack of sleep. The internal organs can also become majorly affected as the lack of outside oxygen, lack of essential foods and drinks, lack of daily exercise and even lack of basic body movements can deprive the body of the necessary requirements needed to obtain it. The internal organs can become numb and slowly wither away. This will make your child weaker and less protected internally leaving them open to all kinds of viruses and diseases that can potentially kill them. Alongside the internal organs becoming damaged, the external body can become immensely damaged as well. This can include vital parts of the body such as the eyes – as they are continuously focused upon a bright screen, they will become weaker and damaged. This can cause your child to become visually impaired and potentially blind, which would make life much more difficult for them especially at such as young age. Another body part which would become physically inflicted includes the hands and wrist area. With the hands constantly being used on the console controls, the thumbs and fingers would regularly cramp giving your child the increasing chance of arthritis. This includes the wrists cramping up also. This physically inflicted impairment can also create an unusual shape for your child’s hand and can cause disfigurement that can make it harder for them to write and use them for other regular duties such as picking up and holding items. A final and most important body part that is physically inflicted includes the entire lower body. With the lack of movement, your child’s body will slowly start to stiffen and cramp up again much like the hands and wrists and can lead to lower body arthritis which is known to be much worse. To conclude, I would like to make sure you have all acknowledged the major effects of children constantly playing violent video games and games consoles. I want you all to remember these effects and think of your child’s needs and benefits first before succumbing to your temptations. Think of the life your child would have to endure if they were sucked into the world of brutal and violent video games, but instead they could be living in a much healthier and less violent world of their own. Remember to live in a world with NO MORE influenced violence being shown upon our youths. NO MORE increased crime rates in our society and most definitely NO MORE children being denied their protected safety rights because as parents and guardians we OWE them at least this.

Effectiveness of Auditing in Corporate Business

Effectiveness of Auditing in Corporate Business UK Auditing Introduction The UK auditing and accounting market is one of the largest in the world with over 432 accountants per hundred thousand of population (Saudagaran, 2003, p.10), many of whom are employed in auditing firms. This paper will concentrate upon one aspect of the accountants role in corporate business, namely that of auditors. The author’s intention is to discuss and evaluate various aspects of the auditing market and duties with a view to reaching a conclusion regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of their role in the commercial market. Audit Market Over the past few decades the United Kingdom audit market has seen a significant level of consolidation from a previous position of eight competitors. The industry nationally, now worth in excess of  £2.4 billion per annum, is presently dominated by four firms, which are Price Waterhouse Cooper, Ernst and Young, KMPG and Deloitte Touchà ©. Between them, these firms prepare the audits for over ninety percent of UK listed companies, including all but ten of the FTSE[1] corporations. Below this level, there is a secondary tier of between nine and fifteen auditing firms. The big four dominance of the auditing marketplace presents serious problems for other firms who wish to enter the market. Primarily there would be the difficulty of cost together with the return on their investment into such a move. For example the largest auditing firm outside of the â€Å"big four,† has a revenue level, which is less than half that of the smallest big four firm, Ernst and Young. Add to this the economical factors of entrance and risk involved with competing against the dominance of the big four and it is not difficult to understand the reluctance of other firms to challenge the present positions (Discussion Paper, 2006). In addition to the challenges new firms would face from present organisations, they would also be faced with having to address the current perceptions of the firms needing auditors. The situation is that most of the FTSE corporations perceive that, outside of the â€Å"big four,† other firms would not have the experience, resources or ability to manage their auditing requirements. In addition, concerns regarding quality would also be one of the major problems that would need to be addressed. From the viewpoint of the regulators and the clients, there are concerns with regard to the low numbers of auditing practices that exist at the top end of the markets. Not only is there fear that further consolidation will reduce choice even further, but many corporate audit committee chairman believe that the present structure itself allows for insufficient choice. This is particularly true considering the fact that auditing firms cannot offer any other services to their clients, such as consultancy. The other area of the contraction of the audit market that causes worry to corporate managers and shareholders is the high increase in audit fees that has been seen during recent years as increasing corporate governance demands are implemented. Despite the concerns regarding auditor choice, in the main confidence in financial statements in the UK remains at a very high level with investors. In a conducted survey in 2004 (Virdi, 2004) over 86% of fund managers, one of the main sources of corporate funding and investment were satisfied with the standard of financial statements, and over 87% had a fair to great deal of confidence in the auditing process. The Audit Inspection Unit (Public Report, 2006) also seemed to be relatively satisfied with the present quality levels of audits being carried out. In general, whilst there is a reasonable level of satisfaction with current audit levels, the concerns regarding choice of auditors and the inherent problems of further consolidation within the industry will need to be addressed. In particular, there is a need to avoid the â€Å"big† firms achieving a monopolistic status. Audit Regulations Before 1980 and the Companies Act 1985, corporate auditors were required to be members of the four recognised accounting institutes of the UK. At that time, the industry operated on a self-regulatory basis, monitoring its own members (Gray and Manson, 2004, ch.4). This position was not seen as satisfactory as the potential for conflict of interest existed. In an attempt to address the conflict problem the European Union (EU) issued new rules, embodied in its 8th directive, which required governments to closely monitor auditors. Subsequent to the 8th directive from the EU and the Companies Act 1985, auditors needed to obtain licences to practice from a Recognised Supervisory Body (RSB). In the early 1990’s the government also set up the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in a move to improve auditing reporting standards. However, as the main accounting institute’s applications to become RSB’s were accepted, ultimate control and inspection of auditors still at that time remained in the hands of the professions. Therefore, although the RSB have the power to withdraw or suspend licences, ultimately the decision still rested with the institutes. Whilst in some areas this was considered an appropriate way to address industry regulation, many felt that it still did not address the issue of conflict of interest. Because of this continuing disquiet, in the late 1990’s an independent body known as the Accounting Foundation was set up to take over some of the RSB’s responsibilities, specifically those of auditing practices. It was the problems associated with the Enron disaster (Matt Krantz, 2001), which prompted the most significant change in the UK auditing regulatory hierarchy. Resulting from this situation, much of the monitoring and regulation of auditors was transferred to the FRC[2], which was generally well respected and considered to have the independence that satisfy financial institutions and corporate shareholder concerns. This included the Auditing Practices Board. The FRC is also responsible for ethical guidance and auditing standard guidelines. Several bodies have been set up by the FRC to oversee, monitor and investigate all areas of the auditing profession. These include the Professional Oversight Board and Audit Inspection Unit, which have taken over responsibility for monitoring the RSB’s from the DTI. These units oversee and investigate audit firm actions and decision made throughout the audit process. The Accountancy Investigation and Discipline Board are also under the responsibility of the FRC. Whilst this unit can investigate cases referred from the RSB’s and the accounting institutes, it also has the power to launch independent investigations where the need arises. Therefore, whilst the RSB’s still control large areas of the auditing structure, such as inspection and investigation, their actions are accountable to the FRC. Although responsibility for monitoring, standards and investigation routines have moved away from the institutes, there are still those who are uncomfortable with the level of government involvement in the auditing industry, and these call for more state control. There is some merit in this view, particularly in view of the dominance of the â€Å"big four† members on the institute committees. A recent KMPG report (Copnell 2006), confirms that shareholders are seeking much more transparency regarding issues such as qualification, suitability and compliance of the external auditors. Ethics and Auditing One of the issues that have received most attention with regard to auditing is that of ethics (Gray and Manson, 2004). The behaviour and veracity of auditors has come under scrutiny over the last two decades. The objectivity and freedom from influence of auditors has become a major issue of shareholder concern globally, as University of Aukland (Cheung and Hay 2004) research confirms, and the UK is not an exception. Confidentiality, promotion and new appointment procedures are other areas where auditors and expected to act in an ethical manner. Historically, the difficulty was that there were no guidelines, monitoring or investigation procedures relating to ethical issues. Before 1989, the institutes own guides on ethical matters were seen to be inadequate. Post 1989, the RSB system made ethical compliance a regulatory part of the institute’s monitoring processes. However, this did not alter the control or investigative procedures for ethics. Following government reviews in the early years of the new millennium, and the transfer of the APB and to the FRC, responsibility on major ethical issues, such as integrity, objectivity and independence became more independent, although other ethical issues remained the province of the institutes. In addition, major investigation and complaint cases, particularly those considered to be of â€Å"public interest,† became the responsibility of the newly created Investigation and Discipline Board. To further address the ethical issues, the ASB produced guidelines (2004). These included five major statements and one for small entities. The first of these statements outlines the compliance requirements and the identification of threats to the ethics of audits that may exist. It further outlines the safeguards that should be implemented by audit firms to avoid such threats, including the review of the audit by an independent partner in the firm and the compliance with corporate governance rules and regulations. The second ethical statement deals with the relationship between the auditors and their clients. Within this statement, the ASB covers such items as financial relationship between the parties as well as issues that might arise from personal relationships, for example family connections or the employment on audit by the auditing firms of an employee of the client being audited. Whilst this statement allows auditors to employ experts for opinion purposes during the audit, it does stress that such experts must be independent. Therefore, this precludes an auditing firm from using the consultancy arm of its own firm. Statement three deals with the length of association with an audit. Whilst it does not call for regular changes in the audit firm itself, this statement does make provision for the terms of service of audit team partners and members who are conducting the audit, such terms being stated not to exceed five or seven years depending upon the position of the team member. The fourth statement concentrates upon fees, litigation, gifts and hospitality. With regard to fees, the statement stresses that these should be time and skill based and not determined by any other factor. Similarly, it dictates that the level of fees should not affect the intention to allocate adequate resources to the audit work. The statement further states that audit firms should not accept appointment in any cases where their firm, whether it is the auditing department or not, is involved in litigation with the client. Finally, the acceptance of gifts and hospitality is declared unacceptable unless â€Å"its value i s insignificant.† The fifth and final ethical statement deals with the issue of the provision of non-audit services to an audit client. It addresses how these pose a threat to the audit and what measures are needed to safeguard the audit firm from the perception that such a threat my have on their independence as viewed by others. Following on from the Enron disaster, where it was considered that the auditors had lost independence and integrity, there was an international effort to restore public confidence in the auditing industry by introducing a range of regulations and rules. In the US, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002)[3] was introduced, which aggressively restricted auditors from providing other services to clients and made rotation of key staff mandatory. In the UK, the Combined Code[4] was used for similar purposes, incorporating many of the aspects and demands of the Ethical Statements. In the UK, whilst the government has set up independent regulatory bodies such as the FRC to deal with a range of ethical issues, including setting standards, monitoring and investigation into compliance, there is still little statutory requirement. Although the institutes themselves may feel that the ethical structure is too extensive and stringent, there are those who hold the opposite view. However, it is apparent that ethics and integrity are of major importance when it comes to protecting the business stakeholders, including shareholders and creditors. Incidences such as Enron have clearly shown that to leave the monitoring of such areas solely within the control of the profession does not provide the degree of protection required by other stakeholders and that this can only be achieved by independent external bodies. Legal Actions against Auditors Litigation against UK auditors is a complex area. In essence, any proposed litigation will be dealt with under civil law, in particular the law of contract, where there is breach of a contract between the auditor and the client, or tort law, where there is a claim for negligence made by a third party, such as banks and shareholders (Gray and Manson, 2004). The outcome of most disputes of this nature is normally based upon previous case law. The most prevalent cases against auditors tend to occur following client insolvencies, after takeovers and mergers and in incidences of fraud. From the plaintiff’s (claimants) aspect and for their case to succeed, they have to prove that it was reasonable to expect that the auditor owed them a duty of care and that, as a result of sub-standard work or negligence on the part of the auditor, they have suffered a loss. In terms of auditors, perhaps the most defining case in terms of the above issues is that of Caparo case[5]. In this case, the auditors had given an unqualified certificate to a corporation, which the plaintiff relied upon when making a takeover. It was subsequently revealed that the profits had been overstated. Thus, the plaintiff sued for breach of contract and negligence in tort. In settling the case is was adjudged that in the matter of contract the auditor’s responsibility, as defined in the Companies Act, was to the company as a separate entity, not individual shareholders. With regard to the question of negligence it was held that the condition of â€Å"proximity,† or relationship between the auditor and Caparo, a core issue when deciding whether negligence has occurred, was not sufficient. It was stated that the auditor could not have reasonably expected the plaintiff to have relied upon their statements for actions they took, and therefore could not be held to be negligent. This approach and definition has been held in most subsequent cases. However, in 2002, a case between Royal Bank of Scotland and Bannerman Johnson Maclay appeared to change the position in Scottish Law (Glyn Barber 2002), although this does not apply to the English courts. Here the auditors were found guilty of negligence to a third party. To address the potential for claims, one of the conditions imposed by the RSB was that auditors must have professional indemnity insurance. Whilst most insurance companies sought to settle potential claims out of court, it did lead to continual premium increases. This, joined with the fact that the structure of auditing firms meant individual partners faced the prospect of losing all personal assets, led to increasing concern in the industry. To address these, and mitigate the fear they might lead to further industry consolidation, the Companies Act 1989 allowed audit firms to become limited liability companies. Auditor protection was further enhanced in the Companies Act 2006[6], by allowing them to reach agreement with shareholders to cap their contractual liability. From the foregoing it is obvious that not only is it extremely difficult to succeed in a liability case against an auditing firm, but that the industry generally has been very effectual in creating greater levels of protection for their firms and individual employees in recent decades, although as a recent article (Lawsuits threaten US audit firms, 2006), shows, the threat has not been totally eliminated. However, other stakeholders are not satisfied with this position but it seems that, unless direct fraud or illegal acts can be proven, there is little chance of challenging audit firms providing their audits have been performed within the confines of the regulations and rules that have been imposed upon them by their institutes and the independent monitoring bodies, such as those within the Financial Reporting Council. Conclusion Over the past three decades or so, it can be seen that there have been substantial changes made within the auditing industry. Whilst there has been improvement, both regulatory and statutory, in the conduct and standards of audit work, there are still areas that need to be further examined. Firstly, although the consensus is that standards are satisfactory, concerns over independence and transparency of reporting remain. Secondly, the concentration of major corporate audits into the â€Å"big four† firms does raise issues. These include the fear of consolidation, lack of competitive fees and difficulties in changing audit firms, as well as the problem of choosing firms for non-audit financial, accountancy and consulting work. Lastly, the issue of litigation and the audit firm’s ability to create protection against such action has caused some distrust. A possible solution to some of these issues couple is to ensure that any further mergers are referred to the monopolies commission and, from an independence viewpoint, to look at the feasibility of de-merging the auditing arms of the firms from their other services. References ASB Ethical Guidance (2004). Retrieved 5 January 2007 from http://www.frc.org.uk/apb/publications/ethical.cfm Barber, Glyn (2002). Can you still bank on an Audit. Accountancy Age, UK. Cheung, Jeff and Hay, David. (2004) Auditor Independence: The Voice of Shareholders. Business Review. Volume 6, issue 2. University of Aukland. Copnell, Timothy (Director) (2006). Shareholders’ Questions 2006. Audit Committee Institute KPMG LLP. UK. Discussion Paper (2006). Choice in the UK Audit Market. Financial Reporting Council. Retrieved 6 January 2007 from http://www.frc.org.uk/images/uploaded/documents/Choice%20in%20the%20UK%20Audit%20Market%20Discussion%20Paper4.pdf Gray, Iain and Manson, Stuart (2004). The Audit Process: Principles, Practice and Cases. Third edition. Thomson Learning. Krantz, Matt (2001). Accounting rule for energy companies eyed. USA Today. 3 December 2001. Lawsuit threaten US audit firms (2006). Accountancy Age. 18 September 2006. Public Report (2006). 2005/6 Audit Quality Inspections. Audit Inspection Unit. Retrieved 6 January 2006 from http://www.frc.org.uk/images/uploaded/documents/Choice%20in%20the%20UK%20Audit%20Market%20Discussion%20Paper4.pdf. Saudagaran, Shahrokh M (2003). International Accounting: A User’s Perspective. 2 Rev. Ed. South Western College Publishing. UK Virdi, Alpha A (2004). Investor Confidence Survey 2004. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Retrieved 7 January 2006 from http://www.icaew.co.uk/index.cfm?route=116714 1 Footnotes [1] Financial Times Stock Exchange [2] Financial Reporting Council [3] Available from http://www.sec.gov/about/laws/soa2002.pdf [4] Available from http://www.frc.org.uk/documents/pagemanager/frc/Web Optimised Combined Code 3rd proof.pdf [5] Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605, 618 [6] See Companies Act 2006, section 535

The Sidhe, the Tuatha de Danaan, and the Fairies in Yeatss Early Works

The fin de siecle, or late 1800's, was an era not unlike our own: now we see many seeking "New Age" enlightenment; likewise, Yeats and many of his contemporaries looked for meaning in various areas of the supernatural. Ripe as the late 1800's were for spawning occult study, those were also times of political turmoil for the Irish, and Yeats became involved with Irish nationalism as well. His desire to express this nationalism was given voice through a Celtic literature that he hoped would inform and inspire his countrymen. Falling in love with a beautiful firebrand Irish patriot (who also had a taste for the occult) only served to further ignite the Celtic flames of imagination in Yeats. References to supernatural Celtic beings and the Irish spirit world abound in Yeats's early poetry. To make these passages seem less arcane, a look at the Tuatha de Danaan, the Sidhe, and the fairies is helpful. The Tuatha de Danaan literally means "people of the goddess Danu," Danu being a Celtic land or mother goddess, perhaps derived from the Sanskrit river goddess, Danu. Other associated names for her were the Welsh "Don," Irish "Anu" or "Ana," "Mor-Rioghain," and "Brighid." The Tuatha de Dannan were considered supernatural, angelic-like beings who came to Ireland and encountered two groups that they successfully overcame. Epic battles were waged to defeat both the Firbolgs and the Fomorians. The Firbolgs, early Irish settlers, were a short, dark race of men who derived their name from carrying clay in bags, or boilg, hence the name "fir bolg" meaning "bag men." Believed to be of early Greek origin, the mortal Firbolgs were overthrown by the god-like Tuatha de Danaan. The other army that lost in combat with the Danaan fighte... ...Richard. Yeats: The Man and the Masks. New York: Norton, 1979. Gregory, Lady. Gods and Fighting Men. New York: Oxford UP, 1970. Jeffares, A. Norman. A Commentary on the Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1968. Jeffares, A. Norman. W.B. Yeats: Man and Poet. New York: Barnes, 1966. Malins, Edward. A Preface to Yeats. New York: Scribner's, 1974. O hOgain, Daithi. Myth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopedia of the Irish Folk Tradition. New York: Prentice, 1991. O' Suilleabhain, Sean. Irish Folk Customs and Belief. Dublin: Folklore, 1967. Skelton, Robin, and Ann Saddlemyer, eds. The World of W.B. Yeats, revised ed. Seattle, WA: U of Washington P, 1967. Yeats, W.B. The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats, 2nd revised ed. Ed. Richard J. Finneran. New York: Scribner, 1996. Yeats, W.B. Mythologies. New York: Collier, 1959. The Sidhe, the Tuatha de Danaan, and the Fairies in Yeats's Early Works The fin de siecle, or late 1800's, was an era not unlike our own: now we see many seeking "New Age" enlightenment; likewise, Yeats and many of his contemporaries looked for meaning in various areas of the supernatural. Ripe as the late 1800's were for spawning occult study, those were also times of political turmoil for the Irish, and Yeats became involved with Irish nationalism as well. His desire to express this nationalism was given voice through a Celtic literature that he hoped would inform and inspire his countrymen. Falling in love with a beautiful firebrand Irish patriot (who also had a taste for the occult) only served to further ignite the Celtic flames of imagination in Yeats. References to supernatural Celtic beings and the Irish spirit world abound in Yeats's early poetry. To make these passages seem less arcane, a look at the Tuatha de Danaan, the Sidhe, and the fairies is helpful. The Tuatha de Danaan literally means "people of the goddess Danu," Danu being a Celtic land or mother goddess, perhaps derived from the Sanskrit river goddess, Danu. Other associated names for her were the Welsh "Don," Irish "Anu" or "Ana," "Mor-Rioghain," and "Brighid." The Tuatha de Dannan were considered supernatural, angelic-like beings who came to Ireland and encountered two groups that they successfully overcame. Epic battles were waged to defeat both the Firbolgs and the Fomorians. The Firbolgs, early Irish settlers, were a short, dark race of men who derived their name from carrying clay in bags, or boilg, hence the name "fir bolg" meaning "bag men." Believed to be of early Greek origin, the mortal Firbolgs were overthrown by the god-like Tuatha de Danaan. The other army that lost in combat with the Danaan fighte... ...Richard. Yeats: The Man and the Masks. New York: Norton, 1979. Gregory, Lady. Gods and Fighting Men. New York: Oxford UP, 1970. Jeffares, A. Norman. A Commentary on the Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1968. Jeffares, A. Norman. W.B. Yeats: Man and Poet. New York: Barnes, 1966. Malins, Edward. A Preface to Yeats. New York: Scribner's, 1974. O hOgain, Daithi. Myth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopedia of the Irish Folk Tradition. New York: Prentice, 1991. O' Suilleabhain, Sean. Irish Folk Customs and Belief. Dublin: Folklore, 1967. Skelton, Robin, and Ann Saddlemyer, eds. The World of W.B. Yeats, revised ed. Seattle, WA: U of Washington P, 1967. Yeats, W.B. The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats, 2nd revised ed. Ed. Richard J. Finneran. New York: Scribner, 1996. Yeats, W.B. Mythologies. New York: Collier, 1959.

Time to Move On :: Personal Narrative Essays

Time to Move On While I was driving to work on a Thursday evening in November at 10:00 p.m., for my first night of training on the graveyard shift at Medical Centers Radiology Department. I was imagining the types of exams that could come to the department from the ER, praying that I would not have to x-ray a drunk or someone that had been in a bad car accident. When I finally arrived to work at 11:00 p.m., I walked through the ER to get to the radiology department. So far the ER was having a really slow night. After putting my things away, I met the technologist (Bob) that I would be working with for the next eight hours. Since the department was so quiet, Bob and I had some time to discuss what the graveyard technologists responsibilities included, such as hanging all the x-rays from the night for the Radiologist to read, and getting the paper work ready for the in hospital portable x-rays to be done at 5:30a.m. before the shift ends at 7:00a.m. Now it was going on 1:00a.m. Bob and I had gotten aquatinted, and I knew all my responsibilities . Since we still had not heard from the ER we both tried to get some sleep. When I was drifting off to sleep, I was hoping that if the ER did call it would only be for easy exams and preferably no drunks. It was 4:00a.m. when I awoke to the ringing of the phone . I knew it was going to be the ER calling to send a patient over for x-rays. When I answered the phone, I was again praying it was something quick and easy. The nurse on the other end of the Line said, "We have a chest x-ray" with a sigh of relief I said, " Send them to room 3 ." After finishing the chest x-ray, I walked the patient back to the ER. This is when I saw what I had been hoping would not happen on my shift. Doctors and nurses were rushing into ER Room 8 where I saw a young man (high school age) laying on a back board with a cervical collar on and his head had been split open.

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More on the "I": Lesch - Nyhan Disease and Choice These last few weeks of class we have been discussing the role of the "I" function in terms of sight, dreaming and choice. Many interesting points were raised about why the "I" function exists and what its role is in controlling behavior and regulating choice. My last paper touched on some of these ideas when looking at obsessive compulsive disorder and the role of the "I" (5). I would like to return to some of these ideas with the more extreme and complex example of the self mutilation experienced by sufferers of Lesch - Nyhan disease. In one class meeting discussing sleep, a student jokingly discounted the theory that one sleeps when bored by saying that if people could choose to sleep they wouldn't because it is a waste of time so therefore sleep must be a necessary function outside the control of the "I". This statements helped me to clarify my own thoughts on the "I" function. There are many behaviors that are outside the control of the "I" because they are necessary functions such as sleep and breathing and heartbeat and digestion. It is true, as one member of class mentioned, that this is good because it does not "clutter" the brain nor does the "I" have to "waste" time regulating these things; but I think it is a larger matter than that. As a sociology major I am interested in the way people behave and interact in society. This class has also allowed me to see the way that people interact with themselves and their nervous systems as another sort of social activity. Many of our activities are regulated by society. From birth we internalize certain norms and values that tell us how to behave in certain situations. If these are broken we feel guilt or shame which manifest themselves through the nervous system with sweaty palms, increased heartbeat, depression, etc. So in a way our reposes, even on the level of neurons, is effected by our society. The "I" function plays a very important role in this because it can "tell" the self what is and is not appropriate and it can help to regulate behavior. So there is a strong connection between the "I" and the nervous system, but both have to have some autonomy. The nervous system has to be able to carry out necessary functions inspite of the "I" and the "I" also needs some auto nomy from the nervous system.

The destructive results of Insomnia

Insomnia is one of widely-spread sleep disorders which as a result of worries, fears, anxiety and bad brain patterns function make a person unable to maintain his/her sleep. The people suffering from insomnia become irritable the next day and often worry about the coming night when they will have to fight for sleep.As a result during the day people may meet unexpected desire to fall asleep what completely ruins the course of the day and leads to stress and depression. A person with Insomnia may also suffer from other sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome.The destructive results of Insomnia make us to think of it as a serous mental disease, however it is only a symptom caused by medications, psychological condition, inappropriate sleeping habits or by other stressful events. Among the medications that may greatly contribute to the progression of Insomnia are caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, antidepressants, amphetamines, diuretics, appetite suppressants and different drug products including cocaine and marijuana.The extent to which a person can be imposed to Insomnia has two levels of difficulty. The primary Insomnia defines a person who is having sleep problems are not directly connected with any other health states or problems. Secondary Insomnia means that a person’s inconveniences with sleep are associated with inherent health conditions such as depression, cancer, heartburn, asthma or others. Because of their pain and medications they are taking they start to have other health problems which are connected by the chain of successive conditions.Sleep disorder in its primary level can be easily treated if a person take make a habit from the following activities: ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Regularity of sleep times; ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Comfortable conditions for sleep (bed, temperature and lightening); ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prevention from accepting the stimulants (e.g. coffee or ciga rettes); ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Practice of relaxation methods; ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Avoidance from taking naps during the day.  Medicines interference into Insomnia treatment is not required as it can be treated with setting new sleeping habits. However for short-term Insomnia one can use over-the-counter sleeping drugs. It is important not to use them regularly as there may appear dependence upon them and create the situation of good sleep impossibility unless the drug is used.Treatment for long term Insomnia requires more complex procedure. First it is needed to conduct a first treating of any underlying conditions or health problems that are determined to cause Insomnia. If Insomnia progresses one can chose either to go through the behavioral therapy or start to accept medications. The first method helps people to replace their ways of living and focus on achieving of specific goals while gaining more control over their lives.Professionals in the fi eld of advancement of Behavior Therapy identify some common goals of behavior therapy. The Insomnia persons should follow this goal which requires for them to use only one bedroom for sleep (Acting), try to understand how his/her stresses influence the sleep (Feeling), to realize that at least 7 hours of sleep is a must for everyone (Thinking), to integrate diet and exercise to encourage the sleep (Dealing), and to train himself/herself in self-management skills (Coping). Medical therapy by contrast with Behavioral therapy has side effects and must be used with caution.Bibliography:1. Fogel J (2003). Behavioral treatments for insomnia in primary care settings. Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing eJournal, 3(4).2. Morgan K (2003). Daytime activity and risk factors for late-life insomnia. Journal of Sleep Research, 12(3): 231–238.3. â€Å"Insomnia Help / Behavioral Treatments for Insomnia†http://www.helpguide.org/aging/insomnia_treatment.htm