Free Will and Fate free essay sample

Everything in life happens for a reason, may it be the choices made or the destiny fulfilled. Along the way though many people offer advice that affect choices made, was it fate that they gave their input? Is it free will to take or not to take that advice? Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey demonstrates that despite warning, characters often use their free will to make choices that in the end actually fulfill their fate. Primarily Aegisthus’s refusal to acknowledge the gods warning, serves as the first example of mankind using her own free will to bring her destiny to fruition. Hermes tells Aegisthus not to sleep with Clytemnestra and not to kill Agamemnon, but he does so anyway, and so Orestes kills Aegisthus as revenge. Aegisthus received warning from the gods, they told him â€Å"far in advance†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢don’t murder the man†¦ don’t court his wife†¦ revenge will come from Orestes’† (Homer 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Free Will and Fate or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 45-48) and the predicted outcome came true –Aegisthus was killed. The Gods warned Aegisthus of what his fate held, and in utilizing his free will he chose to ignore this advice and his fate became reality. It is â€Å"with [each characters] own reckless ways heir pains [are compounded] beyond their proper share† (Homer 1. 39-40); meaning that committing reckless actions will result in possible calamitous outcomes. Aegisthus chose to kill Agamemnon, he chose to court Clytemnestra, he chose to ignore the advice from the gods, and so he ended up destroyed fulfilling the fate of receiving pain thanks to his own reckless behavior. Likewise, Homer clearly comments on the tendency of humans disregarding warnings of potential hazards, through his inclusion of The Phaecians’ decision to ignore their prophecy and aid travelers resulting in fate fulfillment. The Phaecians’ were forewarned in a prophecy that â€Å"Poseidon was vexed with [them] because/ [they] escorted all mankind and never came to grief / [and]†¦ one day a well built ship of [theirs]†¦ [would be crushed]† (Homer 13. 196-200); Alcinous’s father received this prophecy years ago and gave no acknowledgement of the prophecy when time came to ship Odysseus back to Ithaca. As a result of The Phaecians’ seeing blind of the prophecy and escorting Odysseus back to Ithaca, their ship got crushed and mountains surrounded the port. When Odysseus determined that it was time for him to sail back to Ithaca, Alcinous had no hesitation in assisting him. Alcinous â€Å"knew [that Odysseus] wouldn’t be driven /off†¦course, [that] nothing could hold [him] back† (Homer 13. 5-7), but what he knew and ignored was the free will choice he made to neglect the prophecy and allow the fate of himself and his fellow Phaecians to end in destruction just as it was destined to be. Similarly, Amphinomus reflects the human quality of free will leading to fate as he acquired purposeful advice from Odysseus (the beggar), yet he continued his pursuit of Penelope, and ended up dead. Amphinomus received potentially life saving advice from the one that ended up killing him, Odysseus, but his ignorance of the ‘vagabond’ and how insightful he was made him assume that he would â€Å"never suffer affliction down the years†¦ affronting the loyal wife of a man who won’t be gone†¦long† (Homer 18. 153-168) and so in the spirit of free will he continued to attempt to court Penelope all under the nose of Odysseus. Therefore, as Odysseus began his revenge Amphinomus was â€Å"fraught with grave forebodings†¦. /but not even so could he escape his fate†¦ Athena had bound him fast to death /at the hands of Prince Telemachus and his spear† (Homer 18. 77-179) as it had been destined to be. Cause: Amphinomus ignoring advice given to him that would potentially save his life Free Will†¦ Effect: Amphinomus is killed Fate. All in all, Homer’s The Odyssey display’s the idea that regardless of warning fate is decided by free will and vice versa. Aegisthus, The Phaecians, and Amphinomus all received warning, and utilizing their free will they all chose to take a separate path one that led to ultimate fate. ‘Fate leads him who follows it, and drags him who resists. ’

History or Japanese textiles essays

History or Japanese textiles essays The oldest extant Japanese textiles date from the Nara Period (710-785AD) and impressions of cords have been found on earthenware pots from the Jomon period of Japanese History (10,000-300 BC). Apart from these examples, very little is known of Japanese textiles prior to the 8th Century. However, Japanese textiles were strongly influenced by Chinese and Korean textiles from their inception and we can follow the evolution of Japanese textiles by studying the history of early Chinese and Korean textiles. The textile industry in China and Korea dates back to around 5000BC with woven textiles found in archaeological sites from this period. The raising of silk worms in captivity (sericulture) became widespread around 4000BC. The traditional use of textiles in these countries was for clothing, furnishings and ceremonial purposes such as alter clothes and ceremonial robes. The main fibres used for textiles in the China/Korea region were hemp, ramie, cotton and silk. The Chinese followed strict codes of dress according to classes and introduced strict sumptuary laws to enforce these codes. These laws dictated what fabrics, colours and designs should be worn by different classes of people. Royalty wore mostly silk and clothes decorated with embroidery. Commoners wore hemp, ramie and course cotton clothing. Tapestry, the use of weft threads that do not extend across the entire width of a piece of fabric but individual colours used in discrete areas, was introduced during the Sang Dynasty (960-1279 AD). Japanese textiles throughout the ages The oldest textiles in Japan can be found in a collection at the Shoshoin Temple in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, near modern day Kyoto. These probably come from China and Korea because they were produced on a draw loom and it is not believed that the Japanese wove used draw looms in the 8th Century. Among this collection of textiles can be found Nishiki which is a textile with a ...

W 9 Chemicals and Pests- Discussion- environmental Essay

W 9 Chemicals and Pests- Discussion- environmental - Essay Example As for ants, we either flush them away with cold water or we wipe the ants up in a damp rug and rinse the rug in order to wash the ants down the drain. Since my mom has been growing a small pocket garden in the front of our house for a number of years now, I do not really mind the use of fertilizers in gardens and lawns since it helps to ensure a good plant growth. However, my mother uses organic fertilizers for this purpose and not chemically treated fertilizers. The only chemical that she uses on her plants is something called Malathion which, I have to admit, has a rather offensive smell once it is sprayed on the plants. I believe that fertilizers are a necessary evil in the development and aesthetic development of plant growth. Does its aesthetic benefits outweigh the negative effects? I would have to say that it does not because it directly affects my health. However, these negative effects only come into play when using artificial fertilizers. The same does not apply when using organic

Discuss the weaving together od induction and deduction with imperical Essay

Discuss the weaving together od induction and deduction with imperical evidence in the scientific method. - talk about the scientific method, then use examples to - Essay Example The products included an expanded body of knowledge, tools and techniques† (The dawn of Science, p.26). The nature itself was the tutor for the ancient human being. He has learned many things from the nature by observations, testing and analysis. He has devised many methodologies and formulated many concepts based on his experiences with the interaction of nature. Though he was unaware of many natural phenomena at that time, his interaction with nature has made him aware the common patterns associated with all the nature’s activities such as day and night and summer and winter. The scientific method has emerged through these careful observations and analysis of nature’s activities. General principle and scientific principle have lot of differences. General principle may not have any scientific evidences. For example sun is believed to be rises in the east. But east, west, north, south concepts are relative and all such things are mere assumptions and have no Scientific method of inquiry usually associated with gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. Scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation. These data will be used to formulate hypothesizes. From these hypothesizes, conclusions will be made. Scientific method is the method adopted by scientists in their investigation of various phenomena. It is a systematic and orderly method of solving problems. Whatever be the nature of the problems, the scientists adopt a cautious and methodical procedure that helps him to acquire valid and verifiable conclusions. Sensing of the problem is the first step in scientific method followed by the research. The research will provide lot of data which will be used for generating various hypothesizes. These hypothesizes will be tested and then the conclusion will be made which will lead to the formulation of laws. Such formulated laws

Challenge Workplace Diversity Essay Example for Free

Challenge Workplace Diversity Essay As with anything that requires a change in established attitudes and behavior, achieving true diversity in the workplace can be a challenge. The challenges of diversity in the workplace are often the result of a combination of different factors, but resistance to change on the part of both employees and employers continues to be the primary underlying issue. One of the challenge workplace diversity is communication. This is because an organization trying to adopt a more inclusive environment is assimilation for any member outside of the dominant group. Without proper communication, barriers that exist between groups of people due to actual or perceived differences and pre-conceived notions cannot be effectively broken down. The purpose of diversity training in the workplace, among other things, is to improve communications between diverse social groups. Besides that ,the challenge is refer to diversity management. Related to the challenge of policy implementation, diversity management must be properly delegated and enforced in order to be effective. If no one person or department is in charge of enforcement and implementation of any type of policy, it goes without saying that the policy will most likely not be effectively followed or enforced. Diverstiy management also want to face many problem when their worker giving different opinions and should find the good solution to solve from different etnic. Managing diversity is more than simply acknowledging differences in people. This is an additional challenge that diverse organizations face, maintaining a culture which supports the idea of employee voice especially for marginalized group members. When the organizational environment is not supportive of dissenting viewpoints, employees may choose to remain silent for fear of repercussions or they may seek alternative safe avenues to express their concerns and frustrations such as on-line forums and affinity group meetings. By finding opportunities such as these to express dissent, individuals can begin to gather collective support and generate collective sense-making which creates a voice for the marginalized members so they can have a collective voice to trigger change.

The Basic Theory Of The Arbitrage Pricing Theory Finance Essay

The Basic Theory Of The Arbitrage Pricing Theory Finance Essay The Arbitrage Pricing Theory is an asset pricing theory that is derived from a factor model, using diversification and arbitrage arguments. The theory describes the relationship between expected returns on securities, given that there are no opportunities to create wealth through risk-free arbitrage investments. APT is one of the most influential theories in the stock pricing which is initiated by the economist Stephen Ross in 1976. It predicts there is a linear relationship between expected return and risk which can be linked by SML. APT suggests that the assets return to investors could be influenced by many independent macro-economic variables. It does not require the existence of true market portfolio and demand less restrictive assumptions compare the other asset pricing model such as the CAPM. Arbitrage arises if an investor can construct a zero investment portfolio with a sure profit. APT relies on three propositions: (i) the security returns can be described by a factor model (ii) idiosyncratic risk can be diversified away (iii) arbitrage opportunities are eventually diversified away. Since no investment is required, investors can create large position to secure large level of profit. However, profitable arbitrage opportunities disappear in efficient markets. The APT formula is as following: E(Ri) = Rf + b1*(E(R1) Rf) + b2*(E(R2) Rf) + K+ bn*(E(Rn) Rf) Rf = Risk free interest rate bi = Sensitivity of the asset to factor i E(Ri) Rf) = Risk premium associated with factor i where i = 1, 2,n Multi-factor model and many relevant researches to basic financial factor has developed since Ross (1976) raised the arbitrage pricing theory, such as the three factor model of Fama and French (1993). Fama and French (1993) continues the research method of Fama and Macbeth (1993)Aand conclude that the APT has explain better the return of the stock than the CAPM . Fama and French (1996) argue that the CAPM does not explain the patterns such as size, book-to-market equity, earnings/price etc. in average return on common stock. And these anomalies are captured by the three factor model of Fama and French (1993). The three factor model is as following which indicates that the three factors, (Rm ? Rf), SMB and HML are used to explain the returns of stocks : SMB = Small Minus Big; returns on small stocks in excess of returns on large stocks HML = High Minus Low; returns of stocks with high BTM ratio in excess of returns on low book-to-market ratio According to the equation above, Fama and French (1993) states that the pattern in the HML slopes does not predict the continuation but the reversal for future returns. Therefore, the continuation of short-term returns documented by Jegadeesh and Titman (1993) is left unexplained by the three Vfactor model (Fama and French). The three-factor model in the above equation captures much of the cross-sectional variation in average stock with the reversal of long term returns documented by DeBondt and Thaler. The results of the empirical tests were taken by Fama French]1996^are consistent with APT asset pricing. Fama and French argue that it is an equilibrium pricing model, a three-factor version of APT (Ross 1976) due to the empirical successes. Fama and French (1996) conclude that the three-factor model is a good model although it does not explain the expected return on all securities and portfolios. But it captures the anomalies on the portfolios formed on size and book Vto market equity, earnings/price etc. On the other hand, Roll and Ross (1995) conclude that The APT approach to the portfolio strategy decision involves choosing the desirable degree exposure to the fundamental economic risks that influence both asset returns and organizations. Roll and Ross (1995) states that APT can be adapted to special situation comparing to many traditional approaches because of its flexibility and it will be well-suited to the management of huge amount of funds. Later on, Chen, Roll and Ross (1986) examined the validity of the APT in the US stock markets. The test is based on the APT and suggests the multi-factor model .Chen, Roll and Ross (1986) found that the set of macroeconomic variables including: industrial production, changes in the risk premium, twists in the yield curve etc. are found to be significant in explaining the expected stock returns. The result of their research is consistent with the APT (Ross 1976) which implies that APT is valid. They believe that the multi-factor of APT captu res more risk factors and explains better of the asset returns, therefore, it is more useful than the CAPM. In conclusion, Arbitrage pricing theory (APT) is a valuation model as it does not required the existence of true market portfolio and fewer assumption is used which is more rational comparing to the CAPM. APT relates the individual asset price to the variety of unanticipated events driving it rather than rely on the measuring of the market performance. Beenstock and Chan (1986) found that the multi-factor APT has a better explanation than the single factor CAPM in the UK stock market through the Non-Nested Test. Also, Fama and French (1996), Chen, Roll and Ross (1986) have consistent results with the APT and therefore support APT over CAPM. However, there still many ambiguities hide in the model. Shanken (1982) challenge to testability of the APT as theory has been silent about which economic state variables are likely to influence all assets and there is a complete ignorance to the identity of the relevant factors that explains different returns. Also, the economic variables are not yet determined that which are responsible to the asset prices. Reinganum (1981) found that his results are inconsistent with the APT and according to the Roll and Rosss study, they conclude that although the evidence generally support the APT, acknowledged that their empirical tests were inconclusive. Therefore, due to the complexity of and dubiosities of the APT, companies choose to apply the CAPM instead. In view of this, more researches and improvements should be made to the APT in order to increase the usefulness of it. BibliographyG Beenstock, M. and Chan, K. 1986, Testing the Arbitrage Pricing Theory in the United Kingdom, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 48, No 2, pp.121-141. Eugene F. Fama and Macbeth, J, 1973, Risk Return and Equilibrium: Some Empirical Tests, The Journal of Political Economy, Vol.8, pp.607- 636 Eugene F. Fama and Kenneth R. French, 1992, The cross-section of expected stock returns, The Journal of Finance Vol.47, pp.427-465 Eugene F. Fama, and Kenneth R. French, 1993, Common Risk Factors in the Returns on Stocks and Bonds, The Journal of Financial Economics, Vol.33, pp.3-56 Eugene F. Fama, and Kenneth R. French, 1996, Multifactor Explanations of Asset Pricing Anomalies, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 51, (Mar.,1996), pp.55-84 Nai-Fu Chen; Richard Roll; Stephen A. Ross, 1986, Economic Forces and the Stock Market, The Journal of Business, Vol. 59, No 3 (Jul., 1986), pp.383-403. Reinganum, Marc, 1981, The Arbitrage Pricing Theory: Some Empirical Results, The Journal of Finance, Vol.36, No.2, (May,1981), pp.313-321. Richard Roll and Stephen A. Ross, 1995, The Arbitrage Pricing Theory Approach to Strategic Portfolio Planning, The Financial Analysts Journal, January-February 1995. Shanken, Jay, 1982, The Arbitrage Pricing Theory: Is It Testable, The Journal of Finance, Vol.37, pp.1129V1140. Stephen A. Ross, 1976, The arbitrage theory of capital asset pricing, The Journal of Economic Theory, Vol.13, pp341-360. Zvi Bodie, Alex Kane, Alan J.Marcus, 2009, Chapter 10, Arbitriage pricing theory and multifactor models of risk and return, Investment

Bell LaPadula

In recent years, the Bell-LaPadula model has been employed more and more in scientific Since publication, the Bell-LaPadula model has helped in the advancement of science and technology by providing a mathematical basis for the examination of laboratory security. Moreover, this model is a major component of having a disciplined approach to building secure and effective laboratory systems.The Bell-LaPadula model can also be used to abstractly describe the computer security system in the laboratory, without regard to the system's application.The goal of modern security research is to facilitate the construction of multilevel secure systems, which can protect information of differing classification from users that have varying levels of clearance. There are some deficiencies inherent in the Bell and LaPadula model, and there have been efforts to develop a new approach to defining laboratory security models, on the basis that security models should be derived from specific applications. Project Aims and Objectives:The objective of this research is to ascertain the ways in which the bell-lapadula model can be applied to Laboratory Information Management Systems. Laboratory automation occurs when the application of technology is used to reduce the need for human intervention in the laboratory. This makes it possible for scientists to explore data rates that otherwise may be too fast or too slow for proper scientific examination. Moreover, the research was also aimed to investigate the possible practical applications of the Bell-Lapadula model in library information management systems (LIMS).The main intention of this modern security research is to facilitate the construction of multilevel security systems, which can protect information of differing classification from users that have varying levels of clearance. Since publication, the Bell-LaPadula model has helped in the advancement of science and technology by providing a mathematical basis for the examination of l aboratory security. Moreover, this model has been major component of having a disciplined approach to the building of effective and secure laboratory systems.Project Outline: Literature Survey: The use of the Bell and LaPadula Model has been successful in modeling information that is relevant to security, even though this success might be responsible for the vagueness of the model about its primitives. This vagueness can also be examined with respect to the theory that the Bell and LaPadula Model and Noninterference are equivalent. Laboratory automation makes it possible for scientists to explore data rates that otherwise may be too fast or too slow to properly examine.Therefore, an automated laboratory reduces the need for human intervention and creates a more efficient environment in which human beings and technology can interact to produce a great deal more information and accurate data that was not possible prior to automation. Its approach is to define a set of system constrain ts whose enforcement will prevent any application program executed on the system from compromising system security.The model includes subjects, which represent active entities in a system (such as active processes), and objects, which represent passive entities (such as files and inactive processes). Both subjects and objects have security levels, and the constraints on the system take the form of axioms that control the kinds of access subjects may have to objects. (http://chacs. nrl. navy. mil/publications/CHACS/2001/2001landwehr-ACSAC. pdf)While the complete formal statement of the Bell-LaPadula model is quite complex, the model can be briefly summarized by these two axioms stated below: (a) The simple security rule, which states that a subject cannot read information for which it is not cleared (i. e. no read up) (b) The property that states that a subject cannot move information from an object with a higher security classification to an object with a lower classification (i. e. no write down). (http://chacs. nrl. navy. mil/publications/CHACS/2001/2001landwehr-ACSAC. pdf)These axioms are meant to be implemented by restriction of access rights that users or processes can have to certain objects like devices and files. The concept of trusted subjects is a less frequently described part of the Bell-LaPadula model. Systems that enforce the axioms of the original Bell-LaPadula model very strictly are often impractical, because in a real system, a user might need to invoke operations that would require subjects to violate the property, even though they do not go against our basic intuitive concept of laboratory security.For instance, there might be need in the laboratory to extract an UNCLASSIFIED paragraph from a CONFIDENTIAL document for use in a document that is UNCLASSIFIED. A system that strictly enforces the properties of the original Bell-LaPadula model might prohibit this kind of operation. As a result, a class of trusted subjects has had to be included in the Bell-LaPadula model, and is trusted not to violate security, although they might violate the property.Laboratory systems that are based on this less restrictive model usually have mechanisms that permit some of the operations that the property would normally not allow. It should also be noted that a number of projects have used the Bell-LaPadula model for description of their security requirements, although strict enforcement of the Bell-LaPadula axioms without the implementation of trusted subjects turns out to be overly restrictive in these projects. Thus, there has been widespread introduction of these trusted processes to implement the concept of trusted subjects.There are also some limitations involved in the use of the Bell-LaPadula model, including an absence of policies for changing user access rights. With this model, there can be secure and complete general downgrade, and is it is intended for systems that have static security levels. The Bell-Lapadula model would b e a suitable idea for Laboratory Information Management Systems because the model focuses on data confidentiality and access to classified information, in contrast to some other models that describe rules for data protection and integrity.Clear and concise access rules for clinical information systems spells out by this model. Furthermore, it reflects current best clinical practice, and it’s informed by the actual threats to privacy, its objective is to the maximum number of records accessed by any user, and at the same time the number of users who can access any record and this has to do with controlling information flows across rather than down and at the same time a strong notification property should be enforced.I will also discuss its relationship with other existing security policy models available, and the possibility of its usage in other applications where information exposure must be localized, which ranges from private banking to the management of intelligence data , and much more. Another area in which laboratories could benefit by using the Bell-Lapadula model is the multi million dollar drug industry, which requires a high level of security and confidentiality since drug research sensitive, and results or findings in an ongoing research may sometimes need to be kept from unauthorized persons.Description of the Deliverables: This research will be conducted by investigating the possible practical applications of the Bell-Lapadula model. This would be conducted and tested physically and objectively. A prototype will be built in order for it to be properly tested, since it is practical. The testing stage will involve programming codes for different levels of security and the objective is to find out if security can be breached at any stage. Evaluation Criteria Evaluation of the involve the Resource Plan:The equipment, software, and other materials necessary to complete the project, how they are to be provided, and what the financial costs will be, such as travel. Project Plan and Timing: Anticipated milestones and interim deliverables. A detailed timetable (schedule) of the stages, including the estimated finishing date, is a must. Stages will be reviewed with the sponsor and Dissertation Advisor. Don’t simply list the stages of the project and their timetables, but supply information what is done in each of them with special emphasis on the last stage of the project.Risk Assessment: A description of what obstacles may arise and contingency plans to meet them. One aspect that should be considered here is the availability of the software and hardware you intend to use and, if you need to interface several pieces of software, whether this is known to be possible. Quality Assurance: How progress on your project will be monitored and how success at each stage will be assessed. This may include, but should not be limited to, the formal project assessments.