Sunday, October 13, 2019

Theories On Domestic Violence Causes

Theories On Domestic Violence Causes Previously there has been a lot of work done to determine the causes of domestic violence and their relationship with it. This literature review focuses on the theories related to causes of domestic violence and highlights the key findings of these theories. This literature review is a summary of selected sources which directly or indirectly address domestic violence and its causes. Sources range from academic research papers, other literature reviews, scholarly articles and online books. Work and family have reciprocal relationship with each other and this has been proved by the research and the effects of one are spilled onto other. Occupational spillover effects are best explained by feminist and work-family theories because work and violence are gendered. Research that was done previously has ignored issue of violence when analyzing occupational spillover and has only focused on occupations influencing workers identities health outcomes, renting styles and health outcomes. Relationship is being discovered by researchers between interpersonal conflicts and arguments at work leading to arguments at home. There are few family violence researchers who have focused on occupational characteristics affecting intimate relationships. Occupational violence spillover means that men in physical violent jobs are more likely to cause violence on their partners because they have learnt at work that violence Is a legitimate way to exercise control on their partners. Compensatory masculinity focuses on work-family linkages and according to this, men who are unable to earn satisfactory income level and are dissatisfied in their working environment try to gain satisfaction at home by perpetrating violence at their female partners. It has been found by family violence researchers that men in blue collar, male dominated occupations have higher rates of domestic violence as compared to men having white collar jobs but the issue has not been examined thoroughly. Research has concluded that men in physically violent occupation usually bring their work home in the form of violence and their female partners suffers from occupational spillover. Few work-family researchers have focused on the role of occupational stress in causing domestic violence on intimate partner and are unable to explain the root causes of violence. Research on intimate partner violence has explained the connection between income, education and employment with violence. Marital dependency (Kalmuss Straus, 1990; Straus, Gelles, Steinmetz, 1980) and stress frustration theories (Holtzworth-Munroe, Bates, Smutzler, Sandin, 1997; Riggs, Caulfield, Street, 2000; Straus, 1990; Straus et al.) view income, education, and employment as indicators of access to economic resources. According to Anderson, women face risk of abuse due to power differences rather than sociodemographic position. Traditional status of men along with several sociodemographic factors such as income, education, employment, race and social class increases the risk for women to face intimate partner violence. Marital dependency theory suggests that women are financially, educationally and occupationaly dependent on their male partners which limits their ability to end violent relationships. 1986). Lupri, Grandin, and Brinkerhoff (1994) suggest that because men hol d the majority of high paying positions in society, it follows that they also command higher power in have adverse effects on marital relationships. Rogers and Amato (1997) and Rubin (1994) find that husbands with low level of income are likely to feel more insecure and consequently the couple will experience more marital problems. Socioeconomic differences favouring women are often viewed as uncomfortable and problematic by male partners. According to Jasinski (2001), violence is used by men to construct traditional masculinity and when men are unemployed and unable to financially support their family, they use violence as a mean to regain their masculinity. Researchers have analyzed the impact of mens and womens financial contributon to household income and have concluded that overall poverty increases the risk of violence rather than income disparity between intimate partners. (Anderson, 1997; McCloskey). Moreover, employment is also considered as an important factor causing violence and according to Macmillan Gartner, a woman is more likely to experience violence when she is employed and has a higher job status compared to her husband. Many researchers have also found that women with higher education compared to their partners face greater risk of intimate partner violence than women with lower education (Hornung et al DeKeseredy and Hinch (1991) Family violence and feminist researchers have focused on the role played by socioeconomic factors in causing partner violence but the literature lacks the exact role played by these factors in causing physical and emotional abuse so there is a continuous need to explore the relationship between income, employment and education with partner violence. Empirical analysis of the different forms of intimate partner violence and physical abuse is required to be done. According to feminist theories, men perpetuate violence in order to maintain power and control and family violence researchers have concluded that structural environment plays an important role in causing domestic abuse. It has been found that elements of structural environment such as age, race, cohabition, educational and income resources have a relationship with domestic violence and these same structural elements do not lead to the violence in a similar fashion by men. Previously the role of cultural constructions of gender was ignored by the researchers and in most studies violence perpetrated by men is examined only. Moreover. Gender theorists argue that social constructs create masculinity and femininity and construction of feminine identity is much easier as compared to the construction of masculine identity. (Connell, 1987). Men try to maintain their masculinity by obtaining higher levels of income, more education and greater occupational prestige than women (Gerson, 1993; S egal, 1990). Men with higher educational resources and earning less income are more likely to perpetrate violence on their female partners than with lower educational resources and higher income (Fagot, Leinbach, Hagan, 1986). Men use violence as a mean to maintain and re establish their power and control when they are deprived of material resources in their lives (Goldschneider Waite, 1991). The study conducted by Horning Mcullough concluded that partners hold different expectations regarding decision making and housework when they have different educational levels. The relationship between education and domestic violence should be studied more closely in the research because their relationship has been found inconsistent in the past studies (Lupri et al., 1994). Theories focusing on socioeconomic causes of domestic violence must be integrated with feminist theories to better understand the problem. There is a dire need of future research that should analyze and examine the interrelationship of sociodemographic factors and structures of gender and power. Strong relationship between domestic violence and age,cohabiting status, unemployment and socioeconomic status has been found by sociologists using national survey techniques. A link between stress and domestic assaults has been found by studies (Straus et al., 1980). Gender of victims and perpetrators hold a great importance when examining causes of domestic violence but the literature lacks an analysis of how and why gender matters in spousal violence. Furthermore, past studies of resource the ory has limitations. One limitation is that the data is collected from one partner leading to gendered reporting bias. The literature lacks the emipirical and theoretical analysis of how gender matters in the relationship between resources and violence. Research indicates that domestic violence may arise from feelings of low personal control among men and it negatively influences the personal control of women. According to perpetrator literature, feelings of personal control play a vital role in causing domestic abuse and the characteristics of perpetrator are low self esteem, poor self control and a high need for control. Research has proved that various aspects of social structural environment influences the mens ability to perpetuate violence on women and these aspects are poverty social resources, stress and unemployment. A link has been found between socio structural conditions and domestic violence by the researchers. According to feminist theories, violence is used as an instrumental act by men when they have little control over an element of their environment such as unemployment and fewer resources to maintain or re-establish their sense of control.. According to studies conducted earlier, gender greatly influences personal control and domestic violence. Johnson (1995) suggests that there may be gender differences in motivation to control, physical strength differences that make violence effective, normative acceptability of control, inclination to use violence for control. According to Kirkwood (1993), men uses their personal resources and physical power to exert control on their female partners and if they also have access to more resources, they can use these to exert further control. Research conducted earlier has indicated that relationship between personal control and domestic violence is different for men and women and the experience of abuse is entirely different for men and women. The literature has focused on men regarding control and domestic violence but it has not empirically tested the relationship between personal control and domestic violence The literature is quite broad and vague when examining male control and domestic violence and it suggests that men initiate partner violence because they have little control over their partners and circumstances of their lives. More research should be conducted to find out more relationships among personal control and domestic violence and how the association is different for men and women. Moreover, there is a need of finding out possible gender differences using qualitative research. There are many socioeconomic factors leading to domestic violence but the most important ones are poverty and low income. (Greenfeld et al., 1998; Rennison Welchans,2000, Tjaden Thoennes, 1998). According to interpersonal perspectives, the factors contributing to domestic violence are within the relationship conflict and ineffective conflict resolution increases the risk of violence for women. Family members aid in perpetuating violence on women violence (Hamberger Hastings 1993, Cunningham et al 1998, Healey et al 1998, Eisikovits Edleson 1989, Jewkes 2002). The most widely accepted theory of violence is that some groups in the society encourages the use of violence on women. According to feminist researchers, there are several control tactics used by men to exert power and control on women.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Dam Debate :: Environmental John Muir Ecology Essays

The Dam Debate In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, John Muir, a naturalist, and Marsden Manson, an engineer for the city of San Francisco, engaged in a heated debate over the construction of a dam in Hetchy Hetchy Valley. Muir wanted to preserve nature for the future, so he objected to the dam because he felt it would destroy the beauty of the area. On the other hand, Manson believed building a dam would provide water and electricity to the thousands of people who lived in the city of San Francisco, and this would preserve the well being of the human race for the future. Both men had good points and arguments to support their views; however, in the end you have to look out for your own kind. If there is a choice about the well being of the human race or nature, I believe there is only once choice to be made – the future support of the human race. John Muir supported saving Hetchy Hetchy Valley for several reasons. He believed building a dam would close the area to the public and restrict access for people to enjoy the outdoors through camping, hiking, or just getting in touch with nature (Muir). Manson, however, believed that there was more need to provide a future source of water and electricity to the tens of thousands of people who lived in the city during that time (Manson). It is possible that Manson saw the influx of people moving to San Francisco and knew the population would explode over the years and thus, saw the need for preserving some basic essential needs for human survival. He felt that preserving nature for a few hundred people who might go hiking or camping was far less important than preserving the human race. We all know that electricity is not an essential need to survive, because people have lived by fire and candlelight for centuries, but water is essential to survival. Another argument that was discussed was building a dam would exclude the public to the watershed above the dam. This was only partially true because it would only be closed for about three and a half months of the year. Yosemite Valley had been doing this for decades to keep Tuolumne Meadows clean. Closing the area for a brief time as Yosemite Valley does would be for the same reason – to keep the watershed clean.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Critical Thinker Essay

Gandhi When you hear the name Mahatma Gandhi, what’s the first thing you think of? The terms nonviolence, civil disobedience, and mahatma (meaning great soul) are what most people will likely think hearing his name. From being raised as a child in India, to attending law school in England, to his countless movements for Indian freedom, to his tragic assassination, Gandhi and his critical thinking have helped pave the way for others who have brought change to our world. Born October 2, 1869 in the small state of Porbandar, located in the western part of India, Gandhi means grocer.The name came from generations earlier in which that had been his family’s occupation. He attended school where as a child he tended to run home from school for fear of being of being made of fun of because he had difficulty with multiplication. Another interesting fact about Gandhi is that he was married at age thirteen, as it was arranged and quite common in India. Gandhi's first true insight into nonviolence came when he stole gold from his brother. He felt guilty for doing so and eventually confessed to his father, who instead of being mad at him, wept. Information above from http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi01. htm) This is where his journey to the great accomplishments he would reach later in his life began. Gandhi would go on to attend law school in London and eventually return home. He had only graduated with enough information to know English laws, not Indian/Hindu laws. He was given an opportunity by a large Indian firm where he was to travel to South Africa to assist in a legal case in court. He told his family goodbye as he went forth â€Å"to try his luck in South Africa†.Not only did he have luck; he would end up discovering himself, his philosophy, and his following from this expenditure. (http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi02. htm) While on a train ride, a white passenger had protested to the officials and Gandhi was ordered to a lower clas s region. When he refused to move because he had a first class ticket, he was kicked off the train. Sitting alone in the cold that that evening, he realized he had two choices; fight for his rights or go back to India. He chose to fight for his rights and the rights for all people.After a difficult first week, he decided to gather the local Indians to discuss their horrible conditions. As more meetings were held, Gandhi soon knew the problems they experienced (couldn't vote, own homes, go out without permit, or even walk on public roads). (Information from http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi03. htm) In Gandhi's attempt to bring equality to the Indian people, he was a strong believer in nonviolence. One time, while protesting peacefully outside a building for the Black Act, Gandhi was arrested. Read Critical Essay about Skurzynski’s NethergraveThis would be his first of a few different times he spent in jail. One of Gandhi's most known nonviolent/civil disobedience protests would be the salt march. They traveled 200 miles to the sea to extract salt from it as a way of fighting back against the British Salt Tax. As they picked up the salt, some were arrested. And this lead to more nonviolent protests that caused British shops and mills to close. In a march following the salt march, policemen became violent against Gandhi's followers, who in return did not fight back.The world took notice of this and embraced the nonviolence shown. This would eventually enable India to gain their freedom from Britain. Unfortunately, Gandhi was assassinated one late afternoon during a group prayer. (Information from http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi14. htm) Even with his assassination, his philosophy of nonviolence/civil disobedience still lives on. Civil disobedience, nonviolence , and truth are pillars in Gandhian thought that would be used by others who wished to seek change for people (above information from http://www. ahatma. com/php/showNews. php? newsid=52;linkid=1). Martin Luther King Jr. would adopt Gandhi's philosophy and use it in his fight against discrimination of African Americans in the United States. Gandhi came from a humble beginning and was able to make a difference that not only helped free his people, but would be the sparks for another man’s dream have all people be equal and free. References http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi01. htm (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 14) http://www. mahatma. com/php/showNews. php? newsid=52&linkid=10

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Referee Report for Economics Manuscript Essay

â€Å"Different Risk-Adjusted Fund Performance Measures: A Comparison† Summary This paper compares various risk-adjusted performance measures for a set of mutual funds. The authors argue that performance measures based on Value-at-Risk (VaR) or Extreme Value Theory (EVT) are more appropriate than other popular performance measures such as the Sharpe ratio (SR), the Treynor index (TI) or Jensen ´s Alpha (JA) . They propose a performance index similar to the SR and the TI based on losses calculated by means of VaR together with EVT. They find that EVT-VaR measures are more appropriate in the presence of non-normal data. Main Comments The topic of the paper is of relevance for financial practitioners as well as academics and it is certainly applicable to the current financial stability context. The paper is also generally wellwritten. However, I have some comments for its improvement. 1. The contribution of the paper is not clearly stated. In the 6th paragraph of the introduction, the authors suggest that their main contribution is the construction of a performance index based on EVT-VAR. However, it is not very clear why the new proposed measure should be better in relation to existing measures as it is now explained. It is true that VaR or EVT should be more reliable measures for extreme events but when looking at formula (13) it is not apparent why this measure should be more reliable than the traditional measures. The denominator has, in fact, an â€Å"extreme return† as opposed to the SR or TI which have strictly second moments, so it is not very straight forward to relate these measures. A better job should be done at explaining the implications of such VaR based measure, how it relates to other measures and why it should be better. 2. Why have the measures been compared only in a â€Å"static† way? It is widely known in the finance literature that asset return volatility is time-varying, and to some extent, also expected returns. It would be possible to go around the latter by arguing market efficiency (which is also questionable) but it is certainly much more difficult to argue against time-variability of the standard deviation in the VaR measures (or in the SA and TI ratios). This is very important as the â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad† applicability of a particular performance measure could be sample dependent and as it is now with unconditional measures, this is hard to uncover. For instance, while the authors account for nonnormality of returns in the modified-VaR measure by means of a Corner-Fisher quantile, they assume a constant standard deviation which means that in periods of high volatility they could still understate the VaR. So at the minimum, the performance comparisons should be done for the full sample and different sub-samples and it should be tested whether the measures obtained are significantly different over different samples. 3. The authors concentrate on top 10 and bottom 10 funds for their analysis and discarded the other funds â€Å"for the sake of simplicity†. However, by choosing only the â€Å"tail† funds, the authors are giving from the start an advantage to EVT or VaR measures. It would be more appropriate to also report results on (say) 10 â€Å"mid† funds. 4. It is not very clear why the top 10 funds â€Å"show more departures from normality† in relation to bottom funds. This finding should be expanded and the intuition behind it should be better explained. One could argue that â€Å"losers† could be more volatile than â€Å"winners† as the level of uncertainty with respect to the fund might increase which could lead to more extreme returns. In fact, in the 3rd paragraph of the empirical result section it says â€Å"the bottom 10 funds have, in general, higher VaR values than the top ones, which means that they are more susceptible to extreme events† which is somewhat contradictory with the finding that the top 10 funds exhibit more departures from normality. Moreover, one of the main findings of the study is that the VaR and EVT performance measures perform best in relation to other measures when there are more departures from normality in returns. A better attempt to reconcile the findings of nonnormality, the â€Å"winner vs. looser† funds and the results on the performance measures with some previous studies or satisfactory intuition should be done. Other comments 1. The contributions of the paper should be stated earlier in the paper and not almost at the end of the introduction as it is now. The contributions should be clearer (see also point 1 above) and should be better related to the existing relevant literature. 2. The conclusion is too long. The concluding remarks should be much shorter and should only summarize the main findings and reconcile them with the issues raised in the introduction as well as highlight possible extensions for future work. 3. The tables should also be improved. They should have a short description of the contents to facilitate reading. As it is now, the reader has to constantly come back to the main text to find out what the contents mean. 4. The figures are hardly visible, they should also be improved and a short explanation should be given.

Drug Addiction as Depicted in the Movie “Ray”

I have watched two movies: â€Å"Ray† and â€Å"Traffic.†Ã‚   I choose to focus on the movie â€Å"Ray† for a more realistic portrayal of drug abuse.   In this movie, drugs were used as a chief escape of the blind protagonist, Ray Charles Robinson, from the loneliness of being apart from the normal crowd of people who can see.     Ã‚  He resorted to drugs to forget his condition and to have a sense of belongingness.The movie begins in the year 1948 up to 1979 when the state of Georgia made a public apology to Ray Charles for banning him for life from his refusal to perform in a segregated concert.   It was a time when racial discrimination was institutionalized, where Negroes (as they were politically called back then) were made to sit at the back of a bus with a â€Å"colored† demarcation line, where certain places where â€Å"for whites only.†Such attitudes are not prevalent anymore today. Much has happened since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and America and the world has now learned to accept diversity of people’s colors and culture as part of life.   Black people who were called Negroes are now politically termed African-Americans.Much has also changed in musical tastes since Ray Charles’ time.   He introduced what is now known as soul music which was a blend of gospel and R&B in â€Å"I’ve Got a Woman,† a song dedicated to his wife Della Bea.   It was considered sacrilegious at that time.   Nowadays, although soul is still alive, the music scene is full of hip-hop songs with sexually charged lyrics coupled with videos of the same taste. Gospel music is also slowly carving out a significant market niche and not anymore confined to places of worship.The central character of Ray Charles is the compelling drug addict in the movie.   His downward spiral towards drug abuse started in 1948 in a small gig in a seedy Seattle club called The Rocking Chair.   The announcer, a midget man called Oberon, offered him marijuana or â€Å"weed† to calm Ray’s nerves before an impromptu performance.   This is a very believable scene since it was Ray’s first club performance and venture outside of Florida.   He was a nervous journeyman and considered a greenhorn.   It was within his character to be accepting of anything new and seemingly helpful to the current situation.Later in the movie he was introduced to heroin by a member of his band, Fathead Newman.   Ray tried the drug out of curiosity despite his bandmates’ caution.   He found out that it could take him to places he had never been before, a description and justification of most drug addicts.   This was a believable portrayal because the movie shows his pitiful isolation from his mates while on the road. They would all go out after a performance while Ray was left to tend to himself alone.   His mates would oftentimes shoot themselves up with drugs in a room and pr event Ray from coming in.   There was an undertone of a need to belong and be part of a group coupled with the usual sense of adventure to try something new.Throughout the whole movie, I see Della Bea, Ray Charles’ persevering wife, as an enabler.   She exhibits avoidance when she found out about Ray’s addiction to heroin.   She could not put up a strong argument with Ray so she compromised when their first child was born by telling Ray not to bring the road to the home she was trying to build for him and their kids.   This somehow meant that he must not openly do his drug routine at home so as not to badly influence the kids. This was also Della Bea’s way to keep the peace since Ray is a very strong-willed person to deal with.   She also repressed and restrained her own feelings of hurt at first to try to understand Ray’s addiction thus in a way became an enduring spectator of her husband’s addiction hoping that he would come to his sens es for the bad habit to pass.I have seen the movie previously and I see that Ray’s drug abuse could have been unnecessary.   He had a loving wife and they were blessed with three kids and affluence that was beyond his dreams.   Any ordinary person would have been thankful for the things he had.   However, he had his own demons to deal with and probably they were driving him to the edge of sanity and his only escape, a fast one, was the high that heroin brought to his senses.   One answer is clear though, drugs never contributed something good to his life.Works CitedRay. Dir. Taylor Hackford. 2004. Videocassette. Universal Pictures, 2006.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Healthcare Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Healthcare Policy - Essay Example changes in accordance to providing an effective healthcare policy, and how it helps in the dimension of population health is included into the main body. The last section includes concluding response to this problem. The method is particularized examination of the literature together with the critical summarizing and personal inferences on the topic. Healthcare policy is considered to be a number of complexes concerning social and political processes that are directed on providing medical care to the population of the country (Barr, 2011). All factors and forces that provide an influence on the implementation of medical treatment for people are included to the dimension of the term healthcare policy. That is an essential branch concerning social stability and health of population. The United States of America is regarded as a country with highly developed and rather effective system of healthcare policy (Niles, 2014). The majority of population in this country is able to use medical services in order to be successfully treated with the health insurance suggested by the governmental institutions rules (Niles, 2014). Healthcare policy and regulations in USA are functioned to construct rather effective and prosperous conditions in the dimension of medicine for American population. Moreover, the quality of treatment and medical care in USA stays in a high level. Preparation of medical specialists together with modern equipment represents the basis of medical care in this country (Barr, 2011). We may stay the idea about highly developed and completely improved system of health care in the USA. The matter is that medical services in USA are provided by special insurance and this is what covers the cost of treatment for the population (Niles, 2014). People who are able to pay for the reliable insurance are pretended to be treated immediately and with the highest quality. People with low social status or with low income they are deprived from an appropriate free

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

EAST ASIA IN THE MODERN WORLD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

EAST ASIA IN THE MODERN WORLD - Essay Example The Korean immigrants were able to secure employment opportunities, for example, textile manufacturing, construction, and mining (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais 516). In addition, the living conditions of the Immigrants were enhanced due to the earnings they got from their cheap labor. The Korean immigrants were massacred in 1923, after the Great Kanto Earthquake. Also, the immigrant workers experienced extremely harsh conditions in their places of work (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais 514). Some workers were beaten and others lynched in their different places of work. A large number of immigrants from Japan moved from their native lands to different areas as a surge of reverse migration. In addition, these Japanese immigrants moved to other regions because Japan had won numerous wars during this time. Also, during this period, approximately eight hundred thousand Japanese citizens moved to Asia and the Pacific, Russia, South and North America. These people migrated to the different areas to seek appropriate economic opportunities (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais 521). Moreover, approximately two and a half million Japanese individuals moved to Japanese colonies such as Korea, the South Sea Islands, Taiwan, and Sakhalin. The Japanese immigrants were able to access employment positions in the different service and manufacturing industries. The immigrants produced development and change to the lives of the immigrants (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais 521). The Japanese immigrants were able to get access to improved opportunities to achieve their objectives, enhanced prospects, and enhanced living conditions Natives of the different countries treated the Japanese immigrants as inferior. Also, these immigrants experienced social exclusion in the host nations due to ethnic prejudiced exhibited in the different social institutions (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais 524). These people moved to different areas