Overpopulation in the Philippines Essay

It has been a politically perceived issue that there is over population in the Philippines. This issue has been constantly blamed for the aggravating poverty situation. One side is claiming that unbridled population increase is putting so much strain on the financial and food resources of the country that more and more Filipinos are no longer eating three square meals a day. Economic rating system is also stating a poor Filipino family is earning just below $1 per day. This certainly can hardly feed a family of 4 or more. On the other side, it is claimed that the cause of poverty is government corruption. They rightfully claim that while it’s true that the poor are constantly increasing, and that the income gap between them and the next economic level is likewise widening, financial resources that are intended to support the poor are being pocketed by corrupt government officials. Population is not the cause of poverty, corruption is, the Catholic Church claims. The government is keen on crafting remedies to curb population. Several laws have been passed to curb corruption. But since they lack heavy punitive measures, they became hardly effective. Corruption has already downgraded the country’s economic standing that adversely affected our capability to borrow money from credit or financial institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. So the government resorted to drafting a bill that drew the ire of the conservative and the Catholic Church. Foremost is the reproductive health bill, which was authored by Senator Pia Cayetano and Congressman Edcel Lagman. The bill underwent rough sailing on the legislative seas. The President is set to sign the bill into law before 2012 ends. DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUE Reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system at all stages of life. Reproductive health, therefore, implies that people are able to have a responsible, satisfying and safer sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. One interpretation of this implies that men and women ought to be informed of and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of birth control; also access to appropriate health care services of sexual, reproductive medicine and implementation of health education programs to stress the importance of women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth could provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant. On the other hand individuals do face inequalities in reproductive health services. Inequalities vary based on socioeconomic status, education level, age, ethnicity, religion, and resources available in their environment. It is possible for example, that low income individuals lack the resources for appropriate health services and the knowledge to know what is appropriate for maintaining reproductive health. As a personal opinion, reproductive health is also the ability of a couple – a man and a woman – to reproduce and raise children. It is a genetic process of increasing the number of the earth’s inhabitants which continuously work for their own sustenance or provide for their basic needs to survive – food, shelter, etc. But the disproportionate increase of population vis-à  -vis resources, the consequentially widening disparity between these two elements is putting strains on both the natural and financial resources. Science has undertaken remedies to increase food production and sustain natural resources. Sustainable development is employed. There are successes in several countries, especially in rich countries. But other countries, particularly the third world, where governments are  beleaguered by ineptitude and corruption have hardly taken off. The Philippines, for example, continue to lag behind in development and food production due to this problem. Over population, as the government and credit or financial institutions claim, is thus blamed as the cause of underdevelopment and poverty. Credit or financial institutions which provide loans to poor countries for development therefore advise poor countries to curb population or their resources shall be depleted and their ability to borrow money from them regulated or limited. In this light, third world or poor countries like the Philippines had to craft laws that they believe could solve the problem of over population. Thus enters the reproductive health law, other government policies intended to curb over population in the pipeline. The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10354), informally known as the RH Law, is a legislation in the Republic of the Philippines guaranteeing universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the Philippine government and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as condoms, birth control pills (BCPs) and IUDs, as the government continues to disseminate information on their use through all health care centers. On October 2012, a revised version of the legislation was re-named the Responsible Parenthood Act and was filed in the House of Representatives as a result of re-introducing the bill under a different impression after overwhelming opposition in the country, especially from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. The law is highly divisive and controversial, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process. Debates and rallies proposing and opposing the bills, with tens of thousands of opposition particularly those endorsed by the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church and various other conservative groups, have  been happening nationwide. It has polarized the Filipino nation. PRESENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE VIEWS Differing opinions have emerged from various sectors and divided the people into the â€Å"pros† and â€Å"cons† – or those against and for the RH Law. The Catholic Church, whose doctrine of pro-life as understood from the bible, is firmly against the Reproductive Health bill; and position is absolute and uncompromising, said an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). There is no way that the Church will soften its position against the controversial bill. It allegedly opposes the bill because of its anti-life provisions, or the contraceptive program it engenders. The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) also joined the Catholic Church’s voice in opposing the bill. These groups propose that the best form of birth regulation is self-discipline. Instead of allotting P2 billion from taxpayer’s money for the purchase of contraceptives, CEAP has urged lawmakers to use the money for education, livelihood and basic public services. The same position is shared by other groups and some conservative religious denominations which value life right at conception or the union of the woman’s egg cell and the man’s sperm cell. These â€Å"cons† reason that over population is not the problem, or that there is no over population. The purported over population stems from the fact that the government has failed to developed provinces or areas beyond the metropolitans areas. Metropolitan Manila and its suburban cities are booming while remote provinces are simply relying on primitive farming and minimally supported livelihood. In search of the needed fund to support livelihood in their home province, some people thus migrate to the cities to find work. Government has allocated some fund to sustain agriculture livelihood. Unfortunately, this is not sufficient to effect significant progress on farming system. Moreover, corrupt officials tasked to administer the fund  tend to pocket some of the funds. Faming infrastructures funded by local taxes and foreign donations are limited, thus unable to lift the struggling rural economy. The poor farmers have already been subservient to private lenders and banks. And their produce has only become fodder for loan sharks, who lend these farmers virtually everything they need including their food. In effect, they could hardly recover, to whom their produce would simply go as payment for their debts. To the pro-RH Bill, they claim that the reproductive health bill would allow greater access to modern contraceptives and sex education. It allegedly proposes more maternal health services, raising the number of midwives to one for every 150 deliveries. Contraceptives would also be funded for poor women and would be included in the standard supplies of medicine in hospitals. Modern family planning methods would be provided in all accredited health facilities. The bill, allegedly, will provide adequate funding to the population program. It is a departure from the present setup in which the provision for reproductive health services is devolved to local government units, and consequently, subjected to the varying strategies of local government executives and suffers from a dearth of funding. It will promote information on and access to both natural and modern family planning methods, which are medically safe and legally permissible. It assures an enabling environment where women and couples have the freedom of informed choice on the mode of family planning they want to adopt based on their needs, personal convictions and religious beliefs. It does not have any bias for or against either natural or modern family planning. It will also promote sustainable human development. Taken as a basis for the â€Å"pros† stand, the UN stated in 2002 that family planning and reproductive health are essential to reducing poverty. The UNICEF also asserts that family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology now available to the human race. According to this group, coverage of RH are the following: (1) Information and access to natural and modern family planning (2) Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition (3) Promotion of breast feeding (4)  Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications (5) Adolescent and youth health (6) Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STDs (7) Elimination of violence against women (8) Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health (9) Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers (10) Male involvement and participation in RH; (11) Prevention and treatment of infertility and (12) RH education for the youth. The principal author of the RH Bill, Congressman Edcel Lagman of Albay, claims that the bill is not anti-life, totally discrediting the â€Å"cons† stand, but allegedly a pro-quality life. Allegedly, it will ensure that children will be blessings for their parents since their births are planned and wanted. Additionally, he stated that the bill will empower couples with the information and opportunity to plan and space their children. This will not only strengthen the family as a unit but also optimize care for children who will have more opportunities to be educated, healthy and productive. The Congressman further stated that the bill does not interfere with family life, but will enhance family life: The family is more than a natural nucleus; it is a social institution whose protection and development are impressed with public interest. It is not untouchable by legislation. For this reason, the State has enacted the Civil Code on family relations, the Family Code, and the Child and Youth Welfare Code. Further according to the Congressman, the bill does not legalize abortion: It expressly provides that abortion remains a crime and prevention of abortion is essential to fully implement. (To this, the Catholic Church countered that the Reproductive Health Bill as a precursor will eventually pave the way for more anti-life policies, like legalization of abortion and divorce, which are already in the pipeline). He used comparative reports or information to bolster his position. He stated that it is not true all countries where contraceptive use is promoted eventually legalize abortion. Many Catholic countries criminalize abortion even as they vigorously promote contraceptive use like Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Paraguay and Ireland. The Muslim and Buddhist countries of Indonesia and Laos also promote contraceptive use yet proscribe abortion. According to studies, correct and regular use of contraceptives reduces abortion rates by as much as 85 percent and negates the need to legalize  abortion. Furthermore, contraceptives, allegedly, do not have life-threatening side effects. Medical and scientific evidence shows that all the possible medical risks connected with contraceptives are infinitely lower than the risks of an actual pregnancy and everyday activities. The author also claims that the bill simply recognizes the verifiable link between a huge population and poverty. Unbridled population growth stunts socioeconomic development and aggravates poverty. The connection between population and development is well-documented and empirically established. However, in countries where population control is prevalent, there is now evidence that they are wanting of more able and young workforce. Japan for instance is having problem with its ageing workforce to sustain its preeminent economic standing. The country has practiced population control in order to create huge surplus of resources and production which they sell or trade abroad to infuse large income to its export-oriented economy. Sadly, the country is now experiencing workforce shortage. Population control has become detrimental to their economic progress. On the other hand, China, the world’s most populous nation, is now enjoying economic boom due to a huge supply of human resource. The country is able to provide cheap labor to industrial countries around the world with huge economic benefit. This could prove that over population is not completely the cause of poverty. Considering some demographic profiles, some provinces are more populated than others on a person per area basis. There is just disproportionate distribution of inhabitants. Metro Manila is over populated due to unregulated influx of rural people in search of menial or professional work. Work pay is the difference. While Metro Manila is offering wages which comply with lawful rates, provincial wages are lesser. The amenities are like conspicuous everywhere in Metro Manila than anywhere in Luzon. Worldly things are just hard to resist that many people are flocking to Metro Manila. The same thing happens in metropolitan cities of the Visayas and Mindanao. Consequently, farms are somewhat abandoned for the sake of seeking financial gains from working in factories or offices. This exodus of farm workers leaving the farm could somehow create a vacuum in the farms. Food production thus construed as a sign of poverty. There appears to be three major points of view from which to approach the controversial reproductive health bill, namely: legal, moral, and scientific. This is so since, the proposed legislative measure once enacted into law will affect society. In short, there are many stakeholders by differing institutional concerns. It then becomes difficult to erect a tripod to hold the issue that has carried so much weight. There are those who think, once legislated, the proposed Reproductive Health will in fact set the stage for other anti-life laws or so-called D.E.A.T.H. bills (acronym for death, euthanasia, abortion, two-child policy, and homosexuality). The problem that has been viciously overlooked in our legislative mill is the fact that legislators themselves violate the rule that a bill should have only one subject matter. Up until today, there is a serious opposition to a reproductive health bill in whatever form or substance it comes simply because there are such groups or organizations that are against it. For instance, the CBCP is against it and for that matter other like-minded Catholic sub-groups. True enough, from the time it was first filed in the past Congresses, the bill already experienced a string of failures – to be passed into law – owing to provisions that are questionable legally, morally, and scientifically. It can be said that again, this proposed HB 812 may go through another rough sailing unless it can be railroaded in Congress and Senate. One theory stands in defense of the bill which claims it is necessary in order to curb population growth which is now pegged at 86 million Filipinos as well as for the sake of limited resources such as rice. But the myth of this Malthusian fear has already been settled long ago and it does not anymore hold water. Why a ‘zero population growth’ as that which was a  matter of policy in the whole of the United States and Europe? If we consider the earnings being remitted into our country from OFWs as the single factor that buoys up our fledging if pale economy, then we should have no reason to argue against this bill. That ‘zero population policy’ practiced by countries in the First Bloc now reached the irreversible scenario of a graying population that depletes their respective economies in heavy state subsidies. The National Academy of Science and Technology supports reproductive health bill. The Catholic Church or the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines does not. There are pro-life advocates versus pro-choice advocates. This camp says it involves no abortion, another camp says otherwise. This group claims contraceptives to be abortifacient, another such group claims it is not so. Within the legal community, a wedge divides their sentiments as to whether it is against the Divine Law to allow any room of choice toward abortion or to some extent euthanasia. Cases of abortion do sometimes involve â€Å"life-boat ethics† – that Catch 22 of having to choose which person to save – the unborn babe or the mother. There are issues at every loop, claims at every turn, and cries in every direction the bill takes – for or against. Moralists, legalists, scientists follow their own lines of thinking that are parallel unto one another – no lines intersect. There is where the problem lies. Is it then possible to weave from various strands or threads a beautiful tapestry of the proposed bill? Has it become time to curb population growth or corruption? CONCLUSION Whether it is called reproductive health, or responsible parenthood, the debate is a polarizing one. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines came out with a pastoral letter, on the issue of the Reproductive Health/Responsible Parenthood Bill. Their words, alleging they come from the spring well of morality. It is why when you read, or listen to the pastoral letter, or the position of the Church they think that contraceptives are immoral, or are abominations. There is nothingwrong with that position, and it is a perfectly valid one from a certain point of view. On the other end of the spectrum, the proponents of the Reproductive Health Bill say, â€Å"yes we should.† What the proposed legislation is about: it asks the government to explain to men and women, regardless whether they are married, single or of age, about their human bodies. They teach about a full range of methods— natural family planning, artificial contraceptions, from Condoms to IUDs to the Pil l and the morning after pill and everything else in between. Now, all this isn’t new. Growing up and studying in a Catholic school, these were things taught to us. And at the end of the day, it is about making an informed decision on what’s important to us. Biologically? Men have their urges. Women have their needs. Science tells us that the human race has been around for about 150,000 years. We wouldn’t be here if humans didn’t have those instincts. What the bill proposes to do is to put everything in the forefront. To make informing people mandatory, and to put the choice front and center and readily available for every Filipino, regardless of age, or social status. This chasm is just one of many philosophical differences that make it impossible for both the Pro Reproductive Health and the Anti Reproductive health proponents from ever seeing eye to eye. What of President Aquino? The President during the campaign was explicit. He does not fully support the reproductive health bill in the form that it was during the campaign. He was explicit that he believed that the reproductive health bill should be renamed, responsible parenthood bill. The President’s position, based on his Platform when he ran for public office could be summed up as: 1. He is against abortion; 2. He recognizes that there is a population explosion; 3. He is in favor of giving couples the right to choose to manage their families; 4. He believes in cases where the couple is too poor, or is in no position to make an informed decision that the state must take responsibility. 5. He wants all options to be equally presented. That means including Natural Family planning up to modern family methods. 6. He believes  that Parents should play a key role in ensuring every child they bring into the world will have the opportunity to lead good lives. The Aquino position is a logical and fair one. Parents should really play a role in their family’s future. Giving everyone an informed choice, and letting them decide on what to do, instead of ramming the choice down their throat is the logical thing to do. The proposed legislation then has basically met many of those requirements. So, is this still the Aquino position on the issue? If not, what has changed? Rumor has it that Aquino isn’t so hot on the RH Bill. The President of course looks at the priority legislation and sees what he can pass that does the biggest benefit. Did the President see that putting the Reproductive Health Bill or Responsible Parenthood bill on the agenda would prevent other, equally important legislation sidetracked? This is my disappointment with the Aquino Administration. Just come out and say so, and be honest about the whys on the matter. This is why many of those who supported the Administration are coming out to say, â€Å"this isn’t the change we signed up for.† They are so disillusioned with the state of things. In an issue as charged and as polarizing as Reproductive Health or Responsible Parenthood bill or however legislators want to call it, there is a simple way to break the impasse. The President uses all the power of discernment he has. The President simply decides. The RH Bill is about responsibility. It is about making an informed decision, and it appears not just for Filipinos, but for the President as well. But responsibility is not just for the economic well-being of a person but for his/her spiritual well-being too. When we talk about morals, we also must think about our personal responsibility to our own souls, and faithfulness to the church, being the body of Christ. By following or not following what the church teaches is an expression of personal liberty from the dictates of anyone. However, by following the church, the ultimate dictate for human salvation is paramount. After all, just as Christ Himself used to say in the Gospel, â€Å"Thy faith has saved you†, we shall be saved from our steadfastness to our faith. PUNCHLINES â€Å"Safe and satisfying sex†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Delivered by Sen. Pia Cayetano in her defense of the Reproductive Health Bill, which she authored with Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, which she means to say women should have the right to safe and satisfying sex. This phrase was moved by Sen. Vicente Sotto to be removed from the bill. â€Å"RH bill is being gift wrapped to look like a gift for maternal health care (even if) it will lead to greater crimes against women.† Catholic Bishops Conference Of The Philippines (CBCP) â€Å"Show me the same law!† Reaction of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago to Sen. Vicente Sotto’s statement that the Reproductive Health Bill is redundant â€Å"Is there gender discrimination in Philippine society?†Ã‚  Debate between RH bill sponsor Sen. Pia Cayetano and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile â€Å"Our biggest export is OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). That is export. That’s why I’m against RH.† Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s statement in his opposition to the RH Bill â€Å"Long after we are gone, we will leave behind not just a law but a whole mentality and a whole culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle warned of the bill’s effect on Filipino Culture and the youth.

Dusk by Saki Essay

Another one of Saki’s dark tales, Dusk reveals the author’s ironic view of man’s infinite capacity for misunderstanding one another. Along the duration of the story, the protagonist, Gortsby, watches and observes people scurrying about at dusk, sitting at a park bench. Inwardly, he believes the people whom he observes looked defeated, and reciprocates dusk as a representation of the time of defeat for humans. The short story features an objective limited point of view, most of the characterization of Gortsby occurs through Saki’s pen on Gortsby’s thoughts. The character possesses a cynical view of the human state and has probably experienced some sort of defeat of his own – Saki never mentioned what sort of failure Gortsby was facing, the only information given was that he had no financial troubles. The story emphasizes on the misjudgement of character by Gortsby of the young male; the theme of the dysfunctions of a subjective mind is a rather importunate throughout. Saki shows this through a shift in Gortsby’s trust in the young lad. He was reluctant to believe in a stranger whose story seemed so plentiful at the beginning, but later surrenders to the boy’s mischief in trying to cheat Gortsby for money. Our protagonist not only gave the young boy money, but had also been transformed by the lie woven. He apologizes, â€Å"excuse my disbelief, but appearances were really rather against you†¦ † This shows how easily the human mind is swayed by external forces (in this case, Gortsby was influenced by the young lad’s lie), and the failures of Gortsby’s original claims of being an excellent judge of character when he was obviously unable to see through the young man’s lie. It was only moments later, the first old man returns to the bench, informing Gortsby that he was looking for his bar of soap; the soap of which Gortsby thought was the young man’s. The truth is finally appealed. However, Saki’s left a twist in the ending for readers to guess Gortsby’s reaction, an element of surprise is apparent. From the â€Å"cliff†, readers can presume to guess Gortsby had realized his misjudgement of character and would therefore recognize the dysfunctions of his overtly confident, self-assured judgmental mind.

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New York Experience - Essay Example Starting with the sounds and smells that are a hallmark of summer vacations, the author moves on to the activities and experiences that can be expected to be a part of the summer vacation experiences in a big city. The friendliness and the bonhomie during vacation time are brought out well by the author. It is in its simplicity and the totality of the picture it presents that lie its strengths. These are very plausible experiences that children go through during summer vacations and it is these simple things that linger in the minds, even with the passage of time. It is easy for the reader to become a part of the article, as it contains experiences that are similar to what a reader would have had during the summer vacations as a child. One criticism that could be targeted at the article is the position of the third paragraph, which provides the details of the delights of hot dogs and ice creams consumed during vacation time. At the start of the article the author opens the door to the summer vacation experiences through the sounds and smells of foods that bring joy in summer, but then in the second paragraph digresses to frolic with icy cool water in summer. In the third paragraph, the author returns to food joys of summer. By interchanging the positions of the second and third paragraphs, the criticism of digressing in the article can be removed. The article is simple and there is clarity in what the author wishes to express. There are some places, where better use of English would have helped in making for easier understanding.

Managing and accounting for financial resources Essay

Managing and accounting for financial resources - Essay Example There are two types of financial resources, namely short term financial resources and long term financial resources. 1. Bank advances - The most important source of financing is bank advances. The banks seek security either in the form of hypothecation or in the form of pledge for providing financial assistance, for providing: Revolving Credit - Revolving credit is a special alternative banking system designed for the farmers and other unorganized segments of the society. It is a running overdraft facility offered by the bank to the customers against their anticipated gross income compulsorily to be flowed into the Bank. Purchase/discount of Bills - A bill arises out of a trade transaction. The seller of goods draws the bill on the purchaser. On acceptance of the bill by the purchaser, the seller offers it to the bank for discount/ purchase. The bank will give finance to the seller and collect the amount from the purchaser on the due date. Bankers’ acceptance - A bankers acceptance (BA) is an order to pay a sum of money at a certain date. The BA is created by a banking customer and provided to a third party. The third party presents the BA to the bank. When the bank "accepts" the BA, it is assuming responsibility to make the specified payment. The bank will assume risk as well as provide finance only in direct form of financial assistance. Banks also provide indirect assistance in the form of ‘Letter of credit’. A letter of credit is an arrangement whereby the bank helps its customer to obtain credit from the customer’s suppliers. The bank, by opening a letter of credit, undertakes the responsibility to honour the obligation of its customer in case the customer fails to do so. 2. Supplier Credit term - This is a spontaneous source of finance which is extended by the supplier of goods or services without any specific negotiations. It is given on account of the

Law on Involuntary Manslaughter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7750 words

Law on Involuntary Manslaughter - Essay Example Whereas, an act of involuntary manslaughter is identified as the one that originate from the failure to perform a legal duty expressly required to safeguard human life, from the commission of an unlawful act not constituting a felony, or from the commission of a lawful act in a negligent or improper manner. (Webster's online dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ involuntary%20manslaughter, accessed on 11th April, 2009) According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, manslaughter is defined as: 'in Anglo-American criminal law, a category of criminal homicide that generally carries a lesser penalty than the crime of murder. Different legal systems use different criteria to distinguish the kinds and degrees of unjustified killing'. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Manslaughter, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/ topic/362828/ manslaughter, accessed on 11th April, 2009) In legal context, manslaughter is considered as the unlawful killing of a human being without malice or premeditation, expressed or implied; distinguished from murder, which requires malicious intent. The distinction between manslaughter and murder can be identified as, in the former case, though the act which caused the death is unlawful, either expressed or implied, it is termed as manslaughter, or if committed otherwise, it is termed as murder. Manslaughter also differs from murder because there can be no time for premeditation or preplanning. Manslaughter is voluntary, when it happens upon a sudden heat; or involuntary, when it takes place in the commissioning of some unlawful act. The act of manslaughter becomes voluntary manslaughter if it happens that the defendant had an intention to inflict death or serious injury. But it depends upon the potential liability of the defendant with regard to the circumstances by which the act is committed in relation to the state of mind while the act is done. Provocation or heat of the moment qualifies this. Suppose a husband happens to see his wife sharing the bed with her lover, and in sudden provocation and losing control he commits the killing of his wife, it is termed as manslaughter. (http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/m013.htm, accessed on 11th April, 2009). Precisely, involuntary manslaughter can be identified as an unintentional killing derived out of recklessness or from an act of illegal nature which amounts to misdemeanor. It is a criminally negligent homicide committed with no intention to do it. The decision on Scarlett [1993] 4 All ER 629 illustrates the above distinction. 1. Scarlett [1993] 4 All ER 629 Facts of the Case: The appellant, Mr. John Scarlett, being the owner of Queen's Road Tavern public house in Halifax, was about to close down his tavern on 12th June, 1991 after the day's business, when the deceased, Mr. Larkin approached the appellant for getting service. But the appellant denied service to him. There were some heated arguments over this, and the appellant pushed the deceased towards the doors. They struggled against each other and the only reliable witnesses to this described the appellant's act as 'bundling the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Strategic Plan Assignment

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Strategic Plan - Assignment Example The second reason is the indications that the program will seek to improve the resilience and safety of water infrastructure, as well as the communities. The program also provides a guideline that will facilitate transportation of trade commodities on the coastal channels of the nation as well as inland waterways. The plan will also protect, restore and manage aquatic ecosystems that will benefit the entire country (US Army Corps of Engineers, 2014). After an assessment of the likely advantages of the project, I realize that it is suitable for sustainable water resources management in the country. However, there is a need that the public supports the program to ensure that it succeeds. GPRA requires that strategic plans have six components, which U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fully submitted. The first requirement is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should have a comprehensive mission statement. For this case, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a statement that is to deliver vital engineering for military and public management services. The mission also seeks to provide partnerships in peace and war to energize the American economy and strengthen the security of the country (General Accounting Ofï ¬ ce, 1997). The second requirement by GPRA is that the agency should have long-term objectives and goals for all critical functions of operations. The next item is the organization should provide strategies that will ensure the attainment of the set goals and objectives as well as those that it targets annually. Considerably, the strategic plan of the institution will occur for both long and short-term projects. There are also mechanisms laid down that will ensure tha t the set objectives become a reality. At the same time, there are relationships between the long-term plans and the annual goals. The latter point is in line with GPRA’s fourth requirement of the institution.An analysis of the strategic plan indicates that it adheres to the fifth element of GPRA, which is the identification of critical factors that are external to the agency and may affect attainments of the set plans. In addition, there is the need that all strategic plans have a description of the program evaluations used to revise or establish the strategic plans. Considerably, the program is appropriate because it satisfies all the six fields that GPRA requires and works in accordance with the constitution. For this case, the plan is in line with Paperwork Reduction Act 1995 as well as the Clinger-Cohen Act that aim to increase efficiency. For this case, there is a consideration that the public should support the project because of the provision for the fifth element of the GPRA requirements.   

Seminar Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Seminar - Assignment Example Performing traditional duties of kinghood and being a family man does not provide meaning to life because people are hard to manage and staying at home is unproductive. Ulysses believes that being a king seems useless when subordinates are generally unruly. He thinks that kinghood is senseless: â€Å"†¦I mete and dole/Unequal laws unto a savage race† (Tennyson lines 3-4). Kinghood is meaningless when kings cannot control the laws they pass since many people are affecting their decisions, and it is also meaningless because people generally want to do as they please, like savages. Moreover, Ulysses is discontent as a husband and as a father. He thinks it is boring to stay at home with an â€Å"aged wife† † (Tennyson line 3) and be a father to a son who already knows what to do as a king, even better than he can. He says with pride that Telemachus is â€Å"[m]ost blameless† (Tennyson line 39) and he can serve the people and even the â€Å"household godsà ¢â‚¬  well (Tennyson line 42). In other words, Ulysses does not find himself useful in his kingdom. Instead, he is sure that his destiny lies in his ocean adventures where he is free. In order to have a full life, Ulysses intends to be the King of his fate through freedom and traveling. He thinks that staying in Ithaca will make him grow older faster because his body barely moves and his mind deteriorates in seeing the same things. He says that to be a King is â€Å"[t]o rust unburnishd, not to shine in use!† (Tennyson line 23). Ulysses believes that living on land is the same as rusting, while sailing is to shine. In addition, sailing is the only way of life for Ulysses because he meets new people and gains new knowledge from different experiences, whether they are battles or mere social interactions across the world. He believes in the beauty of exploration and making international social connections: â€Å"Much have I seen and known;

Law of Contract Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law of Contract Assessment - Essay Example The competency of the parties to the contract is not under question. It is implied that there exists lawful consideration and the lawful object is the plot of land. Legal position of the seller and buyer Based on the validity of the contract, the legal position derived from the contract is fairly defined in this case. The question of building construction is extraneous to the contract, and going by the facts of the case, the performance of the contract is not contingent upon the building permission. This is also strengthened by the fact that the building permission has never been applied for. The statement of Holger made during the course of conversation with Jaki, the manager of SkyReach â€Å"of course, it [building permission by the local planning department] should be no problem. As I understand it, inner city development is a top priority here† is based on the information available to him, which could not be construed as a statement of an expert by a manager in a real est ate company who is expected to be more knowledgeable in the business. The seller of a property should disclose any material defect in the property. Concealing the information would be an act of fraud. It is only Holger’s understanding, and there is no guarantee or concealment involved. Also, â€Å"the plot is restricted to ‘educational purposes’ only† cannot be treated as defect in property as reservation for various purposes is common; SkyReach could not allege concealment of information, and the contract is also not conditional on specific use of the plot. This aspect is extraneous to the contract, and Jaki had a time of one week to verify the position before entering into the contract after his discussions with Holger. Analysis The permission has been rejected on the grounds that the use of the plot is restricted to ‘educational purposes’ only.   A close analysis of the facts of the case reveals that SkyReach has applied for building perm ission as a rightful owner of the property based on the contract, which it can’t renege. Secondly, reservation of the plot for ‘educational purpose’ exists already, which the SkyReach failed to verify. Thirdly, according to the facts of the case, the sale is not conditional with reference to the purpose for which the plot could be used. The sale of real estate property is enforceable by specific performance in the event of a breach of contract. There are defenses available against specific performance which would avoid specific performance, and the only defence that could be remotely considered as an action in equity is, ‘specific performance would cause severe hardship to SkyReach’, because other defences such as misbehavior and impossibility of performance are not relevant to the case. But, defence against specific performance is not possible due to the reasons discussed under ‘Legal position of the seller and buyer’, based on the fact s of the case and analysis. In Tamplin v James,[1]  Ã‚   defendant, the buyer failed to perform in the contract of sale on the grounds that that he expected that two pieces of garden formed part of the lot, when they were in fact held by a railway company and not the vendor. In this landmark case, the court decreed specific performance for purchase of the land. The defendant’s appeal was unanimously dismissed by the Court of

Issues Regarding the Global Environmental Ethics and Green Spiritualit Essay

Issues Regarding the Global Environmental Ethics and Green Spirituality - Essay Example In the individualist deontologist approach, the adult mammals are thought to have more value than other species. As per ( Palmer,2011,pg.20)â€Å"These environmental ethicists consider that individual organisms have value in themselves, the value that is not necessarily linked with experience, nor to do with states of affairs within the organism. In the holistic approach, the whole of the living beings and the ecosystem is considered as an aesthetical unit.T he most appealing approach is the holistic approach because it considers all living being and ecosystems important. The relationship among living being and nature is given a spiritual meaning. In that sense, we have the obligation to protect nature as our home and Mother. Nature is our home and we need to see the environment as ourselves because of its destruction we destroy ourselves. We need to amend environment policy to reduce air and water pollution, global warming and animal extinction. The author Patrick Dobel in his essay greening of spirituality attempts to bring forth the idea of how religious values the environment and living beings. He has written about the traditional Christian and Jewish view on the environment by giving reference to the Biblical text. The Judeo – Christian view on environmental ethics is presented by the author. He writes that Christianity is an environmentally friendly religion which is peace-loving and tolerant. He argues against people who think Christianity manipulate the environment. He believes that Christianity supports caretaking of environment and sharing benefits equally among all. Patrick Dobel states that the stewardship imperative supposes that the ethical, as well as ecological restrictions, are endowed, adding the mandate to disburse the gains fairly (28-32) The author claims that both Islam, Native American tribal religions have exploited nature. The author does believe that the environmental crisis has its roots in the western world. Industrialization occurred first in West and hence they used natural resource excessively which accounted for environmental exploitation.  

The Outsiders WebQuest Essay Example for Free

The Outsiders WebQuest Essay During this term, we will be reading the novel, The Outsiders. In order to fully understand the context of the story, it is important that you have a clear understanding of the time period. In some ways many things haven’t changed since the 1960s (i.e. gangs, friendship, etc.). However, in other ways, there have been major transformations. Therefore, you will research certain topics in order to gain a fuller understanding of the setting and social contexts of the novel. You will complete the following tasks: Research a given topic Prepare a presentation about the topic by including pictures, facts, sound clips, etc. (poster and/or PowerPoint presentation) Give an oral presentation to the class about the topic Topics: * Music * Fashion * Historical events * Food and entertainment * Celebrities and movies * Greasers and preps/socials Questions to Answer and Websites to Explore Music 1. What kind of music was popular during the 60s? List a few different genres. 2. What music artists were popular? What were the top songs/albums? http://oldfortyfives.com/1964.htm 3. How is the music different from today? Are there any similarities? 4. Do you think the music of the time had a big influence on the generation? Do you think the music of today has an influence on people? Why or why not? 5. Play at least two songs during your presentation (if you do not have the songs, ask a parent or teacher to help you out) http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1965.html Fashion 1. What kind of clothes and shoes were popular during the mid- 1960s? 2. Which hairstyles were popular? 3. What kind of makeup was popular? 4. The Socs wear madras shirts in the book. What do they look like? Give a picture. 5. How are the clothes different from today’s fashion? How are they the same? http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/teen-hair-styles.htm http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/teen-clothing.htm Celebrities and Movies 1. Who were famous actors and actresses during the time period? 2. Who was Paul Newman? Name two of his movies in the 1960s. http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Newman/newman.htm 3. What were some popular movies during the time period? Name three. 4. What were drive-in theatres? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive-in_theater http://www.driveintheater.com/index.htm Food and Entertainment 1. What were some popular dishes of the 1960s? List dishes for different occasions. http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#1960s http://www.keyingredients.org/001_timeline/001_timeline_04.asp?ID=6 2. What were some fads and forms of entertainment during the time period? http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/nostalgiacafe/60sfads.html 3. Historical Events 1. What were some major historical events between the years of  1964-1965? http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1964.html http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1965.html 2. What was the cost of living, petrol, etc. in 1964? 3. What kind of impact do you think these events had on people during the time period? 4. How have things in society changed since the 1960s? Name at least 3 important changes. Socs vs. Greasers 1. Describe a ‘greaser’ by answering the questions below: a. Why were they called ‘greasers’? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greaser_(subculture) b. How did they dress? c. How was their hair? d. What was some ‘greaser’ slang? http://www.stonegreasers.com/greaser/ e. What are the differences between ‘socs’ and ‘greasers’? http://www.amal.k12.nf.ca/projects/grassroots/outsiders/outsiders/8-3/Social%20Classes/socialclasses_files/page0002.htm Group Checklist 1. We have correct spelling and punctuation in our presentation.YESNO 2. We have at least three pictures about our topic.YESNO 3. We have answered all of the questions about our topic.YES NO 4. We have written in complete sentences in our presentation.YES NO 5. Our poster is neat and organized.YES NO IT’S ALL ABOUT ME, MYSELF AND I In the novel, The Outsiders, Ponyboy expresses his feelings in a very poetic way. By doing this, Ponyboy is able to show the reader his true identity: an identity that completely contradicts the stereotype of what society deems to be a greaser. Your goal is to write a poem to express your own identity to show the reader that you are more than a student in a uniform. You will use the templates below to help you express yourself on paper. This will then go  into your identity box. I Am I am (two special characteristics) I wonder (something you are actually curious about) I hear (an imaginary sound) I see (an imaginary sight) I want (an actual desire) I am (the first line of the poem restated) I pretend (something you actually pretend to do) I feel (a feeling about something imaginary) I touch (an imaginary touch) I worry (something that really bothers you) I cry (something that makes you very sad) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) I understand (something you know is true) I say (something you believe in) I dream (something you actually dream about) I try (something you really make an effort about) I hope (something you actually hope for) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) Autobiographical Poem Line 1: Your first name only Line 2: Four traits (adjectives) that describe you Line 3: Son/Daughter of†¦ or brother/sister of†¦ Line 4: Friend of (2 people) Line 5: Lover of (3 people, beliefs, or ideas) Line 6: Who feels (3 sensations or emotions) Line 7: Who finds happiness in (3 items) Line 8: Who needs (3 items) Line 9: Who gives (3 items) Line 10: Who fears (3 items) Line 11: Who hopes †¦(2 changes you would like to happen) Line 12: Who dreams†¦(2 dreams for the future Line 13: Who would like to see (3 items, places) Line 14: Who enjoys (3 items) Line 15: Who likes to wear (3 colors, items) Line 16: Resident of (city or state) Line 17: Your last name IDENTITY BOX You will design and fill a shoebox that will be decorated with things that represent who you are. You can create any sort of decoration you wish. Some examples include: * Pictures of you, your friends, your family. * Your name (which is always good for helping me give you a mark!) * Song lyrics from a band or song you really like. * Pictures from magazines of your favourite actor/singer/sports hero * Pictures of your favourite activities, your favourite clothes, your favourite animals * Samples of poetry or writing that you have written yourself * Autobiographical poem * Quotes that you really like, or that inspire you. **Your box must include an autobiographical poem, which is a type of poetry that explains who you are. ** Your box must include a one-page summary that explains why you chose to decorate your box the way you did. + + + = A FABULOUS IDENTITY BOX! CHELTENHAM LADIES AND THE CHAVS Admire the perfect souped-up Burberry-styled Chavalier. It is one of the etymological questions of the age: from where, exactly, do we get the word chav? Now, at last, there is an answer. Chav, as anyone not living on Mars for the last few months knows, is the  buzzword of 2004 a suitably monosyllabic noun or adjective designed to illuminate that which is most appalling in the young, designer-label-obsessed under-class of early 21st century Britain. When you see a stunted teenager, apparently jobless, hanging around outside McDonalds dressed in a Burberry baseball cap, Ben Sherman shirt, ultra-white Reebok trainers and dripping in bling (cheap, tasteless and usually gold-coloured jewellery), he will almost certainly be a chav. If he has difficulty framing the words you gotta problem mate? then he will definitely be a chav. Very short hair and souped-up Vauxhall Novas are chav, as is functional illiteracy, a burgeoning career in petty crime and the wearing of ones mobile telephone around the neck. Chavs are most at home in run-down, small-town shopping precincts, smoking and shouting at their mates. A teenage single mum chewing gum or drawing on a cigarette as she pushes her baby, Keanu, to McDonalds to meet the chav she believes to be his father is a chavette. So, who coined such a sneeringly useful term? Well, the pupils of Cheltenham Ladies College, apparently. Rumour in the town has it that chav is derived from Cheltenham Average, the name given by the young ladies to the less-eligible young men of the town. Rob Garnham, the mayor of Cheltenham, was less than pleased with the suggestion, pointing out that: â€Å"I am a Cheltenham Mr Average and Im definitely not scum.† He went on: â€Å"As someone who speaks for the people of the town, Im sure we feel insulted by the term. People should come and see Cheltenham and realise what its really like.† Vicky Tuck, principal of the 150-year-old college, was appalled by the suggestion that her girls, schooled so tirelessly in the need to respect other less favoured members of society, could have come up with such a derogatory label: â€Å"It is offensive because its deprecating one group of people against another,† she said. â€Å"If were trying to stand for anything here its respecting all kinds of people living together in harmony. Thats what I spend my waking hours trying to do. Social mobility comes primarily  through education not wealth, and if more people believe we are a more class-ridden society then thats indicative, I think, of poverty of education.† Mrs Tuck believes chav derives from chavi, the 19th century Romany word for child. telegraph.co.uk BAN THE WORD CHAV It is deeply offensive to a largely voiceless group and betrays a revealing level of class hatred It might be hard to say this without sounding priggish or being accused of being rather more politically correct than is healthy, but here goes †¦ We have to stop using the word chav. Would we get away with saying faggot on the BBC? No – there are very few circumstances where that would be acceptable. Would the Guardian print the word pikey? Well they have done five times this year (three times were earnest discussions about the words racism, and the other two were, well, a bit racist). Could we use the n-word in the Fabian Review? Well probably not, especially when making the point that there is rightly a hierarchy of offensiveness. Some uses of some words fall below the threshold of acceptability and some are definitely above it. Chav is way above that threshold. It is deeply offensive to a largely voiceless group and – especially when used in normal middle-class conversation or on national TV – it betrays a deep and revealing level of class hatred. The phenomenon of the word has grown over the last five years. Initially it was purely a term of abuse. You only have to visit the website chavscum.com to see this – have a look at it and be appalled (â€Å"Whatever you know them as, this site is about them, it reads. Britains peasant underclass that is taking over our towns and cities!†). But more recently it has become rather more insidious than that because it is so much more widely used. We have heard it increasingly used in conversation over the last year, invariably to casually describe people not like us and very often used by people who are otherwise rather progressive in their politics. You cannot consider yourself of the left and use the word. It is sneering and patronising and – perhaps most dangerous – it is distancing, turning the chav into the kind of feral beast that exists only in tabloid headlines. It is worse than other forms of snobbery because it so clearly links poverty and being working class to criminality and fecklessness. The middle classes have always used language to distinguish themselves from those a few rungs below them on the ladder – we all know their old serviette/napkin, lounge/living room, settee/sofa tricks. But this is something new. This is middle class hatred of the white working class, pure and simple. It is easy to dismiss this as political correctness gone mad. But the words we use matter. The common use of the word chav creates a sense that this type of discrimination and stereotyping is acceptable and legitimate. Lets not replace the racist or bigoted language of the past with a new set of words that are just as hateful. Many people use chav as a smokescreen for their hatred of the lower classes. That is a despicable subterfuge. It is not the gipsies that are the victims of the chav stereotype, but the useless youths who hang around with nothing to do. True, schoolchildren have adopted the label chav to identify their own tendency (in opposition to Goths and emo monsters). But that just makes them act up to their bad image. guardian.co.uk

Advantages and Limitations of Neural Networks

Advantages and Limitations of Neural Networks There are many advantages and limitations to neural network analysis and to discuss this subject properly we would have to look at each individual type of network, which isnt necessary for this general discussion. In reference to backpropagational networks however, there are some specific issues potential users should be aware of. Backpropagational neural networks (and many other types of networks) are in a sense the ultimate black boxes. Apart from defining the general archetecture of a network and perhaps initially seeding it with a random numbers, the user has no other role than to feed it input and watch it train and await the output. In fact, it has been said that with backpropagation, you almost dont know what youre doing. Some software freely available software packages (NevProp, bp, Mactivation) do allow the user to sample the networks progress at regular time intervals, but the learning itself progresses on its own. The final product of this activity is a trained network that provides no equations or coefficients defining a relationship (as in regression) beyond its own internal mathematics. The network IS the final equation of the relationship. Backpropagational networks also tend to be slower to train than other types of networks and sometimes require thousands of epochs. If run on a truly parallel computer system this issue is not really a problem, but if the BPNN is being simulated on a standard serial machine (i.e. a single SPARC, Mac or PC) training can take some time. This is because the machines CPU must compute the function of each node and connection separately, which can be problematic in very large networks with a large amount of data. However, the speed of most current machines is such that this is typically not much of an issue. The advantage of neural networks over conventional programming lies on their ability to solve problems that do not have an algorithmic solution or the available solution is too complex to be found. Neural networks are well suited to tackle problems that people are good at solving, like prediction and pattern recognition (Keller). Neural networks have been applied within the medical domain for clinical diagnosis (Baxt:95), image analysis and interpretation (Miller:92, Miller:93), signal analysis and interpretation, and drug development (Weinstein:92). The classification of the applications presented below is simplified, since most of the examples lie in more than one category (e.g. diagnosis and image interpretation; diagnosis and signal interpretation). Depending on the nature of the application and the strength of the internal data patterns you can generally expect a network to train quite well. This applies to problems where the relationships may be quite dynamic or non-linear. ANN s provide an analytical alternative to conventional techniques which are often limited by strict assumptions of normality, linearity, variable independence etc. Because an ANN can capture many kinds of relationships it allows the user to quickly and relatively easily model phenomena which otherwise may have been very difficult or imposible to explain otherwise. Future Enhancements Because gazing into the future is somewhat like gazing into a crystal ball, so it is better to quote some predictions. Each prediction rests on some sort of evidence or established trend which, with extrapolation, clearly takes us into a new realm. Prediction 1: Neural Networks will fascinate user-specific systems for education, information processing, and entertainment. Alternative ralities, produced by comprehensive environments, are attractive in terms of their potential for systems control, education, and entertainment. This is not just a far-out research trend, but is something which is becoming an increasing part of our daily existence, as witnessed by the growing interest in comprehensive entertainment centers in each home. This programming would require feedback from the user in order to be effective but simple and passive sensors (e.g fingertip sensors, gloves, or wristbands to sense pulse, blood pressure, skin ionisation, and so on), could provide effective feedback into a neural control system. This could be achieved, for example, with sensors that would detect pulse, blood pressure, skin ionisation, and other variables which the system could learn to correlate with a persons response state. Prediction 2: Neural networks, integrated with other artificial intelligence technologies, methods for direct culture of nervous tissue, and other exotic technologies such as genetic engineering, will allow us to develop radical and exotic life-forms whether man, machine, or hybrid. Prediction 3: Neural networks will allow us to explore new realms of human capability realms previously available only with extensive training and personal discipline. So a specific state of consciously induced neurophysiologically observable awareness is necessary in order to facilitate a man machine system interface. Recommendations The major issues of concern today are the scalability problem, testing, verification, and integration of neural network systems into the modern environment. Neural network programs sometimes become unstable when applied to larger problems. The defence, nuclear and space industries are concerned about the issue of testing and verification. The mathematical theories used to guarantee the performance of an applied neural network are still under development. The solution for the time being may be to train and test these intelligent systems much as we do for humans. Also there are some more practical problems like: the operational problem encountered when attempting to simulate the parallelism of neural networks. Since the majority of neural networks are simulated on sequential machines, giving rise to a very rapid increase in processing time requirements as size of the problem expands. Solution: implement neural networks directly in hardware, but these need a lot of development still. ÂÂ ¢ instability to explain any results that they obtain. Networks function as black boxes whose rules of operation are completely unknown. There are many advantages and limitations to neural network analysis and to discuss this subject properly we would have to look at each individual type of network, which isnt necessary for this general discussion. In reference to backpropagational networks however, there are some specific issues potential users should be aware of. ÂÂ ¢ Backpropagational neural networks (and many other types of networks) are in a sense the ultimate black boxes. Apart from defining the general archetecture of a network and perhaps initially seeding it with a random numbers, the user has no other role than to feed it input and watch it train and await the output. In fact, it has been said that with backpropagation, you almost dont know what youre doing. Some software freely available software packages (NevProp, bp, Mactivation) do allow the user to sample the networks progress at regular time intervals, but the learning itself progresses on its own. The final product of this activity is a trained network that provides no equations or coefficients defining a relationship (as in regression) beyond its own internal mathematics. The network IS the final equation of the relationship. ÂÂ ¢ Backpropagational networks also tend to be slower to train than other types of networks and sometimes require thousands of epochs. If run on a truly parallel computer system this issue is not really a problem, but if the BPNN is being simulated on a standard serial machine (i.e. a single SPARC, Mac or PC) training can take some time. This is because the machines CPU must compute the function of each node and connection separately, which can be problematic in very large networks with a large amount of data. However, the speed of most current machines is such that this is typically not much of an issue. Conclusion In this paper, we have presented a system for recognizing handwritten English characters. An experimental result shows that backpropagation network yields good recognition accuracy of 85%. We have demonstrated the application of MLP network to the handwritten character recognition problem. The skeletonized and normalized binary pixels of these characters were used as the inputs of the MLP network. In our further research work, we would like to improve the recognition accuracy of network for character recognition by using more training samples written by one person and by using a good feature extraction system. The training time may be reduced by using a good feature extraction technique and instead of using global input, we may use the feature input along with other neural network classifier. The computing world has a lot to gain from neural networks. Their ability to learn by example makes them very flexible and powerful. Furthermore there is no need to devise an algorithm in order to perform a specific task; i.e. there is no need to understand the internal mechanisms of that task. They are also very well suited for real time systems because of their fast response and computational times which are due to their parallel architecture. Neural networks also contribute to other areas of research such as neurology and psychology. They are regularly used to model parts of living organisms and to investigate the internal mechanisms of the brain. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of neural networks is the possibility that some day conscious networks might be produced. There are a number of scientists arguing that consciousness is a mechanical property and that conscious neural networks are a realistic possibility. Finally, I would like to state that even though neural networks have a huge potential we will only get the best of them when they are integrated with computing, AI, fuzzy logic and related subjects