Balanced Budget Controversies Republican vs Democrat Solutions Essay

Balanced Budget Controversies Republican vs Democrat Solutions - Essay Example Recent developments which have resulted from the effects of the Economic Recession have led to an increase in the controversy surrounding the amendment to include provisions of a balanced budget into the US constitution. The divide has been particularly pronounced between the Democrats and the Republicans. These debates while launched from allegedly economic perspectives have undertones of political policies which these parties are trying to protect. There are three main arguments in the balanced budget debate; the traditionalist approach; the Ricardian view; and the view that a balanced budget does not represent an accurate measurement of fiscal policy. The traditionalist view argues that budget deficits at present will lead to a weakening of the economy in future lading to lower investment, higher domestic interest rates which affect exports and ultimately a reduction in longer term economic growth. The Ricardian perspective takes a trade in perspective on the balanced budget issue . The logic of the Ricardian view is that budget deficits today represent higher future taxes. The perspective assumes that since citizens acknowledge future higher taxes they adjust their savings and spending accordingly leading to little effect on long term growth. The third position believes that while the government may influence spending saving and investment, the effect of the budget deficit is not the only measure of the fiscal policy effect on these variables (Joyce 122). While the two main sides in the debate accrue to the various fiscal debates, the truth is more rooted in political considerations. Both the two parties are interested in winning over or retaining their voting districts through the offering of tax breaks, and incentives. The issue of the budget deficit has different interpretations by think tanks and political Parties. The Republican Party is the most vocal in calling for an amendment that would put forth a constitutional cap on federal spending in order to match expenditure. The suggested amendment put forth by the Republicans is to restrict government expenditure to 18% of income (Jansson 268). The view of the Republican Party takes the traditionalist view in assuming that higher taxes have a negative effect on longer term economic growth by reducing national savings, investment and exports. The main thrust of the Republican Party argument is mainly on the effect of the increase of a budget deficit on future generations. The thrust of the argument is that since a budget deficit reduces investment, it results to a decrease in future productivity impacting long term economic growth (Joyce 139-141). Republicans are thus for the scaling down of social programs or their total abolition as they deem them unnecessary burdens on the economy. The Democratic Party on the other hand adopts both the Ricardian and fringe approaches regarding a balanced budget. The argument of the Democratic Party is that citizens acknowledge the effects of a budg et deficit and hence save and spend accordingly. The Democratic Party also does not believe that the budget deficit is the only variable in fiscal policy outcomes. The Democrats are for cuts in the budget which are distributed over a span of ten years as opposed to the fixed cap (Jansson, 21-219). The perspective believes in the crowding in effect whereby the expenditure by government leads to output demand leading to capital investment. While the Republicans argue that

Kant on Suicide Essay Example for Free

Kant on Suicide Essay 4. Explain and critically assess Kant’s argument that one has a duty to preserve one’s own life. As rational beings Kant believes we have a categorical duty of self-preservation to not wilfully take our own lives. Kant talks in depth about duty and believes we should act out of respect for the moral law. The will is the only inherent good, as we are only motivated by duty and nothing else. We should act only out of demands of the law, not from inclination, desires or to achieve a particular goal. Duty dictates we should never act or will something if we do not want it to become a universal law. Kant was against any form of suicide. He strongly believed that: in taking a life you treat humanity merely as a means to an end. Kant wouldn’t be interested in the suffering or pain caused to even a person who was terminally ill and wanted to end their life, nor would he take into consideration the family/friends suffering. In this essay I will be arguing that if we follow the categorical imperative it is immoral to sacrifice a life because it involves treating humanity merely as a means to an end. I will examine John Hardwig’s counter argument that we should end our own lives if more pain and suffering is caused by prolonging it/living it even if we are no longer a rational being. We must understand that Kant is saying; if I make a maxium e. g. – ‘if I am in unbearable suffering, I should take my own life’ – it must meet the universal law and be applied to everyone. Kant believes we ought to preserve our own lives because it is our moral duty (it is necessary and universal). John Hardwig however, would argue we also have the right to end our lives. Kant would dismiss this because ultimately humans are the bearers of rational life (e. g. it is too sacred to sacrifice). Suicide fails Kant’s Categorical Imperative on the following grounds: It seeks to shorten a life that promises more troubles than please, this would be killing yourself out of self-love; when in fact the real aim would be to live a life worth living, with more pleasure than difficulties. Kant isn’t claiming that it’s impossible for everyone to commit suicide or for everyone to will it (and therefore it becoming a universal law). He believes ‘it would not exist as nature; hence the maxim cannot obtain as a law of nature’. (Immanuel Kant, The Groundwork of the methaphysics of morals, Mary Gregor and Jens Timmermann, Cambridge University 2012, p45 emphasis added). Here Kant seems to be suggesting that suicide isn’t a natural path of life; that it goes against our purpose and that it’s a contradiction to end your life when your goal would be to have an enjoyable life. The idea that the destruction of life is incompatible with improvement suggests that nature couldn’t/wouldn’t allow self-love to be used in a way that is contrary to its purpose. There is surely an obviously contradiction here; in ending one’s life to prevent suffering, one is using one’s life mere means to an end, which automatically fails the categorical imperative. Take the case of Maria Von Herbert- she is clearly appealing to Kant, if under any circumstances; suicide is morally acceptable? He isn’t as blatant with her as in his writings, but let us not forget, Kant doesn’t see woman as rational beings. I agree with Rae Langton that Kant totally bypasses the reason Herbert is writing to him. He doesn’t confront her on suicide but instead reduces her problem to a moral dilemma (regrets lying or telling the truth ), which as an intelligent woman whom has read all his writings; she could work out for herself. Could this have made Kant certain that she did lie and therefore fail the kingdom of ends? Perhaps Kant is being hypocritical; he doesn’t tell Maria the whole truth of suicide merely reducing her to ‘a thing’. He tells Maria she should be ‘ashamed’ for not telling the truth to her former friend but, doesn’t this apply for himself too? Is he just avoiding the truth (states this is just as bad a lying) by not confronting her about suicide? Most likely he wants her to be autonomous and get to the reason herself. Hardwig disagrees with Kant. Take a different situation; Is a terminally ill person-needing 24/7 care, who is entirely financially reliant- only using their family as a means to an end? You can see this as a ‘two way street’ situation. Kant doesn’t look to consequences of an action; it wouldn’t matter to his philosophy that the ill person’s family suffers because they are preserving their life. But is there a flaw? (1) I ought to do my duty as long as I am alive; and (2) It is my duty to go on living as long as possible. Kant strongly believes that you can’t affirm life by taking your own. There is only one exception. Kant claims those who die in battle are ‘victims of fate’ (not simply suicide because they chose to fight). He holds the view that it is better to die in battle than to die of a wound in hospital. Kant believes it’s noble to risk our lives for others- nobody uses us as mere means and we follow our own maxium. We are no longer forced into serving for our country or deceived into joining (if this did happen it would fail the CI because we wouldn’t be treated as rational beings and would be used as mere means and not as ends in ourselves). John Hardwig strongly believes that life should be treated no differently from death. We are free to live in the way we want, so why aren’t we free to die in the way we want (when and how)? He also switches the question but Kant would simply say we have a duty to live. Hardwig has also argued that medical advances eliminate the threats of many terminal illnesses. He then concludes, if our continued existence creates signi? cant hardship for our loved ones, we have a duty to die. By continuing a live of suffering the burden that this person imposes on others is often great. One may have the duty to die in order to relieve them of these burdens. This argument seems to be based on fairness. Kant would refute this; suffering is a tool of reasoning and it ensures the development of mankind. Kant strongly believes that we should preserve our own lives. The argument though strong is flawed. 1- All duties are absolute- Kant doesn’t advise us on how to resolve conflicting duty (for example: help others vs. never kill). 2- He discounts moral emotions like compassion, sympathy, desire and remorse as appropriate and ethical motives for action. 3- Kant completely ignores the consequences of an action and is purposefully blind to following circumstances. He states that human life is valuable because humans are the bearers of rational life. We have the great capacity to think, organize, plan etc. and Kant holds this as being valuable. Therefore we should not sacrifice this for anything (as previously discussed autonomous creatures should not be treated merely as a means or for the happiness of another). There are also great issues with Hardwigs counter argument; if we agree that we have the duty to die; who has the duty to die? When do they have they duty to die? Although this argument is strong is some areas (greater burden), it is greatly flawed. It would be extremely difficult to universalize a maxium for everyone to follow so they could decide if at that moment they had the duty to die. A problem would also occur if the family disagreed with the ill person’s decision, which could cause great problems within society (though Kant would not look to consequences but they are greatly important to Hardwigs argument). I believe –and agree with Kant- that if we follow the categorical imperative it is immoral to sacrifice anyone at all (including yourself) because it involves treating the humanity in that person as merely a means to an end. I also accept and agree with his point that it seems to go against our purpose and is an unnatural path for us to take a life. I find it interesting that Kant believes suffering is a tool of development and therefore essential to us. Though John Hardwigs argument is partly convincing, if we were all given the choice of when we should die, would we find the right time? This would be very hard to govern, as people would of course take advantage of this right. I’ve found it hard to find a counter argument to Kant’s stance -without suffering there wouldn’t be cures and perhaps less happiness. Therefore I have to agree with Kant that it only allows us to grow and develop. Thus we do have the duty to preserve our own lives even if it is riddled with suffering.

Communicating With The Mentally Challenged Education Essay

Communicating With The Mentally Challenged Education Essay The purpose is to make people aware that although you try to be politically correct when communicating with the mentally challenged, mild through server, there is a definite communication channel to use. My purpose is, since I do foster care and have been given a child that is severely challenged, was to learn as much as possible as how the learning habits of the child and the best or different ways to communicate to the child knowing the child will always be challenged. For the purpose of this paper I will refer to the child as he (although it could well be a she) and since Sonic the hedge hog seems to be a favorite between both sexes, the name of the child, in order to protect the childs identity will be referred to as Sonic. Thesis statement All children must mature and the responsibility to develop all children falls upon each of us to raise the child up and yet when it comes to the mentally challenged child there must be different channels of communication between the adult and that child. These conduits allows the adult to take into account the intelligence of the child, and reach the child on their level, even if it means going down to their level. The adult talk must reflect the childs level of understanding. If more people do not take a more active interest in the life of the mentally retarded then we will not have any place to go except in an institutional living and that is not fair because we are Gods creatures. Anonymous Introduction Communicating with the mentally challenged is not only a challenge to the mentally challenged, but the adult as well. Each situation must be understood before continuing in educating the child to become a productive part of society, if that is possible. Looking at the definition of mentally challenged and to what degree the child is challenged, from borderline cases to highly severe, and a true treatment plan can be formulated to mold the child to usefulness even if that usefulness is nothing more then getting oneself to the bathroom. The mentally challenge will grow and mature the question is how much? For mentally challenged kids and adults, some things can never be learned. (Emma, 2007) Defining Mentally Challenged Mentally challenged primary depends on the I.Q. of the child along with one or more of the many psychological tests available to measure the intelligence or mental functioning of the child. Therefore, when the mental age is divided by the chronological age and multiplied by a hundred, what you get is the Intelligence Quotient or the I.Q. (De la Jara, 2007) An I.Q. above 140 is the sign of a genius. An average to very intelligent child would score of 100 120 and a dull child would score 80 90. Those children classified below 85 are classified even further. An IQ of 84-70 is considered borderline mentally challenged, while those 55-69 are mild cases and consider educable. 40-54 are Moderate cases but trainable, 25-39 are severely deficient and any IQ below 24 is classified as highly severe. Mental age refers to an age at a normal level of performance on an intelligence test, and it became a popular way of referring to mental level as measured by the Binet Simon scale of 1908. The Binet Simon scale identified the academic skills typical of specific age groups. In 1912, William Stern used chronological age as a denominator to be divided into mental age, resulting in an intelligence quotient. In 1916, Lewis Terman multiplied this intelligence quotient by 100 (to eliminate the decimal places) and called the result an IQ score. Termans formula of mental age divided by chronological age multiplied by 100 became popularized as the formula for calculating a persons IQ. Adult intelligence does not change from year to year so the concept of mental age is less meaningful when discussing adults. Contemporary IQ tests use cumulative indexes to determine scores rather than the calculation of IQ scores based upon Termans formula. A contemporary equivalent of mental age is the Standa rd Age Score of the Stanford-Binet IQ test, which was formulated in 1987. Overview of mentally challenged Although there is no hard evidence, one of the strongest factors of the mental deficiency is hereditary. Besides this there are a number of environmental factors that contribute to mental arrest, malnutrition or infection during pregnancy or even an excessive intake of drugs and RH incompatibility whatever the cause, if the handicap is very severe, the entire development of the child gets affected physical, social and emotional along with mental. Some of these children cannot perform the simplest of tasks that we all seem to take for granted. Simple things like walking straight, eating or toilet training. A great amount of patience and tolerance is required to supervise and handle such a child. Mental retardation occurs in 2.5-3% of the general population. About 6-7.5 million mentally retarded individuals live in the United States alone. Mental retardation begins in childhood or adolescence before the age of 18. In most cases, it persists throughout adulthood. Mentally retarded children reach developmental milestones such as walking and talking much later than the general population. Approximately 85% of the mentally retarded population is in the mildly retarded category and they can often acquire academic skills up to the 6th grade level, become self-sufficient, and in some cases live independently, with community and social support. Low IQ scores and limitations in adaptive skills are the hallmarks of mental retardation. Aggression, self-in-jury, and mood disorders are sometimes associated with the disability. The severity of the symptoms and the age at which they first appear depend on the cause. Children who are mentally retarded reach developmental milestones significantly later than expected, if at all. If retardation is caused by chromosomal or other genetic disorders, it is often apparent from infancy. If retardation is caused by childhood illnesses or injuries, learning and adaptive skills that were once easy may suddenly become difficult or impossible to master. The most noticeable emotional characteristics children with mental retardation often recognize that they have difficulties with tasks that others find easy. This realization can lead to frustration, anger and depression. Some children with mental retardation may suffer from anxiety. These children may act out due to these emotions. They may have trouble expressing their feelings and may show their feelings in ways such as refusing to eat or sleeping too much. Sonic, the foster child living with me, will be calm and act like a five year old one moment, and then if you ask something of sonic, major mood change to the point of aggression. How to understand the mentally challenged Anyone who has toiled with the mentally challenged people knows, many will tell you exactly what is on their mind. When something does not go Sonics way, he will tell you and if you persist, he will tell you she will kill you, and hates you. Understanding that this is typical in a mentally challenged you let it roll off you and just stay close enough to make sure that sonic does not hurt herself. The mentally challenged know their likes and dislikes, what is going on in their lives, and even some idea of what they want their future to be. When the mentally challenged are treated as subhuman, as children, or as a menace to society, it follows that we become the ones to decide what is best for them, and what kind of life they should lead, we instead should remind ourselves that they are Gods creatures. They need to be treated as serious human beings with important things to communicate. (McLean, Brady, Mclean, Behrens, 1999) Understanding their language is likely to be much better than the ability to express it. Speech maybe very poorly articulated and difficult to understand One of the critical aspects in forming a communication is one that emphasizes skill actualization, where teachers give the mentally challenged many opportunities to use and expand on their already developed skills. Skill actualization goals are represented in the individual education plan (IEP) such as the child will use whatever skill is already developed and continue to expand to the point where the child will reach the next goal. In Sonics case, the IEP has included counting skills up to 20, understanding the valued of money, and doing simple life skills. Steps in Creating Communication The first step to communicating with a mentally challenged person is to understand the way they communicate. Mirror there patterns keeping in mind get on their level but do not be on their level. Match the way they see the world, not as a child but as a learning style. Most are visual learns where they learn in pictures, using word like see and look. Visual learners prefer to use diagrams, pictures, study notes, handouts and movies to see the information they are learning. Sometimes the mentally challenged are audio learns where they may not even look at you but put more stock into the spoken word and the voice inflection. This is a fine line where the teacher must be very calm and sure of each word other wise you could miscommunication and all the building process is for naught. The mentally challenged needs to be heard and we must allow them to hear us. The final learning style is kinesthetic learners also called tactile learners need to feel it to learn best. The more the learning experience involves moving, touching, tasting and feeling, the more it will be absorbed by this type of learner. Projects and experiments also work well with this group. Young children learn thins way by reaching out to something and feeling it, touching it, and breaking it. (OK I had to put that in) The real art is to combine learning styles to fit the child. Sonic uses Visual about 80% and verbal about 15% and kinesthetic the remaining 5%. If you show her something, she will remember and get the message quickly, by adding the verbal component he will recall the instruction the next day, demonstrating, giving verbal instruction then transferring ownership of a task, builds his self-confidence. There are small tasks she can do the give him pride in doing well, such as showing which day on the med chart we are on and then picking the proper cup to take. The second step is to incorporate the communication skills in both the education setting as well as the extra curricula activities. Opportunities exist almost constancy or as it is called teachable moments. The hardest part as a teacher is to keep on top of the moments one can take advantage of and then take advantage of them. At home with sonic, it becomes a one on one the moment Sonic comes home from school until bedtime and in turn allows many more recognizable and controlled setting. The third step is to facilitate conversation and keep them engaged as much as possible. The issue here must be keeping it simple. In studies, (McLean, Brady, Mclean, Behrens, 1999) simple yes or no question got the most response from the mentally challenged. Asking completed questions creates confusion and frustration, and can actually cause the person to regress rather then moving forward. Using the KISS (keep it simple) method more ground can be make rather creating an antagonistic climate. How to communicate with the Mentally Challenged 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maintain a calm, low volume. Speaking louder does not make you more understandable. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When determining age-appropriateness of your words, remember that you must know the mental age of your listener, not his or her calendar age. Remember, they are just mentally challenged, not a person with a limited vocabulary, such as a five-year-old. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your words. This helps them figure out what you are saying in many cases. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do not mimic how the mentally challenged speaker pronounces words in a misguided presumption that he or she will understand if you speak like he or she does. This does not make you easier to understand. It will confuse your listener and may give the wrong impression about your sensitivity to his or her handicap. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Avoid running words together. For example, do not say, Do-ya wanna eat-a pizza? One of the biggest challenges for listeners knows where one word ends and the next one begins. Give them a small pause between words if they seem to be struggling. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When possible, opt for simple words instead of ones that are complex. The more basic a word is, the better the chance is that it will be understood. Big is a better choice than enormous, for example. Make is a better choice than manufacture. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Avoid speech complexity, which is beyond your listeners comprehension level. Use simple subject-verb-object statements with the significantly challenged. More mildly challenged people may be able to handle more forms that are complex. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Look them in the eye. It lets them know that you care about what you are saying. Although they may rarely make eye contact with you, behave as if you really are interested in what they are talking about. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Treat people with disabilities with respect. Do not treat them as inferior. Remember that the person you are talking to has feelings and is not stupid. Rather, he/she is challenged with something you will never understand the ability to understand, communicate, or decipher. 10.   Patience is the key. 11.   Be aware that you must listen and observe the person you are speaking to. In most cases, communicating with a person with a disability is very much like learning how to understand an accent. Be ready to adjust your communication style in a respectful way when necessary. 12.   Treat them as close as possible as you would a normal person, except use age-appropriate words. Otherwise, they may sense something is up. 13.   Smile to show them you are enjoying their company. 14.   Be aware of the tone of your voice.   Is it patronizing? Are you speaking with the tone you would use for a child? Adjust accordingly. (Challenges faced by, 2010) Conclusion The mentally challenged can become part of the community by understanding how they speak and process information. The earlier the problem is detected the better it is for the child. Sometimes the public tries to hide the fact until it becomes apparent to all, and by then it is too late to get timely help. There are plenty of child guidance centers and special schools around to provide the perfect environment to aid in the development of the child. If these facilities are not utilized, a mentally deficient child will definitely develop severe social and emotional problems as well. We all should try to accept the fact that their child is mentally challenged and help him or her grow to the full potential that he or she is capable of. Some people try for a miraculous cure and expend a lot of time and energy in search of a divine elixir. Even though such an attitude is understandable, it does not show any results. That time will be better spent in admitting the child to a special school or sheltered institution where he can get professional help. Communicating with people who have mental deficiency is a skill that you can hone over time with continuous practice. There are some tips, which will allow you to communicate in a better way with them. Words are just the tip of the communication iceberg. When conversing with a person, we send myriad signals by the way we stand the expression on our face and the tone of our voice. These form levels of communication that bypass words. When talking to anyone, remember to relax and consciously use body language in a positive manner. Even if the verbal communication is misunderstood, the body language can convey concern and interest. The person will receive the message that we are interested in them and care about their feelings. Watch what you say to the child, be very careful of the environment they are in, and make sure people treat the child as one of us, not a special child. Each Tuesday we play softball for the church and each time Sonic gets up a homerun is produced. It is not the home run that matters to us, although Sonic would tell you other wise, but the encouragement of being one of the gang that allows her to participate in an activity someone with a mentally challenged condition would never experience.

Free Essays on Terrorism: Bomb The Bastards Back to the Stone Age :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

Bomb The Bastards Back to the Stone Age The terrorists groups Hamas and al-Qaida have their foundations in Islam. Both of these organizations have interpreted the teachings of Islam in a violent manner. Al-Qaida calls for the founding of a "pan-Islamic Caliphate" to overthrow and expel Westerners". Hamas views any attempts at peace as turning over control to "non-believers", and they refuse to take part in any efforts for peace. Bill Clinton's previous inaction on embassy bombings and terrorists' threats has never prevented further violent action by either one of these groups. The United States must realize the enemy this country is now facing. The philosophy in the Middle East is one of retaliation and the appearance of strength. The members of both al-Qaida and Hamas are willing to die for their cause. Suicidal attacks are common, and they will not back down or look weak. America's course of action has always been to attempt diplomacy and peace talks. Any loss of American lives proves to be unacceptable to this country. Pulling out of a country where fellow countrymen are put at risk seems completely logical to Americans, but this action appears weak and cowardly to these terrorist organizations. The worst possible course of action that the United States could take would be to pull out of the Middle East. Because of the militant philosophy of both of these religious groups, inaction will not bring peace. Although pulling out would make sense from the American point of view, it would be seen as weakness from the point of view of al-Qaida and Hamas. These groups would take this failure to retaliate as a victory and simply continue their attacks more aggressively. A strong showing is the only language these terrorists will understand.

Emperor of China

Emperor K’ang-hsi was one of the greatest Chinese emperors of all time. Ruling from 1662 to 1722 he was also one of the longest ruling emperors in Chinese history and for that matter the world. K’ang-hsi brought China to long-term stability and relative wealth after years of war and chaos. Jonathan Spence writes from the eyes of K’ang-hsi getting his information from K’ang-hsi’s own writings. Though a little biased towards himself this book still provides important insight into his mind. Emperor of China is divided into six parts; In Motion, Ruling, Thinking, Growing Old, Sons, and Valedictory. In the first episode, In Motion, Spence tells the audience about K’ang-hsi’s travels and how much of an avid hunter he is. In a letter to Ku Wen-hsing, K’ang-hsi wrote, â€Å"he had traveled over 2,000 li†¦ in each of the four cardinal directions† and later states, â€Å"River, lakes, mountains, deserts- I’ve been through them all. † K’ang-hsi travelled the countryside to hunt and to win over the Chinese citizens. He hunted for pleasure stating, â€Å"Hunting’s basically for exercise,† and to train his military in shooting, camp life, and formation riding. The second episode, Ruling, goes more into detail on how the government was set up. K’ang-hsi had is set up so he had complete control over the economical and educational structure but did not have to deal with the small tidies problems of every county. Emperor K’ang-hsi thought a lot about his purpose in life. He goes into more detail in his third episode Thinking. The Emperor was a Neo-Confucianism but refereed to it mostly as Confucian Classic. He claims he wanted to find things out for himself and not pretend to have the knowledge. He would ask his elders questions and ask about their experiences so he would learn from their mistakes and gain from their accomplishments. Realizing in the fourth episode he was growing old and was going to die. He was very adamant about not wanting to die but he knew it was inevitable. He did try to prolong his life as much as possible with his awareness for his diet and medicine. K’ang-hsi tried to stay open with the public about his health, explaining that this is the â€Å"ultimate form of honesty. † Emperor K’ang-hsi tried to live forever through his children. He had 56 children all together but only one with his first wife, who later took over the thrown. The Emperor was very protective of his sons and made sure they got everything they wanted. He would often kill someone that threatened the chance of a power overthrow. He once killed three cooks and several servant boys for suspicion of homosexual activity with his son Yin-jeng. At the end of K’ang-hsi’s life, he became very senile and distant from reality and the Chinese people. Even though Spence goes into great detail about Emperor K’ang-hsi’s life than any history book could have. He does this by emphasizing his writings and not other sources. The downfall to this is he does not go into great detail about many of the facts or important historical events. By this time China had foreign intervention and influence; Spence did not address any of the foreign policies K’ang-hsi made during his reign. Spence only wrote one paragraph about the confrontations with Russia, but the real even actually lasted over several decades. And the only thing that was mentioned was how nice the Emperor was to the Russian prisoners. Emperor of China; Self Portrait of K’ang-hsi should not be read as a textbook or as a completely true historical resource. This is because it is told by one person and by his point of view with no one else able to tell the other side of the story. Granted this is what Spence wanted to do with his book but for the point most of his sources were of K’ang-hsi’s writings; we cannot believe everything that is written. If someone would read this book they would think K’ang-hsi was the greatest leader/person in the world. We do not get the dirty side of his life, the side that describes all the thousands of people that he killed for no reason. When they were addressed in the book K’ang-hsi put a positive twist on it so it would be justified in his mind. Every storyteller is going to tell their version of the story so it sounds better than it really was. On the other hand Spence takes us into K’ang-hsi’s head and we realize what K’ang-hsi was thinking behind some of his actions. For example, his easoning for restructuring the tax system in 1711 because the population was increasing but the farm land was not increasing so his thought was every â€Å"census year the tax quotas should be redivided among the entire surviving population, so that all would pay the same, and each year the tax burden could get lighter. † But he went with another plan we know what he was thinking and what his other options were. Knowing what is going on in someone’s mind is what everyone wants to know and especially for someone as important as the Emperor of China. Through K’ang-hsi’s writings you can feel the whole heartedness from him. He was a good person and Spence really expressed that while writing this book. Most emperors would not help out war criminals let alone treat them with medicine. Also he helped out average citizens of China that were in need of help. An example of this is when a citizen became very sick and was not able to bow in front of K’ang-hsi so he let him â€Å"incline the body forward instead of performing the full prostration,† and that same citizen was not able to sit down so K’ang-hsi offered him to sit on â€Å"a couch of cushions. † At that time most heads of government would behead that citizen because he was physically handicapped. K’ang-hsi knew he could not help his condition, he was born with a handicap so if did not want to discriminate against him for something he could not prevent. Spence did a very good job at writing a book from K’ang-hsi’s perspective and was able to log his thoughts fairly well. In the six episodes of the book he was able to go through K’ang-hsi’s young life, when he ruled over China, he thoughts and beliefs and what he thought about his sons. We could really feel how he felt about certain issues and who is loved and cared for, it was like we were seeing certain scenes through he eyes rather than a third party. The only thing that would have made it better is if Spence went in more detail about political affairs and foreign policies. Though if he had gone in depth over everything the book would have been 2000 pages or more. So as a reader you have to start this book with some background information; it is only from K’ang-hsi’s perspective, Spence leaves some important governmental issues out, and finally you do not want to read a boring book describing every little detail about someone’s life that lived three hundred years ago that is why Spence left those issues out.

3 Types of Intermolecular Forces

3 Types of Intermolecular Forces Intermolecular forces or IMFs are physical forces between molecules. In contrast, intramolecular forces are forces between atoms within a single molecule. Intermolecular forces are weaker than intramolecular forces. The interaction between intermolecular  forces may be used to describe  how molecules interact with each other. The strength or weakness of intermolecular forces determines the state of matter of a substance (e.g., solid, liquid, gas) and some of the chemical properties (e.g., melting point, structure). There are three major types of intermolecular forces: London dispersion force, dipole-dipole interaction, and ion-dipole interaction. Key Takeaways: Intermolecular Forces Intermolecular forces act between molecules. In contrast, intramolecular forces act within molecules.Intermolecular forces are weaker than intramolecular forces.Examples of intermolecular forces include the London dispersion force, dipole-dipole interation, ion-dipole interaction, and van der Waals forces. Heres a closer look at these 3 intermolecular forces, with examples of each type. London Dispersion Force The London dispersion force is also known as LDF,  London forces, dispersion forces, instantaneous dipole forces, induced dipole forces, or the induced dipole-induced dipole force The London dispersion force is the weakest of the intermolecular forces.This is the force between two nonpolar molecules. The electrons of one molecule are attracted to the nucleus of the other molecule, while repelled by the other molecules electrons. A dipole is induced when the electron clouds of the molecules are distorted by the attractive and repulsive electrostatic forces. Example:  An example of London dispersion force is the interaction between two methyl (-CH3) groups. Example: Another example is the interaction between nitrogen gas (N2) and oxygen gas (O2) molecules. The electrons of the atoms are not only attracted to their own atomic nucleus, but also to the protons in the nucleus of the other atoms. Dipole-Dipole Interaction Dipole-dipole interaction occurs whenever two polar molecules get near each other. The positively charged portion of one molecule is attracted to the negatively charged portion of another molecule. Since many molecules are polar, this is a common intermolecular force. Example:  An example of dipole-dipole interaction is the interaction between two sulfur dioxide (SO2) molecules, where the sulfur atom of one molecule is attracted to the oxygen atoms of the other molecule. Example: H​ydrogen bonding is considered a specific example of a dipole-dipole interaction always involving hydrogen. A hydrogen atom of one molecule is attracted to an electronegative atom of another molecule, such as an oxygen atom in water. Ion-Dipole Interaction Ion-dipole interaction occurs when an ion encounters a polar molecule. In this case, the charge of the ion determines which part of the molecule attracts and which repels. A cation or positive ion would be attracted to the negative part of a molecule and repelled by the positive part. An anion or negative ion would be attracted to the positive part of a molecule and repelled by the negative part. Example:  An example of the ion-dipole interaction is the interaction between a Na ion and water (H2O) where the sodium ion and oxygen atom are attracted to each other, while the sodium and hydrogen are repelled by each other. Van der Waals Forces Van der Waals forces are the interaction between uncharged atoms or molecules. The forces are used to explain the universal attraction between bodies, the physical adsorption of gases, and the cohesion of condensed phases. The van der Waals forces include Keesom interaction, the Debye force, and the London dispersion force. So, van der Waals forces include intermolecular forces and also some intramolecular forces. Sources Ege, Seyhan (2003). Organic Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity. Houghton Mifflin College. ISBN 0618318097. pp. 30–33, 67.Majer, V. and Svoboda, V. (1985). Enthalpies of Vaporization of Organic Compounds. Blackwell Scientific Publications. Oxford. ISBN 0632015292.Margenau, H. and Kestner, N. (1969). Theory of Inter-molecular Forces. International Series of Monographs in Natural Philosophy. Pergamon Press, ISBN 1483119289.