Critically Evaluate the regulatory failures in the 2007-8 financial Essay

Critically Evaluate the regulatory failures in the 2007-8 financial crisis and discuss how these failures can be corrected in t - Essay Example In the absence of limitations on investments, US banks went on an investment spree. But for government intervention, the crisis would have been still persisting though it has not died down. Regulatory failure does not mean regulator caused the loss. The U.S. regulators have woken up to the crisis and offered practicable solutions to avert future crisis due to regulatory failure. The U.K. as major international financial centre has also been affected by the U.S. contagion and has been responsible enough to offer solutions to the regulatory failure by bringing in three more regulators. Introduction The origin of the 2007-08 financial crisis goes to the U.S. where housing mortgage loans were paid to unqualified (sub-prime) borrowers. The loans had been backed by exotic financial products with few tiers highly rated by credit rating agencies. These products were purchased by institutional and banking investors who did so for high yields at low risk. The crisis started when the de-facto b orrowers started defaulting all over the U.S. leading to unexpected losses on the front end or back end? products. Chain of bankruptcies, balance sheet write-offs followed. The sub-prime crisis is only a part of the broader picture of debt expansion. In the U.S. for which detailed data is available, total debt as a proportion of GDP increased from 150 % of the GDP in the early 1970s to 330 % in 2005. Household debt also expanded in similar fashion marked by dot.com crash to over 100 % of the GDP by 2008. Financial services which held 10 % of the total increased their share to 30 % between 1975 and 2005. The structural shift towards financial services resulted in huge increase in its profitability from 10 % in early 1980s to 40 % by 2006 (Lewis, 2010, p. 2 & 8). World is not new to financial crises. The U.K. was not immune to the present one since world’s leading institutional and banking investors are spread across the world. It has witnessed a few major crises before for dif ferent reasons. The present crisis is due to regulatory failure. This paper examines the causes of regulatory failure and solutions to avert such failures in the future. Regulatory failure Regulatory failure does not mean that financial crisis was caused by regulators or regulations. Rather it was due to short-sightedness of financial institutions and recklessness of the borrowers although there were regulatory strategies that could have averted or mitigated the factors that caused the crisis. For example, five causes are attributed to the crisis of the U.S : 1) Failure of underwriting standards for subprime mortgages and loans to inadequately qualified buyers; 2) parties to the mortgage securitisation process not maintaining market discipline; 3) poor assessment of sub-prime mortgages by credit rating agencies; 4) poor risk management by large financial services institutions; 5) non-response from financial institutions for better risk management as pointed by the U.S. Presidentâ₠¬â„¢s Working Group on Financial Markets. Each of these causes had its own regulatory attribution. Thus, there was no regulatory mechanism for business conduct and consumer protection to control sale of mortgages to homebuyers with poor credit background. Regulators could have by tougher supervisory oversight assisted large financial services institutions for better risk management. There was no control on holding companies of investment banks, private equity funds, hedge funds that

Reasons for and Against Intervention in Syrian Civil War Essay

Reasons for and Against Intervention in Syrian Civil War - Essay Example The intricate state of affairs in the Middle East has encouraged President Al-Assad to cling onto power and instigate a bloody onslaught against his populace. The Syrian citizenry has continuously demanded that been demanding that President Al-Assad steps down, in order to facilitate the setting up of a government with a solid democratic foundation. Even though President Al-Assad has lost a solid power base, it is apparent that he has exploited the intricate regional state of affairs which has destabilized the capacity of the United Nations (U.N) to firmly counter the Syrian crisis 2. In order to comprehend the complex state of affairs, it is appropriate to take a broader look at this region. This may help in understanding why the U.N seems incapable of being decisive against President Al-Assad. However, as the president of the world’s superpower, there is urge of considering whether to intervene or not and save the Syrian people. This crisis that started on 15th March 2011, h as claimed very many lives as protesters all over the country call for the resignation of president Bashar Al-Asad in favor of political rights and freedom. However, Bashar has consistently ignored the grievances of the people and continuously used violence to protesters as well the rebels with the urge of overthrowing the government 3. Therefore, the United States of America should not and cannot stay oblivious to the abominable mass killings in Syria. It is thus with this regard that the government needs a strong and firm decision on the Syrian crisis so as to restore peace and stability in a country where the two attributes have long been forgotten. Moreover, The Syrian regime’s violent reaction to protests since March 2011 has led to the death of approximately 5,400  people, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).  

Listed Building Consent Application Example

Listed Building Consent Application Example Christina Kleanthous Papademetriou   Keepers Lodge Canterbury Road, Denton with Wootton, Kent, CT4 6QZ Contents Introduction Information and Background Purpose of the study Listed Buildings Legislative Background Significant Findings Significant Issues Historical Background and Heritage 2.0 Historical Context, Aesthetic Context, Communal Context Description of Buildings Important Figures and Decorative Interior Description and Characteristics Exterior Description and Characteristics The Proposal Implications and The Justifications Description of the Proposal Implication of the Proposal Justification of the Proposal Methodology for Grand Application Details for achieving the project architecturally Design Details and Planning 5.0 Conclusion 6.0 Appendix, Drawings and Illustrations 7.0 Bibliography Introduction 1.1 Information and Background Keepers Lodge, Denton with Wootton Description: Keepers Lodge for Denton Court Listed Grade: II* First Listed on: 28th of May in 1987 English Heritage Building ID: 178568 OS Grid Reference: TR2155546979 OS Grid Coordinates: 621555, 146979 Location Coordinates: 51.1791, 1.1685 Located in: A260, Wootton, Kent CT4 6QZ Area / Zone: Denton with Wootton Responsible Authority: Dover District Council Region: Kent, England Postcode: CT4 6QZ List entry Number: 1070010 The building is a Mid-19th (1842) Century Building, combining characteristics from three different architectural styles, mainly a Victorian designed building (1837-1901) with decorative characteristics from the Gothic Revival (1840-1880) and the Italianate Style (1840-1885). It is used as the Keepers Lodge, originally property of Denton Court and its gardens. The Jettying design is what is mostly seen in its exterior and interior with a painted cement rendering with an applied frame and tiled roof. It has an identical for the time T-shaped plan in a characteristic Old English style Decoration of the time. It is an one story building with an extended attic as well. It is built on a plinth supporting base with central stack and 2 gabled dormers. Decorative three light oriels are located to the left side of the buildings interior and trilateral oriels located to the right side on the ground floor. The main door is a half- glazed arched door and its surrounded by a gabled porch. [1] Keepers Lodge is located halfway among Canterbury and Folkestone, lies in a valley surrounded by the Denton Woods Park that runs from North to South and the hills that rise to both East and West, on the rear right side of A260 road exposed to the extremely busy main road which connects Canterbury to Folkestone, which runs through the Denton Woods and the Centre of the villages Wootton, Denton and Selstead and the fast traffic makes a dangerous environment for the property, especially with no fence or any other kind of protection available. The property is located in between the three villages, just 2km outside Selstead, 3km outside Wootton and 5km outside Denton, where horses and sheep can be seen feeding on the slopes of the village park and woods. It is an Outstanding Natural Beauty Listed Area and any property or figure in the whole village is closely controlled. It is yet unknown of who designed the building originally, and further down to its existence. The legal owners of the building are the owners of Denton Court. The present owner of the Court is George and Francisca Gosling. Although owning the Keepers lodge as well, it has been out for sale since 1995, without managing to sell the property just yet. Currently the building is still used as a residence, but without a permanent tenant, which puts the property at risk, as its structure and skin (window frames, paint, roofing), started collapsing and showing a significant damage that needs taking care off. Unfortunately, there is no pending application or interest in preserving the property at the moment, neither for specific elements of it nor the whole property in general. 1.2 Purpose of the study Listed Buildings This Listed Building Consent Report is a heritage and design statement, which has been prepared in regards with the stage of the property currently with no intention of preserve or restore the property, and the fact that a further damage will affect its character and appearance as a building of special architectural and historic interest. In addition, this report also mentions the concern in regards with the conservation and restoration of important figures of the building, which are in a risk stage, such us the roof, the windows and the significantly important satyr-corbels. Both its interior and exterior are prime example of early Victorian Architecture, and to refurbish elements of the entire building, is of high importance. The property is a Grade II* listed building, located towards Denton Historic Village, a village listed as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and any building is tightly controlled and listed as a historic building of important heritage characteristics. As a Grade II* Listed building, makes the property a particularly important building of more than just special interest, only 5.5% of listed buildings are Grade II*, but also, and more important, is that it is among the small percentage of 0.2% of the listed buildings listed although built after 1842. This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest and categorized as a National Park Property and Entity as well. The nature of the property, its style and its decorative detailing, which incorporates a number of distinct elements with different features, and the extent of the proposed works have driven the purpose of this document. A full list, illustrations and drawings of each figure and decorative to follow in the next chapters. 1.3 Legislative Background In the first years of peace after 1825 something like a cultural revolution happened, which changed the form and content of cultural production in England. This social and economic change, trigged by the French Revolution, released the Picturesque and Romanticism as a status in the design field and of course in the way the world perceived communities and how they wanted them to look like. The Victorian Idea was the one who rejected the cold and proud neo-medievalism of the early Gothic Revival, and instead, it was the one promoting heritage consciousness and the notion of providing and building houses with a national identity and characteristics that will last in time and are derived from national perceptions and alikes, hence Henry III preferences in design as a reference. [2] All Districts in England take the above very seriously and try to protect as much as possible any heritage of importance, especially if they are an outstanding architectural or historic building of national interest, or if they have an important material in use. The legislation laws in Dover District states that a delicate amendment or extension to allow the continued use or new use of a listed building is acceptable and allowed, in order to safeguard the special character of a listed building, but after of course the appropriate building consent application is issued and approved for any interior, exterior changes, or demolition of any part of it. For Keepers Lodge of Denton Court, until today, the only previous applications for alterations submitted was one, requesting: A) A proposal for the construction of 2 dormers and structural repairs incorporating wall buttresses and wall ties. The application was submitted by Mr. G Gostling on the 26th of August 1988, and permission was granted by the case officer Tim Flisher on the 19th of October 1988. B) Two further Proposal Appeals were made requesting Tidying of Roadside Fencing and to reduce and clean one Lime Tree in a Conservation Area, but the only information available state that the appeals are on a Decided2 State without any further information available for the public. 1.4 Significant Findings Anyone who would like to know and get a first insight of how the original Victorian Jettying Style Buildings look like in Englands Architectural Heritage, could look in examples such as the Keepers Lodge of Denton Court and the whole Denton Historic Village as well, and perceive the details and characteristics relatively easily. [3] Jettying as a distinguishing characteristic of many historic buildings is mostly seen in buildings build between 15th 16th century and 18th-19th century, for timber framed buildings. The distinguishing heavy appearance had an impressive influence in the appearance of the historic centers of England, in places such as Kent, Chester, York and Shrewsbury. [4] Although a house of small dimensions, and not expected to last until today, its original design and method of construction remains visible today, making it a prime example of reference for its purpose. [5] This specific style used in Keepers Lodge in Denton, and seen in several buildings of its time, is the identical box-framed type house, an innovative high quality method of its construction, building type. Its characteristics include a hall running, from ground to roof, through the center of the house. The house is jettyed all round with huge wooden supports reinforced in the attic over the central hall. This strong late medieval and early Tudor home is shielded by a hipped, tiled roof, and was built by yeomen, matching the plan of the main Denton Court house. Buildings located in the south-east of England and Kent more specifically, even relatively small housing and farms, carry upon them, the idea to build houses of comfort, security and craftsmanship. [6] This box-frame style, allowed the house to be up to three full height floors and to provide an easy construction of wings. Its name -box-frame- was derived from the fact that the core vertical supports are detained in place by it s horizontal beams.[7] 1.5 Significant Issues The property is currently not occupied by any tenant, which puts the property at risk, as it has no one to preserve the propertys significant characteristics and take care of any damages cause by time or weather, cause to the property. Because of this issue, the Dover District has no intention of preserving Keepers lodge, or take care of the damages caused on the roof, window frames and on the port decorative figures, because there are no applications submitted, or anyone showing interest of care for the Lodges stage. 2.0 Historical Background and Heritage Historical Context The beautiful Victorian Structure lies to the South of the Denton village and cannot be seen from the village itself, but rather from the road towards the village. The Denton Court and its Keepers Lodge are a very antique-decorated style buildings and were a significant of importance and style properties since 1086 for the Denton Court, and since the start of its construction for the Keepers lodge. The owners and tenants of the properties were important figures of history since the start of its construction such us, Odo, Bishop of Baieux, King Edward as tenant and Ralph de Curbespin as sub-tenant. When the Bishop fell into degradation, all his properties and belongings were taken away by the crown, and thats when the Denton Court and the entire land was given to Gilbert Magimot but with all lands been under the Kings ownership. Throughout the following years between 1087 to 1792, the land and any building currently build in it, changed several hands, until it ended up in 1792 to Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges who refurbished, repaired and added additions to the mansion of Denton Court, such us for example new gardens around the house. As the first private owner of both the Denton Court, Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges introduced the idea of building the keepers lodge for the Denton Court in 1792, but came into existence much later on, in 1842 by other members of the family, who wished to complete the plans Sir. Brydges had for the property. As the most important owner of the property, Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, an English author and genealogist, member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1812 to 1818. He was a founding member of the Roxburghe Club, a publishing club of well-off bibliophiles. He was announced as a Knight Grand Commander of the Equestrian, Secular, and Chapterial Order of St. Joachim in 1807 and was mad e a baronet on 27 December 1814, few years before dying in 1839. [8] After 1810, the whole property carried on being under the Brydges family but it had different families as temporary tenants. William Willats bought both properties and its gardens in 1867 and retouched and rebuild anything that needed restoration in both properties, without modifying the original architecture in which they were build. The gables located on the west side were restored and new structure was added. The central faà §ade though, was changed to face south as an alternative to the west that used to face, so that when passing in front of it from the highway you only see the west side of the building. When William Willats passed away, he left his property to his son, and it was since then passed from to the next generations of the family, until todays owners the brother and sister George and Francisca Gosling. [9] There are several stories said for the small Lodge house, such us that there is blood marked on the stairs, and its still visible, where previous owners during WW1, two brothers, one killed the other on the stairs. A story that was never confirmed, but always draws the curiosity of several visitors of the area. Also, another interesting fact for the property is that one of the visiting residences was the poet Gray, were he restored the lodge to an exceptional state when he was living there with additions such us new adjoining grounds. Lastly, a more recent representation of the building, at its current stage, was featured in TV in Treasure Hunt where there was a clue buried within the lodge. A further search of 500m around the property was done by using the Heritage Gateway Website and no further information about the property or the listing was found when it comes to its historic background. [10] Aesthetic Context The visible South facade, the entrance and the gardens of the property form a significant part of the street scene. As the first property to be seen before entering the historic village of Denton, it provides us with a first insight of the architecture and the characteristics of every building, located in the village, beforehand. The common features of the buildings design, offered in advance by the street, in terms of construction method, material, style, roofing, windows and framing. Away from the property, as soon as you enter Denton, the picture is more varied. Although all buildings are derived from the same architectural era, you see a variety of different roofing materials, wood colors, window styles, some buildings are well preserved and some others not, which makes the village an interesting case study. Nevertheless, is still a beautiful combination of Victorian architecture, old and more recent build. Communal Context Dover District Council focuses on the appearance and preservation of the properties within its Conservation and Heritage Area, as its ethics believe in contributing to the sense of treating a city / town / village as a historic monument and keeping it attractive for locals and tourists as well. The Council issued a Historic Map covering Denton, with Denton Court and Keepers Lodge visible, hand-drawn, in 1896 by the cartographers of the Ordnance Survey. Description of Buildings Important Figures and Decorative 3.1 Interior Description and Characteristics The Interior of the lodge can be described as extremely traditional for its style with significant characteristics; with a skirting board half-way up on the walls and a picture frame around the ceiling, featuring engraved animal, bird or floral prints on the wooden frame. The floor is a mid-toned polished floorboard with a large patterned carpet in the middle of the floor leaving the polished floorboard t be seen only as a border and only. In general, the colors within the rooms are soft, subdued tones, nothing too bright or intense. Delicate gray, lavender and light natural teal color, which give a warmer feeling inside. The pro-hall, living room and the kitchen are full with accessories, soft furnishings and decorations such as framed photographs and pictures, floral vases and souvenirs, carved mahogany, walnut and oak furniture, quite significant for Victorian architecture. Last but not least, the big fireplace in the living room attracts every visitors eye when walking inside, es pecially because of his outstating engraved from nature scenes wooden frame of the fireplace. 3.2 Exterior Description and Characteristics The exterior design links the building with the rest of the village, although distant, as during Victorian period homes typically looked very similar because they were designed to be linked together. An outstanding, well-known for its architectural style period, jettied gable, and the frame covering the whole structure of the building, is decorated with satyr-corbels, along with perforated barge-board and patterned frame. Lastly, a decorative outstanding detail of the building, is the embellished canted bay located on the ground floor, the sash windows, the slate roof and its white colored brick which adds to its exterior a more interesting aesthetic to visitors. The Proposal Implications and The Justifications 4.1 Description of the Proposal It is hard not to love Victorian buildings because of their characteristic ornate architecture, their elegant proportions and sophisticated detailing. It is well known that they were built to be admired, and theyve rise the test of time, too. Having all these in mind, firstly the lodge needs a proper re-touch. A proper care needs to be taken into consideration for the special Victorian roofing of the property and its engraved ending detailing, its beautiful port decorative characteristics, stair, windows and wall engravings and also a proper preservation of the outstanding for its time-and age satyr-corbels. Preserving a home that is 175 years old entails substantial work, and working with the best contractors and products specialized on this manner. [11] As the property is not owned or occupied by any tenant, a public use is what I believe will give to the property the appropriate value and use, and most importantly represent the important heritage and architectural style it represents. The Lodge, as mentioned before, is located in the middle of a National Park, near two historic villages, commonly visited by tourists interested in English heritage, professional historians or even cyclists passing by the park, my suggested use of the building would be a small Tea-Library Room. 4.2 Justification of the Proposal Tearooms in England are usually small restaurants where non-alcoholic drinks and light meals are served, usually in buildings where they have a specific character, internally and externally, and with significant aesthetics and dignified atmosphere. Tea is a significant feature of the British culture and it has been for centuries one of the worlds utmost tea consumers and flavor inventors. Thinking of the buildings location, neither a pub or a different type of shop would the users of the area or people passing by would use or need. The suggestion of combining the Tea Room with walls full of books to give it the use of a library as well, derived from the buildings past, as a dedication to its first owner, Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, who was an author and a bibliophile. This combination describes perfectly the English Culture; enjoying a cup of tea, in a Victorian Architecture building, in the middle of a national park, while reading a book. Although the external style of a building may be its most attractive and noticeable aspect and its public face, its interior is even more vital in the buildings history and heritage identity. Exactly because of its interior, this property would be ideal for this use and to be a prime example of its use and its architectural style. [12] 4.3 Implication of the Proposal The current stage of the property does not support the proposal of being turned into tea-room library which needs an approved kitchen supported-facility, a second fire exit, and an additional support structure to be added on the walls, in order to support the extra weight of the books that will be placed on the walls. From the Heritage Lottery Fund website, we found out that Eating and drinking businesses are between 71% to 79% more likely to be found in a listed building than in a non-listed, in towns, mainly due to the fact that an attractive interior and an important heritage identity aesthetically environment, brings more customers and visitors to the building, especially if its a non-museum or retail shop one. Which means that those difficulties and implications are not hard to overcome, as long as the appropriate measures and consideration is taken. [13] 4.4 Methodology for Grants and Funds Application Rather than leave such a beautiful piece of architecture to collapse, this proposal would be highly beneficial to the community of Denton due to rising the use of the area and provide a development to the area, which is expected to increase the visitor numbers. Because this project is a small-scale one, finding the appropriate funding organisation to support the proposed project, will not be difficult to find, and a trust that can afford it. In this specific case, funding becomes a matter of public fundraising from locals, donations from book and writers associations, private financing or small grants. One of the most obvious additional funding source for this is the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The HLF is the public organisation responsible for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who are responsible for monuments and listed buildings conservation. From an appropriate study of the HLF and whom they fund, it appears that the above proposal fits their conditions for funding: According to the HLF there are a few grants that Keepers Lodge Tea and Library House could apply for, but because the application process is quite complex, the decision on funds is not an easy one to get or granted. But because of being an important source of funding for heritage projects, the budget available according to the HLF per year for these projects is  £375million. Surely the lodge can be considered at-risk and under used, and bec ause of Denton being a Historic village and an area of economic deprivation, is an advantage for the application process for funding this project. The application process has two rounds: On Round one the application is submitted were it has to clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the scheme suggested and also to demonstrate how the redevelopment of the building will contribute to the development of both, the area and to the heritage of England. Round two consists of the development of the project and the period were the project is supposed to and follow the proposed and agreed plan. There is also another more specific option to for collecting funds for the regeneration of such a project by committees such us; The Educational Grants Directory, The Grants Register, A Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need, The Youth Funding Guide and the Directory of Grant Making Trusts; All the above are Private Library and Community Trusts which fund projects that provide or improve community spaces, cultural facilities and places for outdoor recreation, or grants of between  £300 and  £10,000 for community running projects in the UK that allows people to take part in arts, sports, heritage or literature, or promote education, the environment or health in the local community. Although the proposed redevelopment of the Keepers lodge will more certainly cost more than  £10,000, a request and application to more than one of the above Trusts will be necessary. The most important key feature in grants and funds applications to any organisation is a strong management of the application plan. Although big organisations such as HLF, offer advisory and mentoring services, in smaller ones, this might not be an option and the decision on wherever the application will be approved or not would be relied to the applicants clear illustration of everything important and necessary into its application. Financial data need to be provided, new architectural plans need to be comprehensively discussed with clear drawings in place for the organisation and obtaining of the works, and also a full detailing of all expenditure planned to be spend on the whole project as well. 4.5 Details for achieving the project architecturally Design Details and Planning Exterior Design Outdoor Dining and associated outdoor waiting area Main entry and fire exit Services, utility infrastructure and storage area Pedestrian-vehicular circulation system and parking Exterior Retouch Because the setback from the street is evident, and the Lodge is surrounded by a very big open space the addition/creation of a backyard outdoor dining space is suggested, along with a small bar on the backyard as well, which can be used as reception as well for summer use of the outdoor area. A Shading for the outdoor dining should be integrated with the main structure. A small reception area will be added by the main entrance within the pro-hall for greeting the guests and visitors, and also, as the kitchen has two windows, one of them till be turned into a fire exit for safety purposes and also straight access to the outdoor backyard as well. Service area and storage area should be added as part of the design requirements, and it is suggested that an extension is added at the back of the kitchen, hidden from public eye, in order not to interfere with the beauty of the structure itself. The introduction of an appropriate parking is required for a logical and safe vehicular and pedestrian circulation pattern throughout the site that minimizes conflicts. The external walls roof and windows needs replacing, because of their age they started falling down and their damages is visible and dangerous for public use. Interior Design Modification of the single used kitchen to an equipped integrated kitchen Architectural cladding treatment and ventilation system Bathroom alterations requirements Transformation of living room walls to bookshelves from floor to ceiling for library purposes New refrigerator space and introduction will be needed because of the change to the use of the kitchen to cooking for a lot of people, along with keeping inside drinks etc. The working tops should be increased from 25cm that are currently to 50cm as stated by law, and replaced to stainless-steel material for health and safety requirements. As the building is under danger because of not been treated properly, before opening the building to the public, a proper treatment to its cladding and also windows should be replaced for better ventilation and safety purposes. No need of introduction of new ones is needed. The bathroom is located next to a medium size storage area, which both can be merged in order to create a bigger in size bathroom. Although requirements state that two bathrooms are required, because of the buildings size and use it is not necessary as long as the current one is upon the standards for male, female and disable access. The interior design of the building is beautiful as it stands so its dominant existing character will be kept and preserved. The introduction of the bookshelves will be done with the appropriate material which is oak wood to match the rest of the building and give the feeling of an old library and the aesthetics will be perfectly represented. [1] Historic England Website Listing of Keepers Lodge, Denton KEEPERS LODGE, Denton with Wootton 1070010| Historic England, accessed December 18, 2016 [2] Mandler. P., The Fall and Rise of the Stately Home, (New Haven and London, 1997) [3] Brittain-Catlin, T., The English Parsonage in the Early Nineteenth Century, (In Association with English Heritage Reading 2008) [4] Mandler. P., The Fall and Rise of the Stately Home, (New Haven and London, 1997)

Satanism and Corrupt Christianity :: essays research papers

Spiritual Alchemy & The Bible True Satanism is based upon the ancient religions that predated Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by hundreds to thousands of years. The traditional colors of black and red used in Satanism, date all the way back to Ancient Egypt and are symbolic of spiritual transformation. The ancient religions were based upon completing our Creator Satan's work: that of transforming the human soul into that of a god and achieving god-like power and immortality. Satan's Kingdom was stolen from him. The Judeo/Christian Bible is a corruption of stolen material that has been used to spiritually enslave humanity. All of the legends of the Gods are allegories. The Vatican and its cohorts have gained wealth, power, and control by forcing people to believe these allegories are literal places and characters. The completion of the work, what is known in alchemy as the "Magnum Opus" has its foundation in the kundalini. The kundalini serpent lies coiled at the base of the spine. Through meditation, the fiery serpent ascends. This is what is known as "Raising the Devil." There are 33 vertebrae in the in the human spinal column. We often hear the term "33rd degree Mason" or that the fictitious nazarene lived 33 years. The kundalini serpent ascends the 33 vertebrae of the spine. The seven chakras are also very important in the work. When the kundalini ascends, it must pierce through each of the seven chakras. This is why there is so much emphasis on the number seven in many ancient spiritual texts and also what has been corrupted in the Judeo/Christian Bible. Christian leaders mislead their followers through deceiving them into believing the stolen legends in the bible are real. Through this deception, the Vatican and Christian churches have obtained unbelievable wealth and power. This power is not only in the material world, but in the spiritual as well. All spiritual knowledge was systematically removed with the Inquisition. Those at the top are adept at black magick and have advanced to spiritual power, while the rest of humanity suffers under their control. Many ancient paintings we are told are of the nazarene, "virgin mary" and related are really of the Original Gods, such as Marduk (Amon Ra) and Astaroth. The Magnum Opus begins ideally in the spring when the Sun is in Aries, thus the man standing with the lamb. The halo is the ascended kundalini and the vibrant aura of witchpower.

Essay on ‘The Crucible’ Essay

The Crucible was written by the great play writing legend Sir Arthur Miller. He created many ingenious plays. In particular I would like to focus on the play (The Crucible) is based on a true story. The Crucible is set in America in the state of Massachusetts within the small village of Salem in the late seventeenth century. In this period of time, witch hunting was at it’s peak. In addition, religion was regarded as the law it was powerful over everyone and no one could question its authority. No one would dare speak against it or the consequences could be lethal. For many hundreds of years throughout Europe there was a belief in witchcraft. At times the principle turned into historical fear, leading into campaigns or persecution against suspected witches. It was thought that witches were agents of the devil. In 1692 there was an outbreak of accusations of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts (USA). The colonists there were Puritans who followed a particular form of Protestant Christianity and would tolerate no other. They felt surrounded by ungodly people and they associated the forest with savages and with evil. Salem was a puritan community their lives were ruled by religion. The role pf religion is very powerful and id used to control the community within the courts of Salem, religion is referred to throughout the play. ‘The Crucible’ criticises the effects of the Cold War America experienced in the 1950’s. McCarthy felt his power threatened by his people’s interest in communism. It was feared that Russia take over the world. This links to ‘The Crucible’ because the people in the play are craving for freedom, they don’t want to be tied to religion and the Bible. ‘The Crucible’ begins with the village girls cleaning and making something in a pot, which is against the laws of Salem. This action leads to a whole plot of jealousy, betrayal and ends up in hangings. Miller tries to display the act of the girls dancing in the forest as a form of plea, a cry for help. Throughout the play there are many characters with a variety of strong agendas that display their notions by insinuating them in ways, which cause arguments and ‘stir the pot’. After both reading and watching ‘The Crucible’ I noticed that there were four main categories in which the characters fell into. The powerful, the righteous, the weak and the jealous. Most of the characters or the main characters rather entered the powerful and jealous categories. Judge Danforth for example, a powerful man with extreme authority, he turns a ‘blind eye’ to the truth to keep his position and stay in power. He is bought and biased, looks more for his own benefit rather than helping others which should be the case. He abuses his position magnificently to stay in power. Reverend Paris, also has a considerable amount of power in the village of Salem. His main concern seems to be keeping his reputation and he’s bent on doing anything and everything to keep his authority and be feared. He has controlling power yet refuses to shift position for the right cause. John Proctor is an honest man who isn’t easily led. He is a hardworking farmer in his mid-thirties with logical thought. He is married, even tempered but is powerful of mind and body. Proctor is feared and respected in Salem, however he is no saint he has committed adultery with Abigail Williams who worked for Proctor as a servant but was subsequently fired when Proctor realized his mistake. He’s a good-hearted man who wants to make his wrongs right. An honourable man, who stands up for what is right and uses his wisdom against that which is wrong. Abigail, a very cunning young woman, she has committed adultery with John Proctor and uses this to her advantage by blackmailing and threatening him. She blames lies on other to save herself, she plays innocent and acts nai ve when in reality she is the cause of the disputes. She is evil and spiteful, cares for nobody but herself – she is simply selfish. Mary Warren, one of the weak and afraid characters, who can be moulded through threatening, as she is easily intimidated. She sides with Proctor when he threatens her and then sides with Abigail when she blackmails her. She is very controlled as though she doesn’t have a mind of her own nor any opinions. Because her worth is less than a slave she grew up with no honour, respect, honesty or independence, this is why she is unable to see the wrong as well as Proctor and in the end sides with the wrong people out of pure fear. Unfortunately, Mary Warren is a timid and gullible character who plays an unwitting role in the outcome of the trial. The audience will see the tension build up when they see such a combination of characters who all have very different agendas and are extremely volatile arguing in this type of situation. In this essay, I will focus mainly on act 3. It begins in the courtroom the witch trial has commenced. There are of course two parties, those accused of being witches (John Proctor, his wife etc) and the accusers (Rev. Parris etc). Proctor has a tough job defending himself because he has to prove that the court is wrong, Danforth questions Proctor and finds out what kind of a man he is before he hears the case. Giles Corey testifies for his wife (she was accused of being a witch). Giles feels guilty since it was he who told the court that his wife, Martha, had been reading some books. The court believes that she was reading them books to learn how to curse people. Francis Nurse testifies and defends his wife, Judge Hathorne supposes they are the bad ones and is angered by their blatant denial so consequently orders Corey and Nurse to be arrested. Proctor forces Mary Warren to testify for the defence and she complies by saying she lied in the court before. John says the girls are lying about the witchcraft. This makes the judges very nervous because if Proctor is correct then they have killed many innocent people. Proctor presents his case, he has three depositions to offer for evidence, the first being a signed petition proving the innocence of the three men’s wives. The second statement comes from Giles Corey, he tells the judges that Thomas Putnam is a ravenous and greedy man who is obsessed with attaining land through any means. However, Putnam denies this and Corey refuses to tell the court who gave him this information on Putnam in fear of being arrested. Unfortunately, he is still arrested for contempt of court. From here we are taken back to Rev. Hale who has realised his mistake and has changed sides, now supporting Proctor. Mary is the third final element of John’s defence. John tells her what to say and that he is supporting her. But Mary Warren is afraid no one will believe her (that the witchery was all untrue and the girls had been lying all along) because she lied earlier. Danforth brings in the accusers led by Abigail. Williams says that Mary is lying, the judges begin to wonder how Mary could be ‘pretending’ to be a witch earlier. She is asked to demonstrate this ‘pretending’ for the court. She can’t. Abigail and Danforth argue when Williams is questioned and then pretends to be seeing Mary as a bird in the air from the devil. The rest of the girls on Abigail’s side mimic her for their act to look believable. Proctor having no options left reveals his affair with Abigail. The men are horrified, John and Abigail are instructed to turn their backs while Elizabeth Proctor is bought in. She is asked if her husband has committed lechery. Not knowing he has confessed and thinking of his protection, her loyalty to John gets the better of her and she denies it. As she is led out John tells her he has confessed and they both realize that have lost completely. Abigail and the girls continue to act as though afflicted Mary Warren until she finally cracks. She accuses Proctor for having used her for the devil’s work and runs into the now welcoming arms of Abigail. Proctor and Giles Corey are led to the prison.

B.F. Skinner and Radical Behaviorism

B. F. Skinner, as he is known popularly, had made much contribution to psychology as he made confusions and debates. In delving into Skinner’s works, it is not surprising that researching about him and his ideas will overwhelm a student by the immense literature on Radical Behaviorism as well as will be lost in the confusion and humdrum of his â€Å"theory†. Thus, it is important in the narrative that it should be divided into smaller units as to delineate subjects about the whole topic. The first part will deal with a short biography of Skinner.This will only trace his career but will also include some sketches of his life that may have contributed to his line of thought and thinking. Presented in the next section are some ideas about his Radical Behaviorism and a rather shallow understanding of it. The difficulty in here however is that as one goes deeper into Radical Behaviorism, the more it is complex and confusing that the brevity of this paper will not permit. The third part is the presentation of some of the influences Radical Behaviorism had made in other fields of study.Many authors and many scholars would claim that Radical Behaviorism had influenced their fields, although only some of these fields will be presented. On the next section, a presentation be made on the criticisms on Radical Behavior. With a gigantic amount of literature written by B. F. Skinner, it is in no doubt that there will also be a great amount of published criticisms on Radical Behaviorism and only a few have made their way here. As a whole this paper will not be an ambitious research about B. F.Skinner and Radical Behaviorism but just to answer on the surface as: (1) Who is B. F. Skinner? ; (2) What is Radical Behaviorism? ; (3) What are the fields of study influenced by Radical Behaviorism? , and; (4) What are the criticisms directed towards Radical Behaviorism and to B. F. Skinner in particular? Biography Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born in Susquehanna, Pennsyl vania in March 20, 1904 (Hall, Lindzey & Campbell, 1998). His mother was an intelligent and strong housewife and his father, a modest lawyer practicing in the area (Vargas, 2004).According to Hall, Lindzey & Campbell (1998) as well as Vargas (2004), Skinner lived his early life with much warmth and stability – his parents giving him much freedom on discovery and his inventiveness. As Skinner’s daughter, Julie S. Vargas (2004) would attest that her grandmother gave her father the freedom to discover things and to develop his abilities. On the other hand, she was also strict in social matters, such as etiquette, and the young man devised many things to help him remember his mother’s social controls (Vargas, 2004).Nonetheless, the family gave emphasis on open debate over things and topics, although they have some conservative stance on certain things. With an interest on Literature, having been encouraged by Robert Frost, Skinner attended a small liberal arts schoo l of Hamilton College where he majored in English, determined to become a writer (Hall, Lindzey & Campbell, 1998). He was not successful though in writing, then he left home for New York and went to Harvard University for graduate studies (Vargas, 2004).In 1931, he received his Ph. D. and moved to the University of Minnesota in 1936 for an academic position, where for 9 years he would claim and establish a name as one of the most influential experimental psychologists of that time (Hall, Lindzey & Campbell, 1998). He then went to the University of Indiana for a short stay, in 1945 and returned to Harvard in 1948 to stay for the duration of his entire career until his retirement in 1974, where he would enrich all his ideas and theories (Vargas, 2004).Finally, on March 18, 1990 one of the most celebrated and controversial psychologists of all time died of leukemia, leaving behind a â€Å"ripple effect of his life’s work† as the â€Å"Operant procedures have crated entir e fields [of science]† (Vargas, 2004) Radical Behaviorism Radical Behaviorism is a term attributed to B. F. Skinner (Schneider & Morris, 1987), described as a distinction from the so-called Methodological Behaviorism and the â€Å"rest of psychology† (Malone & Cruchon, 2001). To contrast the two kinds of behaviorism, it is noteworthy to define both.By definition, Methodological Behaviorism is the: †¦view that there is a distinction between public and private events and that psychology (to remain scientific) can deal only with public events †¦ private events are ‘mental’ and, therefore, beyond our reach †¦ the â€Å"arid philosophy of truth by agreement† (Skinner, 1945) [that] something is meaningful or objective only if at least two observers agree on its existence. (Malone & Cruchon, 2001) According to Skinner’s viewpoint, Radical Behaviorism is quite different because, â€Å"it does not distinguish between private and public events.In so doing, it omits nothing commonly thought of as mental, but it treats ‘seeing’ as an activity similar in kind to walking (Malone & Cruchon, 2001). This is because Skinner â€Å"deny the mind/body dualism of the mentalists and the methodological behaviorists† (Malone & Cruchon, 2001). As an example, Malone and Cruchon (2001) succinctly described that: Thinking is something that we do, just as is walking, and we do not think mental thoughts any more than we walk mental steps. Personal experience is not necessarily ‘private’ experience.That part of the world within our bodies is difficult to describe because society has a difficult time teaching us to name it. (Malone & Cruchon, 2001) In other words, Skinner departed from analyzing behaviour as actions affected by our thoughts rather he argued that thoughts are effects themselves to a degree from our actions (Malone & Cruchon, 2001). With the term behaviorism attached to his ideas, he was as sociated with the Stimulus-Response Theory, but he repudiated it (Hall, Lindzey & Campbell, 1998) because accordingly his study of behavior should be:†¦redefined as studying the interactive relationship between an organism and the environment in which it behaves. The past and present environments provide the stimuli that set the occasion for behavior, and the organism’s actions operate (hence operant) on the environment. Actions have consequences, and these consequences shape the behavior of the organism. (Leahey, 2003) In addition, Skinner said that in Radical Behaviorism, it is not about the stimulus-response stance because:Instead of saying that the organism sees, attends to, perceives, ‘processes,’ or otherwise acts upon stimuli, an operant analysis holds that stimuli acquire control of behavior through the part they play in contingencies of reinforcement. Instead of saying that an organism stores copies of the contingencies to which it is exposed and la ter retrieves and responds to them again, it says that the organism is changed by the contingencies and later responds as a changed organism, the contingencies having passed into history. (Skinner, 1987)That is, â€Å"All operants and stimuli are members of classes of similar phenomena, defined by the environmental relations in which they participate. † (Ritzer, 2005). This is further said in the article Evolution of Verbal Behavior as: †¦species-specific behavior did not evolve in order that a species could adapt to the environment but rather evolved when it adapted, so we say that operant behavior is not strengthened by reinforcement in order that the individual can adjust to the environment but is strengthened when the individual adjusts.(Skinner, 1986) This is to say that Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism rests on the study of behavior in a sense that behavior is not caused by the stimuli but depends on the actions that a person reacts to in a certain setting (env ironment) resulting into another reaction, thus; â€Å"The environment not only triggered behavior, it selected it. Consequences seemed, indeed, to be more important than antecedents. † (Skinner, 1987). Some Influences by Skinner’s BehaviorismSurely, the influence of Radical Behaviorism in the applied fields has been proven by academic scholars in numerous research writings as part or a whole of some other fields in psychology. One such field is Human Geography, so called because it is â€Å"concerned with the spatial differentiation and organization of human activity and with human use of the physical environment† (Norton, 1997) and is concerned mainly of human behavior in an environment.In here, Norton (1997) corroborated that Human Geography is related to Radical Behaviorism because the principle of cultural materialism as an approach to the study of the former is similar to latter as: Radical behaviorism is concerned with the identification of the principles of individual behavior and talks about reinforcers and punishers, while cultural materialism is concerned with group behavior and talks about benefits and costs. Both argue that behavioral responses to environmental variables precede mental rationalizations as to the reasons for responses.† (Norton, 1997) Norton (1997) further adds that the research approach of Human Geography is â€Å"the analysis of behavior in landscape†, advocating the use of Radical Behaviorism. Secondly, it has also influenced the approaches of the analysis of Human Cognition as Barnes and Holmes (1991) would contend. This is because, they said that, â€Å"radical behaviorism does, on the contrary, and as opposed to earlier forms of behaviorism, direct considerable attention towards phenomena called ‘cognitive.’† (Barnes and Holmes, 1991), giving credit to the importance of the â€Å"contextualistic perspective† in the analysis of human thought. Further, they said that, â€Å"its current burgeoning of interest in human behavior, and particularly language and symbolic control, have yet to be fully appreciated and explored† (Barnes and Holmes, 1991), such that Radical Behaviorism, â€Å"can play an important role in developing psychology into a fully formed science† (Barnes and Holmes, 1991). Third, as formulated by Skinner, one such field influenced by Radical Behaviorism is the analysis of Verbal Behavior and communication.In the study conducted by Forsyth (1996) on the Language of Feeling, he identified Behaviorism as a good approach to such an analyses furthering understanding of the communication process. He said that â€Å"the functional analysis of verbal behavior has served as the cornerstone for behavior analytic research and theory about emotional behavior beginning with how people learn to label and describe their experience using language†, commending its use in clinical behaviour analysis.Fourth, an interesting prop osal of the use of Radical Behaviorism is the simulation or duplication of a community called Walden Two (Cullen, 1991), based on a novel by Skinner of the same title. The interesting part is that this proposal carried out for a community of disabled children having behavior deficits. This community was called Comunidad Los Horcones which was started in 1971 and has continued up to the present, followed the guiding rules based on the novel (Cullen, 1991).Cullen (1991) argued that the guiding principles of Radical Behaviorism can sustain a community, nonetheless the presence o only a handful of these kinds of community make it less probable for practical use. In the outset, the promise that, â€Å"it might provide the basis for sensible planning in the lives of people with learning disabilities† (Cullen, 1991). Criticisms Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism came out into the academic arena without and exemption from criticisms.According to Malone and Cruchon (2001), Skinnerâ €™s over-simplification of in his prose on the principles of Radical Behaviorism to gain public readership caused further criticisms because those who read it misunderstood it further. They said that these criticisms are, â€Å"attributable to the opacity of his prose and the excessiveness of his proposed applications† (Malone & Cruchon, 2001).Thus, the writings of Skinner led to many misconceptions as well as misinterpretations of Skinner’s works (Ruiz, 1995). Skinner have regretted this himself later in his life as he â€Å"eventually complained at having to redress misconstructions in the literature† (Ruiz, 1995). On the other Ruiz (1995), argued that Radical Behaviorism attracted strong objections from feminist critics and listed the following points as basis for that criticism as misinterpretations that it is:(a) a mechanistic stimulus-response psychology; (b) is primarily concertned with the behavior of small organisms in experimental chambers; (c) con ceptualizes the organism as a passive recipient of external forces; (d) denies or ignores innate contributions to behavior in its extreme environmentalism; (e) requires that we fragment behavior down to elemental units of analysis; and (f) deals only with overt behavior and so denies or ignores subjective experience such as feelings and thought. † (Ruiz, 1995)Quite interestingly is that Skinner’s Radical Behavior, undoubtedly had been misconstrued with these â€Å"labels† and had been the source of fierce criticisms from many quarters (Ruiz, 1995). Furthermore, Ruiz’s (1995) first entry in the misinterpretation list about Radical Behaviorism as â€Å"a mechanistic stimulus-response psychology†, was also claimed by Hall, Lindzey and Campbell (1998). In the long run, Skinner suffered misinterpretation rather than the validity of his Radical Behaviorism as a science.All three sources would agree that Skinner was misinterpreted and misunderstood (Malone & Cruchon, 2001; Ruiz, 1995; Hall, Lindzey & Campbell, 1998), because his readers and supporters as well as critiques always place labels on approaches, techniques or methods of analyses. Conclusion B. F, Skinner is a remarkable scholar of the 20th century, having to influence a handful of fields of study. In retrospect, Skinner started out with a humble beginning and his upbringing may have contributed to the immense power of thinking.His Radical Behaviorism, was an attempt of Skinner to delineate his ideas from the whole of behaviorism and the rest of psychology. In such doing, a new breed of approach had taken shape. His ideas on Radical Behaviorism eventually influenced many other fields of study for application and as an approach to many experiments. On the other hand, with such a remarkable approach, B. F. Skinner and Radical Behaviorism had been attacked by numerous criticisms simply because of its complexity; Skinner himself often over-simplify his writings to cover a wider audience that also caused much confusion and labeling on Radical Behaviorism.Nonetheless, many students and scholars also interpreted and cleared-out his ideas for better understanding such as Malone and Cruchon’s work (2001). Finally, Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism, according to most articles and proposition has a great promise to give for the science of psychology. While it is a fact, as many sources would say, that Skinner’s works are misinterpreted and confused, there is no way that in the subsequent debates and further studies on his Radical Behaviorism that it will shed more understanding to a wider audience.Thus, it is only in the hands and minds of later scholars to interpret Skinner’s work more fully. References Barnes, D. , & Holmes, Y. (1991). Radical behaviorism, stimulus equivalence, and human cognition. Psychological Record, 41(1), 19. Cullen, C. (1991). Experimentation and planning in community care. Disability, Handicap and Society Volume 6, No. 2: 115-128. Carfax Publishing Co. Forsyth, J. (1996). The language of feeling and the feeling of anxiety: Contributions of the behaviorisms toward†¦ Psychological Record, 46(4), 607. Hall, C. S. , Lindzey, G. & Campbell, J. B. (1998).Theories of personality 4ed. New York, N. Y. : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Leahey, T. H. (2003). Chapter 6. Cognition and learning in Irving V. Weiner’s Handbook of psychology volume 1: History of psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Malone, J. C. & Cruchon, N. M. (2001). Radical behaviorism and the rest of psychology: A review/precis of Skinner’s About Behaviorism. Behavior and Philosophy Vol. 29, 31- 57. Cambridge: Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Norton, W. (1997). Human geography and behavior analysis: An application of behavior analysis to the explanation of†¦Psychological Record, 47(3), 439. Ritzer, G. (ed). (2005). Encyclopedia of social theory volume 1. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. Ruiz , M. R. (1995). B. F. Skinner’s radical behaviorism: Historical misconstructions and grounds for feminist reconstructions. Psychology of Women Quarterly Volume 19: 161-179. EBSCO Publishing. Schneider, S. M. & Morris, E. K. (1987). A history of the term radical behaviorism: From Watson to Skinner. The Behavior Analyst Vol. 10, No. 1 27-39. Arkansas, AK: University of Arkansas Skinner, B. F. (1986). The evolution of verbal behavior.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior Vol. 45, No. 1: 115-122. Skinner, B. F. (1987). Whatever happened to the rest of psychology. American Psychologist Vol. 42, No. 8: 780-786. American Psychological Association. Staats, A. W. (2003). Chapter 6. A psychological behaviorism theory of personality in Irving V. Weiner’s Handbook of psychology volume 5: Personality and social psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Vargas, J. S. (2004). A daughter’s retrospective of B. F. Skinner. The Spanish Journal of Psychology Vol. 7 No. 2: 135-140. Madrid, Spain: Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

10 Writers Block Memes to Keep Your Book Afloat

10 Writers Block Memes to Keep Your Book Afloat 10 Writer's Block Memes to Keep Your Book Afloat If you’re a writer, you’re 99% guaranteed to agree that writer’s block is not a lot of fun. Whilst we can offer tips and help you try and overcome writer’s block  and writing strategies, we can also reassure you that you are not suffering alone.The fact that you’re here - possibly having searched for ‘writer’s block memes’ - suggests you’re in need of a little light relief. This post will hopefully provide you with some confirmation that you’re not the only one who’s struggling and remind you that, all in all, writer’s block is a strange and funny thing.1. Your first experience of writer’s block went something like this: What's your favorite writer's block meme? Tell us in the comments and we'll be happy to add it to our list!