Rape as a Tool of War in DRC

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has undergone a series of war over the past fifteen years. The first war that broke out in 1996 and ended in 1997, ousted long time ruler Mobutu Sese Seko and brought to power Laurent Kabila, a rebel leader supported by Rwanda and Burundi (HRW 35).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Rape as a Tool of War in DRC specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second war from 1998-2003, started when Laurent Kabila disagreed with his initial backers, propelling Rwanda and Uganda to invade the east of the country. The war led to the death of approximately 5.4 million people. Sexual violence was widespread and sometimes systematic. Rival groups used it as a tool of war to deliberately terrorize civilians, to exert control over them or punish them for perceived collaboration with the enemy. Reports indicate that armed groups would abduct women including young girls and use them as sexual slaves (HRW 40). Many of the crimes committed amounted to crimes against humanity. In fact, women affirmed that the war was being fought on their bodies (HRW 43). Sexual violence continued in the Congo throughout the peace process and the national elections in 2006. In Eastern Congo, new armed groups emerged leading to continued perpetration of rape cases. Reports indicate that sexual violence against women continued in North Kivu in 2008 due to intense fighting between rival groups (HRW 44). Incidences of rape propagated by civilians have notably increased in the recent past. This is due to an increase of demobilized combatants who have reintegrated into society amid poor rehabilitation measures in society. The brutalization of society that has eroded protective social norms also contributes to these crimes (HRW 45). These atrocities against women have led to the crowning of Congo as the worst place on earth to be a woman. The Congolese national army (FARDC) is considered as the key perp etrators of sexual violence. The army came into place after the installation of the transitional government in June 2003 (HRW 56). This army brought soldiers from all the leading rebel groups as well as former government army together. The strategy aimed at creating harmony. Officer and commander groups were divided up between them. In addition, the transitional government introduced a new policy called mix-up in which new brigades were formed comprising of soldiers from main rival groups.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This policy targeted to break former chains of command and enhance the integration of former enemy combatants into new units. A rapid integration process that took place in 2009 saw estimated 12,000 combatants from rebel groups join the national army. The national army was estimated to have close to 60,000 soldiers after, the integration process. The national ar my encountered long standing problems that included indiscipline, pay, command and control and contributed further to the world scale abuses committed with impunity by the Congolese soldiers. Since they had been deployed throughout the country, the soldiers formed the largest perpetrators of rape cases. Since the army was characterized by gross misconduct, army officers could not stop sexual violence or punish undisciplined soldiers. The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo led to a serious economic crisis. First, the war caused massive destruction on the local infrastructure. This caused a reduction in the local production of the country. Secondly, the war brought to a halt the local banking industry. Entrepreneurs could not access funds to revive the local infrastructures and get their businesses running. Foreign investors and international lending institutions withdraw their support. The rebel leaders took control of trans-border commerce (Vlassenroot and Raeymaekers 56). The rebel leaders also led to the formation of informal tax payments systems. Business men who wanted to progress had to form friendly relationships with the rebel leaders who controlled the movement of goods. The businessmen had to pay pretax on custom duties to get favors from the military leaders. The situation derailed anyone who thought of running a business in the Congo. Consequently, manufacturers and traders had to deal with a steep increase in prices of imported household products. In addition, prices for local agricultural products rose. The war led to a shift from local production, to the importation of already made products from foreign countries. In conclusion, it can be noted that the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo significantly affected women. Fighting parties used the women as tools of war. Women were raped by soldiers of their rival groups in retaliation and held hostage in exchange for their husbands. The situation worsened further when rebel groups sprang up and propagated sexual violence against women. Women literally run away from soldiers and the armed bandits. The transitional government army that comprised of soldiers from chief rival groups had gross misconduct amongst its soldiers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Rape as a Tool of War in DRC specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The army’s main intention was to create harmony amongst the rival groups. However, gross misconduct and poor coordination prevailed in the army. The women suffered extensive physical and psychological effects. Despite of the vast economic potential of the Democratic republic of Congo, the country has not realized its expected economical returns. The series of wars destabilized the country’s economy. Works Cited Human Rights Watch (HRW). Soldiers who Rape, Commanders who condone: Sexual Violence and Military Reform in the DRC. New York: HRW, 2009. Print. Vlassenroot, K. and Ra eymaekers, T. Conflict and Social Transformation in Eastern DRC. Massachussets: Academia Press, 2009 Print. This essay on Rape as a Tool of War in DRC was written and submitted by user Esmeralda Wilkinson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

A Bridge to Wiseman essays

A Bridge to Wiseman essays "A bridge to wisemans cove" is a lively and adventurers story of a young boys journey who is seeking for an answer. Carl is a person who is trying to find self- discovery and self-worth you see this in different ways throughout this novel. His journey is tuff and at the end when you think it is over he realizes his worst nightmare. At the start of the novel we see that Carl can be shy at times and doesnt handle some situations well. But he is a very bright person but is looking for love and attention. Carl realized straight away what was happening when he overheard a conversation that his sister Sarah had with their Aunt Beryl. He knew somehow that when Sarah said that they would only be there for a few weeks that she ment till their mother came back or she was going to leave them there while she enjoys the rest of her life. Carl changes a lot as he goes on to live with Harley at their Aunt Beryls home at Wattle beach. At the start when they hear about going to wattle beach they had mixed emotions. Them being that they were looking forward to going to the beach but didnt want to live with their auntie because she is very strict. Aunt Beryl tells call in order to live with her he would need to find a job. So Carl quits school and goes in search for a job to make money to live with their auntie. Carl realizes that the working life is tough especially at his age with the last name as Matt. There also werent many businesses that needed his help. He finally got a job and grows up into a young man. Carl becomes upset after finding out the reason that Matt is such a hated name. ...

Creating and Using Resources in Visual Basic 6

Creating and Using Resources in Visual Basic 6 After Visual Basic students learn all about loops and conditional statements and subroutines and so forth, one of the next things that they often ask about is, How do I add a bitmap, a wav file, a custom cursor or some other special effect? One answer is resource files. When you add a file using Visual Studio resource files, theyre integrated directly into your Visual Basic project for maximum execution speed and minimum hassle packaging and deploying your application. Resource files are available in both VB 6 and VB.NET, but the way theyre used, like everything else, is quite a bit different between the two systems. Keep in mind that this isnt the only way to use files in a VB project, but it has real advantages. For example, you could include a bitmap in a PictureBox control or use the mciSendString Win32 API. MCI is a prefix that usually indicates a Multimedia Command String.   Creating a Resource File in VB 6 You can see the resources in a project in both VB 6 and VB.NET in the Project Explorer window (Solution Explorer in VB.NET - they had to make it just a little bit different). A new project wont have any since resources arent a default tool in VB 6. So lets add a simple resource to a project and see how that is done. Step one is to start VB 6 by selecting a Standard EXE project on the New tab in the startup dialog. Now select the Add-Ins option on the menu bar, and then the Add-In Manager... This will open the Add-In Manager dialog window. Scroll down the list and find VB 6 Resource Editor. You can just double-click it or you can put a check mark in the Loaded/Unloaded box to add this tool to your VB 6 environment. If you think youre going to use the Resource Editor a lot, then you can also place a check mark in the box Load on Startup and you wont have to go through this step again in the future. Click OK and the Resources Editor pops open. Youre ready to start adding resources to your project! Go to the menu bar and select Project then Add New Resource File or just right-click in the Resource Editor and select Open from the context menu that pops up. A window will open, prompting you for the name and location of a resource file. The default location will probably not be what you want, so navigate to your project folder and enter the name of your new resource file into the File name box. In this article, Ill use the name AboutVB.RES for this file. Youll have to confirm the creation of the file in a verification window, and the a AboutVB.RES file will be created and filled into the Resource Editor. VB6 Supports VB6 supports the following: A string table editor(Edit String Tables...)Custom cursors - CUR files(Add Cursor...)Custom icons - ICO files(Add Icon...)Custom bitmaps - BMP files(Add Bitmap...)Programmer defined resources(Add Custom Resource...) VB 6 provides a simple editor for strings but you have to have a file created in another tool for all of the other choices. For example, you could create a BMP file using the simple Windows Paint program. Each resource in the resource file is identified to VB 6 by an  Id  and a name in the Resource Editor. To make a resource available to your program, you add them in the Resource Editor and then use the Id and the resource Type to point to them in your program. Lets add four icons to the resource file and use them in the program. When you add a resource, the actual file itself is copied into your project. Visual Studio 6 provides a whole collection of icons in the folder... C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\Graphics\Icons To go with tradition, well select the Greek philosopher Aristotles four elements - Earth, Water, Air, and Fire - from the Elements subdirectory. When you add them, the Id is assigned by Visual Studio (101, 102, 103, and 104) automatically. To use the icons in a program, we use a VB 6 Load Resource function. There are several of these functions to choose from: LoadResPicture(index, format)  for bitmaps, icons, and cursors Use the VB predefined constants  vbResBitmap  for bitmaps,  vbResIcon  for icons, and  vbResCursor  for cursors for the format parameter. This function returns a picture that you can use directly.  LoadResData  (explained below) returns a string containing the actual bits in the file. Well see how to use that after we demonstrate icons. LoadResString(index)  for stringsLoadResData(index, format)  for anything up to 64K As noted earlier, this function returns a string with the actual bits in the resource. These are the values that can be used for format parameter here: 1 Cursor resource2 Bitmap resource3 Icon resource4 Menu resource5 Dialog box6 String resource7 Font directory resource8 Font resource9 Accelerator table10 User-defined resource12 Group cursor14 Group icon Since we have four icons in our AboutVB.RES resource file, lets use  LoadResPicture(index, format)  to assign these to the Picture property of a CommandButton in VB 6. I created an application with four  OptionButton  components labeled Earth, Water, Air and Fire and four Click events - one for each option. Then I added a  CommandButton  and changed the Style property to 1 – Graphical. This is necessary to be able to add a custom icon to the CommandButton. The code for each OptionButton (and the Form Load event - to initialize it) looks like this (with the Id and Caption changed accordingly for the other OptionButton Click events): Private Sub Option1_Click()   Ã‚  Ã‚  Command1.Picture _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  LoadResPicture(101, vbResIcon)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Command1.Caption _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Earth End Sub Custom Resources The big deal with custom resources is that you normally have to provide a way to process them in your program code. As Microsoft states it, this usually requires the use of Windows API calls. Thats what well do. The example well use is a fast way to load an array with a series of constant values. Remember that the resource file is included into your project, so if the values that you need to load change, youll have to use a more traditional approach such as a sequential file that you open and read. The Windows API well use is the  CopyMemory  API. CopyMemory copies block of memory to a different block of memory without regard to the data type that is stored there. This technique is well known to VB 6ers as an ultra fast way to copy data inside a program. This program is a bit more involved because first we have to create the a resource file containing a series of long values. I simply assigned values to an array: Dim longs(10) As Longlongs(1) 123456longs(2) 654321 ... and so forth. Then the values can be written to a file called  MyLongs.longs  using the VB 6 Put statement. Dim hFile As Long hFile FreeFile() Open _   Ã‚  Ã‚  C:\your file path\MyLongs.longs _   Ã‚  Ã‚  For Binary As #hFile Put #hFile, , longs Close #hFile Its a good idea to remember that the resource file doesnt change unless you delete the old one and add a new one. So, using this technique, you would have to update the program to change the values. To include the file MyLongs.longs into your program as a resource, add it to a resource file using the same steps described above, but click the  Add Custom Resource...  instead of Add Icon... Then select the MyLongs.longs file as the file to add. You also have to change the Type of the resource by right clicking that resource, selecting Properties, and changing the Type to longs. Note that this is the file type of your MyLongs.longs file. To use the resource file you have created to create a new array, first declare the Win32 CopyMemory API call: Private Declare Sub CopyMemory _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Lib kernel32 Alias _   Ã‚  Ã‚  RtlMoveMemory (Destination As Any, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Source As Any, ByVal Length As Long) Then read the resource file: Dim bytes() As Byte bytes LoadResData(101, longs) Next, move the data from the bytes array to an array of long values. Allocate an array for the longs values using the integer value of the length of the string of bytes divided by 4 (that is, 4 bytes per long): ReDim longs(1 To (UBound(bytes)) \ 4) As Long CopyMemory longs(1), bytes(0), UBound(bytes) - 1 Now,  this may seem like a whole lot of trouble when you could just initialize the array in the Form Load event, but it does demonstrate how to use a custom resource. If you had a large set of constants that you needed to initialize the array with, it would run faster than any other method I can think of and you wouldnt have to have a separate file included with your application to do it.

1) Unit of work for listening and speaking skills for ESL primary Essay

1) Unit of work for listening and speaking skills for ESL primary Enlish classroom. 2) An stating the rationale, theoretical principles, reflection for th - Essay Example Not all aspects of the text chat and face-to-face environments are similar. In text chat, it is possible for several participants to participate simultaneously. This unit is designed for the pupils of primary level around the age of 10 years. This unit contains some dialogues, narratives and some interesting and absorbing exercises for enhancing listening and speaking capabilities of pupils. The topic of unit is quite interesting. The unit revolves round the unlucky Friday 13th. It focuses on the superstitious aspect of western culture. The topic of unit not teaches language skills but it also introduces non-native pupils to the culture of the western society. The unit theme is quite absorbing and motivating. Pupils would automatically try to speak about the unfortunate incidents took place in the life Emily on that unlucky Friday. A lesson plan is a comprehensive and predetermined schedule of every activity of teacher in classroom for achieving optimal results. A lesson plan can be of many forms and types. It usually depends on time span, style of educator and type of subject to be taught. But the basic and main objective of any type of lesson plan is to provide teacher a pre-planned line of action for presenting materials and interacting with learners. The lesson plan should not be merely a action plan but it should provide a useful link between objectives of curriculum and material to be taught. Motivate students by telling them about the poor Emily who faced lot of hardships on unlucky Friday. Tell the students background of Friday 13th that is considered unlucky. Tell them how much hardships she faced on that particular day but how boldly she faced them. Encourage students to be bold if such situation may arise in their daily routine. It will create intimacy with the character. Tell the students the how important is listening for correct speaking. Tell them

Building Successful Relationships Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Building Successful Relationships - Essay Example What could probably be one of the most important relationships in a person’s life would be with a loved one who will reciprocate the love given. However, it should be noted that relationships do not just grow like weeds in the garden but are like flowers that have to be intentionally grown, needing love and care. Personally, I have learned important matters that need to be considered in having a relationship to make it beneficial to the parties involved. I once had a relationship in my earlier years that helped me realize my mistakes and that is helping and guiding me in the relationship that I currently have. Just a few years ago, I struggled in a relationship that I had with a girl that I met in school. She is pretty, cheerful and fun to be with and I liked her for being so loving and caring. She always wanted us to be together, spending time with each other and talking about anything only to pass the time together. However, being the outgoing person that I am, I always found it difficult to find time for her and this made her complain about my attitude. She said that I was to being inconsiderate of her need to be with me and our relationship to be nurtured. She doubted my feelings toward her because I seemed to be more indulged with my friends than with her. Although I tried to explain th at my shortcomings are not the measure of my love for her, I somehow failed to make it appear so to her and, we ended breaking up. The break up was difficult for me. I guess I really loved her so much that I was greatly affected when we had to part ways. I struggled emotionally and psychologically. There were times that I could not sleep well thinking of her. I tried to make things straight with my former girlfriend, asking for another chance for me to become a better partner to her, telling her that I have already learned my lessons. Nevertheless, that is perhaps the extent of understanding that she could give me. She asked me to stop wasting my time going after her. It took me time to finally overcome the grief I felt before I finally bounced back to normalizing my activities and making new friends. I could say that my current relationship is going smoothly because I have learned a lot from my mistakes from my past relationship. It is not that my relationship with my present girlf riend is perfect but at least, we are able to work out our differences and make our relationship work. I found out that truly, a relationship should be nurtured to make it grow. When I first had a relationship, communication was open and regular during the first few months but then, I stopped getting in touch with my former girlfriend on a regular basis because I thought I was already familiar with her and was very sure I knew her very well then. Now, I maintain communicating with my friend to avoid similar problems I had in the past. Whenever we are not able to see each other during the day, I always make it a point to call my girlfriend and ask how she is and how she spent her time. I think this makes our bond stronger because she sees that I am making efforts to show how concerned I am about her. Moreover, whenever I tell her how I spent my day, she stops worrying about me and understands how I spend my time so that whenever I am not able to make it for our dates or other planned activities together, she tries to be considerate and understands

Criminal Justice Essay Example for Free

Criminal Justice Essay Herbert Packer a professor from Stanford University came up with two models of how the criminal justice system works. The two models that Herbert Packer had came up with is the crime control model and due process model.The crime control model is based on conservative values such as aggressive arrest, prosecution and conviction of criminals and makes the system more efficient and safer for people. The due process control is basically protecting an individual’s rights whether they’re accused and to protect the innocent people from conviction. According to the article , neither models should be used because both the crime control and due process model have both significant strengths and weaknesses. For example, one weakness of a due process model is it only protects the accused individual rights and not the victim. Also the articles claims that â€Å"both appear to have potential pitfalls and dangers that could threaten both safety and security and the individual freedoms that have made the United States a beacon of stability and freedom throughout the world†. The article also states that crime control model is too harsh while the due process model is just soft on the accused individuals. While the crime control model is aggressive arrest and it could be trouble if the police officers arrest the innocent by accident and during the aggressive arrest it may hurt the victims also.This shows that neither models should be used due to all the reasons above. Herbert Packer feels that both methods should be combined to prevent weaknesses in the model while gaining more strengths and less dangers to the society. Also Herbert Packer feels that if the models were combined, it’ll be the best strategy to deal with crimes days in the future. With the criminal control model being harsh and the due process being more soft on the accused, they would make a great team which adjusting the levels to just right not too harsh or too easy. These reasons above states why Herbert Packer feels that both models or methods should be combined. Based on all the facts given to me, I would prefer the crime control model because crime control model could actually prevent more crimes while the due process model would increase the amount of crimes a year. Also the crime control model enforces the law while the due process model doesn’t. I would prefer the crime control model also because it’s better to be safe than sorry and increases the social order in that certain area. Since the due process model is too easy on the criminal, there may be a chance that the individual would commit another crime and in society it is important to maintain social order or there would be chaos.I also think that if the crime control model is including traffic stops ,wiretapping and surveillance , it’ll still protect the victim and the criminal somehow. The crime control model is necessary to make a free society. With the crime control model, the criminal justice system should be more efficient than ever. The crime control model increases the police powers which make the criminal afraid of committing any more crimes. This is shows why I prefer the crime control model over the due process model. Herbert Packer a professor from Stanford University came up with two models of how the criminal justice system works. The two models that Herbert Packer had came up with is the crime control model and due process model. In conclusion, there are many strengths and weaknesses among the models but still the crime control method is more important in order to prevent crimes from increasing.

Miguel de Cervantes y Sigmund Freud :: Spanish Essays

â€Å"Teorà ­a Freudiano ofrece lo à ºnico modelo de leer que puede afirmar a causar un texto a hablar mà ¡s que sabe.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  --Peter Hulme La historia del psicoanà ¡lisis es muy compleja y llena de preguntas y controversia, y nadie està ¡ completamente seguro quien es el fundador principal porque muchas de las ideas llegaron al mismo tiempo. Sigmund Freud recibe mucho del crà ©dito por el comienzo y la implementacià ³n del psicoanà ¡lisis, pero siempre hay la posibilidad que sus ideas llegaron de un origen que no era completamente suyo. Considerando esto, muchas de las ideas que expresa Freud està ¡n evidentes en la literatura que llegà ³ antes de su fama. Las dos partes de Don Quijote, por ejemplo, fueron realizadas en 1614, mà ¡s de doscientos aà ±os antes del nacimiento de Freud. Entonces, hay una posibilidad de que Cervantes contribuyà ³ a unas de las teorà ­as y pensamientos de Freud.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sabemos por seguro que Freud leyà ³ el Don Quijote de Cervantes y que lo le fascinà ³. Hay algunas partes distintas de la historia a cuales se puede relacionar los ensayos de Freud. Aquà ­ centrarà © en unas de sus teorà ­as mà ¡s conocidas, y estas son: el inconsciente (incluyendo los sueà ±os) y la sublimacià ³n. Estos tres temas, aunque està ¡n presentados separados, tienen muchà ­simo en comà ºn. A causa de eso, a veces la discusià ³n parecerà ¡ un poquito mezclado. â€Å"Hay mà ¡s personas que creen en los milagros de la Virgen Bendecida que creen en la existencia del inconsciente.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  --Sigmund Freud   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  El inconsciente (o el subconsciente) refiere al aspecto o aspectos de la mente sobre que no estamos directamente conscientes . Por la mayorà ­a, la parte mà ¡s importante del inconsciente es los sueà ±os. Siempre estamos fascinados con nuestros sueà ±os y queremos saber lo que significan. Los sueà ±os no incluyen solo lo que pasa cuando dormimos, pero tambià ©n los pensamientos durante el dà ­a que nos separan de nuestro ambiente o, a algunas personas, nuestras confusiones entre lo real y lo imaginario.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  La à ºltima interpretacià ³n es lo mà ¡s obvia cuando consideramos las aventuras de Don Quijote. Parece que à ©l nunca para de confundirse de lo real y lo imaginario. Cada de sus aventuras contiene un aspecto casi loco: molinos de viento como gigantes, rebaà ±os de ovejas como ejà ©rcitos, y los galeotes como caballeros oprimidos. Sin embargo, todavà ­a hay una referencia grandà ­simo en Don Quijote a los sueà ±os. â€Å"Los sueà ±os mà ¡s profundos son los que parecen mà ¡s locos†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  --Sigmund Freud Durante la segunda parte de la historia, Don Quijote viaje a la Cueva de Montesinos.

Football Accident

Period 5 11/1/12 Unthinkable When I look at my life, and I think about the hardest things for me to overcome, I would have to say, the ultimate being, telling my mother and father that I would be sitting out of football my senior year of high school. Most would say how could this possibly be something that you would find challenging, but then you don’t know my mother and father. I started playing sports, football, in particular, at the age of 7. I was kind of a chunky little kid, even had a funny gait when I ran, but you couldn’t tell that if you talked to my parents. To my mom and dad, I was a superstar.I started playing flag football through the YMCA program, and then moved up to Pop Warner. Here’s the crazy part. My mom or dad came to every practice, and every game, rain or shine. I think I was the only kid that knew one of my parents would be on the sidelines, whether at practice or a game. Now to be honest, those were tough years for me, as most times, my pa rents would be watching me sitting on the bench, because I did not get to play very often. During those years, I put on a brave face and never let my parents know how embarrassed I was and how I felt I let them down.The crazy part was, when my parents met with other player’s parents, they talked about me like I was the star of the team, never made me feel bad for not playing in a game. Again, come rain or shine, they were always there for me. Those were tough years for me. Every coach found a reason why I just wasn’t ready to be a starting player. Then something really incredible happened during my 7th grade year. This didn’t start off incredible, in fact, it was quite humiliating. Everyone that wanted to try out for the 7th grade football team met after school one day.Here were all the players and parents that I had been playing with for the last six years, and as the kid that sat on the bench most of the time, you can imagine, I was the odd man out. All these parents bragging about their own kids, the great plays, the touchdowns, but there stood my mom and dad, proud as ever. They were with their superstar. As the three of us stood there together, my father later told me that it was one of the most intimidating days he’d had in a long time, looking at the parents of the kids that got to play. My mother told me to do the best I could do, and my day would come.My dad always said because he wasn’t a coach or assistant coach on these teams, I didn’t get a fair chance, but in my heart, I just didn’t think I was a great player. Good, yes, but not great. Tryouts came and went, and once again, I assumed I would be a bench warmer. As I said earlier, this turned out to be an incredible year, and something happened that I never expected. Now that I look back, I still have to ask myself, â€Å"Did that really happen? †   Ã‚   All of the kids I played football with throughout the years were, of course, picked for the starting positions.Some of these very kids have made headlines in the last couple of years, but let’s get back to me. One cold dark evening, my Hedrick team was playing the Talent Bulldogs and one of the kids that normally played the wide receiver position was sick that day. The coach asked me to step in and give it a try. I can’t describe the butterflies in my stomach. My hands and knees shook and my heart began to race. I finally was given a chance and I was terrified. Well, guess what? Not only did I catch the ball and run it in for an 80 touchdown yard touchdown, but I did this game and game again.After gaining the starting wide receiver position, I gained the starting linebacker position and proved my dominance once again on the field. At the end of the season, I was voted Most Valuable Player for both offense and defense for not only junior varsity but for varsity as well. Now, with that said, you can only imagine my parents. Their son going from a bench play er to the number one player on both teams. My parents would run down the sidelines, whooping it up as I ran the ball. They finally had the superstar they’d been waiting for. Over the next few years, my playing improved, and I had moved to high school ball.Playing varsity for north as a freshman, and just like before, my parents did not miss a practice or game, even if it meant driving a few hundred miles. My parents and especially my dad kept waiting for my next big break, my time to shine. Then in my junior year, I found myself transferred to a new school, tried out and actually made the Varsity football team. My parents were so proud of me, and I was proud of myself. I don’t know who was more excited, me or my parents. My parents were on Cloud Nine, talking about nothing but football and Friday Night Lights.It was an exciting time of my life. The coach tried me out at Outside Linebacker, because of my speed, strength, and my ability to get around the offensive line. Then the unthinkable happened at practice. I was sent in on a blitz, and hit the offensive lineman with my shoulder. It felt like my arm had been ripped from its socket as I writhed on the ground in pain. The trainers ran over and rushed me to the hospital. I never would have guessed in a million years what a fateful day that would be. My shoulder was completely out of its socket, the tendons and ligaments torn.The most important year of my life had just been stripped away from me. Not only was surgery required, but months of physical therapy. My orthopedic doctor told me I could no longer play football without risking irreparable damage. I never told my parents this, and the doctor never told them. I kept that dream of Friday night lights in my parent’s hearts until I should have been signing up for football camp. This is when I had to tell them what the doctor said, and there would be no football in my life, no letter, no photos, and no glory. To me, this was the hardest da y of my life.On this day, I knew I was breaking my parent’s hearts. Everything they had looked forward to for my senior year of football was gone. I played the game, but they had lived the sport. Something died this day, maybe just a dream of mine, but it seemed so much more. Like a part of me was left on the field that sad day that I suffered my injury. To this day I day dream of the achievements I could have over came if I had no suffered that injury. Maybe one day when I have kids I will be able to live my football career through my future son†¦ but until that day comes I’m stuck watching in the stands

Leading and managing changes Essay

1.1Background The David Jones is iconic department store in Australian retail industry, but the net profit of David Jones has been decreasing because of the rapid retail environmental changes, unhealthy cultures, and global online attack. The problems of declining net profit in David Jones are creating make it essential to apply the most suitable change management for company. 1.2Aim The aim of this report is not only applying the change management theory, model, and style for David Jones and David Jones’ CEO, Paul Zahra, but also supporting the arguments through case studies in order to find practical solution. 1.3Scope This report presents the view that a positive model, modular transformation and incremental change are the most suitable change management theory that can be implemented for David Jones. Also, a coercive style of management is a suitable style of management for David Jones’ CEO, Paul Zahra. The findings and analysis of performance for each theory, model, and style are justified by a critical comparison of the change management theories, models, styles and practical problem solution cases. Moreover, the improvements for David Jones’ restructure are discussed. 2.0 MODEL OF PLANNED CHANGE FOR DAVID JONES 2.1 David Jones issues David Jones is the oldest department store in Australia and was established in 1838. Until 2010, David Jones worked successfully in the Australian market, especially from 2007 to 2010. During that time, the net profit of David Jones increased from $109.5 million to $156.5 million, but the significant growth in the net profit dropped slowly from $156.5 million to $101.1 million by 2012. The slow decrease in the net profit of David Jones is caused by unhealthy organisational culture, global online retail attacks and retail environmental changes. In order to reconfirm David Jones’s importance in the Australian retail and consumer market, the best planned change model has to be chosen for David Jones. 2.2 Comparison of  planned change models for David Jones Cummings and Worley (2009) summarise the differences of three major models of planned change. The first one is Lewin’s change and action research model, which are more focused on fixing problems than concentrating on what the organisation does well and gaining those strengths. Also, Lewin’s change model, a three-stage model, claims that adaption of these forces maintain the status quo, which leads to efficient strategy for change (Waddell, Cummings & Worley 2007). The three-stage of Lewin’s change model is shown in figure 1(A). Moreover, the action research model is a cyclical process, which is determined by eight steps that fix problems using frequent research (Cummings & Worley 2009). Eight steps of action research are shown in figure 1(B). On the other side, a positive model focuses on positive dynamics in an organisation that improves the extraordinary results (Waddell, Cummings & Worley 2014, p. 39). This model is described by in five steps, which is shown in figure 1(C).   Figure 1: The comparison of planned change models (Cummings & Worley 2009, p.25) 2.3 Positive model for David Jones According to David Jones case study, the positive model of planned change is the best suitable one for David Jones because: †¢ it is proved that in order to survive with today’s uncertainty and huge competitive business environment, organisations need to focus on more business environmental changes than fixing the organisational problems (Waddell, Cummings & Worley 2014, p. 39) †¢Cristian-Liviu (2013, p. 1690) notes that the resistance for change causes the failure of strategic implementation because employees try to maintain their culture. Also, Ruxandra and Camelia (2013, p. 127) noted that resistance to change may create lots of problems during the change process such as activity drawl, activity slow-down, delays in launching and change process, and delayed and inefficient performance. †¢Sandra and Tracy (2012) indicate that bad news in business leads to poor financial outcomes, and external and internal crisis. †¢ it is supported by case studies that the linkage between inability of identifying of retail environmental changes and Zahra’s new rescue plan for David Jones failed because after the new rescue plan of Zahra, net profit and share price continued to decrease. Moreover, the case study said that ‘it may be a good five years before strategy can be assessed properly’ (Waddell Waddell, Cummings & Worley 2014). On the other hand, Lewin’s change model or action research model is not suitable for David Jones case because of focusing on more problems in the organisation than concentrating on retail environmental changes. The result of implementation of Lewin’s change model or action research model would be led to the strategic failure. The possibility of positive model of planned change for David Jones makes it necessary for the company to use positive model. 3. THE CURRENT RESTRUCTURE OF DAVID JONES 3.1 Current business restructure analysis Even though this report agrees with the current restructure and rescue plan of David Jones, which were divided main three parts including eleven subparts that are renovating store policies, focusing its core strengths, and transferring from traditional business to technologically oriented business, I want to add two main parts that are sustainable training and focused marketing strategy. 3.2 Recommended changes for David Jones In order to achieve optimum results, David Jones should consider the following choices. †¢Sustainable training: The rapid changes in business environment are needed and required to learn every innovations for business organisations in order to dominate their current market. It is proved that in the today’s interconnected world, the success of organisations and teams depends on how much they can use and operate new information and communication technologies that changes business environment (Ancona, Bresman & Caldwell 2009). Also, Blanchard (2009) notes that coaching for their employees lead to successful organisation within the unpredictable changes, but the new rescue plan has no any special training and coaching for their employees. It is a big disadvantage of new rescue plan that has been causing the decreasing net profit of David Jones and failure of strategic implementation. Moreover, it is supported by case study that although David Jones had excellent customer service in the fast, but it has decreased over the years. †¢Focused marketing strategy: Another disadvantage of new rescue plan is unfocused marketing strategy. According  to case study, new strategic plan did not include any focused marketing plans, which target customers and profitable markets. Also, David Jones could not identify changing customer behaviours and profitable buyers. It is supported that new economic order has changed the buyer’s market, which is that a twenty-four percent of buyers in Australian population has balanced fifty-four percent of discretionary spending, but David Jones has been concentrating on fifty percent of buyers, who are only twenty-four percent of discretionary spending in Australian population. The combination of lack of marketing strategy and non-target sales activities cause the inefficient strategy implementation. In addition, Nemcova & and Dvorak (2011) state that the strategic management of electronic commerce is concentrating essentially on customers, but David Jones focuses on more result s than concentrating on customers. The possibility of sustainable training and marketing strategy supporting strategic implementation of David Jones makes it necessary for the David Jones to add sustainable training and marketing strategy for their strategic plan. 4. SCALE OF CHANGE FOR DAVID JONES 4.1 Comparison of scale change During the unpredictable changing business environment, the scale of change helps to organisation in order to achieve optimum result how much change the organisations. This process is divided by from fine-tuning organisational development to corporate transformation (Waddell, Cummings & Worley 2014, p. 52). †¢Fine-tuning: This changing process is performed at divisional or departmental level as matching between organisation’s structure, strategy, people and activities. †¢Incremental change: Change process that in order to match changing environment, corporate business structures, strategies and management process are always adapted. †¢Modular transformation: Modular change concentrating on more changing and redesigning one or more division than changing whole organisation. †¢Corporate transformation: Corporate transformation brings about whole organisational transformation. 4.2 Suitable scale of change for David Jones For David Jones, the most suitable of scale of changes are modular transformation and incremental change the reason why: †¢ in the case study, although new strategy of David Jones was implemented in order to match  between retail environmental change and strategic performance, it faced failure because of performing too late. Firstly, in order to dominate online and retail market, David Jones has to use the modular transformation that renovates some divisions including information technology, marketing and strategy and human resource. By renovating the inability of divisions, it reduces the risk of failure of strategic implementations because Poblador (2014) notes that the failure of organisational strategy is sometimes caused by unexpected responses from the organisation itself, especially its employees behaviours that indicates corporation culture. It is showed that using corporate transformation is more risky for David Jones than using modular transformation. After that modular transformation process would be finished and are matched business environment changes, David Jones should be applied to use incremental change process in order to maintain and dominate its retail market. Also, it is supported that the maintenance of changing environmental situations are accomplished by keeping incremental changes (Poblador 2014, p.143). †¢fine-tunning is not suitable for David Jones because between 1960s and 1970s fine-tuning was implemented successfully in organisation, but today’s uncertainty business environment is needed by different change process (Waddell, Cummings & Worley 2014). Also, case study said that even though unhealthy organisational culture have been causing for losing net profit of David, main reason for David Jones is retail environmental change especially online trade, new economic order and technological revolution. On the other side, the decrease of net profit in David Jones was caused by online trade, new economic order, technological revolution and unhealthy organisational culture, and majority of profit in David Jones is earned by traditional department stores, it is not necessary to make whole organisational change in order to match retail environmental changes. It is proved that Ford Plastics was implemented in an organisation-wide change in order to match its external environmental change, but it faced the failure soon (Graetz et al. 2002, p.32). All the evidence shows that the modular transformation change and incremental change are the most suitable change process for David Jones. 5. APPROPRIATE STYLE OF MANAGEMENT FOR DAVID JONES’ CEO PAUL ZAHRA 5.1 Comparison of style of management The style of management is described by Australian researchers Doug Stace and Dexter Dunphy. The main idea of the style of management is that unpredictable business environment is required and demanded the rapid changes for organisation to achieve their strategic goal. Using style of management for organisation, which is described by from collaborative to coercive, makes it easier to be employed (Waddell, Cummings & Worley 2014). †¢Collaborative: Employees are involved in making significant decisions about organisational future and change performance. †¢Consultative: According to consultation, employees bring about organisational change, but for goal setting, they involved limited participation. The goal setting is done by expertise or responsibility. †¢Directive: Main form of significant decisions about organisational future and change performance are made by managerial authority and direction. †¢Coercive: One of forcing authorities, which are outside parties, managers and executives imposes to change on key group in the organisation. 5.2 The most suitable style of management for Paul Zahra For David Jones’ CEO Paul Zahra, the most affordable style of management is coercive because: †¢the long term performance results of sixty teams are estimated that empowering team leader leads to higher work performance for teams over time than a directive team leaders because of higher level of team coordination, empowerment, learning, and mental model development (Natalia, Matthew & Henry 2013). †¢collaborative and consultative are not suitable for David Jones because Phil (2012) estates that the most efficient change management for overpowering companies were brought by the combination of concentrated clear vision of change and sponsorship from the top. Also, it is supported that the commitment of top management for change creates energy for action within the organisation, which leads to a successful vision (Graetz et al. 2002). †¢according to Jaroslav (2013), the directive style leads to lower capacity for the average bank sales clerks, which is proved by banking sector in Slovakia. It is showed like David Jones current situation the reason why net profit of David Jones has been decreasing, which proves that the directive style is not suitable for David Jones. †¢ case study said that not only the board of David Jones has been supporting Zahra’s vision of change, but also the rapid changes in retail business  environment are needed to manage quickly because the business environment changes and competitors do not wait David Jones. To sum up, the possibility of coercive management style to be used successfully in rapid changes business environment makes it necessary for the David Jones’ CEO Paul Zahra to use coercive management style. 6.0 Conclusion It can be seen that the most affordable suitable planned change model for David Jones is Positive model, and scale of change is modular transformation with incremental change. Moreover, the best suitable style of management for David Jones’ CEO Paul Zahra is coercive. Furthermore, even thought this paper agrees with the restructure of David Jones, sustainable training and focused marketing strategy would be added for David Jones’ rescue plan. In conclusion, the combination of Positive change model, modular transformation with incremental change, coercive style of management, sustainable training, and focused marketing strategy will support David Jones’ strategy achievement. Also, the improvements for David Jones’ restructure are discussed.

Buffy - Social Formation essays

Buffy - Social Formation essays When researching a film series such as Buffy, it is noticeable that the majority of symbolism is often overshadowed by a prominent distraction, such as a fight scene or an instance of romance. By analysing the formation of a society in a film series, we can gain a profound understanding of how power and status is constructed, as well as a decent idea of how characters are likely to respond to certain situations. Three distinct areas that influence the social formation of Buffy include - Buffy presents its viewers with an unrealistic representation of the real world, where supernatural occurrences are the norm. It presents a world where women are a physical force to reckon with and where all men seem to turn ugly at night time. However, despite its differences with the real world, Buffy contains contemporary issues, which are evident in societies everywhere. Issues include relationships and love interests, conflict and violence, power structures and the occasional moral lesson thrown in here and there. Traditionally the TV warrior figure in modern society is one that can be stereotypically associated to characters such as Conan the Barbarian or Hercules, who against all odds manage to cream hoards of ugly evil beings without a hair going out of place. Buffy opposes this tradition, which sees the dominant force in maintaining good over evil as female. Unlike other TV series with dominant females (such as Xena the Warrior Princess), Buffy has an unmuscular physique. Buffys appearance can be closely related to the cliched blonde bimbo who always gets captured at the start of a movie only to be united with her knight in shining armour as they trot off into the sunset on horseback. It is this attribute that makes her so appealing to her viewers, as they see a character, who appears to be harmless, defend herself and restore normality. It is ironic to see that the heroine is independent and...

What Is an Unsubsidized Loan Definition and Explanation

What Is an Unsubsidized Loan Definition and Explanation SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You have a general idea of what it means to take out a loan, but calling a loan "unsubsidized" makes it sound a bit suspicious. What is an unsubsidized loan, and how are they different from subsidized loans? Are they good options if you're considering taking on student debt? Here's the unsubsidized loan definition: a Direct Unsubsidized loan is one type of financial aid provided by the US federal government, or more specifically, the US Department of Education. You can also receive Direct Subsidized loans as part of your financial aid package. In this post, I'll discuss why these loans exist, before talking in more detail about how loans usually work. With this information, you'll be able to get a full understanding of the details of Direct Unsubsidized loans and whether they may be a good option for you. A Brief History of Federal Student Loans In the 1950s, the US government started taking seriousmeasures to encourage the pursuit of post-secondary education. The Department of Education started offering government-backed loans under the National Defense Education Act, or NDEA - as more people pursue college educations, these loan programs have expanded. As of 2012, almost 70% of students graduating from 4-year colleges have taken out some amount of student loans. Because federal loans are government-backed (that is, you're essentially borrowing and repaying taxpayer money to fund your education), interest rates tend to be better than those of private loans. We'll go more into why interest rates are important in the next section. What Does It Mean to Take Out a Loan? The decision to take out a loan is a very personal one, but you should know there's nothing inherently bad about being in student debt. Here, I'll address the logistics of taking on student debt. I hope that with this information, you'll be able to make educated decisions about taking out loans. (If you are already familiar with this information, just jump to the next section). The way that loans work is pretty standard, no matter where you're getting the loan from. You borrow a sum of money, or principal, from some lender - usually a bank (in the case of Direct Unsubsidized loans, the lender is the federal government). You also agree to particular loan terms, including interest rates and length of repayment. When you make loan payments, which usually happens on a monthly basis, you pay back a portion of the principal plus extra money: the interest, or a percentage of the principal that's accrued (accumulated).The longer you take to pay back the loan, the more interest accrues. The bigger your principal, the more interest accrues. You can think about interest as a charge or a fee that you pay to your lender. Interest is how lenders make money on loans. It usually starts accruing as soon as the loan is disbursed (when the money is given out, or provided to you. Sometimes, the interest that has accrued on your loan is added to your principle. When new interest accrues, it will be on this new, larger principle.This is called capitalization - when this happens, you start paying interest on more than your original loan amount, which means more interest. Loans can be really helpful when it comes to paying for school, but as you may have guessed, people generally don't love being in student debt. When thinking about how much student debt you can afford, it may be helpful to consider the amount of debt you plan on taking out in relation to your expected earnings post-graduation. The more questions you have answered about taking out student loans, the more likely you are to make a decision that's right for you. Direct Unsubsidized Loan Details There are some standardized limits, restrictions, and repayment terms for all students who take out Direct Unsubsidized loans. They don't have some of the perks of Direct Subsidized loans, but they do offer more flexibility. First, there are limits to how much money you can take out in subsidized loans. These annual maximums depend on your year in school: Year Dependent Students Independent Students 1st Year Undergrad Annual Limit $5,500 $9,500 2nd Year Undergrad Annual Limit $6,500 $10,500 3rd Year Undergrad Beyond Annual Limit $7,500 $12,500 Graduate/Professional Student Annual Limit Not applicable $20,500 Total Loan Lifetime Max (includes subsidized loan amounts) $31,000 $57,500 for undergrads $138,500 for grad/professional students (includes any federal loans received for undergrad study) A few notes on these maximums: The vast majority of undergraduate students are classified as dependent. You can read more about dependent/independent classifications here These loan maximums include any money you take out in Direct Subsidized loans. For example, if I take $3,500 in subsidized loans my freshman year as a dependent student, I could take out a maximum of $2,000 in unsubsidized loans that year. These maximums do not include any private loans, or loans that your parents may take out. Unlike Direct Subsidized loans, there's no maximum eligibility window or period for Direct Unsubsidized loans. Interest rates are generally pretty competitive, and are standardized (so, personal credit history doesn't affect interest rates).Rates are slightly higher for graduate/professional students than they are for undergraduates. For 2015-2016, the interest rate is 4.29% for undergraduates, 5.84% for graduate/professional students. Finally, repayment plans (including details about the amount you owe every month, and the amount of time you have to pay back your loans) can be customized, and will depend on variables such as your principle balance and your income.Standard repayment plans set up monthly payments so that you pay off your principle + interest in 120 months, or 10 years. How Are Unsubsidized Loans Different From Subsidized Loans? If you've looked into private loans to help pay for school, you probably recognize that Direct Unsubsidized loan terms are pretty good. Subsidized loans are a bit of a different animal, in that they offer certain perks that you won't find elsewhere.I'll use an example here to demonstrate the long-term financial outcomes of a subsidized vs. unsubsidized loan. Say I take outa $3,500 loan to pay for school my freshman year, at an interest rate of 4.29%. The chart below outlines different outcomes based on loan type if I don't make any payments while still in school. UNSUBSIDIZED SUBSIDIZED Amount Borrowed $3,500 $3,500 Interest Rate 4.29% 4.29% Interest Accrued During School (4 years) $640 $0 Balance Owed at Graduation $4,140 $3,500 Time to Payoff at $50/month (Interest accrues for both subsidized and unsubsidized loans during this period) 99 months 81 months Total Amount Paid $4,950 $4,050 Standard repayment plans for federal student loans set a timeline of 120 months until payoff, but the minimum monthly payments are $50.In this example, it would take me much less time (81 months vs. 99 months) and much less money ($4,050 vs. $4,950) to pay back a subsidized loan vs an unsubsidized loan. Many students have some combination of subsidized and unsubsidized loans. If you decide to take out federal student loans, you should max out your Direct Subsidized loan eligibility before taking out any Direct Unsubsidized loans. Who's Eligible for Direct Unsubsidized Loans? If you're looking for aid to bridge the gap between what you have and what you need to pay for college, unsubsidized loans are good options if you meet all the eligibility requirements. Eligibility requirements are not as strict for Direct Unsubsidized loans as they are for Direct Subsidized loans. They're open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and you don't need to demonstrate financial need to be eligible. You do, however, need to meet all federal financial aid requirements. The following charts list these requirements. You must do all of the following: Have ahigh school diploma, GED, or approved homeschool education Be enrolled or accepted to enroll in aneligible degree/certificate program You can check with your school/program’s financial aid office if you want to confirm eligibility Be registered withSelective Service, if you are male and between 18-25 years old If applicable, you canregister on the SS website Have a validSocial Security Number(unless you’re from the Marshall Islands, Federal States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau) Sign statements on the FAFSAstating that (1) you’re not in default, and do not owe refund money, on a federal student loan, and (2) you’ll only use federal aid money to help pay for your education Access the FAFSA Maintain â€Å"satisfactory† progress in school If you’re concerned about your academic performance, or have questions about what is considered â€Å"satisfactory,† set up a meeting with your dean or other school administrator. In addition to the requirements listed in the chart above,you must be able to check one of the following options: Be aUS citizenorUS national Have agreen card Have anarrival-departure record Havebattered immigrant status Have aT-Visa How Do You Apply for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan? All things considered, eligibility requirements aren't too stringent for unsubsidized loans. The next step after meeting requirements would be to actually apply for this great financial aid resource. You can apply for all types of federal financial aid, including Direct Subsidized loans, by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The federal submission deadline to receive aid for the 2015-2016 academic year is June 30, 2016. You can find detailed instructions on submitting a FAFSAhere. What's Next? You can get an estimate of your federal aid eligibility, including the amount you could take out in Direct Subsidized loans, by following steps listed in ourPell Grant Calculator guide. Want more information on federal aid that youdon'thave to pay back? Learn more abouthow to get a Pell Grant, and check out our guide onPell eligibility requirements. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Annunciation of Mary A Significant Image in the Christian Theology Essay

Annunciation of Mary A Significant Image in the Christian Theology - Essay Example This article will discuss in detail  the image of Annunciation of Mary, starting from the story as given in "Protoevangelium of James" and moving on to later time periods. This writing will take a look at this particular picture of Mary as it gradually develops through the ages and represents her gradual rise in the minds and beliefs of Christian theology. It will also focus on the aspect of representing the perpetual virginity of Mary through this image of ‘Annunciation of Mary’ to allay the fears in the minds of the orthodox creed. Early Christian literature that is of the imaginative type and tells us stories of a religious nature are known as the apocryphal gospels. These were first written in the second century and a certain variation of these apocryphal scriptures are known as ‘proto-gospels’ which give us the first pictures of Mary, right from her birth. One of these proto-gospels, known as the â€Å"Protevangelium of James†, is supposedly written by James, son of Joseph, from his first marriage, and dates even prior to that of Luke’s gospel. Here in James gospel, we get a beautiful picture of Mary’s Annunciation with the archangel Gabriel, described by Knight, as, â€Å"And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water. And, behold, a voice saying:  Hail, you who have received  grace; the  Lord is with you;  blessed  are you among  women! And she looked around, on the right hand and on the left, to see whence this voice came. And she went away, tre mbling, to her house, and put down the pitcher; and taking the purple, she sat down on her seat, and drew it out. And, behold, an  angel  of the  Lord  stood before her, saying:  Fear  not,  Mary; for you have found  grace  before the  Lord  of all, and you shall conceive, according to His word. And she hearing, reasoned with herself, saying: Shall I conceive by the  Lord, the living  God?