Inequalities in Bahamas

Inequalities in Bahamas Inequalities associated with class in the Bahamas One of the greatest tragedies in The Bahamas today, is that after decades of Majority Rule many are still beguiled by the illusion that constructs a superhighway of class equality. Alarmingly, many Bahamians appear to be oblivious to the underlying prejudicial rhetoric used by politicians, the prevailing class oriented mindset and the privileged minority who continue to steer and controlled the wealth and economic course of this country. Due to profound the inequalities associated with class in The Bahamas, there is a division between thousands of Bahamians economically, educationally and in the health care system. This division has had a significant effect on the social development of the Bahamas. It can be implied that class has become the architect of a national plutocracy that furnishes the wealthy, powers the elites and elevates the corporate masters to control and dominate the political and economic system of The Bahamas. As asserted by Author, Glinton Meicholas â€Å"This di visive sociological phenomenon is creeping quickly into Bahamian Society which will create another divide social class and Economics† (pg.2). In a class society there are three type of classes the upper class, the middle class and the lower class. According to Krieger and Moss, 1997, â€Å"since prehistory, all societies have perceived hierarchy among their members. Leaders and followers, strong and weak, rich and poor: social classifications are universal. Humans have invented numerous ways to classify people—by wealth, power, or prestige; by ability, education, or occupation; even by where they live† and this is seen in the Bahamas today. Krieger and Moss further stated that â€Å"the term social class originally referred to groups of people holding similar roles in the economic processes of production and exchange, such as landowner or tenant, employer or employee. Such positions correspond to different levels of status, prestige, and access to political power, but social class eventually took on a more generic meaning and came to refer to all aspects of a persons rank in the social hierarchy† (pg. 45). The upper class in The Bahamas is very diverse and consists of the old rich white Bahamians who were born into wealth and who control the countrys means of production, economic resources as well as land and capital, whereas, the middle class and the lower class are made of predominantly black Bahamians, whose acquisition of wealth is extremely limited. Even thought The Bahamas is viewed as one of the more stable Caribbean countries both politically and economically and continues to be listed among the top nations in the Caribbean for it Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP), high standard of living, and high per capita earnings there are still thousands who have low income and consumption levels, and low levels of human development in education and healthcare thus, contributing to poverty. Poverty according to the World Bank is defined as the inability of people to attain a minimum standard of living. The annual poverty line in the Bahamas is $2863 per person. Someone who lives on this line would be able to spend $7.84 per day on a basic diet (, 2400 calories per day) and non-food needs. According to The Bahamas Living Conditions Survey presented to Parliament on October 5, 2005, the Bahamas poverty rate stood at 9.3 percent or about 28,000 people half of whom are children, are living below the poverty line. National statistics Our national statistics record that 77% of the poorest people, those who fall in the bottom 20% of the country when it comes to income and expenditure, live in New Providence and Grand Bahamas, whereas, 91% of the wealthiest people also live in the aforementioned locations. Statistical data reveals that more that 75% of all poor Bahamian households have five or more members, an estimated 42% of poor heads of household have completed some secondary schooling, 34% of poor youth, ages 19- 24 are out of school and unemployed, 54% of people living in poor conditions do not have piped water, 33% lack access to a flush toilet, 58% of poor families rent rather than own their homes and 50% crowd more than three people into their bedroom. Among the more wealthy class in The Bahamas, there are higher rates of investment and capital formation, higher salaries and employment, more luxurious lifestyles and homes, more entrepreneurial activity, self-sustained economic growth, higher levels of savings and higher levels of consumption. The upper Bahamian class would have more natural asset, land, human assets, financial Assets, including access to credit, social assets, and greater influence on the Bahamas macro and micro economic policies and conditions. Their life expectancy, education, literacy and health provision would be higher than the other classes of society. Usually it is the upper class of society that controls the means of production and consumption. The middle class on the other hand would have moderate rates of investment and savings, average employment, medium salaries, and high levels of consumption. While their access to credit may be disparate compared to the upper class it is not limited. Additionally, th is class would also have some natural assets, land- though more generational than purchased, and their life expectancy, educational, health and literacy levels would be on a similar level as the upper class. The population of The Bahamas comprises of a sizeable number of underclass of citizens who are relegated to perform menial and labour intensive work. Their living environments take on the existence of a filthy, unmaintained and poorly sanitized ghetto. Unfortunately, these ghettos have forged chains that keep many of the local residents imprisoned since they lack the necessary wherewithal to elevate themselves or to escape the trenches of the ghetto, crime is rife, unemployment and the rate of illiteracy are high, the scores of high school dropouts staggering, and there is a sense of political disenfranchisement . In The Bahamas, every boy and girl enjoy equal access to education at all levels. However, equal access to education does not mean equal participation in education. While William Allin implies that Education is not the answer to the question but the means to the answer to all questions†, author Laurence J. Peter states that â€Å"Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices†. Unfortunately, it is quite the popular belief in a wide cross section of society that we are a classless society and that class should not matter. Perhaps, it should not, but unfortunately, it is evident everywhere. In our education system inclusive of elementary school settings, and college settings, class is quite apparent. Statistically, the achievement gap between the lower class students in comparison to the upper and middle class students is relatively wide. It must be noted that social class including students family characteristics affects learning and has a great influence on the academic achievement of students even in elementary settings. This is substantiated when both the public school and private school exams result are compared. Students who attend private schools The majority of the students who attend private schools such as St. Anns High, Queens College, St. Augustines and St. Andrews are from the affluent / upper and middle class who have either a steady income or who just have money at their disposal. In contrast the students who are attending Government Schools usually have to struggle to get the materials needed or have to rely on the limited resource provided by the government who is subsidizing many of the private school through funding and ensuring that the materials needed are there at their disposal. This in itself speaks of the inequalities and the injustices in the educational system that is the apparatus responsible for producing the nations future leaders. Because of the inequalities that exist in our health care system, many of the poor, especially the elderly meet their demised due to the mere fact that they can not afford proper medical assistance. These persons are made to rely on the Public Health care systems which at time can not carry it own weight or meet the demands of the general, and frequently lack the doctor prescribed medication needed for persons to get well. In other instances the medication is either expired or the public hospital and clinic is just not in the position to render the services required. On the other hand, the elite or the socialite of the country can afford to go abroad or seek medical attention at the private medical facilities such as Doctors Hospital. Alder and Steward paints an accurate picture of this relationship, comparing societal classes (or the resources associated with them) to be like rungs on a ladder. Our relative positions on the ladder, â€Å"predicts how long you live and how healthy you are during your lifetime†. (2007: 4) They further states that ‘one of the major issues of the differences between social classes in the U.S. is that the distances between the top and bottom rungs are massive. A perfect example of the massive, who at times are considered to be the under privilege attends the Princess Margret Hospital and are made to feel like second class citizens. Whereas, those who are considered the privilege are treated as first class citizens and are able to seek medical attention at Doctors hospital. Adler and Stuart goes on to state that â€Å"people at each social class level tend to have different, associated health levels. People in the lowest social classes are at greatest risk of dying before age 65 and are sicker throughout their lives, people in the middle class are healthier than the lowest class, but not as healthy as those in the highest class (Adler Steward: 5). Paradoxically, many in the lower class of society can and could have achieved national leadership in many different spheres if they were not disadvantaged and stagnated by our deeply embedded and covert class system. It would be untruthful to say that our nation has not made significant strides in dismantling the socio-economic barriers of the class system; however, the inequality gap is continually widening and the bonds of the class system becoming even stronger. In our foremost areas of society, such as business and politics, there is still the covert prevailing class system that endorses the son or daughter of an old wealthy Bahamian to carry the mantle of and leadership. It is imperative, therefore, that given our history of slavery, and colonialism, that we begin to place collaborative efforts to provide each citizen with equal opportunity, both social, educational and in the health care arena. As the old say goes â€Å"A generation which ignores history has no past and no fu ture†. The greatest lesson we can learn from the past . . . is that freedom is at the core of every successful nation in the world.(Frederick Chiluba) therefore, it is imperative to understand how the class system deprives citizens of their rights to thrive, to prosper and to participate in the socio-economic development of The Bahamas. References (2006). Central Bank of The Bahamas Annual Report. Central Bank of The Bahamas (2007). Central Bank of The Bahamas Annual Report. Central Bank of The Bahamas Alder, Nancy, Judith Steward. Reaching for a Healthier Life. (2007). The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Health. Corcoran, M. (1995). Rags to rags: Poverty and mobility in the United States. Annual Review of Sociology. (1995) 21:237-267. Austin, M. J. (2004). Changing Welfare Services. New York: The Haworth Press, Inc., ISBN: 0-7890-2313-X. Central Bank of The Bahamas. (n.d). Monetary policy in the Bahamas: Overview of the financial services sector. Retrieved September, 2009. http://www.centralbankbahamas.com /policy_overview.php. Citizenship, Community Empowerment, and Advocacy. Office of Refugee Resettlement. 2001 Dec 28. Retrieved September , 2009 from Coley et al. 2007. â€Å"Maternal Welfare and Employment Experiences and Adolescent Well-Being: Do Mothers Human Capital Characteristics Matter?† Children Youth Services Review, 29,p. 193-215. Commonwealth Fund (CMWF), Analysis of Minority Health Reveals Persistent, Widespread Disparities, press release (May 14, 1999). Commonwealth of the Bahamas labour force and household income report 2005. The Department of Statistics. (2005). David, B. (2003). Rethinking the Sociological Measurement of Poverty, Social Forces Vol. 81 No.3, (March 2003), pp. 715-751 (abstract online in Project Muse). Davis, L. E., Proctor, E. K. (1987). Race, Gender and Class. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Department of Statistics. (2004). Bahamas living conditions survey, 2001. Department of Statistics. (2008). Report of the 2000 census of population housing. Gerth, Hans C. Mills, W. (1958) From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, (Oxford University Press, 1958). (Webers key statement of the multiple nature of stratification). http://www.ilheadstart.org/history.html http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20000403monday.html http://www.justicelearning.org/viewissue.asp?issueID=12 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenshistory1.html http://www.acenet.edu/hena/facts_in_brief/2000/05_15_00_fib.cfm http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/femhist/education.shtml Krieger, N.; Williams, D. R.; and Moss, N. E. (1997). Measuring Social Class in U.S. Public Health; Research: Concepts, Methodologies, and Guidelines. Annual Review of Public Health 18:341-378. Lloyd. W. (1949). et al. Social Class in America: A Manual of Procedure for the Measurement of Social Status (1949). Milton, F. Poverty, Inequality, and Crime: There are two kinds of money: your money and my money. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition) (ISBN: 1557987912) Saunders, O. C. (2003b). The Bahamian economy in the context of the western hemisphere. Journal of The School of Business The College of The Bahamas, 12, 100-107. Saunders, O. C. (2004). The unique Bahamas. Readings in Banking and Finance, 3, 73-84. Thompson, T. (2007, November 10lb). â€Å"Child rights activist call for focus on rehabilitation for troubled youths†. The Tribune, p. 3. United Nations Development Programme. (2005) Human development report: International cooperation at a crossroads: Aid, trade and security in an unequal world. New York: Author. Retrieved September, 2009 from http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_frontmatter.pdf. Zastrow, C. (1993). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare (5th ed.). California: Books/Cole Publishing Company.

IT Ethics and Security Essay

Piracy has always been a concern with technology over the years. Organizations strive hard to analyze the requirement of the hour of computer users and then develop software that can fully ease the problems of a user. The organizations that develop software obviously need to have a return for their attempt. The software developers’ job is a tough one, because they put off their sleep in order to maintain a tempo in the development of software and organizations often find it difficult to meet the exact requirements on ordered software, due to which several revisions are done on the software before it gets into a final product. The software development market is generally divided into two categories, Open Source software and Close Source software. The Open Source software is the one that are free to use, and the organizations or individual developers who develop this software encourage its distribution, usage and at times modifications according to the requirement of the user. The Source code, which has all the development procedures are provided to the user in this category, therefore the modifications become easy when the software gets into the hand of another developer. (Frederick, 2007) These are great for learning purpose and often are used by immature developers to get help in development. The Close Source software are contrastingly different, the users need to buy these software just like any product in the market and often these kind of software get customer support and trainings â€Å"how to†, so that the user gets full value for his money. The close source software is ones, that are stable and they go through different processes before its final launch. The organization that develop these software often register them with their name so that copyrights and license usage law is applied on them. The licensure law ensures the organization that the software bought but a person will be used according to organization’s specified conditions. (Albacea, 2005) In this particular case where the friend is offering to split the cost is a violation of licensure law. Microsoft is a large enterprise and it develops close source software that are copyrighted and licensed according to their terms and conditions. When my friend bought Microsoft Office, in the product pack he had been provided the terms for use of the product, which states that sharing of the product is a violation to the licensure law. Ethically this is very wrong because Microsoft develops the software after several procedures and analyzing the market conditions, and the price $300 for the office suite the charged is based upon cost analysis of one person. The sharing of one-user license is almost equal to as stealing of a product; because the organization is charging for once only from the user but at the same price another user using the same product free of cost. There have been several discussions conducted in small to large enterprises that develop software about piracy and violation of usage licensure. However many steps have been taken to minimize the violation and organizations also offer some package deals where multiple licenses are discounted which saves a lot of cost of user. This ethical violation of licensure law has been minimized to some extend now due to efforts but it also depends upon the inner self of a person to realize the attempt that an organization does in order to develop the software and stealing the software reduced their return which is an ethical issue.

Greek Philosophy Essay

What Is Philosophy? †¢Philosophy : The studies of Greco-Roman thinkers on activities and inquiries. It is also the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. †¢Philosophy focuses on three main types: †¢Stoicism †¢Skepticism †¢Epicurean †¢Philosophy consists of these philosophical areas: †¢Metaphysics †¢Materialism †¢Idealism †¢Epistemology †¢Empiricism †¢Rationalism †¢Ethics †¢Hedonism †¢Cynicism Three Main Types Stoicism †¢Refers to the knowledge of Aristotle o†Mind is a blank state, impressions are made by the 5 senses. † †¢Stoics deny the metaphysical points of view. oReal objects produce intense feelings. oThe body and soul are pairs that act and react to each other. Skepticism †¢Examines as to what someone should believe- derived from Plato’s schooling †¢Objections on skepticism: oIts commitment to knowledgeable limitation is nonexistent. oIf knowledge is limited and judgment is not expressed, life is presumed unlivable. Epicurean †¢Formulated by Epicurus who believed philosophy was studied to make the soul happy. †¢Happiness created with less wanting of materialistic things and more peace. Philosophical Areas Metaphysics †¢Branch of philosophy accountable for the study of existence. oAnswers â€Å"what is? † †¢The foundation of philosophy oWithout metaphysics, we would not be able to comprehend the world or act accordingly to it. Materialism †¢Refers to the simple focus of the material world. o†Everything in the universe is matter and matters. † †¢The philosophy is held by those who believed that material items are accountable for existence. Idealism †¢Stresses the central ideal and spiritual interpretations of experiences. oThey believe world exists as a spirit †¢Two forms: oMetaphysical idealism oEpistemological idealism Epistemology †¢The investigation of grounds and nature of knowledge of the world. oFocuses on the knowledge of differences between truths and falsehood. †¢Fundamental aspect to how we think. Empiricism †¢Theory of experience as primary source to our knowledge of the world. oLearning through perception. †¢Classical empiricism oRejection of innate, in-born knowledge and concepts †¢Radical empiricism oExplains that all our knowledge is derived from our senses. †¢Moderate empiricism oDescribes the exceptions to general empiristic rules. Rationalism †¢Philosophical movement that introduced mathematical methods to philosophy. oCan be understood through mathematical and logical  principles, not sensory experiences. Ethics †¢Branch of philosophy dealing with what is the proper action for humans. oAnswers â€Å"What do I do? † †¢Requirement for human life, decides course of action. Hedonism †¢Doctrine that states that all pleasure is naturally acceptable- good for the soul. †¢Nothing but pleasure is good. Cynicism †¢Described as a way of life, which consists of asceticism, anti-conformism, and anti-conventionalism. †¢Basis of cynicism is the virtue of well being and a happy life. Philosophers Socrates †¢Possibly the wisest sage of all time †¢Contributions to philosophy: oPithy sayings. oSocratic method of discussion o†Socratic† irony oSocratic method- saying he knows nothing and that unexamined life is not worth living †¢Participated in the military during the Peloponnesian War. oCommitted suicide by ingesting poison hemlock. Plato Fun fact: Plato is not his original name- it’s Aristocles, but was later changed to Plato by his teachers †¢Considered the most important philosopher to have ever lived- father of Idealism. †¢Thought the human soul contained reason, spirit, and appetite. †¢Student and follower of Socrates. †¢Impacted math, science, morals, and political theories with his  Legacy of the Academy schooling. Aristotle †¢Student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great. †¢Wrote on logic, nature, psychology, ethics, politics, and art. †¢Developed deductive reasoning. †¢Basis: Aristotle’s syllogism †¢Church used Aristotle to explain doctrines in the Middle Ages. Concept of â€Å"Prime Element † †¢Thales – Attempted to find naturalistic explanations of the world; identified â€Å"water† as the ultimate principle. †¢Pythagoras – Creator of Pythagorean Theorem; believed â€Å"earth† was what encompassed all beings. †¢Anaximenes – Explained how â€Å"air† was universally present and is the source of all that exists. †¢Heraclitus – Disagreed with aforementioned philosophers and claimed â€Å"fire† was the classical element. †¢Empedocles – Created the cosmogenic theory that composed of the four classical elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Bibliography †¢http://www. philosophybasics. com/movements_rationalism. html †¢http://www. importanceofphilosophy. com/Ethics_Main. html †¢http://philosophy. lander. edu/ethics/hedonism. html †¢http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/philosophy%20? s=t †¢http://ancienthistory. about. com/cs/people/p/aristotle. htm †¢http://ancienthistory. about. com/od/platoprofile/p/Plato. htm †¢http://ancienthistory. about. com/od/socratesbio/p/Socrates. htm †¢http://www. historyforkids. org/learn/greeks/philosophy/ †¢http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/athenians. html †¢http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/greeks. html †¢http://philosophy. gr/ †¢http://philosophy. gr/hellinistic/cynics. htm †¢http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Greek_philosophy,_A ncient †¢http://www. livius. org/gi-gr/greeks/philosophers. html †¢http://www. historyforkids. org/learn/greeks/philosophy/ †¢http://www. historyforkids. org/learn/philosophy/epicureans. htm †¢http://www. iep. utm. edu/stoicmind/ †¢http://www. iep. utm. edu/skepanci/.

Schizophreni A Mental Illness - 1199 Words

Erica Miller Chidubem Ike-Asogwa Professor Crawley PSYCH 201 April 17, 2017 Schizophrenia continues to create new challenges today and continue to be a complicated mental illness. Contrary to the misconception that Schizophrenia is a rare condition, it is not rare at all. ; each person has a risk of developing it within their lifetime. It is most common to psychoses and half of the inpatients in mental facilities are Schizophrenics. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that can happen to anyone occurring in any culture, affecting men and women equally and all areas of functioning, including emotions, perception and behavior. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that afflicts about 1% of the population at some point in their lifetime.†¦show more content†¦Recently, some researchers have suggested that positive and negative symptoms may be caused by different neural mechanisms. It is important to mention that a reduction in displays of emotion does not necessarily imply that patients have less intense subjective emotional experiences than the average person. In fact, recent findings indicate that blunted emotional expressions can coexist with intense subjective feelings of emotion. According to DSM-IV, patients must show two or more of the preceding five symptoms to meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia. Thus, no one of these symptoms is required for the diagnosis. Furthermore, the following four criteria must also be met: (1) the patient shows marked deterioration in occupational, interpersonal, or domestic functioning; (2) the patient manifests continuous signs of symptoms or dysfu nction for at least 6 months; (3) the patient does not manifest predominant signs of mood disturbance (e.g., depression or mania); and (4) the symptoms are not caused by substance abuse or a primary medical condition. The diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia are relatively broad, with no one essential symptom, there is a great deal of variability among patients in their symptom profiles. It has therefore been proposed that schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder with multiple causes. It is also the case, however, that patients must show a marked and persistent impairment to meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia. Thus,Show MoreRelatedSchizophreni A Mental Illness1426 Words   |  6 PagesSchizophrenia is a mental illness that is categorized as an s sever and debilitating illness, it is known to affect at least 1% of the world’s population. (Hirvonen, J., Hietala, J. 2011). Schizophrenia is seen to be a disease with functional abnormalities of different brain structures, for example like the striatum, hippocampus, and pre frontal cortex. ( Hirvonen, J., Hietala, J. 2011). 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