In the book, The Freedom of the Streets, Sharon Wood explores the socioeconomic challenges of Davenports women in the aftermath of the Civil War. Wood describes the interrelated issues of sexuality, gender and prostitution, which dominated public morality debates during this era. The book explains how in the aftermath of the Civil War, economic hardships forced young women in small Midwestern towns to move to big cities such as New York and Chicago, as well as the smaller Iowan city of Davenport in search of paid employment.
The young women looked for work in factories, offices and storehouses, and formed self-support groups in a bid to establish themselves as single, independent working women (14). Their lifestyles and presence in the city streets had a dramatic impact on urban life, public perceptions and social institutions of the 20th century urban centers.
Important Lessons from the Book
Wood offers a detailed study of the place of young women in America in the 19th Century cities. In particular, the author delves into prostitution in the city streets of Davenport, Iowa, how it was perceived and its ramifications on the society. In Woods view, the struggles of the young women forced them into prostitution, which, in Davenports context, was considered a form of gainful employment.
Woods approach gives the reader an all-new perspective on prostitution that is different from the typical perspectives offered in other studies. From a public morality perspective, prostitution was considered a social evil that contravenes moral values. Though considered one of the dangers of social growth in urban centers, prostitution played a role in shaping the civic institutions and politics of the 19th Century cities.
Another important lesson from this book relates to the significance of small cities and towns in the industrialization of America. Wood focuses on Davenport to emphasize on the role of smaller cities during this era. She contends that their smaller geographical size allowed people to live in defined communities, which may be lost in the vastness of large cities like Chicago and New York (4).
The vivid account of Davenports women, public lifestyles and prostitution offers glimpses into the forces behind the civic and political transformations of the 20th Century. Moreover, the book shows how the relations involving Davenports prostitutes, the public and the city officials determined how social and civic institutions would operate in the turn of the 20th Century.
How the Author did it
The book begins with an account of the struggles of Davenports young women, who were trying to establish themselves as working class women by engaging gainful employment. To support one another economically and enhance the accessibility of employment opportunities for women, young women who believed in the idea of self-support for women (67) formed a Lend a Hand Club.
This club, under the leadership of Jennie McCowen, recruited young women from several occupations including clerks, teachers and domestic servants (65). As the working women lived in defined communities, their presence in the city streets when walking to work was associated with prostitution.
To remove this stigma, they forced the city officials to employ a policewoman to tackle the problem of prostitution that was on the rise in the city streets. Through this account, the author shows that social stigma was associated with women workers who dominated public spheres such as city streets and entertainment areas.
In the following sections of the book, Wood focuses on the prostitution in Davenports streets. In Davenport, the public perceptions of paid sex varied depending on gender, economic class and age. She notes that men and women, young and old, working and middle class (78) held different views regarding prostitution.
Wood uses police records of rape cases to explore the common line of defense used by the perpetrators or the sporting men (78). The defendants often argued that it was the young womens misbehaviors in the public sphere that prompted them to assault their victims. Moreover, the young womens presence in areas such as city streets and entertainment spots frequented by men shaped the public perceptions and justified the sporting mens actions.
Davenport adopted a regulated prostitution strategy in tackling the problem of prostitution. Its approach (regulated prostitution) required brothel owners to pay a monthly fee to the city officials to get a registration license. Davenport banned unregistered paid sex in public places such as hotels and lodgings.
Besides banning unregistered prostitution, Davenports city officials engaged in strategic anti-prostitution campaigns to prevent teenage prostitution. According to Wood, the Good Shepherd Home , served as an informal reformatory center that protected young girls from exposure to teenage prostitution (82). Drawing from cases of girls who were sheltered in this home, Wood explains how Davenports novel approach helped reduce teenage prostitution in this city.
What the Author was trying to do
Wood attempts to explore the public perceptions surrounding gender, female sexuality and prostitution in small cities in the 19th Century. Through her account of the young womens struggles and the public presence of young women, the author examines how public perceptions largely defined the womens place in society.
Working women, fearful of being maligned as prostitutes for venturing out into the city streets, had to coerce city officials to remove prostitutes from Davenports streets. The author underscores the issue of social stigma and how the anti-prostitution campaigns were discriminatory. The young womens relations with the city officials and the public perceptions would later define the political, social and civic institutions of the city in the 20th Century.
Reference List
Wood, Sharon. 2005. The Freedom of the Streets: Work, Citizenship, and Sexuality in a Gilded Age City. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most acclaimed presidents of the United States of America. He is commemorated for his determination and perseverance in leading the nation. The main accomplishment of his Presidency was the civil war that took place in 1861-1865.
During the war, eleven nations withdrew from the union, and Lincoln strongly believed in not only conquering the Confederation but also reuniting Northern and southern America. He controlled all civil liberties and put off the writ of habeas corpus (Henretta, Edwards & Self, 2011).
He went through extraordinary difficulties during the war such as having generals who were not willing to fight, power struggles among his members of cabinet, mass killings, and severe opposition from the Copperhead association. Despite all this pressures, Lincoln remained brave and strong. He did not admit defeat and kept fighting until he conquered the Confederacy.
In 1862, Lincoln implemented an act known as Emancipation proclamation, which set all the slaves in the southern part of America free. It should be noted that the act did not instantaneously free all the slaves in the nation since it only applied to regions not under Lincolns rule.
The real fact is that legal sovereignty for all slaves in America came after the implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment, which was strongly supported by Lincoln (Herndon& Weik, 1909).
Lincolns domestic principles made him to be considered one of the greatest Presidents in America. He strongly supported the homestead Act which allowed the poverty-stricken communities in the Eastern America to acquire land in the west. He put into law the Morrill Act, which helped in the creation of institutions in agriculture and mechanics.
He also implemented an act on National Banking, which led to the establishment of a common currency in the nation and allowed for the development of a union of all the banks in the nation. He further signed a bill on tariffs and this provided protection to the industries in the America. His foreign principle was geared towards the control of foreign intrusion especially in the civil war (Lincoln & Prentice, 2001).
Gettysburg Address is one of the most illustrious speeches by Lincoln. In the speech, he stated, America was fighting the Civil War to see if she would survive as a country (Lincoln & Prentice, 2001).According to him, it was right for America to dedicate part of the Gettysburg battlefield as a commemoration of all the people who had passed away during the battle.
Lincoln adopted a benevolent leadership criterion in that whenever a disagreement occurred between him and his advisors, he always narrated a story that clearly demonstrated his point of view. The leadership style worked and this made the citizens to admire and appreciate him. He was kind, wise, and compassionate hence the nickname Father Abraham (McPherson, 2009).
Lincolns decision to preserve the American Union is termed as the most significant presidential action. The decision eventually made America to unite into one nation rather than dividing into two. His contribution in the field of liberty for the slaves is tremendously significant. Research shows that Lincoln got the ball rolling with the Emancipation Proclamation Act (Henretta, Edwards & Self, 2011).
From the above, I agree with Lincolns high ranking as an American President. He is honored for his struggle in preserving the American Union and initiating the process of liberty for slaves.
He, therefore, definitely gets a praiseworthy mention in the list of influential heads of state in America. Lincoln has had an impact on the modern Society since America looks back on his presidential actions and he is thus a role model for upcoming generations.
References
Henretta, A., Edwards, R., & Self, O. (2011). Americas History. New York: Bedford Martins.
Herndon, H., & Weik, W. (1909). Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life. New York: Appleton and company.
Lincoln, A., & Prentice, R. (2001). Abraham Lincoln: his speeches. New York: Oxford University Press.
McPherson, M. (2009). Abraham Lincoln. New York: Oxford University Press.
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most acclaimed presidents of the United States of America. He is commemorated for his determination and perseverance in leading the nation. The main accomplishment of his Presidency was the civil war that took place in 1861-1865.
During the war, eleven nations withdrew from the union, and Lincoln strongly believed in not only conquering the Confederation but also reuniting Northern and southern America. He controlled all civil liberties and put off the writ of habeas corpus (Henretta, Edwards & Self, 2011).
He went through extraordinary difficulties during the war such as having generals who were not willing to fight, power struggles among his members of cabinet, mass killings, and severe opposition from the Copperhead association. Despite all this pressures, Lincoln remained brave and strong. He did not admit defeat and kept fighting until he conquered the Confederacy.
In 1862, Lincoln implemented an act known as Emancipation proclamation, which set all the slaves in the southern part of America free. It should be noted that the act did not instantaneously free all the slaves in the nation since it only applied to regions not under Lincolns rule.
The real fact is that legal sovereignty for all slaves in America came after the implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment, which was strongly supported by Lincoln (Herndon& Weik, 1909).
Lincolns domestic principles made him to be considered one of the greatest Presidents in America. He strongly supported the homestead Act which allowed the poverty-stricken communities in the Eastern America to acquire land in the west. He put into law the Morrill Act, which helped in the creation of institutions in agriculture and mechanics.
He also implemented an act on National Banking, which led to the establishment of a common currency in the nation and allowed for the development of a union of all the banks in the nation. He further signed a bill on tariffs and this provided protection to the industries in the America. His foreign principle was geared towards the control of foreign intrusion especially in the civil war (Lincoln & Prentice, 2001).
Gettysburg Address is one of the most illustrious speeches by Lincoln. In the speech, he stated, America was fighting the Civil War to see if she would survive as a country (Lincoln & Prentice, 2001).According to him, it was right for America to dedicate part of the Gettysburg battlefield as a commemoration of all the people who had passed away during the battle.
Lincoln adopted a benevolent leadership criterion in that whenever a disagreement occurred between him and his advisors, he always narrated a story that clearly demonstrated his point of view. The leadership style worked and this made the citizens to admire and appreciate him. He was kind, wise, and compassionate hence the nickname Father Abraham (McPherson, 2009).
Lincolns decision to preserve the American Union is termed as the most significant presidential action. The decision eventually made America to unite into one nation rather than dividing into two. His contribution in the field of liberty for the slaves is tremendously significant. Research shows that Lincoln got the ball rolling with the Emancipation Proclamation Act (Henretta, Edwards & Self, 2011).
From the above, I agree with Lincolns high ranking as an American President. He is honored for his struggle in preserving the American Union and initiating the process of liberty for slaves.
He, therefore, definitely gets a praiseworthy mention in the list of influential heads of state in America. Lincoln has had an impact on the modern Society since America looks back on his presidential actions and he is thus a role model for upcoming generations.
References
Henretta, A., Edwards, R., & Self, O. (2011). Americas History. New York: Bedford Martins.
Herndon, H., & Weik, W. (1909). Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life. New York: Appleton and company.
Lincoln, A., & Prentice, R. (2001). Abraham Lincoln: his speeches. New York: Oxford University Press.
McPherson, M. (2009). Abraham Lincoln. New York: Oxford University Press.
The history of the United States of America can be characterized by the wide variety of processes and events that modified this country into the one we can see today. Beginning from the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492, the USA manifested itself as a freedom-loving and democratic country in which people are equal in their rights and duties (Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross, 2008). Needless to say, numerous people tried to oppose this equality and this led to various conflicts based on religious and racial matters. Among the whole range of factors that transformed the USA during its history, social ones prove to be the most significant. The advances of the American nation in respect of human rights, racial equality, and religious freedom mean much more for ordinary people in America than military victories abroad or financial advances of American corporations.
The very first years of the existence of the country were marked by the initiatives of people to provide as much freedom in all aspects of social life as possible. Already in the 17 18th centuries, people from Europe headed for America to find freedom, and the country, which was partly a British and partly a French possession, presented the freedom sought for (Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross, 2008). After gaining Independence in the war of 1774 1776, the USA stood as the country that acknowledges the freedoms and rights of every human being. To prove this, the Declaration of Independence of the USA proclaims human beings to be the basic value of the American society (Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross, 2008). Needless to say, since 1776 the United States has advanced a lot in promoting human values in society.
As mentioned above, in the 17 18th centuries numerous European came to America in the pursuit of freedom, and religious freedom was one of the rights they sought (Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross, 2008). It is known that in Europe of the period there were numerous religious wars between the Catholics and Protestants, but in America, this point never was a controversial one. According to the Independence Declaration, all people have the right to worship the religion they wish and they should not be subjected to discrimination of any kind based on their religious belonging (Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross, 2008). Therefore, coming to America people obtained absolute freedom of religion. The exceptions concerned mainly the religions of racial minorities such as Islam and the minor religions of African Americans. In this respect, a great amount of work was carried out to eliminate the discrimination.
Racial controversy always troubled the country, especially in the initial years of its Independence, and burst out into a Civil War of 1861 1865 (Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross, 2008). The reason for the war was the disagreement in the issues of race and slavery as the Northern states stood for the abolition of the latter, while the Southern states wanted to continue their development. As a result, the victory of the Northern states marked the beginning of a racially equal society in the US (Brands, Breen, Williams, Gross, 2008). Although racism was observed long after the Civil War, the latter was the first and the most important step in transforming the racist country developing at the expense of the enslaved racial minorities into a state of freedom and equality for all the people around the globe.
Works Cited
Brands, H. W., Breen, T. H., Williams, R. H., Gross, A. J. American Stories, A history of the United States. Longman, 2008.
It is essential for Americans to understand what events led to abolishing slavery. However, it is nonetheless important to analyze how society had to adjust in order to accept this fact. During the pre-war period, slavery was being abolished in the Northern states, while in the Southern states, slavery persisted until the end of the Civil War (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011). Many blacks were purchased and freed by their relatives who have already obtained their freedom (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011). This essay discusses the life of free blacks during the Antebellum period.
In 19th century America, many institutions were separated by race in addition to class. Free blacks tried to educate and openly express themselves, which led to the creation of many facilities across the country. Many free people of color were actively advocating against slavery, publishing papers, promoting equality, and establishing missing elements of society, specifically for black communities (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011). The pressing issue with forced separation at the regular public places such as churches, stores, and schools led to the creation of black-only establishments.
Primarily led by urban blacks from higher classes, they promoted ideas of temperance and moderation to fix the public image of the race. At the same time, these institutions promoted black culture with some integration of American traditions, especially religious views. Freedoms Journal and The Colored American were one of the first newspapers oriented on black communities and played a crucial role in highlighting the injustice of the system (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011). Several social movements were organized by both blacks and white abolitionists to call for the end of slavery, some of them were led by women.
The treatment of free blacks was significantly different in the North and the South. Southern laws against free black people were strict and unjust to the point where they were meant to drive blacks back into slavery at any given opportunity (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011). Moreover, southerners were losing much of their population to immigration, which has created a job vacuum that blacks had to take, leading to much antagonizing between races. Northern blacks were given freedom earlier than Southern, however, they became scapegoats for many of the problems within the American society of that time and were largely despised (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011). According to Franklin and Higginbotham (2011), the primary accusation was the fact that the economic autonomy of white artisans declined, and many became wage laborers, while the real reason behind this change was industrialization (p. 165). During the first half of the 19th century, many northerners were against the radical abolishment, which was evident in both press and religious organizations.
Free blacks in the South were much more vulnerable to being brought back into slavery. Franklin and Higginbotham (2011) write that one slip, or any ignorance of the law, could send them back into slavery (p. 167). Moreover, they were required to carry and display their badges to verify their freedom status and were actively pushed back into slavery by re-enslavement statutes (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011). With the lack of regular privileges of an American citizen, states tried to manipulate people of color into submission.
In conclusion, the life of free blacks in 19th century America was riddled with hindrances that were meant to keep them at the bottom of society. Their participation in politics and the ability to express themselves were severely limited by multiple laws and attitudes of the majority of the white population of America. Slavery was ultimately seen as an obstacle on the way to achieving true liberty for Americans, as this topic was highly divisional (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2011).
Reference
Franklin, J. H., & Higginbotham, E. B. (2011). From slavery to freedom: A history of African Americans (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
The study of our history marks the first step in understanding our earlier period which usually helps us to have a perceptive of the happenings and events that have taken place over years which can also facilitate improving the future. In this research paper, we shall review the four freedoms which were articulated by President Roosevelt in the year 1941 (Crowley, 2010).
Throughout the discussion we shall elaborate the four freedoms in a broader way for better understating; we shall also describe the several measures that were put in place in order to ensure the four freedoms are fully achieved for the better of US administration and for the wellbeing of the entire population as well.
Discussion
The four freedoms reflect the goals and objectives of the American state. The four freedoms were spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 6th January the year 1941 (Crowley, 2010). During a gathering of the State of the Union Address, when President Franklin Roosevelt was giving his speech he mentioned the four freedoms which he argued are basic for the humanity and all the population in the world ought to enjoy them across the planet.
At this particular time, the congress had made a gathering to discuss the necessary measures of protecting the state of America which they argued had been facing the worst security threat of all times. In the speech, Roosevelt started by declaring that there is a greater need to tighten the means of security for America because of protecting its citizens in the future days to come.
In fact, he said that in the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms (Crowley, 2010) which according to the US administration is the only ultimate solution for a better-secured future. The four chief freedoms are; freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear (Wwnorton.com, 2011).
The first freedom of speech and expression advocates that, all human beings should be able to express themselves through speech freely anywhere in the world without any restrictions, while the second freedom represents the freedom to worship; it advocates that any individual should be at liberty to worship based ones believe anywhere in the world regardless of nationality (Wwnorton.com, 2011).
The third freedom from want is a freedom policy seeking humanitys liberation which if when translated into earthly terms it refers to the worldwide or global economic unity which when put in place can be able to secure economic stability, peaceful life, and healthy life among other necessities for the entire humanity in the world (Wwnorton.com, 2011).
Lastly, the fourth freedom policy is the freedom from fear which also when described in worldly terms it calls for global reduction of weapons such as missiles, military force, and nuclear arms among other deadly armaments of mass destruction to such a point that, no nation or state can be in any position of committing national threat or actual physical damage to their neighbors around the planet (Wwnorton.com, 2011).
As elaborated the four freedoms are policies to promote national unity, international peace and enable human development for a better society. As such, the four freedoms were accepted and welcomed unanimously by the congress based on the fact that they would improve the lives of the citizens and make progressive changes to the administrative system. Most importantly, the four freedoms can be argued as the basic liberty policies which when implemented will enhance the worldwide security since they oversee harmony.
Based on the fact that the four freedoms were seen as a positive quantifier in the attempt to integrate safety measures in the planet, the US administration took this as a challenge in a way of fulfilling its promise to the humanity and as a mark of loyalty to the peace mission by keeping Franklin Roosevelts dream alive and honoring it (Eggers, 2010).
Up to date, the four freedoms have been honored for social change. The following discussion will broadly elaborate the numerous means and ways which Roosevelts dream was honored during those days and how it has continually been kept alive up to date both at the international and domestic levels.
Immediately after implementation of the four freedoms of speech in the 1941, America was now under a new order. To honor the four freedoms, President Roosevelt influenced the introduction of the United Nations Honor Flag which marks the first step to honoring the freedom speech by Roosevelt in his execution of the duty to the citizens. As such, the The Four Freedoms Flag (Eggers, 2010) was adopted in the year 1948 and was declared to be a universal mark to symbolize all allies of the Second World War and their commitment to the goals of the Four Freedoms.
In honoring this progress, the flag was designed and accorded the name United Nations Flag which was unanimously accepted worldwide as a way to promote unity and peace (Crowley, 2010). Additionally, with the implementation of the Flag of The United Nations, all the associates nations made an agreement in which they also signed a treaty as a sign of commitment to the Four Freedom goals (Raskin and Spero, 2007).
Furthermore, to indicate the level of commitment to the goals and meeting the objectives of the Four Freedoms, the US administration and other associated nations made a universal crusade across the globe to advocate for the freedom policy. One such way is through keeping the recordings of President Roosevelts speech which have been preserved up to date (Crowley, 2010).
The recordings were also distributed for communication through the various forms of mass media such as the print media, the TV, and even through the internet to ensure that every individual could at least have an access to the message of freedom.
Apart from this, the Four Freedoms were also widely communicated through works of art by several individuals in an attempt to ensure effective communication of the message to promote the concept of liberty; a factual example of the case is the paintings of the freedom of speech, freedom from fear, and freedom of worship by one renowned artist known as Norman Rockwell among others who carried the art as a campaign strategy and as a way of thanksgiving to the liberty policies (Bhikkhu, 2002).
Today, the magnificent paintings are available in the library, museums, and national archives, and even in the mass media to facilitate universal access.
The foundation of the modern America was formed from the comprehensive struggle and determination to honor the freedom from fear which the civilians and US federal army schemed a strategy although it was painful considering what the commanders and the state men went through in order to conquer the fear of the ordinary Americans and achieve the numerous victories (Bhikkhu, 2002).
Today, the US is enjoying the same freedom which can be attributed to Roosevelts motivational speech and the war victories America has achieved over years.
On the other hand, the Americans have always honored the liberty policies by keeping every freedom alive. For instance, the freedom of speech and freedom to worship is one notion that has been endorsed over time. In America, people are at liberty to worship according to ones believes.
In fact, the modern America has a variety of religions ranging from Christians, pagans Buddhists, and even American Muslims among others. Alternatively, the freedom of speech and expression is one among the other freedoms that has been honored and is very crucial in US up to date (Raskin and Spero, 2007).
Conclusion
Generally, the speech by President Franklin Roosevelt marks the first step towards global realization regarding humanity and rights. To the US, the speech was a mark of tribute to the many struggles of fearless individuals who seek independence.
Today, America has continually honored the goals of the four freedoms by the fact that US administration stands on the front line to integrate peace; as such American government has always campaigned for the worldwide peace by ensuring that mass weapons and other deadly armaments are not among the technological changes in the planet. The recent sanctions against Iran and Korea mark the signal that US is still committed to the four freedoms for a better society.
The importance of statistics in clinical research can be explained by a multitude of factors; in clinical management, it is used for monitoring the patients conditions, the quality of health care provided, and other indicators.
The correlations between length of hospital stay and costs have been of interest to researchers back in the early 2000s and continue to preoccupy them currently. One such research established the median costs of hospitalization for adult patient with viral pneumonia as $5,942, with similar hospitalization and care pattern used by different hospitals (Fine et al., 2000). If the patients were discharged a day earlier, they could have saved an average amount of $680.
Another research was more focused on the methodology and data analysis than on the actual outcomes; at any rate, the researchers came to acknowledge that hospitalization costs constitute a significant part of all patients expenses on their health care (Polverejan, Gardiner, Bradley, Holmes-Rovner, & Rovner, 2003). A more recent research established the positive association between shorter length of stay and early readmission, with subsequent cost increase: the patients or their payers had to fund the initial hospitalization and the readmission. At that, the cost of hospitalization and readmission taken together was 65% higher than that of longer hospital stay in days (Carey, 2015).
Despite the constant development of the field of medical sciences for the sake of common good, hospital readmissions are a persistent issue in contemporary medical care. Of course, the overwhelming majority of the patients do not want to return to the hospitals, and, to boost the medical institutions measure-taking activities, Medicare practices the system of penalties for the unplanned readmissions.
But even though medical institutions are struggling to prevent their patients from unplanned readmissions, the statistical data for patients experiencing readmissions is rather humbling. The problem of our current interest, that is analyzing the hospitalization costs, is not any less pressing than the prevention of readmission in geriatric patients. In 2015, of the total 25,593 geriatric beneficiaries using the services of FFS Medicare, a mean 4.1% experienced at least one readmission within 30 days after the discharge (Gorina, Pratt, Kramarow, & Elgaddal, 2015).
As one can see, the subject of hospital stay costs is critical in clinical research and management. The relevance of the subject is the main reason such research is needed; the findings may serve as a baseline for further investigation to create a more effective management system to reduce hospitalization costs and provide higher quality health care.
Variables
The variables for this analysis include length of stay in days, number of days in the intensive care unit, patients age, sex (male or female), and total charges during hospital stay. They can be described as follows:
Table 1 Variable list.
Variable
Variable Type
Sex
Categorical dichotomous
Age
Numerical continuous
Length of stay in days
Numerical discrete
Number of days in the intensive care unit
Numerical discrete
Total charges during hospital stay
Numerical continuous
It is known that categorical variables can only have values that are subject to categories (Levine, Stephan, & Szabat, 2014). These can be measured using nominal and ordinal scales. For example, the sex scale can only use two categories with no ranking. Continuous variables such as age, total charges during the stay, and total charges for drugs, lab analyses, imaging, and respiratory therapy should be measured using ratio scales where the difference in numerical value of the variables includes a zero point (Statistical Language What Are Variables? 2013). Discrete variables such as length of stay in days and length of stay in intensive care unit should be measured with interval scales: the diversity has a meaning but not in correspondence with a zero point (Osborn, 2008).
Questions
The overall goal of statistically analyzing such data can be to create a model predicting the average sum a geriatric patient can be charged upon their discharge. Additionally, one can hypothesize that there is some correlation between the length of stay and the patients age. To achieve this goal and test the hypothesis, several questions should be answered, namely:
What is the average age of the patients?
What is the average cost of stay per patient?
Is there any correlation between the age and the cost of stay? Does the patients age affect the length or cost of stay?
To answer these questions, descriptive statistical method and ratio scales appear the most appropriate. Descriptive method is used to define the data and assess its representativeness. To determine the value between the sexes, ratio will be used. When one uses ratio, the x and y variables (male and female) are independent. The variables also have to be tested as to the correlation between them.
Results
The summary of data concerning the mean age of the patients can be presented descriptively as in Table 2:
Table 2 Descriptive Summary: Age.
Descriptive summary: Age
Mean
75
Median
78
Mode
80
Minimum
29
Maximum
98
Range
69
Variance
146.9473
Standard Deviation
12.1222
Coefficient of Deviation
16.18%
Skewness
1.3188
Kurtosis
2.5606
Count
138
Standard Error
1.0319
The mean age of the patients, therefore, is X = 75, SD = 12.1 years. To estimate the value between sexes, one has to keep in mind that sex is a dichotomous variable, which is why a formula for ratio is to be used as follows:
where x (female) = 61, y (male) = 78, with the total number of participants n = 139, as demonstrated in Figure A:
Distribution of Sex Among the Patients.
The fraction was reduced for y to equal 1, which produced the rate of 1.28 males to every female in the hospital. To calculate the proportion of males to females, a formula can be used as follows:
If the fraction is reduced for either x or y to equal 1, the result is.56 males.
The total charges can be put in a descriptive summary:
Table 3 Total Charges.
Total Charges
Mean
$1,754.00
Median
$652.88
Mode
0
Minimum
N/A
Maximum
$40,231.27
Range
40.231,27
Variance
9887228.5344
Standard Deviation
3144.3964
Coefficient of Deviation
179.27%
Skewness
4.5959
Kurtosis
37.3999
Count
690
Standard Error
119.7051
With the total cost during the stay $887,192.85, the average for each person is calculated in a simple formula:
per person.
Figure B depicts the length of stay with the average length of stay equaling 4 days.
No correlation between the variables was found.
Conclusion
To summarize the findings, one can state that the mean age of the patients in Freedom hospital is X = 75, SD = 12.1. Additionally, the average hospitalization cost per patient is $6428.93. The failure of the research to establish the correlation between the variables can indicate the lack of data and the necessity to conduct additional research with more data used.
References
Carey, K. (2015). Measuring the Hospital Length of Stay/Readmission Cost Trade-Off Under a Bundled Payment Mechanism. Health Economics, 27(7), 790-802.
Fine, M. J., Pratt, H. M., Obrosky, D. S., Lave, J. R., McIntosh, L. J., Singer, D. E., Coley, C. M., & Kapoor, W. N. (2000). Relation between length of hospital stay and costs of care for patients with community-acquired pneumonia. The American Journal of Medicine, 109(5), 378-85.
Levine, D. M., Stephan, D., & Szabat, K. A. (2014). Statistics for managers using Microsoft Excel (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Osborn, C. E. (2008). Essentials of Statistics in Health Information Technology. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Polverejan, E., Gardiner, J. C., Bradley, C. J., Holmes-Rovner, M., & Rovner, D. (2003). Estimating mean hospital cost as a function of length of stay and patient characteristics. Health Economics, 12(11), 937-947.
Statistical Language What Are Variables? (2013). Web.
Propaganda is a specific method of presenting a message that is targeted at serving a particular agenda. Although the message that is given out passes over true information, the message may be partisan and may not succeed in painting a full picture According to Herman (2000), propaganda is defined as the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist (Herman, 2000, p.101). There was the launching of the Center for Media and Democracy , CMD, in the year 1993 in order to create what was the only public interest at that period. Moreover, media organizations are committed to ensuring exposure of government as well as corporate propaganda and the impacts it had on democracy as well as on democratic social change (Herman, 2000).
Propaganda shares a large number of techniques with public relations or advertisement and, of course, the last ones can be said to be a form of propaganda aimed at boosting a commercial good or service. However, as it is generally understood, the term propaganda refers to, in most cases, nationalist or political messages. It can take the form of leaflets, posters, TV broadcasts or radio broadcasts (Herman, 2000, p.105).
In a more common and narrower application of the term propaganda , it refers to deliberately false or misleading information that supports a political cause or the interests of those in power (Herman, 2000, p.107). A propagandist looks for opportunities to change the way individuals understand a particular situation or issue for the reason of altering their expectations and actions in ways that are desirable to the interest group (Herman, 2000, p.108).
During a war, propaganda is a powerful tool. In this case, it is often aimed at dehumanizing the enemy and creating extreme dislike against some special group. The skill is to create an untrue image in peoples minds. This can be achieved through the use of special words or avoiding some other words and also by shifting the blame to the enemy with claims that the opponent did some particular things which he did not do as a matter of fact. In every form of propaganda, there are two requirements, faint and injustice. These two demands may be on the basis of either facts or fiction; the intention always hates creation (Jowett & ODonnell).
History of Propaganda
The contemporary political logic of the term propaganda can be traced back to the WW 1 era when it was not initially pejorative. The techniques applied were first codified and used in a scientific approach by Walter Lippman, a journalist, and Edward Bernays, a psychologist, at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the course of World War I, both Bernays and Lippman worked for the Committee on Public Information created by Woodrow Wilson, the U.S President, in order to influence popular opinion to engage in the war, leaning on the side of Britain (Howe,1982).
The pro-war propaganda campaign of the Creel Committee created a great anti-German hysteria in a period of six months. This campaign impressed the American business permanently as well as Hitler and the rest with the potential of large-scale propaganda to control public opinion (Herman, 2000, p.109). The existing PR industry is a direct product of the work of the Creel Committee , and it still remains to be utilized expansively by the U.S. government. A number of early figures in the PR industry were the Creel Committee members, and such people as Carl Byoir, Bernays and Ivy Lee were among them. World War II saw continual utilization of propaganda as a war weapon both by Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitlers propagandist and the Political Warfare Executive of Britain (Herman, 2000).
In Germany, a large part of propaganda was created by the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda which was under Joseph Goebbels who was appointed to this position in the year 1933, a short time after Hitler came to power. Herman (2000) points out that journalists, writers and artists were required to register with one of the ministrys subordinate chambers of the press, fine arts, music, theater, film, literature, or radio (Herman, 2000, p.108).
The Nazis had a very strong belief in propaganda as being an essential weapon that could help them to attain their goals and objectives. Hitler was impressed by the supremacy of Allied propaganda in the course of World War II and held a belief that it had been a primary cause of the collapse of morale and revolts in the German home front and navy in 1981 (Herman, 2000, p.109). Hitler held meetings with Goebbels almost on a daily basis to engage in discussions about the news and Goebbels got the thoughts of Hitler on the subject and in turn met with the senior officials in the Ministry to pass down the official Party line on world events (Herman, 2000, p.101). The journalists as well as the news broadcasters were supposed to have approvals well in advance before giving out their information or works. Hitler together with other influential Nazis in high ranks did not have moral reservations regarding the spreading of propaganda which they themselves understood to be untrue. The lack of not giving true information by the Nazis came to be referred to as the Big Lie .
Up to the time of the conclusion of the Battle of Stalingrad , on February 2, 1943, the emphasis of the Germany propaganda was on the prowess of the Germany weapons and the humanity of the German armed forces to the people of the occupied territories (Herman, 2000). Contrary to this, the British and the Allied fliers were portrayed as being cowards, killers, and the Americans were represented as being criminals in the fashion of Al Capone. At the same time, the German propaganda was aimed at separating the Americans from the British and both of them from the Soviets (Herman, 2000).
There was expansive use of propaganda by both the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the course of the Cold War. Each of the two sides utilized the TV, radio, and film to bring an influence on their own people, on each other and on the Third World countries. The U.S. Information Agency operated the Voice of America as an official government station (Herman, 2000). Moreover, it is also pointed out that Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, in part supported by the Central Intelligence Agency, provided gray propaganda in news and entertainment programs to Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union respectively (Herman, 2000, p.110). Radio Moscow, which was the official government radio station of the Soviet Union, engaged in the broadcasting of the white propaganda, and at the same time, the Freedom Broadcast and Radio Peace dealt with the broadcasting of grey propaganda. Around special crisis, the two sides spread black propaganda programs as well.
Modern-Day use of propaganda in the USA (post 9/11)
The terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001, sent shockwaves to all parts of the world. The reactions against these were clearly a mixture of emotions and anger. The media had a great task which was quite challenging of making people across the world to understanding what actually had happened and in the on-going war that resulted, had an important role to help provide wide perspectives and understandings of the aftermath of those attacks (Shah, 2007, para 1).
In the aftermath of these attacks in the U.S., while the retaliation led by the U.S. was building up, a number of news media were reporting the propaganda battle on the two sides. Shah (2007) points out that because the effect was to suggest that the while Bin Ladens propaganda was to incite hatred, convince the Muslim world of his views and give his perspectives to the West, the Western propaganda was to retaliate and correct those misleading aspects (Shah, 2007, para 3). Bin Ladens views were certainly misleading and inciting disgust, but assuming that in response, the propaganda of the West was actually misleading to the general public in one way or the other. All through history, all sides make use of propaganda to obtain support from the general public. Although the West is not wrong in dealing with the terrorist acts, the propaganda that is employed by the West as well has to remain in peoples minds in order for them to be aware of whether suitable policies are put in place.
According to Getmanenko (2009), in the current day, technological advancement has made it possible for the media to make use of a number of media communications including the TV, newspaper, magazines, radio, cinema and the Internet effectively. It is now possible for every average citizen to be exposed to any of these sources on a daily basis. Getmanenko (2000) states that the breadth of potential access to the minds of people through mass media presents tremendous temptation to be propagandists (Getmanenko, 2009, p. 272). It is further pointed out that in recent times, some of the traditional communication media such as newspapers and magazines have been encountering financial hardships and a large number of them have been losing audience share to the Internet (Getmanenko, 2009, p.272).
Legal Issue
The Statutory restrictions on agency communications with the public are limited to one nearly century old statute and prohibitions in annual appropriations laws (Kosar, 2005, p. 7). It is pointed out that the 5 U.S.C3107 which was passed in the year 1913 prohibits using appropriated funds to pay a publicity expert unless specifically appropriated for that purpose (Kosar, 2005, p.8). Moreover, in most cases, the annual appropriation laws , such as the 2004 omnibus statute , offer a standard prohibition that funds may be utilized for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by Congress (Kosar, 2005, p.8). These legal restrictions have been seen in the appropriation laws for more than fifty years.
It seems that agency freedom to spend appropriated funds for propaganda and PR is very limited. But as a matter of fact, this is not the case because:
There is no requiring of the federal entity in the monitoring of the agency compliance with the propaganda and publicity statutes. Currently, the federal government does have what is referred to as fire alarm oversight of agency expenditures on communication (McCubbins & Schwartz, 1984, p.166). Scrutiny normally takes place at a time a Congress Member gets an alert from the media or some other source that the spending of an agency on communication may cause concern. In turn, the Congress Member gives out a written request to the GAO asking for a legal opinion on activities in question (Kosar, 2005, p.8).
The terms publicity, propaganda and publicity expert have been interpreted to forbid a very limited number of activities (Kosar, 2005, p.8). There has been no definition of these three terms by Congress. Therefore, the GAO has gone the task of delineating what these terms encompass (Kosar, 2005, p.8). It has carried out this based on case-by-case over the last fifty years. In general terms, there has been a narrow definition of these terms by the GAO. This office holds that the propaganda or publicity taboo in the appropriation laws prohibits the relations activity which involves self-aggrandizement or puffery of the agency, its personnel, or activities; is purely partisan; or is covert propaganda (U.S. General Accounting Office, 1986, p.8). Interpretation of publicity agent carried out by the GAO means a person who extols or advertises an agency, an activity quite different from disseminating information to the citizenry about the agency, its policies, practices, and products (Kosar, 2005,p.8).
Therefore, the laws that forbid the hiring of publicity experts, as well as the expenditure of appropriation funds on propaganda or publicity, impose very minimal limits on the activities of PR. The GAO findings of the agencys unlawful activity have not been frequent. It has been pointed out that PR and propaganda laws did not prohibit the employment of the PR companies or the spending of the appropriated funds on it.
The promotional materials do not present both the negative and positive consequences of increased logging of forests and that contained inaccuracies that might have deceived the public (Kosar, 2005, p.9).
The CMMS brochures encompass a number of noteworthy omissions and that overstate the access beneficiaries will have the prescription drug program;
An OPM press release denounces some Members of Congress who desired to delay civil service policy that OPM favored (Kosar, 2005, p.9).
In addition, the GAO presented the definition of the term propaganda as government communications that fail to disclose that they are paid for with appropriated funds (Kosar, 2005, p.9). It only forbids executive agencies from making attempts to convince or lie to the public through furtive means. It does not bar the executive agencies from engaging in propaganda in noticeably public communications. It also pointed out that executive agencies remain free to use appropriated funds to issue communications that are impossible to verify and engage in activities that attempt to manipulate the emotions of the public (Kosar, 2005, p.9).
Necessity of propaganda for national security purposes vs. freedom of press
Wartime propaganda makes attempts to make the people adjust to the abnormal conditions and adapt their priorities and moral standards to accommodate the needs of war (Soules, 2007, para 1). In order to realize this, those who engage in propaganda often represent warfare by utilizing conservative visual codes that are already set up in the mass media. Therefore, the recruitment posters have been always designed to appear like movie or advertising posters.
It is pointed out that integration of war propaganda in to the existing mass media and popular culture allows it to announce a new mobilization of society or troops against an enemy, real or imagined, without destabilizing the status quo too radically (Soules, 2007, para. 2). The propagandists have to put across the notion that they are still in control even though a fresh enemy of the people comes up. War propaganda viewed through the lens of popular culture such as movies, ads, and magazine articles makes war seem familiar and at the same time glamorizes it by exploiting the habits of fantasy and desire generated by mass entertainment (Soules, 2007, para 3).
In the pro-war propaganda, it is quite rare for the human casualties to be shown, and for favorable reasons, no person is willing to be reminded of this cost while being recruited or persuaded to join the war effort. As it is indicated by Soules (2007), this kind of filtering sought to create an impression that was positive enough to encourage further recruitment, while showing just enough of the soldiers hardship to maintain commitment in the domestic war effort (Soules, 2007, para 4). The exhibition of human suffering in the course of the war has been greatly reserved for the anti-war campaigns (Soules, 2007).
At wartime, propaganda is normally carried out together with an all-inclusive attempt to censor dissenting opinions. For instance, in the course of World War II, the United States public was attacked with pro-war messages that were conveyed through photographs in the press, posters and newsreels. There were a lot of magazines and newspapers that had a large number of photographs taken by the combat photographers and the war correspondents. But before these photographs could reach the press, they were vetted by the censorship process that sorted out photographs of a broad range of inappropriate topics. This process changed the documentary evidence to become propaganda. It was largely considered as the responsibility of the press to offer support to the war effort instead of reporting the facts accurately (Carver,1991).
The invention of the TV caused a remarkable evolution in war propaganda and reporting. This was witnessed beginning with the Korean War to the Vietnam War and eventually to the Oil Wars in the Middle East. A large number of people have presented claims that the relative freedom of the news journalists who reported on the Vietnam War turned public opinion against the administration of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon (Soules, 2007, para 6).
Starting with the Gulf War which took place in 1991, the news coverage of the global disagreements to the domestic audiences was sternly censored and given shape to by the armed forces in news releases and press conferences. In the course of the Iraqi War, the embedded news reporters were required to report only what their military chaperones thought suitable, and any news or images broadcasted on CNN, if not censored by Pentagon, went through a rigorous process of analysis (Soules, 2007, para 7).
In the course of the Vietnam War, there emerged a new TV coverage referred to as Happy Talk to place the disturbing news of conflict in to a convivial atmosphere of newsroom banter, pundit speculation, and bracketing stories about the weather, sports or human interest (Soules, 2007, para 8). It is pointed out that this new style brought down the level of any potential notion of crucial disruption in social affairs by integrating disturbing pictures and information within a contrived atmosphere of normality (Soules, 2007).
In the year 2003, thorough censorship was surely true for a larger portion of the mainstream media. But as the numerous links below demonstrate, the internet has become a rich respiratory for satirical and subversive alternate visions (Soules, 2007, para 8). In light of the U.K.-U.S. fight against Iraq, a unique form of resistance is experienced. The fights are held not so much on the streets but through the electronic networks of the Internet. Moreover, a large number of the anti-war posters and playing cards deconstruct the symbolic coding of previous war propaganda to convey another message, which is still animated by a sense of patriotism.
References
Carver, E. J. (1991). Berlin Calling: American Broadcasters in Service to the Third Reich. New York, Prager Publishers.
Getmanenko, S. (2009). Freedom from the Press: Why the Federal Propaganda Prohibition Act of 2005 is a good idea. Penn State Law Review, 114 (1), 251 292.
Herman, E. S. (2000). The Propaganda Model: a retrospective, Journalism Studies, 1(1), 101112.
Howe, E. (1982). The Black Game: British Subversive Operations Against the German During the Second World War. London: Futura.
Jowett, G. S. & ODonnell, V. (2006). Propaganda and Persuasion. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication.
Kosar. K. R. (2005). Public Relations and Propaganda: Restrictions on Executive Agency Activities. CRS Report for Congress. Web.
McCubbins, M. D. & Schwartz, T. (1984). Congressional Oversight Overlooked: Police Patrols versus Fire Alarms. American Journal of Political Science, 28 (1), 165-179.
Shah, A. (2007). War on terror mainstream media and propaganda. Global Issues. Web.
Soules, M. (2007). Propaganda at war mass media, propaganda and censorship. Media Studies. Web.
U.S. General Accounting Office, (1986). The decision of the Comptroller General, Volume 66, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Also known as intellectual, scientific or individual freedom, academic freedom is defined as the freedom of professionals and students to question and to propose new thoughts and unpopular suggestions to the government without jeopardizing their work or privileges accorded by the institutions. Academic freedom is a refuge of intellectual individualism (Hofstadter 1995). It has been observed that since the medieval intellectual tradition universities were seen as minor-ecclesiastical institutions in society and were locked out in leadership decisions and the religious institutions were given more authority in governance; this undermined academic freedom immensely. In many countries, academic freedom is undermined and is not secure from the governments pressure. In countries like Malaysia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Serbia and Singapore, the government has outlawed the research and publication of certain materials. Several authors and scholars have taken interest in learning academic freedom and have come up with different opinions about the subject; here are some of the writings from different authors:
Russell, C., 1993, Academic Freedom, Routledge. New Fatter Lane, London. Russell was a British historian and politician and was a Professor of British history at Kings College London till 2003. Russell wrote this book from a liberal democratic dimension with an intention to contribute to the task of sorting out the terms and conditions of cooperation between the government and other institutions of higher learning. Russell (1993) notes that all professions are under one government and is impossible for every professional to elect his or her own government, thus the government should recognize areas of independent professional judgment, along which it should not interfere under all grounds. Russell urges the government should go back to the medieval idea of liberty, where the state did not meddle into the internal affairs of institutions. Russell quotes that the government by consent is a tender plant that the people can uproot at their will. The main principle of a legit government should be to lead the people within their consent. This source acknowledges that academic freedom is a manifestation of freedom of thought and expression which ought to be respected (Russell 1993).
Altbach, P., 2001, Academic Freedom: International realities and challenges, Springer Publishers, New York. Altbach is an associate Professor at the Institute of Higher Education at Peking University. Just like Russell, Altbach recognizes academic freedom as the canon of higher education, due to its influence to professions in all dimensions of academic work. This reference claims that for the academic fraternity influences and directs the flow of information; it finds itself as a target for public vilification from external influential institutions (Altbach 2001).
In contrast to Russell (1993) idea of democratic development of academic freedom, Altbach argues that there has been a gradual increase in professional specialization and thus faculties are not well educated in freedom. Instead the students should not be taught general collegiate education only but also be taught the value and essence of general and academic freedom.
Hofstadter, R., 1995, Academic freedom in the age of the college, Transaction Publishers, NJ. Hofstadter Richard (1916 1970) was an American historian and DeWitt Clinton Professor at Columbia University. Hofstadter recognizes that academic freedom is a modern trend and has evolved through various academic settings. Hofstadter defends academic freedom and condemns those opposed to it and calls this act anti-intellectualism. Hofstadter upheld the university ideal in higher learning since the university is committed to certain principles of freedom, sensibility, questioning and discussion. Where there is academic freedom, questioning produces a wide spectrum of opinions, which are backed by the public and diligently assessed. Hofstadter holds that the university bridges the external world, with the world we imagine.
Unlike the other authors, Hofstadter stresses mote on ethical issues pertaining academic freedom. He argues that limits in intellectual activities should be grouped to matters of methodology and logic while the other restraints to academic freedom are in contrast to principles of society and professionals. In contrast to Russell, Hofstadter argues that development of knowledge is advocating for academic freedom. Contravention of professional codes and refusal to be answerable to the public is ethically wrong (Hofstadter 1995).
Berry, R., 1980, Academic Freedom and Peer Reviews of Research Proposals and Papers, McGraw Hill, NY. Berry is an associate professor of economics at South Dakota University. Berry defines academic freedom as the freedom of professionals to air controversial opinions and can be attained when there is non-interference from punitive sanctions from powerful individuals and institutions, for example censorship of research projects and drafts. Berry identified two canons of excellent learning; that is, exceptional professional experts and good working conditions. Academic freedom is contained in the working conditions. Berry, just like Hofstadter, Altbach and Russell (1993) says that the academic freedom can only be found where the administration is autonomous from the profession and it is not subject to any limitations although rational methods can be used (Berry 1980).
Berry opines that administrators should legitimately apply peer review committees to assist in awarding the limited resources, for instance commissioning of competitive research projects for available resources. These proposals should be assessed properly to ensure that they only contribute to knowledge. Peers should be allowed to exercise their academic freedom in doing their proposals although their opinions and criticism should address the researcher only.
Aby, S., & Kuhn, J., 2000, Academic Freedom: A Guide To The Literature, Greenwood Publishing Group, CT. Aby is an educational bibliographer and instructor at the University of Akron. Aby and Kuhn argue that the autonomy of professions from influential institutions and individuals can be best described by the Descartes method of inquiry. This method upholds six principles, which are, academics and knowledge activities should be attained autonomously and individually; the process should have no restrictions; an academician should have objectivity in the area of interest; sensibility is universal to all; a secure and conducive environment is necessary for learning; and sufficient amount of time should be committed according to the interest developed by the scholar (Aby & Kuhn 2000).
Aby and Kuhn argues for academic freedom to exist, certain objectives should be achieved first, these are, the need to thrive, the endeavor to make the world a better place, and a social order must exist. Aby and Kuhn advocate for professional relativism for all professions as this assists in institutionalizing knowledge and academic freedom within the profession, and also help the profession flourish.
In conclusion, all the works above uphold academic freedom and devise various means to achieve it. Although in the 20th century, academic freedom has been granted more space than earlier but a lot ought to be improved. Just like other freedoms, academic freedom brings along responsibilities to the professionals. A professional is expected to seek and report the truth as they perceive it to be. Academic freedom grants scholars and experts freedom to identify and tell the truth as they observe it, to students and the general public in the best way possible may it be through oral or written communication.
References
Aby, S., & Kuhn, J., 2000, Academic Freedom: A Guide To The Literature, Greenwood Publishing Group, CT
Altbach, P., 2001, Academic Freedom: International realities and challenges, Springer Publishers, New York.
Berry, R., 1980, Academic Freedom and Peer Reviews of Research Proposals and Papers, McGraw Hill, NY.
Hofstadter, R., 1995, Academic freedom in the age of the college, Transaction Publishers, NJ.
Russell, C., 1993, Academic Freedom, Routledge. New Fatter Lane, London.
Jesse Ventura expressed his views on homeland security in quite an emotional way. Although his account contains some exaggerations, his conclusions are largely correct as peoples freedoms are under a concealed and soft attack, which is tolerated in the western society. Ventura (2018) addresses various aspects related to homeland security, including but not confined to terrorism, surveillance, violence, war, and governments efficiency. In many ways, the author sheds light on the overreactions or inadequate responses of the US government, which led to such catastrophes as 9/11 or the war in Iraq. It cannot be denied that surveillance has reached an unprecedented level as streets and diverse public spaces are filled with cameras. Numerous restrictions have been imposed to ensure a higher degree of security in airports and other important infrastructural facilities. Kuper (2015) states that Western people are ready to give away a considerable part of their freedoms in exchange for increased security, which is a result of natural civilizational development.
The most recent illustration of the overwhelming role governments play in the life of the individual is the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Peoples basic rights were affected significantly as their movement was restricted. People had to remain at home or could not attend different kinds of places. People sacrificed their businesses as the losses due to the measures introduced by the government were unbearable for many. However, people are mainly in favor of such or similar restrictions as long as they believe in increased security. Hence, it is possible to note that Ventura (2018) is sometimes overreacting when discussing the balance between freedom and safety. However, the author has unveiled certain trends that are apparent.
References
Kuper, S. (2015). Why safety now trumps freedom. Financial Times. Web.
Ventura, J. (2018). Jesse Ventura on homeland security. On the Issues: Every Political Leader on Every Issue. Web.