Public Debt And Its Political Implications Economics Essay

Public Debt And Its Political Implications Economics Essay The debt limit or so called debt ceiling is the total sum of money that the US government is allowed to borrow in order to cover the existing expenditures: national defense, interest on the national debt, Medicaid and Medicare benefits and other expenditures. The debt limit enables the government to cover the spending that was negotiated between Congresses and Presidents in the past. Nevertheless, it does not apply for new, unbudgeted expenditures. If the debt ceiling limits the government to pay for expenditures that are legal obligations (e.g. interest on the national debt, government employee wages, etc.), the debt ceiling can lead to the default of the US (US Department of the Treasury, 2012). The U.S. Debt-Ceiling Crisis and the Budget Control Act of 2011 In May 2011, the Treasury declared that the debt ceiling of US $14.29 trillion had been reached, but that extraordinary measures could prevent a default and keep government operational. For several months after this announcement, the debt ceiling was in the center of a political battle between the Republicans, who controlled the House of Representatives since the 2010 elections, and President Obama and the Democrats who controlled the Senate. The Republicans insisted on revenue increases and spending cuts as condition for their approval of an increase in the debt ceiling. Both parties could not come to a compromise and by the end of July, the countrys default approached. Finally, an agreement between President Obama and Congressional leaders was reached by the night of July 31, 2011 (Eells, 2013). On August 2, 2011, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act (BCA) that raised the debt ceiling and thus averted the looming, first-ever US government default. The Budget Control Act authorized the increase of the debt limit in three installments. First, the President can require the immediate increase of the debt limit by US $400 billion. Second, the debt limit can be increased by additional US $500 billion, if a joint resolution of disapproval is not enacted. Thirdly, the President can require an additional amount between US$1.2 trillion and US $1.5 trillion that is also the subject to congressional disapproval (Heniff et al., 2011). The first two debt increases, totaling US $900 billion, should be compensated by reductions in future federal spending. The BCA also determined caps on annual expenditures over the following ten years. Estimates on federal spending reductions by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) totaled US$917 billion. For the years 2012 and 2013, the limits on security and non-security spending are separate. For the eight years thereafter, the spending cap will be effective on a single discretionary category (Heniff et al., 2011). Another part of the BCA was the establishment of a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. This Committee is tasked with proposing means to reduce the federal deficit by at least US $1.5 trillion over the next ten years. As a result, the BCA provides at least one dollar of spending cuts for one dollar in debt ceiling raise (Heniff et al., 2011). However, if the Joint Committee fails to produce spending cuts of at least US $1.2 trillion, then the President will be authorized to increase the debt ceiling by US $1.2 trillion that need to be compensated by a combination of the spending cuts nevertheless produced by the Joint Committee and across-the-board spending cuts, including military expenditures, education, transportation, Medicare etc. (GAO, 2012). The political battle between Republicans and Democrats had several negative consequences. The delays in raising the debt limit in 2011 resulted in additional borrowing costs for the Treasury of about US $1.3 billion only in the fiscal year 2011, which do not include the multiyear effects on potentially increased interest expenses for Treasury securities of future issues. Other challenges for the Treasury in managing the federal debt under the effects of these delays were the complexity, the time spent and the technical issues that arose before the staff. Moreover, the Treasurys employees had to focus on extraordinary actions instead of focusing on its important debt and cash management responsibilities and staff development (GAO, 2012). The US debt passed the 100%-of-GDP mark after the governments debt ceiling was increased. The new borrowing enlarged the US debt to US$14.58 trillion, surpassing the US $14.53 trillion size of the U.S. economy in the year 2010 and moving the USA into a fiscal situation similar to countries whose public debt is higher than their annual gross domestic product: Japan (229%), Greece (152%), Italy (120%), Ireland (114%) and Iceland (103%). The last time the U.S. debt exceeded GDP was in 1947 after World War II and the deficit was due to extraordinary war spending (Money News, 2011). As a result of the debt increase, Standard Poors (SP) downgraded its USA long-term sovereign credit rating from AAA to AA+ on August 5, 2011. The lowering of the long-term sovereign credit rating by SP reflects the rating agencys believe that the the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges to a degree more than was envisioned when agency assigned a negative outlook to the rating on April 18, 2011 (Swann et al., 2011). SP believed that the fiscal consolidation plan that was agreed by Congress and the President was not sufficient to stabilize the general government debt burden by 2015. Additionally, the political positions of Republicans and Democrats were still far apart and the two parties only agreed on minor savings in discretionary expenditures. The Select Committee had to provide more comprehensive solutions. The political disputes diminished the governments capability to manage public finances and distracted attention from the ultimate goals of a more balanced budget and improvement in economic growth. SPs prospect on the long-term rating is unfavorable. The agency can even decrease the long-term rating to AA, if, for instance, the US government cuts its spending less than was negotiated or the new arising fiscal burdens over the next two year period. The other two major rating agencies, Moodys and Fitch, kept their top credit ratings, although they pointed out that downgrades could follow if the US government fails to implement debt reduction measures or an economic slowdown happened (Detrixhe, 2011). After raising the debt limit to US $15.2 trillion in August 2011, Congress increased the debt limit to US $16.394 trillion in January 2012. By the end of August 2012, the amount of debt reached US $15.977 trillion, which is approximately US $417 billion below the debt limit. As the government borrows roughly between US $100 billion and US $125 billion a month, the debt was estimated to hit the limit in December 2012 (Sahadi, 2012). By December 31, 2012, the USA reached its debt ceiling, but the Treasury declared that it can pay outstanding debt obligations and other bills for the next two months. This means that a new political battle, between Congress and the White House, for another increase in the debt ceiling will start in the near future. Effects of the US government shutdowns in 1995-1996 In 2011, the US government was close to defaulting on its public debt. The potential negative consequences of a default are more severe than that of a shutdown. Nevertheless, recent shutdowns can give an example of potential harmful effects of such fiscal issues on the public and economy. In history, the US government has experienced several shutdowns (Figure XY) that occurred when Congress fails to adjust funding for the current fiscal obligations. In this situation the government can no longer borrow funds, but the federal government can continue to operate, given the Treasury has the opportunity to generate additional revenues or to implement special measures. Nevertheless, the continuing incapability to borrow would result in a default (Masters, 2013). Figure XY. Appropriations Funding Gaps: Fiscal Years 1977-1998 Fiscal Year Date gap Commenced   Full day(s)   of gaps Date gap terminated   1977 Thursday 09-30-76 10 Monday 10-11-76 1978 Friday 09-30-77 12 Thursday 10-13-17 Monday 10-31-77 8 Wednesday 11-09-77 Wednesday 11-30-77 8 Friday 12-09-77 1979 Saturday 09-30-78 17 Wednesday 10-18-78 1980 Sunday 09-30-79 11 Friday 10-12-79 1982 Friday 11-20-81 2 Monday 11-23-81 1983 Thursday 9-30-82 1 Saturday 10-2-82 Friday 12-17-82 3 Tuesday 12-21-82 1984 Thursday 11-10-83 3 Monday 11-14-83 1985 Sunday 9-30-84 2 Wednesday 10-3-84 Wednesday 10-3-84 1 Friday 10-5-84 1987 Thursday 10-16-86 1 Saturday 10-18-86 1988 Friday 12-18-87 1 Sunday 12-20-87 1991 Friday 10-5-90 3 Tuesday 10-9-90 1996 Monday 11-13-95 5 Sunday 11-19-95 Friday 12-15-95 21 Saturday 1-6-96 Figure : Appropriations Funding Gaps (Source: U.S. Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service) The longest US government shutdown was a shutdown in the years 1995-1996. The U.S. government was shut down for 21 days between the December 16, 1995 and January 6th, 1996 due to the budgetary mismatches between Democratic President Bill Clinton and Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. In 1995, Clinton denied to cut steeply Medicaid, Medicare and other non-defense expenditures for the 1996 budget. Gingrich responded with the threat that Congress would not approve the increase in the debt ceiling. This would lead the USA to default on its outstanding debt. The first shutdown lasted five days from November 13 until 19 when both parties made an agreement to balance the budget in seven years period. However, the White House and Congress could not agree how this procedure would be accomplished resulting in the second US shutdown for 21 days. Negotiations between the President and Congress over the next 21 days resulted in the agreed seven-year balanced budget plan. The plan cons isted of the tax increases and the little spending cuts (Fiscal Politics Policy from 1970s to the Present). Gressle (1999) showed the effects of the US government shutdown on the public and economy. The first and the second shutdowns in 1995-1996 years resulted in the furlough of an estimated 800000 and 284000 federal employees respectively. The second shutdown had vast effects on all sectors of the economy. A good example is the health care sector where new patients were not accepted into National Institute of Health (HIN) Clinical Center and the hotline calls to HIN regarding health problems were not answered. Around 20000-30000 applicants for US visa were not served each day resulting in million dollar losses for airlines and tourist industries. The closure of 368 National Parks led to the loss of 7 million visitors and US$14.2 million per day in tourism income by locals. After the 1995-1996 shutdowns, President Clinton improved his image (Lader, 2008). The majority of Americans understood that both shutdowns were due to the Republican obstinacy. Nevertheless, the shutdowns in 1995-1996 showed the aftermaths of divided government and the shift of the political policy to the rightwing. Fiscal Cliff There are a lot of expressions for the issue often called fiscal cliff: fiscal slope, austerity crisis or fiscal obstacle course. However, all of them describe the same process, particularly, the automatic tax increases and spending cuts that take effect on January 1, 2013. However, the first person who popularized the term fiscal cliff was the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. The chairman used this expression in a speech to a congressional committee in February 2012 in reference to a combination of spending cuts and tax increases set for January 1, 2013. Afterwards, the phrase was used widespread (Geoghegan, 2012). The majority of analysts predict that the implementation of the tax and spending cuts on January 1, 2013 will have no significant influence on the economy as a whole in the short run. At the same time, the long-term effects of these measures would be tremendous. If a deal can not be reached by the White House and Congress, it might have uncertain effects on the economy such as a market panic, a drop in consumer spending, a decrease in business investments, etc. The Congressional Budget Office calculated that the budget deficit would decrease by US $0.5 trillion from 2012 to 2013 and the economy would slow down due to a resulting recession. Almost all Americans would experience a rise of their tax bills with the estimated increase at US $3500 and an after-tax income decline by 6.2% for the average family (Lowrey, 2012). On Tuesday January 1, 2013, Congress approved a deal to end the long partisan dispute over the fiscal cliff. The main changes that were set were the end of last years temporary payroll tax cuts (resulting in a 2% tax increase for workers), the end of certain tax breaks for businesses, shifts in the alternative minimum tax that would take a larger bite, a rollback of the Bush tax cuts from 2001-2003, and the beginning of taxes related to President Obamas health care law. At the same time, the spending cuts agreed upon as part of the debt ceiling deal of 2011 will begin to go into effect (Kenny, 2013). The agreement leads to the increase of the tax rate from 35% to 39.6 % for single persons who earn US $400000 and for couples with an income above US $450000 per year. Americans should also pay higher taxes on dividends and capital gains with the tax rate rising from 15% to 20%. Also, the tax for estates with a value above US$5 million will be taxed by 40% (previous rate 35%), but Republicans succeeded in indexing the threshold of US $5 million to inflation and thus smoothing the effects of the estate tax for wealthy Americans (Ungar, 2013). Among other changes were the extension of an additional year of unemployment benefits for nearly 2 million Americans, the doctor fix related to Medicare and tax credits for college tuition that were extended for another five years (Ungar, 2013). The agreement prevents a significant increase of income tax for around 100 million American families that earn less than US $250000 annually. However, the 2% payroll tax cut, that was originally part of the 2009 stimulus package, will expire (Montgomery and Helderman, 2013). The above measures will prevent the severe economic downturn that could happen in case of going over the fiscal cliff. President Obama pointed out in his brief statement that the new measures would produce US $620 billion in new tax revenues (Montgomery and Helderman, 2013). In conclusion, the new measures that were set to avoid the fiscal cliff were not the ultimate goal of neither Republicans nor Democrats. Republicans are not satisfied with the tax increases and the lack of spending reductions, while Democrats complain about the provisions regarding estates. It seems that the political dispute will continue in the near future and the agreement signed on December 31, 2012 was just a short-term fix to avoid the fiscal cliff. Foreign Holdings of US Public Debt and its Political Implications A crucial point in analyzing the current situation of US public debt and its political implications is the detailed understanding of foreign holdings. As of July 2012 (most recent data), foreign countries owned a total of US dollar 5.4 trillion of U.S. debt, which is approximately 34% of total debt outstanding of US dollar 15.9 trillion. The three largest single foreign holders are the central banks of China, Japan and Brazil. Comparing the situation in July 2012 with the state in July 2002, one can see that the proportion of foreign holdings in US public debt outstanding has grown from approximately 19% to 34% (Treasury Direct, 2012). Figure XY shows that as of July 2012, China is the largest single holder of US public debt with a share of approximately 7.2% followed by Japan with a corresponding share of about 7.0% (US Department of the Treasury, 2012). Figure : Foreign Holdings of US Public Debt (Source: Treasury Direct, 2012 U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2012) Given its low savings rate, the US economy is strongly dependent on foreign capital inflows from countries with high savings rates (for example China  [1]  ) to meet its domestic investment needs and to fund the federal budget deficit. Important to understand is that the willingness of foreign countries to invest in the US economy and to purchase US public debt has helped to keep US real interest rates relatively low in the past, which until recently, contributed to a great extent to a fast US economic growth and enabled the country to consume more that it produces for a long time. Some renowned economists also argue that the US dependency on foreign savings was a contributing factor to the US subprime crisis and the subsequent global financial crisis. However, the size and the recent growth of US public debt have raised concerns about the willingness of foreign countries to continue to invest in US public debt securities. For example, some Chinese analysts claimed that the gover nment should diversify its reserves away from US dollar assets into assets of other currencies. An important short-term political implication of Chinas large holdings in US public debt is that, if China might suddenly decide to sell a large share of its holdings, this would induce other foreign investors to sell off their holdings as well, which could dramatically destabilize the US economy. Possible consequences can be the depreciation of the US dollar as its supply on foreign exchange markets increased and a large increase in US interest rates as a crucial source of funding for investments and the budget deficit is withdrawn from financial markets (Morrison and Labonte, 2012). Therefore, China seems currently able to destabilize the US economy through the sale of a large share of its US debt holdings, which can be seen as a financial weapon (Sandbrook, 2012). In addition, in the long run, if China reduces its US securities, the US would need to replace it with other foreign or domestic investors to fill in the gap. Those investors would probably have to be acquired through higher interest rates compared to those of today. Increased interest rates would cause a fall in all kinds of interest-sensitive spending. The reducing of Chinese Treasury holdings would all else equal cause the foreign demand for US assets do decline, which would then lead to a dollar depreciation (Morrison and Labonte, 2012). All in all, given a large reduction in Chinas holdings of US public debt, the impact on the US economy would still be dependent on whether this reduction takes place gradually or suddenly. Some US policymakers also argue that Chinas large holdings of US public debt give it leverage over the United States on economic and noneconomic issues. An illustrative example of this concern is Ding Gang, an editor of Chinas Peoples Daily  [2]  , who wrote in an editorial in August 2011 that the Peoples Republic of China should create a direct link between the amount of US Treasury holdings with the US arms sales to Taiwan. Gang states Now is the time for China to use its financial weapon to teach the United States a lesson if it moves forward with a plan to sale arms to Taiwan. In fact, China has never wanted to use its holdings of U.S. debt as a weapon. It is the United States that is forcing it to do so. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] China has no choice but to use it as a weapon to defend itself when facing threats to Chinas sovereignty (Gang, 2011). Altogether, Chinas holdings in US public debt can be seen as a strong instrument to put pressure on the United States with regards to poli tical disputes between the two countries. As a result, the growing dependency of the US on China to purchase US Treasury securities to fund the countrys budget deficit has become a major concern to many US policymakers (Morrison and Labonte, 2012). However, the probability that China would suddenly reduce its holdings of US public debt is highly questionable because of the fact that doing so could potentially have a significant negative impact on the Chinese economy as well. The important causality which takes away Chinas incentive to sell is the fact that any Chinese attempt to sell a large portion of its US debt holdings could, on the one hand, dramatically reduce the value of its remaining holdings in international markets. On the other hand, a negative demand shock in the United States would also dramatically reduce US demand for Chinese exports, either through an appreciation of the Chinese Yuan against the US Dollar or a reduction in the US economic growth (especially if other foreign investors sell their US asset holdings as well and the United States are forced to raise interest rates in response) (Morrison and Labonte, 2012). This is especially severe because of the fact that China was the United States largest supplie r of goods imports in 2011. US goods imports from China totaled U.S. dollar 399 billion in 2011, a 9.4% increase from 2010 and up 299% since 2000. Imports from China into the United States accounted for 18% of overall US imports in 2010 (Office of the United State Trade Representative, 2012). A sharp reduction of US imports from China could therefore have a significant negative impact on Chinas economy, which heavily depends on exports into the United States for its economic growth. Moreover, in the case of China, economic growth is also seen as a vital source of political stability and therefore in the interest of the government. Consequently, it can be argued that the US and Chinese economies are mutually dependent  [3]  on each other, which, as a matter of fact, gives China very little leverage over US policy (Morrison and Labonte, 2012). The former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers called the mutual damage which would occur to the US and Chinese economies the balance of financial terror (Dorn, 2008). For some time, this balance of financial terror as well as the global financial system has kept China off from exploiting their power position (Dorn, 2008). Nonetheless, regardless of the balance of financial terror, growing bilateral tensions over the US public debt between the United States and China can clearly be observed. For example, the government-controlled Chinese newspaper Xinhua News Agency expressed a lot of criticism on US economic policies regarding the US public debt situation: With its debt approximating its annual economic output, it is time for Washington to revisit the time-tested common sense that one should live within ones means (Xinhua News Agency, July 2011). The days when the debt-ridden Uncle Sam could leisurely squander unlimited overseas borrowing appeared to be numbered as its triple A-credit rating was slashed by Standard Poors (SP) for the first time on Friday. China, the largest creditor of the worlds sole superpower, has every right now to demand the United States to address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of Chinas dollar assets (Xinhua News Agency, August 2011). To relieve further bilateral tensions between the two countries, China should pursue a more market-liberal path and the United States should abstain from implementing protectionist measures. Doing this, the US-China relationship should develop peacefully and global prosperity will continue. Consequently, the balance of financial terror would collapse and give way to free trade and capital freedom (Dorn, 2008). In conclusion, the main political issue from the perspective of the United States is not Chinas large holdings of US public debt per se, but rather the high US reliance on foreign capital in general and whether this reliance is sustainable in the future (Morrison and Labonte, 2012). Policymakers in the United States should therefore think about the medium- and long-run implications of the countrys high amount of public debt held by foreigners. To do that in an appropriate way, they have to take into account and to understand the economic and political relationships between the United States and its debt holders, with China leading the way. A first step to mitigate the problem is to launch political measures so that the United States increases its level of savings in the long-term in order to reduce the vulnerability to a possible shift away from US assets by foreign investors (Morrison and Labonte, 2012). The Role of U.S. Public Debt in the Global Economy Undoubtedly, the United States still plays an exceptional role in the global economy. First of all, the country is the largest economy in the world. Secondly, it clearly dominates the global monetary system: The United States capital markets are among the most liquid ones (Schuman, 2011) and the special status of the dollar as the worlds reserve currency has become an crucial aspect of Americas power, allowing the country to borrow effortlessly and maintain an assertive foreign policy (Warnock, 2010). In addition, the US dollar is the primary currency used in foreign exchange transactions and trade. Also, as already mentioned in the chapter before, countries such as China and Japan store their national wealth to a large extent in US public debt. The perception has always been that the United States has a safe haven status, meaning that when investors get nervous, they increase dollar-based assets, and especially also US public debt (Schuman, 2011). Having said all this, given the exc eptional status of the United States in the world economy, the global economic and political consequences of the development of US public debt are substantial. Increasing US public debt bears the risk of a fundamental change in the perception of the safe haven status of the United States. Schuman (2011) speculates on what would happen if this change in perception comes true  [4]  : US Treasury securities would be seen as riskier than before and would consequently lose their attractiveness. As a result, interest rates would increase in the United States, raising borrowing costs in the economy and making it more difficult for the US government to finance debt and budget deficits. This can potentially lead to a significant decrease in investments and consumption. The US dollar will presumably depreciate, which will devaluate currency reserves around the globe. All those effects taken together will have negative consequences on the growth of the US economy, lowering living standards for Americans and eventually leading to a slower growth of the world economy. To put it simple, a loss of confidence in the United States as a safe haven results in higher interest rates, which will automatically have negative consequences on the world economy (International Monetary Fund, 2012). Therefore, the exceptional role of the United States makes its public debt situation dangerous for the shape of the global economy due to the fact that overwhelming debt amounts can cause effects that potentially destabilize the world economy. In addition, the ten-year US Treasury bond has the status of the worlds risk-free asset, meaning that the United States is the basic standard by which risk in financial markets is assessed (Warnock, 2010). This is sometimes referred to as the risk-free standard and is a basic convention regularly used in all different kinds of valuations in the daily business world. In particular, the risk-free standard is an important measure in the context of corporate and asset valuation (Damodaran, 2008). Loosing the safe haven status of the United States as a possible consequence of the above-described developments means loosing the risk-free standard convention, resulting in global efficiency losses and higher risks of economic and financial fragmentation (Schuman, 2011). Although the United States exceptional status in the world economy makes its debt situation risky, that status obviously gives the country particular protection as well. A meaningful example of this protection is the warning of Standard Poors to downgrade the United States from its traditional prized AAA credit rating in April 2011 (Schuman, 2011): This warning was a strong signal that Standard Poors was not concerned about the special status of the US in the global economy, meaning that if the country is not able to get its debt situation under control, it will be confronted with a downgrade similar to those of Greece, Spain or Japan. However, financial market participants acted against what economic intuition and theory tells us. US Treasuries weakened immediately after Standard Poors announcement, a clear indication that investors were selling them. Nevertheless, they returned to their old strength shortly afterwards, suggesting that investors even bought US public debt after S tandard Poors warning instead of selling them to a large extent (Schuman, 2011). Moreover, some reactions of major US bondholders indicated that they are not concerned about the countrys financial condition. For example, at the time Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda mentioned: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] basically we continue to believe that US Treasuries are an attractive product for us (Channel NewsAsia, 2011). A further crucial point in the context of the role of US public debt in the global economy is the argument that US policymakers have been relying probably subconsciously on the exceptional status of the United States (Schuman, 2011).  [5]  The particular role of the US in the global economy leads to the outcome that the country does not have to face dangers other nations could never avoid. A political implication of this behavior is presumably that according to some critical authors and journalists the United States are one of the few heavily indebted developed economies that does not have a credible plan to control deficits and debt  [6]  (Schuman, 2011). To put it in simple words, US policymakers have possibly been banking on being like American International Group (AIG) or General Motors (GM) in America or UBS in Switzerland, acting as if the country is too big to fail  [7]  . In conclusion, one can state that a debt crisis in Portugal for example can potentially create uncertainty through world financial markets, and if a larger country such as Spain fell into crisis, this uncertainty could have destabilizing effects. But US public debt bears the risk of crashing the entire operating system of the global economy. Hen

Romanticism in American Literature

Tennyson, in â€Å"The Princess† describes, under the diagnosis of catalepsy, probable temporal lobe epileptic dreamy states with deterioration which serve as a adaptor of sexual and moral ambivalence, the poem's central theme. It seems that Tennyson knew such seizures from his own father who had been given a diagnosis of catalepsy. Poe gave his Bernice in the novella of the same title a diagnosis of epilepsy as a reason for a premature burial.However, there was a good deal of unlikelihood in this, and when he came to this theme in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and in â€Å"The Premature Burial† he chose instead a diagnosis of catalepsy which fitted better with the plot. The fits of the title character in George Elite's Sills Manner, ignored as catalepsy, would today rather be seen as epileptic twilight states. It would seem that this author drew from contemporary dictionary descriptions which described conditions similar to Manner's fits under the headin g of catalepsy.In Elite's â€Å"legend with a realistic treatment†, the twilight states are a central factor in the plot and explain Manner's reclusion and passivity. In Poor Miss Finch by English realist Willie Collins, the postgraduates seizures of Oscar, one of the main characters, their cause, their treatment with silver nitrate, and the subsequent disconsolation of his kin are central supporting elements of a perfectly constructed plot. Collins gives an exact description of a right aversive seizure with secondary generalization, and how to deal with it.In none of these works seizures are seen in a negative light. They rather evoke reactions of sympathy and support. Keywords: Anglo-American literature, disease in fiction, romanticism, realism, Tennyson, Poe, George Eliot, Willie Collins. INTRODUCTION The romantics were fascinated by unusual behavior and exceptional psychic phenomena. Psychiatric illness was threatening and unexplored UT also had the attraction of the morb id and was a poetic treasure chest.For the literature in the realistic period, illness remained an important theme in general because the dark sides of life were not to be neglected, and we can thank the great English realists for sometimes being the first to give us De- tailed descriptions of pathological conditions, such as developmental dyslexia in Dickens' Bleak House Jacob, 1992). For this reason it is not surprising to find epilepsy represented in literature written in the middle of the nineteenth century. Here we also meet the term catalepsy and a relationship between the two diagnoses warrants our examination.Address correspondence to: Peter Wolf, Plenipotentiary Bethel, Kline Mar l, Marriage 21, D – 33617 Believed, Germany. Tell: +49-521-1443686. Fax: +49-521-1444637. E-mail: panorama. De. EPILEPSY & CATALEPSY IN ANGLO-AMERICAN LITERATURE 287 ALFRED TENNYSON: â€Å"THE PRINCESS† Alfred Tennyson (1808-1892) was one of the main literary figures in the middle of the last century in England. The pair of terms seizures and catalepsy in his â€Å"Princess† (1847-1851), a long narrative poem, has gently been pursued by an American philologist, Barbara Herb Wright (1987), who is married to a neurologist. The Princess† first appeared in 1847, and in a reworked second edition in 1848. In the third edition in 1850, six songs were added between each of the chapters and in the fourth edition Weird seizures' are mentioned for the first time but then as an essential element of the composition. The literary studies' dispute about this element's artistic value and function, as well as the author's refusal to comment on the question, has been depicted in detail by Ms Wright. Tennyson called his work a ‘medley.The structure is multifaceted, and it has allegorical, discursive and ironic elements. The story uses the story-in-story technique. On the first level, the story narrator and a group of fellow students visit the castle of one of th e students. The student comes from a very old family and has found an ancestor in his family tree, a lady who, ‘miracle of noble womanhood' (p. 154), has defended the fortress in full armor and weapons against its foes. At a garden party Lila, his friend's sister appears, ‘half child, half woman' (p. 55; the half ND half motif, the ‘inebriate' is a basic motif of this work), and decorates the statue of a warlike ancestor with her head scarf and silk stole while talking about women's oppression and the founding of a radical Amazon state. In the next seven chapters the seven students tell the story of such a community: The prince and princess of two neighboring kingdoms have been engaged to marry since their childhood. When the father of the prince sends for the bride-to-be with pomp and presents, her father writes a letter saying she wants to live alone with her women, and not wed.When the elderly king, father of the prince, hears this, he wants to declare war but t he prince sets off to clear up the situation himself. Two friends accompany him, also to help him in the event that he should have seizures. The seizures are the result of a curse on his family, laid on them long ago by a man who a former ancestor had burned as a sorcerer because he cast no shadow: none of their blood should know the shadow from the substance, image from reality, and one ‘should come to fight with shadows and to fall' (p. 1 57).For this reason Waking dreams were an old and strange affection of the house' (p. 57), and the curse manifests itself in the prince as Weird seizures' (p. 157) which are marked with deterioration experiences. The prince hears from the princess' gentle, peace-loving father that she has withdrawn to their summer castle, founded a women's university and now holds a purely female court: no male being may enter the area under penalty of death. But the prince and his friends dress up as girls and go there. They are discovered and have to flee .The fact that the prince has saved the princess from drowning does not help. During this time period the prince has two seizures without the princess noticing. The first happens at their second meeting when he is overwhelmed by her royal appearance, her foot on a tame leopard, before they ride out together. During their excursion his love, previously unnoticed, blossoms. The second seizure happens when he lets himself be despicably thrown out by her, even though he not only saved her life, but is also convinced by and willing to accept the equal rights of women.Both times the princess appears to him as a shadow in his seizures, whereas otherwise he admires her for her uncompromising consistency and loves her because she sticks to her cause in a more straightforward manner than others. War is declared, the prince and one of the princess' brothers defending the princess fight against each other along with 50 of the best knights on both sides. The prince remembers the prophecy that on e of his family will fight against shadows, gets a seizure, and goes into battle although he is still in a dreamy state. He and his group of men lose the battle.He is seriously injured, and experiences his long recuperation period as a continuation of the seizure. After clearly winning the war, the princess becomes less rigorous in her attitude and takes care of the 288 PETER WOLF prince and all of the other injured on both sides. The prince and princess forgive each other and the question of dream or reality, shadow or substance, becomes a question about who the princess really is, what her essence is. Is it the masculine unwillingness to compromise with which she tries to demonstrate her rationality or rather the other side, which allows for feelings of pity, gratitude, love, and duty?As this is decided, the prince's seizures cease and he changes into a stronger, more masculine person. He can convince the princess that her holding a purely female court was not right for her, not g enuine, only a copy of the male world. The prince and princess, until then both a cross between male and female, discover one another. They also both find their own selves in the recognition that man and woman remain incomplete, only half of a whole, as long as each attempts to be whole alone, or as long as one sees the other as the dominate or superior one.The court physician diagnosed the prince's seizures as ‘catalepsy (p. 1 57). We now know that Tennyson used, or at least owned, Quinsy's medical dictionary of 1804 (Wright, 1987)), which defined catalepsy as ‘a sudden suppression of movement and perception where the DOD is immobilizers (freezes') in its present position'. This comes in seizures, lasts a few minutes, seldom up to a few hours, and at the end the patients do not remember anything that has happened during the seizure. It is as if they awake from sleep (Wright, 1987).Interestingly enough, the prince's seizures are described completely differently: Others n otice nothing, he even fights in a battle during a seizure. Only his perception is altered. This change in perception usually only lasts for a short time. It seems to him as if he is surrounded by ghosts and he himself only a shadow of a dream. The princess appears to him as an incomplete sketch, her leopards as a fantastic painting, other people as empty masks. Things are present and not present at the same time, a scene Just experienced happened and at the same time did not happen.He is unable to tell the difference between reality and illusion. Ms. Wright (1987) was the first to suggest that epileptic seizures were being described here and she is without doubt correct: These are focal seizures of the temporal lobe with illusionary experiences of De-realization and diversification – a type of seizure that was underscored in medicine at Tennyson time. How did Tennyson know about them? There were several cases of epilepsy in his immediate family, for example his father, as ca n be seen by a letter describing his situation which fits the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy.We also know that doctors told the family that his seizures were ‘catalepsy rather than epilepsy (Wright, 1987). This could have been intended to calm the family or make the diagnosis sound less threatening. On the other hand, it is also unknown how clearly a distinction between the terms catalepsy and epilepsy was made in the early nineteenth century (Teeming, 1971)1. Trances also play a securing role in the rest of Tennyson work, and it is well known that he often set himself into trances by repeating his own name.But the description of the subjective seizure experiences in the â€Å"Princess†, whose origin and terminology seem to be explained by Wright, stands alone, and the seizures have their special literary sense as metaphor for the indecision and insecurity that leads to the main theme of the story. EDGAR ALLAN POE: â€Å"BERNICE†, â€Å"THE FALL OF THE HOUS E OF USHER† AND â€Å"THE PREMATURE BURIAL† The possibility that Poe was also a model for Tennyson and the use of catalepsy as a motif in his writings cannot be excluded.Tennyson was deeply affected by Poe, admired him, and contributed substantially to the literary acceptance of the American in England – in nineteenth century something not to be taken for granted. (The 1 . Something similar may have been true, in the public mind, for the terms epilepsy and apoplexy. Thacker in Inanity Fair† seems once to have mixed them up (Wolf, 1995), and simple-minded Joe Gagger, in Dickens' â€Å"Great Expectations† says his father went off in a purple elliptic fit, obviously meaning apoplectic. † 289 other way around, Pope's lyric was influenced by Tennyson. Poe created a figure with he diagnosis of epilepsy, Bernice, in the story carrying her name in 1835. The story belongs to a group of dismal fatalistic novellas, and he needs a progressive physical and mental illness for Bernice, which would also make it plausible for her to appear dead. The story is told in the first person from the point of view of Usages. Usages lives in a lonely mansion with his beautiful cousin Bernice. Bernice has ‘a species of epilepsy not infrequently terminating in trance itself – trance very nearly resembling positive dissolution' (p. 172).In a reversal and projection that is not typical for Poe, Usages does not explain these trances but rather his own, which are trances or daydreams induced by concentrating on coincidental objects or meditation on trivial words. Bernice and Usages become engaged. In the progression of her disease Bernice loses her beauty. One day in her altered condition she silently stands in front of him. In an unexpected smile of peculiar meaning her splendid white teeth which have remained perfect are exposed and their overleaf image becomes the focus of a monomania, a daydream of his lasting several days.During this ti me he is vaguely aware that she has seizures one ironing. In the evening she appears to be dead and so is buried. His state of trance continues. Finally, he awakens out of his trance with a bad feeling, a vague recollection of a deed, of the shrill cry of a woman's voice. He learns from a menial who is wild with terror that Prince's grave has been violated, and that she has been found in her grave still alive: There is a spade leaning on the wall next to him.As he opens a little box that he finds on his table without knowing how it got there, dental surgery instruments fall out together with thirty-two small, white, and ivory-looking substances' (p. 77). Behind the similarity of Usages' and Tennyson self-induced daydreams and trances no hidden allusions should be suspected. These things are a part of the type of psychic experiments that the romantics were enthusiastic about. Nevertheless, the affinity in motif and the relationship to epilepsy that both authors created are worthy of being mentioned.Poe must have noticed that it was unlikely for someone known to have epilepsy to have seizures in a familiar environment in the morning and on the same evening to be declared dead and buried. He prepares the reader by mentioning some pages fore that Bernice, in most cases, recovered from her seizures surprisingly rapidly, but the construction remains dubious. Perhaps this is the reason he gives Madeline of Usher another diagnosis to allow her to be mistakenly buried alive a few years later in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† . She has transient affections of a partially cataleptic character' (p. 82), and this leaves more room for the unlikely. Madeline appears only once before her apparent death. The narrator, a friend of her brother Redbrick, talks about her appearance: she ‘passed through a remote portion of the apartment, and, without having noticed my presence, disappeared' (p. 182). She is not described in more detail (unusual for Poe); foremos t is the feeling her appearance leaves in the narrator and her brother observing her: ‘A sensation of stupor oppressed me as my eyes followed her retreating steps' (p. 182). Her appearance causes her brother to sorrowfully bury his face in his hands.Later they lay her in her coffin although there still is ‘a faint blush upon the bosom and the face, as usual in all maladies of strictly cataleptic character' (p. 186). In spite of the improbability, Madeline manages to fight her way out of the coffin, and presents herself in silent reproach to her brother who must have suspected she had not really been dead. Poe must have been virtually obsessed with the idea of being buried alive: It plays an important role, for example, in the early tale â€Å"Algeria†, and later became a theme in a own story with the title â€Å"The Premature Burial†.This begins with reports about actual live burials and leads to describing the fear associated with waking up in a coffin aft er being buried. The narrator, who believes that such things happen more often Han people suspect, tells his own story of being ill with increasingly frequent and long cataleptic seizures, trances, semi-syncope, and 290 his growing fear that he will be buried in such a state. He takes extensive organizational precautions to prevent such an incident, but it does not calm him in the least.He talks about a further symptom, a disassociated awakening with very slow reorientation, preparing the scene for a cathartic experience ending the entire terrible episode: He awakens one day in a tight wooden chamber in total darkness with the smell of damp earth around him, and experiences the real horror of being ride alive. He remembers that he had been on a hunting excursion when a storm arose and that he fled to a barge laden with garden McCollum and went to sleep in a very tight berth.Now he can shake away his fear – and he also loses the catalepsy which had perhaps been less the cause than the consequence of his fears (p. 271). Here the construction of the disease history – especially with the final considerations – is really convincing. Nevertheless, this tale is one of Pope's less familiar stories and literally not fully satisfying due to the approximate balance between reported facts ND fiction being only loosely connected.Poe apparently did not use Quince for his catalepsy motif, but another source, since his descriptions are completely different. They seem to be based on a tradition that Could and Pyle (1896) summarize: ‘Catalepsy, trance and lethargy, lasting for days or weeks, are really examples of spontaneously developed mesmeric sleep in hysteric patients or subjects of incipient insanity. It is in this condition that the lay Journals find argument for their stories of premature burial'.GEORGE ELIOT: â€Å"SILLS MANNER† In contrast, it seems that George Eliot (pseudonym or Mary Ann Evans, 1819-1880) also used Quinsy's Medical Dictionary or a similar source to describe the seizures of the title figure in Sills Manner (1861), because her description corresponds much more exactly to Quinsy's definition than Tennyson. In Sills Manner the seizures of the title figure, a poor linen weaver, are an important structural element of the story. They are conditions that can last from a few minutes to an hour or more, and which are described in the book as trance or cataleptic seizures.When Manner has such a seizure he falls into an unconscious and snootiness stiffness with an empty look in his eyes. The seizures leave him with amnesia and Manner is not even aware of having had a seizure. At first, his community, a ‘narrow religious sect', the middle point and content of Manner's life, where he is respected for his faith and exemplary life style, interpret the seizures as a mark of his being specially chosen by God, as visitations of divine origin.But as the man who Manner thinks of as his best friend becomes hi s rival, he uses Manner's seizures to discredit him in the community by indicating his seizures might also have satanic origins (p. 0). Furthermore, he deals a devastating blow by blaming Manner for a theft that occurs during a death wake when Manner is in a trance. Manner is exiled and emigrates to a faraway region where he sets up his weaving loom in a hut at the edge of the village (up. 11-15). There he lives a secluded hermit-like existence for 15 years.Despairing of God and his fellow man, he only thinks of his work and of his treasure of gold, sovereigns, that he has managed to scrape together by living so frugally. In this village he is also known for having fits and this contributes to his role as an outsider. When Manner leaves his hut on an errand one stormy evening, someone steals his treasure, leaving him empty-handed for the second time. But in contrast to the first time, he becomes integrated into the community because the members have pity on him (p. 03). Then a third event happens, when he is in a twilight state which falls over him while standing in the open door of his hut: When he awakens from the trance he perceives a vague, golden shimmer in his hut that he at first believes must be the expected return of his gold coins; but it is the golden hair of a little orphan girl who has sought shelter in 91 the hut (p. 1 51). He accepts the child and raises her with the help of a neighbor and a happy time starts now and lasts into his old gage.The treasure is also found again. It is discovered – and the reader is told this early in the story – that the father of the child and the thief are the same person. All these motifs are woven together in a very complex manner and build into an artful design interwoven with the golden threads that make a legend. In a letter to her publisher, John Blackfoot, George Eliot characterized the work as ‘a sort of legendary tale' which she ‘became inclined to give] a more realistic treatment ' (Karl, 1995).The disease is of utmost importance in explaining the necessary static and passivity of the title figure which would normally be unnatural. It also allows for unexplainable events to happen which contribute to the story's legendary quality. Sills Manner is one of the most perfect of the literary works in which an epileptic disease is an essential stylistic element. Today we use the term catalepsy to describe a condition of motionless rigidity which can occasionally be observed over a longer period of time with androgenic psychosis or with severe life-threatening brain diseases.The seizures with impairment of consciousness from which Sills Manner suffered would today no longer be classified as catalepsy but as twilight states, and epilepsy would primarily be considered the cause. A recent biographer of Eliot (Karl, 1995) talks about Manner's epileptic fits as a matter of course. It seems as though Eliot did not use direct observation in describing catalepsy but relied on the lexicographic definition. This included certain epileptic phenomena and catalepsy and epilepsy were probably not strictly separated at that time.Earlier, catalepsy had even been considered a variant of epilepsy (Teeming, 1971). AS we have seen in the case of Tennyson, catalepsy may sometimes have been used as a euphemism for epilepsy (see above). WILLIE COLLINS: â€Å"POOR MISS FINCH† Willie colitis (1824-1889), a mend of Charles Dickens, is considered together with Dickens and George Eliot to be one of the great English realists of the nineteenth century. His Poor Miss Finch (1872) is one of the books in which epilepsy plays a key role in the construction of the plot. Oscar loves the beautiful, capricious, and blind Lucille who also loves him.His twin brother, the ruthless Nugent tries to be his rival. Their voices are indistinguishable and they have he same features to someone who looks at them or touches them. An eye specialist appears on the scene who is able to ma ke Lucille see by operating on her. Like some blind people, Lucille can imagine colors, loves everything light and hates everything dark. This almost leads the bad Nugent to succeed because he argues that when Lucille will see Oscar she is sure to despise him: His skin is disclosure to a blackish blue as a result of the treatment of his epilepsy with silver nitrate (p. 3). Oscar fears the day she will be able to see him but argues nevertheless unselfishly and generously for the controversial operation. Lucille then reacts completely different than expected and there is a happy end. In this novel Collins was particularly interested in the discoveries that had been made throughout the 18th and 19th century about what people born blind or who became blind in early childhood could sense or experience and how, after successful operation on their eyes, they reacted and learned to create a visual environment.These reports deal extensively with theories about the conception of space and the construction of visual space, and with Molybdenum's problem, whether a congenitally blind person who had learned to extinguish and name forms like a sphere and a cube by touch would be able to distinguish and identify these forms visually if the faculty of sight was recovered (v. Sender, 1960). Collins was more interested in the sys- 2.The village doctor who has been called to the scene is mildly made fun of by the author: the sages of the village urge Manner strongly to smoke a pipe â€Å"as a practice ‘good for the fits'; and this advice was sanctioned by Dry. Kimball, on the ground that it was as well to try what could do no harm – a principle which was made to answer for a great deal of work in that gentleman's medical practice† (p. 91). Manner follows this advice faithfully even though he actually dislikes tobacco and it doesn't really help. 92 ecological and moral responses of his characters to such an event. His description of the tests and tasks that are given his heroine by her doctor shows that he conducted thorough research for the story. Likewise, the epilepsy is not Just there but the result of a brain trauma (p. 68) from a robbery which has its own function in the carefully constructed story. In order to make the blackening of the skin more credible people with the same coloring appear marginally twice in the story (up. 3,269). Is that exaggerated? Apparently not.The treatment of epilepsy with silver nitrate was very common until the middle of the nineteenth century. One of the affected in Collins' book says there are hundreds of people disclosure as I am, in the various parts of the civilized world' (p. 84), and the English neurologist Todd complained that so many patients showed in the disconsolation of their faces the indelible marks of the ineffective treatment they had undergone (Teeming, 1971). Collins thinks better of Oscar and allows the treatment to be successful: His epilepsy is cured (p. 0). CONCLUSIONS Four author s from two consecutive epochs of literature in the English language gave four completely different pictures of illness: In Poe, the romanticist, the epileptic and cataleptic conditions are more conjured up than described, whereas not the seizures themselves but the motif of a slow physical and mental deterioration are a point of focus. The epileptic and cataleptic states are essential elements to the gloomy mood that seem to drive these stories into inevitable fatalistic catastrophes.Tennyson depicts subjective perception of seizures and has resalable found an authentic source so that we can correct the diagnosis of catalepsy. Eliot probably followed a lexicographic definition for her description of ‘cataleptic' semi-conscious or trance states fairly exactly, but this definition subsumes symptoms of a condition which would nowadays be classified as epilepsy. Collins is furthest away from Poe. He virtually gives us a clinical case study with a matter-of- fact description of a s eizure which begins with a wrenching aversive movement towards the right and the calm attitude of the doctor mastering the situation at hand.The diagnosis is given n a short and concise sentence, the etiology and therapy are a part of the case history in this realistic novel. Whereas with the earlier authors the distinction between epilepsy and catalepsy appears somewhat blurred, which may be typical for the time, Collins' description of (post-traumatic) epilepsy and a focal seizure is fully correct. These four significant authors from the middle of the nineteenth century also handle the function of the seizures in the structure of their works very differently. Poe uses seizures as a reason for the supposed death and subsequent live burial.Tennyson uses De-realization during seizures as a metaphor for his basic motif of half and half, and for the indecision in the main characters. Once these are overcome, the seizures disappear. In Elite's work, the occurrence of recurring seizures is necessary for the plot of the story, they are an important element for the legendary aspect and a reason for Sills Manner's timidity and resolution to fate. For Collins, who like Dickens laid special value on clean construction in his books, Scar's epilepsy is a central supporting element which combines many associations in a perfectly structured story.In none of the authors' works are the seizures indifferent, a mere curiosity or spectacle. Nor are they seen in a negative light. They rather evoke reactions of support, and sympathy with 3. A frightful contortion fastened itself on Scar's face. His eyes turned up hideously. From his head to foot his whole body was wrenched round, as if giant hands had twisted it, towards the right. Before I could speak, he was in convulsions on the floor at his doctor's feet. ‘Good God, what is this! ‘ I cried out. The doctor loosened his cravat, and moved away the furniture that was near him.

The effect of Vitamin D supplementation on breast cancer risk

Abstract The impact of vitamin D supplementation on breast cancer prevention and diminishment has become a matter of sustained debate. This study proposes to utilize a combination Post-Positivism approach to assess the practice. With emerging studies both upholding and decrying the efficacy of Vitamin D in relation to breast cancer, there is a need pursue this study in order to clarify the potential. Introduction Breast Cancer and vitamin D supplementation have become a substantial topic of debate as a drive to find a solution continues. This study fills a gap in existing research by assessing what impact the addition of Vitamin D has on the prevention and diminishment of Breast Cancer.1.1 BackgroundThe efficacy of Vitamin D supplementation in order to prevent or diminish Breast Cancer has become a matter of sustained debate. The Mohr, Gorham and Alcaraz (2012) study argues that there is a direct benefit to the reduction of breast cancer by adding Vitamin D both before and after a cancer diagnosis. Others cite the impact of Vitamin D on Breast Cancer as only negligible (Prentice, Prettinger and Jackson 2013). Still others cite the early stage of research as an obstacle to fully embracing the value of Vitamin D (Yin, Grandi and Raum 2010). Yet, further studies link Vitamin D and the method of ingestion as a pivotal issue (Prentice et al 2013). The goal of this study would be to further det ermine the role of Vitamin D in relation to breast cancer in women.1.2 Aims and ObjectivesIn this section, the research aims, objectives, and research questions will be outlined. Firstly, the aim of this research is as follows: The following research objectives have been determined: What is the effect of vitamin D supplementation on breast cancer risk What is the vitamin D status, determined by 25-OH vitamin D levels, among women diagnosed with breast cancer 1.3 Research QuestionsThe research question is: What are the known associations with Vitamin D supplementation and breast cancer What are the key factors that have been impacted by Vitamin D supplementation of cancer Do the means of Vitamin D ingestion have an impact on effectiveness What is the potential emerging research teaching 2 Literature Review 2.1 Factors that contribute to Breast CancerDeficiencies in all forms have long been credited with the increasing the probability for cancer of all varieties (Pearce and Cheetham 2010). Factors including the lack of Vitamin D have been linked to breast cancer diagnosis in women (Chung, Lee and Terasawa 2011). With lifestyle choices and long-term habits playing a pivotal role in a cancer diagnosis, the impact of a single element is debateable (Brasky, Lampe and Potter 2010). Diseases including Rickets and osteomalacia are directly tied to vitamin D deficiency, making a breast cancer link plausible (Pearce et al 2010). The presence of or lack of vitamins are argued to impact a breast cancer diagnosis.2.2 Vitamin D and Breast Cancer supplementation in WomenA wide array of professionals ranging across clinical applications, autoimmunity, cardiology and cancer fields agree that the Vitamin D supplementation is a benefit to the effort to increase breast prevention efforts (Souberbielle, Jeanjacques Body and Lappe 2010). Yet, Prentice et al (2013), while maintaining the moderate value of the supplementation practice, argue that the reduction in breast cancer occurrence due to this factor is only suggestive, not conclusive.2.3 Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Prevention OptionWolff and Guiliano (2011) have found that Vitamin D as a supplement is superior to a dietary intake of vitamin D. This study charts a correlation between the incidents of breast cancer prevention and the dietary method of vitamin intake. It is insufficient to rely on any single indicator in as a prevention mechanism (Thacher and Clarke 2011). Further, the benefits of vitamin D are only at the obse rvational stage and cannot be fully accredited (Ibid).2.4TrendsThe combination of Calcium/Vitamin D is providing an avenue for research towards a diminished rate of breast cancer (Bolland, Grey, Gamble and Reid 2011). Conversely, Brunner, Wactawski-Wende and Cann (2011) illustrate that there is no substantial reduction in breast cancer among their studies participants employing this combination. 3. Methodology The methodology focuses on an explanation of the approaches considered: What is the effect of vitamin D supplementation on breast cancer risk What is the vitamin D status, determined by 25-OH vitamin D levels, among women diagnosed with breast cancer3.1 ApproachPositivism, quantitative method, provides solutions resting in math, producing empirical data (Yin 2003). Interpretivism or qualitative uses the interpretive approach utilizing instruments like coding. Post-Positivism, a combination of the two is best suited to determine the impact of Vitamin D supplementation on breast cancer in women (Bryan and Bell 2007). Both inductive and deductive approaches were considered. Bryan et al (2007) view both approaches as ‘connected’ with distinct elements, but the connection are not fixed. Therefore settled the use of a mixed method or post-positivism method was chosen as the best approach.3.2 Research StrategyThis study will collect and analyse empirical data (Biggam 2012). The utilization of both primary and secondary research material will provide depth and fundamental clarity to the study (Yin 2003). The empirical research in this study deals with an in-depth review of breast cancer cases, survivors and relevant medical professionals. Primary data will be accumulated through the creation and utilization of a survey directly transmitted to breast cancer survivors and oncological professionals (Ibid). Prior and existing case studies will be evaluated utilizing secondary sources alongside the application of a primary source survey issued to the breast cancer survivors and members of t he oncologist community (Yin 2003). This research strategy is best suited to facilitate a well rounded evaluation of issues that promote various perspectives in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the link between Vitamin D supplementation and breast cancer (Lock, Silvermand and Spirduso 2010).3.4 Data Collection Methods and InstrumentsThe collection methods used in this study were: Primary data using Surveys from survivors and medical professionals (Saunders et al 2007). Secondary breast cancer data via journal and peer reviewed article The primary disadvantages rest in the limited capacity to check answers or develop further details. Further, obtaining primary data may be very high (Yin 2003). 7. References Biggam, J. (2012) Succeeding with Your Master’s Dissertation. 2nd ed.Berks. McGraw-Hill Boll, Grey, A., Gamble, G. and Reid, I. 2011. Calcium and vitamin D supplements and health outcomes: a reanalysis of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) limited-access data set. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 94 (4), pp. 1144–1149. Brasky, T., Lampe, J., Potter, J., Patterson, R. and White, E. 2010. Specialty supplements and breast cancer risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 19 (7), pp. 1696–1708. Brunner, R., Wactawski-Wende, J., Caan, B., Cochrane, B., Chlebowski, R., Gass, M., Jacobs, E., Lacroix, A., Lane, D., Larson, J. and Others. 2011. The effect of calcium plus vitamin D on risk for invasive cancer: results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) calcium plus vitamin D randomized clinical trial. Nutrition and cancer, 63 (6), pp. 827–841. Bryan and Bell, (2007)Buisness Research Methods Oxford. University Press Chung, M., Lee, J., Terasawa, T., Lau, J. and Trikalinos, T. 2011. Vitamin D with or without calcium supplementation for prevention of cancer and fractures: an updated meta-analysis for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155 (12), pp. 827–838. Locke L. F., Silverman S J and Spirduso, W, W (2010, pg 198) Reading and Understanding Research. 3rd ed. Mohr, S., Gorham, E., Alcaraz, J., Kane, C., Macera, C., Parsons, J., Wingard, D. and Garl. 2012. Does the evidence for an inverse relationship between serum vitamin D status and breast cancer risk satisfy the Hill criteria?. Dermato-endocrinology, 4 (2), pp. 152–157. Pearce, S., Cheetham, T. and Others. 2010. Diagnosis and management of vitamin D deficiency. Bmj, 340 p. 5664. Prentice, R., Pettinger, M., Jackson, R., Wactawski-Wende, J., Lacroix, A., Anderson, G., Chlebowski, R., Manson, J., Van Horn, L., Vitolins, M. and Others. 2013. Health risks and benefits from calcium and vitamin D supplementation: Women’s Health Initiative clinical trial and cohort study. Osteoporosis International, 24 (2), pp. 567–580. Serrano, J., De Lorenzo, D., Cassanye, A., Mart’In-Gari, M., Espinel, A., Delgado, M., Pamplona, R. and Portero-Otin, M. 2013. Vitamin D receptor BsmI polymorphism modulates soy intake and 25-hydroxyvitamin D supplementation benefits in cardiovascular disease risk factors profile.Genes & nutrition, 8 (6), pp. 561–569. Souberbielle, J., Body, J., Lappe, J., Plebani, M., Shoenfeld, Y., Wang, T., Bischoff-Ferrari, H., Cavalier, E., Ebeling, P., Fardellone, P. and Others. 2010. Vitamin D and musculoskeletal health, cardiovascular disease, autoimmunity and cancer: Recommendations for clinical practice.Autoimmunity reviews, 9 (11), pp. 709–715. Thacher, T. and Clarke, B. 2011. Vitamin D insufficiency. 86 (1), pp. 50–60. Yin, L., Gr, I, N., Raum, E., Haug, U., Arndt, V. and Brenner, H. 2010. Meta-analysis: serum vitamin D and breast cancer risk. European Journal of Cancer, 46 (12), pp. 2196–2205. Yin, R. 2003. Case study research. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.Pallant, J. (2010) SPSS 8. Gantt Chart

Capital Punishment Is A Form Of Punishment - 1236 Words

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However, issues on whether putting someone to death is immoral and has become a leading topic in the correctional system and public. Therefore, a bill was proposed by Rep. Tom Burch, which would enforce the task force to review all possible outcomes on whether capital punishment deters crime and is applied fairly, also is capital punishment still accepted within the society we live in today. After reviewing the bill that was proposed, Rep. Jesse Crenshaw, a former prosecutor who once supported capital punishment, stated that â€Å"heShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment : A Form Of Legal Punishment Essay1672 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment implies that the criminal is sentenced to death as a punishment for their crimes. Prima facie, it appears to be the most just punishment and solution to cri mes that demand such severity of punishment in proportion to the offense. 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Capital punishment is utilized throughout the world. Thirty-six countries currently use the death penalty in law and practice. One hundred and three countries have abolished the death penalty completely. Whereas, six countries currently retain the death penalty for special circumstances, such as war crimes (CIA World Factbook). Whether capital punishment is an effective measure to curb future violent crimes is still debatedRead MoreCapital Punishment As A Form Of Retribution1149 Words   |  5 Pagesfinal punishment was going to be. The most severe and often most brutal was being ruled to die. The death penalty has been a major controversy for decades. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, stated that â€Å"a person should not be treated as a means to an end, but as an end in him or herself.† Capital punishment does not abide by this principle. Utilitarians support capital punishment as a form of retribution. Thus, only focusing on retribution that the victims will receive. Capital punishment is notRead MoreCapital Punishment : A Form Of Discipline Essay1729 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is capital punishment? Capital punishment is legally killing someone because of the crime they have committed as a form of discipline. Death penalty laws were established back in the 18th Century B.C. In the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon it ordered the death penalty for about 25 different crimes and in the Seventh Century B.C.’s Draconian Code of Athens made the death penalty the punishment for all crimes. The death sentences were executed in many forms such as lethal injection, gas chamberRead MoreCapital Punishment and Tradition Form885 Words   |  4 Pagesstart off the essay will on the history of Capital Punishment and why the death penalty was stopped in the first place, after it will show the wrongly convicted people of having the death penalty punishment and how it can effect on society. After that I will be describing the advantages and disadvantages of having the death penalty back and to conclude I will give you my opinion on my views of the death penalty. Hanging was a tradition form of Capital Punishment in Britain but others like be-headingRead MoreCapital Punishment : One Of The Least Enforced Forms Of Punishments1188 Words   |  5 PagesPenalty Capital punishment is one of the least enforced forms of punishments in California. The state currently faces a large deficit and continues to hold inmates for life sentences. One hundred and fourteen dollars are spent daily on each inmate in California. That is more than what most Californians earn in a hardworking day at a minimum wage pay job. Thanks to inmate advocates, Californians spend millions on inmates verse spending on education and health for the work class. Capital punishment shouldRead MoreDeath Penalty As A Form Of Capital Punishment895 Words   |  4 Pagesstates they practice death penalty as a form of capital punishment. The death penalty has been around since the country has been founded and is defined as the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. Legally there are only a number of ways one can be executed here in the U.S, those include; lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad, with le thal injection being the most common form. For centuries people have argued for orRead MoreThe Death Penalty As A Form Of Capital Punishment1917 Words   |  8 PagesPeople need to better understand that an â€Å"eye for an eye† does not make the world go round but merely denying another human the right to live. Death Penalty is a sentence where the state terminate the life of the convicted as a form of capital punishment. The death penalty is legal as well as long as it is imposed fairly. It is one has been an ongoing battle in the United States that raises some litigation issues regarding the effectiveness of counsel, the use of qualified juries, and the lengthyRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is A Form Of Capital Punishment Essay2352 Words   |  10 Pagesis a form of capital punishment which has been implemented in the judicial system for thousands of years, the popularity of which has fluctuated throughout the years. Over time, the public has generally been supportive of the use of the death penalty within the United States judicial system, where at one point almost all citizens were in favor of this form of capital punishment. However, in more recent years, the support for it has decreased and due to this it has become a less common form of punishment