On analyzing the health history of my family, I should say that I can potentially face the risk of the development of diabetes 2 since my grandmother suffered from it. In such a way, I could have inherited the genetic predisposition to this disease that increases the risk of the development of diabetes 2 in me consistently. In fact, diabetes is a very serious disease that threatens to the health and life of many people. In spite of the progress of the modern medicine and science, this disease still remains among the most dangerous since its complications contribute to the development of a variety of other serious diseases, including numerous cardio-vascular problems. In such a situation, the development of effective preventive measures is necessary to minimize the risk of negative effects of diabetes as well as the progress of this disease at large.

In this respect, one of the major goals of health care providers as well as patients suffering from diabetes is the observance of the strict diet which should prevent patients from the consumption of sugary food that increases the risk of complications and rapid progress of diabetes. Diabetes is the disease that, to a significant extent, defined by human lifestyle and genes. It is not a secret that the lifestyle of modern people tends to be sedative, while the food consumption is practically uncontrollable. In such a way, it is obvious that, being predisposed to the development of diabetes 2 I still can avoid the development of this disease if I pay attention to my health and lead a healthy lifestyle. In other words, I should lead an active life, probably practice sport, and pay attention to what I eat regularly. In addition, I should examine the state of my health regularly in order to identify the development of diabetes 2 at the early stage that will help to stop its further development.

Furthermore, I can face a potential risk of the development of asthma because my father suffers from it. However, this risk is apparently lower compared to the risk of the development of diabetes 2 because the development of asthma is more dependent on external factors. At the same time, the plan of the prevention of this disease can be similar to that of diabetes 2. Firstly, it is important to lead an active, healthy lifestyle. Secondly, it is necessary to avoid exposition to dangerous environmental stimulants such as allergens. Also, it is important to clearly identify triggers which can provoke the disease.

Thus, in conclusion, it should be said that the family’s health history provides me with a very valuable information because it allows better understand potential risks I may face and diseases that I can suffer from. Therefore, I can prevent their development following the aforementioned recommendations.

2. Ninsun was respected by Sumerians, but she should be viewed not only as a god guiding Gilgamesh throughout his life, but above all, she should be viewed as the mother. In fact, Ninsun is rather personification of the traditional image of mother in Sumerian culture than a goddess.

3. Gilgamesh feels fear of Humbaba and this feeling is so typically human. At the same time, he readily kills Humbaba when he and Enkidu get such an opportunity that proves that a murder was not an extraordinary thing in Sumerian culture of that epoch. Moreover this murder proves that Gilgamesh was bold to take action other humans are afraid of.

4. The search of eternal life is typical for ancient epic works because the theme of life and death was traditionally important for people. At the same time, in the Epic of Gilgamesh the search of eternal life is also the revelation of the strength and power of the main character. He is not really afraid of death, unlike other people and that makes him a hero, a kind of semi-god.

5. Ishtar apparently symbolizes vices and evil associated with women which are contrasted to the wisdom of a man. In such a way, the epic reveals the position of women in Sumerian society and Sumerian culture. Thus, women were viewed as imperfect and vicious, while men were superior and virtuous.

6. The perception of death by modern society and Sumerians differ because the latter were more religious and believed in the afterlife

7. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an early form of epic and, therefore, it cannot meet absolutely the modern definition of epic.

This trend can be traced in the attitude of God to Cain and Abel. God apparently admits the obedience of Abel to laws established by God and he punishes Cain for the murder of his brother that proves that murder is a terrible crime that should be punished. Similarly, God supports Noah and saves him because of his devotedness to God and his virtuous lifestyle, while others are perished in the result of the flood. The same may be said about the story of Abraham and Isaac, which also reveals the importance of religion in the life of Hebrews because Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, Isaac because of religious considerations. Also, it is possible to refer to the situation when Esau gets blessing from Isaac instead of Jacob. Esau is cheating but it proves the significance of religious rituals for Hebrews at the epoch. The story of Joseph reveals the main virtues of Hebrews. Joseph is hard working and he is able to forgive his brothers and God rewards such behavior and helps him through his hardships.

Thus, Genesis reveals the vision of Hebrews on the creation of the world, which is traditionally attributed to God. At the same time, Genesis reveals basic social and cultural norms of Hebrew’s society.

The copyright validity period is very important since it can potentially stimulate and encourage the production of creative work. In this respect, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that, today, creative work has a great potential because it is creativity and introduction of new products and innovations that can provide a substantial economic growth and development of companies and entire countries. In such a context, the period of time during which the copyright is valid can be crucial.

On analyzing possible advantages and disadvantages of shorter and longer copyright validity period, it should be said that both short and long period have their own advantages and disadvantages. Specialists argue that the introduction of a longer copyright validity period can have serious effects:

As a practical matter, the consequences could be enormous, both for those with stakes in copyrights that are running out and for the growing community of people — represented by the plaintiffs in this case — trying to use the Internet to expand the boundaries of the public domain. If the 20-year extension was unconstitutional, early Mickey Mouse depictions would no longer belong exclusively to the Walt Disney Company — although Disney would retain trademark protection for the character (Greenhouse, 2002).

First of all, the introduction of a longer copyright period was introduced in response to the growing need to protect copyrights and ensure that inventors and creators will be protected from the unauthorized use of their inventions and creations for a longer period of time (Peters, 2002). In such a way, they were encouraged to create more since they were certain in the protection of their rights and, what is more, they could benefit from their copyrights.

Furthermore, the long copyright validity period open larger opportunities for inventors and creators to use their copyright. For instance, their relatives could use it even after their death for seventy years. In such a way, creators and inventors could be sure that, if their creative work proved to be successful, they could provide for their family, their children and even their grand children, who could use the copyright and benefit from it (Gitlow, 1997). As for companies, the longer copyright validity period insured their dominant position in the market in a particular segment due to their copyright on a specific product or service.

On the other hand, the longer copyright validity period raised certain problems. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that, in recent years the development of new technologies and introduction of inventions were galloping. Therefore, technologies or inventions introduced and protected by copyright laws cannot get the full benefit from the introduction of a longer copyright validity period. The point is that often new technologies, which are products of creative work and subjects of copyright laws, become out-of-date faster than they used to be in the past. As a result, the technologies can become out-of-date sooner than the copyright validity period is expired (Mohrman, 1998). This means that by the end of the longer period, for instance, 20 years, a company and creator of a new technology, or product, can hardly benefit from it because it will be useless because of the emergence of new, better technologies, or products. In such a situation, prospects of a seventy-years copyright validity period becomes absolutely useless.

Moreover, the longer copyright validity period can prevent the faster development of technologies because some inventions, protected by copyright laws, cannot be fully used in other products or technologies, without the consent of creators of these inventions. This may lead to slow-down of technological progress.

In this respect, it is possible to refer to articles “Detroit Goes for Electric Cars, But Will Drivers” and “Move Over, Flintstones”. Both articles are concerned with cars using alternative sources of power. “Detroit Goes for Electric Cars, But Will Drivers” is focused on the development of electric cars by American car manufacturers, namely Ford. On the one hand, the author of the article apparently supports the idea that the introduction of new, electric cars is important because it can solve the problem of the dependence of the USA on imported fossil fuel. On the other hand, the author warns that the USA does not have production facilities to supply electric cars with batteries that can make American automakers dependent on Japanese battery producers. In addition, the author argues that preferences of customers are very changeable and, according to statistics, they readily switch back to conventional cars when the gasoline price drops down to $2 per gallon. Thus, the author is quite skeptical about the introduction of electric cars and its prospects in the American market.

“Move Over, Flintstones” also deals with cars using alternatives source of energy, but unlike the previous article, this one deals with a car using man power. The article shows that this car has a number of advantages, such as the lack of pollution, but, similarly to the previous article, the author is skeptical about prospects of this car because she is not sure that Americans are ready to use such cars instead of conventional ones.

Thus, both articles provide information on cars using alternative sources of power, but “Move Over, Flintstones is more oriented on technical characteristics of a new car, while “Detroit Goes for Electric Cars” is more concerned with economic effects of electric cars.

Bush’s policy was aimed to make the life of every American better and to guarantee safety to all Americans. We can see it from his internal and international policy. His reform in education gave all Americans an adequate professional education. On the other hand, his democratic policy could sometimes have negative results. Inculcating it outside America, George Bush did not take into account national interests. People in Iraq accepted this policy as an invasion. For the president it is necessary to combine his good intentions with real state of events and so to avoid any kinds of threat or danger. Reelection of the Bush proved that people see him as a person who could express their interests and protects their rights and freedoms.

President George W. Bush was re-elected as the president of the United States of America. Bush won in 29 states and 274 electoral votes and in some states his victory was absolutely indisputable (Federal Election Commission). This event is very important for American history because the future of the USA depends on the actions and policy of the president. Bush promised to extend the level of Social Security in the country and to continue American democratic mission in Iraq. Bush placed the emphasis on both social and economic spheres and international politics and at the same time he planed to perform a reform in education. President Bush focuses his attention on education because it is the guarantee of the qualified and professional workers and economic growth of the country, as a result. “President Bush vowed to push a “reform agenda” for education in his second term that would extend his academic accountability program known as No Child Left Behind to the high school level and expand access to college by reforming the financial assistance system” (Tokaji, 2005). Bush was going to give every person a possibility to get an adequate education.

It goes without saying that this Bush’s reform was be approved by American people, while his actions in Iraq could be interpreted in different ways. Officially his mission was designed to change the totalitarian government in Iraq to the democratic one. He tried to protect his country from the terrorist acts and so to provide safety for the American population.

On the other hand, his policy also had negative consequences. Iraq is an independent country and American protection may be interpreted as an invasion. Iraqi people were satisfied with their regime and such cardinal changes may cause new way of aggression from the native people and so lead to new acts of terrorism and it is necessary to take it into account. American mothers, whose sons have died in Iraq, would never forgive their president and will never approve these victims for the sake of the national safety. People would continue to die for the sake of political ambitions.

Ronald Reagan is also a president famous for his ruling during the war (Cold War), however, he chose another position in the war. He used to find the Union’s weak points and used this knowledge. He built an antimissile shield knowing that Moscow was not able to match it. Gaddis himself warns that Bush’s policy in the Middle East could result in a great disaster and have great consequences. Reagan preferred a role of a passive observer, rather than active participant of the war. He was sure that civilization itself would always find the way out. George H.W. Bush, on the contrary, could never stay apart. He stated that he had prepared all his life for the Persian Gulf Wars. However, despite positive intentions, the actions of the United States resulted in the number of war conflicts and instability in the world. Kennedy, their predecessor, acted more confident and made fewer mistakes. He warned not to look for imaginary enemies; nevertheless, Bush’s policy was aimed in general on these imaginary enemies.

Reagan’s strategy was very easy: “We win and they lose.” Bush followed Reagan’s strategy. Serfaty also claims that this Bush’s policy originates from Reagan’s doctrines during the Cold War. As we can see, Reagan and Bush used to have one aim but they were reaching this aim in different ways. They oriented on short-term results of their policies, while their predecessors, for example Washington, Lincoln or Kennedy, cared more about long-term consequences of their actions. The best way to do it is to listen to people’s opinion and always take it into account doing anything for the sake of the country.

On analyzing the role of environment in the process of learning, it is necessary to distinguish social and natural environment which both influence learning since they influence the perception of the surrounding world by an individual. In this respect, it is important to stress the fact that social and natural environment of an individual co-exist, but an individual cannot ignore either. Although, in the contemporary world, the impact of social environment grows stronger compared to the natural environment, which tends to be replaced by the environment constructed by humans (Hooks, 1994). The latter means that due to the high development of modern technologies and social progress, humans have proved to be able to adapt their environment to their own needs.

In such a situation, it is possible to speak about the decrease of the role of natural environment on learning. Nevertheless, its impact is still quite significant and an individual cannot ignore it. For instance, people growing in remote areas are quite different from those who grew up in large, metropolitan areas. In this respect, the natural environment is apparently very important since people living in remote areas are consistently closer to nature. Therefore, they are more inclined to live in balance with the natural environment that they learn in the course of their development. In fact, such people can learn a lot from nature. In this respect, it is possible to refer to the example of the native population of the USA or aboriginal population of Australia (Stewart, 2003). These people are able to learn from nature since they live in the natural environment and they get used to respect it. In contrast, an average dweller of a large city pays a little attention to the natural environment and he or she can hardly learn a lot from it. As a result, many people living in large cities are unaware of the significance environment simply because they failed to learn lessons from nature, which people living in remote areas learn easily.

As a result, the difference in natural environment of individual leads to a consistently different learning models that results in the formation of absolutely different identities. On the one hand, people learn from their natural environment and they grow up being concerned with the natural environment and its protection. On the other hand, there are people whose learning has little impact of their natural environment and they pay little attention to nature (Anyon, 1992). No wonder, the modern society, being predominantly urban, is mainly concerned with its own needs because, from the early childhood, people learn mainly from their social environment and social standards, values and ideals become milestones of personal philosophy of an individual, which he or she learns in the course of his or her life.

In this respect, it should be said that the impact of social environment is extremely important, especially in the contemporary world. It proves beyond a doubt that cannot live and learn in isolation from the rest of the society. From the beginning of the life, an individual starts learning and he or she learns from his or her social environment. At first, it is the family that comprises the social environment of an individual and it is from parents an individual learns basic knowledge which learns the foundation to his or her further life. In other words, an individual learns from the family essential knowledge. Gradually, in the process of socialization of an individual, his or her social environment expands. Therefore, an individual learns from peers, friends, meaningful adults, etc. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that the impact of different people on the learning of an individual differs. For instance, at the beginning of the life it is mainly parents and adults that shape views and beliefs as well as develop basic skills and abilities and provide an individual with basic knowledge (Yagelsh, 2005). In adolescence, peers become more significant for an individual and it is in the process of communication and interaction with peers an individual learns and develops his or her personality. Even in the adult life an individual is able to learn but the social environment still influences the learning process because, as a rule, an individual learning is influenced by his or her social environment through culture, media, traditions, etc.

Thus, environment plays a very important role in learning. In fact, it is important to distinguish social and natural environment of an individual which affect the learning process. Nevertheless both of them are equally important and can shape an individual’s identity.

Basically, Markowitz attempted to make the portfolio theory more effective and he focused on the correlation of risks and expected returns as milestones of his theoretical developments. In such a situation, his theory naturally became concerned with investors because what he had done was the adaptation of the portfolio theory to the actual investors’ needs. In fact, Markowitz attempted to make his theory more applicable for investors who wanted to have reliable forecasts and positive outcomes of their investments. In this respect, it should be said that the portfolio theory developed by Markowitz naturally focused on investors who could use portfolios as the basis for their investments, but unlike his predecessors, Markowitz did not offer a theory which implied that investors should take risky decisions and maximize their revenues. Instead, he understood that it was necessary on the development of such a theory which could allow investors make a selection of an optimal portfolio. In such a context, the development of the entire portfolio theory becomes practically useless if investors are not concerned with this theory. Obviously, this theory can be used by other economic agents, but, above all, it is oriented on investments and, therefore, Markowitz adapted the portfolio theory for investors.

However, as it has been just mentioned above, today, the portfolio theory can applied not only by investors but also other economic agents. Although, it is worth mentioning the fact that normally other economic agents could hardly have any practical benefits from the use of the portfolio theory because they simply do not need to take decisions which investors do regularly. Nevertheless, if the market situation is uncertain, it is not only investors but other economic agents who can apply this theory because this theory is grounded on precise mathematic formulas and provides ample opportunities for the assessment of risks and potential revenues from investments as well as the assessment of the position of a company compared to its rivals. All this can be done on the basis of portfolios. Therefore, if investors normally select a company which they would like to invest, than other economic agents can clearly understand whether the company is in a risky position or probably its revenues are underestimated. Obviously, this information is very important since it can help to develop the strategic plan of the company on the ground of the analysis of its current position and prospects.

Furthermore, it is important to point out that Markowitz stood on the ground that the portfolio theory can assist investors to define investment behavior. In this respect, it should be said that Markowitz’s portfolio theory relies on a number of assumptions concerning investors’ behavior. For instance, Markowitz argues that investors will always seek the second opinion which can help them define their investment behavior and take a concrete decision concerning investments (Markowitz, 1991).   In such a situation, when presented with a set of alternatives, investors will consider all expected revenues and rates of return over a specified holding period.

In fact, according to Markowitz the possibility to use the portfolio theory to direct investment behavior was very important, but, at the same time, he points out that such an application of the portfolio theory is possible on the condition that investors have sufficient computer and database resources. Basically, investors cannot use the portfolio theory effectively, if they have scarce or fragmentary information and they cannot process the available information properly to get reliable results. Obviously, the use of computer and database resources contributes to the higher reliability of the analysis of portfolios on the basis of the portfolio theory developed by Markowitz.

Part B

On analyzing the portfolio theory developed by Markowitz, it becomes obvious that risks and expected returns are key concepts for his theory. In fact, Markowitz argues that investors are interested to know the estimated risk level of all securities contained within a portfolio. As a rule, their decisions are solely based on these two variables: the levels of expected returns and the level of expected risk (Chowdhry and Howe, 1999). According to the portfolio theory, for any given risk level, investors will always rather go for portfolios with higher expected returns than for those with lower returns. Alternatively, for any given expected return level, investors are likely to prefer portfolios with less risk than those with more risk. Consequently, the correlation of risk and expected returns is crucial for investors.

Markowitz apparently understood this fact. This is why he developed the concept of the efficient frontier. The efficient frontier is actually a curve, behind which is the graphic representation of  a set of portfolios that offers the highest rate of return for any given level of risk. Alternatively, the efficient frontier identifies portfolios that offer the minimum risk for any given level of return. The efficient frontier is the optimal correlation of risk and expected returns. In such a way, an investor needs to define the optimal portfolio among the variety of portfolios available to him or her.

At the same time, such a decision should be grounded on the detailed analysis of the portfolio in order to avoid the risk of error. In this respect, it is possible to speak certain drawbacks of the portfolio theory developed by Markowitz. To put it more precisely, according to Markowtiz, investors can use effectively the portfolio theory on the condition that they have sufficient computer and database resources available to them. Thus, they can process the information available to them and analyze different portfolios to select the optimal one for their investments (Garvin and Artemis, 1997). On the basis of such analysis they can define their further investment behavior. Otherwise, if investors have insufficient computer and database resources, the risk of errors increases substantially. As a result, investors will have significant difficulties with the selection of optimal portfolio.

In this respect, it is possible to speak about another drawback of the portfolio theory. In fact, Markowitz’s portfolio theory is highly dependent on mathematical calculations and it is rather rigid. On the one hand, such concern with mathematics calculations provides larger opportunities for adequate assessment of portfolios. On the other hand, such concern with mathematics deprives the analysis of portfolios of flexibility, which is very important in the contemporary business environment. What is meant here is the fact that the application of the portfolio theory makes quite difficult for investor to respond to changes which can occur rapidly and change the actual potential of the company he or she is going to invest. However, such changes increase the risk level of investments and, therefore, such risky portfolios should be rejected, even if their level of return on investments is higher compared to the optimal portfolio that meets the efficient frontier. Thus, the portfolio theory is not perfect, but still it provides investors with the opportunity to assess risks and expected returns and select the optimal portfolio.

First of all, it should be said that traditionally democracy is considered to be the most effective social and political system which is intended to protect human rights and ensure ample opportunities for people to succeed. However, this is apparently an idealized view on democracy, but often people have difficulties with the extensive definition of the concept of a democratic state. In fact, during interviews, some respondents simply gave generalized concept of a democratic state, such as “the state where human rights are respected”, or “a state where I can as much rights as any other citizen”, though there were quite pessimistic answers which referred to a democratic state as a kind of myth that does not really exist. Nevertheless, the main point is that sometimes people do not always understand the full significance of a democratic state.

For instance, some respondents considered that a democratic state is essential for the maintenance of normal life of all citizens, but, on the other hand, they admitted the possibility of limitation of human rights. In this respect, the legislative changes which occurred shortly after 9-11 are particularly noteworthy since they extended rights of law enforcement agencies and limited rights of ordinary people, especially foreigners and immigrants. Nevertheless, during interviews some respondents supported the introduction of such legislative acts as the Patriot Act. In this respect, it is possible to presuppose that they were apparently shocked and appalled by the threat to their life. This threat apparently overshadowed their strong belief in democracy and democratic state. In other words, they proved to be ready to sacrifice their rights for the sake of their security.

Obviously, this trend reveals the fact that political views of people can be influenced consistently by the current political or socioeconomic situation. At this point, it should be said that the interview attempted to identify whether respondents support and justify measures undertaken by the USA in terms of the war on terror, since this war is very arguable from the point of view of the observation of democratic norms and principles as well as violation of human rights. In this regard, the positions of respondents were different. Some of them supported aggressive international policies, while others believe them to be erroneous, though the reason was not only the violation of human rights or democratic principles but the threat to the life of American soldiers who were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The latter proves again that the current political and socioeconomic situation influences political views of people and their support or rejection of some policies. To put it more precisely, people can support some ideology, or they can have their own political believes, but they are concerned with their own interests above all. In fact, all political ideas and programs turn out to be too abstract for ordinary people and they can support any policy, which meet their interests or principles at the moment. However, whenever their life or well-being or that of their family, neighbors, people they know are under a threat they can reject political ideas and beliefs they used to support. Instead, they are ready to support any political idea or program which ensures that the existing social order will not change and people will lead their normal, traditional lifestyle.

At the same time, people need to have instruments to protect their interests and get representatives who will stand for them in the legislative and executive power. In this respect, it should be said that respondents of the interview basically agreed that interest groups influence consistently national politics. They agreed that such interest groups do not always influence positively national politics because they represent only a limited part of the society. Nevertheless, some of the respondents admitted that the existence of interest groups is essential to keep balance between different powers and it is impossible to get rid of interest groups in national politics. Consequently, it is obvious that people view politics as a clash of interests of different groups that means that, a priori, they admit that some categories of the population are underrepresented in the national politics.

Thus, in conclusion, it should be said that political views and ideas of people are, to a significant extent, formed under the impact of the current situation in the country and its political and socioeconomic life. Hence, political views of people are susceptible to changes to the extent that they can reject ideas which they used to stand for, if their interests are concerned or their well-being is under a threat.

However, such an argument is not absolutely convincing. In this regard, it is possible to draw a number of objections, among which it is possible to single out the objection that Quine and Putnam do not precise why mathematics is used in science, but it only explains why it can be used in science. This objection is quite logical and strong to challenge the credibility of the argument. Obviously, the mathematics can be used in different fields of science but Quine and Putnam make mathematics a kind of absolute, while in actuality they fail to explain why mathematics is used. It can help other fields of science, but they can develop independently of mathematics, that is particularly true in relation to humanitarian sciences, for instance. Therefore, the argument that mathematics is indispensable to science can be challenged.