Blow. A Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Blow. A Film Analysis - Essay Example The character of Jung was portrayed by Johnny Depp. The film highlighted George Jung’s life as a drug dealer. It included the onset of his life as a dealer of marijuana in California until his climactic success in the setting up of the cocaine market in America. As a person, there were two major facets of his life, one was his family and another was his job. During the early part of his life, Jung’s father can be considered as a positive influence for him especially through the lessons that he had taught young Jung. He was a moral and hard working person who gave importance to integrity. This can be considered as one of the reasons that Jung grew up to be a person who works hard for his dream. Although this was the case, the young Jung had been a witness to the failure that occurred to his father in terms of his job which is followed by problems in his marriage. The movie explored the issue of drug abuse and the effects of illegal drug transactions. Although this was the main and apparent subject matter, one of the implied issues in the film is parenting. Being a parent had been one of the most important factors that affected the characters in the movie.Upon watching the movie Blow, there were different lessons that had been perceived. One was the importance of the guidance of the parents to the children. Another was the importance of choosing the goodness over other things such as money, influence and material comfort. As what George Jung said in the film, choosing money over loved ones was never worth it.

HR Management and Motivation Essay Example for Free

HR Management and Motivation Essay High employee motivation is a function of many internal and external factors and can be intrinsically or extrinsically led. Many employers feel that the real objective of the supervisor or HR manager is to ensure that employees are intrinsically motivated. This is because such an employee works hard on his job because he enjoys it and wants to do it, and he may continue to do so regardless of extrinsic rewards to a certain extent (Schop, 2). I myself faced a situation recently where I had immense drive and enthusiasm to do that work and it was majorly sourced by intrinsic motivation. One of my professors was starting a community welfare club and requested students to join in as volunteers. We had to go to different organizations that worked with special people and spend time with them and do various activities. I joined in as a volunteer as well and started at a school that worked for the rehabilitation of special children. The first day was an eye opener for me. There were kids of all ages there, handicapped in some way or the other, and yet they were the sweetest and the most adorable children. Not only had I felt thankful to God for making me such a complete human being and for bestowing such blessings on me, but I also felt deeply for those children. I started visiting them twice a week and did various different activities with them for hours. Time always flew by quickly and all the children would hug and kiss me when I was leaving. After leaving that place, I always felt a strange sense of tranquility over me and great personal satisfaction. It was a great feeling to be doing something for those who are less privileged than us. The love they showed me, the thankfulness in their gestures and the smiles in the eyes was enough to take me there every other day. I started to love spending time there with those people, and started to visit them more and more regularly, taking various things with me for them. From twice a week to thrice, I started spending ten to fifteen hours a week over there. This was all because I loved going there and enjoyed every minute I spent there. The pleasure, the comfort and the satisfaction after spending time there intrinsically motivated me. Seeing my dedication, my professor made me the leader of the volunteers working there, which added to my motivation. He gave me full autonomy and freedom to decide and plan activities, shifts and rotations. I had a chance to introduce more fun activities there for the children and plan the work of volunteers, and this also added to my motivation. Encouraging leadership and responsibility opportunities serves as one of the true motivators (N. a, 3) and proves to be very encouraging for the worker. Not only this, my professor also from time to time encouraged me and complimented me on my efforts. These things added to the drive I already had because the appreciation made me feel even nicer about my work. I was then asked to expand our volunteer network and organize a proper recruitment drive from various other schools and colleges. I planned the whole process with my team and we went to different institutions and did interviews. The entire responsibility for this was on me and I this again served as a great motivation tool. I started worked harder and harder on it and gave in my full energy and dedication to this activity. My professor was highly impressed by my drive and the contributions I was making to his cause. At the annual dinner for students, he gave me a certificate of appreciation for being the most effective contributor in front of the entire student and faculty body. I felt a great moment of pride at that point and it further instilled in me the drive to work for this cause. I still volunteer for the children and our network of volunteers, which started from fifteen students, has now expanded to over a sixty students. My motivation was highly intrinsic and self instilled because of the satisfaction I got from doing something for those people. But it was also complemented and enhanced by my professor who from time to time encouraged me, and added to my drive by giving me an opportunity to exercise freedom and autonomy. The reward in the end was an extrinsic tool that also encouraged me to further pursue it with more energy and enthusiasm.

Pollution Associated With Oil And Gas Production Environmental Sciences Essay

Pollution Associated With Oil And Gas Production Environmental Sciences Essay 1.1.1 Oil and gas production generally generates massive wealth for countries and contributes to the socio-economic development in the areas of foreign exchange earnings, provision of job opportunities, improved infrastructure, water supply, sewerage and waste treatment, health care and education, among others. Despite these economic and social benefits associated with the oil and gas industry, the exploitation of oil and gas reserves has not always been without some ecological side effects. Oil spills, damaged land, accidents and fires, and incidents of air and water pollution have all been recorded at various times and places. 1.1.2 The discussions that follow will seek to highlight the pollution associated with the various stages of the oil and gas production; and will discuss the wide range of approaches used by governments across the globe to regulate the attendant impact and pollution to the ecosystem. The discussion will also suggest an appropriate strategy to be adopted by the industry in order to achieve its overall goal of finding the right mix of regulatory, co-regulatory, incentives and voluntary mechanisms to meet the challenge of world energy demands, whilst minimising adverse impact on the environment by conforming to current good practice. The environmental impacts of the activities of the oil and gas industry exploration and exploitation, refining and products marketing have been of concern to government regulatory agencies, oil companies operators as well as the host communities. The potential for extensive and irreversible environmental and social damage from oil development projects is particularly acute in developing countries with inadequate regulatory frameworks or weak environmental and social legislation. The impacts of oil and gas operations generally occur in the form of human, socio-economic and cultural impacts, atmospheric impacts, aquatic and terrestrial impacts. Human, socio-economic and cultural impacts may include changes in land-use patterns, such as agriculture, fishing and hunting as direct consequence (for example, land-take and exclusion) or as a secondary consequence in the form of new access routes, leading to unplanned settlement and exploitation of natural resources. The impact could also result in changes in aesthetics because of unsightly or noisy facilities. It has been reported that in some places where oil is discovered, the economy develops rapidly, but it is an economy of misery.    Poorly built oil camps are carved out of the landscape and bring with them many social problems, such as forced displacement, alcoholism, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV/AIDs. Oil companies and governments regularly wash their hands of the communities mostly damaged by the oil development. In most instances, these communities are left on their own to try to determine how much and what kinds of harm the oil and gas industry has caused, and to search for ways to restore their communitys health. Protests by communities, often confrontational in nature, are the most eloquent testimonies of the resistance to the general pollution of the environment by the activities of oil companies. For example, in 1995, proposals by Shell to dispose of the Brent Spar oil storage facility provoked an extensive campaign of protests by activists from Greenpeace aimed at stopping Shell from dumping the Brent Spar in the North Sea. Spontaneous protests in support of Greenpeace and against Shell broke out across Europe, and eventually resulted in Shells eventual abandonment of plans to dump it deep in the Atlantic., Atmospheric pollution results from flaring, venting, and purging gases, fugitive gases from loading operations and tankage and losses from process equipment, combustion processes such as diesel engines and gas turbines. The main emission gases include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, volatile organic carbons and nitrogen oxides. Gas flaring exposes workers, communities, and wildlife to pollution with various health effects. The flares pollute the clouds, causing a black rain that poisons water sources. The Niger Delta in Nigeria is a typical example of a region adversely affected by the impact of oil and gas exploration and production. Pervasive gas flaring is one of the key factors that have worsened the environment of the Niger Delta, attracting concern from the international community. It has been reported that Nigeria has the Worlds highest level of gas flaring and flares about 16 per cent of the worlds associated gas. Aquatic pollution result from production water, spills and leakages, cooling water, process, wash and drainage water, drilling fluids, and chemicals used for well treatment. Oil is often spilled during transport through pipelines, trucks, and ships. When oil spills, it pollutes groundwater and waterways, harms plants and animals, and causes damage that may last for years to resources for hunting, fishing, and farming. Even once the oil appears to have dissipated, it can still lurk beneath the surface of beaches and the sea bed, severely affecting marine organisms that burrow, such as crabs, for literally decades. These burrowing creatures are also food for other animals, so the cycle of poisoning continues for many years. In addition to the impact on marine life, oil spills have a direct impact on humans too long after the initial media frenzy has died down. For example, some Alaskan communities were affected by the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989 as important commercial fishing and hunting grounds were contaminated for an extended period. Tourism was also affected. Oil and gas operations also have potential impacts on vegetation and soils resulting from deforestation, disturbance due to construction activities, indirect impact due to social change and contamination resulting from spillage and leakage or solid waste disposal. During the course of exploration oil, forests are cut down and homes are destroyed. Roads are built, and streams and rivers are blocked up. Seismic testing damages homes, wildlife, and the land.    Oil drilling can cause fires, explosions, and other accidents that endanger workers and the community. For example, in 1988, the offshore platform Piper Alpha, which was located in the British sector of the North Sea oil field and operated by Occidental Petroleum, was engulfed in a catastrophic fire and resulted in the loss of 167 lives, costing billions of dollars in property damage, and the shutting down of approximately 10% of total UK gas production. The dumping of toxic water is also a major cause of pollution. Laws about drilling in wealthy countries require the toxic water to be put back into the ground rather than dumped on the surface.   Oil companies often do nothing more than dig a hole and dump in crude oil, drilling wastes, toxic water, and other wastes leading to the contamination of groundwater and land. Pollution at the refining stage results from refineries releasing toxic waste into water, soil, and air and this leads to various health risks. This pollution also adds to global warming. The decommissioning phase of oil and gas production, if unchecked, can also present environmental problems by the disposal of oil platforms into deep waters. The end result could be hundreds of rusting platforms, obsolete subsea infrastructure and disused pipelines running all the way to land. It is important to point out here that the impact on the environment of oil and gas exploration and production operations depends on the stage of the process, the size and complexity of the project, the nature and sensitivity of the surrounding environment, the effectiveness of the planning, pollution prevention, and mitigation control techniques. While some of these impacts can be said to be the result of unpredictable acts of God, the occurrence of some of these potentially devastating impacts often result from accumulation of errors and questionable decisions, most of which are rooted in the organization, its structure, procedures, and culture. These organizational factors include flaws in the design guidelines and design practices, misguided priorities in the management of the trade-off between productivity and safety, mistakes in the management of the personnel on board, and errors of judgment in the process by which financial pressures are applied on the production sector resulting in deficiencies in inspection and maintenance operations. The Piper Alpha accident of 1988 is one of the cases that can hardly be attributed to an act of God: gross human error greatly contributed to this accident. Notwithstanding the fact that the coincidence of the final events that triggered the catastrophe was not in itself controllable, the failure resulted essentially from an accumulation of management errors. In November 1990, Lord Cullens report into the disaster severely criticised safety procedures on the rig owned by Occidental Oil. The immediate cause of the disaster was a failure in the permit to work system which caused a breakdown in communications between the day shift and the night shift. This led to the use of machinery which was undergoing maintenance and caused the escape of gas from an insecurely fastened temporary flange. Thereafter, there appeared to be a series of failures and errors of judgment which contributed to the overall scale of the disaster. In the case of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1998, the US National Transportation Safety Board ruled that drinking by the ships captain, a fatigued and overworked crew and inadequate traffic control by the Coast Guard all contributed to the enormous oil spill by the Exxon Valdez off the Alaskan coast in 1989. In another instance, the final Report by the Commission set up by US President Barack Obama to investigate the cause of the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on 20 April 2010 in which 11 workers were killed and led to an estimated four million barrels of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico (the National Oil Spill Commission) concluded, among others, that the explosive loss of the Macondo well could have been prevented ; and that the immediate causes of the Macondo well blowout can be traced to a series of identifiable mistakes made by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean that reveal such systematic failures in risk management that they place in doubt the safety culture of the entire industry.

Road to Valley Forge :: essays research papers

The Road to Valley Forge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book that I choose to review was The Road to Valley Forge, How Washington Built the Army that Won the Revolutionary War, written by John Buchanan. This is a book that covers the beginning of the revolutionary war in America from the time that George Washington is selected as commander-in-chief of the army, until his army enters winter quarters at Valley Forge. It encompasses the weather conditions that Washington and his army had to endure as well as the scrutiny that Washington always seemed to be under. The scrutiny came from people in congress who believed that the war was going to be quick and wanted a large, decisive battle fought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Washington took control of the revolutionary army on 2 July 1775. He took over at outside of Boston, before this his experience was limited to wilderness travel and soldiering. His soldiering experiences had been mainly for his home state of Virginia. The first battle that was of significance in this book was the Battle of Long Island. At this battle Washington and the rebel army are soundly defeated by General Sir William Howe and the British army. After this battle was fought Howe did not follow-up the victory with quick action as the Americans retreated. It could be said that if Howe and the British would continued the attack this rebellion could have been put down right away. This will not be the first time that Howe fails to do this, and it will lead to him being replaced later in the war Sir Henry Clinton. Even though his army was thoroughly defeated Washington is able to get his troops off of Long Island back to Manhattan in the middle of the night, this will also not be the last time that Washington is able to get his   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 army out of harms way. The author briefly discusses the troubles at Kip’s Bay and Fort Washington.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next subject that Buchanan goes into is Washington’s retreat through the state of New Jersey. The key part of this retreat is when Washington crosses the Potomac River he collects all boats from both shores of the river. He later uses them to cross the icy Potomac to win the very important Battle of Trenton. The importance of this battle is that raised the morale of the soldiers. After this Howe decides to go into winter quarters.

Why Did Civil War Break Out in 1642

Lack of Money One of the reasons why the civil war broke out in England in 1642 was because of Charles' lack of money. To discover the source of this, we have to go back to the beginning of James' reign. James was the first King to reign over both England and Scotland, and when he came down from Scotland it is said that he was astonished at how rich England was, while James had needed to borrow money for his travelling expenses. When James died in 1625, Charles came to the throne, and he, like his father, had very little money.Once Charles became King, the County Faction1 wanted him to go to war with the Catholics in Spain, so Charles asked them for taxes to use on the war. They refused to pay enough, so the war was hopeless, and Parliament blamed the King for this. The reason Parliament granted so few taxes was that they wanted to make sure they were called again. Charles, a firm believer in the Divine Right of Kings, thought that he should not have to rule with Parliament, and the only thing that kept him calling it was money2. One good example of the way Parliament made sure they were called back in Charles' reign was tonnage and poundage.These were duties imposed on certain imports and exports. It was normal for these duties to be decided in the first Parliament of a monarch's reign, but in the case of Charles, they only decided on it for one year, so the King would be forced to call them again. Although Charles tried to ask for more money, Parliament refused, because they believed he spent it on his favourites. Because of this, Charles had to get himself more money. He began using the Church Courts, exploiting taxes such as ‘ship money'3, and selling monopolies and titles. He also opened a Court of Star Chamber, which he used to fine people heavily to raise money.Since the judges in the Star Chamber were officials of the Crown, and there was no jury, Charles could be sure of getting a favourable result. Parliament was furious with this, and immediate ly drew up the Petition of Right, which asked the King to stop illegal taxation. The King signed it, but only because Parliament threatened to impeach Buckingham, one of the King's favourites. The quarrels about money went on, and eventually Charles decided to dissolve Parliament. He reigned without them for 11 years. When the new prayer book was brought into Scotland, a group called the Covenanters attempted to invade England.Charles called a Parliament to try and get taxes to fight the Covenanters, but they refused4, so Charles dissolved them again. He was forced to pay the Scots ? 850 a day to stop them advancing, and eventually, in 1641, his money ran out, and he had to call Parliament – he was bankrupt and at their mercy, so money was definitely a key factor in the outbreak of the civil war. Religion Another major influence in the outbreak of the civil war was religion. The religious quarrels began right at the start of Charles' reign, when Charles married Henrietta Mari a, a French Catholic.Although Charles didn't choose to marry her – his father, James, set up the marriage – the public, especially the Puritans, didn't like having a Catholic as Queen. A few extremists even saw this as a sign that Charles was secretly Catholic! After the King dissolved Parliament, he made William Laud the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1633. While Laud was Archbishop, he made many changes to the Church. Most of these changes involved beatifying the Church and bringing back robes for priests, statues and stained-glass windows. All these things reminded the English of Catholicism.In 1636, Archbishop Laud decided to introduce the English Prayer Book (which stated how services should be run) into Scotland. There was nationwide rioting, because no one wanted to follow the new Prayer Book. Scotland was a Presbyterian (Puritan) country, and they thought that the English Prayer Book was far too Catholic to use in Scotland. This eventually led to many Scots, call ed the Covenanters, marching down the country in an attempt to invade England. At this point, Charles had to call Parliament to ask for taxes to pay for the war, but was horrified to see that most of the MPs were on the Covenanters' side.Parliament agreed that the Prayer Book was too Catholic, so Charles dissolved them again, but after he ran out of money to pay the Scots (see the Money section above) he was forced to call Parliament again. Parliament first put Laud on trial, and found him guilty. Later they decided to execute Strafford on charges of organising an army in Ireland, where he governed. It turned out that this was a big mistake. As soon as Strafford was executed, the Irish Catholics rebelled against the Protestants, saying they were rebelling for the King.Although it was clear this was not true, Parliament did not trust the King when he asked them for an army, and so refused, believing he would use it to crush them instead. Foreign Affairs Another factor in the outbreak of civil war was foreign affairs. On the continent, the 30 Years War was going on, where Catholic rulers attempted to wipe out the Protestants in their countries. This fuelled people's fears that something similar might happen in England. Other foreign causes of the war were from Ireland and Scotland, and are detailed above. Charles' PersonalityAlthough it may seem unimportant, Charles' personality was a major factor in the events leading to civil war. To start with, Charles hadn't expected to be King at all – his elder brother, Henry, had been expected to take the job, but when he died suddenly in 1612, Charles became the heir to the throne. Charles also believed in the Divine Right of Kings. He thought, as his father had before him, that Kings were appointed by God, and could not be wrong. He disliked having to rule with Parliament, and thought that he should be able to do anything he liked. This caused much friction between him and the MPs. Parliament The Short Parliament When Parliament was summoned in April 1640, Charles had governed for eleven years without them5, and while this certainly went against the spirit of the English constitution, it was within the King's prerogative to do so. Charles was forced to call a parliament when the Scots rebelled. Putting an army into the field to deal with the Scots put a heavy drain on the royal finances, so Charles needed to levy a tax, which he could only do with the consent of Parliament. When Parliament met the gentry from the counties used the occasion to vent their frustration, with Harbottle Grimston and John Pym leading a catalogue of complaints.Three weeks later, Charles dissolved Parliament, blaming ‘the malicious cunning of some few seditious affected men'. This was known as the Short Parliament and it sat from 13 April, 1640, to 5 May, 1640. The war with the Scots did not fair well for Charles, but he eventually came to an agreement of ? 850 a day to keep the Scots at bay. The Long Parliamen t In order to pay this and get funds for a final settlement Charles had to summon another Parliament6. This time Charles could not afford to dismiss Parliament until he got what he wanted, and this gave Parliament an important card to play in what was to come.The Long Parliament, as it was known, sat from 3 November, 1640, for 13 years, until Oliver Cromwell suppressed it. It should be noted it was not formally dismissed until 1660, after the Restoration. Therefore, when Parliament met in November 1640, it was with a mood of constitutional reform. Of the 493 MPs elected: * 340 were anti-Court (the County Faction) * 64 were for the Court (supporters of the King) * 59 were of an unknown disposition * 17 were disabled from sitting (these were mainly of the ‘Court Camp') * The remaining 13 were probably of the Court Faction.Parliament pinned the blame for what went wrong on the King's advisors, rather than Charles himself, sending both Strafford and Laud to the Tower. Charles also tried to heal the rift by signing Strafford's death warrant, passing a bill that allowed for Parliament not to be dissolved without its own consent, a bill making ‘ship money' illegal and other bills that taken together demolished the framework of prerogative government. The Thrilling Climax All of these causes led to some key events in 1641 and 1642. It turned out that the execution of Strafford had been a mistake. Without Strafford to reign over Ireland, the Irish rebelled in 1641.This raised an insoluble problem; who would command the Army, King or Parliament? John Pym took the initiative by issuing the Militia Bill and, more importantly, the Grand Remonstrance. It listed all the things Charles had done wrong in his reign, suggested less power for bishops, and said that Parliament should have power over the Church and the appointment of Royal ministers. It was passed by 11 votes, which meant that, while most of the Commons had previously been against him, now almost half o f them supported him. However, it was after this that the King made a foolish move.On the advice of his Queen (who was used to French politics, where the King had much more power over the way the country was run), Charles decided to arrest the five ringleaders, including Pym. On 4 January, 1642, Charles attempted to get into the Commons to arrest the five MPs, and found that after he and his guards had battered the door down, the MPs had been warned and weren't there. This action turned most of Parliament against him once more, because it was held to be a breach of Parliamentary privilege7. On the next day, the escaped MPs paraded up and down London guarded by the Trained Bands, an army of part-time soldiers.

Nursing management Essay

Introduction To lead effectively, you have to strike the difficult balance between communication and accountability. Different situations call for different leadership approaches, depending on corporate needs, objectives and available resources. Ultimately the goal of any leader is to get results. Here’s a list of the various common leadership types. Types of Leadership The Autocrat The autocratic dictator is the one of the most common types of leaders. The autocrat’s approach is to make unilateral decisions without asking for suggestions from other members of the group. Such totalitarian leaders have the advantage of saving time and receiving little oppositions as they seek solutions. The classic example of autocratic leadership is seen in the governments of countries like North Korea, which control their citizens through force and fear. Used positively, this type of approach is helpful to tighten up companies that are suffering from inefficiency or a lack of discipline. The Laissez-Faire Leader This type of leader is the opposite of the autocrat: employees are given a lot of freedom and eeway to work as they see fit. The laissez-faire leader rarely monitors employees and does not get feedback or updates on a regular basis. The style can be advantageous for companies that aim to harness individual leadership skills and encourage initiative among employees. The laissez-faire approach can result in time savings and better intra-office relationships, but only in companies with efficient, honest workers that require little supervision. Over time, leaders still need to follow up on the employees or they may sacrifice efficiency, productivity and affordability. The Motivational Leader A motivational leader helps to bring out the best in everyone. By taking the time to get to know each member of the organization, this type of leader gets to study employee’s strengths and weakness and develop strategies for taking advantage of them. This approach leads to good communication throughout the different levels of an organization. Employees get to share their feelings, thoughts and ideas, and so feel empowered and satisfied. AÂ  motivational leader is perfect in sales organizations or companies that are in need of a creative spark—or a jolt of enthusiasm. The Democrat The democratic leader values every member of the organization and seeks to make each group member feel content and useful. A democrat participates in tasks while respecting and acknowledging the suggestions and contributions of other workers. This approach generally leads to team efficiency and happy employees. Note that while members of the group participate in the planning and decision-making process, the leader makes the final decision based on all available information. The Gratifier The gratifier follows the old carrot-and-stick approach. Such a leader sets goals and then offers relative rewards depending on the contribution and achievements of members. If an employee or department performs poorly, there may be punishments or penalties. One benefit of this traditional management strategy is that it’s possible to initiate competitions within the workplace that often lead to improved—even transcendent—performance. The Innovator An innovator is creative and dynamic, adapting quickly to change and spearheading explosive growth. An innovative leader is aware of new developments in the marketplace and is always listening to other team members, on the lookout for fresh ideas and solutions. The best thing about the innovator’s approach is that the lead-by-example creativity inspires other employees to explore, expand and come up with new concepts of their own. This type of management strategy is particularly effective for tech, media and other idea-driven businesses. Your company’s current needs and goals may dictate the most effective management approach. Be flexible, and respond to changing circumstances or personnel by varying that approach as needed. It’s also wise to tailor your style of management to the capabilities and personalities of your company leaders.

How does Shakespeare portray ambiguity in the play Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

How does Shakespeare portray ambiguity in the play Romeo and Juliet Essay Example How does Shakespeare portray ambiguity in the play Romeo and Juliet Paper How does Shakespeare portray ambiguity in the play Romeo and Juliet Paper Essay Topic: Metamorphoses The exploration of ambiguity in the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ encapsulates Shakespeare’s message of how there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ ‘good’ or ‘evil’. This theme is sparked from the contextual circumstance of the play, set in Renaissance England, a time of great change and cultural ambiguity, bringing about the protestant reformation and the emergence of ‘the new man’ and new outlooks on love and romance. Shakespeare adopts descriptive techniques and distinctive wordplay, integrating literary devices and imagery to portray ambiguity subliminally throughout the play. The concept of ambiguity is portrayed by his use of oxymoron, for instance â€Å"Oh brawling love, oh loving hate† depicts ambiguity through the binary of love and hate and how elements of both can be found in one another, thus highlighting Shakespeare’s message of how the entire concept of the play is ambiguous. An oxymoron is by definition ambiguous, and is often adopted to conceptualise ambiguous meanings and ideas. Similarly, Shakespeare uses paradox, for instance, when Juliet questions, â€Å"was ever a book containing such vile matter so fairly bound? to depict Juliet’s complexity as a character, and her conflicting emotions when trying to battle with the idea that the love of her life is a murderer. In addition Shakespeare conveys ambiguity by categorising imagery into two extremes, light and dark. This imagery continually recurs throughout the play, and is often adopted by Romeo, for instance when he first sees Juliet he declares, â€Å"O, she doth teach the torches burn bright† and Juliet is continually referred to as a light in the darkness and Juliet concurrently expresses how â€Å"Romeo’s body† be â€Å"cut out in little stars. Shakespeare uses this to accentuate the contrast of love and hate, an ambiguous disparity Shakespeare uses to encapsulate the meaning of the play. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s use of distinctive language and character repartee is used for contrast and to craft oxymoron and paradox to illustrate ambiguity, for instance; â€Å"A damned saint, an honourable villain! The poignant contrast between the words, â€Å"damned† and â€Å"honourable† each adjectives used to inverse the distinct characterisations of â€Å"villain† and â€Å"saint† in the form of an oxymoron. Ambiguity is also explored through the characters themselves. For instance, Friar Lawrence is portrayed to have a vested interest in the happiness of both Romeo and Juliet and appears as an advocate of their forbidden romance and even helps to marry the two in secret, later providing Juliet with a substance that will give her the power to fake her death to avoid her marriage to Paris. However it appears he has an ulterior motive fuelled by his peace loving disposition. This is portrayed when he states that â€Å"this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancour to pure love,† thus expressing the somewhat ambiguous nature of his character. Furthermore, his unorthodox behaviour may have in fact caused the deaths of the two lovers and thus Shakespeare portrays ambiguity in this instance by portraying the layers of the Friar’s character, how a peace loving man of God, whom Shakespeare initially appears to use as a plot device, gradually metamorphoses to someone who will, by any means necessary, attempt to achieve his goal, no matter how innocent his motives. Similarly, Lord Capulet’s character also appears to acquire a similar ambiguous nature. He initially appears as a loving father with seemingly chivalrous qualities, asking Paris to â€Å"let two more summers wither in their pride, ere we may think her ripe to be a bride,† allowing his daughter time to mature before she weds Paris. Similarly, when Tybalt expresses his anger and concern when Romeo enters Juliet’s party, he responds dismissively and appears to see no point to the feud, portraying a sensible, understanding side to his character. However, Capulet soon loses this title and becomes a more aggressive character, forcing Juliet to marry Paris and when she refuses he exclaims, â€Å"Out you baggage, you tallow face,† expressing a more belligerent side to his character. And thus again, Shakespeare portrays ambiguity through Capulet’s somewhat twofold character, each a polar end of two extremes, aggression and compassion. In addition, Mercutio’s character also resembles a somewhat ambiguous nature. His name itself is derived from the word ‘mercurial’ which means unstable or volatile, which in itself encapsulates his ambiguity. He initially appears very self assured and confident with an aptitude for bawdy humour. He appears to sustain a dismissive, derogatory outlook on love, expressing that â€Å"if love be rough with you, be rough with love. † He also appears as a loyal friend to Romeo, and advocate of the Montagues. However, it appears Mercutio’s alleged confidence is merely a facade fuelled by his insecure, volatile undertones. This is portrayed during his dying moments when he exclaims, â€Å"a curse of both your houses! † portraying his volatility and insecurity as opposed to his initial confident, secure demeanour and thus conveys his character’s ambiguous fibre. Ambiguity is also distinguished through the themes integrated into the play and the plot itself. Shakespeare expresses how the conflicting themes included in the play, for instance ‘Love and Hate’ are merely adopted by Shakespeare to portray how there is no ‘one or the other,’ there is always a mixture of both. He uses the characters’ emotions and actions to portray these themes as inversed extremes battling against one another to realise the ultimate conclusion mentioned previously. Similarly the plot in itself, a fickle feud fuelled by the insecurity of each other’s prevalence that ultimately resulted in the deaths of each of their own.

Charlotte Gilmans feminism theory

Charlotte Gilmans feminism theory Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at seeking, creating, and defending rights for women (Madsen, 2000). Mainly, feminism movements campaigns for equality. Because of the many issues that women face, feminism movements’ seeks equality between men and women in the society (Allen, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Charlotte Gilman’s feminism theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Over the years, women have been oppressed while men have been favored. Feminist movements have always advocated for women’s rights (Madsen, 2000). These movements have opposed domestic violence, cases of sexual harassment, and sexual molestation against women (Kenneth, 2010). This research paper will focus on the work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Throughout, the paper will discuss Gilman’s feminism theory and relate it to the issues of women in the contemporary society. Charlotte Perkins Gilma n was one of the well-known American sociologists in the 18th century (Kenneth, 2010). During this period, Gilman was very sensitive and she became concerned about what was happening in her surroundings. She was an exception feminist who represented the women through her creative work of literature, especially poetry (Madsen, 2000). Gilman did a lot of work both fiction and non-fiction (Kenneth, 2010). Her fiction work was dedicated to improving the living standards for women. Generally, Gilman’s work was aimed at forming a big revolution that would put women’s need at the center of focus (Allen, 2009). During her time, Gilman recognized that there existed a lot of inequalities in the society and more particular at the workplace (Allen, 2009). She also noticed that women were not allowed to work in some places. Notably, women would access certain jobs and they were only given duties to work as home markers. For this reason, women had no income; they did not control any sector. Because of this inequality, Gilman focused on restructuring the relation between men and women. She dedicated her work in campaigning for women’s rights and improving social relationships (Madsen, 2000). Gilman’s evolutionary theory and the sexuo-economic relation theory Charlotte Gilman looked at the society in terms of relationships that existed between men and women (Kenneth, 2010). She explored the theory of social evolution in a wider perspective. In this theory, Gilman observed that the society gave men an upper hand in the selection process. Gilman also argued that, social evolution theory had put men at the centre of the society (Kenneth, 2010). Because of this, the male gender takes the responsibility of determining the type of relationship between men and women. Since men are â€Å"superior,† women have to be submissive towards men in all ways. According to theory of social evolution, it is a requirement for women to have sexual contact with m en (Kenneth, 2010).Advertising Looking for research paper on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In responding to this issue, Gilman observed that sexual contact was not always out of free will (Kenneth, 2010). Because of such principles argued by social evolution, women have always been oppressed; they are forced to have sexual contact with men. This forms the basis of gender-based violence. Notably, women are perceived as homemakers. Gilman observes that women are left at home and they are expected to support men in their work (Allen, 2009). The society expects them to give up their dreams to support the family. On the other hand, men occupy the public sphere. They enjoy the best things in the society and control economy and political arenas. Gilman argued that gender roles are constructed by the society and therefore the society needs to change for survival of humanity (Kenneth, 2010). Gilman opposed s ome aspects of social evolution theory. She argued that, separation of men and women using gender roles was only functional in the past and this concept was no longer applicable in today’s society (Allen, 2009). What was functional in the past is now dysfunctional to the society. The identities and gender roles are created through socialization when children are growing up (Madsen, 2000). When children are born, they are dressed in specific clothes associated to men or women. The children are also given different toys to play with as they grow up (Madsen, 2000). Gilman observed that sexual relations and home economics are linked (Kenneth, 2010). Women have to please their husbands through sex while men are to provide for the family. Relationships between men and women are based on sex and money instead of genuine love. Gilman argued that men and women should be free to work and gain economic independence (Kenneth, 2010). One’s economic ability should be separated from intimate relationships. Changes should be made because this social arrangement was unfriendly to both men and women. Men have the burden of providing for the family while women are confined at home. Because of these issues, Gilman campaigned for social reengineering to favor both men and women (Kenneth, 2010). Women have the right to work outside the home and contribute to the society using their intellectual ability and creativity. Current news/ example According to Gilman’s theory, women are treated as â€Å"inferior† beings (Allen, 2009). The social relation between men and women is only meant to uphold men high. Women face sexual harassment, sexual assaults, and domestic violence. The sad news is that, these issues are still present in today’s society (Madsen, 2000). In today’s society, women are still experiencing cases of sexual harassment and assaults. The following current story will elaborate how men treat women as sex objects at the work place.A dvertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Charlotte Gilman’s feminism theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to CBC news (2011), Cpl. Catherine Galliford a former RCMP officer experienced sexual assault during the time she was working at RCMP. During an interview with Catherine, the CBC news reported that another RCMP officer reported a similar case of sexually harassment (CBC News, 2011). The officer by the name Krista Carle made a phone call to CBC during the interview. As she told about the horrific situation, Carle said that she also knew six other women who had been silent about issues of sexual harassment at the work place (CBC News, 2011). According to Krista, these other women had left the force because of constant sexual harassment at RCMP. Krista Carle had graduated together with Catherine in RCMP academy in the early 1990s (CBC News, 2011). Carle claimed that she was sexual harassed and a ssaulted during the time she was working at RCMP (CBC News, 2011). Carle and four other women have already sued the RCMP with the claims that a senior named Sgt. Blundell sexually harassed them (CBC News, 2011). CBC reported that, the four women were â€Å"individually and separately sexually assaulted and harassed by Sgt. Blundel† (CBC News, 2011). To demonstrate how men are favored, the organization upon receiving the news, it only slashed Bludell a day of vacation as a punishment. According to CBC news, Sgt. Bludell was later promoted to become a senior staff at RCMP (CBC News, 2011). From this current story, we learn that women are still oppressed in the society today. In this example, women are treated as sexual objects and they are sexually harassed and assaulted at the work place (Madsen, 2000). Even after news about sexual harassment gets to the management, Sgt. Blundell is not punished severely. According to Gilman’s feminism theory, this is a high level of in equality. This example portrays how men are favored in the society while women are oppressed. It is obvious that the sergeant is not punished severely because he is a man. While punishing the sergeant, the organization looks at this issue from a male perspective. According to feminism’s theory women are there to satisfy men’s need and hence they can be used as sex objects (Allen, 2009). This is the reason why Gilman is advocating for social restructuring. According to Gilman, there is need to have social restructuring so that men and women can be treated on the same standards (Kenneth, 2010). Without re-organization of the social structure, men will be treated as superior being while women will be oppressed by the society.Advertising Looking for research paper on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gilman in her feminism theory observes that women are not awarded with certain position in the society (Allen, 2009). This is also evident in this case study. In the RCMP, Blundell is a senior sergeant while women including Carle and Catherine are junior officers. This is also the level of inequality, which Gilman is opposing in her theory (CBC News, 2011). Gilman’s feminism theory and the contemporary society Although the status of women has improved in the society, they continue to experience challenges. Today, there are some improvements in some areas but the society needs to work extra hard to incorporate women more. Gilman’s theory of feminism argues that women need to be given reproductive rights and control over their body (Madsen, 2000). Although feminism movements have achieved a lot in acquiring rights of women in the society today, women do not have complete control on their body and issues of reproduction. Women are not given opportunities to decide when to have sex and when to have children. Decision by women in this field cannot be effected without men’s approval. Men also make the decision on the number of children that a woman should have. Secondly, women have not been fully integrated in the public domain. Positions of authority and leadership are still occupied by men with a small percentage of women occupying this area. However, in the current world women are able to get employment unlike before when they remained at home. Despite attaining jobs, women do not have opportunities to rise to higher positions at the work place; it is very difficult. Most companies and organizations do not give promotions to women. Gender discrimination at work place has placed women at a disadvantageous position (Allen, 2009). Moreover, the society does not accept that a woman is strong enough to handle challenges that men deal with as leaders. Women’s roles as homemakers have not changed greatly. In most societies, women are seen as homemakers and this has denied women opportunities to join the public domain (Madsen, 2000). On the other hand, men are the ones occupying this positions making them to be a step ahead. Gilman in her feminism theory argued that household responsibilities needed to be professionalized to give women enough time to participate in economic and leadership activities (Kenneth, 2010). Despite of many attempts and endless struggle by women, it has been a challenging journey to get to this level. This is because it is very expensive to get a qualified housekeeper. Women are also forced to make a decision of letting someone else look after their children or concentrate with work and live with the guilt of not taking care of their children. The level of flexibility in domestic roles has not yet been achieved hindering women from creating a balance between their work and household duties (Madsen, 2000). According to Gilman’s theory, the society has looked at women as sex objects to be us ed by men (Allen, 2009). As such, women have been subjected to harassment and gender based violence. At times, women experience such cases of harassment but they do not report these cases. This is because when such cases happen, the blame is directed towards women especially regarding issues of dressing. The society does not treat them as victims. Although, the society has made tremendous improvements in reducing sexual harassment by giving women platforms to speak out and defend themselves, many changes are required in prevention of gender violence and sexual harassment (Allen, 2009). Because of gender mainstreaming in the education sector, women now have access to education compared to past years when women were denied this fundamental right. Gilman in her feminism theory argues that, women have the right to education and involvement in productive labor outside the house/home (Kenneth, 2010). To demonstrate emerging changes, the number of women going to school and graduating as pr ofessionals has been rising gradually over the years. Indeed, feminism movements have accomplished so much in liberating women from oppression. Charlotte Gilman is a feminist who dedicated her work in advocating for women by encouraging and promoting equality she has contributed a lot towards acquiring social change (Puente, 2006). Through her theory, she was able to start the process of social engineering, which has changed the social relations between men and women. The society has learned to appreciate women for who they are. This is a major improvement in the social structure, which benefits both men and women. Recommendation and conclusion It is no doubt that Charlotte Gilman has done a wonderful job through her feminism theory (Allen, 2009). Indeed, she has represented the views of the women by highlighting their plights in the society. Through her views and opinions, the society has been transformed. Today, social restructuring is already taking place and women are slowly by slowly having similar opportunities just like men (Puente, 2006). Today, we have women who are presidents, CEOs, managers, Doctors and so on. To create equilibrium in the society, the opinion is that, women should be at liberty to do what they want with their bodies and lives. They should be able to enjoy what they like doing especially practicing housekeeping and child rearing. There is need to integrate women in the society to enable them have adequate chances to participate in the public sphere. Since women are not less beings, they should be offered equal opportunities just like men to work, take leadership roles, and interact with the outside world (Puente, 2006). Roles of women at home should not be used to discriminate them. Alternatively, there is need to professionalize those roles that are considered for women such as housekeeping and child caring. This will offer women opportunities to explore other careers. Reference List Allen, J. (2009). The feminism of Charlotte Perki ns Gilman: Sexualities, histories,  progressivism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. CBC News. (2011). More allegations of RCMP officers being sexually harassed. Web. Kenneth, A. (2010) Classical Sociological Theory. (2nd Ed.). New Delhi. Sage. Madsen, D. (2000). Feminist theory and literary practice. London: Pluto Press. Puente, C. (2006). Feminism and dialogics: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Meridel Le  Sueur, Mikhail M. Bakhtin. Valencia: Universitat de Valà ¨ncia.

Behaviour management assignment

Behaviour management assignment INTRODUCTION Background information on the child The little boy in question (known as Greg Booker from here on – to protect his real identity) is 3 and three and quarter years old. He has attended nursery since the age of 3 and a half. Greg came for two pre visits to the nursery and both times it was observed that he did not want to leave mum’s lap and was unwilling to access the activities available, nor was he encouraged too by mum. In a group or class situation he is quiet and shy and does not like to talk to his peers and you can see he feels awkward around them. He has made little attempt to make friends within the group, selecting only one other child that he likes to stand with. Greg has made firm attachments to all the adults within the setting and will happily talk freely to them. (1)†Yet there is another group of children in our midst whose behaviour should be just as much a cause of concern to us, a group whose needs are different but just as important , and who are apt to get lost in the noise and confusion of modern life. They are the quiet children, the painfully shy, the withdrawn, the anxious, the friendless – the ‘invisible children’ (Makins, 1997). but when he feels comfortable with an adult he is confident to talk to them clearly and concisely. Background information of the family Greg lives with mum and dad and has one older sister they live within a nuclear family environment. All grandparents and aunts and uncles live in Scotland. Greg’s older sister attends the school attached to the nursery, she never attended nursery but upon entering the reception class took a very long time to settle (6 months to be precise – information obtained from reception class teachers). Mum realised that by not letting his sister attend the nursery setting was a mistake and freely admitted that she did not want the same for her son. Observed behaviour of parent and child on entering the setting When mum dro ps Greg of at nursery, she will come into the setting pick him up and kiss and cuddle the child excessively before leaving, however he is not distressed when mum leaves although Greg was distressed on his first day at nursery and then did not cry from day two at the setting. Mummy has always told Greg that he is her baby and she will often say in his presence, â€Å"you are my baby, I don’t want him to grow up and I’m going to be lonely when he goes up to reception class†. Other parents have commented that when Greg is invited to birthday parties, mum will stay and Greg will remain seated on mummy’s knee for the duration of the birthday party, whilst other children are confident to stay by themselves. Mum recently approached me to say that she was organising a party for Greg’s fourth birthday, but when mum asked him for the names of the children he wanted to invite, he said he only wanted to invite two of the children from the setting.

Environment and globalization critical analysis Essay

Environment and globalization critical analysis - Essay Example The increased reliance on fossil fuel energies and lack of alternate energy resources to maintain a safe and environment friendly lifestyle is a direct by-product of modern political marketing and globalization process. This political and industrial energy tug has caused massive pollution around the globe, which has contaminated natural water resources and made the land infertile due to landfills. Oil spills and chemical waste in the sea water killed thousands of marine species; deforestation caused soil erosion and lack of oxygen production, which consequently increased carbon dioxide level in the air (Anon, 2014). Hence, if telemarketing had stopped generating needs in the consumer of twentieth century than an average individual could have restricted his needs and could incorporate eco-friendly lifestyle for the preservation of Earth’s natural environment. However, if natural resources are not maintained or regenerated (plantation) by each individual than this environmental crises will not decrease instead it will take a drastic turn. Moreover, global awareness and action plans can only decrease the intensity of damage, which has been caused by Earth’s habitants. A new eco-friendly life style needs to be adapted along with regeneration and protection of natural resources. This only can assure some progress in alarmingly falling environmental global crises. In the same context, Dauverge aptly described that the escalation in environmental crises is mainly due to unsustainable consumption of 6.8 billion people around the globe.

Price Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Price Analysis - Essay Example R) promulgates which is a helpful guideline that assists both the parties to transaction regarding the correct price of any article (Subpart  15.4-Contract Pricing). There are different sorts of techniques that are highlighted in FAR, to correctly estimate the price of goods and services (Price Analysis Techniques: Procurement 2011). Some of them are listed below with brief description. This price analysis technique involves use of previous quotations in respect of the same item. However, this technique has the drawback in the form of not incorporating the element of inflation that normally increases with the passage of time. This method of determining the price utilizes the published list of prices in respect of goods and services, of similar types. Normally goods relating to general use are included in this category as the appropriate authority lists the prices of those goods for the general public. This technique refers to the determination of price through different laws. Normally government authorities fix some prices via law so that local producers can take benefit as well as the customers in order to avoid the danger of shortage. This technique is basically not a technique rather a way out to determine the prices when no such technique is available to determine the appropriate price. In this method, prices are sought by the personal judgment of the buyer based upon his past experiences and perception related to that particular product. Among these broad techniques, the most commonly used technique is the comparison of Bid Price Technique. In this technique, suppliers are asked to quote their prices and in the end, when best price is found, the tender is given to that particular supplier (Dahl and Hammond 1977). This technique is also useful as the true price prevailing in the market is sought and the element of monopoly is mitigated through the use of this technique. This technique basically erodes the importance of all other techniques as in this

The Dividend Received Deduction Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Dividend Received Deduction - Term Paper Example This paper broadly explores the concept of dividends received deduction. Dividend moves from one company to another before it reaches an individual taxpayer, who happens to be a shareholder in the receiving company. For example, if there are two corporations, A and B in such a way that B has shares in A then the dividend will be taxed twice before it reaches the final shareholder, who also will be taxed. This means there will be two 35% taxation at the corporate level and one 23.8% at an individual taxpayer level hence making the real tax to be nearly 68%. This would even be worse when the dividend has to move a long a series of corporations before it reaches the final stockholder. For example, a situation where company A pays dividend to company B who then pays to C that in turn pays them to the individual shareholders. Following the above stated reasons, pertaining to double taxation, dividends are not taxable thrice or more. As a result, dividends received by a company will be 70% tax-free. Rumpf (2011) asserts that this condition holds unless the corporation in question faces disqualification from this privilege due to some reasons. Even so, when deciding an individual’s dividend income, it is essential to comprehend or, rather, take into account the relationship between dividend and other taxable partaking such as straddles and constructive sales. The history of dividends received deduction is completely different from that of certain income of tax-exempt corporations. Revenue Ruling 104, 1953-1 C.B. 68 fully explores the policy. According to this ruling, the belief that a corporate tax is paid prior to earnings from which the dividends are distributed supports the credit for dividends earned. In other words, a corporate tax had been paid on the proceeds that give rise to dividends ahead of the distribution. According to Rakshit and Sarkar (2013), this

Challenges faced by the USA in China and the East Asian Region Essay

Challenges faced by the USA in China and the East Asian Region - Essay Example The twenty-first century is mainly about policy decisions the governments make and the counter-policies that major economy governments like the USA and China make regarding them.   They are the most influential countries regarding military endowment, economic might, and political superiors. Even as this is true, other countries fit into the jigsaw and the relationship these two countries have towards the others and between each other is important in running the global economy and stability.The rising China economy has contributed a lot to globalization and has become almost the single most important factor that is shaping the fast-changing geopolitical landscape in the 20th century. This rise has shifted the focus of the developing world towards the East Asia, something that has undermined the reputation of the USA among the developing countries. China has emerged as the world’s largest manufacturing platform and has compelled the global manufacturing networks and national e conomies. For instance, the US missile defense efforts, only the Japan is supporting it while China strongly opposes the move while the South Korea remains a bystander. Japan is strongly championing for the Asian Monetary Fund, and a seat in the United Nations is slowly complicating the United States leadership in the Asian region.  As much as Japan’s plan seems to benefit the greater East Asian region, China still finds this as a stumbling block as it is determined to cripple Japan’s regional and global influences  

Response paper about Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Essay

Response paper about Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Imperial Ambassador at Constantinople, - Essay Example o introduced both the lilac, which generally earned acceptance to the West, and tulip due to his fascination for herbalism local flora according to scholarly records. Based on the scholars, it is interesting to note how Busbecq demonstrated a picture of the international politics at the time through the Turkish letters, especially detailing the relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire which is claimed to be given negligible focus in history courses. Hence, Busbecq’s letters are regarded as amply useful as a firsthand reliable source in studying the Western Civilization or European history for students in higher undergraduate levels. Since the inner workings of 16th century European diplomacy are also dealt with, a reader would essentially perceive the historical and personal insights of the Flemish author regarding the culture and society of the great empire of the east. Such undertakings as Busbecq’s become noteworthy of being judged as open-mindedly capable in ridding itself of inevitable biases so as to create a better illustration of the truth which the audience should be left mostly to evaluate. As a polymath who had been able to obtain remarkable education via Europe’s erudite capitals, Busbecq managed to exhibit in the Turkish letters, forwarded to the knowledge of a fellow diplomat at Hungary, the potential to respond to the heightening tensions between the Ottomans and Ferdinand of Habsburg between 1555 and 1562. By chronicling the encounters of his journey in fulfilling the mission assigned him as part of the imperial embassy, the ambassador quite proved that he deserved the position to settle border treaty negotiations between Suleiman ‘the Magnificent’ and the future emperor of Rome. With Ogier Ghiselin’s composition of the Turkish letters, one acquires a perspective of making history through diverse experiential learning like that of Busbecq as he made the most of his stay in Istanbul. Eventually, this establishes

The Dividend Received Deduction Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Dividend Received Deduction - Term Paper Example This paper broadly explores the concept of dividends received deduction. Dividend moves from one company to another before it reaches an individual taxpayer, who happens to be a shareholder in the receiving company. For example, if there are two corporations, A and B in such a way that B has shares in A then the dividend will be taxed twice before it reaches the final shareholder, who also will be taxed. This means there will be two 35% taxation at the corporate level and one 23.8% at an individual taxpayer level hence making the real tax to be nearly 68%. This would even be worse when the dividend has to move a long a series of corporations before it reaches the final stockholder. For example, a situation where company A pays dividend to company B who then pays to C that in turn pays them to the individual shareholders. Following the above stated reasons, pertaining to double taxation, dividends are not taxable thrice or more. As a result, dividends received by a company will be 70% tax-free. Rumpf (2011) asserts that this condition holds unless the corporation in question faces disqualification from this privilege due to some reasons. Even so, when deciding an individual’s dividend income, it is essential to comprehend or, rather, take into account the relationship between dividend and other taxable partaking such as straddles and constructive sales. The history of dividends received deduction is completely different from that of certain income of tax-exempt corporations. Revenue Ruling 104, 1953-1 C.B. 68 fully explores the policy. According to this ruling, the belief that a corporate tax is paid prior to earnings from which the dividends are distributed supports the credit for dividends earned. In other words, a corporate tax had been paid on the proceeds that give rise to dividends ahead of the distribution. According to Rakshit and Sarkar (2013), this

Response paper about Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Essay

Response paper about Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Imperial Ambassador at Constantinople, - Essay Example o introduced both the lilac, which generally earned acceptance to the West, and tulip due to his fascination for herbalism local flora according to scholarly records. Based on the scholars, it is interesting to note how Busbecq demonstrated a picture of the international politics at the time through the Turkish letters, especially detailing the relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire which is claimed to be given negligible focus in history courses. Hence, Busbecq’s letters are regarded as amply useful as a firsthand reliable source in studying the Western Civilization or European history for students in higher undergraduate levels. Since the inner workings of 16th century European diplomacy are also dealt with, a reader would essentially perceive the historical and personal insights of the Flemish author regarding the culture and society of the great empire of the east. Such undertakings as Busbecq’s become noteworthy of being judged as open-mindedly capable in ridding itself of inevitable biases so as to create a better illustration of the truth which the audience should be left mostly to evaluate. As a polymath who had been able to obtain remarkable education via Europe’s erudite capitals, Busbecq managed to exhibit in the Turkish letters, forwarded to the knowledge of a fellow diplomat at Hungary, the potential to respond to the heightening tensions between the Ottomans and Ferdinand of Habsburg between 1555 and 1562. By chronicling the encounters of his journey in fulfilling the mission assigned him as part of the imperial embassy, the ambassador quite proved that he deserved the position to settle border treaty negotiations between Suleiman ‘the Magnificent’ and the future emperor of Rome. With Ogier Ghiselin’s composition of the Turkish letters, one acquires a perspective of making history through diverse experiential learning like that of Busbecq as he made the most of his stay in Istanbul. Eventually, this establishes

Islam and the Challenge of Democracy Essay Example for Free

Islam and the Challenge of Democracy Essay Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl is the most prolific of the Islamic thinkers of today’s world. He is a great Islamic jurist and scholar, and is now a Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law giving the students knowledge of Islamic law, Immigration, Human Rights, International and National Security Law. His Islam and the Challenge to Democracy is the quest to find out numerous questions and varied answers in establishing the relation between the principles so enshrined in Democracy and Islamic political and religious tenants. To propound the relationship between the Islam and democracy is not a straightforward as it involves the deep and thorough understanding of the religious and political structures of the Islamic world and Democracy in its entity. Dr Khaled says that issue of democracy in the Islamic world of today is being hotly debated and there are both pro and anti versions to this issue that compete with each other and the biggest challenge before the advocators is to promote the vision of social justice and faith. The very first section only of his most profile book Islam and the Challenge of Democracy straight forwardly says that he does not believe as what other Muslim advocators say that Islam has given birth to Democracy but various elements of Democracy are very well present in the Islam and we can say that Islam too supports Democracy. In this endeavor, he defied the view of radical Islamists as well as hardened Islamophobes who say that as God is sovereign master of whole Universe, therefore the principles of Democracy do not hold true for the Islamic world. El Fadl poises that there is no doubt of the fact that the God is the sovereign power in the Universe yet this is God who has bestowed upon the humans, the power to envisage the right to form rules to govern themselves in the form of deputies or khulafa. In-fact Islam also believes in a form of government, that gives power to the people, transparency in the decision making through shura’ and there is a toleration for any disagreements and disputes arising out of any rule and rules are accountable to his subjects for any actions. El Fadl believes in the formulation of the basic ethical values, and rights for all human beings on this Earth. He focuses that Islam should formulate the laws through ijtihad on which shari‘ah doesn’t have anything to say. He emphasized on the importance of formulating the maslaha or the ‘public good’ and ahkam al-shari‘ah or ‘expediency laws’ to envisage new thought process to develop the understanding of giving equal rights to every one. He admits that any interpretation of Islamic tenets, which has been construed by Islamic religious heads or Islamic religious leaders cannot be held as mere will of the divine power or God. He vehemently opposes the formation of the Islamic state that has all the rights to form the Shari’ah, because he is fully aware of the fact that no human being can interpret the will of the God or divine power. If this is done, it will lead to misunderstanding or very limited understanding of the link or relation between the Islam and will of God and this in turn would mean trying to become equal to God and that’s the biggest sin. This will further lead to authoritative and oppressive state. He said that although Muslim jurists defined and formulated number of political systems, yet there is nothing specific mentioned in Qur’an about any form that Government wishes to take. But Qur’an does recognize social and political values which form the basis in an arena of Muslim politics. Three values that are so enshrined in the Islamic testament: â€Å"Are: pursuing justice through social cooperation and mutual assistance (Qur’an 49:13; 11:119); establishing a non-autocratic, consultative method of governance; and institutionalizing mercy and compassion in social interactions (6:12, 54; 21:107; 27:77; 29:51; 45. 20)†. (El Fadl, Democracy and Divine Sovereignty, 2) Overall Muslims should form the government that would help in endorsing these values. As he said, â€Å"Qur’an says that God has bestowed all human beings a divine power by making them viceroys of God on this earth: He says, â€Å"Remember, when your Lord said to the angels: ‘I have to place a vicegerent on earth,’ they said: ‘Will you place one there who will create disorder and shed blood, while we intone Your litanies and sanctify Your name? ’ And God said: ‘I know what you do not know’† (2:30). (El Fadl, The Case for Democracy, 3) Institutionally it can be pointed out that the ulama, or Jurists can act as interpreters of the words of God and define what is moral and what acts are immoral for the humans. Every word of them is the voice of the God. But the law of the state demands that no religion can be imposed on the working of the state because laws of the state have been formulated by the humans according to their own whims and state itself. And therefore in his own words, â€Å"Democracy is an appropriate system for Islam because it both expresses the special worth of human beings—the status of vicegerency—and at the same time deprives the state of any pretense of divinity by locating ultimate authority in the hands of the people rather than the ‘ulama†. (El Fadl, Shari‘ah and the Democratic State, 20) Finally he says that educators try to enthuse in the soul of the people the moral values of Qu’ran and induce the society to turn towards will of God. But in this world of today, if a person is morally strong but cannot imbibe by full majesty of God but still believes in the fundamental rights of individuals, still have to be answerable to the will of God. It’s not just the mirage of the El Fadl’s views but also the vision of the several scholars on the most crucial and complex subject, Islam and the Challenge of Democracy. The second section of the book consists of short responses to El Fadl’s essay by several scholars. Nader A. Hashemi says that the most prominent aspect to El Fadl is his belief that Democracy can be possible in Islamic countries, with this he proved false, the wildly held belief that Islam is not compatible to democracy. He further said that this idea has gained immense popularity after September 11. He states that biggest challenge in front of the Islamic nations is the choice that they have to make between the modernization and fanaticism and the future of the Middle East all depends on which of them will go for a longer period. John Esposito espoused that El Fadl indicates complex and multiple manner by which Qur’an can be interpreted by the religious fundamentalists, fanatics and politicians to fulfill their various social and political motives. Jeremy Waldron appreciates El Fadl’s study of the theory of the Islamic democracy. Jeremy says that El Fadl conceptualized in the most articulate way the issue of the Islamic tradition and the way in which he poises about the politics and the rule of law in the milieu of the medieval age and how these thoughts were so prevalent in the early modern thought in the Christian era. Also, how the moral and ethical values in the context of good governance had to struggle to make its place in front of scriptural authority and theocratic rule. The most enduring thing was that these ideas not only grew out of the abased environment but also actually kept on presenting itself by religious ideas and ecclesiastical practices. Muqtedar Khan talks about the â€Å"Pact of Medina†, which was signed between the Prophet and Jews and the pagans of the town. This pact he said could be utilized to give the Islamic world the model for democracy and pluralism. In this pact, all the parties were guaranteed equal rights and equal responsibilities. Echoing El Fadl, he pinpointed that Islam should be made a symbol of ethical values and moral principles and should solve all the problems from the new outlook and new democratic perspective. But Saba Mahmood criticized Fadl on the point of liberalization. She says that very concept of liberalization is full of contradictions and the limitations that follow. She further says that he focused more on rights of individuals than on community as a whole. El Fadl also ignored the human rights violations that follow liberalization, which are most popular in the most liberalized states like United States of America. Even Kevin Reinhart revokes same voice as Saba Mahmood by saying that El Fadl ignored the vital point of what the Western nations learned from their liberalized approach in their relations with the other countries including Islamic nations. The whole liberalized approach depends on polices of Westernized nations and the military interventions of the USA in Islamic countries jeopardized whole concept of democracy and liberalization. William Quandt too said that the absence of democracy in the Islamic countries do not lie in their religion perspective but the problem lies in the presence of monarchical or dictatorial regimes in these countries, which partially or all are backed by the Western powers. In William Quandt views lie the whole thrust of the problem in the Islamic countries. The requirement is the political and structural changes in the Islamic world that would bring about social and economic upliftment from the vision of democracy, which El Fadl, all the intellectuals and scholars agree won’t be welcomed by either the ruling regime or the Western allies. All in all, Islam and the Challenge of Democracy is the most thought provoking book ready to be explored and pondered in every religious and political arena of the Islamic world. WORKS CITED El Fadl, Abou Khaled. Islam and the Challenge of Democracy: Can individual rights and popular sovereignty take root in faith? Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004.

Identification of Finger Prints, Blood and DNA

Identification of Finger Prints, Blood and DNA INTRODUCTION Forensic science is widely used in the service of the justice system (Jackson). It has helped in solving cases by providing important clues and evidences. The usage of forensics in solving crime cases is inevitable. Forensic sciences is used in various areas like fingerprinting, DNA profiling, blood stain detection and many more. From the early days of complicated body measurements to todays sophisticated biometric devices, the identification of individuals by their bodies has been a mainstay of government and law enforcement. Computerized databases like AFIS now make it possible to compare thousands, or in the case of the FBI, millions of fingerprints in minutes. With the advancements in DNA detecting mechanisms, blood stains in the scenes of crimes have also become one of the most important evidences. After a homicide or an assault has been committed, police investigators usually find blood at the scene of the crime. This gives them clues as to what happened during that incident. The bloods texture and shape and how it is distributed around the victim often help investigators determine when and how the crime was committed. A number of techniques have been developed for the identification of fingerprints and blood stains in the crime scene. EVOLUTION IN FINGERPRINTING TECHNIQUES: In the mid-1950s fingerprinting was done using the dangerous mercury-based white powder, a coarse graphite-based black powder and squirrel-hair brushes. With a burst of innovation concerning fingerprint evidence as part of the crime investigation, ninhydrin test was developed. This method is extremely efficient on paper items, especially if the stock solution is added to fluorisol, which prevents writing on the paper from smudging. Ninhydrin reacts with the amino acids in perspiration, producing red, brown, or purple imprints; this is a most successful method of investigating check fraud. During the last decade, other techniques for discovering latent imprints have been developed. These include Super Glue, physical developer, small particle reagent, lasers, metal deposition, Sudan black, amido black, thermoplastic fingerprint powders and radioactive sulfur dioxide. Exceptional powders are available with greatly improved fingerprint brushes to help lots in fingerprinting. DFO is a recent improvement on ninhydrin, providing up to 300% more finger and palm imprints. One other advancement in this area is the use of photoluminescence. Fingerprint luminescence excitation initially used lasers, but filtered lamps are employed as well. This technology helps the forensic scientist to take a picture of the fingerprints immediately at the crime scene. Computers are now used throughout the world for maintaining and searching files of imprints and fingerprints of offenders found at crime scenes. Computer searches of crime scene imprints provide excellent results. The computer blasts through complete collections at fantastic speed, possibly scanning millions of digits, but there is no promise that the offender who made the imprints is not in the collection if identification is not made. Bio-metrics especially fingerprints has become one of the main areas of research. EVOLUTION IN BLOOD STAIN DETECTION TECHNIQUES: Blood is one of the most common physical evidences which is present in murder cases, accidents and violent crime investigations. A determination must be made if it really is blood. Eventhough there have been various tests to detect the presence of blood, the widely used tests are Kastle-Meyer test and the Luminol Test. Luminol is first activated with an oxidant, usually a solution of hydrogen peroxide and a hydroxide salt in water. Then, in the presence of a protein present in blood called hemoglobin, the hydrogen peroxide decomposes to form oxygen and water. Luminol reacts with the hydroxide salt, leading to the formation of a dianion. The oxygen produced from the hydrogen peroxide then reacts with the luminol dianion. This reaction produces an organic peroxide, which is very unstable and hence it immediately decomposes with loss of nitrogen to produce 3-aminophthalic acid (3- APA) in an excited state. As 3-APA relaxes, it releases a visible blue light. Luminol is sensitive to the presence of extremely small amounts of blood. It can detect bloodstains that have been diluted up to 300,000 times. The KM Test is a presumptive test which is used to check the presence of hemoglobin using phenolphthaleins color change in the presence of oxygen. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA: FINGER PRINTING THEORY: Fingerprints often leave residues of oils in the shape of the friction ridges. However, the friction ridge skin does not secrete oils. Some fingerprints will leave a residue of amino acids and other compounds. These principles make dusting techniques to develop fingerprints. (Finger print Powder- Wikipedia the free encyclopedia) CLASSIFICATION OF FINGER PRINT PATTERNS: The following table contains the finger print patterns for the fingers and toes: Right Hand: Thumb:Â  Whorl Index Finger:Â  Whorl Middle Finger: Loop Ring Finger:Â  Whorl Small Finger:Â  Whorl Left Hand: Thumb: Arch Index Finger: Whorl Middle Finger: Loop Ring Finger: Loop Small Finger: Loop The toe prints are all arch expect for the ring toe in the right leg which is whorl. The fingerprints using ink pad for the fingers and toes can be found in Annex C. DIFFERENCE IN PATTERNS BETWEEN FINGERS: The pattern in all the fingers except the left thumb is whorl. This might be the case because the environmental factors within the fetus would have been same for the fingers and hence there is not much change in the pattern between the fingers. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HANDS AND TOES: The finger prints in the hands are very easy to identify when compared to the toes. This is because the fingers are big enough for us to deposit the prints properly. However, the legs are small and since we dont use them like fingers it is very difficult to deposit it even while using the ink pad. Since the whole bodys pressure is on the toe, too much of pressure was applied on the paper by it. Hence the prints werent clear. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OLD AND NEW PRINTS: The old prints are not as bright as the new prints. The old print gets exposed to the atmosphere and hence they react with the air. Hence parts of the print vanish. Hence it is not as evident as the new print. However, the old prints is good enough for matching 16 positions on the finger print and thus easy to the catch the criminal. The old big toe prints deposited wasnt seen when developed by both the magnetic powder as well as the black powder. This is because the print wasnt deposited properly. Too much of sweat on the print made the prints to be smudged when the powders where used to detect their presence. Hence the prints were seen very faintly. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN METHODOLOGIES: The black powder had to be done very carefully since two much of powder made the finger prints to smudge. The magnetic powder was easy in a way because excess magnetic powder could be removed easily. However, the dusting had to be done slowly and such that that the brush wasnt too close to the finger print in order to get the print properly. The ninhydrin test was very easy because we didnt have much to do for it. However, many of my friends prints were pale. This might have been because they didnt apply enough pressure on their papers when they deposited the prints. Since I had applied so much moisture, the finger prints smudged badly and the prints werent clear. Hence I had to repeat the process again. However, the next I exerted too much pressure on the paper which made the fingers to sweat too much leading to smudging. Also the amount of time given to register the finger prints was too less. Out of the three methodologies used in this lab I find the ninhydrin solution test to be the most efficient one. This is because for because the human influence in this method was very less. Since we were beginners in this lab, we didnt have a proper idea of how much powder had to be used for these methods. Thus I prefer the ninhydrin solution method for fingerprinting especially for beginners. FINGER PRINT LIFTING: The dusting for finger printing lifting was done using the magnetic powder since excess powder could be easily taken away. However, when I lifted it the first time, a lot of air bubbles where formed which made half of the finger prints to vanish. Also since I had not given enough time for my finger prints to settle the prints werent clear when dusting. Hence I tried to avoid these when I lifted the second time. I pressed gently and allowed the prints and gave some time so that the prints to settle. While using the tape I made sure there were no bubbles. Hence I was able to lift a proper print of my right thumb finger using the lifter. IDENTIFICATION OF BLOOD STAINS: THEORY: The Kastle-Meyer test is a forensic presumptive test which is used to examine if the dried stains in a violent crime scene is composed of blood. The test is based on the peroxide-mediated oxidation of reduced phenolphthalein. In this reaction the heme molecule acts as a catalyst. The chemical indicator used in this test is phenolphthalein C20H14O4, a common acid-base indicator which turns pink, in basic solutions with a pH of approximately 8 or higher.. Phenolphthalein, a clear dye, immediately turns pink if oxidized by hemoglobin and hydrogen peroxide. There are three reagents involved in this test. To increase the sensitivity of the test the reagent, Methyl or Ethyl alcohol is used. It does this by cleaning up the area in and around the bloodstain to better expose the hemoglobin. Phenolphthalein, the second reagent acts as a color indicator. This solution when oxidized (exposed to oxygen), turns pink. Hydrogen Peroxide is the 3% form typically found in drugstores. Hydrogen peroxide is essentially water with an extra oxygen atom attached to it. These chemical reactions are further stated using the following equations: This test is nondestructive to the sample. Hence the sample can be kept and used in further tests at the lab. This test has the same reaction with human blood and animal blood. So, further investigation is required to determine whether it is human or animal blood. ANALYSIS: The blood stain turned pink instantly after adding all the three reagents stating the presence of blood. When the reagents where added to copper powder, it turned pink even before the addition of the hydrogen peroxide showing giving a false result . Thus it is vitally important to add the reagent first, then wait a few seconds, then add the hydrogen peroxide. Ketchup didnt change at all showing the absence of hemoglobin. Whereas, cabbage solution turned yellow. Beetroot and ribena solutions turned colourless due to their neutral nature with very very slight pink tinge occurring due to their natural colour. Hence except for copper there werent any false positive tests in the samples which were recognized. LIMITATIONS: Eventough Kastle-Meyer test can detect blood upto dilutions of 1:107, there are many limitations for this test. In the presence of vegetable peroxidases, like in horseradish, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. the test gives a false positive result. Oxidizing species present in the sample also causes this test to fail. (Kastle-Meyer test:Limitations) For example when this test was performed for copper powder the Kastle-Meyer reagent turned pink even before hydrogen peroxide was added to it. Thus it is very much important that we wait for a few seconds after the reagent is added and then only we need to add hydrogen peroxide. The Kastle-Meyer test gives positive results to both human blood as well as animal blood. In general, it gives a positive result to all hemoglobin containing blood.. In order to ensure that the blood is really from a human species, a confirmatory test such as the Ouchterlony Test is performed. (Kastle-Meyer test:Limitations) In short, color catalytic tests are very sensitive in nature. The negative results from these tests show that these samples do not hemoglobin and so it is not blood. However, the positive results need not be correct in all cases. It is noteworthy to mention here that false positive tests occur due to the presence of a reducing agents, animal blood, peroxidases and many more. (Kastle-Meyer test:Limitations) FINGER PRINT PATTERNS IN IDENTICAL TWINS: When a fertilized egg splits into two, it leads to a development of two embryos. This leads to the development of Identical twins. Since the twins are formed from the same egg, their DNA is identical. The interactions between the environment in the fetus and the genes, plays an important role in the fingerprints and the appearance of a person. The environmental factors include blood pressure, nutrition, etc. (Twins Fingerprints: Identical Twins and fingerprints) The genes thus play an important role in depicting the fingerprint patterns in humans. The skin of the finger is in contact with various parts of the fetus and anionic fluids in the uterus. The interactions between the fingers and these parts changes due to the movement of the fetus and the mother. Thus this microenvironment plays an important role in the details of the fingerprint patterns. (Why Identical Twins have Di) Though there are only minimal changes in the environment, the differentiating cells make the differences in the fingerprint pattern to be seen evidently. All these reasons make fingerprint patterns in the twins to be different. This also makes fingerprints between the finger and the toes from being the same. (Why Identical Twins have Di) Eventhough after birth, identical twins just look the same they also have a few physical differences for e.g. moles which help in distinguishing one from the other. These physical differences amplify day by day and become greatly evident. CONCLUSION: Fingerprinting by dusting and ninhydrin solutions help in lifting them properly. It makes sure that none of the fingerprints in the crime scene is unnoticed. However, it is important to note that these techniques should be done only by people who are very experienced. Kastle-Meyer test helps in identification of blood stains but it also gives false positive tests. Hence the samples should be analyzed once again to check the presence of blood in it. The lab was very enriching and gave a true picture of what is done by forensic scientists at the crime scene.

ancient mid-east history Essay -- essays research papers

History, or at least the study thereof, as shown by class, is divided into three specific categories: remembered, recovered and invented--each having their own benefits and downfalls. The main purpose of studying history is to gather information about the past; to see the cause and effects of different situations; to see how this information can be applied to our lives, to understand why and how and others think in certain ways; and thus eventually lead to a better appreciation different peoples—one way or another. It is also inprotant to realize that history is not just about ‘what-really-happened-in-the-past’, but is a complex intersection of truth, bias and hopes. Realizing that the major importance of history is rooted upon ideas or principles and not facts, dates or names, this course was designed not to address the material as the history of X region from X date to X date, but rather in an order and a manner that the student (in this case, me) could retain the most valuable ideas possible and learn them in a fashion most aptly suited to the students understanding of certain ideas and principles. I also realize the importance of the ideas and processes of history over the actual facts, names or dates within our study. Thus, in composing this capstone, I will attempt to use specific examples of course-material to exemplify what I thought was the main theme (themes) of the class, rather than attempting to go section by section and enumerate the material within. After all, I already have print copies of all of the course notes; if I wanted to go back and look at the any of the material covered, I can use those (note to my long-off-as-of-yet-self); therefore, it would be pointless for me to attempt restate all that was learned in all of the courses sections. With that stated, let us first look at one of the first cases of history as a science to see an exaple of the first type of history, remembered. Because he is one of the first men that we have found to attempt to record the past, we say that Herodotus is the â€Å"Father of History.† Herodotus’s works, â€Å"The Histories†, which are of form of both a remembered and invented are a record of primarily two things: the Persian Wars, and the Greeks’ double defeat of the mighty forces led against Greece by the Persian kings Darius and Xerxes. Just as any good entertaining story would, the histories are full of gos... ... Schliemann liars, because we do not trace our own personal values back to them—if they are found discreditable, that does not mean that anything that we believe in, or even ourselves, is threatened. However, put something that we cherish, for example the Christian Church, into the spotlight, and we quickly become very defensive and uncomfortable. Perhaps this says something about human nature, and more so, possibly says something about how our view of history could become perverted. Thus we see that history is much more than the study of â€Å"Dead White European Males†; it involves men and women from many different cultures, of many different lifestyles, the study of other related subjects such as language, writing and religion, it even at times requires one to be an expert on ceramics (as is the case of Denise Schmandt-Besserat's theory on the origins of cuneiform). The course has also provided invaluable information that has revealed the common background shared by some of the most dramatically contrasting civilizations of today. It is now up to the individual to use what he or she has learned from this class to better current society, and as an aid to comprehending other matters.

Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures Essay -- English Lite

Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures Introduction More than three-quarters of the people living in the world today have had their lives shaped by the experience of colonialism. It is easy to see how important this has been in the political and economic spheres, but its general influence on the perceptual frameworks of contemporary peoples is often less evident. Literature offers one of the most important ways in which these new perceptions are expressed and it is in their writing, and through other arts such as painting, sculpture, music, and dance that the day-to-day realities experienced by colonized peoples have been most powerfully encoded and so profoundly influential. What are post-colonial literatures? This book is concerned with writing by those peoples formerly colonized by Britain, though much of what it deals with is of interest and relevance to countries colonized by other European powers, such as France, Portugal, and Spain. The semantic basis of the term ?post-colonial? might seem to suggest a concern only with the national culture after the departure of the imperial power. It has occasionally been employed in some earlier work in the area to distinguish between the periods before and after independence (?colonial period? and ?post-colonial period?), for example, in constructing national literary histories, or in suggesting comparative studies between stages in those histories. Generally speaking, though, the term ?colonial? has been used for the period before independence and a term indicating a national writing, such as ?modern Canadian writing? or ?recent West Indian literature? has been employed to distinguish the period after independence. We use the term ?post-co... ...rad, Patrick White and Margaret Atwood?, World Literature Written in English 24, no. 2 (Autumn). Campbell Praed (1981). Policy and Passion. London: Richard Bentley & Sons. Howe, Joseph (1874). Poems and Essays. Montreal: Lovell. Ngugi wa Thiong?o (1972). Homecoming: Essays on African and Caribbean Literature, Culture, and Politics. London: Heinemann. Ngugi wa Thiong?o (1986). Writers in Politics. London: Heinemann. Phillips, Arthur (1958). ?The cultural cringe?. The Australian Tradition: Studies in a Colonial Culture. Melbourne: Cheshire. Said, Edward W. (1984). The World, the Text and the Critic. London: Faber. Tiffin, Chris, ed. (1978). South Pacific Images. St Lucia, Queensland: SPACLALS. Viswanathan, Gauri (1987). ?The beginnings of English literary study in British India?. Oxford Literary Review 9:1 & 2.