A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings Research Paper

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings - Research Paper Example Although this novel and story are different in the content that they analyze and the overall message that is brought to bear upon the reader, the exemplification of the magical realism that typifies Marquez method of conveyance helps the reader to more completely and fully understand the term as a function of what it means to literature and the understanding thereof. As a means to understand the literary contrast and comparisons that exist between these two stories, this analysis will consider the mechanisms by which the author relates the subtext that each story necessarily engenders. The first of these works, Marquez’s Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of a local town leader who finds his life forever changed by the presence of traders who bring the marvels of modern science to his otherwise simple and somewhat backwards world. As a function of his fascination with these marvels, the protagonist immerses himself in pseudo-scientific study and alchemy in the hopes tha t he can use the marvels that these traders have brought to greatly enhance his own life, the life of his family and that of his people (Ahmad et al 47). However, the result of his experiments does not lead in the direction that he hoped as he merely becomes more and more ostracized from his own family and people; continuously seeking for borderline supernatural approaches to better himself and those around him. The story further evolves as a type of allegory with regards to how the protagonist represents the culture that comes into contact with the marvels of the Western world yet at the same time must suffer the destructive nature that such a contact necessarily brings with it. As a function of creating this comparison, the author invokes the magical understandings of what had previously defined the culture as compared to the rigid scientific methods that the protagonist attempts to force to coincide with a much simpler albeit more mysterious way of life that his people had experi enced prior to the arrival of the gypsy traders. However, what is unique in the mechanics of the story is the scope of action that it encompasses. As compared to the second story which will be considered, the subject matter is spread over a long time period that â€Å"magically† encompasses the life of a single individual (Mills 114). As a means to engage the reader on the range of intercultural issues that arise as a result of Europe meeting the Western Hemisphere, the author has a wealth of information and parallels that can be drawn that work to help the story to cover a much longer time span than would have been available had a different medium other than magical realism been utilized. With regards to the second story in question, â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings†, the author takes a different approach to imparting the magical realism that defines the story. Rather than analyzing the action that takes place over an indefinitely long period of time, the auth or instead chooses to focus on the juxtaposition of human emotion as a function of the way that the individuals within the story engage practical versus non-practical as well as the feeling of sympathy and selfishness. As the â€Å"fallen angel† of the story is uniquely different from human interpretations of what an angel should be, the villagers do not know what to make of it (Corso 44). In this way, the protagonist of the story feels compunction to care for the creature. However, rather than representing the action

High School Life Essay Example for Free

High School Life Essay High school is a place where young teens learn to become mature and responsible. It is a place where students get trained to take on bigger challenges in life. Obstacles such as college. From my own personal experiences, high school didnt seem that way. Students were more concerned about getting a passing grade then about what they were taught. They would even cheat their way out of high school. This would prepare them for college. My freshman year of high school, I was in a totally different place and it seemed quite interesting and fascinating at first. As the year passed by, I started to notice the techniques students were using to pass classes. It was something I didnt see while I was in junior high school. Students were cheating on almost all the tests. They would bring little print-out cheat sheets to class to use on the tests. Hardly anyone got caught by the teacher. When students did get caught, all they would do is deny and usually the teacher would just let them get away with it. As Casey Banas wrote in Why Students Are Turned Off? I sometimes estimated that half to two-thirds of a class cheated on a given test, Glanz said. Worse, Ive encountered students who feel no remorse about cheating but are annoyed that a teacher has confronted them on their actions (Banas 659). Cheating seemed like the popular thing to do and if you didnt cheat you would be considered real foolish.. Everyone in the class knew what was going on and it was basically a whole class effort to cheat. Students would discuss what the answers were before taking the test and give each other opinions on how to cheat safely. When the test came back, every student in the class would have a real close score, but the teachers didnt seem to notice anything at all. Most of the students that go into a certain class usually wouldnt even know what went on even after the class has ended. As Casey Banas wrote: The teacher is convinced that the subject matter is worth knowing, but the student may not agree. Many students, Glanz said, are not convinced they need to know what teachers teach; but they believe good grades are needed to get into college†¦.(Banas 659) These kids could literally just sit there for forty-five minutes daydreaming. I find that many students feel the classes are extremely boring and is of no use to them in the future. I always used to ask myself Why do I need to know this stuff for?. When students feel this way, they dont do the work because they dont think they need it in life. When I used to go to high school, my whole class would get assignments and home works and about almost three-fourths of the class didnt do it. Instead they would wait until someone who was paying attention and did do the assignment to come along and let them copy the assignment. They would do it in way that the teacher wouldnt even know by slightly changing some words here and there. After that, that paper gets passed around the entire class to the students who didnt do the assignment and everyone would have a slightly different paper. This way all the students hand in the assignment and will get a passing grade, but did they even learn anything?. These techniques that were used in the high school that I attended did work and a lot of students graduated from high school using these techniques. I, myself, used these techniques and got through my freshman year. As time went on I found that high school was really boring so I decided to cut and eventually dropped-out of school. These students got good grades and did all the assignments, but the truth is, they didnt learn much at all. They can have a 85 average and get into a good college, but will they be prepared enough to survive college level work? I dont think so.

Madame Bovary Vs. The Awakening Essay -- Madame bovary Awakening Compa

Madame Bovary Vs. The Awakening Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert and The Awakening by Kate Chopin both show the life of a woman in a half-dreamy stupor, overzealously running around looking for something but not knowing what it is they are looking for. They feel immensely dissatisfied with the lives they are stuck with and find suicide to be the only alternative. The two books, Madame Bovary, written in 1857 and The Awakening, written in 1899, both have the theme of confinement and free-will, yet differ vastly with respect to the yearnings of the main characters. In addition, Edna and Emma, the protagonists of Madame Bovary and The Awakening respectively, are faced with a conflict between external oppression and their own free will, which eventually leads them to take their lives. Edna and Emma have vastly different yearnings yet similar reasons for suicide. Edna’s and Emma’s yearnings are vastly different, if not opposite. Edna yearns for an uncontrolled lifestyle because her current lifestyle leaves her feeling like a possession. She yearns to break that label; she fights to do as she wishes. Her moving into the Pigeon house, shedding of layers of restrictive clothing, and having affairs with Robert and Arobin show this feeling of confinement. Emma, on the other hand, wants to indulge in what Edna fights against; she wants to be owned and attempts to achieve self-fulfillment through romantic attachments, whereas Edna wants to break away from all attachment, especially family and society. Emma’s yearnings are shown through her affairs with Leonce and Rudolphe, her unrestricted spending of money, and through her thoughts and feelings of discontent. Emma yearned to escape the monotony of her life; she coveted sophistication, sensuality, and passion, and lapsed into extreme boredom when her life did not fit the model of what she believed it should be. Emma merged her dream world with reality without knowing it in order to survive the monotony of her existence, while ultimately destroying her. It is not her intellect, but her capacity to dream and to wish to transform the world to fit her dreams, which sets her apart from Edna. For instance, at the scene where Emma and Charles go to the La Vanbyessard’s chà ¢teau, Emma is awestruck by a fat, uncouth, upperclassman. At the head of the table, alone among the ladies, an old man sat hunched over hi... ... never really loved her. Even the moneylender played her weakness and took advantage of her. Emma realized also that her romantic idealisms could never be filled; that though a man like that may exist, she could never find him. â€Å"But if somewhere there existed a strong, handsome man with valorous, passionate and refined nature, a poet's soul in the form of an angel, a lyre with strings of bronze intoning elegiac nuptial songs to the heavens, why was it not possible that she might meet him some day? No, it would never happen!† (Flaubert 245). Emma loses all hope, and falls into a deep state of depression. â€Å"Besides, nothing was worth seeking-everything was a lie! Each smile hid a yawn of boredom, each joy a curse each pleasure its own disgust; and the sweetest kisses only left on one's lips a hopeless longing for a higher ecstasy!† (Flaubert 245). This loss of hope due to the crumbling of the foundations of her dream world and her inability to emulate the model she set for herself led to her suicide. This is similar to Edna in that Edna’s inability to achieve total independence forced her to commit suicide rather than be forced to live in such a world of tyranny and repression.

Stem Cell Therapy Essay

Sepulveda Bio. Anthro. Tues 6-9 Cell Replacement and Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Neurodegenerative Disease Stem cell therapy is being used to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease itself, new therapies and treatments, along with a cure are currently being studied by universities and stem cell researchers. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which attacks the neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement, eventually leading to respiratory failure and death (Kamel et al. 2008). The current course of action for a patient with ALS is physical therapy and, if their budget allows, cell replacement therapy. However there is presently no cure and the patient will eventually have respiratory problems and die from the disease. Adult stem cells (ASCs) and blastocyst or embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are being used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in cell replacement therapy, yet this only slows the degeneration of their neurons (Goldman, Windrem, 2006).Research for both adult stem cell and blastocyst stem cell technologies are the only practical option in approaching a cure or more effective treatment for ALS. Both of these technologies require stem cells, but are challenging to safely retrieve and utilize through the current treatment methods, which is why it is essential to continue to support and fund this research. Cell replacement therapy is currently the only stem cell treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, but researchers are trying to find new ways of treating and possibly curing ALS.Cell augmentation using stem cells could be the future of treatment for ALS but scientists are currently working to increase availability of the needed ESCs and ASCs to treat patients using cell replacement therapy. There are three different ways to harvest the necessary stem cells for neuron replacement: growing ESCs in vitro, har vesting stem cells from the brain or spinal cord of a live donor through biopsy, and harvesting from the brain or spinal cord of a donor post mortem (Sohur et. al. , 2006). The goal of treatment of ALS is to slow and eventually stop cell loss progressing to the point of functional impairment.To accomplish this goal, protecting the remaining neurons as well as replacing and augmenting damaged neurons is important. The ultimate goal, to cure ALS, is to fully restore authentic neuronal circuitry or â€Å"full systems reconstruction† (Ormerod et. al. 2008). Full systems reconstruction would consist of recreating a map of precisely patterned neurons of the correct type using the stem cells to send projections to the appropriate field within the brain. The cure seems virtually impossible with the technology currently available, but recreating neurogenesis may be possible in the future.Adult stem cell harvesting is difficult and costly when retrieving the stem cells needed to treat neurodegenerative diseases from brain matter or spinal fluid. Neurons are very specific cells in the brain and spinal cord and possess a special set of neurotransmitters depending on their function; this poses problems when harvesting ASCs (Zhang et. al. , 2006). The ASCs needed to treat ALS must be able to specialize and replace degenerating neurons affected by the disease. This procedure would not be possible without using stem cells to replace the damaged and degenerating neurons.However a problem associated with ASCs is rejection of foreign cells when transplanting ASCs taken through biopsy from a donor. Although biopsy from the patient receiving treatment is an option, the ASCs required come from the brain or spinal cord and can be very dangerous to harvest this way. Adult neural stem cells can be harvested from brain tissue, either from a deceased donor or through biopsy, and then grown in a culture (Ormerod et. al. , 2008). ASCs will not expand nearly as much as ESCs in cultu re and will differentiate into a limited number of neuron types.When using ESCs, which conform to the necessary specialized type of neurons, the lack of flexibility encountered in the ASCs is eliminated. Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), however difficult to harvest initially, will multiply greatly when grown in culture. The ESCs are generated by in vitro fertilization and grown into the blastocyst stage before harvesting. The advantages of ESCs are boundless; the results of the therapy would not be obtainable without use of the stem cells to replace the damaged cells.The ease and frequency with which ESCs can be expanded in culture is a significant advantage over ASCs. Growing such high numbers of stem cells in this fashion can prove problematic though, while the cells reproduce indefinitely they become more susceptible to mutation and may cause tumors following transplant (Ormerod et. al. , 2008). Thus, a challenge rises to differentiate the cells fully before transplant or to gr ow many more cultures from different donor eggs, which are difficult and expensive to receive.ESCs are more easily specialized into neurons, oligodendrocytes, and glia needed to treat ALS than ASCs; but the possibility of tumors forming in the patient along with the cost and complication of creating new chains of blastocysts from donor eggs pose a disadvantage of using this technology (Ormerod et. al. , 2008). Taking into consideration ESC technology’s advantages and disadvantages, it is equally as viable an approach to a cure for ALS as ASC technology. ALS is an extremely destructive disease which unfortunately plagues a large population.ALS is difficult to treat because it is a neurodegenerative disease and requires brain surgery and neuron replacement. Both adult stem cell and embryonic stem cell therapies have potential to increase the quality of life for patients with ALS but they both have their own individual inherent risk that must be taken into account by the patient and doctors when choosing a stem cell therapy method. Donors are few and far between and the necessary cells are very specific for this particular procedure.Through an increase in research and development of new ways to multiply and store stem cells, along with an increase in donors, the road toward a cure will be a short one. Hopefully in the future the treatment will become easier, less costly, and less dangerous for the patient. Works Cited Larsen CS. 2010. Essentials of Physical Anthropology: Discovering Our Origins. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company Ormerod, B. K. , Palmer, T. D. , & Maeve, A. C. (2008). Neurodegeneration and cell replacement. Philosophical Transactions: Biological , 363(1489), 153-170.Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20210044 Sohur, U. S. , Emsley, J. G. , Mitchell, B. D. , & Macklis, J. D. (2006). Adult neurogenesis and cellular brain repair with neural progenitors, precursors and stem cells. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Scien ces, 361(1473), 1477-1497. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20209745 Kamel,, F. , Umbach, D. M. , Stallone, L. , Richards, M. , Hu, H. , & Sandler, D. P. (2008). Association of lead exposure with survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Evironmental Health Perspectives, 116(7), 943-947. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/25071103 Goldman, S. A. , & Windrem, M. S. (2006). Cell replacement therapy in neurological disease. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 361(1473), 1463-1475. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20209744 Zhang, S. , Li, X. , Johnson, A. , & Pankratz, M. T. (2006). Human embryonic stem cells for brain repair?. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 363(1489), 87-99. Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/stable/20210040

African Americans Status in 1890 Essay

There were many problems that African Americans faced in the 1890’s some of which still exist in today’s society. African Americans have come a long way and earned many rights but still live with the hardships that they had in the 1890’s. The status of African Americans at this time in United States history was not good. Blacks had a very hard time living especially in the south. The problems that blacks dealt with were primarily found in the south where they were not accepted. Segregation became huge across the entire south after the Supreme Court ruled that â€Å"Separate but equal† was legal in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. Everything was separate but it was almost never equal. Whites always had things better than African Americans did. Blacks could not ride in the same train cars as whites. The national government gave blacks the right to vote but southern state governments took away that right through the use of poll taxes and literacy tests. A big problem that blacks faced was trying to stay alive. Many blacks were killed for no reason during this period of time. Jim Crow laws were set up to keep blacks from enjoying the same rights and privileges that whites enjoyed everyday. The Ku Klux Klan was set up by whites who had hatred for blacks. Blacks in the south feared for their lives and their families’ lives everyday. It was certain that African Americans would be confronted by racism each and everyday in the south. Relationships between blacks and whites have greatly improved in the last century but things still are not perfect and it is unlikely that they ever will be. The greatest changes were made during the civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s when blacks stood up for themselves and gained their rights as American citizens. Laws were finally passed that made literacy tests and poll taxes illegal. Segregation came to an end after Brown v. Board of Education turned over the ruling made in Plessy v. Ferguson. There was no longer â€Å"Separate but equal†, it was now just equal. Although many big steps have been taken to stopping racism and segregation it still exists in our lives today. African Americans still see racism everyday even though they are now doing many things with whites. Blacks and whites have been able to peacefully interact with each other for decades but you still see newspapers talking about segregation and racism. The overall improvement has been very significant. Comparing today’s society to the 1890’s show a lot of good change yet there are still problems in our society with race relations.

Too Close for Comfort essays

Too Close for Comfort essays Interpersonal relationships are a one of the most common ways human beings interact with one another other. There is no one set definition because it is such a broad subject with many different components that make communication interpersonal. A good way to explain Interpersonal Communication is, There are few participants involved, the interactants are in close physical proximity to each other, there are many sensory channels used, and feedback is immediate. (Gouran, Dennis, W.E. Wiethoff, First off, I will introduce you to a young woman named Lexi. I first met her last summer when I came down from Reno to attend an open cheerleading clinic. The first time I set eyes on her my heart stopped and I couldnt breath, it was going to be a wonderful and exciting year for me. I was introduced to her and couldnt wait to start talking and getting to know her. At first, over the summer, it was merely a hello goodbye kind of relationship. It didnt help that she was living in Ohio and I was living in Reno. We stayed in contact with one other throughout the summer, not talking for more than fifteen to twenty minuets at a time. When our cheerleading season started at the end of July and I finally got settled down in my house we started to have more conversations and were interacting with each other more often, going to parties, bowling, watching movies together, and so on. Our relationship was building, becoming more personal and intimate so to speak. We also had a non-verbal way of interacting with one another, like flirting. We would wrestle and play fight, which in my mind is a strong communication...

The Life Of Walt Disney Essays - Business, The Walt Disney Company

The Life Of Walt Disney Essays - Business, The Walt Disney Company The Life Of Walt Disney This book is about the life of Walt Disney, an American legend. The Arthur begins the tale with a view of the family before Walt Disney's birth on December 5,1901. In the first few pages after it goes on into describing the child within the man, his humor and his innocent view of the world through child's eyes. The next few chapters go on to describe various jobs he took as a child, the family conflicts within the home and the stern father that commanded obedience. The book touches slightly on how his brothers one by one left home, mainly because of disagreements with the father. It depicts the struggle of a young artist constantly trying to better himself and the fierce determination to succeed. Walt Disney did his best with every job he took but never gave up his dream of becoming a cartoonist. Everything he did was towards a goal one can say he was a self made man with ambition and drive. Through out the chapters it chronologically documents the successes and disappointments of th e artist and the businessman. The journey that Walt Disney took in order to succeed was one of many obstacles and personal setbacks.

Serial Killer Edward Gein

Serial Killer Edward Gein When police went to Ed Geins Plainfield, Wisconsin, farm to investigate the disappearance of a local woman, they had no idea they would discover some of the most grotesque crimes ever committed. Gein and an accomplice had been robbing graves to find bodies for his experiments, but he decided he needed fresher corpses and began killing and dismembering women. The Gein Family Ed, his older brother, Henry, his father, George, and his mother, Augusta, lived on a  farm a few miles outside Plainfield. George was an alcoholic, and Augusta, a religious fanatic, was a demanding and overbearing woman. She loathed George, but due to her deep religious beliefs, divorce wasnt an option. Augusta had run a small grocery store until she purchased the farm. She picked it because it was secluded and she wanted to keep outsiders  from influencing her sons. The boys left the farm only for school, and Augusta blocked their attempts to have friends. As far back as Ed could remember, Augusta either delegated farm work for the boys or quoted the Gospel. She labored to teach them about sin, especially the evils of sex and women. Ed was small and  appeared effeminate. He often laughed randomly, as if at his own jokes, which resulted in bullying. In 1940, when Ed was 34, George died as a result of his alcoholism. Four years later Henry died while fighting a fire. Ed was now responsible for the welfare of his domineering mother, tending to her until her death in 1945. Ed, now alone, sealed off all but one room and the kitchen of the farmhouse. He no longer worked the farm after the government began paying him under a soil conservation program. Local handyman jobs subsidized his income. Fantasy of Sex and Dismemberment Ed stayed to himself, spending hours obsessed with sexual fantasy and reading about female anatomy. Human experiments performed in Nazi camps also fascinated him. As his mental images of sex and dismemberment merged, Ed reached gratification. He told Gus, another loner and longtime friend, about experiments he wanted to perform, but he needed bodies, so together they began robbing graves, including that of Eds mother. Over ten years, experiments with the corpses became more gruesome and bizarre, including  necrophilia and cannibalism. Ed then returned the corpses to their graves, except for parts he kept as trophies. His obsession centered  on his overpowering desire to turn himself into a woman. He constructed items from womens skin that he could drape on himself, such as female masks and breasts. He even made a body-size female-like jumpsuit. Mary Hogan Grave robbing was his  only source of bodies until Ed decided that perfecting his sex change required fresher corpses. On Dec. 8, 1954, Ed killed tavern owner Mary Hogan. Police couldnt solve her disappearance, but evidence at the tavern indicated foul play. Gus wasnt involved in the murder, having been  institutionalized beforehand. Bernice Worden On Nov. 16, 1957, Ed entered  Bernice Wordens  hardware store, a place he had been  hundreds of times, so Bernice had no reason to fear him, even when he removed a .22 rifle from the display rack. After putting his own bullet into the rifle, Ed shot  Bernice, placed her body into the store truck, returned to get the cash register, and drove to his home. An investigation into  Bernices disappearance began after her son, Frank, a deputy sheriff, returned late that afternoon from a hunting trip and discovered his mother missing and blood on the floor of the store.  Although Ed had no criminal history, Waushara County Sheriff Art  Schley felt it was time to visit the  odd loner. Unfathomable Crimes Uncovered Police found Ed near his home, then went to his farmhouse hoping to find Bernice. They started with the shed. Working in the dark, Waushara County sheriff Art  Schley lit a torch and found Bernices naked corpse hanging upside down, disemboweled, the throat and head missing. Turning to Eds house, they found evidence  more horrific than anyone could have imagined. Everywhere they saw body parts: skulls made into bowls, jewelry made from human skin, hanging lips, chairs upholstered with human skin, facial skin that resembled masks, and a box of vulvas including his mothers, painted silver. The body parts, it was later determined, came from 15 women; some could never be identified. Wordens mothers heart was found in a pan on the stove. Ed  was committed to  Waupun State Mental Hospital for the rest of his life. It was revealed that he killed older women because of his love-hate feelings for his mother. He died of cancer at 78, and his remains were buried in his family plot in Plainfield. Ed Geins crimes as a serial killer inspired the film characters  Norman Bates (Psycho), Jame Gumb (The Silence of the Lambs) and Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Sources Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, by Harold Schechter

Project Management Tools and Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Management Tools and Techniques - Essay Example These terms include project-oriented business, project-based organizations, management by projects, organizational structure of project form and temporary project organization. The Sydney Opera House is Australias best-known iconic structure that symbolizes the states beauty and culture. It is also famous due to its management failures during its construction, which had the effect of redesigning seventeen times before successfully ending. According to Architecture Week (2006, p.143), the architecture competition was won by JÃ ¸rn Utzon after New South Wales set out the bidding process in the year 1957, it construction was commenced in the year 1959. The duration that the project was to take was four years with an underestimated budget of $7 million. The project, however, took a total of 14 years to full completion, whooping a total cash of $102 million (Bull 2007, pp. 145-171). Taking such an escalated amount as compared to the initial value that was set with the addition of $95 million, are the reasons why the project is considered unsuccessfully planned and managed. Majority considers the project as the leading projects that had disastrous management in the history, not only from the management, but also financially. In its analysis why it is a consideration as one of the most unsuccessful projects trace from the initial stages. On the conception of this project, the priority is to set out the mission, objectives, and its goals by the time of its completion. "For any project, objectives, goals and intentions have to be defined under the guidance of the client, so that the project can be in line with what is needed to be completed" (Ramroth &William 2006 p. 52). The main factors in a project to be considered a success or a failure are costs, time, and quality. Concerning Sydney and its clients, the last option was of more weight to

You need to choose a topic from the materials Essay

You need to choose a topic from the materials - Essay Example The report raises addresses about responsibility. Since border executors are significant members of the Department of Homeland Security, they are not subjected to the same open examination as cops who utilize their weapons. It additionally addresses if, in the race to secure the border, operators are constantly enough prepared and it raises the inquiry: why arent these cases being indicted? Also the authorities still are not equipped to give a fulfilling reply. In order to go deeper into the report it is necessary to know the history of the borderlands of Mexico (GOP Legislators Visiting Mexico Concerned About Border Security 2001). The area of land which is presently known as Central America was the original land of ‘Mestizos’, who were partly Spanish and partly native. The Mestizos, started their journey towards south-west of United States for a better living, which is now known as Mexico (U.S.-Mexican Border Violence 2010). As United States of America was expanding, b oth in population and in size, this newly emerged Americans invaded the area, so long occupied by the Mestizos (Bergmark, Regan, Barr, and Garcia 2010). A fierce war broke out. Mestizos were defeated and finally peace was reinstated with the ‘Treaty of Guadalupe’ in 1848. Hundreds of Mexicans lost their lives in the war and thousands of them became homeless. Though some of the Mexicans fought back, the overall situation of the country was pathetic, full of terror and without having any law and order (Salividar 1993). American companies now came into the forefront. They entered by force into the Mexican Territory, and set up factories/mills/companies to maximize their profit by exploiting the local labor-force and the natural resources. Peso, the local currency was devalued and the economy of the country suffered due to large unemployment (Paredes 1991). The people, who were staying near the ‘borderline’ between USA and Mexico, now had to take an important d ecision of their

To what extent was Russia responsible for the July Crisis in 1914 Research Paper

To what extent was Russia responsible for the July Crisis in 1914 - Research Paper Example In the Germany army, model for all others, a conscript spent the first two years of fill adulthood in uniform, effectively imprisoned in barracks. The French organized into twenty military districts, comprising four or five departments. The Germans also divided into twenty-one Corps Districts. The Russian military organization resembled Germany’s, as did that of Austria-Hungry who produced Europe’s most complex army. There was central uniformity to each of their organization. Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungry all felt its position threatened in some way or other. The three great European empires, German, Austrian, and Russian, felt threatened by the national dissatisfactions of their minorities. The Germans deeply resented their lack of colonies, sought to extend the few they had acquired in Africa and the Pacific and were ready to quarrel, particularly with France, over influence in the few remaining areas not yet subject to European rule.1 All Europe an armies by 1904 had military plans, notable in most cases for their inflexibility. The First World War was the true turning point of the twentieth century. It brought down dynasties and empires. It made The Second World War inevitable and the set the stage for the Cold War. In hind-sight the events that led to World War I seem foolish misunderstandings yet, while there were some moderating voices on the continent, most were not ready to listen to reason. Above all, it was national pride, a genuine lack of understanding of each other’s national positions and miscalculations that caused World War I. The mood in each of the major countries at the time was quite different. Pre-war Germany was bursting with vigor and bulging with material success. Over all reined the Army with its discipline and high standards of professional conduct.2 The German people felt they needed and deserved an acknowledged supremacy like that of the British. The French yearned for the regaining of the A lsace-Lorraine region, lost after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Many believed the army was the means of restoring the national glory.3 In European forums, Russia would listen to the arguments on behalf of the balance of power but did not always abide by agreements made. Russia expected Europe to look the other way and felt hurt when it did not.4 England had no choice but to resist Germany who was already in possession of the strongest army in Europe and who began aiming for parity with Great Britain on the seas.5 By 1914 Austria-Hungary main foreign policy goals were to gain land in the Balkans at the expense of Turkey and to prevent the growth of South Slav nationalism undermining her Empire.6 In some degree, each of the major powers had something to gain from war. For Germany and Austria-Hungary there was a lot to be gained by war. The establishment of a position on the Continent that would enable them to compete on equal terms with England and attain the status of world power was perhaps Germany’s top goal.7 Austria saw it a way to gain territory and to stop her decline. In Russia, the ambitions for Balkan expansion and the recovery of Constantinople loomed great. As for France, a successful war would certainly remove a major threat to their security.8 Britain came to two conclusions though. The first was that if France and Russia defeated Germany unaided, the

6 - 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

6 - 7 - Essay Example Strategy is done through the application of Porter’s five force model to reduce supplier power, which enables them to price their goods at a lower price than competitors in the market. One of the factors that have also helped Wal-mart is innovation and change management. With an embracement of change through creative ideas, Wal-mart is able to stay before other competitors by continually changing their strategies to fit the market. As already mentioned, using a business model based on cost leadership has also helped Wal-mart. This strategy helps them manage their suppliers and share business risks with them, thus reducing costs and ultimately the final price faced by the customer. However, despite the market leadership enjoyed, Wal-mart has continually lost customers to its competitors who have attractive prices and better convenience. This can be related to problems of managerial capability, which can be overcome by innovation. Wal-mart needs to stop focusing a lot on meeting shareholders’ needs and instead focus more on customers’

Leadership Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Analysis - Essay Example Leadership qualities in the roles of such characters as Brian Cassidy, Elliot Stabler, Amanda Rollins, Nick Amaro, Fin Tutuola, John Munch, and Olivia Benson come into sharp focus as cases of sexual assault characterize their daily duties (Green, Dawn & Wolf, 2009). Viewers have a chance to witness the backdrop of the most thrilling and bizarre occurrences of the conditions facing their victims and the overwhelming interrogations the detectives involve the suspects. Personal skills, character traits remain as the most overt leadership qualities in the twelve series show. This research paper examines the extent to which human involvement employ the leadership theories as seen in the T.V series, Law & Order: Special Victim Unit. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a fascinating T.V series, a crime drama of the Law $ Order (Green, Dawn & Wolf, 2009). It is a daily activity of detectives, who work in the Special Victim Unit of the 16th Precinct. This unit, set from the New York City Pol ice Department, centers on crimes related to rape, sexual attack, and child molestation. All these are inhumane acts and subject to the Holy book are punishable. The unit captures all other closely related to domestic mistreatment such as household cruelty, kidnapping, and child desertion. Since its premiere in 1999, the series has largely featured four detectives, who tirelessly work for the unit (Green, Dawn & Wolf, 2009). As the program is in a season series format many seasons, in most of them, five detectives seem to run the show under the leadership of Donald Cragen. For the detectives work to be complete and decisive, the unit has a prosecutor assigned form the DA’s office. The main role of the prosecutor is to interact with the assigned examiners and the unit’s psychiatrist George Huang (Green, Dawn & Wolf, 2009). As the series unfolds into the different seasons, related characters come in full view. Series is largely about things, which need continual talking throughout our daily lives. The detective’s moves and involvements focus on things that everyone sees only in cable news, and this makes domestic crime revelation that it is a serious act of violation. The series creates awareness to its viewers. This makes the cases and the characters a big part of why the series has had a long and a successful run. As viewers watch the detectives run through daily operations, one gets a mixer of different people operating on a different level of thinking, and operations. Even though the show is enjoyable, and its content interesting, some of the scenes are downright offensive. Viewers can see the leadership rationale employed by the protagonist of the show in making some decision sometimes going beyond human ethics. For example, the detectives make entries into people’s lives and homes without consideration of their cultural, religious, or lifestyle practices. This goes beyond the Biblical principle of extending honor unto others. As much the operations of any police department deserve no boundaries in pursuit of justice towards their clients, the unit leadership ethics should have embraced some decency. As a viewer, sometimes you would wonder why this policing system in the unit beat up suspects, sometimes with no consequences. Does it mean that the legal system they use is purely for their own gain? According to the Holy Law, any interrogation should be subjective and none-coaxing. For example, in some scenes

6 - 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

6 - 7 - Essay Example Strategy is done through the application of Porter’s five force model to reduce supplier power, which enables them to price their goods at a lower price than competitors in the market. One of the factors that have also helped Wal-mart is innovation and change management. With an embracement of change through creative ideas, Wal-mart is able to stay before other competitors by continually changing their strategies to fit the market. As already mentioned, using a business model based on cost leadership has also helped Wal-mart. This strategy helps them manage their suppliers and share business risks with them, thus reducing costs and ultimately the final price faced by the customer. However, despite the market leadership enjoyed, Wal-mart has continually lost customers to its competitors who have attractive prices and better convenience. This can be related to problems of managerial capability, which can be overcome by innovation. Wal-mart needs to stop focusing a lot on meeting shareholders’ needs and instead focus more on customers’

International marketing Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

International marketing - Dissertation Example The main focus of an interpretive approach is on processes which help in surfacing up the meanings and negotiating them (Schwandt, 1999). Interpretive approach focuses on the individual and uses one of among several qualitative data collection techniques and analysis processes. This approach further branch out into several other approaches, having different views (Alvesson and Skoldberg, 2000; Lindlof, 1995). The one used in this research is Hermeneutic; which according to Martin and Sugarman (2001) is an approach which â€Å"moves beyond both scientism and social constructionist, accepting the self-interpreting nature of humans within their social-cultural context, but not reducing them completely to these origins†. Hermeneutics can be considered as an approach which enables the researcher to further explore the meaning of the desired topic so as to get an in-depth understanding of it (Alvesson & Skoldberg, 2000). This approach is subjective and uses more personal qualitative techniques. It focuses more on comprehending the situation involved and analysis of qualitative data (Gummesson, 2000). According to Patton (2002), the qualitative data can be collected by means of interviews; structured or semi structured; documents and observations. For this research, data was collected by conducting semi structured interviews. This technique was employed owing to the fact that the research so far done in this area has data and results that have certainly become outdated. Thus to emanate more latest information from within the concerned industries so that it could be useful for further study and exploration, interviews were done which would yield rather up to date and more interesting facts. These interviews have helped the... From this research it is clear that every country has its own communication pattern. For the success of an international business there is a strong need of focusing on relationship development that is â€Å"an integrated effort to identify, build up and maintain a network of relationships with employees, inter-organizational partners and customers for mutual benefit† which significantly require a well thought integrated communication strategy. Thus success of Mc Donald’s working in over 115 countries simultaneously can be taken as an example of it modification of selling and communication techniques to effectively communicate with its various stakeholders. Owing to the importance of relationship building among various stakeholders with varied cultural background, comprehending the role of communication is essential for any company with international business. The intercultural barriers can be effectively removed by imporved and adapted and selling process accordingly be cause if not it leads to the widening of gap between the two culturally different parties thus affecting the rapport of the company, personal bonding and log term compatibility which in turn can badly impact the marketing efforts of the company thus it becomes essentially significant for any company to first analyze the communication pattern of the country it wants to work in and then build the relationship by appropriate communication channel and thus communication. According to the second respondent, they have well established guidelines for conducting marketing in varied countries, however, owing to the fact that culture varies these guidelines are modified accordingly.

Is Odysseus a superman Essay Example for Free

Is Odysseus a superman Essay Odysseus; the strong and brave god-like warrior in the Trojan War, who also possesses characteristics such as compassion, loyalty and talent as an orator, which makes him such a influential character within Homers novel: The Odyssey. The book, depicting the Adventures of Odysseuss misfortune, and the journey through which he must get home to reclaim his life, land and his dear wife, portrays Odysseus as the central character with the unmatchable strength and abilities. But do Odysseuss remarkable qualities classify him as a Superman, and by what means do we exactly class as a Superman? In my mind, a characteristic of Superhuman qualities is one which is that or beyond a normal humans. Therefore, we may classify Odysseuss characteristics as either of superhuman quality, or that like of a normal human beings. Odysseuss physical strength is one of his most remarkable and powerful qualities, which we come to learn of. It is because of this great strength, which allows him to throw the biggest discuss as the Phaeacian Games, hurtling it through the air where it landed far beyond the others. Book VIII The Phaeacian Games With this he leapt to his feet and, not even troubling to remove his cloak, picked up the biggest disk of all, a huge weight, more massive by far that those used in their regular matches. With one swing he launched it from his mighty hand, and the stone hummed on its course. The Phaeacians, lords of the sea and champions of the long oar, cowered down as it hurtled through the air; and so lightly did it fly from his hand that it overshot the marks of all the other throws. His strength is also what allows him to string and draw the great bow with little effort, before the great battle in the hall. Book XXI The Great Bow , he strung the Great Bow without effort or haste and with his right hand proved the string, which gave a lovely sound in answer like a swallows note. This great strength, which Odysseus possessed, was certainly beyond that of normal humans, as demonstrated in these examples and when the suitors failed to string and draw the bow as Odysseus displayed. Therefore, we may conclude that this quality is that in the nature of a Supermans as it is far greater than would normally be so. Odysseus also possessed other qualities, which were demonstrated within the novel. Apart from being the strong and powerful character, which he certainly was, he also had a softer, more timid side. Take for example the chapter in which Odysseus must talk with the ghosts of the dead in Hades. Here, Odysseus experiences panic and fright with what he must endure, as the underworld is that of a dismal and gloomy place. Book XI The Book Of The Dead From this multitude of souls, as they flustered to and fro by the trench, there came a moaning that was horrible to hear. Panic drained the blood from my cheeks. This panic and fright is certainly not of superhuman qualities, as they are stereotyped to be brave and valiant in all situations, which they might have to endure. Odysseus also experiences feelings of compassion and desire during his ventures: Book XI The Book Of The Dead Next came the souls of my dead mother, Anticleia, the daughter of the great Autoclycu, who had still been alive when Isaid farewell and sailed for sacred Ilium. My eyes filled with tears when I saw her there, and I was stirred to compassion. As my mother spoke, there came to me out of the confusion in my heart the one desire Thrice, in my eagerness to clasp her to me, I started forward with my hands outstretched. Thrice, like a shadow or a dream, she slipped through my arms and left me harrowed by an even sharper pain. As I have already mentioned, I have defined a quality that is not of superhuman nature, to be one, which is just as any normal human beings. It goes unsaid saying that normal human beings experience emotions of desire and compassion, and also that of panic and fear, from which we can infer that Odysseus also has qualities which are not like that of a Superman. From these observations and presumptions of the novel The Odyssey, I have found that Odysseus, the brave warrior who fought at Troy, and endured the callous ventures of his misfortunate voyage home, may be one of a diverse character. There is the side of him, which is the superiorly strong and brave fighter; capable of facing and conquering some of the most horrific and atrocious situations one must endure. This may be classified as a quality like that of a superhuman, one of which is that or greater than a normal humans. Then there is the softer and more emotional side, to which Odysseus demonstrates his feeling of compassion and desire, which may be noted as characteristics which are not like that of a superhuman, which I have established as like that of a normal human beings. From this we can conclude, that Odysseus, not only had qualities like that of a superman, but also possessed emotions and desires like that of a normal person.

The Economics Behind Green Revolution In India History Essay

The Economics Behind Green Revolution In India History Essay In the year 1943, India faced one of the worlds worst recorded food disaster, known as the Bengal Famine. The famine took a toll of 4 million people in eastern India alone. The reasons forwarded for this famine was an acute shortfall in the food production in that area. However, the noted economist Amartya Sen believed that the hysteria related to the World War II was a more important factor which made food supplies a low priority for the British rulers. After Independence also, India continued its emphasis on the food production scenario to feed its evergrowing population . To this effect India promoted the Green Revolution during the period 1967-78, focussing mainly on wheat, rice, corn and millets. Prior to 1967, the efforts to achieve a higher level of food production were not very successful. Durng this period the main emphasis was on increasing the total area under food production. The results were nor very enthusiastic. People were still dying of hunger. The rate of growth of population was still higher than the rate of growth of food production. To prevent this government took drastic measures and announced the green revolution. As we mentioned above, the total area under food production was being continually increased after 1947 and this continued to increase even after 1967 to meet the growing demands of food. However, this was not the most striking feature of Green Revolution. Double Cropping of area already under production The area under production was cropped only once a year prior to the green revolution. The government encouraged and developed means to double crop the existing farmlands. This was the most striking and important feature of Green Revolution in India. The one cropping per season was being done owing to the single natural monsoon season in the country. For the double cropping to be successful, government built huge irrigation facilities. Dams were made to capture the huge amount of natural rain water which was earlier wasted. Using improved seeds for production This was made possible through heavy investment in Research and Development. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research was responsible for development of High Yielding Variety of seeds, mainly wheat and rice but also corn and millet. K68 variety of seed for wheat was the most noteworthy of all seeds developed. Developed by Dr. M.P. Singh, this seed was by far the most important contributor to Green Revolution, thus, Dr. M.P. Singh is rightly called the father of Green Revolution in India. Logic of Green Revolution in Economic Development Nationwide agricultural growth with productivity growth The Green Revolution lead to a bumper rise in the overall production and productivity of foodgrains in India and wheat and rice in particular. The farmers were benefitted the most because of higher returns on their investment. They had a bumper produce due to the HYV seeds. Uplifting income of majority of population (rural population) to a certain level The income of a majority of the farmers was increased due to the introduction of HYV seeds as the yields had increased. They were now better off than they were before they used the HYV seeds. Thus, the standard of living of Indian Rural population rose. Thus creating a large market for non-agricultural products and services With the sudden surge in the standard of living the rural population started demanding more of non agricultural products thereby raising their demand in the market which led to a surge in the production of these goods and services. Development of non-agricultural sector in a sustainable manner Thus, the development of agricultural sector gave way to the development of non agricultural sector also, contributing to the overall growth of the economy. Economic Impact of the Green Revolution As mentioned above, Green revolution had a major impact on the economic conditions of India. The major ones are explained below: High yielding variety of seed needed more water, more fertilisers, more fungicides, pesticides and other chemicals. This raised the demand for these products and therby, led to a growth of the non agricultural local manufacturing sector. This growth created more jobs and increased the countrys GDP. Dams that were created for providing irrigation facilities by storing natural rain water were also used for generating hydro electricity. This created new jobs, boosted industrial growth and raised the standard of living of people in rural sector. All the loans that India took from the World Bank and its affiliates were paid back because of the success of green revolution. This helped in making India creditworthy in the eyes of lending agencies and other countries. The green revolution resulted in a huge demand for labour, thus, providing them more employment and, as a result, raising the overall standard of living. Some developed countries, like Canada, were very impressed with the success of Green Revolution in India, they requested Indian Government to help them in implementing the Green Revolution in their country. Indian Government sent some farmers, who were already well versed with the techniques of Green Revolution, from Punjab and Haryana to Canada and got them settled there. This is the reason why there are so many Punjabi speaking Indian origin citizens in Canada today. These people also transferred a part of their earnings to India at that time, therenby, raising Indias foreign exchange earnings. Statistical Results of Green Revolution Green Revolution was a major hit in India and it had the following numerical results: India produced 131 million tons of food grains in 1978-79. India was thus established as the worlds biggest agricultural producer. Not only this, India for the first time, became a net exporter of foodgrains during this period. The yield of our farmlands grew significantly by 30 percent from 1947 to 1979. The total crop area using High Yielding Variety of seeds significantly grew from 7% to 22% of the total cultivated area. Thus, adding to the overall production of food grains.

Essay --

Four methods to elevate your Facebook Ads with the 'Power Editor' Getting begun with Facebook Ads should be easy. Add a post to your Page's News Feed, select the "Boost Post" button and toss some money at your campaign. Or, if you want to advertise on the social network’s sidebar, simply upload your preferred written text and picture. Facebook even has a system tool that can manage positioning bids for you. Unfortunately, these easy installation or setup steps -- which many advertisers never shift beyond – hardly, provide easy facts of what's possible with Facebook Ads. For the best focusing and putting in bid choices, you need to start using the Power Editor plug-in. Here are four functions to check out once you've set up the plug-in in your account: 1. Focusing on Fan. According to analysis Company Webtrends, focusing fans only with Facebook ads can improve click-through by more than 700 %. There are the situations where you'd want to flourish your reach beyond present followers -- if, for example, you're trying to improve your variety of Web page "Likes." But in most situations, delivering posts to current fans that don't already see them due to the News Feed algorithms can generate some of the most powerful overall campaign outcomes. The only way to focus on your ads to existing visitors is through the Power Editor plug-in. Look for the choice under the "Audience" section of the Ad Creation Screen. Related: Facebook Is Making Life Simpler for Social Media Managers 2. Partner Categories. In April, Facebook released the "Partner Categories" feature depending on the data offered by the Datalogix, Epsilon, and Acxion data research organizations. Basically, these 500 categories signify multiple Facebook users that can be off... ...he Power Editor is its ability to make simpler most ad creation process. No matter what type of strategy you're operating, it's a wise decision to create several ad modifications in order to spilt test your results. Establishing up these variants using the self-serve ad tool or system can be extremely time-consuming, but the "Duplicate" button in the Power Editor’s Ad creation area makes strategy setup go much more efficiently. And while you're in there copying your ads and making the necessary changes to each edition for upcoming examining, take in the Saved Viewers you created. Mixed, these two feature tips can help you get your campaigns up and operating in the quickest period of time possible. Related: Facebook Gives Companies Free Access to Shutterstock Pictures for Ads. The author is an Entrepreneur contributor. The views indicated are those of the author. Essay -- Four methods to elevate your Facebook Ads with the 'Power Editor' Getting begun with Facebook Ads should be easy. Add a post to your Page's News Feed, select the "Boost Post" button and toss some money at your campaign. Or, if you want to advertise on the social network’s sidebar, simply upload your preferred written text and picture. Facebook even has a system tool that can manage positioning bids for you. Unfortunately, these easy installation or setup steps -- which many advertisers never shift beyond – hardly, provide easy facts of what's possible with Facebook Ads. For the best focusing and putting in bid choices, you need to start using the Power Editor plug-in. Here are four functions to check out once you've set up the plug-in in your account: 1. Focusing on Fan. According to analysis Company Webtrends, focusing fans only with Facebook ads can improve click-through by more than 700 %. There are the situations where you'd want to flourish your reach beyond present followers -- if, for example, you're trying to improve your variety of Web page "Likes." But in most situations, delivering posts to current fans that don't already see them due to the News Feed algorithms can generate some of the most powerful overall campaign outcomes. The only way to focus on your ads to existing visitors is through the Power Editor plug-in. Look for the choice under the "Audience" section of the Ad Creation Screen. Related: Facebook Is Making Life Simpler for Social Media Managers 2. Partner Categories. In April, Facebook released the "Partner Categories" feature depending on the data offered by the Datalogix, Epsilon, and Acxion data research organizations. Basically, these 500 categories signify multiple Facebook users that can be off... ...he Power Editor is its ability to make simpler most ad creation process. No matter what type of strategy you're operating, it's a wise decision to create several ad modifications in order to spilt test your results. Establishing up these variants using the self-serve ad tool or system can be extremely time-consuming, but the "Duplicate" button in the Power Editor’s Ad creation area makes strategy setup go much more efficiently. And while you're in there copying your ads and making the necessary changes to each edition for upcoming examining, take in the Saved Viewers you created. Mixed, these two feature tips can help you get your campaigns up and operating in the quickest period of time possible. Related: Facebook Gives Companies Free Access to Shutterstock Pictures for Ads. The author is an Entrepreneur contributor. The views indicated are those of the author.

Book Analysis: No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court Essay

A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Humes dedicated a year of his life researching California’s juvenile justice system His book, â€Å"No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court† is inspired from this experience. Humes has written a moving account of California’s juvenile justice system and the children who pass through it. This carefully researched book chronicles the arrests of seven teenagers and their experiences both in juvenile court, and while serving time. The book also describes the legal processes and interactions between prosecutors, public, private defenders, and judges that decide the fates of these teenagers The book begins by shedding light on the development of laws for Juvenile Delinquents. In the 1960s sentencing for juvenile offenders was entirely left to the mercy of the judge since as minors they were not granted the same legal rights as an adult However this practice allowed an Arizona Judge to sentence a teenager to six years in jail for making just an obscene phone call. Three years later when the Supreme Court overturned the conviction it ruled that juvenile delinquents could not face sentences more severe than adults This particular ruling, though safeguarding delinquents from the whims of an overzealous judge has also allows those who have committed serious juvenile offences to receive sentences which are more lenient than those warranted by the severity of the crime. This ruling and its consequences in shaping the life of Juvenile delinquents forms the cornerstone of Hume’s book . When Hume’s wrote his book the law in California allowed only offenders sixteen years old and up to be tried in adult court. This has proved to be an arbitrary and extremely infuriating cut off for both the prosecutors and the Judges. The reason for contention is that this law often allows a delinquent who is just a few months short of a sixteenth birthday being given a lesser sentence for a crime quite severe in nature while a delinquent who is just barely a few months over sixteen is a given a longer sentence for a crime of a less severe nature In his book Hume’s illustrates the injustice that delinquents have to suffer as a result of this ruling. He follows the case of 15-year-old Ronald Duncan from a middle class family with no prior criminal record. Duncan was accused of double homicide when he shot his employers at point-blank range. The motive for the crime: a few hundred dollars and revenge for a petty reprimand by his employer on being late for work. But because Ronald was still a few days short from his 16th birthday at the time of his crime the maximum sentenced he received was eight years and would be released by his 25th birthday– with a clean record. The author draws a parallel between this case and Geri Vance another case he has been following. This 16-year-old was forced to participate in a motel robbery by two drug dealers. When the robbery was botched Gerri ended up getting arrested because he took his wounded partner to hospital and sacrificed a chance to flee. Geri lacked a pre-meditated intention to commit this crime, a determination to reform, an excellent record in juvenile hall, the fact that he had not fired his gun and that he had taken a wounded man to hospital. How can they charge me with murder? I never even fired my gun at anyone, Geri tells the Intake Officer, which is perfectly true — and, legally at least, completely irrelevant. â€Å"I was forced to take part in that robbery. I didn’t want to do it, but I gave in. I know I have to do some time for that, I understand that. But I’m no killer. † (Humes 1997, 13) But despite all this he still ended up facing potential life imprisonment when his cohort died of his wounds because he had already turned sixteen and was treated like an adult. This is definitely a much severer penalty than the one imposed on Duncan who deliberately shot two people with the intent to kill them. However Gerry did get lucky on a plea bargain and his sentence was reduced to 12 years, still longer than the time served by Duncan â€Å"Geri Vance, the would-be motel robber — the murder defendant who killed no one — faces life in prison without possibility of parole, and will almost certainly get it. Ronald Duncan, the shotgun killer, can serve no more than eight years, and probably will do less. He can never see the inside of a state penitentiary. After his release, his record will be wiped clean, as if it never existed, the files sealed by state law, so that he can move freely, run for office, own a gun. † (Humes 1997, 15) In his book Hume tries to establish that three out of four juveniles who are arrested under the age of 16 walk away with minor punitive action. This has resulted in an increasing incidence of repeat offenders. He states that in California, repeat offenders account for almost 16 percent of the total crime committed y juvenile delinquents. However these repeat offenders only get serious and deterring punishment when their offences progress to the most serious levels. Until that happens the juveniles are not actually deterred from committing a crime because of the lax punitive measures. In his book Humes mentions that an experienced judge can predict the punishment meted out to a juvenile just by looking at the size of the file. â€Å"When a file is a sixteen of an inch, it will almost certainly end in probation. A quarter to a half inch, add some time in the hall†¦. An inch or so in thickness and the likely sentence is one of the county’s two dozen juvenile camps. And over two inches, the kid is probably a Sixteen Percenter. â€Å"(Humes 1997, 35) Another major issue: that Hume discusses in his book, is the fact that juvenile offenders with financial resources receive much more lenient sentences. He states that rich kids get their sentences tailored according to them while the poor kids receive sentences tailored to their crimes. He cites that this injustice occurs because rich kids and their parents can hire lawyers who prove to the judge through character witnesses that the rich kid is a law abiding and morally righteous and that his criminal behaviour is a deviant occurrence which can be corrected through rehabilitation and does not warrant a long sentence. However the poorer kid cannot prove the case for rehabilitation and ends up with a longer prison sentence. Hume discusses the need to reform the young offender. Offenders should be caught early at the age of 13 or even before that when they first start to cut school and commit their first offence or right after they join their official gang. â€Å"And, finally, when I was growing up, I learned how to load bullets into a gun. I learned how to carry it and aim it, and I learned how to shoot at the enemy, to be there for my homeboys, no matter what† (Humes 1997, 17) Currently the system doesn’t focusing on reforming those who are caught early because it is too overburdened in punishing those that it has allowed to become repeat offenders and commit serious crimes. Hume sites that there is a lack of proper rehabilitation facilities to accommodate those who can benefit and reform as a result. Rather than release young juvenile offenders parole send them to rehabilitation camp can prove to be a greater deterrent that can cause them to abandon their life of crime and escape serious punitive action in the future. Hume ends his book by advocating that that early prevention programs targeting kids with high-risk profile can yield positive results and reduce the incidence of absenteeism from school, first time drug use and repeat offences. He also notes that there is greater support to change the Law and have all juvenile delinquents be treated as adults and warrant serious punishments attributable to their crimes. Though this would definitely ensure that the Ronald Duncans of the world get what they deserve it would also mean turning a blind eye on the countless kids who could have been reformed through a rehabilitation program.

An Alternative to Incarceration for Nonviolent Offenders Essay

Community corrections is a range of alternative punishments for nonviolent offenders. There are two basic community corrections models in the United States. In the first model, integrated community corrections programs combine sentencing guidelines and judicial discretion with a variety of alternative sanctions and parole and probation options. In the second model, some states have instituted programs in which correctional officials may direct already sentenced offenders into alternative sanction programs and parole and probation options. Both models are designed to help reduce prison overcrowding and are less expensive alternatives to prison. Widespread development of community correction programs in the United States began in the late 1970’s as a way to offer offenders, especially those leaving jail or prison, residential services in halfway houses. The first state community correction programs began in Oregon, Colorado, and Minnesota as pilot projects with very little government-funded support. They diverted nonviolent offenders in selected pilot project areas from jails and state prisons into local alternative punishment programs. These programs allowed judges to sentence offenders to a community-based punishment rather than jail or prison. Rehabilitation programs were the preferred punishment option. In the late 1980’s, prison systems across the country began experiencing serious overcrowding of facilities. The overcrowding served as a catalyst for lawmakers to develop new options for sentencing criminal offenders. Nineteen states have now enacted various community correction programs. Community correction programs provide many communities with local punishment options as an alternative to prison or jail. These sanction programs are lower cost alternatives to increased prison and jail construction, based on the cost per offender. They provide local courts, state departments of corrections, and state parole boards with a broad range of correctional options for offenders under their jurisdiction. The goal is to match the appropriate punishment with the crime. Community corrections programs are integrated sanctioning strategies which seek to achieve the following goals: †¢The offender is punished and held accountable. †¢Public safety is protected. †¢Victims and local communities receive restitution from felons who work in their present jobs and/or in restitution programs. †¢Community service work increases. †¢Collection of court costs and fees increases due to contractual agreements with offenders who remain in their present jobs. Eight states have adopted comprehensive Community Correction Acts which create a network of correctional programs for specific types of offenders. The acts create mechanisms by which state funds are granted to local governments and community agencies to encourage local sanctions in lieu of prison or jail. While no two state programs are alike, a comprehensive community corrections program generally includes the following elements: †¢A locally integrated criminal justice system which supports a network of decentralized or centralized correctional programs for specific types of offenders. For instance, in Minnesota, local community corrections advisory boards composed of county sheriffs, chiefs of police, prosecutors, judges, defense lawyers, probation agents, and other local officials create comprehensive correction plans to improve the administration of justice at the local level. The plans detail the various options of punishment in the community which are available to judges and other criminal justice officials when sentencing offenders. †¢These integrated systems generally include restitution programs for nonviolent offenders. Offenders’ wages are applied directly to restitution, court-ordered fines and fees, and room and board. Placement in the work programs usually lasts from three to six months. †¢Programs are administered by local governmental or nonprofit agencies at the county or regional level, and are funded by the state under a single system which provides for local punishment options. Funds are provided contractually or directly depending on the involvement of nonprofit agencies. †¢Sentencing guidelines for local, district, or regional judges prescribe a uniform sentencing structure with a variety of punishment options for offenders. They differ from determinate sentencing by targeting alternative punishments for the non-violent offender population. †¢The punishment authorized under sentencing guidelines is generally tailored for the crime and applies to all similarly-situated felony offenders. For example, judges must follow a rating system based on the severity of the offender’s crime, the frequency of violations, and the nature of the crime. Rating scales are adjusted periodically by sentencing commissions to reflect statewide sentencing patterns. Non-violent crimes have the lowest criminal rating, allowing judges the broadest range of sentencing options. In contrast, judges must impose very specific sentences for violent or serious crimes. Serious or violent felons sentenced to prison receive very little if any good time credit, and must serve a specified term while in prison. †¢Responsibility for community correctional service is delegated to local units of government. This joins sentencing and punishment in one administrative level, with incentives for the most efficient use of local and state correctional resources. †¢A post-prison release program, operated through a parole or probation system, is an integral component of a local community corrections treatment system. Community corrections sanctions may include: †¢24-hour residential programs which provide a structured living environment for offenders who require supervision when not working or looking for employment; †¢Non-residential drug and alcohol treatment programs; †¢Electronic monitoring of offenders placed on home detention (offenders must wear bracelets that allow parole officials to monitor their movement); †¢Diagnostic evaluation and counseling ordered by the court as part of a pre-sentence process; †¢Pre-trial intervention which provides close supervision and support services to selected offenders prior to trial; †¢Community service programs; †¢Day reporting centers where offenders are required to discuss the progress of their job search and daily activities with parole officials; and †¢Mandatory education programs. There are several key elements to an integrated community-based correctional program: †¢Collaborative long range planning by local and state law enforcement officials to reduce the use of prisons for felony sentencing; †¢Coordinated use of local and state correctional resources; †¢A state funding mechanism to ensure a local level of correctional services; and †¢Ensuring public safety in community correction facilities. One of the goals of sentencing guidelines is to match the community sanction with the offender. The types of offenders which are considered for community sanctions include the following: †¢Offenders who might benefit from prevention services, and are of criminal activity in the future: school drop-outs, urban youth gang members, and juvenile offenders with learning disabilities. Prevention services could include mid-night basketball leagues, big brother programs, special education programs, and other activities. †¢Offenders who might benefit from early intervention services. This group is generally composed of first time offenders. Early intervention may reduce their chances for committing future crimes. They generally require services related to education, work-skill development, and substance abuse and alcohol counseling. †¢Offenders who might be eligible for diversion programs. This group is basically those people in jail or prison who may safely be diverted to alternative programs and services. They generally are second or third time offenders who have failed on probation and have been convicted of a number of non-violent offenses. Under California’s â€Å"three strike’s law†, they could face life imprisonment if their first two felonies are violent and/or if the third felony is violent. The goal of sentencing guidelines is to match target offender groups with the appropriate community sanction. While there are some variations among state sentencing guidelines, most establish punishment by the severity, frequency, and nature of the crime committed. For example, in Michigan, if an offender is arrested for burglary and has a previous drug arrest, state sentencing guideline ratings provide a range of sentencing options from alternative community corrections to up to a 24 month prison sentence. The community correction option allows the judge to sentence the offender to a secured community-based substance abuse treatment program for six months, followed by a short probation period. The judge has the discretion to choose from an array of options. On the other hand, if an offender is convicted of a serious felony and has previous non-violent felony convictions, sentencing guidelines provide that alternative community corrections is not an option, and require a minimum 24 month prison sentence. While offenders sometimes violate the terms of a community correction sentence, so far there is no evidence that the offenders currently entering these programs are a danger to communities. Evaluation studies are currently randomly tracking offenders who participate in community correction programs to determine the success or failure of the programs. The eight states which have enacted comprehensive community correction laws require a well-defined local implementation strategy that targets specific offender populations, and seeks to match their needs with the correct community sanction and service, before state funds are dispersed. Several states have also enacted on-going performance evaluation reviews to identify problem areas and fine-tune sentencing options. The other four states do not offer financial incentives or disincentives, although local implementation strategies are closely monitored by state legislatures. Four of the 8 states also offer formula-based incentives which require community agencies to develop comprehensive, integrated long-range community correctional plans. The greater local resources and services available under the plan, the higher the state funding. Most local plans are coordinated at the county level and identify all available community treatment programs, including prevention and intervention programs, training programs, and diversion programs. Local plans must include data detailing how the community correction programs are expected to reduce commitments to prison. The formula grants include a disincentive for sending certain kinds of felons to state prison, in the form of a per-diem fee which is deducted from the local grant. Grantees are also required to monitor offenders for possible parole violations after they complete the community corrections program. Louisiana has the oldest state boot camp program in the country. The Intensive Motivational Program of Alternative Correctional Treatment (IMPACT) has as its goals: †¢Provide an alternative to long-term incarceration for youthful first- and second-time offenders. †¢Reduce costs without undue risk to public safety. †¢Develop participants’ self-discipline, self-confidence, self-respect, individual responsibility, and respect for others. In order to participate, an offender must meet the following eligibility criteria: †¢Male and female offenders under the age of 40 serving sentences in state prison. †¢First time felony offenders committed to state custody for 7 years or less for an offense with parole eligibility. †¢Second-time felony offenders who have not previously spent time in state prison and who have been committed to state custody for 7 years or less for an offense carrying parole eligibility. †¢No offenders with outstanding felony charges, numerous outstanding misdemeanor charges, outstanding immigration detainers, mental or physical health problems, history of assaulting behavior or escape, overt homosexuality, sex offense against a child or any violent sexual offense, or absence of post-release plan. In 1987, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections began operating a 136-bed military-style boot camp program at the medium-security Hunt Correctional Center (Up to 20 female slots are also available at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women; these inmates are bused to the boot camp daily). The 90- to 180-day program uses a three-phase approach to promote its philosophy of discipline and treatment. Regular program activities include military drill and ceremony training, physical training and organized recreational activities. Treatment programs include a re-education therapy class that requires participants to evaluate their beliefs and values, substance abuse education classes and activities, and prerelease (life skills) preparation. Extra duty or incentive physical training are required for minor disciplinary infractions. More serious infractions may result in reduction in rank, additional duties, or, in some cases, dismissal from the program. About 55 percent of participants graduate from the program. On release, all IMPACT parolees are assigned to 3 months of intensive parole supervision where, in addition to the regular conditions mandated for all parolees (maintain employment or full-time educational training), they must satisfy the following requirements: a minimum of 4 face-to-face contacts with a supervision officer each week, adherence to a curfew, 100 hours of unpaid community service work and random drug and alcohol screenings. After 3 months, supervision standards are gradually relaxed. Depending on individual performance, at the conclusion of this period, the parolee will continue receiving intensive supervision or is placed in regular parole supervision. According to the Multi-State Evaluation of Shock Incarceration report to the National Institute of Justice, Louisiana is one of three states who’s program results in lower recidivism rates relative to comparison groups. Failures are more often for technical violations of parole than for new crime violations. It is estimated that each 100 inmates completing the program result in a cost savings of $750,000 to the state (Nieto, Marcus: Feb. 1996). REFERENCES Travis Hirschi, and David Rudisill, An Evaluation of California Probation Subsidy Program, Vol. 1: Commitment Reduction and Probation Subsidy: A Summary of Available Data, Center on Administration of Criminal Justice, University of California at Davis, (Davis), 1977. Probation/Parole Survey, Corrections Compendium, The National Journal for Corrections, August, 1994. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. A Survey of Intermediate Sanctions, Washington, D.C. September, 1990, and Nieto, Marcus, California Research Bureau, The Changing Role Probation In California’s Criminal Justice System, April, 1996. Peters, G.T., Intermediate Sanctions: A Discussion of Illustrative Programs. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Washington D.C. 1990. Stone, Susan and Fulton, Betsy, Achieving Public Safety Through Rehabilitation and Reintegration: The Promise of a New ISP, Presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Science Conference. Kansas City, Missouri. 1995. Nidorf, Barry, Chief Probation Officer, Los Angeles County, â€Å"Los Angeles County, Varied Uses of Electronic Monitoring: The Los Angeles Experience†, Edited by John Ortiz and William Selke. Intermediate Sanctions: Sentencing in the 1990’s. Anderson Publishing Company, 1995. Bourque, Blair, Han, B, Hill, Mei, and Sarah, M,. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. An Inventory of Aftercare Provisions for 52 Boot Camp Programs. NCJ 157104. Washington, DC. January, 1996. Nieto, Marcus, California Research Bureau, Community Correction Punishments: An Alternative to Incarceration for Nonviolent Offenders, Sacramento, CA., February, 1996.

Religion and Its Effects on Globalization

To be successful today, enterprises must now manage products and services, customer contact, delivery, and supply-chain management in real time; all on a networking-centric fabric with customer demand for anytime, anywhere access to information and services leading the charge. People around the world understand the importance of information technology and accept the fact that it is here to stay. This sudden expansion in the computer field created a pool of occupations that were open, yet unable to be filled by the current workforce. Not dealing directly with the IT worker shortage threatens not only the growth of the IT industry, but also the growth of the entire U. S. economy and our global competitiveness. U. S. will soon lack a supply of qualified core IT workers, such as computer scientists and engineers, systems analysts, and computer programmers. Since the shortage of IT workers is becoming a global problem, U. S. employers will face tough competition to hire and keep highly skilled IT employees. Introduction The world’s religions have been instrumental in shaping virtually all aspects of human experience and human perceptions. Certainly, religion played an important role in the development and the ongoing support of democratic principles. One can even go so far as to say that it was because of the determination engendered by religious faith that democracy was first founded in the modern world as religious refugees sought out a new land to worship as they believed they should. Religion has also been at the core of many of the world’s most horrific wars. Whether the jihads of the Middle East, the battles in Northern Ireland, or the ancient Crusaded, war has often been predicated on religion. In addition, there are many religious people, especially those who think of themselves as traditionalists, who are deeply skeptical about democracy. Democracy, in this view, is one of a horde of pernicious doctrines that modernity unleashed in its attack on religious truth. All that can be examined empirically is the fact that modern democracy, not that of the Athens of Socrates’ time, the democracy of the past two and a half centuries, is one that found its roots in the belief that all people have the right to believe as they will and that a nation must support that simple fact. Historically Most modern Americans have come to think of democracy as rather â€Å"old hat. † In reality, democracy is as fearlessly new today as when it was first proposed. â€Å"If it does not have to be reinvented, it certainly has to be rethought, by e very generation. Today there is a particular urgency about rethinking democracy in relation to its moral and religious grounding† (Neuhaus 87). Yet in terms of relative time in the larger course of human history, democracy is a relatively new idea and ideal. Assuming that people have a right to determine their own future, actions, faith, and government stems, in great part, from the understanding that a higher power, God, prophet, or spiritual leader has led them to understand that they are creatures who choose their path – what is often called â€Å"free agency. Judeo-Christian faith has established a foundation for Western democracy in its stories of the Bible’s Old and New Testaments of attacks by both law and prophets on the absolute power of rulers, the demands for redress for the poor and oppressed, and the exposing of self-interest in every kind of human system. The Christian revelation showed the equality of all in the sight of God and a vision of the Kingdom of God ruled by love not compulsion, strengthening the call for justice and for compassion for the weak. The Hebrew texts’ and the Bible's emphases on opposing political and social oppression, and on the religious fellowship that bound communities were taken up strongly in Europe, Britain, and North America. The First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution’s â€Å"Religion Clause† consists of two provisions. One forbids the â€Å"establishment† of a religion, and the other guarantees the â€Å"free exercise† of religion. The â€Å"no establishment† provision is in the service of the â€Å"free exercise† provision and suggests (or demands) that religion not be created by the state in behalf of the state. Of course, individual Americans have created new religions throughout the past two hundred years. Free exercise is the end, and no establishment is one means in the service of that end. This understanding of the Religion Clause has not always prevailed in our jurisprudence. Indeed, in recent years, the courts have frequently acted as though â€Å"no establishment† is the end, and in the service of that end they have officially decreased what many think of as the free exercise of religion in the public sphere. Recent news stories regarding the judge who wants the Biblical Ten Commandments hanging in his courtroom, or the stories requiring that municipal â€Å"holiday† displays reflect a multiplicity of beliefs. Philosophically Religion and politics have always had a turbulent history together. Religion and democratic politics have even more difficulty coexisting, because the former suggests an unyielding body of law, an peremptory understanding of what is right and what is wrong, and a clear knowledge of the direction that should be followed by the government. The fundamental precept of democracy suggests a much more relativistic approach. Democracy attempts to allow for laws that can be changed, a sense that the majority should determine what is right and what is wrong (and, correspondingly, when the majority changes or evolves the determination of what is right and what is wrong will also change), and a much more flexible idea of directions that should be followed by the state (Mahler 601). There has been a great deal of concern voiced throughout the last half of the 20th century that religion is declining worldwide and secularism is advancing. As modernity spreads, secularism spreads in its wake. The high degree of religious involvement with politics in the United States is said to be the dying gasp of religious forces that are using politics in an effort to postpone their demise. Early advocates of the secularization of modern society were those responsible for forming a large core of nineteenth-century European thought. Karl Marx was sure that class struggle and the triumph of communism would become the tale of modern life, while religion would soon be a mercifully finished chapter. Max Weber believed that in modernity's wake the mighty forces of rationalism and bureaucratization would defeat religion, if not entirely eliminate the religious. Sigmund Freud hoped that â€Å"the future of an illusion† would prove poor as people saw that the modern world gave them a chance to be free of religion and, ostensibly, free from personal tyranny, guilt, and fearfulness. Islam and Democracy It is important to look at faiths outside of the Judeo-Christian traditions in any discussion regarding the impact of religion on democracy. Islam serves as one of the best examples of the ways in which a religion has discouraged the formation of democracies and democratic political structures. The extent to which democracy and Islam are mutually exclusive has been tested empirically with implications for conflict in civilization and the prospects for democratic peace. Three measures of democracy were used in a study published in 1998: a political rights index, an index of liberal democracy, and a measure based on institutionalization (Midlarsky 485). The measure of democratic institutionalization behaves in a manner intermediate between the other two and shows that the likelihood of conflict is based on the likelihood indoctrinated negative attitudes directed at the non-Islam organization or nation. Politics in Muslim states have always been strongly influenced by religion. And yet, concern about the expansion and impact of religiously inspired politics is widespread, and the demise of communism has turned Islamism into what is perceived as the most dangerous enemy of liberal democracy However, issues such as the threats posed by an Islamic form of government on democracy and the use of religion to promote social and political justice continue to be debated throughout the world. The fact that debate takes place should speak well of the inclusion of some democratic principles as part of modern life regardless of religious belief or affiliation. An important factor to be considered is that the assumption of the moral correctness of one’s religion or the religion of an entire people has often led to the out-of-hand condemnation of other cultures, nations, and governments. That condemnation is often what then leads to religious-based battles and wars. The Modern Realm It is a common belief that religious fundamentalism–the appeal for a return to the literal reading of a holy text and its application to politics and society–is a major threat to democracy. In a democracy, people are supposed to treat each other as equals and with mutual respect. The most traditional and classic definition of the democratic life is that citizens have or should have equal public standing. However, the ancient texts of most faiths outline strong laws and constraints on individuals. In recent years there have been calls by religious leaders and politicians alike to return to such literal interpretations and definitions of right and wrong. But in a democracy, the state recognizes the integrity of the church, not simply as a voluntary association of individuals, but as a communal bearer of the witness to a higher sovereignty from which, through the consent of the governed, the legitimacy of the state itself is derived. That understanding is what allows for the multi-culturalism and diversity that is inherent in a democracy. Religion is not what has defined democracy just as democracy has certainly not defined religion. Democracy, at least in the United States, is still a spiritual concept in that the majority of Americans believe that vision of a society based on two fundamental beliefs. â€Å"The first is that all men, created equal in the eyes of God with certain unalienable rights, are free to pursue the longings of their hearts. The second belief is that the sole purpose of government is to protect those rights. The first Americans shared this deeply spiritual vision. Most Americans still do † (Reed 26). For more than 200 years, the people of the United States have pursued the vision of a â€Å"faithful† democracy, maintaining a firm foundation, and achieved greatness by honoring God and welcoming people of all faith into public life. Perhaps, such a statement can serve as an example of how religion and democracy truly interact – as mutually supportive concepts both based on fundamental perceptions of the meaning of truth in human life. That is one of the great privileges of democracy and one part of the foundation of faith.

Why I Want to Study Msc in Finance and Investment and How I Feel I Can Essay

Why I Want to Study Msc in Finance and Investment and How I Feel I Can Contribute to the Course - Essay Example I attribute this to the environment I grew in where most people were business people who had invested in different sectors of the economy. I undertook the course of Finance and Investment during my undergraduate programme and I would like to get a deeper understanding of the field. This would be possible through a MSC undertaking in the course. I want to gain the necessary skills and knowledge needed in the sphere in order for me to have first hand information when approaching investment situations. The understanding that I inherently have in issues of investment and finance also plays one of the most significant roles in my choice of pursuance of the MSC course in Finance and investment. Among my understanding is the appreciation that money which is invested wisely will generate more money, thus, boosting a country’s economy (John, 2006, p. 58). In the contemporary society, entrepreneurship is the only way of building a country’s economy since job opportunities are min imal. Due to this, it is very important for one to understand how to identify opportunities and strategize appropriately on how to use the available resources to generate more money. In this regard I will play a role in boosting the economy. MSc in finance and investment will enable me to understand behavioral finance.