Green Revolution Essay

Interaction between humans and the environment has always had a great importance in the development of humankind; according to Marx, what differentiates humans from other animals is the fact that humans can transform their surroundings to suit their needs, through labor. The Green Revolution is not the exception to that. In times of need the human being manipulated its environment to be suitable for its development, however, the question lingers, how efficient was it, how positive? The Green Revolution, from 1945 to the present, was motivated by the need to increase the production of food to supply for the increasing demand as population grew, to promote national self-sustainability in terms of food. However, during that period the effect of the Revolution have been detrimental to the environment and society: they have damaged agricultural diversity and heritage, damaged the lands, and put at risk food security; also, they have widened the gap between the very rich and the very poor, monopolizing the food industry. The Green Revolution originated after an urgent need to promote food security with a growing trend in global population, as a way to promote self-sustainability and independence. As it is clear in the report given by the Food and Agriculture Organization (DOC 2), in the period ranging from around 1929 (great depression) and 1945 (end of World War II) the global food supply index was below the world population. What this means is that there was literally not enough food being produced world wide to feed the world population. This struggle of human kind to stay afloat in supplying the minimum needs for survival meant that a change needed to occur. The answer, as Dr. Norman Borlaug stated in his Nobel Lecture (DOC 4) was not simply planting more in the developing nations, since the lands in those areas were â€Å"tired, worn out, depleted of plant nutrients†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Clearly, what the document refers is that a new, more effective way of growing food had to be developed. In fact, Dr. Borlaug states that the priority of the developments of the green revolution concentrated in the millions that were lurked by hunger, a large problematic that clearly was under the spotlight. As a proof that the world was prioritizing the deficient food supply is the statement given by President Harry Truman (DOC 3). President Truman was the leader of the most powerful nation in the world at the time, the one with the largest technological developments, and his word was the one that would set the course of the world. This particular speech is vital, since it is the inaugural speech, where he was to set the priorities of the government and address the world with what the United States had as a course for the future. In this speech, he clearly refers to the shocking figure that â€Å"more than half the people of the world are living in conditions approaching misery† and says that the United States will help provide â€Å"technical knowledge†¦ to produce more food† In the speech President Truman refers often to liberty, thus meaning that self-sustainability will provide freedom. This speech is the perfect example, the jewel of the trend that the world was seeing with regard to prioritizing food. The mention of â€Å"technical knowledge† is vital in the construction of the green revolution as a response to the lack of food, with technological developments in the agricultural field. Some have said that the Green Revolution has been a success in improving the food industry, and improving living conditions for everyone; nevertheless the numbers today reflect a mediocre success. Indian minister for food and agriculture (1964-1967) states in an interview (DOC 5) that the farmers of the state of Punjab competed to use the technology that was introduced by the green revolution the best. It is stated with a positive connotation, as to refer to the great feats of Punjab. This seems very positive, however, the most likely reason for this to have occurred is the fact that multinational corporations were kicking them out of the market and they were forced into utilizing the technology that those same corporations were imposing on them. If this were true, which it most likely is, as it has happened in many places around the world, it would discredit the great success that the Green Revolution supposedly is. Furthermore, the claim is that the Green Revolution has brought prosperity, however, to whom, to the ones that were rich already? A perfect example of this negative impact of the Green Revolution is the conversation between Mrs. Dula and the United Nations official (DOC 6), which gives a not very realistic perspective of the impact of the green Revolution and is concentrated exclusively in the sector of the very rich. This document is indeed quite revealing, as the speaker is an aristocratic woman of Mexico, probably a housewife who sees the world through the optic of his husband, a man who earns a salary if the revolution which he works for is successful; in fact, she is most likely part of one of the clubs she talks about herself. The occasion of this statement is a simple conversation with a UN official, probably at some sort of a social event, where the high class is all joined together, with perfectly slanted people who are not really analyzing the global impact of the Green Revolution. This document gives a crystal clear proof of how much the Green Revolution has made the â€Å"rich Mexican farmers† richer probably at the expense of making the poor laborers, poorer, however, this document presents only one, very bright point of view to sell the revolution. With regards to India once again, socially, they sell the idea of improvement, like in the report of the State of Punjab (DOC 9) where it says that the Green Revolution has seen with it the â€Å"emergence of middle and rich peasants† a very undesirable euphemism to conceal the actual situation. This document seems to give a perspective of social growth and development, of a population going for education, yet once again, it seems very idealistic in its tone, when in reality India has totally different conditions. With regards to that, India has one of the largest Gini index’s in the world, meaning a huge social inequality, and has one of the smallest middle classes in the world, which has diminished even more throughout the years, meaning that in reality, India may have had a somewhat positive year, but the general trend is of a very pronounced downturn in social progress, all related to the Green Revolution which is destroying the small farmers. The Green Revolution, in truth has brought more ill than it has brought good, in the environmental and social aspects. Regarding environmental harm, the FAO Wheat Yield report (DOC 1) is very good in demonstrating the introduction of massive scale crops that the Green Revolution brings forth with it. The introduction of these crops damages the lands since they are not prone to such production. The graphs show that in both Mexico and India the crop yields were extremely irregular, and as time passed they have become even more, this is due to the fact that they are not proper to those areas and its planting is something totally synthetic and with complete disrespect towards the natural balance. The article by Dr. Vandana Shiva (DOC 8) reveals how much damage the crops, especially Genetically Modified Organisms; do to the land they are planted in. The â€Å"reduced genetic diversity, increased vulnerability to pests, soil erosion, water shortages†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are effect that will leave marked the land for a long time, as Dr. Shiva states, and are a threat to future generations, which will have totally barren land where it will be impossible to plant food. Dr. Shiva also refers to the social problematic that the Green Revolution is planting alongside its seeds. For instance the fight for water to provide irrigation, previously not needed in India, has lead to â€Å"conflict and violence† and as it has become a worldwide trend, the career for water dominance is â€Å"leading to both local and interstate water conflicts. † This clearly shows how disadvantageous the spread of the Green Revolution has been, since it has brought unmeasured changes that have not been made responsibly, but rather abruptly, causing enormous damage. Dr. Shiva is an Indian Physicist, and being from India she probably has had a very direct contact with the Green Revolution, considering that one of its birthplaces was in fact the State of Punjab. In this occasion she is writing for the Ecologist magazine, a publication read by people with primary interest in the environmental issues, including organization leaders and maybe politicians who will probably get concerned, especially due to the tone of annoyance and hatred that she employs in the article. Expanding on social implications, the Guatemalan National Coordinating Committee of Indigenous peasants (DOC 10) gives a different perspective. Although it may sound somewhat as mysticism from indigenous people, saying that they have contaminated the seeds is not a joke, considering the hormones that can be found in GMO plantations. This also acknowledges a vital issue, the loss of diversity and heritage that society is killing with the systematic Green Revolution trends, like the Mayan traditions, which have been present for â€Å"five thousand years. † Furthermore, the social disaster does not stop there, but stumbles over women, which according to the FAO Newsletter (DOC 7) have been forced to change their job. In this case the implications have made woman, traditionally in other roles, have even less opportunities to succeed, as the increased need for cash income made the woman be forced to work. This implies a social catastrophe since it denies the right of woman to equal opportunities, which are stripped off with the Green Revolution, which makes them simply one more laborer forced to work. Additional to the information presented in the documents it would be vital to contain the point of view of a small scale male farmer that has to compete with the multinational corporations, which have been installed after the start of the Green Revolution circa 1945. This would be important since it would show the first hand effects of the monopolies that the Green Revolution has brought, with regards to the social impact it has made, and whether that impact is positive or negative. As discussed throughout the essay, the Green Revolution, which has lasted from 1945 until the present day, was originated with a need to secure food production in a starving world. However its effects were not so positive, since today many starve, and the Green Revolution has damaged the environment and widened the gap between the social classes. The setup of crops that have give no benefit to the places in which they are grown, with complete disregard to the ecological balance that was being destroyed have caused issues ranging from soil erosion to water shortages and crops with pest vulnerability. The Green Revolution has also made the rich farmers richer at the cost of the poor being poorer, since the costs of the new technologies are not easily accessible, but the yields that they provide take the small farmers out of business. In general, although certain governments sponsor the Green Revolution and make it seem positive, it has brought about large changes in the way humans interact with the environment, with a generalized destruction of it to get short-term solutions to the problem of food shortages.

My Three Passions

Through my life, I have done many deeds and experienced many different things. I have tried new hobbles, but the three major passions that have guided my life In a positive direction would have to be my love for baseball, my addiction to video games, and my obsession with math. These passions have changed me, and helped me become a better version of myself. I am proud of the person I am today because of this. Baseball has been of my life since I was 6, the second I caught my first ball I fell in love with the game.Even though I'm not particularly amazing at this sport, I have racticed almost every single day. This has led to me being a dedicated individual and a person who will persevere no matter what. Also baseball has increased my reflexes and timing so I feel much safer to live in this world because I am able to retaliate quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, throughout my Journey in baseball I have gotten more social, by meeting new people such as Joseph, one of my close friends , who has kept me right on track even through the rough times In life. Without getting Involved with baseball I wouldVe never met Joseph.Finally and most bviously baseball has kept me active all the time. In gym, I have been easily been able to keep up with exercises because this sport has already trained by body to be fit. Being fit has also helped me because it has gotten me more involved in sport extracurriculars, by giving me the ability to play other sports. Over all, baseball has been an important part of my life and has changed it. Video games have given me many skills that have improved me, such as a higher level of fine motor skills, greater social skills, temper control, and quick decision making skills.My favourite video ame is hands down â€Å"League of Legends†. League is a multiplayer online battle arena game. Basically, with teamwork, skill, experience, and knowledge, I play this game on a daily basis. With League, outstanding hand-eye coordination, fast trigge r fingers and quick reflexes are essential, and for this, my fine motor skills have been Improved. This compare with my passion for baseball, as League helps me become a better player in Baseball and vice versa. League has also added to my social skills. I often play League of Legends with a group of people, talking on Skype.My eambuilding skills, as with my leadership skills are stronger now, because of video games. Additionally, I meet new people all the time, League has a fan base of over 10 million people, so I interact with different people and make friends. For example, when I came to high school I quickly met people with a passion for this video game to, which has extended my list of contacts. Temper control is essential in League, because when you rage, you tend to do worse, which may lead to defeat. League has taught me to be cool, and not sweat over little things, and try harder the next time.Finally, League has given me a fast reaction time, and now I am able to make deci sions faster. This Is because of the declslons you must take, such as choosing to destroy all the turrets, or rushing the nexus. I am a netter tnlnK now, ana Its Decause 0T tnls partlcular v10eo game. 10 conclude, my passion for video games, it has given me skills that have improved my life, and the people around me. Math, as lame as it sounds, has given me the ability to exercise my brain, challenge myself, test my brain power and help keep me entertained during school.These factors have helped me become a knowledgeable person, and this has helped me learn many subjects. Exercising my brain through math is really efficient for me because I can keep challenging myself. The thrill and challenge math gives me is unbelievable, because when I challenge myself, I improve. I learned many ways to memorize and remember things, because math has taught me that through constant drilling I can thoroughly understand more subjects. For example, When I was memorizing champions and their abilities in my video games, I used the same techniques as I did when I was memorizing the times table.Ever since I first learned math in Kindergarten, I was taken with it. It was the subject that gave helped me the most, and the one I found most interesting. Math has given me vital learning tools, which I can use to succeed in anything. In conclusion, my passions in many ways have changed my life in a positive way. I have acquired skills and tool that I can use to become a better person, not only for myself but for the world around me. Many other hobbies of mine have changed me, but these, baseball, video games, and math have to be the ones that have positively affected me the most.

Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion Question - Essay Example Especially when the conflicts and tensions go on like they have been doing for the past several years. These areas are very dry and, due to the fact that armed forces changed their way of warfare by getting ‘mean’ and just cutting areas off from water supplies, people are more likely to suffer from fresh water shortage, irrigation problems and all kinds of water related diseases. Since there is not really any proper solution, and maybe not a ‘real’ threat yet, water wars may develop in countries or regions with high populations in combination with low fresh water supplies, like the Middle East. International water resources: Another conflict variable Not only are the conflicts over water coming from within one country threatening societies, other countries and the shared water resources are a threat to fresh water supplies in the future as well. Some scholars have been saying for many years now that either scarcity can contribute to conflict and other schola rs have argued that scarcity can contribute to a solution (Dinar 35). Factors and variables that influence the conflict or the solution of these international water problems are mentioned by Dinar (35).

Bus law case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bus law case - Essay Example Boston Scientific Corp., 433 F.3d 1, US Court of Appeals, First Circuit, (2006). Ruben Carnero was an Argentine, and an employee of Boston Scientific Argentina as well as Boston Scientific Brazil prior to his termination in August 2002.the termination prompted him to seek statutory severance under Argentine and Brazilian law. Also, he brought a whistleblowing claim involving the value of stock option as stipulated under SOXA. Carnero asserted that SOXA was aimed at safeguarding domestic securities against improper accounting practices. Thus, the whistleblower protection was to extend outside the U.S to enhance effectiveness. To counter this, BSC quoted the legislative history of the Sarbanes-Oxley act which was inclined to domestic issues relating to the Enron scandal. On this grounds, BSC held that there lacked sufficient basis to overcome the presumption against application of the Sarbanes-Oxley statute outside the U.S. territories (Hartman and Cheeseman 287-291). The court therefore dismissed the whistleblowing claim which Carnero brought against the Boston Scientific Corporation. From this decision, it is discernible that foreign workers cannot sue under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act whistleblower provisions. Apparently, the decision implies that the whistleblowing protections are not applicable to foreign citizens who are working beyond the U.S territories for foreign subsidiary companies covered by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This ruling does not seem to frustrate the SOXA as it does not apply extraterritorially. In Collins v. Beazer Homes USA Inc., 334 F. Supp. 2d 1365, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18374 (ND Ga. 2004) the plaintiff, Collins was relieved of her duties as a director of marketing after she complained about specific marketing and various other decisions. In this case, the court held that Beazer lacked clear evidence that would have Collins fired (Hartman and Cheeseman 281-287). This decision too, does not seem to thwart the SOXA act. With regards to

Critical evaluation of 4 Ps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical evaluation of 4 Ps - Essay Example This greatness of Nokia is just for the reason that, it identifies the core of brand needs to be portrayed in everything that the company does, particularly those that influence the customers (Hooley & Graham, 2008). The product design is obviously judgmental to the accomplishment of the product, but the question arises that how the Nokia administers to insert qualities in product design? The response is that it provides their user a great deal of consideration to use their phones. The large display screen, for example, is the â€Å"appearance† of the phone. The delineation of phones is arched and easy to grasp. The mobile casing and other features such as colors and functionalities can be customized according to the user’s character, way of life, and frame of mind of the customer. The soft keypads also put in the great deal of compassion and comfort, articulating the brand nature. Product design emphasizes on the customer and their needs, and this can easily be summari zed in the catch phrase â€Å"human technology’’ (Kotler & Pfoertsch, 2006). But in the USA, Nokia status has started shaking. It led the 40% shares of the American market in 2008 with its Symbian OS in 2009, 33% Apple’s iPhone started taking market and some other companies such as Motorola, HTC, Samsung etc. now shares in almost 5% of the American market. Nokia’s big competitors are Samsung, Apple and HTC (Ewan, 2010). Marketing Mix 4P’s Nokia is utilizing successfully its 4P’s Price Place Promotion Product Price Price manipulates the brand price in two ways (1) look for the lowest price to keep away from financial risk or (2) seek the higher price to gain the product quality (Kotler & Pfoertsch, 2006). There is a specific category of customers for which the price is vital especially when considering items for everyday use. In this scenario, some customers may also choose the brand just because they are offered at lowest prices, whereas so me customers prefer to buy high price because they believe that higher price things are of high quality. The phones that Nokia is producing are frequently sold at high prices. The value of new technology starts reducing after two months of its launching time. Nokia phones are mostly sold at ?200+, if they carry the latest technology. The prices of such technology are mostly based on competitors and competition, but they always tried to be within the approach of their customers, they always take their customers under consideration (Gabrielssona & Gabrielsson, 2008). Places Nokia phones are available and generally sold all over the world. Some of the renowned dealers or retailers of this product are Advance telecom, United mobile, Mobile zone, The Find (Dubai), Dixon‘s and other Electrical suppliers. Promotions Advertising which can be done through the TV (series of Nokia Lumia Ad one with Priyanka chopra), Bill boards (all over the world they are using billboards to promote Nok ia), Radio and Newspaper, Posters Dummies and display stands. Nokia is also doing their promotion by providing product trainings for student for which they had arranged special training sessions in various institutions. Promotion is one of the vital aspects to focus upon in this technological industry. Hence every company is bound to use all weapons of marketing which includes front line

NHS Computer Scheme Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

NHS Computer Scheme - Coursework Example The ?12 billion NHS computer scheme project was an initiative of the UK department of health that was aimed at achieving a single, centrally-mandated electronic care record for patients and to provide a connection of more than 30,000 general practitioners to over 300 hospitals (Deloitte, 2009). The system was also aimed at providing a secure platform where authorized health practitioners could access medical records in the process of providing care to patients. The project had other aims as well including the ability to provide a platform where any patient could be able to access their medical records online at any time with the appropriate authorization. If the project was to succeed patients would have been able to access their medical records online through a service dubbed Healthspace. The project was going to be a leap forward in the healthcare industry and was said to be a world’s first most comprehensive civil information technology program of the century (PAC, 2010). T he program began in October 2002 and since then its management has continued to spur debate and discussion among the public and other stakeholders as well. The first bone of contention is the cost of the program that was estimated to cost ?12 billion (Campbell, 2011). The second problem came up as a result of poor management and or the subsequent sacking of four of the proposed IT provides (PAC, 2010). Third, the public accounts committee on the other hand has continued to criticize the project terming it to have flaws from the point of initialization, budgeting, scope, planning and also noted that the project had little practical value to the patients if any in order to warrant implementation (PAC, 2010). A review by the Cabinet Office’s Major Projects Authority (MPA) established a number... This paper is going to provide a critical analysis of an ambitious IT project began by the UK department of health dubbed NHS National Program for IT. The  £12 billion NHS computer scheme project was an initiative of the UK department of health that was aimed at achieving a single, centrally-mandated electronic care record for patients and to provide a connection of more than 30,000 general practitioners to over 300 hospitals. The system was also aimed at providing a secure platform where authorized health practitioners could access medical records in the process of providing care to patients. The project had other aims as well including the ability to provide a platform where any patient could be able to access their medical records online at any time with the appropriate authorization. If the project was to succeed patients would have been able to access their medical records online through a service dubbed Healthspace. The project was going to be a leap forward in the healthcare industry and was said to be a world’s first most comprehensive civil information technology program of the century This report makes a conclusion that through the events and the issues that marked UK’s first major IT project, there are a number of things that needed to be changed to boost the chances of the success of the project. It is recommended that first; NHS would have established a project board together with the project manager and the project team to ensure effective management of the project. This would have helped in establishing responsibilities and authority so that the project manager is under a larger authority which would have put pressure on him to enable the effective accomplishment of his duties.

IT Security As Required By Sarbanes-Oxley Term Paper

IT Security As Required By Sarbanes-Oxley - Term Paper Example However, it is a fact that Sarbox also provides parameters and mechanics for enhancing IT security. Thesis statement The benefits of incorporating the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in IT security far outweigh the short-term gains of non-compliance, since the Act injects organizational transactions with security and confidentiality. II) Brief overview/history of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was enacted on July 30th, 2002. Because of the original intention and the mandate of the Act, financial accuracy must be certified by the management concerned. Because of the provisions of the Same Act, the penalties for financial fraud have been made more severe. Similarly, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 strengthened the autonomy of external auditors who analyze and reexamine the accuracy of corporate statements of accounts and also bolstered the oversight function of the board of directors. Simon, Smalley, and Schultz (2009) divulge that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 comes against the backdrop of serious corporate and accounting scandals such as the Enron, Adelphia, Tyco International, WorldCom and Peregrine Systems Scandals. These scandals had cost investors billions of dollars, following the collapse of the affected companies' share prices. These scandals, together with their serious effects weakened public confidence in America's security markets. The Act comprises 11 sections which range from criminal penalties to additional corporate board responsibilities. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 demands that the Securities and Exchange Commission implements rulings on prerequisites to compliance with the law. III) How the Sarbanes-Oxley Effects & Constraints on Information Technology Security (Industry & Management) Section 404 Compliance One of the ways the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 effects and constraints IT security section 404 compliance is by emphasizing a comprehensive understanding of internal controls, as a set of an enterprise's i nternal procedures, providing reasonable assurances that the enterprise will meet its target in all the specified areas. This is the case since Section 404 Compliance extends emphasis on not just historical financial reporting, but on internal controls also. Together with the rules spelled out in the SEC, there is a requirement that public companies' management should assess and report periodically, on the effectiveness of internal controls on financial reporting. To this effect, it is given that the report that the management hands in must be accompanied by statements of evaluations by an external auditor to provide an attestation to the credibility and reliability of the conclusions that the management has made. According to SAI Global (2010), the portfolio that Information Technology Security Section provides also addresses matters beyond Sarbanes-Oxley, to tackle other auditing and legal dimensions of internal controls and the responsibilities that sundry and all actors dispense , when executing systems of internal controls. Even though the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is leaner in scope than internal controls, the Portfolio agrees with the fact of the tremendous impact of the legislation and studies a number of its provisions which force moderations on diverse aspects of internal contr

Wage Gap Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wage Gap - Assignment Example From this study it is clear that the rate of white women and Hispanic women with some college education was similar at 18%. In associate vocational training, associate academic, masters and bachelors, the white women had a considerably higher rate compared to the other groups of women and more so the Hispanic women. All the groups of women had about a similar number of women undertaking professional degree and a doctorate at 1% each. White women had potential experience compared to black women, but at a higher rate than the Hispanic women. The white women percentage in rural areas was higher than those in the other groups of women. The white women had higher weekly earnings than the black women.This paper highlights that  the weekly wage gap between the white women and black women is $ 85 per week compared to $ 200.8 difference between the white women and Hispanics.   The decomposition analysis helps explain to what extend the wage difference can be explained by cited variables. From the earnings regression, we observe that High school dropout rate affects earnings per group of women, followed by high school graduation rates, having a doctorate and professional degree also caused the difference in the wage rate per group of women. The rate of part time employment also affected the wage earnings in the different groups of women.In conclusion, it may be noted that some difference between the white women's earnings and earnings for the other groups of women could not be explained by citing   the variables.

AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1865 TO 1900 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1865 TO 1900 - Essay Example Nikon and Kennedy was elected president. John F. Kennedy and his vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson took the office in 1961. There has always been a power struggle between the left and right wing of politics, the political left stood up for social policies that would help the working class, the business and industry where as the political right is all for the conservative Christian values and support a free market system. The democrats who had won the election in 1960 were the party at the center; they faced a lot of opposition from the republicans including the most significantone that the elections were rigged and Kennedy falsely won the elections. Posner in one of his article mentioned that when the Kennedy votes suddenly rose by 40,000 in Texas the republicans cried that this was election fraud, he also wrote, â€Å"while he was careful not to put a public imprimatur on the concerted Republican effort to challenge the election results, he privately not only authorized it, but act ively encouraged it† (Posner). After the assassination of Kennedy his vice president Lyndon B. Johnson took the oval office by defeating Barry Goldwater; a nominee of the Republican Party in 1964. After the New Deal Coalition collapsed in the mid-sixties, the riots and the Vietnam War and the opposition of the civil rights movement by many southern democrats the republicans found a way to gain power, this shifted the southern power that Democrats had into the laps of the republicans as many African Americans were now supporting the Democratic Party. This power shift was also due to the Johnson’s increasing interest in The Vietnam war, which leaded to conflicts inside the Democratic Party. And in the election of 1968 the Republican Party won; Richard Nixon defeated Huber H. Humphrey and became the president of United States. It was in the final years of the American Civil War, when congress started to debate for the rights of the former freed

The Iraq War Essay Example for Free

The Iraq War Essay Since the beginning of the war analysts have been trying to estimate the cost of the war versus the benefits that have been realized as a result of the war. Some of the benefits of the war are; refusal to go to war and containment of Saddam would be more destructive; a more stable middle east; a probable drop in world oil prices if the oil markets stabilize after the war. Opportunity Cost Exceed the War On the other side, the war has created problems and loss of opportunity cost. A closer look at things on the ground reveals that the opportunity costs of the war exceeds the benefits. The cost of the war is estimated to range from $44 billion to almost $2trillion though that is very variable depending on the length of time and intensity. At the current rate it costs $400,000 to retain a soldier in Iraq. Every single dollar spent on the war is a diversion of investment money, scholarships for our students in universities, coverage for all uninsured children etc. More hostility have been directed to the US by countries that supported Saddam and Americans making the world have lost faith in the Bush administration since there were no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq and mind you this was the main reason of going to war. The war has not only affected the US but the whole world at large either economically or socially. World oil prices have shot up from $25 a barrel before the war to $100 now. What this has done is that the US and other countries that do not have oil are transferring their foreign exchange from other suitable destinations to the oil rich countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. As such we have seen the US dollar decline in value world wide. From this argument we see that the opportunity costs exceed the benefits of the war.

Analysing The Power Of Faith Religion Essay

Analysing The Power Of Faith Religion Essay When I went back to visit him on vacation we spent a lot of time together. During one of our visit I asked him, Dad Ive been in charge of a church and have been to a many Salvation Army Churches. But my Question was this. When Billy Graham, Spurgeon, even our own founder William Booth preached the Gospel hundreds came forward to be saved during the meeting. It seems like verily anybody comes forward to be saved when I peach the same Gospel same goes for the places Ive visited. Why is that? My dad said Son, every time you preach do you expect all the people will encounter Jesus and be saved? Thinking hard I said, I dont think so, not everyone, every time. My dad responded, Then thats why your community and your people are not being saved with regularity when you preach. You need to have faith and believe. I was like thanks dadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ No Faith. We see in todays story (Matthew 17: 14-21). The smallest speck of faith you activate or speak will authorizes you to do miracles. Do you believe that Church! Amen! This man came and knelt down in-front of Jesus, and asked him to have mercy on his son, who was tormented by a demon spirit. At that moment he said, I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him. (Verse 16) Jesus told them to bring the boy to Him and He rebuked the demon and Boom! the boy was miraculously healed immediately. Later, the disciples came to Jesus alone and wanted to know why they were not able to cure the boy themselves. Jesus answered, Because of your unbelief (Verse 20). After that, Jesus taught them a principle on the power of faith. He told them, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Verse 20). This is the Messiah talking, not a false prophet, but the King of Kings, Lord of Lords not a TV evangelist, but Jesus! And he speaks truth that even with the smallest amount of faith brings forth miracles you cant even began to imagine, and with that small faith brings power for you and I to do the impossible. I want to look at these verses today, and make three observations concerning the power of faith. The first observation is this: 1. Other people lose out, when your faith is Lacking! Faith that moves mountains will not just improve the quality of your life; its some of it, but not all. Also, Faith that moves mountains also advances and lifts up the quality of other peoples lives. If you dont have faith or a lack of it, you wont be able to help people experience the presents of the Lord in their lives. We see this exact same thing in this story that the disciples had little faith, powerless faith, a faith that wasnt engaged, and for that reason, the young boy truly came close to missing the experience of Gods work in his life. We see examples in Scripture where faith is able to make a difference in the life of someone else. For example, in Mark Chapter 2, four friends brought a paralytic to Jesus. The house where Jesus was speaking was crowded and they couldnt get to him, so they climbed up on the roof, tore a hole in it, and lowered their friend into the house. The Bible says It was the faith of these friends that caused this man to be healed. If they had lacked faith, the man would have died a paralytic. Acts 3 Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray, and a beggar asked them for some money. The Bible then says that Peter grabbed the man by the right hand and pulled him to his feet, and immediately the man was healed. This man was healed not because of his own faith. Peter never even asked him if he has any. He was healed because of Peters faith. If you have faith that can move mountains, you can do great things for other people. But, if your faith is lacking, other people will lose out. Today there may be people close to you who are under attack with problems they dont have the strength to face or the faith to solve, and your faith can make a difference in their life. If you lack faith, other people lose out. The second observation is this, 2. If you apply the smallest amount of faith, you can do miraculous. Jesus said, not Randy, but Jesus If you have faith a small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Verse 20). Jesus compared faith to a mustard seed because the mustard seed was a tiny, tiny seed, and the mustard plant was a big, big plant. In other words, a tiny mustard seed could produce a big plant, and a tiny amount of faith can produce big results. Its also important to note that when Jesus said, you can move mountains he was using this phrase as a figure of speech. In his day, the phrase moving mountains was used pretty much as it is used today; it referred to removing and resolving difficulties, even huge difficulties. Hes not talking about flamboyant miracles that serve no point; hes talking about transforming your life. I would venture to say that everyone here today is facing a mountain of some type. Theres something yo u would like to see happen in your life, but youve written it off as impossible. I would like for my marriage to be what it once was, but thats impossible. I would like to overcome this sin that Ive struggled with all my life, but thats impossible. I would like to lose weight, I would like to be physically healthy again, but thats impossible. I would like for my rebellious kids to walk with God, but thats impossible. I would like for my business to succeed, but thats impossible. And on and on we go. But Jesus says, Nothing will be impossible for you. That obstacle youre facing is not impossible. Your marriage can be restored. Your family can be re-established. Your business can be revitalized. Your sin can be conquered. Whatever it is youre facing right now that you think is impossible, remember that just a little bit of faith empowers you to do the impossible. If your problems are stacked up like a mountain before you, with faith, that mountain can be moved. No situation is hopeles s; no problem is insurmountable. Faith can work miracles in your life. The third observation is this 3. Faith Activated means Results! I want to make an important distinction in Jesus words. He did NOT say, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, mountains will move from here to there. He did NOT say, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, and you want a mountain to move, it will move from here to there. He said, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can SAY to this mountain, Move from here to there and IT WILL MOVE. (Verse 20). Heres the distinction. In order to move the mountain you have to engage your faith; you have to put it in gear. By speaking to the mountain, you activate your faith. The faith that you have in your heart and in your mind cannot accomplish anything until it is activated until it is put into action. In this example, Jesus says that we must speak the word of faith to the mountain. In the stories I mentioned earlier, the friends of the paralyzed man activated their faith when they climbed on the rooftop; Peter activated his faith when he pulled the beggar to his feet. For most of us, exercising our faith is like trying to drive a car in neutral. You press on the gas, it revs up the engine, it makes a lot of noise, but the car doesnt actually move, and it wont until you put it into gear. Much of our faith talk is nothing more than revving up the engine. It makes a lot of noise, but it doesnt move us forward, and it never will until we put our faith in gearuntil we activate it. And that requires risk. In order to experience results in the life of faith, you have to activate your faith, you have to put into action, and you have to take risks. CONCLUSION If you have no faith, youll lose out and so will others around you. But if you exercise even a small amount of faith, youll accomplish the impossible. But youll accomplish nothing at all with your faith until you put it into action. Now, some of you are saying, This sounds good in theory, but how do I put my faith into action, and how do I develop this kind of faith? For starters, youve got to remember that your faith is not in yourself, and your faith is not in faith, but your faith is in God. It doesnt take a lot of faith to see miracles happen; it just takes an active faith. Activate your faith. Put it into gear. Take that first step toward moving your mountain, and let Gods miracle power go to work in your life. Alter Call: Today God wants us to activate our faith. He wants us to depend on Him and Love Him. As we activate our faith I would love to pray for you and anoint you with oil. James says in Chapter 5, Verse 13 if there is anyone among you who are sick and hurting or in trouble, they need to call upon the Elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of Jesus, and the prayer of faith will make the sick person well. Jesus will raise him up and his sins will be forgiven. Praise the Lord! I invite you to, come! As we sing Chorus: Theres just something about that Name. Chorus: Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone Let us Prayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. God your love is so amazingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.

A Message of Awareness :: Essays Papers

A Message of Awareness James Joyce’s book Dubliners, is composed of several intriguing short stories. Joyce’s main emphasis is to send a â€Å"wake up call† to the people of Dublin about the appalling conditions of Ireland. In a letter to his publisher Joyce tells him that he â€Å"seriously [believes] that [the publisher] will retard the course of civilization in Ireland by preventing the Irish people from having one good look at themselves in my nicely polished looking-glass† (qtd. in Beja 33). Joyce proves his assertion through his use of characters and situations in the short stories â€Å"The Boarding House,† â€Å"A Little Cloud,† and â€Å"The Dead.† In addition, autonomy and responsibility play a major role of how the characters act and react to certain situations that connect to the hard times of Ireland. In Dubliners, characters often face situations that are portrayed as â€Å"light and dark.† In â€Å"The Boarding House,† Mrs. Mooney’s actions and interactions are primarily portrayed as being manipulative. She is a â€Å"dark† person and Joyce uses examples to support this. Joyce describes Mrs. Mooney as a person that is stern and is â€Å"all business.† Mrs. Mooney’s characteristics imply that she is someone to fear. In addition, Mrs. Mooney’s boarding house is run with much order. Joyce states that Mrs. Mooney â€Å"governed her house cunningly and firmly, knew when to give credit, when to be stern and when to let things pass,† which a viewer can acknowledge that Mrs. Mooney is a â€Å"dark† and fierce women when it comes down to taking actions on others (56). Furthermore, Mrs. Mooney has such a stern and superior control over the tenants that Joyce states that the â€Å"young men spoke of her as The madam,† which means a lady of respect (57). They know that Mrs. Mooney is one lady to be feared. In â€Å"The Boarding House,† Mr. Doran’s actions with Polly caused him to be fearful of Mrs. Mooney. Joyce explains how Mr. Doran’s feelings about receiving consequences from Mrs. Mooney are â€Å"dark.† Joyce exaggerates the depth of Mr. Doran’s nervousness towards receiving his sanctions were so fierce that â€Å"he felt his heart leap [†¦] in his throat† (61). Mr. Doran’s actions are so fearful that he acts as if he is being tried for murder. Mr. Doran’s fears of the consequences are so â€Å"dark† that He longed to ascend through the roof [of the Boarding House] and fly away to another country where he would never hear again of his trouble.

Grooms Wedding Speech - Damn Statistics -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Spee

Groom's Wedding Speech - Damn Statistics Ladies and gentleman, I have to be honest with you all and admit that I am quite nervous about standing up here and speaking this evening. While I was writing my speech I came across some interesting statistics about what guests are thinking about during a wedding speech. Apparently, twenty percent of you are thinking about getting onto the dance floor and partying the night away. Thirty percent of you are thinking about the marital status of the best man. Ladies, you may be pleased to know that he is single. He's also not very fussy as he showed at the stag party (bachelors party). It turns out that twenty percent of you are thinking about what happened at the stag party (bachelors party). Moving swiftly on. Ten percent of you are thinking about the type of couple that we will make. A rather worrying statistic, from my point of view, is that fifteen percent of you are having romantic thoughts about the person sitting next to you. There are several people here tonight who I would like to thank. I'd like to start by thanking my ...

Mark Edmundson’s Critique

Critique: Our Views of Online Education In Mark Edmundson's article discussing online education, he makes many valid points about an online education short comings. His reaction, however, is based solely on traditional education and is limited to such online study. He focuses primarily on student teacher interaction and oftentimes states how such communication cannot be factored into online courses. He argues that a large lecture course with face to face contact and student teacher dialogue benefits the student more; opposed to online courses with contrasting features.While this is valid, Edmundson does not consider that these issues can be worked around and that there are many pros to online education as well. Edmundson’s passage states teacher-student interaction is vital in obtaining an education. This particular form of contact has proven to keep students engaged in the learning process. Also, teacher-student interaction allows for teachers to monitor each individual stude nts’ progressions and shortcomings throughout the course of study.In Edmundson's article, he states that teachers should make it necessary to learn who their students are and adapt to their ways of learning as well as helping them grow. I strongly agree with this point of view. Many times, students who are having a hard time grasping studies find themselves somewhat bashful or embarrassed and become hesitant to speak up. This causes them to be outshined by others who may be more vocal and grasp the information quicker. Having that teacher-student connection with online education is extremely vital. Since you're not studying in a traditional classroom, you'll also miss having face time with other students.This can deprive you of important networking opportunities for your future career, as well as basic social interaction. The article states that Edmundson is adamant that in order for students to excel and obtain information, a teacher should be adaptive to their students lear ning style. Having real life courses are extremely helpful in this case. Individuals who are more comfortable with one on one meetings should totally be allotted the option of having a professor on hand to call on and meet with. Also, students who adapt more to group learning need real courses as well.Having course mates and interacting in open course discussions are great examples of the benefits of teacher-student interaction. It is also proven that students can; in fact, teach teachers. Open course discussions are the perfect time to share. When studying an appointed topic, some students go above and beyond the requirements and obtain additional knowledge that the teacher or students may or may not know. Edmundson makes several valid points about being opposed to online education. He speaks volumes about the pros of choosing a traditional, face to face education.In some ways, I agree with his argument that not having that interaction amongst the teacher and student kills the stud ents chance of receiving fair education. However, I disagree with some other things he stated. What Edmundson fails to consider is the mere fact that online teachers carry the same capabilities as traditional teachers. Students’ progress can still be monitored, test and other assignments can still be administered and in the end, grades will still be obtained. Although there is no physical connection, the online teacher can still communicate and work online with their students’ via-email and lectures.The downside of email communication is that delay time in an answer being received. There are some online schools which have courses with virtual lectures or conference lectures which give an overall classroom feeling where there is dialogue. In my opinion, online college instructors gain access to students that is at least equal to the access to students of those instructors who are teaching courses in traditional colleges. Online colleges also serve as an alternative for some aspiring students who cannot attend traditional colleges.These may be students who have encountered hardships that eliminate their option to attend a traditional school. Online schools may, in this case, serve as an alternative; online college may be more convenient. Aspiring students seeking to pursue or further their education may be wrapped up in day to day chaos that enables them to reach a campus and online courses just may fit with their busy schedules. In some cases, lack of transportation may be a rendering factor as well. Another riveting factor may be monetary situations; online colleges may have courses that are more affordable than those of a traditional university.Edmundson's article was captivating and indeed informative. He metaphorically spoke of a teacher being taught by a student which caught my attention. Had that teacher ever been that student? It's a cycle that I'm sure will not end. A degree is in fact the goal. Whether it's online schools or â€Å"real l ife† a degree is sought. Teachers and students, in my opinion, should at some point in time have some sort of physical communication but that is not that a vital source of learning. If an education is sought it can be obtained regardless of any physical contact. The source of education ultimately depends on the students drive and initiative.

De Beers Analysis

STRATEGY: INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION Problem Set 3 1. Throughout the 1990s, several developments contributed to the loss of market-share of the Central Selling Organization, which inevitably led to diminishing profits for De Beers. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and this disintegration brought down the exclusivity that the CSO had enjoyed for so long. Indeed, the fall of communism made it difficult for the cartel to protect its trading agreements.As such, only limited shares of the Russian production reached the CSO, the rest being supplied to the competition by Alrosa (which became the worldwide dominant non-African producer) and other Russian enterprises. In 1996, as a consequence of the CSO’s reluctance to satisfy demand for very small stones, the Argyle mine in Australia (with a very distinctive rough production that De Beers had only a limited capacity to match), controlled by Rio Tinto – a multinational mining company and one of their main upstream competitors – became the first major producer to departure from its contract with De Beers.This disruption seriously compromised De Beers’ punishment capabilities through stockpiling. Additionally, in Canada, another major competitor arose (BHP). De Beers had a problem in these two markets. Unlike African countries, these are nations characterized by strong institutions, with a degree of bureaucratization and stability as well as cultural advancement that do not favor for the kind of â€Å"easy bribes† that had allowed the company to control the quantities sold worldwide.However, even in Africa other obstacles appeared. While Angolan and West African output were being diverted to other channels, the concerns about conflict diamonds – reaching their peak with outbursts in Angola through the 90s – also damaged De Beers’ image and only made it more difficult for those diamonds to be sold through the CSO. Finally, pressure from some African governments (Bot swana and Namibia, for example) inadvertently or purposely created internal competitors.Thus, De Beers saw its monopolistic position seriously threatened and since it could no longer control the diamond flow to the market, it was forced to practice a price closer to that of a competitive market, which meant lower profits. 2. Besides the increasing competition that was subject to in the last decade of the 20th century, De Beers also had to concern itself with the possibility of new entrants in the very market where it had prospered.Due to the compliance with the Global Witness proposal against conflict diamonds, De Beers saw the noose tightening around its operations and as a consequence the threat of new entrants surged, with several groups expanding aggressively on the continent. Perhaps the biggest of those threats was the business group controlled by Leviev, the world’s largest diamond cutter and polisher. One of his ideas was to integrate backward into marketing rough dia monds. Also, the pressures in Angola were putting in danger the marketing agreement the country had with the company.That agreement would eventually be terminated already in this century, being replaced with a single-channel marketing entity in which Leviev held a one-quarter interest. Obviously, these potential threats had a negative effect in De Beers’ profits, despite its strong Brand Image. 3. Traditionally, De Beers would buy the supply from other producers to control the market output. With the rise of competitors this became increasingly difficult. As alternatives to the cartel emerged, the bargaining power of suppliers grew. Argyle’s eventual withdrawal and Angola’s termination of the exclusivity with De Beers are clear proof of this growing power.Governments began to pressure the company as well. South Africa aimed to have more gems cut locally and other nations such as Botswana and Namibia sought to increase the value captured with the activities perfo rmed within their borders. Of course, for the company to grant this it would have to see its percentage of value retention lowered. In a climate of an undeniable backdrop, this was yet another factor that contributed to decreasing diamond earnings. 4. Although an increase in competition means that buyers will have alternatives (higher bargaining power), this was still an area (of the five forces) where the market remained attractive.Competitors did not have the level of expertise or the established supply chain that characterized a company with more than a century of market knowledge. The most relevant fact to mention on the buyers side is the Japanese recession of 1998. De Beers suffered severely from this downturn, after obtaining almost a decade of expansion in various Asian markets. Still, buyers in this industry are not just final consumers, but intermediaries as well. With the rising competition and consequent declining credibility, De Beers could not control sightholders, for instance, with the same discipline and efficiency as before.Leviev (a sightholder himself) is the perfect example of this reality. Of course the less control the company exerts, the lower its returns are. 5. Regarding substitutes, the closest product would be synthetic diamonds. Yet, these diamonds remained exclusive to industrial applications (to compensate for the scarcity of the others for these functions) and so natural diamonds were still a unique luxury. In spite of the social issues brought up by conflict diamonds, the product was still protected from substitution throughout the 1990s.The marketing efforts of the previous efforts (mainly represented by the campaign â€Å"Diamonds are forever†) continued to provoke the desired effect. By establishing them as a symbol of lasting love, power and wealth, De Beers had assured that nothing could be compared to a diamond, which translated in a he amount of profits throughout that century. On this area, the main challenge for the company presented itself in the early 1990s in the Chinese market. Not only were these consumers traditionally focused on gold and jade, while unfamiliar with diamonds, but also â€Å"white† color were thought to bring misfortune.This might seem trivial for a western consumer, but Chinese people were and are still today some of the most superstition nations on earth. The gold and jade products had certainly a negative effect on De Beers’ profits. Nevertheless, the company managed to overcome this paradigm by using Chinese beliefs to its advantage (the â€Å"red thread† ad is a perfect showcase for this idea). This advertisement strategy was very successful and by 2000, retail sales had reached $731 million. Duarte Costa, # 1284

Huck Finn and John Smith- Conning

As a person it is necessary to grow; whether it be good or bad, growing is essential. Within the novel of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the main character Huck goes through a tremendous amount of growing. As people we need to grow and as a body of people or a country it is crucial to continue to grow. However, the situations of helping us grow aren’t always done in positive manners. Throughout the novel Huck is forced to decide his own true morals and not those that are imposed on him.As a country first being established (as colonies) we had to find a way to grow and use tactics to do so. In these instances conning took place. The beginning of the great country began with Captain John Smith who was, â€Å"A soldier of fortune with rare powers of leadership and self- promotion† (Tindall/Shi 29). John Smith is the very reason Jamestown survived through the harsh seasons and periods of starvation. He was able to negotiate with the Natives at the time t o help them survive. The Natives had no real idea that the Englishmen wanted more than just a trade and military alliance.The real plan of the English was to seize the land and subjugate the Natives. John Smith even tries to persuade English people who are in England to come to the New World so that he can get rich in â€Å"Description of New England†. He writes letters to them using 3rd person describing himself and how great everything was going to con them into voyaging over the New World. Huck Finn, a young boy who is trying to run away from being â€Å"sivilized†. Through his journey he ends up growing in a huge way.He is constantly facing moral issues and having to make decisions that can result in life or death. One of the biggest obstacles Huck faces is when he meets the duke and the dauphin, whom are complete liars from the beginning by stating they were a duke and a dauphin. His first encounter with them they clearly seem to be facing backlash from the scam t he older one(dauphin) was trying to pull off running a revival and taking money from it, â€Å"a little report got around, last night†, â€Å"If they got me they’d tar and feather me and ride me on the rail for sure†(Norton 183).Huck knows that they are pulling his leg but still decide to stick with them considering his circumstances†these liars warn't no kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds†(Norton 185). These men team up together and drag Huck and Jim through countless scams. Finally, Huck deems that what the men are doing is wrong. This happens towards the end of the journey when they attempt to scam innocent girls out of an inheritance. This is time that Huck truly sees that what they are doing is wrong and begins to stand against it by sabotaging them and attempting to turn them in.At this point in the novel, Huck has a huge turning point into growing into a person of morals. Risking everything he had because he believed that it was right. No matter what angle a person comes from, there is always a source of growing. So be it that it happens to come from conning. With John Smith conning hundreds of people to come to an unknown country so that he could get rich and be someone of importance and Huck enduring conning and realizing that it is wrong and finally turning over a leaf and deciding things on his own apart from what others say.

From reading the selected pre-1914 Essay

The Return of the Native (pg 414 – 447) near end of novel From reading the above, what do you learn of Hardy’s use of vivid description, dramatic incident and reference to Nineteenth century customs and traditions? Which of the three pieces was your favourite and why? From reading the two extracts and the story, I can see that the main difference in the book is how life is in the book compared to our modern 21st century. People in the 19th century depended very heavily on agriculture and farming especially in ‘Wessex’, where nearly all of Hardy’s novels were set. Wages for agricultural labourers were the lowest in the country in Dorset, averaging out at the equivalent of 37p a week in 1840. Magic and superstition was rife in the 19th century, and many people believedin dark powers. Every village in Wessex was supposed to have their own witch. Magic play a big role in two of the stories which I am studying, ‘The Withered Arm’, and ‘The Return of the Native’. People who committed crimes in the 19th century were severely punished. Poachers were transported to Australia to do ‘hard labour’, night burglary was punishable by death. Hangings were still very popular in the 19th century and any hanging was an excuse for a ‘holiday’. Class systems in the 19th century were very rigid – not many people succeeded in moving up to a higher class, but Thomas Hardy was one of the few people who managed to do this. Thomas Hardy uses vivid description in all of his novels and short stories, including the novels which I am studying, in particular ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’. At the beginning of the chapter, we have an almost cinematic view, as if a camera is zooming in on the three travellers, describing them from afar at first, then in more detail as we begin to see them from closer up. We can almost feel the tension between the two adults, when Hardy says: â€Å"What was really peculiar†¦ was the perfect silence they preserved. † In ‘The Withered Arm’, Hardy uses vivid description very effectively when description Rhoda Brook’s vision. He uses words such as: â€Å"†¦ Peered cruelly† and â€Å"†¦ shockingy distorted† to imply that Gertrude is mocking her for being cast aside and then Gertrude taking her place as Farmer Lodge’s wife. This vivid description is also linked to dramatic incident as it is a key chapter in the story, and Hardy uses adjectives to describe Rhoda’s ‘dream’, it makes us feel as though we are actually there, watching this distorted version of Gertrude attacking Rhoda, so Hardy’s descriptions are very effective in this chapter of the book. Also, at the beginning of the story, we learn a lot from the dairy workers in the farm, who gossip. They gossip about Farmer Lodge’s new wife and they try to guess how old Farmer Lodge is, all the while ignoring Rhoda Brook, Farmer Lodge’s ex-wife. In ‘The Return of the Native’, when the superstitious Susan creates a ‘voodoo’ doll resembling Eustacia, Hardy’s use of vivid description is effective when Susan thrusts pins in the doll, and then puts it in the firem murmuring the Lord’s Prayer backwards – which was a proceed which called for help against an enemy. Magic played a key part in this story; Susan believed that Eustacia was making her son ill, because at the exact moment that he said he was feeling unwell, Eustacia’s dark shadow crossed the light from her house, but this was just a coincidence. Also, in ‘The Return of the Native’, when Eustacia falls into the pool of water near weir, Hardy uses pathetic fallacy, which is when events in the natural world mirror what is going on in the human world. In this case, Eustacia is very depressed and unhappy, so the weather is atrochiously stormy, raining and windy. Because, it has rained so much, the pool has created a whirlpool, and Eustacia falls in. To describe the scene more effectively, Hardy uses metaphors such as: ‘Boiling cauldron’, referring to the whirpool, the current, and emphasising the amount of water in the pool. Hardy’s use of dramatic incident in all three of his stories manage to shape the whole story, especially in ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’. In think amin the dramatic incident in the extract is when Michael Henchard sells his wife at auction when he becomes drunk. The day after, Michael realises how stupid he has been and vows never to touch another drop of alcohol for however many years as his age. I think this is very effective because the day after Michael sells his wife and baby, he realises that alcohol changed him into something he doesn’t want to be. In ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, when Hardy uses dramatic incident, we learn that Hardy builds up suspension before the dramatic climax. When Michael Henchard is trying to sell his wife and baby at auction, nobody will bid the price that he is looking for, then just as Michael is going to withdraw: â€Å"‘Yes. ‘ said a voice from the doorway. ‘ The man in the doorway was in fact, a sailor. He bought Michael’s wife for five guineas, and she left, leaving us with the impression that she is glad that she has got away from her husband at last. Hardy uses lots of dialect to show exactly how Michael Henchard feels about his current state of affairs: â€Å"The woman is no good to me. Who will have her? † When Michael is trying to sell his wife, Hardy describes Michael’s distaste for her effectively, and when he finally does sell her, even the rough country people in the tent are surprised that he let his wife and child go without a second glance. In ‘The Withered Arm’, I think there are two main dramatic incidents: Rhoda Brook’s ‘dream’, and Gertrude’s turning of her blood, when she sees that the young man who has been hanged is, in fact, Rhoda’s son. When Rhoda has a dream that Gertrude visits her to mock her, Gertrude looks ugly and old. Hardy used use of vivid description works effectively in making us understand that Gertrude has come to mock her because Rhoda has been replaced by her in Farmer Lodge’s affections. Hardy’s use of verbs work well in this incident, using words such as ‘thrust’, ‘swung’, and ‘peered cruelly’ to create a feeling of hate between Rhoda and the figure come to visit her at night. The other dramatic incident in ‘The Withered Arm’ is when Gertrude travels to get her arm cured by holding her arm against a newly hanged man’s neck, who is in fact Rhoda’s son. Hardy’s use of dialect again gives and extra depth to the story, when Rhoda walks in when Gertrude’s blood is in the process of being ‘turned’: â€Å"This is the meaning of what Satan showed me in the vision! † Rhoda shouts. Hardy’s use of the word ‘Satan’, emphasizes the hatred Rhoda has for Gertrude and perhaps jealousy, for ‘stealing’ her husband – although Gertrude’s character is kind and gentle. In ‘The Return of the Native’, the main dramatic incident is when Eustacia falls into the whirlpool and Clym Yeobright and Wildeve try to save her, but fail. Three bodies are pulled out, and only one, Clym, survives. Referring again to pathetic fallacy, the weather is awful when Eustacia falls into the ‘boiling cauldron’. The slow realisation that Wildeve was actually holding on to Clym when Diggory Venn was seemingly just pulling Clym out creates images of horror. My favourite story is ‘The Withered Arm’, because I like Hardy’s use of magic in Rhoda’s vision, how Gertrude’s arm became deformed because of this. Gertrude obviously has no idea how this happened. Hardy’s use of vivid description in the book is very effective throughout, but especially in Rhoda’s vision. Rhoda is obsessed with the idea of Farmer Lodge being with another woman, and sends her son to look at Gertrude and report back to her. When he says that Gertrude is shorter that Rhoda, she seems pleased and smug about herself. I like the way how Hardy has interlinked everything, e. g. Rhoda’s son’s father is Farmer Lodge, the young man who was hanged was Rhoda’s son. I think it is a very clever story, and at the end, Gertrude dies at the fright of seeing Rhoda’s son dead, lying limp in the coffin. I think that the story shows that Rhoda is perhaps so obsessed about Farmer Lodge and Gertrude it is almost unhealthy, and because of this, maybe this is why she had the vision in the first place. I learn that Gertrude is forgiving, even though when she went to see Conjuror Trendle and he created the concoction of egg white and water, Rhoda’s image formed. Gertrude was surprised, but she doesn’t question it because she had no idea that Rhoda had anything to do with her arm.

Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 2

â€Å"Poppy!† Poppy could hear her mother's voice, but she couldn't see anything. The kitchen floor was obscured by dancing black dots. â€Å"Poppy, are you all right?† Now Poppy felt hermother's hands grasping her upper arms, holding her anxiously. The pain was easing and her vision was coming back. As she straightened up, she saw James in front ofher. His face was almost expressionless, but Poppy knew him well enough to recognize the worry in hiseyes. He was holding the milk carton, she realized. He must have caught it on the fly as she droppedit–amazing reflexes, Poppy thought vaguely. Really amazing. Phillip was on his feet. â€Å"Are you okay? Whathappened?† â€Å"I-don't know.† Poppy looked around, thenshrugged, embarrassed. Now that she felt better shewished they weren't all staring at her so hard. Theway to deal with the pain was to ignore it, to notthink about it. â€Å"It's just this stupid pain-I think it's gastrowhatchmacallit. You know, something I ate.† Poppy's mother gave her daughter the barest fraction of a shake. â€Å"Poppy, this is not gastroenteritis.You were having some pain before-nearly a monthago, wasn't it? Is this the same kind of pain?† Poppy squirmed uncomfortably. As a matter offact, the pain had never really gone away. Somehow,in the excitement of end-of-the-year activities, she'dmanaged to disregard it, and by now she was used to working around it. â€Å"Sort of,† she temporized. â€Å"But That was enough for Poppy's mother. She gavePoppy a little squeeze and headed for the kitchen telephone. â€Å"I know you don't like doctors, but I'mcalling Dr. Franklin. I want him to take a look at you. This isn't something we can ignore.† â€Å"Oh, Mom, it's vacation†¦.† Her mother covered the mouthpiece of the phone.†Poppy, this is nonnegotiable. Go get dressed.† Poppy groaned, but she could see it was no use.She beckoned to James, who was looking thoughtfully into a middle distance. â€Å"Let's at least listen to the CD before I have to go.† He glanced at the CD as if he'd forgotten it, and put down the milk carton. Phillip followed them into the hallway. â€Å"Hey, buddy, you wait out here while she gets dressed.† James barely turned. â€Å"Get a life, Phil,† he said almost absently. â€Å"Just keep your hands off my sister, you deve.† Poppy just shook her head as she went into her room. As if James cared about seeing her undressed. If only,she thought grimly, pulling a pair of shortsout of a drawer. She stepped into them, still shaking her head. James was her best friend, her very bestfriend, and she was his. But he'd never shown even the slightest desire to get his hands on her. Sometimes she wondered if he realized she was a girl. Someday I'm going to makehim see, she thought,and shouted out the door for him. James came in and smiled at her. It was a smile other people rarely saw, not a taunting or ironic grin, but a nice little smile, slightly crooked. â€Å"Sorry about the doctor thing,† Poppy said. â€Å"No. You should go.† James gave her a keenglance. â€Å"Your mom's right, you know. This has been going on way too long. You've lost weight; it's keeping you up at night-â€Å" Poppy looked at him, startled. She hadn't told anybody about how the pain was worse at night, not even James. But sometimes James just knewthings. As if he could read her mind. â€Å"I just know you, that's all,† he said, and then gaveher a mischievous sideways glance as she stared at him. He unwrapped the CD. Poppy shrugged and flopped on her bed, staring atthe ceiling. â€Å"Anyway, I wish Mom would let me have oneday of vacation,† she said. She craned her neckto look at James speculatively. â€Å"I wish I had a mom like yours. Mine's always worrying and trying to fix me.† â€Å"And mine doesn't really care if I come or go. Sowhich is worse?† James said wryly. â€Å"Your parents let you have your own apartment. â€Å" â€Å"In a building they own. Because it's cheaper thanhiring a manager.† James shook his head, his eyeson the CD he was putting in the player. â€Å"Don't knockyour parents, kid. You're luckier than you know.† Poppy thought about that as the CD started. Sheand James both liked trance-the underground electronic sound that had come from Europe. James likedthe techno beat. Poppy loved it because it was real music, raw and unpasteurized, made by people who believed in it. People who had the passion, not people who had the money. Besides, world music made her feel a part of otherplaces. She loved the differentness of it, the alienness. Come to think of it, maybe that was what she likedabout James, too. His differentness. She tilted her head to look at him as the strange rhythms of Burundi drumming filled the air. She knew James better than anyone, but there wasalways something, something about him that was closed off to her. Something about him that nobody could reach. Other people took it for arrogance, or coldness, oraloofness, but it wasn't really any of those things. It was just differentness. He was more different thanany of the exchangestudents at school. Time after time, Poppy felt she had almost put her finger on thedifference, but it always slipped away. And more than once, especially late at night when they were listening to music or watching the ocean, she'd felthe was about to tell her. And she'd always felt that if he didtell her, itwould be something important, something as shocking and lovely as having a stray cat speak to her. Just now she looked at James, at his dean, carvenprofile and at the brown waves of hair on his forehead, and thought, He looks sad. â€Å"Jamie, nothing's wrong, is it? I mean, at home, oranything?† She was the only person on the planet allowed to call him Jamie. Not even Jacklyn or Michaela had ever tried that. â€Å"What could be wrong at home?† he said, with asmile that didn't reach his eyes. Then he shook his head dismissively. â€Å"Don't worry about it, Poppy. It'snothing important-just a relative threatening to visit. An unwanted relative.† Then the smile didreach his eyes, glinting there. â€Å"Or maybe I'm justworried about you,† he said. Poppy started to say, â€Å"Oh, as if, â€Å"but instead she found herself saying, oddly, â€Å"Are you really?† Her seriousness seemed to strike some chord. Hissmile disappeared, and Poppy found that they were simply looking at each other without any insulating humor between them. Just gazing into each other's eyes. James looked uncertain, almost vulnerable. â€Å"Poppy Poppy swallowed. â€Å"Yes?† He opened his mouth-and then he got upabruptly and went to adjust her 170-watt Tall-boy speakers. When he turned back, his gray eyes were dark and fathomless. â€Å"Sure, if you were really sick, I'd be worried,† hesaid lightly. â€Å"That's what friends are for, right?† Poppy deflated. â€Å"Right,† she said wistfully, andthen gave him a determined smile. â€Å"But you're not sick,† he said. â€Å"It's just somethingyou need to get taken care of. The doctor'll probably give you some antibiotics or something-with a bigneedle,† he added wickedly. â€Å"Oh, shut up,† Poppy said. He knew she was terrified of injections. Just the thought of a needle entering her skin †¦ â€Å"Here comes your mom,† James said, glancing atthe door, which was ajar. Poppy didn't see how he could hear anybody coming-the music was loud andthe hallway was carpeted. But an instant later her mother pushed the door open. â€Å"All right, sweetheart,† she said briskly. â€Å"Dr.Franklin says come right in. I'm sorry, James, but I'm going to have to take Poppy away.† â€Å"That's okay. I can come back this afternoon.† Poppy knew when she was defeated. She allowedher mother to tow her to the garage, ignoring James's miming of someone receiving a large injection. An hour later she was lying on Dr. Franklin's examining table, eyes politely averted as his gentle fingers probed her abdomen. Dr. Franklin was tall, lean,and graying, with the air of a country doctor. Some body you could trust absolutely. â€Å"The pain is here?† he said. â€Å"Yeah-but it sort of goes into my back. Or maybe I just pulled a muscle back there or something The gentle, probing fingers moved, then stopped. Dr. Franklin's face changed. And somehow, in that moment, Poppy knew it wasn't a pulled muscle. Itwasn't an upset stomach; it wasn't anything simple; and things were about to change forever. All Dr. Franklin said was, â€Å"You know, I'd like toarrange for a test on this.† His voice was dry and thoughtful, but panic curled through Poppy anyway. She couldn't explain what was happening inside her-some sort of dreadful premonition, like a black pit opening in the ground in front of her. â€Å"Why?† her mother was asking the doctor. â€Å"Well.† Dr. Franklin smiled and pushed his glassesup. He tapped two fingers on the examining table.†Just as part of a process of elimination, really. Poppysays she's been having pain in the upper abdomen, pain that radiates to her back, pain that's worse atnight. She's lost her appetite recently, and she's lost weight. And her gallbladder is palpable-that meansI can feel that it's enlarged. Now, those are symptomsof a lot of things, and a sonogram will help rule out some of them.† Poppy calmed down. She couldn't remember whata gallbladder did but she was pretty sure she didn't need it.Anything involving an organ with such a silly name couldn't be serious. Dr. Franklin was goingon, talking about the pancreas and pancreatitis andpalpable livers, and Poppy's mother was nodding as if she understood. Poppy didn't understand, but thepanic was gone. It was as if a cover had been whisked neatly over the black pit, leaving no sign that it had ever been there. â€Å"You can get the sonogram done at Children's Hospital across the street,† Dr. Franklin wassaying. â€Å"Come back here after it's finished.† Poppy's mother was nodding, calm, serious, andefficient. Like Phil. Or Cliff. Okay, we'll get this taken care of. Poppy felt just slightly important.Nobody sheknew had been to a hospital for tests. Her mother ruffled her hair as they walked out ofDr. Franklin's office. â€Å"Well, Poppet. What have you done to yourself now?† Poppy smiled impishly. She was fully recoveredfrom her earlier worry. â€Å"Maybe I'll have to have an operation and I'll have an interesting scar,† she said,to amuse her mother. â€Å"Let's hope not,† her mother said, unamused. The Suzanne G. Monteforte Children's Hospitalwas a handsome gray building with sinuous curve sand giant picture windows. Poppy looked thoughtfully into the gift shop as they passed. It was clearly akid's gift shop, full of rainbow Slinkys and stuffed animals that a visiting adult could buy as a last-minute present. A girl came out of the shop. She was a little olderthan Poppy, maybe seventeen or eighteen. She was pretty, with an expertly made-up face-and a cutebandanna which didn't quite conceal the fact that she had no hair. She looked happy, round-cheeked,with earrings dangling jauntily beneath the band anna-but Poppy felt a stab of sympathy. Sympathy†¦and fear. That girl was reallysick. Which was what hospitals were for, of course-for really sick people. Suddenly Poppy wanted to get herown tests over with and get out of here. The sonogram wasn't painful, but it was vaguelydisturbing. A technician smeared some kind of jelly over Poppy's middle, then ran a cold scanner over it,shooting sound waves into her, taking pictures of her insides. Poppy found her mind returning to the prettygirl with no hair. To distract herself, she thought about James. And for some reason what came to mind was the first time she'd seen James, the day he came to kindergarten. He'd been a pale, slight boy with big gray eyes and something subtly weirdabout him that made thebigger boys start picking on him immediately. On the playground they ganged up on him like houndsaround a fox-until Poppy saw what was happening. Even at five she'd had a great right hook. She'dburst into the group, slapping faces and kicking shins until the big boys went running. Then she'd turned to James. â€Å"Wanna be friends?† After a brief hesitation he'd nodded shyly. Therehad been something oddly sweet in his smile. But Poppy had soon found that her new friend wasstrange in small ways. When the class lizard died, he'd picked up the corpse without revulsion andasked Poppy if she wanted to hold it. The teacher had been horrified. He knew where to find dead animals, too-he'dshown her a vacant lot where several rabbit carcasseslay in the tall brown grass. He was matter-of-factabout it. When he got older, the big kids stopped pickingon him. He grew up to be as tall as any of them, and surprisingly strong and quick-and he developed areputation for being tough and dangerous. When he got angry, something almost frightening shone in hisgray eyes. He never got angry with Poppy, though. They'dremained best friends all these years. When they'd reached junior high, he'd started having girlfriends all the girls at school wanted himbut he never kept any of them long. And he never confided in them;to them he was a mysterious, secretive bad boy. Only Poppy saw the other side of him, the vulnerable, caring side. â€Å"Okay,† the technician said, bringing Poppy backto the present with a jerk. â€Å"You're done; let's wipe this jelly off you.† â€Å"So what did it show?† Poppy asked, glancing upat the monitor. â€Å"Oh, your own doctor will tell you that. The radiologist will read the results and call them over to your doctor's office.† The technician's voice was absolutely neutral-so neutral that Poppy looked ather sharply. Back in Dr. Franklin's office, Poppy fidgeted whileher mother paged through out-of-date magazines. When the nurse said â€Å"Mrs. Hilgard,† they bothstood up. â€Å"Uh-no,† the nurse said, looking flustered. â€Å"Mrs.Hilgard, the doctor just wants toseeyou for a minute-alone.† Poppy and her mother looked at each other. Then,slowly, Poppy's mother put down her People magazine and followed the nurse. Poppy stared after her. Now, what on earth . . . Dr. Franklin had neverdone that before. Poppy realized that her heart was beating hard. Notfast, just hard. Bang†¦bang†¦ bang, in the middle of her chest, shaking her insides. Making her feelunreal and giddy. Don't think about it. It's probably nothing. Reada magazine. But her fingers didn't seem to work properly. When she finally got the magazine open, her eyes ran over the words without delivering them to herbrain. What are they talking about in there? What's going on?It's been so long†¦. It kept getting longer. As Poppy waited, she foundherself vacillating between two modes of thought. 1) Nothing serious was wrong with her and her motherwas going to come out and laugh at her for even imagining there was, and 2) Something awful waswrong with her and she was going to have to go through some dreadful treatment to get well. The covered pit and the open pit. When the pit was covered, it seemed laughable, and she felt embarrassed for having such melodramatic thoughts. But when it was open, she felt as if all her life before this had been adream, and now she was hitting hard reality at last. I wish I could call James, she thought. At last the nurse said, â€Å"Poppy? Come on in.† Dr. Franklin's office was wood-paneled, with certificates and diplomas hanging on the walls. Poppy sat down in a leather chair and tried not to be tooobvious about scanning her mother's face. Her mother looked†¦too calm. Calm with strainunderneath. She was smiling, but it was an odd,slightly unsteady smile. Oh, God, Poppy thought. Something isgoing on. â€Å"Now, there's no cause for alarm,† the doctor said,and immediately Poppy became more alarmed. Her palms stuck to the leather of the chair arms. â€Å"Something showed up in your sonogram that's alittle unusual, and I'd like to do a couple of othertests,† Dr. Franklin said, his voice slow and measured, soothing. â€Å"One of the tests requires that you fast from midnight the day before you take it. But your mom says you didn't eat breakfast today.† Poppy said mechanically, â€Å"I ate one Frosted Flake.† â€Å"OneFrosted Flake? Well, I think we can countthat as fasting. We'll do the tests today, and I think it's best to admit you to the hospital for them. Now, the tests are called a CAT scan and an ERCP-that's short for something even I can't pronounce.† Hesmiled. Poppy just stared at him. â€Å"There's nothing frightening about either of thesetests,† he said gently. â€Å"The CAT scan is like an X ray. The ERCP involves passing a tube down the throat, through the stomach, and into the pancreas. Then we inject into the tube a liquid that will show up onX rays .† His mouth kept moving, but Poppy had stoppedhearing the words. She was more frightened than she could remember being in a long time. I was just joking about the interesting scar, shethought. I don't want a real disease. I don't want to go to the hospital, and I don't want any tubes down my throat. She looked at her mother in mute appeal. Her mother took her hand. â€Å"It's no big deal, sweetheart. We'll just go home andpack a few things for you; then we'll come back.† â€Å"I have to go into the hospital today?† â€Å"I think that would be best,† Dr. Franklin said. Poppy's hand tightened on her mother's. Her mind was a humming blank. When they left the office, her mother said, â€Å"Thankyou, Owen.† Poppy had never heard her call Dr. Franklin by his first name before. Poppy didn't ask why. She didn't say anything asthey walked out of the building and got in the car. As they drove home, her mother began to chat aboutordinary things in a light, calm voice, and Poppy made herself answer. Pretending that everything wasnormal, while all the time the terrible sick feeling raged inside her. It was only when they were in her bedroom, packing mystery books and cotton pajamas into a small suitcase, that she asked almost casually, â€Å"So whatexactly does he think is wrong with me?† Her mother didn't answer immediately. She waslooking down at the suitcase. Finally she said, â€Å"Well, he's not sure anything is wrong.† â€Å"But what does he think?He must think something. And he was talking about my pancreas-Imean, it sounds like he thinks there's somethingwrong with my pancreas. I thought he was looking at my gallbladderor whatever. I didn't even know that my pancreas was involvedin this†¦.† â€Å"Sweetheart.† Her mother took her by the shoulders, and Poppy realized she was getting a little over wrought. She took a deep breath. â€Å"I just want to know the truth, okay? I just wantto have some idea of what's going on. It's my body, and I've got a right to know what they're lookingfor-don't I?† It was a brave speech, and she didn't mean any of it. What she really wanted was reassurance, a prom ise that Dr. Franklin was looking for something trivial. That the worst that could happen wouldn't be so bad. She didn't get it. â€Å"Yes, you do have a right to know.† Her motherlet a long breath out, then spoke slowly. â€Å"Poppy, Dr. Franklin was concerned about your pancreas allalong. Apparently things can happen in the pancreas that cause changes in other organs, like the gallblad der and liver. When Dr. Franklin felt those changes, he decided to check things out with a sonogram.† Poppy swallowed. â€Å"And he said the sonogramwas-unusual. How unusual?† â€Å"Poppy, this is all preliminary†¦.† Her mothersaw her face and sighed. She went on reluctantly.† The sonogram showed that there might be something in your pancreas. Something that shouldn't bethere. That's why Dr. Franklin wants the other tests;they'll tell us for sure. But-â€Å" â€Å"Something that shouldn't be there? You mean †¦ like a tumor? Like †¦cancer?† Strange, it was hard to say the words. Her mother nodded once. â€Å"Yes. Like cancer.†

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of legislation relating to Essay

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of legislation relating to gender discrimination in the workplace - Essay Example In this case, managers may prefer assigning attractive women the role of marketing products while men are assigned technical, manual and production. Nevertheless, the paper will focus on discussing the advantages and disadvantages of legislation concerning gender discrimination in the work place. The legislation that relate to gender discrimination in the work place is the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, where the federal law seeks to establish gender equality in the workplace (Docksey, 1984, 81). Furthermore, there are other laws such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1973 and Executive Order 11246, while the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 was established to deal with the federal criminal offences for violence against women. However, it has been subdivided into two federal district court cases, which are applicable in the employment setting to supervisors (Otten, 1993, 20). In addition, the Title VII and Equal Pay Act were enacted accor ding to Congress’s powers under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. ... Therefore, this has brought the question of the family commitments affecting the competence of a woman in her workplace, thus posing a significant challenge in deciding on employing a woman at work. Decisions of choosing an individual to accept work in a given occupation are a decision, which is influenced by the learned cultural and social values that are considered discriminatory to women. Nevertheless, the preferences are determined by learners gender related factors that stereotype occupations as either male or female (Miller & Budd, 1999, 17). Advantages One advantage of the legislation concerning discrimination of gender in the workplace relating to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which focuses on discrimination on pay, whereby men and women should receive equal compensation (Aaron, 1993, 45). The other merit is that terms of the legislation are gender natural, whereby in a situation when a man is a plaintiff, and a women they are expected to show the difference in court, where eith er of them receives a lower pay than the other if they performed the same task for the same employer. The legislation also emphasises on the notion of "substantial equivalence,† which is depicted by equal effort, skills, responsibilities and working environment. However, the legislation relating to the issues of gender discrimination offers the defendant a chance justify the disparity, in a situation where the elements are established by the plaintiff. Therefore, the defendant justifies by seniority, merit quality or quality of production and other factors that are not related to gender (Rutter, 1997, 30). Employers are not given a chance to depend on subjective estimates; thus, they have to provide precise criteria that can be applied and communicated

The European Invasion of North America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The European Invasion of North America - Essay Example The invasion of the European immigrants into North American forced the Native Americans to cope with the new environments, intercultural social relations and to a new environment in general. This paper will explore the kind of life the native residents of North America before the European Invasion, there life after the invasion, and how they coped with the new environment with reference to the book ‘The American People Creating a Nation and Society’ by Gary Nash and other authors. The Invasion Before the European invasion of North America, the natives had divisions of many different polities which involved bands of families to large business empires. Primordial paradise is the term used to refer to the lives of the Native Americans today. This effectively means that the native residents lived a life free from any restrictions. Before the invasion of the Europeans in North America, there was no clear evidence of Christianity among them. The broad generalization way of pai rs of philosophical principles leads to the quality of the native culture. The American Indian religion was wrapped together in a multidimensional cycle. These natives believed in the power of gods, performed and gave sacrifices to them in the belief that the gods were naturally supreme powered. This religion contributed towards peace and harmony among the native residents as they developed a sense of belonging towards the gods they worshipped. However, this does not necessarily mean that harmony was always maintained. Conflicts arose from various issues but were easily solved by the governance units that were already in place. Another remarkable feature of the Native American cultures was the degree of symbolic and moral convergence or homogeneity among the people who socially and geographically disparate. Perhaps this displays a common history and explains the fate that eventually ensued from the European invasion and the ultimate conquest for the bands and empires that were assoc iated with the native North Americans (Nash 108). The European invasions, as anyone would expect, caused more conflicts than they were before. The native residents were not ready to surrender that easily to the invaders. They had to stage up a fight in order to avoid losing the land they regarded to as a paradise to the European invaders. The Indians undoubtedly had to devise ways on how to cope or merge with the culture that came along with the European invaders. More importantly is to note that the European invasion brought along what they call the western civilizations even presently. Before their invasion as outlined in the second paragraph, the native residents worshipped gods. It was their way of religion, but after the European invasion, Christianity is widely spread as the major method of worship. The acceptance of the Native Americans showed towards Christianity as the religion means that the native Indians were not necessarily rebellious to the culture that was introduced by the European invasion (Nash 212). The different European nations that invaded the Indian Territory in North America made different approaches to invading North America. After the invasion of the French into North America, there is evidence that trade thrived fairly well between the French and the Native Americans. For instance, the French developed an interest in beaver