ARE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FULLY MEETING THE NEEDS OF SERVICE USERS Essay

ARE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FULLY MEETING THE NEEDS OF SERVICE USERS WITH DUAL DIAGNOSIS ILLICIT SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS - Essay Example However, in order to implement this framework in practice, the mental health professionals must be educated and trained suitably enough to be first aware of such conditions so they in turn can raise awareness of the clients in order to motivate them better. Substance misuse and addictive behaviour are very common and are regarded as a major public health problem in the United Kingdom. Dual diagnoses of substance abuse and mental disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide. The mental disorders comprise mostly of schizophrenia, affective, anxiety, personality, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Research has shown that they place enormous burden on individuals and society and hence the nation (Copello, Graham, & Birchwood, 2001, 585-587). The common co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders with alcohol and drug use disorders is well recognized. The reasons for co-occurrence, the best methods to differentiate substance abuse from psychiatric syndromes, and the best treatments for comorbidity remain open research questions. There is now an emerging consensus that when the clinical picture is limited to a single disorder, there are chances of fewer complications (Drake & Wallach, 2000, 1126-1129). Along with th at, it has been acknowledged that comorbid psychiatric and substance abuse disorders present problems. Research again has demonstrated that co-occurring mental and substance use disorders are associated with problems among users, dependence among problem users, with severity and persistence of both mental and alcohol-drug disorders, poor health and failed treatment attempts, with violence, incarceration, and poverty (Essock et al, 2001, 469-476). Therefore, it would be pertinent to investigate or to find evidence whether these available mental health services are adequate enough to meet the growing needs of these individuals with dual diagnosis. In this review article, a systemic review has been proposed to be undertaken within a methodological framework, so the evidence may be culled in order to substantiate the focus question and rationale to conduct this review. Focus Question Are mental health services fully meeting the needs of service users with dual diagnosis, illicit substance misuse and serious mental illness Rationale The problems of dual diagnosis are further compounded by the fact that clients with a dual diagnosis are difficult to assess because they are not a homogenous group. In addition, these clients often are poor historians and are noncompliant during the assessment process. Individuals with dual diagnosis often have complex and multiple needs that are difficult to assess in a comprehensive manner. There are indeed barriers to care for this population, which are significant and multidimensional. Services available for these individuals are absent, inadequate, and

Compare and Contrast Paper. 21 Jump Street Essay

Compare and Contrast Paper. 21 Jump Street - Essay Example Drug intake, committing illegal actions, pretending as prostitutes, lovers and gang members is a common practice of undercover police officers to maintain their cover. Simultaneously, many at times such drug usage, addictions and other illicit habits (to maintain their cover) ruin personal lives and relationships of these officers and they consider them self exempt of law/ accountability due to their undercover assignments (274, Pollock). A chase on the freeway by the motor cycle gang from the park led Jenko and Schmdit to destroy public property on the freeway and threatening lives of several citizens in it as well. However, in real life these undercover agents are not allowed to destroy public property to large extent like displayed in the movie and jeopardize the lives of innocent citizens to secure their cover. The argument on Schmdit’s hesitation to open fire upon the gang member is a question mark, as undercover agents are employed to bring information instead of fighting the culprits them self. These informants are mainly installed to gain extensive knowledge of the drug mafia and by no means required to kill the dealers or their agents on their own (Lee,

Theoretical Perspectives Of Multiculturalism And Multiracialism Politics Essay

Theoretical Perspectives Of Multiculturalism And Multiracialism Politics Essay Within any multicultural society lie numerous complexities. From the States definition to the implementation, limitations within the multicultural theory and other contributing factors can however complicate its compatibility to academic, political rhetoric and social reality. For Australia and Singapore, geography, history and political culture set these countries apart in the definition and employment of multiculturalism. Australia is a country with a diverse ethnic and cultural makeup; Singapore on the other hand has a longstanding adherence to the four founding ethnic groups. But within respective cases, discrepancies emerge within the context of academic and public interpretation, making the multicultural affair both a loved and loathed subject. By juxtaposing multicultural Australia with multiracial Singapore, this chapter will introduce a broad overview of the multicultural/ multiracial debate that has challenged the reality of these contemporary nation-states. It will begin with the discussion of Benedict Andersons theories of imagined political belonging. This will be followed by a close analysis of the measures that have been sought to reconcile the nation-state framework within Australia and Singapore. The chapter will then explore the theoretical debates that exist within the State administration before concluding with an overview of these approaches by drawing upon their similarities, divergences and their impacts on their respective societies. Globalisation and cultural homogeneity The conventional notions of citizenship and national identity have been synonymous to the ideology where national belonging is limited to a single nation. More recently however, the processes that drive migration, the influx and settlement of transnational workers and global economic development have resulted in increasingly heterogeneous communities within nation-states (Castles and Davidson 2000; Soutphommasane 2005). Faced with such dramatic challenges to the imaginations of homogeneity, the traditional idea of citizenship is increasingly undermined as states find it difficult to manage their internal framework based on a presumption of ethnic and cultural homogeneity. The core vision of nationalism is the idea that it consists of individual citizens that share a distinct and autonomous national culture. Benedict Andersons whose works influence us on the way we think about nation-states, observes that a nation is a makeup of a political community that is imagined as essentially sovereign and limited through the stimulation of deep emotional attachment: Nationality, or so, as one might prefer to put it in view of that words multiple significations, nation-ness, as well as nationalism, are cultural artefacts of a particular kind. [These artefacts] once created à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ became modular, capable of being transplanted, with varying degrees of self-consciousness, to a great variety of social terrains, to merge and be merged with a correspondingly wide variety of political and ideological constellations (1991: 4). At the heart of Andersons argument is the idea that nationalism is built on what is almost purely an emotional connection that binds communities together. The imagined nets of kinship between persons and the State allows diverse communities to connect with each other without actual knowledge of their fellow members, and these invisible ties that motivate them to risk their lives for the nation-state in times of warfare under the perceived imagining of their nationhood (7). Such imaginings which are based on the ideological construct is at the core of nationalism. When they are absent or otherwise eclipsed by difference, these imaginings are imposed or buttressed by the State. In another influential discourse, Ernest Renan (as cited in Eley and Suny 1996: 42) suggests that national identity cannot exist without first submerging difference, including cultural and ethnic distinctiveness that could prove divisive.  [1]  The existence of national identity is dependent on the States ability to organise a universal set of values and cultures for its society, or as Castles and Davidson indicate, One has to be made into a national before he or she can become a citizen (2000: 27). Without these national imaginings, the legitimacy of the State probably would not have prevailed. Under the pressures of globalisation and the changing character of migration towards the end of the twentieth century, the traditional notion of citizenship where political belonging is limited to one nation began to evolve. As mass international migration leads to the proliferation of cultural and ethnic diversity within national communities, it consequently became increasingly untenable for nation-states to maintain the ideology of a homogenous national culture (Soutphommasane 2005: 401). Such shifts in migration patterns have undermined even the strongest argument about homogeneity. Japan for instance, where the State has long made claims about the homogeneity of its population, is now forced to recognise the reality of ethnic minority workforces that have become increasingly prominent in Japanese society (Castles and Davidson 2000: 157)  [2]  . Scholars and political elites have also begun to recognise that new measures were necessary to recognise such social changes, especially the need to accommodate cultural pluralism brought about by the movement of people across national boundaries. In relation to this, scholars have critically studied the multifaceted processes of migration and have produced a vast number of works in this field, including new and plural systems of identification and belonging (Lawson 2000), transnational communities and hybridisation (Bailey and Smith 2004), and new patterns of belonging and citizenship (Castles 2002; Joppke 1999; Law 2002). The multicultural debate: the case of Australia Affected by the processes of globalisation, a number of countries have begun to expand the traditional notion of universal citizenship in legislation and public rhetoric to include every individual, especially minorities, into a re-badged national culture under the new form of multicultural citizenship. Multicultural citizenship acknowledges the practise of culture and formation of identities in a variety of social and cultural contexts, departing from the antecedent understanding of monoculture and homogeneity (Soutphommasane 2005: 403). It also recognises minorities, ostensibly furnishing such communities with stronger voices in decision-making at the local, national and international level (Moodod 2007). The shifting nature of State-society relations in Australia, under the broader ambit of multiculturalism, provides us with one of the most obvious examples in the development of multicultural institutions and policies. Up until the mid-twentieth century, Australian society had been relatively homogenous, with over 90 percent of the ethnic dynamic identified as British during the post-war period in 1947 (Dunn and Forrest 2006: 210). And for most of Australian culture and institutions, the Anglo identity poses as a dominant influence. However in the beginning of the 1970s, the demise of the White Australia policy and the nations demand for skilled labour attracted an influx of non-white groups into the Australian society (Anderson and Taylor 2005: 470). It gradually became difficult for the State to sustain the myth of its national identity on the basis of Anglo-Celtic origins. The dominant community had to accept realities of ethnic diversity and a cosmopolitan identity, although resistance towards this continues at all levels of Australian society to this day. Incidentally, multicultural citizenship is a subject of controversy in the political and academic lexicon. The idea of multiculturalism, which was introduced in Australia as a public policy to manage cultural differences, was condemned in some quarters as being oppressive, undermining the quintessential Anglo-Celtic heritage of the nation (Bulbeck 2004; Johnson 2002), as well as being a threat to national security (Noble and Poynting 2008). The issues of immigration and social cohesion have become widely familiar to the Australian media and public. Today, multiculturalism continues to be a recurring subject of contest as recent events in Australia, such as the Cronulla Riots in 2005 and the assaults on Indian students in Melbourne in 2009 have shown. In each instance, the friction caused by deeply entrenched and unmanageable differences have brought the issue of cultural divides back into the public sphere.  [3]   The interpretation of multicultural citizenship in Australian political administration has a long tail, and has assumed diverse meanings under various political leaders. When the Whitlam government first unveiled multicultural programs in the 1950s, the purpose of the policy was to direct welfare services and forms of assistance to disadvantaged groups, namely migrants from non English-speaking backgrounds and those with little political and social representation. However when the Fraser government came into power in 1975, this political understanding of multiculturalism changed. Instead of simply being about the provision of welfare services, multiculturalism became a bipartisan policy that underscored the significance of cultural preservation for various ethnic groups, with a pragmatic approach to foster minorities voices within the society (Castles and Davidson 2000: 170). It was during this period that multiculturalism functioned as a policy directive, in hope that it would facil itate access for minorities and marginalised groups to fully participate and benefit from social, economic and political aspects. This continued to the 1980s until multiculturalism began to encompass a wider definition than the mere representations of cultural and ethnic entities. By then, it also (controversially) began to push into a new national ideology where it represented the buttress of national culture and identity in Australia (Galligan and Roberts 2003). From a policy that had been specifically associated with migrant resettlement services since its emergence, multiculturalism in the 1980s progressed to the advocacy of accepting and celebrating cultural diversity within Australian society. [Multiculturalism is] a model to be worked towards-a vision for the futureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Multiculturalism should not just mean majority group assistance for minority cultural groups, but rather should be a way of perceiving Australian society as a whole Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, 1982 (as cited from Galligan and Roberts 2003). The Keating government was keen on creating a new national identity based on the diverse nature of cultural groups within its society, its independence from the British monarch, its propinquity to Asia and its necessity to flourish in an increasingly globalised economy (Johnson 2002: 175). In a radical departure from traditional notions of Australian national identity, Keating wanted a national identity to acknowledge the British and Irish heritage in Australias history, judiciary system and culture, but yet was also distinct from core political values that privileged British identity (176). The new Australian identity, according to him, would illustrate his hope of Anglo-Celtic Australians embracing multiculturalism for the future social and economic benefits of the nation. Keatings policies were unpopular, garnering backlashes from politicians, scholars and public. This largely relates to the notion of multiculturalism displacing the legacy of Anglo privilege with a more cosmopolitan and inclusive national identity. There were concerns that broader conceptions of Australian identity could overhaul distinctive values and qualities that make up the uniqueness of Australian culture and subsequently disregard mainstream Australians for the interests of non-Anglo ethnic groups (Johnson 2002: 177). Hence, fear and tension began to heighten as the dominant group felt progressively pressured to surrender their privileged position under the escalating diversity of ethnic groups. Within the political framework, Keatings vision for new Australia reached an important juncture in 1996 when two public figures publicly opposed to his policies Pauline Hanson and John Howard. Following this marked a drastic decline in the significance of multiculturalism as the usage of the term became eschewed in Australian politics (Castles and Davidson 2000: 165). Beyond what could be described as reflexive ripostes to threats at cultural power, criticism surrounding the idea of multiculturalism have also much to do with its indistinct and constantly-evolving definition. (Ellie Vasta: 212) In some cases, it was deemed to have been introduced almost accidentally by political elites to accommodate the fluctuating diversity of the society. A term that is developed on-the-spot, the understanding of multiculturalism is therefore inconsistent. On one level, it is assumed as an appropriate designation for welfare policies and on another, it merely becomes a term that describes the multiple cultures that exists within Australian society. Hence multicultural critics such as Zubrzycki 1995) blame multiculturalism for being a presupposed concept with its principles couched in jargon, and the extent of its effectiveness is not largely known. Another polemic of multicultural citizenship reveals further dilemmas in the accommodation of cultural differences within a common civic culture. According to the National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia (1989), multiculturalism must be expressed with an overriding and unifying commitment to Australia, to its interests and future first and foremost. Nonetheless Soutphommasane (2005: 408) argues that while it is important for a national culture and a sense of shared belonging to anchor a multicultural society, multicultural citizenship cannot be observed under a civic culture that is impervious to change. If so, this could undermine the political representation of minority cultures at the institutional level, contradicting multiculturalisms pledge to include citizens from diverse cultural backgrounds and provide them equal voices as the majority. Built-in cultural biases within Australian political institutions which have witnessed the entrenchment of traditions first established by the Anglo-Celtic elites would continue to pose a problem for multicultural citizenship unless it provides the basis for a more inclusive form of political identity for multicultural citizens (Soutphommasane 2005; Castles and Davidson 2000). In essence, it is never possible to classify multiculturalism as something that is either good or bad in a society. A recent survey conducted by The Age indicates that most Australians continue to support immigration despite the political kerfuffle that coloured its history (Edwards 2009). This partly points to the fact that peoples perception and experiences of migrants are often fluid and contextual (Wise 2005: 183) and as a result, they may display versatile responses between positive and negative assessments of their migrant neighbours. Drawing experiences from an ethnography fieldwork conducted within a culturally-diverse suburb of Sydney, Wise also concludes that no clear division can sit between the merits or deficits of multiculturalism even though multiculturalism continues to stand as one of the prominent topics of debate in Australias political history. One People, One Nation: the multiracial framework in Singapore Unlike Australia, ethnic pluralism has always been a distinctive and defining feature of Singapore society since its founding as a colony. Long before Singapore established itself as an independent nation-state, its society was already made up of diverse ethnic groups originating from different parts of the Malay Archipelago, Asia, the Middle East and Europe due to trading links between these countries, international migration and settlement (Lai 2004: 1). For Singapore, ethnic pluralism has also been the central challenge to societal cohesion and nation-building. In the colonial era, ethnic communities were deliberately kept apart from one another as a matter of public policy. However in the years leading to the nations independence, as events of internal unrest and racial riots plagued Singapores social order, the ruling regime the Peoples Action Party (PAP) recognised that a cohesive nation was imperative to state survival (Lai 2004: 5). Hence upon independence in 1965, Singapore immediately included the idea of multiracialism in its Constitution, and the notion served as a foundation for other policies (Chua 2003: 60). However, Singapores approach in managing its multiethnic population remains strikingly different when compared to Australia. Multiracialism in Singapore represents an aspiration of the political elites to unite ethnic and cultural differences together, emphasising on bridging social divisions and advocating a shared sense of national culture. While multiculturalism in Australia which is essentially a public policy to manage diversity as well as to police racial discrimination and racism among diverse ethnic societies (Castles and Davidson 2000l; Chua 2005; Moodod 2007), multiracialism in Singapore can be thought of as being the States chief instrument of control in social life; it is developed as a tool of necessity due to Singapores heterogeneity and represents the States opportunity to recognise cultural differences. The policy of multiracialism allows the State to suppress potential tensions among ethnic groups, pre-empting public dissent and disallowing the issue of race to threa ten the States legitimacy of rule (Barr 2006; Chua 2003). On the face of affairs, the Singapore State has been quite successful in maintaining social order and stability with this pragmatic ideology, and has managed to avoid public race-related conflicts since the start of the 1970s. Within the context of Singapore, it is firstly important to distinguish the differences among ethnicity, race and culture because these terms are often used interchangeably in public and official discourse. While ethnicity and culture are forms of social construct where communities or groups seek identification and develop relationship with each other based on differences and day-to-day interactions (Lai 2004: 2), race on the other hand is identification based on the physical attributes of a person, namely the colour of a persons skin (Franklin 2003: 470). Due to colonial history, multiracialism remains as the official term within the political administration of Singapore instead of multiculturalism. Similarly, the State employs the term race instead of ethnicity and multiracialism instead of multiculturalism. Multiracialism expresses the States intention to create social order in the face of potentially divisive issues such as race, religion, ethnic origin and culture (Trocki 2006). The CMIO model of multiracialism is an essential component of the States ideology of pragmatism. Developed as an intentional decision of nationhood, CMIO multiracialism scheme a convenient political tool for the State to homogenise cultural differences within a racial group by attributing race to essentially one culture, language and to a lesser extent, religion (Lai 1995: 179). Prior to Singapores independence in 1965, the ethnic population in colonial Singapore was diverse with many languages and cultures practised within a single race. The Chinese race for instance, constituted of the Hokkiens, Teochews, Cantonese (Chua 2005: 5) as well as other linguistic communities who shared different culture and traditions (Trocki 2006: 139). Under the CMIO framework however, these differences were streamlined and orga nised around the elements of colonial history, language and geography. The heterogeneous population was categorised into four major race groups Chinese, Malay Indian and Others. Each race is attributed to one culture and one language the Chinese race is associated with Mandarin which is the official race-language; the Malay race with the Malay language; and Indian race with the Tamil language. Within the States interpretation, the CMIO model is looked upon to be the most effective approach for managing its society. In contrast to assimilation where the minority races are overridden by the dominant, CMIO model gives fair treatment by recognising all racial groups as equal in policy. It ensures that the interests of minorities and their interests are protected so they are not disadvantaged in the society, as well as providing equal opportunity for them to advance. Most importantly, the CMIO model illustrates the States efforts for encouraging race consciousness and the divisions within the society, advocating tolerance for such differences, and the desire for individuals to mutually accept each other for the benefit of the nation (Chua 2003: 17). However while the CMIO framework allows for the simplification of racial interpretation in both private and public lives, scholars have observed that it is in fact problematic. In recent years, multiracialism classification of CMIO surfaced once again in the light of academic debate as the nation steers itself towards integration of the world economy under the processes of globalisation. The Singapore states desire to attract what it calls foreign talent has opened the door to a high density of transnational relations as economic policies have resulted in a large influx of migrant workers (Yeoh and Chang 2001; Yeoh 2004): It is precisely for our childrens sake that we must take this open, cosmopolitan approachà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However talented we may be, it is impossible for us to produce in our next generation the same constellation of talent, the same richness and diversity of backgrounds and abilities, just from the children of three million Singaporeans. -The Straits Times, 25 August 1997. Scholars have expressed concerns that the presence of transnational workers could invite a population that is increasingly too heterogeneous to be defined within the parameters of the CMIO classification. As Yeoh (2004) points out, a cosmopolitan Singapore shifts away from the older stance of multiracialism and the nations quest to build a cohesive society based on the four founding races (2442). For the government, it has long since been its ambition to assume individuals to have a fixed and unequivocal ethnic identity under the CMIO model; cosmopolitanism on the other hand invites fluid and complex forms of identification that can no longer be homogenously recognised. Increasingly, individuals of heterogeneous backgrounds would feel suppressed by the state-imposed CMIO model which limits them to negotiate and choose their own identity, leading to consequences where individuals feel unrecognised and separated from their ethnic classification (Lai 2005: 11). Under such circumstances, there would be Chinese and Indian migrant workers that do not subscribe to the CMIO-defined Chinese category, as well as those who feel that CMIO-defined Others is an insufficient representation of their race. Meanwhile the local community is also aware of the paradigms weaknesses: What [does] the CMIO classification in Singapore for? Are you against or for that? I do think its ridiculous that children of mixed heritage have to be forced to take their fathers races as theirs. I think the CMIO classification is merely for the govt to carry out their plans, such as HDB racial policy and so on. However I find it totally unnecessary. Sgforums.com, 27 February 2005. The indication of forced in the writers assertion explains her belief that social reality is actually more complex than the States simplified view with the CMIO multiracialism model. Instead the writer views the model as a coercive method for nation-building policies, as well as overwriting individualism for the societal good. Another contributor expresses her views on the limitations of the CMIO multiracialism model, and how it critically de-emphasises the importance of dialects that exist within the Chinese language other than the official race-language, Mandarin: An abundance of knowledge of Chinese traditions, values and history is contained in the oral and written embodiments of these southern Chinese languages, such as surviving literature, operas and stories. Sadly, the chain of passing down this heritage is being lost rapidly in Singapore. -Sgforums.com, 7 March 2009. Deng is exasperated that the governments move to suppress the use of dialects with the Mandarin language has a cost to bear. While the present Chinese community are mostly bilingual in English and Mandarin something that the government hopes to achieve, dialects also quickly become a language unknown to them. Chua (2003) describes this phenomenon as one of the consequences of the state-imposed CMIO multiracialism model where the understanding of racial harmony is minimalist and lacks substantial cultural exchange, deep understanding and even less cultural crossing of boundaries (75). This reinforcement is built on the tolerance of differences, as well as the governments aspiration to prioritise a shared sense of commonality and national identity before ethnic identities. The CMIO classification model also has internal contradictions if one approaches the idea of cultural difference within anthropological paradigms. As Franklin (2003) indicates, culture is in essence a complex notion which is malleable, flexible and also contestable (477). Rather than being fixed, it carries a mobile meaning which overtime can be moulded, lost, changed under the conditions of everyday life. Likewise, ethnic identity is a makeup of longstanding history, culture and tradition that equip members with an exclusive shared sense of belonging and membership (Lai 2005: 10). Hence it is not possible for identities, under the circumstances imposed by the State, to be effectively curtailed to a homogenous identity shared by a particular race group and subsequently, a homogenous identity shared by the national community. In reality, identities from cultural context can never be completely displaced by national identities (Bader 1997). The States ambition of protecting minority interests with the CMIO multicultural model also promises more optimism in rhetoric than in reality. Multiracialism in practice does not translate into equality for all races; accounts of marginalisation, especially among minorities, continue to pose a significant problem for Singapores ethnic-relations.The introduction of the Speak Mandarin program towards the end of 1970s which was intended to serve as cultural ballast for the non-English educated Chinese is suggested to reveal biases in its implementation that would in turn disadvantage non-Chinese race groups (Trocki 2006: 153). The program which is seen as an effort by the government to align Singapore with Chinas emerging affluence and to create Chinese cultural elites became less significant when it comes to other second languages. Despite the fact that the Malay and Tamil languages are the nations official languages, there was lesser push from high status institutions to promote thei r usage (Gopinathan, Ho and Vanithamani 2004: 236). Similarly, Michael Barr noted significant levels of cultural bias within the education system which often put non-Chinese children at a disadvantage (Barr 2006). He argues that the disparate portrayal of uplifting Chinese and the boisterous non-Chinese in the school textbooks, along with racial stereotype, depictions of prejudice and racial consciousness, would detrimentally deprive minorities of inspiring role models, undermining the States meritocracy ideal and its emphasis on equality as a method for encouraging harmony and understanding among all race groups. Australia and Singapore compared This chapter has illustrated the differences between the management of multiethnic population in Australia and Singapore. While multiracialism in Singapore has been inscribed in the Constitution since the beginning of its sovereignty and has been incorporated in many of its public policies since, multiculturalism only emerged in Australia during the 1970s as a policy to control differences. Secondly, for reasons of colonial history, Singapore uses the word race in replacement of ethnicity and uses multiracialism instead of multiculturalism as the official term within the political administration. And thirdly, Singapore functions on a political culture disparate from Australia. Being a one-party state, the Singapore government rules in a politically-hegemonic position with little risk of being displaced by alternative sections of parliamentary power, therefore establishing a form of governance that is deviated from the Western understanding of an open and liberal democracy. And unlike Australia, the Singapore government predominantly uses multiracialism as an instrument of social control. And such elements can be illustrated in the CMIO model where the government streamlines cultural differences to simplified classification, as well as controlling and advocating languages deemed as beneficial for the national interest. For Australia, the definition of multiculturalism evolves overtime in political administration as a consequence of responding to realities. However even when both countries have a different inherent understanding of multiculturalism, they present weaknesses and dilemmas that contradict respective political intentions of managing a multiethnic society where minorities risk domination of the majority at the socio-political level, and are subsequently put to a disadvantage. And in both countries, both governments emphasise greatly on national culture and language by placing individuals allegiance to the nation before their own ethnic and cultural values. But in the process of doing so, scholars in both contexts noted the costs of doing so. In the case of Australia, minorities risk being displaced by the dominant Anglo-Celtic group as well as underrepresentation at the political level especially if local institutions remain unreceptive to change. And in the case of Singapore, the importance of dialects and its values that are increasingly displaced by the State-imposed CMIO model, resulting in a minimalist understanding of r acial harmony where race groups do not engage, interact and have a deep understanding of each others cultures.

Wire Pirates :: essays research papers

Wire Pirates Someday the Internet may become an information superhighway, but right now it is more like a 19th-century railroad that passes through the badlands of the Old West. As waves of new settlers flock to cyberspace in search for free information or commercial opportunity, they make easy marks for sharpers who play a keyboard as deftly as Billy the Kid ever drew a six-gun. It is difficult even for those who ply it every day to appreciate how much the Internet depends on collegial trust and mutual forbearance. The 30,000 interconnected computer networks and 2.5 million or more attached computers that make up the system swap gigabytes of information based on nothing more than a digital handshake with a stranger. Electronic impersonators can commit slander or solicit criminal acts in someone else's name; they can even masquerade as a trusted colleague to convince someone to reveal sensitive personal or business information. "It's like the Wild West", says Donn B. Parker of SRI: "No laws, rapid growth and enterprise - it's shoot first or be killed." To understand how the Internet, on which so many base their hopes for education, profit and international competitiveness, came to this pass, it can be instructive to look at the security record of other parts of the international communications infrastructure. The first, biggest error that designers seem to repeat is adoption of the "security through obscurity" strategy. Time and again, attempts to keep a system safe by keeping its vulnerabilities secret have failed. Consider, for example, the running war between AT&T and the phone phreaks. When hostilities began in the 1960s, phreaks could manipulate with relative ease the long-distance network in order to make unpaid telephone calls by playing certain tones into the receiver. One phreak, John Draper, was known as "Captain Crunch" for his discovery that a modified cereal-box whistle could make the 2,600-hertz tone required to unlock a trunk line. The next generation of security were the telephone credit cards. When the cards were first introduced, credit card consisted of a sequence of digits (usually area code, number and billing office code) followed by a "check digit" that depended on the other digits. Operators could easily perform the math to determine whether a particular credit-card number was valid. But also phreaks could easily figure out how to generate the proper check digit for any given telephone number. So in 1982 AT&T finally put in place a more robust method. The corporation assigned each card four check digits (the "PIN", or personal identification number) that could not be easily be computed from the other 10. A nationwide on- line database made the numbers available to operators so that they could

Where the Wild Things Are Reading Log

VISUAL Title: Where the Wild Things Are Director: Spike Jonze Cultural Perspective: American Gender Perspective: Male Critical Reputation: Yes (Nominated for the Saturn Award) Date of Response: 21 September 2011 ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ directed by Spike Jonze links to the theme crisis and change through the character Max and his struggle to control his emotions. Max runs away and falls asleep and dreams of the island where the wild things live each wild thing representing parts of himself and his relationships with his family members.On the island he is placed to govern his own feelings after fighting with his mother. The wild things are symbols of the relationships he has with his sister and mum and his own emotions. Many of what happens in his world where the wild things live parallel Max’s reality  such as the dirt clod war which contrasts the snowball fight he had where he splits his emotions into good and ‘bad’ teams. Carroll, Douglas and K W are on his side while Judith, Ira, Alexander and Bull are classed as bad.Carroll is a symbol of Max’s uncontrollable anger and his destructive side which Max understands the best because he is constantly battling anger. Douglas is the symbol of reason and KW a girl who is full of love and represents his mother especially when she hides him from Carroll and also the close relationship between Carroll and KW because he does have a close relationship with his mother and she is the one who experiences the most of his anger bursts, however she is not really there when he needs her because she has to work.But there is a lovely moment between Max and his mother early on in the film which symbolises the love between them, when his mother writes the story Max tells her while he plays with her feet. ‘†There were some buildings†¦ There were these really tall buildings, and they could walk. Then there were some vampires. And one of the vampires bit the tallest building , and his fangs broke off. Then all his other teeth fell out. Then he started crying. And then, all the other vampires said, â€Å"Why are you crying? Weren't those just your baby teeth? † And he said, â€Å"No.Those were my grown-up teeth. † And the vampires knew he couldn't be a vampire anymore, so they left him. The end. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This is a moment when Max opens up to his mother through his creative side, and one of the nicest moments between Max and his mother in the whole film. Judith is a symbol of his relationship with his sister. They don’t really get on and she isn’t there for him when he needs her as represented by the quote that Judith says ‘†You know what? You can't do that back to me. If we're upset, your job is not to get upset back at us. Our job is to be upset.If I get mad and wanna eat you, then you have to say: â€Å"Oh, okay. You can eat me. I love you. Whatever makes you happy, Judith? † That's what you're supp osed to do! †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ this is exactly what Max expects from his sister and he is constantly upset by her. Ira symbolises the part of Max that is pushed around by the people in his life and Alexander symbolises the side of Max that no one listens to and is mistreated by the other wild things. Bull is a symbol of the journey and how that there are always going to be parts of yourself you won’t understand and that Max’s emotional journey has only just begun.Max changes throughout his time on that he spends on the island and comes to understand what his mother has to put up with as he finds it extremely hard to be in charge of Carroll as he is unruly. As he leaves the island KW says ‘†Don’t go, I’ll eat you up. I love you so†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which reflects how she swallowed Max to protect him from Carroll because she loves him. He goes back to have a greater understanding of himself and what his mother has to put up with. Throughout the movie you feel sorry for Max as he is misunderstood and ignored.His sister doesn’t stand up for him when he is squashed in the snow fort he built with him inside. I also felt that some of his behaviour was unnecessary but throughout his stay on the island you find out that he had just not matured enough to understand what others had to put up with until he had to put up with it himself. ‘I don't talk to owls. Owls are stupid. ’ This quote symbolises how Max has no understanding and feels left out because he cannot understand what the owls are saying just like Carroll.The film also connects to the theme crisis and change with the idea that children are burdened with adults problems. Max is told by the teacher at school that the sun is going to die and this shocks him. Later on while he and Carroll are touring the island they come across the empty part of the world. Carroll says ‘†this part of your kingdom is not so good†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †Well, look this u sed to be all rock, now it’s all sand, and then one day it’s going to all be dust and then the whole island will be dust, and then†¦ I don’t even know what comes after dust. ’ This symbolises how max is burdened with the fact that not only is his childish imagination dying but so is he, just like the sun. Later max responds by saying ‘†Carroll, did you know the sun was going to die? †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Carroll responds with ‘†What? I’ve never heard that†¦ oh come on. That can’t happen. I mean you’re the king, and look at me, I’m big! How can guys like us worry about a tiny thing like the sun? †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ this shows how Max’s problems seem so much bigger than the sun at the moment but there is still the worry nibbling at him.When Max found out that the sun was going to die, I felt angry at his teacher for not explaining that it will take millions of years and for scaring Max. I didnâ€⠄¢t like the look of worry on Max’s face, when we see that this boy has so much more to come to terms with in himself, and is now burdened by something he needn’t worry about as it is still millions of years away. He learns that he can continue living even though Judith tells him ‘Happiness isn't always the best way to be happy. ’ He discovers there is more to being happy than he had thought before

Discrimination Worksheet Essay

†¢ What is discrimination? How is discrimination different from prejudice and stereotyping? Discrimination is the denial of oppurtunities and equal rights to individuals and groups because of prejudice or for other arbitrary reasons (Schaefer, 2012). Discrimination is different from prejudice and stereotyping because discrimination is an action whereas prejudice is a belief or attitude and stereotyping is a generalization about a group of individuals (Schaefer, 2012). Both prejudice and stereotyping are ways of thinking about and classifying people into groups based on a belief or dislike of those individuals. Discrimination takes it a step further and puts those beliefs and attitudes into action by denying these groups of certain oppurtunities because of the prejudice and stereotyping. †¢ What are the causes of discrimination? Discrimination comes in many forms such as race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, and even disabilities. Discrimination is a learned behavior in which I believe children hear negative remarks about a group of people or individual from their parents or other influential persons and then make those judgements based upon what they grew up hearing about these individuals (Schaefer, 2012). Discrimination can also be caused from possible bad experiences with one individual that may cause another individual to now have negative feelings about this particular person because of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or disability. Another cause of discrimination is institutional discrimination, which is the denial of oppurtunites and equal rights to individuals and groups that results from the normal operations of a society (Schaefer, 2012). †¢ How is discrimination faced by one identity group (race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability) the same as discrimination faced by another? How are they different? Facing discrimination is never an easy task to do. Having to face discrimination is difficult and usually the minority gets the brut force of the discrimination. The only way facing discrimination could be the same is that either group has to endure the prejudice for the actions and beliefs in which they are being discriminated about. The difference is that one identity group may receive harsher discrimination for their identity group. Race, gender, and disability may get hit harder when it comes to jobs and other oppurtunities than would ethnicity, religious groups, and sexual orientation. Certain groups have been discriminated even harsher than others and this can lead to hate crimes, such as race. Either way discrimination is a negative action and the more we can do to prevent it, the better it will be for our future.

Land a Full-Time Trucking Job After Graduation

Land a Full-Time Trucking Job After Graduation You’re about to finish truck driving school- or you’re trying to figure out if school is a smart investment- and you want to know if a solid job with benefits is in your future. Great question! Here’s the good news: While there are no guarantees in life, most people who finish an accredited CDL training program find jobs- some even line up jobs before they graduate.Some industry insiders feel that there are plenty of full-time jobs with benefits available for qualified truckers right now- from OTR drivers and local/regional drivers to management and support positions and more- so the timing might be perfect if you’re just about to graduate or are considering starting a CDL program.What can you expect when you land your first job?Plenty! Along with great travel opportunities and an average salary of around $40,000, you can expect some solid benefits depending on where you work- including comprehensive insurance, paid vacation, a 401(k), and more.So†¦ho w can you make this reality happen for you?Obviously, choosing a great training program with a proven track record is essential, so do your homework when choosing one. Some are affiliated with major carriers and offer placement help. Others are company sponsored, which means you may be able to lock down guaranteed employment in exchange for tuition assistance!Already in a program?Start thinking about your life after you graduate- have a killer resume that plays up your experience and strengths, network with other drivers and industry insiders whenever possible, and make informed, well-researched decisions at every turn!It’s never a bad time to think about your future- if being a trucker might seem like the right career path for you, don’t ask your magic 8-ball to figure out what lies ahead for you. Devise a well-researched plan, work hard, and get rolling!Graduating Truck Driving School: Will I Really Get A Full-Time Job With Benefits?Read More at www.roadmaster.com

Media Guangdong and Open Letter Essay

Media Guangdong and Open Letter Essay Media: Guangdong and Open Letter Essay (Before It's News) There seem to be constant new developments what is now being referred to as the â€Å"New Year’s Greeting incident† at Guangdong’s Southern Weekly. Those new to the story can catch up here andhere, and read the wrap-up at the Wall Street Journal. Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao yesterday cited an unnamed â€Å"official source† as saying that Guangdong’s propaganda chief, Tuo Zhen (Ã¥ º ¹Ã©Å"‡), singled out over the past three days as responsible for the interference at Southern Weekly, was not in Guangdong when the incident occurred. According to the newspaper, the source said the action â€Å"had nothing to do with Guangdong’s provincial propaganda department.† If this is true it leaves behind a great bit question: Whose decision was it? A January 4 open letter protesting interference at Southern Weekly, the second following a letter from a group of former Southern Weekly journalists, continues to gather signatures. A confirmed list of the first batch of signers, obtained by the China Media Project yesterday, included 98 signatures made before 10 p.m. on January 4. Signers included Ai Xiaoming (è‰ ¾Ã¦â„¢â€œÃ¦ËœÅ½), a popular professor at Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-sen University, and Southern Metropolis Daily founder and former editor-in-chief Cheng Yizhong (ç ¨â€¹Ã§â€ºÅ Ã¤ ¸ ­). The second confirmed list of signers, those signing before 10 a.m. on January 5, included 458 names. Among them were well-known Chinese blogger Bei Feng (Ã¥Å'â€"é £Å½) and Cui Weiping (Ã¥ ´â€Ã¥  «Ã¥ ¹ ³), a professor at Beijing Film Academy and a frequent contributor to Southern Weekly. Signers of the letter represented a wide range of fields and backgrounds - journalists, academics, writers, students, lawyers, migrant workers, and even one name identified as â€Å"a citizen seeking freedom.† Below is the full Chinese-language version of the open letter. - - - - - Ã¥ ° ±Ã¥ â€"æâ€" ¹Ã¥â€˜ ¨Ã¦Å" «Ã§Å' ®Ã¨ ¯ Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¤ » ¶Ã¥â€˜Å Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã¤ ¸â€¹Ã¤ ¹ ¦ æÅ" «Ã¤ ¸â€"æÅ" ªÃ¤ º ¡Ã¯ ¼Å'çŽ °Ã¤ ¸â€"å† Ã¤ ¼  Ã¥Å  £Ã¨ ¿ ¹Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¤ ºÅ'é› ¶Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ¸â€°Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥Ë† Ã¯ ¼Å'《å â€"æâ€" ¹Ã¥â€˜ ¨Ã¦Å" «Ã£â‚¬â€¹Ã¥Ë†Å Ã¥ â€˜Ã¦â€" °Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã§ º ªÃ¥ ¿ µÃ§â€° ¹Ã¥Ë†Å Ã¯ ¼Å'å… ¨Ã©Æ' ¨Ã¤ »ËœÃ¥Å¾â€¹Ã§â€°Ë†Ã¦   ·Ã¥ · ²Ã§ » Ã¥ ® ¡Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã¯ ¼Å'è ® °Ã¨â‚¬â€¦Ã§ ¼â€"è ¾â€˜Ã¤ ¼â€˜Ã¥ â€¡Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¥Å" ¨Ã§ ¼â€"è ¾â€˜Ã©Æ' ¨Ã¤ ¸ Ã§Å¸ ¥Ã¦Æ'…çš„æÆ'…å† µÃ¤ ¸â€¹Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ ¹ ¿Ã¤ ¸Å"çÅ" Ã¥ §â€Ã¥ ® £Ã¤ ¼  Ã©Æ' ¨Ã©Æ' ¨Ã©â€¢ ¿Ã¥ º ¹Ã©Å"‡å ¦â€žÃ¥Å  ¨Ã§ § Ã¥ ¿ µÃ¯ ¼Å'ç‹  Ã¥Ë†  Ã¦â€" ¢Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã§â€°Ë†Ã©  ¢Ã¯ ¼Å'ç ¯ ¡Ã¦â€ ¹Ã¦â€" °Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã§Å' ®Ã¨ ¯ Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ ¹ ¶Ã¦Å'‡ä » ¤Ã§ § Ã¦ · »Ã©â€â„¢Ã¨ ¯ ¯Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¥â€¡ ºÃ¤ ¹â€¹Ã§â€° ¹Ã¥Ë†Å Ã¦Å'‰è ¯ ­Ã¯ ¼Å'é“ ¸Ã¦Ë† Ã¥ â€"å‘ ¨Ã§Å' ®Ã¨ ¯ Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¤ » ¶Ã£â‚¬â€š Ã¥ â€"å‘ ¨Ã¨â€¹ ¦Ã¥ ® ¡Ã¦Å¸ ¥Ã¤ ¹â€¦Ã§Å¸ £Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ§â€ž ¶Ã¨â‚¬Å'ç‰ ¹Ã¥Ë†Å Ã©â‚¬â€°Ã© ¢ËœÃ§ » Ã¥ º ¹Ã©Å"‡å ® ¡Ã¦   ¸Ã¦â€° ¹Ã¥â€¡â€ Ã¯ ¼Å'æˆ Ã§ ¨ ¿Ã¦Å'‰æÅ'‡ä » ¤Ã¦Ë†â€"åˆ  Ã¥â€¡ Ã¦Ë†â€"æŠ ½Ã¦Å½â€°Ã¯ ¼Å'ä »ËœÃ¥  °Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¦   ·Ã¤ ¹Å¸Ã¥Å½â€ Ã§ » Ã¥â€ â€¦Ã¥ ¤â€"æŸ ¥Ã© ªÅ'。æ ¦â€šÃ¨ ¨â‚¬Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ º ¹Ã©Å"‡ç ¯ ¡Ã¦â€ ¹Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¥â€° Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ â€"å‘ ¨Ã§â€° ¹Ã¥Ë†Å Ã¦â€"  Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¥ ­â€"ä ¸ Ã§ » Ã¥ ® ¡Ã© ªÅ'ï ¼Å'Ã¥ ® ¡Ã¦Å¸ ¥Ã¦â€ž Ã¥ ¿â€"è ´ ¯Ã¥ ½ »Ã¥ §â€¹Ã§ »Ë†Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ§ © ¶Ã¥ º ¹Ã©Å"‡æ‰€ä ¸ ºÃ¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ â€¡Ã¥â‚¬Å¸Ã¥ ® ¡Ã¦Å¸ ¥Ã¥ ®ËœÃ¤ ¹â€¹Ã¥ ¤â€"è ¡ £Ã¥ Å¡Ã¦Å½ ©Ã¦Å  ¤Ã¯ ¼Å'ä ½â€ Ã¥Æ' ­Ã¨ ¶Å Ã¥Å Å¾Ã¦Å  ¥Ã¦ µ Ã§ ¨â€¹Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¥ ®Å¾Ã¤ ¸ Ã¨Æ' ½Ã¦ ¬ ºÃ§Å¾â€™Ã£â‚¬â€š Ã¥ â€"å‘ ¨Ã¦â€" °Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã§Å' ®Ã¨ ¯ Ã¦Å" ¬Ã¦Å"‰ä ¼  Ã§ »Å¸Ã¯ ¼Å'ç” ¨Ã¨ ¯ Ã§ «â€¹Ã¦â€ž Ã§Å¡â€ Ã¦Ë† Ã¦â€" °Ã§ ¯â€¡Ã¯ ¼Å'æ ¯ Ã¦ ¯ Ã¤ ¸ ºÃ¦â€" ¶Ã¤ º ºÃ¤ ¼  Ã¨ ¯ µÃ¤ ¸Å½Ã©â€™ ¦Ã¤ ½ ©Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¨â‚¬Å'Ã¥ º ¹Ã©Å"‡ä ¾ µÃ§Å  ¯Ã¥ ® ¡Ã¦Å¸ ¥Ã¤ ¸Å½Ã¦â€" °Ã©â€" »Ã¨ ¾ ¹Ã§â€¢Å'ï ¼Å'ä ¸ Ã¦Æ' ®Ã¦ ¶â€šÃ¦Å  ¹Ã§Å' ®Ã¨ ¯ Ã¯ ¼Å'æ   ¼Ã¥ ¼ Ã¥Å'â€"ä ¸ ­Ã¥â€º ½Ã¦ ¢ ¦Ã¦Æ' ³Ã¯ ¼Å'染æÅ'‡å â€"å‘ ¨Ã§  Ã¥ ® Ã¨â‚¬Å'è °â€žÃ¥ ªÅ¡Ã¤ ¸Å Ã¦â€ž Ã¯ ¼Å'ä » ¤Ã¤ º ºÃ¦â€ Å½Ã¦  ¶Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¥â€¦ ¶Ã¥ ¤ §Ã§ ¦ ¹Ã¦ ² »Ã¦ ° ´Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¦Å'‰è ¯ ­Ã¯ ¼Å'ç” ¨Ã¥â€¦ ¸Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥Å½â€ Ã¥  ²Ã§Å¡â€ Ã©â€â„¢Ã¯ ¼Å'æ› ´Ã¦Å"‰é”™åˆ «Ã¥ ­â€"è ´ »Ã§ ¬â€˜Ã¥ Å Ã©â€" ´Ã¯ ¼Å'é ¢Å¸Ã© ¡ ¸Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¦â‚¬ Ã¥ ¾â€™Ã¥ ¢Å¾Ã§ ¬â€˜Ã¦â€"™ã€‚

Translating So to Spanish

Translating So to Spanish So is one of those English words that has so many meanings that it can be translated to Spanish in dozens of ways. As such, it can be a confusing word for Spanish students - as a strategy when translating so, youre often better off thinking of a synonym for the way it is used and translating that instead. This lesson looks at a few of the ways so is used and suggests possible translations. In all cases, the translations used are not the only ones possible. Translating So as an Adverb Meaning Very Most of the time when so is used as an adverb meaning very it can be translated as tan. However, muy is sometimes acceptable as well. I was so happy that I jumped in the air. Yo era tan feliz que saltà © en aire.My love for you is so strong. Es tan fuerte mi amor por ti. (Alternative: Es muy fuerte my amor por ti.)He did it so poorly. Lo hizo tan mal. (Alternative: Lo hizo muy mal.)The city is so small that once you leave downtown theres nothing else. La ciudad es tan pequeà ±a que una vez que te sales del centro, ya no hay nada.Why is it so difficult for us to be happy?  ¿Por quà © es tan difà ­cil que seamos felices?The meat was so tasty that it needed only salt. La carne era tan rica que solo necesitaba sal.   Translating So in Approximations As the context requires, various ways of expressing approximations can be used when so is used for that purpose. I need to lose 20 pounds in two months or so. Necesito perder 20 libras en dos meses ms o menos.Im going to buy myself an aquarium holding 100 liters or so. Me voy a comprar un acuario de 100 litros aproximadamente.They stole about 20,000 pesos from her. Le robaron alrededor de 20 mil pesos. Translating So When It Indicates Causation A common use of so is to indicate why something is done. Various phrases of causation or purpose can be used. Often, such sentences cant be translated word for word - whats important is to get the proper connection between the different elements of the sentence. I will give you one so you dont forget me. Te darà © uno para que no me olvides.I was afraid, so I left. Me fui por miedo.I am innocent, so I am not going to go into hiding.  No me esconderà © porque soy inocente.Evil exists so we can appreciate what is good. El mal existe para que podamos apreciar lo que es bueno.There was violence, so many children were evacuated from the city. Muchos nià ±os fueron evacuados ciudad por causa de la violencia.  You can edit your digital photo so it seems like a painting. Podrs editar tu foto digital de modo que parezca una pintura. Translating So as a Transition or Filler Often, so can be left out of sentences without much of a change in meaning. In such cases, you can simply leave it out of the translation, or you can use a filler word such as pues or bueno if leaving out a word such as that would seem too abrupt. So, where are we going? Pues  ¿adà ³nde vamos?So now comes the best time of the year. Pues ahora llega la mejor à ©poca del aà ±o.So lets begin. Bueno, vamos a empezar.So what do you know?  ¿Quà © sabes? Translating So Meaning Also Usually, tambià ©n will work fine when translating so carrying meanings such as also or in addition: Youre from Texas? So am I!  ¿Eres de Tejas?  ¡Tambià ©n yo!I slept and so did they. Yo dormà ­ y tambià ©n ellos. Translating So in Set Phrases When so is used in various phrases or idioms, you can often translate the phrases as a whole for meaning, as in the following examples: The book has recipes for shakes of fruits such as apples, oranges, strawberries, kiwis and so on. El libro tiene recetas de batidos de frutas como las manzanas, naranjas, fresas, kiwis, etcà ©tera.Hes not a citizen. So what? No es ciudadano.  ¿Y quà ©?Every so often I imagine a good future. De cuando en cuando imagino un buen futuro.These are treated just so. Estos son tratados con sumo cuidado.I am going to buy raspberries, applies, blackberries, peras, strawberries, and so on. Voy a comprar frambuesas, manzanas, moras, peras, fresas, etcà ©tera.

Why the Managing Ethics and Social Responsibility Issue Is Relevant to Essay

Why the Managing Ethics and Social Responsibility Issue Is Relevant to the BP (British Petroleum) - Essay Example Ethics are used for setting the limits in regard to the operations of MNCs in countries worldwide. In its common sense, the term ethics is used for referring to ‘a code or set of principles by which people live’ (Popkin and Stroll 1993, p.1). However, the monitoring of the alignment of organizational decisions with ethics is a difficult task; in fact, it has been proved that most decisions of MNCs may violate ethics, at least at regional level. According to Beer (2010) the decisions of organizations operating in the context of the international market are likely to oppose, more or less, to ethics. Current paper reviews the performance of a well-known multinational corporation, British Petroleum (BP), in regard to ethics. According to the company’s reports, as presented below, the firm highly emphasizes on social responsibility and ethics in regard to all its activities. However, in practice the above argument is not verified. In fact, it is proved that the organiz ation has repeatedly failed in responding to its social responsibilities, causing severe damages on its employees and people living in the areas surrounding its sites; besides, the environmental effects of the firm’s activities cannot be ignored. It is clear that the firm needs to update its operations globally promoting ethics and social responsibility. ... practices with ethics and social responsibility, can be identified by referring to the firm’s existing policies for promoting social responsibility and ethics. At the next level, events proving the violation by the company of ethics will be presented and evaluated using appropriate literature. BP operates in an industry the effects of which on the environment can be significant. For this reason, and under the influence of the accident in Mexico in 2010, the firm has tried to introduce a series of initiatives for improving its relationship with its stakeholders. Daft and Marcic (2008) explain that the organization emphasizes on the continuous increase of its performance in regard to environmental responsibility. Lord John Browne, the Group’s Chief Executive, monitors the performance of the organization in regard to the specific sector (Daft and Marcic 2008, p.149). Browne notes that the increase of the needs in oil and gas annually has led to the increase of environmenta l risks, an issue that it is difficult to be managed effectively, due to the lack of control over the global needs in oil and gas (Daft and Marcic 2008, p.149). Moreover, the firm has introduced ‘an emissions trading system’ (Daft 2007, p.761), in order to improve its performance in locating resources without set environment in risk (Daft 2007, p.761). In addition, the firm has established an Educational Service, which promotes educational schemes for informing students and teachers on the effects of industrial operations on climate change, and the impact of the latter on human life (Ferrell and Hartline 2010, p.556). In 2005 the firm developed its Code of Conduct aiming to show to its stakeholders its efforts in promoting ethics and social responsibility (Ferrell and Hartline 2010, p.556). The

Human Cognition and the Brain Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Cognition and the Brain - Case Study Example Phineas P. Gage was a railroad employee who went through a serious brain damage when metal pierced through his head, destroying the frontal lobe areas of his mind. This brain damage was expected to impose severe impacts on his feelings, attitudes and behaviors, transforming him in a wild and unstable level, so intense so that his friends even mentioned that he was not even the person he once was prior to the accident. At the time that this happened to the medical world, Gage's situation resulted to developments in the medical belief of the operations and portions of the human brain concerning the human feelings and behaviors. Gage's situation is mentioned as among the initial proof recommending that serious injury to the frontal lobes of the human brain could change elements of attitudes and behavior and will have an impact on the communicative abilities. Prior to this case the frontal lobes were commonly perceived to possess very minimal responsibilities in attitudes (Fleischman, 2004). With respect to current medical research, a serious injury to the brain especially in the frontal area by an object that has dimensions of more than an inch in diameter and has a weight of more than ten pounds, would definitely make living impossible for the person, since this would mean a lethal destruction to essential brain parts, which include the superior sagittal sinus. Nonetheless, Gage was able to make it through the serious accident and added miseries because of an infection developed. Gage was eventually discovered to have exhibited radical shifts in attitudes and perceptions. Gage's situation is mentioned as among the initial proof recommending that serious injury to the frontal lobes of the brain could change elements of human behavior and have an adverse impact in the proper communication between people. Prior to this situation the frontal lobes were generally perceived to have very minimal responsibilities in human attitudes. Medical expert Antonio Damasio has studied thoroughly on the case of Gage, and including other people he has devoted his time which, in his own opinion, had the same brain damages. In an idea he pertained to as the somatic marker theory, Damasio recommends a connection between the frontal lobes, human behavior and logical choices of a person. He views Gage's situation as having an essential responsibility in the field of nerve science, stating that Gage's case was the essential foundation of the field of the scientific foundations of human attitudes. While researches by Hanna Damasio and his assistants recommended a serious damage to the frontal lobes, a recent research by Ratiu and his assistants formulated on a scan of Gage's head implies that the degree of Gage's brain damage must have been not so serious at all as what is known today (Bradberry, 2005). It is normally recommended that Gage's situation hastened the improvement of a medical procedure called frontal lobotomy, currently a rare medical operation that results to an erratic behavioral response and attitude developments. Nevertheless, past research investigation does not look very positive to validate this hypothesis. It looks like that perception of Gage's brain d

Fujitsu Siemens Computers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Fujitsu Siemens Computers - Essay Example This essay stresses that large market and increased production scale is favorable for attaining the targeted market growth. The joint venture of technological firms makes possible to share the ideas and knowledge relating to competing and emerging technologies between firms. The research and development process becomes advanced through combination different useful ideas and knowledge. External participation in research and development process is helpful for diversifying the research process. Firms can concentrate on major research process through sharing the development cost. Organizational efficiency improvement is the main tool for competing in the industry. The organizational efficiency will be much improved by changing the organizational strategy by business combination. Fujitsu is a leading firm in the field of internet focused IT solutions, on a global basis. This paper makes a conclusion that in case of Fujitsu and Siemens, the equity joint venture strategy is suitable to each other for exchanging the technical know-how and manufacturing capabilities. Their stable and reliable partnership provides suitable environment for attaining business growth and profitability in the competitive industrial conditions. Through the joint venture they attained world’s most complete product and solution portfolios with world class computer technology and innovative IT infrastructure capabilities.

Imagery and Symbolism in Surfacing by Margaret Atwood Essay

Imagery and Symbolism in Surfacing by Margaret Atwood - Essay Example From this research it is clear that authors use symbolism because of their hidden and deeper meanings. Atwood uses American images showing how Americans were invading and ruining Canada. The Americans put missile silos, filled the villages with tourist cabins, and left trashes everywhere. Atwood describes the growth and expansion of American as the cause of cultural infiltration. The narrator of the story calls Americans having a brain disease, relating their identity with behavior disregard rather than of nationalism. According to Atwood, an American is someone who involves himself in unnecessary violence, likes technology, and misuses resources. David argues that he hates Americans, but he likes baseball and he tends to imitate Woody Woodpecker, a funny human like cartoon character. Atwood further describes American expansion as psychologically corrupt and destructive. On the contrary, she believes she should have acted as one. In page 24, she says, â€Å"†¦.I see I’ve made a mistake, I should have pretended to be an American†. The narrator keeps on mentioning power several times in his story showing that he is actively in such of it. In the fourth chapter, Atwood remembers her thoughts that a certain plant seeds would make her more powerful. In Chapter 19, the narrator also says that doctors pretend that children’s birth is because of their power and not the mothers’ ability. The authors asserts, â€Å"the power from my father’s intercession wasn’t enough to protect me, it gave only knowledge†¦.†. This shows how the author presents men as more powerful. ... The authors asserts, â€Å"the power from my father’s intercession wasn’t enough to protect me, it gave only knowledge†¦.†(Atwood 168). This shows how the author presents men as more powerful In the fifteenth chapter, Atwood remembers herself pretending to be a powerful and helpless animal. She later puts much emphasizes on the quest of â€Å"the power†. She claims that, ever since her birth, she has been receiving isolations and emotional disturbance from the unfair religious and gender roles. She later gains her say by promising not to be powerless. She later comes to understand that, for one to be a good member of the society, one must learn on how to love and communicate. Symbolism The Barometer Atwood portrays barometer’s symbol through Paul’s wooden barometer. In page 40, she says, â€Å"†¦like the wooden man and woman in the barometer house at Paul’s†. Assessment of the barometer symbolizes her attitudes towards marriage. Atwood finally compares the barometer couples with Paul and Madame, which according to her means empty marriage. She notes that Paul and Madame seem wooden. The narrator even compares the image of barometer symbol with that of her parents sawing a portion of birch. The birch image is good because Atwood relates birches with the undestroyed nature. The image of the barometer also symbolizes unrealistic and unattainable type of romance, although her parents have true love. The Hanged Heron The use of Hanged Heron represents the America way of a destructive nature. The narrator keeps on thinking about the senselessness of her slaughter, knowing that it was hanged instead of being buried. Atwood uses the Heron’s death to

McDonalds Cost Structures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

McDonalds Cost Structures - Assignment Example The franchises have to pay their own occupancy costs which consist of rent, property taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. Certain corporate general and administrative expenses are fixed too which comprise of office support costs in areas of training, legal, supply chain, finance, information technology and human resources. Variable costs which vary with the level of sales include a major chunk of food and labor costs. Sales staff and countermen whose salaries are based on the number of customers they serve are also variable costs for the company. Also, packaging costs, the paper material, employee benefits, selling and general expenses are variable charges. Certain corporate general costs are variable such as training and restaurant operations. As for the fixed costs, the factors that affect them are mostly the market changes. McDonald's needs to spend more on advertising and promotion when they see that market competition is getting fiercer and bitter. Moreover, in order to retain the higher level experienced staff, they need to raise the salaries of their staff and hence payrolls and compensation of management level employees increase. However, in times of recession like the major financial crisis, all fixed costs also dwindled down. The royalty charges or franchise fee is mainly fixed at a certain percentage after a 25% down payment initially unless the franchisor wants to alter the fixed rate for some reason. The variable costs are more directly responsive to changes in the level of sales. The main factor affecting the variable costs is the demand and the number of sales that McDonald's has. The more people want to eat McDonald's, the higher will be the food supplies costs, the packaging and paper costs, the more the number of counter employees to serve the customers, the higher the selling expenses and other general expenses.

Q1. Google. What makes Google a great company to work for In Essay

Q1. Google. What makes Google a great company to work for In particular, explore the nature and impact that the company's HR - Essay Example To make the ‘different’ employees coordinate and cooperate, a common and effective organizational culture has to be actualized by the organization in line with effective HR policies. When such a culture is implemented, the employees’ mind will become more focused on the targets and tasks, and their motivational levels will get elevated. With highly motivated mind, the employees could contribute maximally to organization’s functioning, resulting in success. When success is achieved, the employees will be aptly rewarded, and these rewards and the success, will make the employees build a psychological contract with their employers. So, this paper will discuss how Google with its effective HR policies is able to positively impact its organizational culture, leading to better motivation and psychological contract, thereby making Google a great company to work for. Background In today’s internet savvy world, Google has become one of the best known brands, making its ‘presence’ or virtual presence in maximal parts of the world. Established by Larry Paige and Sergey Brin in 1998, Google, apart from having physical infrastructures of over one million servers, also has offices world over employing around 25,000 employees. The way, Google provides an optimal working environment for these employees or Googlers (as the Google employees call themselves) only makes them a dream company to work for. Google tops the list of various yearly surveys conducted by prestigious agencies to find the companies that are great places to work for employees. Right from the early days, its founders Larry and Sergey were clear cut that the working environment that will be visible in Google will not be the conventional one. This can be clearly seen in the way, they advertise to prospective employees, â€Å"Google is not a conventional company, and we don’t intend to become one. True, we share attributes with the world’s most success ful organizations – a focus on innovation and smart business practices comes to mind – but even as we continue to grow, we’re committed to retaining a small-company feel.† (google.com). This wish to maintain a non-conventional and small company feel has made Google to implement an organizational culture and its related HR practices, which not only motivates the current employees, but also evokes the interest of maximum number of prospective employees. â€Å"Google is attractive to prospective workers. Worldwide, 760,000 individuals applied for just 3,000 positions in 2006. The firm receives approximately 1,300 resumes per day.† (Griffin and Moorhead 2009, p.218). As mentioned above, Google tops the list of various surveys for the best employers including Fortune magazine's list of great companies to work for, having ranked in the top five for the past four years. Importantly, revenue wise, Google has been showing tremendous growth garnering revenues close to 30 billion dollars, with profits itself is in the range of 8 billion. (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 2010). Its’ share price has always been on the upswing. All this financial growth has been achieved within 12 years of its inception, with employees being one of the main beneficiaries in the form of sizable financial rewards and other incentives. This raises the question, whether Google is a great place to

McDonalds Cost Structures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

McDonalds Cost Structures - Assignment Example The franchises have to pay their own occupancy costs which consist of rent, property taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. Certain corporate general and administrative expenses are fixed too which comprise of office support costs in areas of training, legal, supply chain, finance, information technology and human resources. Variable costs which vary with the level of sales include a major chunk of food and labor costs. Sales staff and countermen whose salaries are based on the number of customers they serve are also variable costs for the company. Also, packaging costs, the paper material, employee benefits, selling and general expenses are variable charges. Certain corporate general costs are variable such as training and restaurant operations. As for the fixed costs, the factors that affect them are mostly the market changes. McDonald's needs to spend more on advertising and promotion when they see that market competition is getting fiercer and bitter. Moreover, in order to retain the higher level experienced staff, they need to raise the salaries of their staff and hence payrolls and compensation of management level employees increase. However, in times of recession like the major financial crisis, all fixed costs also dwindled down. The royalty charges or franchise fee is mainly fixed at a certain percentage after a 25% down payment initially unless the franchisor wants to alter the fixed rate for some reason. The variable costs are more directly responsive to changes in the level of sales. The main factor affecting the variable costs is the demand and the number of sales that McDonald's has. The more people want to eat McDonald's, the higher will be the food supplies costs, the packaging and paper costs, the more the number of counter employees to serve the customers, the higher the selling expenses and other general expenses.

Genetically modified organisms Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified organisms Essay Genetically modified foods (GMF) have foreign genes such as plants, animals and bacteria inserted into their genetic codes. Genetically modified organism is processed in a way that does not occur naturally. Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology. There are alternative names for genetically modified foods, such as â€Å"genetically engineered, biotechnology,† genetic modification, or transgenic. † Genetically modified organisms allows scientist to speed up the process by moving desired genes from one plant into another, sometimes from an animal to a plant, for example they take a genetic material from a number of different sources from virus and bacteria and they insert it into the soybean plant, which herbicide usually kills the plant but because of the genetic modified organism it does not. Genetic modified food is dangerous because it greatly expands the scope for horizontal gene transfer and recombination; this process creates new viruses and bacteria that cause disease, epidemics, and trigger cancerous cells. Genetically modified foods are dangerous because it can cause harmful effects on human health (What are Genetically Modified (GM) Foods GM Products: Benefits and Controversies). Many foods in the United States contain genetically modified organism, such as corn, soy, sugar and aspartame. In most of the foods we eat today contain those ingredients and most people do not even realize that they are eating genetically modified food because labeling the food is not mandatory in most of the United States. The reason scientist developed genetically modified organism is because they believe it will provide more nutritious food, tastier food, cheaper food supply, ability to farm in unfavorable climates, faster growing plants and animals, possibility of disease fighting foods, improving the lives of farmers and less pesticides used but there are many risk that cancel out the potential good of genetically modified organism, for example endocrine disruptors, organ damage, decreased fertility, increased allergies, and more pesticide resistance. However Europe is protesting against genetically modified foods since they were first created. Studies in Europe say â€Å"The science of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another was supposed to be a giant leap forward, but instead they pose a serious threat to biodiversity and our own health† (What are Genetically Modified (GM) Foods GM Products: Benefits and Controversies,). UK says â€Å"The simple truth is, we do not need genetically modified technology in order to possess future food security. Using sustainable and organic farming methods will allow us to repair the damage done by industrial farming, reducing the excessive use of fertilizer, herbicides and other man-made chemicals, and making genetically modified crops redundant† (Genetically Engineered Crops). The United States does not realize that it is bad for you but Europe, UK, Japan, and Australia bans all genetically modified foods for their safety and health. In the United States the FDA does not require any safety test for genetically modified foods because they know majority of people will not buy genetically modified foods. European has been the most concerned with genetically modified foods, everyone one should be concerned about these important factors (Gardner). Genetically modified food has many dangerous effects on the world, for instance genetically modified foods actually lose nutritional content in the process of altering their genetic genes. Some genetically modified foods may contain higher levels of allergens and toxins, which can have negative outlook on the personal health of those who eat genetic foods. Viruses and bacteria are used in the process of modifying foods, which means that there is a possibility that they could cause the development of a new disease. Also genetically modified foods could potentially cause damage to other organisms in the ecosystems where they are grown. If these organisms are killed off, it leads to a loss of biodiversity in the environment (What are Genetically Modified (GM) Foods GM Products: Benefits and Controversies,). Animals and people have become seriously ill or died from genetically modified foods because bacteria have been inserted into our food and our bodies cannot fight off these diseases. Even our environment has been damaged because gene pollution cannot be cleaned up, once genetically modified organisms, such as bacteria and viruses are released into the air it is difficult to recall or contain them. Toxins have also been the cause of killing people and animals by one or more extremely poisonous substances that unexpectedly appeared in this food supplement. Single genes should not be transferred to a foreign environment; their effects are unknown and therefore cause unknown harmful effects to the human health: â€Å"The reason that genetically engineered food could be dangerous is because there has been no adequate testing to ensure that extracting genes that perform an apparently useful function as part of that plant or animal is going to have the same effects if inserted into a totally unrelated species. A number of studies over the past decade have revealed that genetically engineered foods can pose serious risks to humans, domesticated animals, wildlife and the environment. Human health effects can include higher risks of toxicity, allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression and cancer. As for environmental impacts, the use of genetic engineering in agriculture will lead to uncontrolled biological pollution, threatening numerous microbial, plant and animal species with extinction, and the potential contamination of all non-genetically engineered life forms with novel and possibly hazardous genetic material† (Genetically Engineered Crops). Monsanto is an agricultural company that first produced genetically modified foods. Monsanto is not worried about health of others; there main concern is the business. They hear of many lives being in danger from genetically modified food but they are not concerned with this because they are making money. There is no long-term safety testing for genetically modified food. Genetic engineering uses material from organisms that have never been part of the human food supply to change the fundamental nature of the food we eat. Without long-term testing no one knows if these foods are safe. . They say, There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans (Wilcox). Genetically modified foods are bad for everyone because it can cause harm to humans, animals and the environment. Genetically modified food should be tested, and labeled so humans have the choice to purchase the food items or keep away from them. The main reason the United States has not banned genetically modified food is simply because most people do not even know what foods contain these harmful ingredients. If the FDA made a law that genetically modified foods are to be labeled many families would chose not to eat those foods because of the dangers it causes to the world. Work Cited Wilcox, Christine. The very real dangers of genetically modified foods. †. The Atlantic, 9 2012. Web. 12 Nov 2012. Genetically Engineered Crops. Center for food safety, 5 2012. Web. 12 Nov 2012. Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms. What are Genetically Modified (GM) FoodsGM Products: Benefits and Controversies. U. S. Department of Energy Genome Programs, 17 2012. Web. 12 Nov 2012. Gardner, Richard. Pros and Cons of GM Foods. Arguments for GM Foods, Arguments Against GM Foods. N. p. , 30 2012. Web. 12 Nov 2012. Villano, Caren. Genetically Modified Foods. What are genetically modified foods, Advantages, Types of genetically modified crops. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12.

President Bashar Al Assad Politics Essay

President Bashar Al Assad Politics Essay President Bashar al-Assad has also deep contacts and friendship with Hezbollah group and Iranian Mahdi Army. In the current situation of Syria between President Assads army and protesters Assad has been assisted by fighters of Hezbollah and Shiite recruited by Yemen and other countries. According to now.mmedia.me the army troops of Mahdi Army has entered in South Syria through Druze Mountain to assist President Assad in controlling protesters in the country. This intervention of Mahdi Army was a clear message to progressive socialist party leader of Syria Walid Jumblatt, who was raising his voice to get help for uprising of Syria internationally, that this uprising is going to be crushed by President Bashar with the help of Iranian guards. Iran has shown its full and deep commitments to Syrian regime by helping the regime in Damascus where a severe crackdown was implemented by President Bashar with the full assistance of Iranian Mahdi Army. This severe crackdown of Mahdi Army resulte d in the brutal killings of 6,000 protesters in Damascus. A video is been leaked in YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIQOMlk9WcI) in which a sniper soldier of Mahdi Army has been captured by the Syrian rebels, in the video this prisoner is admitting that he was sent to Syria to kill Syrian protesters to help President Bashar Assad. This sniper is the member of Mahdi Army in Iraq that means President Bashar has strong relations and contacts with Mahdi Army. Hezbollah Group: President Bashar called the Hezbollah group to crush down the uprising voices in Syria. Hezbollah is the group that has advanced artillery and well trained soldiers to face any rebellion situation. On the request of President Bashar the Lebanese Hezbollah joined the government forces to fight against the rebel groups in the country. Hezbollah is the close ally of President Bashar al-Assad and this is giving full support to assist the President in crushing the hated protest against him in Syria. In this fight, Hezbollah group have killed more than 70,000 people in Syria. Hezbollah is securing President Bashar regime like a strong wall in the country on the request of Iran. The intervention of Hezbollah in Syria has complicated the situation of Syria more intensively. One of the most important protester leaders Ahmad al-Assir has called his supporter to face Hezbollah group with full power and let them taste the sand in the fight. On his call many volunteer rebels have made them prepar e to fight against Hezbollah to the last drop of their blood. The fight between Hezbollah and rebellion groups of Syria has increased the tense situation of the country. A worst war has been out broken just because of the natural hatred against Hezbollah in the mind and heart of the people of Syria. This fight of Hezbollah and the rebellion groups had been resulted in a great massacre in Syria. A large numbers of people have died from both sides in this conflict. The situation is getting worse as time passes. The full support of President Bashar to Hezbollah has made the protester angrier and the wave of fight, protest and hatred against President Bashar has grown worse and the enmity has reached to the peak. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/hezbollah-syria-war_n_3160447.html?utm_hp_ref=world) Jabaht Al-Nusra Group: Jabaht Al-Nusra has risen as a most opposing group against President Bashar regime. This group is the major fighting force in Syria. This group is fully equipped with fully trained and ready to die fighters and the numbers of fighters in this group are increasing. Jabaht Al-Nusra has one more important characteristic of having a vast and strong network bounding relationships with other Islamic groups like Al-Tawhid, Liwa Al-Ummah, Ahrar Al-Sham, Suqur Al-Sham and Jund-Alsham. The altogether numbers of fighters in these groups are around 40,000; most of them are actually the local Syrian people who joined this group just because of getting annoyed by the policies and harsh treatment of President Bashar against his own countrymen. Jabaht Al-Nusra is in the front line of opposition against President Bashar, which are opposing Bashers regime by using weapons. Recent news has confirmed that Jabaht Al-Nusra has links with the terrorist group Al-Qaida. According to BBC News, Al-Qaida for th e very first time has announced the Jabaht Al-Nusra group as a part of its network that are fighting in Syria. The leader of Al-Qaida Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has said that the Jabaht Al-Nusra group is fighting in Syria for the establishment of an Islamic state in Syria. This declaration is made in an audio message in which the suspicious links of these two groups has been confirmed by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, head of Islamic State in Iraq. This group has claimed to be an influential power behind a numbers of suicide bombing attacks in Syria at the time of uprising which started in Syria in March 2011. The United Nation has declared this Islamic group Jabaht Al-Nusra as a blacklist terrorist organization because of its brutal and merciless suicide bombing attacks in Syria and increasing the conflict situation in the country. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22078022) 2.2 Impact of External Lobby: United States Of America: The United States of America has raised its voice against the brutal killings of civilians in Syria but has no plan to intervene in the country currently. In Syria the dictatorship is so strong that United State has no control over this Arab regime. In the start of this uprising the position of United States was vague regarding the situation of Syrian regime. It was not clear that if the United States wanted the regime to fall or sustain. The Syrian regime is providing a secure border to Israel. United States always wanted to secure Israel and in the current regime of Assad the borders of Israel are more secure. The current regime of Syria is very clear and straightforward regarding Palestinian organizations in Syria; according to current regime the Palestinian organizations and fighters groups are banned to plan or execute their martial operations against Israel from Syrian land. United States is well aware that the next regime in Syria will not give as strong border to Israel like the current regime is providing. The down fall of the current regime may bring weaker borders of Syria with Israel and the exile groups of militants from Iraq, Libya and Palestinian fighter may have an uninterrupted entrance in Israel. Thats why the intentions of U.S. for Syria are sceptical. In the past few months the news of chemical arms used by Bashar have been exposed by the media and now the U.S. are showing more concern in the situation of Syria. US President Barrack Obama has promised to conduct a vigorous investigation about the use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces and warned the Syrian regime that this act of theirs can be a turning point of the relationship of US with Syria. He furthermore said that not only US but all around the world have to recognize and need to stand against the use of chemical weapon on civilian populations. (https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyrialatestnews/obama-vows-vigorous-probe-into-syria-chemical-arms-claims) Iran Iran is the strongest ally of President Basher and his government since the time of uprising started in the country. Iran has the concept that all the riots and protest in the Syria are held on the signals of America. All the protests are pro-American and these riots have nothing to do with the benefits of Middle East. Iran is assisting President Bashar with its army and artillery to crush down the revolution. The President Bashar and Iranian government has good relationships. The main reason of this good relationship is the same religious views between them. The Iranian government is following the Shiaism religion and the regime of Syria is also the followers of same religion. This similarity of religion has brought both the allies more close to each other. Iran is assisting President Bashar with all kinds of assistance. The army of Iran is currently present in Syria to fight with protesters and rebellion groups. A large number of people are killed by the Iranian soldiers in Syria. Syrian regime is relying on the loyalties of Iran and getting a massive support from the Iran. Iran considers the President Bashar a strong ally and if Bashar regime fails in Syria then it is considered that one wing of Iran will broke. For this purpose Iran is using all its resources to secure the regime of President Bashar. All the contacts of Iran are being used by the Iranian government to save President Bashar. The main contacts of Iran are from Iraq to Lebanon. Irans defence minister Ahmed Vahidi has announced publically that if Syrian regime could not succeeded in putting down the uprising then Iran would dispatched its military help to Syria after signing a mutual defence agreement between Iran and Syria. In the uprising of Syria the Iran is assisting President Bashar to keep his power to him through all possible means like, cash, military, weapons and fighters. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444230504577615393756632230.html) Turkey In the beginning of uprising in the Syria the Turkey was concerned to keep its relation with the regime of the Syria. Initially Turkey did not say anything openly in favor of opponents of President Bashar. Turkey started to rethink over its stance on Syria by the summer of 2011 when a large number of civilians were killed brutally in Hama and Latakia by Syrian army. In August, the foreign minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu arranged a meeting with President Assad that continues for six hours. In this highly official meeting between two countries the Turkish foreign minister warned President Assad that if the killing of civilian did not stop immediately then Turkey will stop dialogue with Syria. In June the next month of this meeting, the patronage NGOs of Turkey started gathering Syrian opposition groups in Istanbul after the approval and consent of Turkish government. The participants of this gathering were not interested to discuss on titles like Change for Syria or National Freedom Conference, rather they demanded that President Assad and his supporter first step down from the government and then discussion about new Syria will started with them. The Syrian National Council (SNC) came into existence in Istanbul and it represented itself as a main political address party for opposition. Turkey unlocked its borders for the Syrian rebel groups. In July 2011, a large numbers of retired Syrian army soldiers reached in Syria under the leadership of retired air force colonel Riyad al-Assad. These groups of retired soldiers made an organization in Turkey named Free Syrian Army. The main objective of this organization was to work hand in hand to get freedom from President Assads cruel government. This organization proved itself as an umbrella organization and strongly opposed the concept of table talk with President Bashar regime. In September 2011, Turkey has decided to finish all the contacts and relationships with Syrian regime and imposed army restriction on its s outh border. The good relationship between two countries has come to an end and Turkey has announced the Syrian National Council (SNC) as an official representative of the Syrian Opposition. http://www.merip.org/mero/mero012813

Silas Marner And Hard Times: Redemption Essay examples -- Silas marner

Silas Marner And Hard Times: Redemption The discussion will take place first in Silas Marner novel. It is taken to be first since it needs full concentration of the reader. Two characters are going to be in â€Å"redemption† and â€Å"re-generation†, in their concepts and beliefs in life. The main character of the novel, which the plot builds on, is â€Å"Silas Marner†. His penance is him living lonely and cut off from the world for 15 years, till he finds Eppie. Eppie, is like the fairy genie, which will be the cause of his â€Å"re-generation†. Silas’s redemption is evoked, when he takes Eppie the little child and raises her. By doing that, he was attaching him self to his passion, and re-gaining trust in kinship and emotions. The following quotation support the point mentioned: For Silas, ignorant and confused as he is, moves, even in his passion for gold, on a more intense and heroic emotional plane than the villagers†¦ [Austen, Henry.226] The quotation mentioned earlier will be explained with more details. Silas love of money was replaced by Eppie’s love. It is only a symbol to the replacement of materialism and loss of faith to human kinship and trust in a new religion based on love, not religious myths and supernatural elements. Eppie is the message for Silas and the reader: The ‘message’ the child brings is the all-importance of natural human affections, and Silas is receptive because his affection has survived the fifteen years of isolation. [Carroll, David.197] It cannot be said that Silas is a villain character, or else he would not have changed. He was in loss, when the lot that should have announced him not guilty, gave an opposite answer. This incident happened in Lantern Yard; he was then a part of a religious group. He was accused of stealing the dead man, who he was looking after that night. Their custom is to draw lot, so that God show them the right answer. It came negative; he lost faith in man and God as a result to this incident. When he moves to live in Raveloe, he worships money. He stay lonely for fifteen years; it can be said that it is his penance for losing faith in human kind, and disbelieving in a righteous â€Å"mysterious Power†. The penance ends, and the â€Å"re-generation† start with Eppie’s appearance in his life. She makes him trust again humans, and trust a new believe in a new God he never knew. Another main character, wh... ... man. â€Å"And to nothing else.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ [Hard Times. Ch.8] Mr.Grandgrind character, however, is not villain. He takes Sissy to love with him, to educate her, when he knows her father flee. He is deep inside a gentle person, and a loving father. Maybe his love, in a way blinded him to see the truth of his teaching to his children. That is why his redemption evokes bitterly, and he decides then to make â€Å"his facts and figures subservient to Faith, Hope and Charity.†[Hard Times. Ch.9] In one way or another, this novel, as Silas Marner, calls for a universal theme of love and kinship. Life cannot be based on reason, and materialism. It can be based on kindness and friendship. To have the mind and heart in peace. Works Cited: Austen, Henry. A Qualified Redemption of Ordinary and Fallible Humanity. 1970. 225,229,230. Carroll, David. Reversing the Oracles of Religion. 1967. 197,198,199. Dickens, Charles. Hard Times: An Authority Text, Background, Sources, And Contemporary Reactions Criticism. NewYork: W.W. Norton & Company. 2,1990. Ch.1: 1, ch.7: 203, ch.8: 210 & 211, ch.9: 218. Eliot, George. Silas Marner. London: Penguin Books. 1996. Ch.8: 66, ch.14: 130 Internet Sources.

Free Essays - Achilles Moral Dilemma in Homers Iliad :: Iliad essays

Achilles' Moral Dilemma in Homer's Iliad The question "was Achilles' anger justified" brings up issues that seem to have little or no relevance to the war. In time of war I would expect the leaders to prioritize the groups interest for the sake of unity and cooperation rather than being entrenched in achieving their own personal goals. But my expectations are those of a modern day literature student, I'm inclined to think that the Greeks who first read this epic valued different things than myself. Another relevant question might be "were Achilles' actions justified". Anger can be easily justified, but the actions that anger might lead you to take are not as easily justified. Again I am not an ancient Greek and my opinions are irrelevant unless I open my mind to different viewpoints. Therefore I am striving to look into this issue through ancient Greek eyes where the principle of sacrificing ones own interests was apparently not valued, but maintaining ones honor, on the other hand, was greatly valued. In the fo llowing paragraphs I will attempt to answer these two aforementioned questions. The facts of this conflict are all pretty straight forward and by recounting the facts I hope to bring to light the truths that justify Achilles' anger. First off Agamemnon had distributed the booty fairly and all the more powerful Achaeans had gotten a concubine, Agamemnon just happened to choose the daughter of one of Apollo's priest. When Apollo sends a plague to the Achaean camp Achilles' concern for his comrades leads him to call an assembly with the purpose of interpreting the plague and taking necessary action. Agamemnon reluctantly agrees to return his concubine to her father if he is repaid another concubine by one of the other powerful Achaeans. At this Achilles stands up for himself and the other Achaeans, he insults Agamemnon by saying that Agamemnon claims his greatness. When Agamemnon takes Achilles' concubine, Achilles probably expected the other Achaeans to stand up for him as he had done for them earlier. But he is left alone. His honor insulted by a man that he had served loyally. Humiliated, by a group of people to whom he owed nothing. A great sense of betrayal overcame Achilles.