Miss Brill Essay

In Katherine Mansfield’s short story â€Å"Miss Brill,† Mansfield describes Miss Brill as a woman who is in deep denial of her situation. Miss Brill is an elderly woman who is not aware of the distress in her life; because she doesn’t want to face the reality of getting old. Miss Brill shows the personality of a woman who is vain, detached, and over sensitive as she goes through her specific Sunday in the park wearing her favorite â€Å"Dear little thing† fur (65). Because Miss Brill struggles to admit the reality of getting old, her vanity makes her thinks she’s a special person and an actress in the play. Miss Brill believes she has a â€Å"special seat† (65) in Jardin’s Publiques the park where she sits every time. This particular Sunday afternoon is quite special for Miss Brill, because she has taken out her favourite fur from the box. Her â€Å"little rogue† (65) is like a pet â€Å"biting its tail just by her left ear† (65), and she imagines it as her companion. As Miss Brill goes through her day on watching and listening other people in the park she thought, â€Å"She had become really quite expert . . . t listening though she didn’t listen, at sitting in other people’s lives just for a minute while they talked round her† (65). She fantasizes about reading a newspaper to an invalid gentleman snoring besides her, pretending to be on stage and believing she was a good actress. â€Å"An actress —are ye? † (67) thought Miss Brill, which again shows her vanity. Although Miss Brill is a teacher and is around people in the p ark every Sunday, her detachment is revealed by her not making any actual contact with her patrons. She is always distant, reserved and aloof. The only companion she has is her fur, she â€Å"laid it on her lap and stroked it† (65). When the band started to play again, she thought the music â€Å"was warm, sunny, yet there was just a faint chill . . . , what was it? . . . , not sadness—a something that made you want to sing? †(67). Miss Brill rejects the feelings of pain and loneliness detaching herself from being hurt. As Miss Brill continues her moment of delusion, her over sensitivity is apparent when a boy and a girl suddenly come to sit ext to her, she is looking forward listening to their conversation as she thought of them as a â€Å"hero and a heroine,† (68) but to her dismay, she hears them talking about her, calling her â€Å"that stupid old thing† (68), and making fun of her favourite fur: â€Å"It’s her fu-fur . . . It’s exactly like a fried whiting† (68). Miss Brill is hurt and on her way home, she skips going to the bakery to buy her favourite treat. Instead she goes straight home, puts her fur in the box and goes into her dark, cupboard-like room. While sitting there for a long time â€Å"she heard something crying,† (68). Miss Brill is the one crying, yet she doesn’t want to face the reality of getting old and the resemblance she has with her old fur. After every denial and rejection of her pain and loneliness, Miss Brill’s reality comes in a harsh way when she hears the young couple making fun of her. Finally, she allows herself to feel the pain, hurt, and loneliness for a moment. Miss Brill’s vanity, detachment, and over sensitivity are her weapons to hide her emotional struggle of accepting the reality of becoming a spinster.

”My Mother Said I Never Should” and ”A Midsummer Nights Dream’ Essay

I have been working on the script of both †My Mother Said I Never Should† and †A Midsummer Nights Dream’. In this essay I will look at many aspects of both pieces and compare them, mentioning their similarities and their differences. †My Mother Said I Never Should† was written in 1985 and set from between the 2nd World War and the mid 80’s. †A Midsummer Nights Dream† was written in the 16th Century and set in whatever time period the reader perceives it. Therefore the two plays are both written in the past but they are different because of the time they are set. This difference is because †My Mother Said I Never Should† is based within a decade whereas †A Midsummer Nights Dream† can be set any time period but the story is meant to all be over within the space of one day. Because †A Midsummer Nights Dream† is set in one day, it unlike †My Mother Said I Never Should† which jumps between different years in the 1980’s. There are equal similarities and differences when it comes to the society of the plays. They both show the high status of the mothers involved and alike each other; Margaret and Titania want to keep their children. The family expectations in both the plays re similar because in â€Å"‘My Mother Said I Never Should†, Margaret is constantly telling Jackie to work harder and get a good job because she has high expectations of her. In †A Midsummer Nights Dream† Hermia’s father wants her to marry Lysander and hope for her to fulfill this expectation. The plays are different when it comes to the language and the style of the way the people live, the characters in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ are more modern that those in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’. The character is ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ are real characters with real issues, whereas those in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ are less than realistic because they are fairies and are make believe. Because of this, ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ is more realistic because of the issues and the audience can relate and empathize with the problems involved in the play, but in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’, it is a comedy and it is meant to be enjoyed and not understood. The costumes in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ are normal for that time but in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ they are extravert and something no one would ever wear no matter what time period, this again adds to it’s fantasy. When talking about the key themes of the plays, they are very comparable. Usually in a scene it is only two people talking at a time and the conversations are very tense and filled with emotion. In both plays they include mothers fighting over a child. Love is the main theme in both of the plays if you look beneath the words and consider subtext. The love in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ is between Jackie and Margaret despite their fighting and likewise with Titania and Oberon. Along with this love there is also a lot of anger within this love that we see. When it comes to key themes the plays are obviously different because, ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’s’ characters are fairies but are real people in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’. The styles of the play are very different but they share the subject of arguing and that the main characters concerned are all drawn in with each other. Unlike ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’, ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ has many characters. But the obvious difference is that one is a comedy and one is a realistic play and they want the audience to feel different emotions if any at all in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ case. The main obvious difference between the play, which can easily be seen, is the language of the plays. ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ uses modern language, which can be understood completely, whereas ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ uses old English, which means that the audience may loose sight of the plot and get caught up in the language taking away from the enjoyment of the play. Even though this is so, it does not take away the comedy element of the place, which is enjoyed by all. In conclusion I enjoyed studying these two plays because I was able to go into more depth and read between the lines. This gave me a greater understanding of the plays and will help me with future performances and exams. When playing the roles myself, I could see how the plays were similar as well as being different. Acting out the pieces the first thing that struck me was how different the language was and in ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ it was harder to understand which made it difficult to use tones and express some emotions without complete understanding of the play. In ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ it was easier and more relaxed to perform as it related more with modern day life and the emotions were very easy and straightforward to understand. The reactions from the audiences were also very different. In ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ the audience watch with smiles on their faces occasionally smiling where as in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ the seriousness of the pieces was shown on their expressions. I found that because of much preparation and understanding of the plays before working on them it meant that they could be performed much more easily and gained good criticism.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS REPORT - Essay Example And they have acknowledged that their success is indebted to the talent, creativity, and dedication of their employees. They did not only compete to gain prestige and power but they are also searching and attracting talented people to work for them. Overall, the group’s vision is to â€Å"map out a specific plan of reaching $400 billion in revenue and becoming one of the world’s top five brands by 2020† (â€Å"Samsung,† n.d.). Samsung (UK) is popular in the areas of telecommunication and digital media as they have developed and distributed several products of mobile phones and consumer entertainment devices. Despite of the company’s overwhelming success, Samsung (UK) did not stop to aim for higher goals because the global market is constantly changing, and more importantly, they did not give their competitors a chance to overhaul. For them, nothing is impossible, as long as they have the needed financial resources, talented people, and loyal custome rs. This is the kind of spirit a true company must have. The main thrust of this paper is to analyze the performance of Samsung Electronics (UK) Ltd. By using the company’s financial statements and by applying financial ratios, Samsung’s (UK) performance and financial situation will be determined. For the past three years, Samsung (UK) has proven its success and growth. The company has received several recognitions in terms of producing innovative and advanced technologies. Most of the company’s recent development has been accepted by the people. For 2009, they managed to release new mobile phones like Giorgio Armani smartphones, Galaxy Tab, and Windows Phone 7 (Altoft, 2010). They had also released the world’s thinnest Blu-ray player, TV (6.5mm), and watch phone. Another important event for Samsung (UK) is the restructuring of their organizational leaders and announced their new general managers in UK print and display division (â€Å"Channel Pro,† 2010). Part

Salary and benefits of becoming a financial manager Essay

Salary and benefits of becoming a financial manager - Essay Example nagers is customarily expected to rise based on their expertise in various specialties ranging from strategic planning, financial analysis, forecasting and financial modelling. Consequently, financial managers are expected to take home an annual income averaging at about $83,000 to 130,000 after a being on the job for a duration of about ten years. According to input from payscale.com, financial managers not only take home attractive wages, but similarly smile to the bank due to the direct and indirect benefits that they take home. In highlighting some of the direct benefits that come with the job, payscale.com precisely reports, â€Å"Average Finance Managers in the United States make around $83K per year. Individual bonuses, profit sharing and commission for Finance Managers — as high as $19K, $13K and $87K, respectively† (Pay Scale). Apart from the benefits highlighted, the managers indirectly benefit from other remunerations like medical coverage for entitled family members, as well as a perfect savings plan, which ensures that their retirement is well catered for (US News). Novack, Janet. 6 Pointed Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Financial Advisor. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from:

The control of the Exercise of Proprio Motu Powers by the Prosecutor Case Study

The control of the Exercise of Proprio Motu Powers by the Prosecutor of the ICC - Case Study Example At this point, all the investigations that had been opened were either received from the Security Council or referred by State in reaction to Darfur. Earlier before this case, the Prosecutor turned down the request to open investigations in Venezuela and Iraq. This step resulted to both fears and jokes of the Article 15 opponents as they felt that it might get to the point of politicizing OTP operations who might in turn utilize his powers to get back to the western powers1. Such fears still exist till now especially with more investigations being opened in Africa. Article 15 provides that in an event that the Prosecutor has the mandate to conclude that there exists reasonable basis for an investigation to proceed, then he or she shall have to table an authorization request before the Pre-Trail Chamber of an investigation. This submission has to be accompanied with concrete supporting material. At this point, the victims can now make representations according to the Rules of Procedur e and Evidence to the Pre-Trail Chamber (Amediola, 2006, 349). ... This is to determine if the crime committed falls under the courts jurisdiction, whether the court can be considered as being admissible according to Article 17 and whether that particular investigation will not be to the interest of justice. Based on the above, the PTC II believes that it has the right to authorize an investigation to commence on condition it is in control of all the mentioned elements; the most important of all being the jurisdiction of the court and the admissibility of the case. The Admissibility Issue The PTC II acknowledges the need for a Prosecutor supervision to ensure that his or her obligations under the Statute are mirrored. It requires that if the statue expects the Prosecutor to evaluate admissibility, then the PTC has to control this evaluation2. However, this contradicts with the Court law case with relation to Pre-Trail Chambers in assessing issuance admissibility of a warrant of arrest under Article 58 (Bruce 2004, 13). In a situation where there cri mes are widespread and the victims are many, like what happened in Kenya, then the Prosecutor has to insist on the crimes scale. Hence the gravity threshold has to be refined further for it to have an ICC procedural rule. Crimes against Humanity The crimes that were allegedly committed in Kenya are believed to be crimes against humanity because the situation did not leave the prosecutor with many options as its scope did not fall under war crimes or genocide as there were no armed conflicts involved. The question that remains is to determine whether the attacks that took place amounted to what was termed as crime against humanity as stated in Article 7 Statute of the ICC (Bolton 1999, 71). According to the Rome Statute, crime against humanity means the acts committed

Motion of Dismissal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Motion of Dismissal - Research Paper Example Details of section 2-619 of the Illinois codes of civil procedures It is evident from the daily business activities regarding mortgages, that all mortgage transaction contains an acceleration clause. This clause in different instances requires the lender to make provisions to the borrower with a default notice, and the intent to accelerate. There is also an emphasis that the lender should provide the instructions, which can be taken as a remedy of the default date, and a new date set within 30 days in which the borrower must remedy the default (Lauterpacht and Greenwood, 1999). Lenders often ignore the clause; this is a condition, that actionable by a court of law in a foreclosure action. However, the precedent condition must be considered before another action. Such instances force the lender to follow the guidelines outlined in the mortgage acceleration clause before finding the foreclosure. Failing to follow the above guidelines do not invalidate the mortgage, though it may cause temporal dismissal of the foreclosure claims, therefore, resetting the borrower’s clock for the distress. In Illinois State, the 2-619 motion results from modification of the 2-615 motion and the 2-1005 motion. That is; they dismiss for failure motion on state claim, and the summary judgment motion. They both have a defensive nature, thus disposing the issues of facts and law. The motion adheres to the sufficiency and truth of the claim though it does not purpose the asserted affirmative matters (Lauterpacht and Greenwood, 1999). Affirmative matters refer to defenses that, either refutes critical conclusion, or negates a cause of action. Section 2-619 makes provisions for affirmative defenses; one can bring it regardless of the fact that it is retaining past the point of filling a 2-619 motion. Filling a Defamation Complaint Libel is a false statement from an individual, which in turn causes suffering to the other person. Defamation refers to a libelous statement in a print s tate. Traditionally, a print refers to a statement published in a newspaper or a letter, but in the recent days, it refers to the internet, and other mass media. Technology has been an element which is leading to increase in cases of defamation. Ideal examples are social networking sites such as Facebook, which brings the highest level of defamation that ever in the history. A court of law requires one to prove defamation through the following: 1. There must be a false statement from the defendant to the plaintiff 2. The statement must have reached a third party, through provable means. This means that the defendant must communicate the statement to the other person or persons. 3. The statement has to be harmful to the plaintiff 4. There must be damages on the part of the victim Making false statements If there is a false statement published about a public figure, it is the responsibility of the public to prove that the statement has a malicious intention in making the untrue statem ent. There are different standards for public figures, as they expect statements based on their public status. There have been arguments on the definition of public status, but there they not yet fruitful. The current definition from leading philosophers’ state that, public figure is something the public value in ones character. In many

Revelation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Revelation - Essay Example To consider what it means for Jesus to be â€Å"the son of God† in Christian theology can lead to different interpretation based on the school or church which the believer belongs to or derives teachings from personally. To see Jesus as the son of God is to recognize him as the founder of one of the world’s great religions, a holy prophet with a divine mission and message. This view is also to see Jesus’ teachings as forming the basis of morality in human civilization and as a mediating agent of afterlife or heaven. To view Jesus as a direct son of God is one way to approach and understand the power and majesty of his life, teaching, and ministry on earth, as well as to place faith in the heavenly afterlife where his full glory would be manifest in ways different than it can be experienced materially. To view Jesus as son of God is to view his teachings as proceeding from a source that is equivalent with the primordial force of creation in the universe, and the b eing that sustains all life through loving-kindness and care. As found in Matthew 1:1-2:12; Mark 1:1-20; Luke 1:1-2:52; John 1:1-18, and other scriptural chapters, to view Jesus as the Son of God awakens the soul of the individual to the ability to return to God’s full glory and grace through the purification of the being from sin. In viewing the soul as the vehicle of eternal life, and the universal love of God as the modality of the soul, Christian teaching can point a way to attain psychological and social states of awareness that lead to personal and collective good. II. The Gospel of John - Jesus' Command to Love One Another One of the deepest questions in Christianity is why it was necessary for Jesus to suffer and die on the cross, rather than using supernatural powers to escape this death and continue teaching on earth or vanquishing evil definitively and allowing for a world free from evil. From a theological standpoint, the Gospel of John is profound in meaning and proposes a solution related to these issues. For example, if God as understood in Christianity through the human experience is omnipotent and the source of power for even the smallest activities of natural life, why is the crucifixion of Jesus required and planned in advance in a manner that is suggestive of fatalistic determination by God rather than free will? When Jesus submits his human life and will to follow a path of events that he knows will lead to his death by crucifixion, the Gospel of John identifies the devil as a cause of Judas’ behavior. From this there arises the theological question of the nature or modality of evil in the world, and whether Christianity is fundamentally a dualist religion or a unitary one. In the passage John 13:1-5, the foot-washing ceremony appears at a critical point in Jesus’ life and teaching to the disciples after the Last Supper, and this passage is rich in both practical and theological meaning. The foot-washing ceremony is al most completely foreign to modern individuals in the West, though may be still practiced ritually in some Catholic, Baptist, and other congregations. On one level it means absolute humility through service, which Jesus is not only asking of the disciples but is actually giving to them through his example. The taboo against touching the feet of another person or the association of the feet with filth and defilement is common in the Arab world of the Middle East even today. By washing

HSBC Bank Development Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

HSBC Bank Development - Case Study Example This paper is a review of its strategic planning and resulting growth along with a brief history of the company. The original Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation was started in 1865 by a visionary Scottish businessman called Thomas Sutherland to facilitate growing trade between China and India and the Europe. The company began rapid expansion in Europe and USA even though the main focus was expansion in Asian countries. The company at that time grew large enough even to fund government projects in many developing countries in Asia. World War II saw many of its operations in Asia being closed down. The bank realised that focusing only on Asia was risky and began a expansion program mainly through acquisitions in Europe, Asia and the formation of a organization in the USA. The prominent acquisitions include the Hand Seng Bank, the Mercantile Bank and the British Bank of the Middle East (all in the Asia-Pacific region), the Marine Midland Bank (USA) and the Midland Bank (UK). "The formation of HSBC Holdings plc in 1991, creating a holding company for the entire Group with its shares quoted in London and Hong Kong, showed that the Group viewed Europe and the London market in particular, as a vital part of its future development." (Group History 1980-1999. 2009). A typical departmental structure is explained here. ... It should be noted that the structure is based on its policies of customer service policies and other strategies. The head of the structure is the CEO followed by nine departments. They are legal and financial control, Operations, Human resources, Commercial Banking, Internal Audit, Marketing, Treasury and Personal Financial Services. There is an administrative department under the financial control department. Under the Operations section, there are seven departments, namely IT, Support services, Property and security, Credit operations, Credit cards, Projects and Cash. The ATM department comes under Cash section. Under Commercial Banking, there are the Trade Services and Credit departments. Under the Personal Financial Services Department there are Customer Service, Teller Area, Consumer Finance and Loan Approving Department (for personal financial services). (Organization Chart. 2008). Group structure of HSBC Holdings Plc: Considering the size of the company, the organisational structure of the bank is extremely complex with seven major division and many other divisions formed under each of the seven ones mentioned above. The seven major divisions are HSBC Latin American Holdings (UK) Ltd, Grupo Financiero HSBC SA de CV, HSBC Investment Holdings Plc, HSBC Finance (Netherlands), HSBC Overseas Holding (UK) Ltd, and HSBC Bank Plc. As the name suggests, HSBC Latin America bases its operations in those countries while Grupo Financiero operates in Mexico. HSBC Investment Holding operates in UK and Taiwan. HSBC Finance headquartered in the Netherlands has operations in several countries (mainly in Asia) like Malaysia, Panama, Middle East, Hong Kong, China, Bermuda and Japan. It has control over the original Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking

Adopting Children by Same Sex Parent Essay Example for Free

Adopting Children by Same Sex Parent Essay People in society say that everyone is equal, they have equal right and freedom. However in case of adopting children, people believe that same sex parents are abnormal to adopting children. Some people in society against them to adopting but there are many same sex couples who are seeking to adopt children. The researcher of homosexuality found that many people still do not reveal their sexual orientation to others. Also, same sex couples are not acceptable from some people in society, according to www. gay-adoption. s. On the contrast, some people believe that same sex adoption is normal and it should be acceptable, according to the right human campaign, a national gay and lesbian advocacy group. Although there are many people against same sex couple to adopting children, same sex couples should be allowed to adopt children because they have equal rights and they can be good parents for a child who lacks love and home. Moreover, children in the United State of America and many countries around the world are waiting for adoption. There are about 520,000 children in welfare, according to the North American Council on Adoptable Children in St. Paul. In addition there have 120,000 are available for adoption, but only 50,000 find permanent homes each year. However, although same sex couples want to adopt children, they are against by heterosexual parents for several reasons including it is unnatural to allowed same sex to be a parent, same sex parents cannot give stability to children and most people believed that only heterosexual parents can be good parents. Firstly, it is unnatural to allow homosexual couples to be a parent. They cannot be good parents. Also, it is not safe for children to live with same sex parents. The best environment for well-being of children is a household with a mother and father because children should have a role model. Adopting by same sex parents can effects to children. For instance, children who is raised in a homosexual household are significantly more likely to be homosexual themselves because they have only one role model in one gender, and get involved in homosexual behavior than children raised in heterosexual households, according to a research in the US (University of Illinois Law Review, 1997). In a study published in the January 1996 issue of Developmental Psychology, London researchers Susan Golombok and Fiona Tasker found that it danger for children that live with same sex parents. However, the sexual orientation of parents has no influence on the sexual orientation of their children and that children of lesbian and same sex parents are not more likely than any other children to grow up to be homosexual, according to Children of gay fathers, Gay and Lesbian Parents (p. 9-57) In addition, children can manage their life to be what they want to be by themselves, however they are raised by homosexual parents but it is not determine that they may have the same behavior as their same sex parents. Moreover, same sex parents can give a responsibility and love to children as well as a heterosexual because they are a human who can teach and give love to a child. As such, it would be wrong to deny same sex parents to adopt children. Also, good parenting is not controlled by sexual orientation, same sex parents can support children and give love to them that show they can be a good parent same as a heterosexual. Secondly, the reason why people believe same sex parents should not be allowed to adopt is stability, so it is important in raising an emotionally and mentally healthy child. The way to children grow up happily may need a role model, so children need a role model of both genders that are male and female in order to develop a properly. If children raise in homosexual household, it influence to children will lacks information of other gender. Children’s primary role models are his or her parents that cause bringing a heterosexual up in a homosexual household can gives children a misrepresented view of sexuality. Homosexual couples simply cannot give the stability that heterosexual parents can give to children. Although most people believe that bringing a heterosexual child up by same sex parents give them a distorted view of sexuality, some babies are born with a predisposition to homosexuality and their upbringing will not affect their sexuality. Almost of homosexuals couples do not want to force children to be homosexual like them. According to Major associations of mental health professionals in the United stated of America, same sex parents are not an unfit and capable as heterosexual parents that they lead children are as happily, healthy and well adjusted as a child who is raised by heterosexual parents. In addition, a studies shows that children raised by single heterosexual parents have more difficulties than children who have same sex parents. Moreover the study shows that children did better in moderation, self-esteem, and had less psychosocial difficulties at home and at school, according to the study of Same-Sex Parents Raise Well-Adjusted Kids. The last reason is widely agreed that only heterosexual parents can be a good parent and they are appropriate to give love, warm, and home to children. Children should have opportunities to thrive in heterosexual parents with a mother and father based family. Heterosexual parents are the best because a child should be raised in loving, well-disciplined homes where children have good role models from their heterosexual parents, also avoiding children grow up to be a homosexual, according to study of gender identity disorder and psychosexual problems in children and adolescents. In addition, avoiding from criminal because homosexuals are more likely to molest children, such as rape them. It is danger to children’s life and causes many troubles to society. However, there are about 500,000 children in welfare nationally in the United state and about 100,000 children need to be adopted. So it is shows thousands of children lacks a permanent home and lacks love from parents, according to the statistics of the study of critical shortage of adoptive and foster parents in the United States. If they are only allowed heterosexual parents in adoption, the child who lives in foster care will lacks family and as in Florida more than 2,000 children in welfare are waiting for adoption according to the state of Florida’s statistics. In addition, there are not enough heterosexual parents who are interested in adoption and foster care. There are some arguments of adopting children by same sex parents because most people feel that only traditional homes with a father and a mother are appropriate and have equal right as heterosexual parents to adopt children, according to issue about facts on gay adoption. However, society is change that leads everyone has equal rights. Therefore same sex parents are human being who should be allowed to adopt children. All people should have equal rights because the child in same sex family appear to be normal, and also same sex parents are not appear to harm child, according to Homosexuality and Family Relations. If homosexual parents can support their children, same sex couples can be as good parents as heterosexual parents. As such, same sex parents are the same as other people who can support children, such as, they give love to children, pay taxes, go to work. It shows that being homosexual is not a mental disorder. In addition, nowadays there are thousands children have no permanent homes, and they are waiting for adoption. It is shows that same sex parents are one of those who help children to have love and home. Therefore, people should not determine only about sexuality of those who want to adopt children. As Mary Bonauto of Boston-based same sex couples Avocates and defenders said that, â€Å" Sexual orientation is not the issue, ability of parent is issue. †

History of Cinema Essay Example for Free

History of Cinema Essay From the very beginning its existence the cinema has created works of art worthy to stand comparison with the masterpieces of painting, music, literature, and theatre. Even more than that, the cinema is irremovably embedded in the whole history of the twentieth century. It has not only shaped but also reflected the reality of the times. The cinema gave also form to the aspirations and dreams of people all over the world. This work will focus on the main historical factors and the conditions surrounding the history of film-making. However, it is also the case that it is simply impossible, in a work of this size, to do justice to all the many individuals, technologies and processes that have played noteworthy roles in the history of cinema. The history is not only interesting in its own right; it can also illuminate with particular clarity how the cinema works as a whole. This work consists of four main parts: the Early times, the Silent Cinema, the Sound Cinema, and the Modern Cinema from 1960 to the modern times. In each part the paper looks at history of the cinema in general. As far as possible this paper will cover each development from a broad international perspective. The Early Cinema From the beginning the cinema developed quickly. What in 1890 had been just a dream had by 1913 grown into a whole industry. First films were just moving snapshots. They were only one minute in length and nearly all consisted of just one shot. By 1905, the films were usually five to ten minutes in length and included changes of site and camera position to create a story or show a theme. Later, in the early 1910s, when the first feature-length films appeared, there little by little emerged new techniques for handling complex stories. At this time the process of creating of films had itself grown into a large-scale business. Specialist offices had emerged, exceptionally intended to the making of films. During the 1910s the heart of supply became Los Angeles Hollywood. The early cinema of from the mid- 1890s to the mid-1910s is often called pre-Hollywood cinema. The cinema of this period has also been called pre-classical. Actually the styles of filmmaking common in the early years have never been completely shifted by Hollywood or classical modes, even in America. Many films continued to be pre- or at any rate non-Hollywood in their style for a long time. But it is right to say that much of the cinema development in the years from 1906 or 1907 can be considered as laying the ground for what later became the Hollywood industry. Silent Cinema On the contrary to popular belief, the history of animation did not begin with Walt Disneys sound film Steamboat Willie in 1928. Before that film there was a popular tradition, a film industry, and a vast number of films considering nearly 100 of Disneys (Hayward 234). The general history of the animated film begins with the use of transient trick effects in films around the turn of the century. As several genres emerged (Westerns, chase films, etc. ). During 1906-10, there appeared at the same time films made all or mostly by the animation technique. Since most films were a single reel. There was little programmatic difference between the animated films and others. But the multi-reel film trend developed after around 1912. Animated films retained their one-reel-or-less length. Until the First World War, animation was a completely international phenomenon. However, after about 1915 the producers in the United States began to control the world market. In a quarter of a century, the silent cinema created a tradition of film comedy. The cinema arrived at the end of a century that had witnessed a rich development of popular comedy. Later, the new proletarian audiences of the great cities of Europe and America found their own theatre in music hall, variety, and musical comedy. With these popular audiences, comedy became constant demand. When life was bad, laughter was a comfort; when it was good, they wanted to enjoy themselves just the same. Famous comedy mime troupes of the music halls, like the Martinettis, the Ravels, the Hanlon- Lees, and Fred Karnos Speechless Comedians, can be seen as direct predecessors of one-reel slapstick films. Karno, in fact, was to train two of the greatest film comedians, Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel (Hayward 56- 58). The term documentary did not become popular use until the late 1920s and 1930s. In the beginning it was applied to various kinds of creative non-fiction screen practice in the post-First World War, classical cinema era. Originating films in the category have typically comprised Robert Flah erty s Nanook of the North ( 1922), various Soviet films of the 1920s such as Dziga Vertovs The Man with the Movie Camera (Chelovek s kinoapparatom, 1929), Walter Ruttmanns 11Berlin: Symphony of a City (Berlin: die Sinfonie der GroBstadt, 1927), and John Griersons Drifters ( 1929) (Cook 89). Early documentarians used the magic lantern to create complex and often sophisticated programs out of a succession of projected photographic images. The images were accompanied by a live narration, with an occasional use of music and sound effects. By the turn of the century, films were gradually replacing slides. This in turn gave rise to the new terminology. The documentary tradition preceded film and has continued into the era of television and video. In this way it was redefined in the light of technological innovations, as well as in the context of shifting social and cultural forces. British films of the period were often quite sophisticated, particularly in the comic and actuality fields. Narrative editing, too, was often innovative. Sound Cinema The development from silent to sound cinema marks a period of revolution in the history of cinema. The revolution 4can be easily dated from 6 October 1927, with the New York premiere of Warner Bros. The Jazz Singer in which Al Jolson pronounces the immortal line You aint heard nothin yet with more or less perfect synchronization between his lips in the film and his voice recorded in parallel on a disc (Hjort 90). Filmmakers began to use innovative sound technology that produced panic in cinema industry. In the same time it encouraged experiments and hopes too. While it decreased popularity of Hollywoods films for several years, it stimulated a rebirth of national film production all over the world. This period in the history of cinema has specific features that make it unique in comparison with the years before and after. The coming of sound itself, and its world-wide implications is the first look. Then the focus is on the world of the studios, how the system operated particularly in Hollywood and how different aspects of the cinema were combined together during the studio period. The studios were not entirely free to make films simply for the market. The system also encountered problems of how to regulate itself to take account of political, social, and moral concern. While other countries experienced political censorship of varying degrees of severity, the Hollywood cinema suffered relatively little interference from central government. The Hollywood was instead faced with carefully orchestrated demands for a moral clean-up and the risk of intervention by local censor boards (Neale 78-79). Along with spoken dialogue, the major innovation of the sound cinema was synchronized music. The art of musical illustration that was used during the silent period was changed by the synchronized music. A considerable difference was, certainly, that filmmakers began to use music as a part of the fictional world. For instance, music could now be introduced when the film showed an orchestra or an actor performing a song. Then, sound film would use music not only to the picture, but to dialogue as well. Music became pure background. Composition, performance, and recording were all subject to studio control, and the production of musical tracks of high quality can be counted one of the greatest achievements of the system. Outside Hollywood music tracks were often less polished. But directors were more often free to work with composers of their own choice, and Sergei Prokofievs music for Eisen stein s Alexander Nevsky (1938) provides an interesting contrast to two classic Warner Bros. scores of the same period Erich Korngolds The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Max Steiners Casablanca (1943). Modern Cinema  The most significant change in world cinema since 1945 was that produced by the breakdown of the Hollywood studio system and of its competitors and imitators elsewhere. By the early 1960s the Hollywood system was in severe disarray. Declining audiences and a series of costly flops left the major studios on the verge of bankruptcy or open to hostile take-over. While the studios experienced difficulties, new enterprises such as American International Pictures emerged. These companied made low-budget movies that were intended for the new youth and drive-in markets. Many new genres came into being. One of such innovations was the road movie. It proved to be influential not only on more mainstream American films but throughout the world. The mainstream itself was forced to innovate, drawing inspiration both from the down-market competition and from the new cinemas emerging in Europe. In Europe the most important single event was the sudden explosion on to the scene of the French New Wave the Nouvelle Vague with first features by Claude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Alain Resnais following each other in quick succession in 1958 and 1959 (Hjort 123). The New Wave had been briefly preceded in Britain by the Free Cinema movement, and was followed by the Young German Cinema which announced its existence in the Oberhausen Manifesto of 1962 and went on to renovate the lackluster West German cinema later in the decade. In Italy the change was less sudden but none the less significant, with the creation of Federico Fellinis La dolce vita and Michelangelo Antonionis Lavventura in 1960. It was beginning of a new art cinema. Changes in the 1960s were not confined to Europe. The Cuban Revolution in 1959 gave an impetus to the growth of new cinemas throughout Latin America, notably in Brazil (Cook 45). In Japan the studio system which had nurtured the work of the great masters such as Mizoguchi and Ozu was also in crisis, and in the changed situation allowed for the entry on to the world stage of directors like Nagisa Oshima, who was to play a role in Japanese cinema similar to that of Godard in France. The new cinemas greatly extended the boundaries of film art. They brought new audiences into the cinema, for whom films assumed an unprecedented cultural importance. Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s the cinema spoke more directly to these mainly young audiences than did any of the more traditional art forms. But outside Italy, France and England the innovate cinema with the new realities was not popular. Because of the limits on the size of the audience, the new cinema had to be low-budget or propped up by subsidy (sometimes both) in order to survive (Guneratne 67). The new period in Hollywood cinema begins from the 1975 release of Steven Spielbergs Jaws. The film signaled the birth of a new, younger generation of Hollywood directors. Born mainly in the 1940s, they both studied the films of classical Hollywood and were influenced by the filmmakers of world cinema. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg made blockbusters with classic principles. One of the most famous filmmaker in the 1980s has been Woody Allen. Allen has made famous films, such as Interiors (1978) and Stardust Memories (1980). Conclusion There exists recognition of the fact that from the beginning the cinema has developed in remarkably similar ways all over the world. But it is also recognized that from the end of the First World War onwards, one film industry the American has played a main role in the creation of worlds cinema. However, many nations have created their own, culturally identifiable, genre films that proved extremely popular during the 1970s and 1980s. In India, for instance, a remarkable 250 film-making companies, using more than 60 studios, continued to produce 700 feature films a year throughout the 1980s (Kindem 23). The central government encouraged the making of Indian films by requiring all commercial cinemas to screen at least one Indian film per show. A star system, much like Hollywoods of the 1930s and 1940s, is strong in all parts of the world. Indeed Indian stars working on several productions at the same time can become enormously wealthy. The nations survived mainly by learning from Hollywood cinema. At the same time Europe produced a product that corresponded to needs that Hollywood cinema could not supply. Asian countries have been strong producers of film. Hong Kong, a country of only 5 million people, produces more films than Hollywood. In the 1990s Hong Kongs citizens watched Hollywood and native productions in about equal numbers. In the 1980s Hong Kong martial arts films were distributed world-wide in large numbers. With broadcasting systems combined with the rise of satellite-distributed services Hollywood penetrates even these markets. Hollywood produced the most famous icons in the world such as Steven Spielberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger. With its international control, the Hollywood corporations could and will define standards of film style, form, and content.

The benefits and weaknesses of approaches

The benefits and weaknesses of approaches This report is to assess the benefits and weaknesses of prescriptive and emergent approaches for devising strategy in modern organisations. While these two approaches are seen to be mutually exclusive ways of achieving strategic management, it is argued that strategic management, as a discipline, is often replete with fads and fashions, which create difficulties for managers in knowing how to proceed in the affairs of their organisation. To begin with, Johnson and Scholes (1999) defined strategy as the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Rollinson (2008) further stated that strategies are strongly influenced by the environment of an organisation. It is suggested that the strategies also include considerations about things internal to the organisation and involve choices about structure, technology and a host of other factors. It is recommended (Johnson and Scholes, 1999; Lynch, 2009) that the two named approaches must be examined under the increasingly dynamic, highly competitive and global business environment. External forces are driving organisations to reduce costs, enhance processes and identify new opportunities for growth. Many businesses are compelled to make dramatic improvements not only to compete and prosper but also merely to survive. This brings to the fore the importance of determining how effectively the prescriptive and emergent approaches can meet the needs of current businesses when formulating strategy. Moreover, it is always debating that whether competitive advantage stems primarily from the competitive position of the business in its industry or from business-specific core competencies (Evans et al, 2003). By these contexts, further evaluations of the two named approaches are developed in the following report. Prescriptive approach According to Lynch (2009), a prescriptive strategy is one where the objective has been defined in advance and the main elements have been developed before the strategy commences. Evans et al. (2007) considered that the prescriptive approach views the formulation and implementation of strategic management as a logical, rational and systematic process. That is to say, systematic planning makes it possible to organise complex activities and information, unite business objectives, set targets against which performance can be evaluated and generally increases the degree of control which can be exercised over the operation of the business (Evans et al., 2003). The prescriptive approach is similar to the military strategy. For instance, the early Chinese military historical writings of Sun Tzu The Art of War, which is widely studied by many organisations, parties and groups in different fields around the world. It is known (Beirne and Maynard, 2005) that The Art of War has had an influence on Eastern and even Western military thinking, business tactics, and beyond, such as Napoleon, Henry Kissinger, Lee Iacocca, basketball coach Pat Riley, and lawyer Gerry Spence, some leading persons in their knowledge fields, along with other hundreds of American businessmen, litigators, marketers, and PR professionals. Two millennium ago, Sun Tzu (G riffith, 1971) suggested that the importance of positioning in strategy and that position is affected both by objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective opinions of competitive actors in that environment. He considered that strategy was not planning in the sense of working through an established list, but rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions. Planning works in a controlled environment, but in a changing environment, competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations. Sun Tzu (Griffith, 1971) stated: Know the other and know yourself: Triumph without peril. Know Nature and the Situation: Triumph completely. The key strategic principles suggested by Lynch (2009) in modern days are: Prescriptive strategy begins with an analysis of the competitive environment and the competitive resources of the organisation. The purpose or objective of the strategy is then identified. The objective may be adjusted if the environment or other circumstances change. To test for prescriptive strategy, it is useful to examine whether a clearly defined, main objective has been identified. The advantages of the prescriptive process include the overview it provides; the comparison with objectives; the summary of the demands made on resources; the picture of the choices to be made; and the ability to monitor what has been agreed. The tools and techniques that apply to prescriptive approach are the Porters Five Forces and Value Chain Analysis. Porters Five Forces are for analysing industry and Value Chain Analysis highlights the existing capabilities as a solid basis for competitive advantage (Johnson and Scholes, 1999). Porters Five Forces Model is based upon his theory that the intensity of competition among firms varies widely across industries (David, 2006). As shown in Figure 1, the Five Forces Model Figure 1, Porters Five Forces Model illustrates the nature of competitiveness in a given industry as a composite of the rivalry among competing firms, the potential entry of new competitors, the potential development of substitute products, the bargaining power of suppliers and the bargaining power of customers. The Five Forces Model of competitive analysis is widely used approach for developing strategies in many industries, however, the model has been criticised for its assumption of a perfect competitive market (Aaker, 1992; Winfield, et al., 2004; Lynch, 2009). Winfield and other writers (2004) further pointed out that the analysis has ignored the human resource aspect of strategy such as the management skills and the culture aspect of corporate strategy. Besides Five Forces Model, the other prescriptive approach tool Value Chain analysis provides an Figure 2. Value Chain Analysis in-depth understanding of the way in which resources are developed to achieve competitive advantage for identifying ways to create more customer value (Winfiled et al., 2004; Saunders et al., 2008). Figure 2 illustrates the basic idea of Value Chain Analysis and it suggests that activities must be examined separately in order to identify sources of competitive advantage (Winfield, et al., 2004). By adapting this analysis, Nestlà © (2010), one of the leading nutrition and foods companies in the world, recognised each step in the value chain could have harmful consequences if not managed properly. For example, without sustainable agricultural practices the natural resources of farms worldwide might be damaged. By embedding corporate responsibility in its business practices in this way, like launching Nestlà © Corporate Business Principles, which the company claimed that they will continue to evolve and adapt to a changing world and reflects the basic ideas of fairness, honesty, and a general concern for people (Nestlà ©, 2010), Nestlà © is able to contribute positively to societies across the globe. Saunders and other writers (2008) emphasised Value Chain Analysis for its role in understanding competitive advantage and stated out that it cannot be understood by looking at an organisation as a whole, which leads to the major problem towards this analysis. Lynch (2009) argued that Value Chain seems works only to explore existing linkages and value-added areas within the existing structure of the business. Hamel and Prahalad (1996) supported the argument and suggested that revolution in management sector is required rather than to create the future. Ansoff is one of theorists that frequently referred to by strategists, especially in the context of prescriptive approach. Ansoff (Baker, 2001) believes that it is essential to systematically anticipate future environmental challenges to an organisation in developing strategy and draw up appropriate strategic plans for responding to these challenges. The thought is the logical analytical approach allows those well-planning companies to devise predictive and pre-emptive strategies from which they can meet new opportunities head on. For instance, in 1995 EasyJet introduced low cost flights to take advantage of a more cost-conscious European Market (easyJet, 2010). What is more, prescriptive approach enables companies to organise complex activities and exercise in control over different business units in a greater degree. For example, Tesco has seceded in achieving consistent growth and profit in its UK core business, retail service, non-food and international sectors over recent years (Accountancy Age, 2006). It was reported that its breathtaking performance is as a result of its well defined long-term goals and clear boundaries for all their business activities. Ansoff (Baker, 2001) suggests that a firm needs direction and focus in its search for and creation of opportunities and the fact that it is to the advantage of the firm to seek entries with strong synergistic potential. In other words, strategy is emphasised on existing capability strengths to define itself and optimise its position, especially at a time of economic turbulence. For example, Motorola has successfully met the needs of emerging markets by using its fundamental technological strengths in electronic components to progress from supplying TVs and car radios to offering telecommunications services (Rich, 2006). However, the prescriptive approach is often criticised to be highly discrepant between planned and real strategies within the business environment which there are increasing turbulence and chaos (Evans et al., 2003). As some writers believe that rigid plans prevent the flexibility which is required in an environment volatile change (Karami, 2007). Although Tesco is running outstanding, it won the sponsorship to England football team during the World Cup 2010 as the official food supplier (The Guardian, 2010), yet the finance and strategy director of Tesco Higginson (Accountancy Age, 2006) claimed that rules-based approaches the one-size-fits-all mentality is not always appropriate. Mintzberg (2000) criticised the prescriptive approach by highlighting that the actual strategy tends to be only 10 to 30 percent of the planned strategy. He pointed out that the theories of Ansoff are mostly based upon events can be predicted, such as the introduction of new legal regulations or technologi es, and this would somehow force the original strategy off its course. Emergent approach Evans et al. (2003) believed that the emergent view of strategy adopts the position that strategy must be evolved incrementally over time, which is based in rapidly changing environments. It is demonstrated that under such circumstances, strategy will tend to evolve as a result of the interaction between stakeholder groups and between the business and its environment. Emergent approach has the advantage of increased organisational flexibility. It can form a basis in organisational learning and can provide an internal culture for managers to think and act creatively rather than have to act within the rigid framework of deliberate strategy. Goldschmidt and other writers (2003) characterised emergent approach as a learning by do process. Mintzberg (2000) defined strategy as a pattern and believes that strategies can be unplanned instead of meeting a premeditated plan in a changing reality. In some points of view (Lynch, 2009), change sometimes mean the whole process of developing the st rategy as it involves experimentation, learning and consultation for those involved during the change. Hence, the thought of formulation of strategy is running parallel to implementation and managers at multiple organisational levels have a key input into the actual strategies pursued by the organisation. An emergent approach is thought to be more creative and responsive strategy making that well suited to the hyper-competitive and unpredictable environments of today (Mintzberg, 2000; Burnes, 2004; David, 2006). Rollinson (2008) and Burnes (2004) view the continuous and dynamic change as an emergent process of experimentation and adaptation which is searching for ways that is able to cope with the exigencies of the uncertain environment. It can be said that the idea of emergent approach is there is not such routines for organisations to plan for the future. Hamel and Prahalad (1996) found that the most successful firms in the world such as Microsoft and Apple Macintosh do not always stick to their stated mission, goals and objectives or the predetermined plan. In contrast with the prescriptive approach which focuses on creating a framework between established strengths and emerging opportunities, the emergent approach focuses on five organisational features during the change process, which is organisational structure, organisational culture, management behaviour, patterns of power and politics, and organisational learning (Burnes, 2004). Hence, it is more suited to instigating positive, transformational organisational change such as diversification or restructuring. It also has the added benefit of helping to reduce resistance to change as it allows time to build employee support while the strategy is taking shape. Lynch (2009) pointed out that there is no one single approach within emergent approach. Some emphasise the need for responsiveness in an increasingly turbulent world. Others concentrate on the longer-term need to change an organisational skill, style and operating culture fundamentally and over long time periods. It can be said that emergent approach to organisational change is more concerned with change readiness and change facilitation with specific pre-planned steps for particular change projects and initiatives (Pasmore, 2009). Campbell et al. (2002) argued that the danger of the emergent approach is the possible result in a lack of purpose in strategy and it can make it difficult to evaluate performance. On another negative note, when formulation and implementation of strategy occurs simultaneously there is a risk that strategy development becomes too slow and jumbled a process. Burnes (2004) considered that emergent approach sometimes can be an afterthought. This means that valuable opportunities may be missed along the way. Moreover, conflicting objectives from different departments can hinder strategy development, particularly when there are power shifts taking place during a major strategic change such as a merger (Pasmore, 2009). Without strict analysis and identifiable targets, objectives can be lack of clarity and there may be no real basis for evaluating performance. Therefore, it was pointed out by Brews and Hunt (1999) that an over-reliance on emergent strategy formation could result in underperf ormance. Conclusion Performing in the increasingly unpredictable and complex business environment, many organisations are forced to be more flexible and adaptive to change. In practice, the strategies of most companies are probably a combination of the prescriptive and the emergent (Hill and Jones, 2009). Campbell et al. (2002) stated that the prescriptive and emergent approaches are often presented as being diametrically opposed, which is by the reason of that the approaches are in many ways complementary as they present different perspectives of the same situation. Therefore, Campbell et al. (2002) suggested that strategy must be both inward- and outward-looking, planned and emergent. This supports the adoption of an emergent approach to strategy development which invokes a more intelligent capacity to respond to new opportunities. In conclusion, Quinn (1998) stated that these two approaches can reinforce each other, that is to say, a greater use of strategic planning tools for internal and external analysis would in some ways improve organisational learning and enhances strategic thinking even while following an emergent approach.

hitlers willing executioners :: essays research papers

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen born in 1959 is an American political scientist most famous for his book, Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, which hypothesizes that all ordinary Germans were actively in favor of the holocaust because of the supposedly unique and virulent "eliminationist" anti-Semitism that was a part of the common consciousness in Germany throughout history. He claims that this special mentality cannot be fully understood by non-Germans and that it was unique to Germany; eliminationist anti-Semitism grew out of medieval attitudes that were religiously based. Later they became more secularly based, but the anti-Semitism remained the same. Goldhagen holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University and was a professor at Harvard for many years. He is the winner of Germany’s highly prestigious triennial Democracy Prize and currently a member of Harvard's Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. In the book Hitler’s Willing Executioners, Daniel Goldhagen uses primary and secondary sources. Goldhagen traces origin & scrutinizes essence of anti-Semitism from its origins over 1,000 years ago, manifest in non-Jewish Christian civilization at beginning of the Crusades (Jews characterized as non-Christian Christ killers); throughout the Middle Ages into early modern Europe. He gives a clear insight of how Jews were tortured describing every gruesome detail. Though Goldhagen utilizes many original sources, some sources seem to come from his head. For example: The author titled the book Hitler’s â€Å"Willing† Executioners assuming that all Nazi’s were enthusiastic to kill Jews. It seems as though he carefully gathered all the information he could find about the Holocaust to make this piece of art into such a great novel. He allows the reader to comprehend how he fells personally about different situations mentioned throughout the book. Though he states his opinion on several occurrences throughout the book, he backs them up with credible facts. Hitler’s Willing Executioners is well written, easy to read and clearly defined. The issue is not the fact that the Germans were anti-Semitic, but rather that any human or group of humans could turn against a group of people so vehemently and so horribly. The vocabulary is somewhat easy to comprehend. Goldhagen's thesis, which he rides awfully hard, is that ordinary Germans were quite likely to be anti-Semitic because anti-Semitism, abetted by the Nazi high command, so thoroughly pervaded German culture. Goldhagen's account is centered on events in World War II and does not, foreground his thesis.

The Chinese Revolution Essay -- essays research papers

As many other countries around the world China has its long history of a struggle for equality and prosperity against tyrants and dictatorships. The establishment of People’s Republic of China in 1949 seemed to have put an end to that struggle for a better life. â€Å"The Chinese people have stood up!† declared Mao Tse-tung, the chairman of China’s Communist Party (CPP) – a leading political force in the country for the time. The people were defined as a coalition of four social classes: the workers, the peasants, the petite bourgeoisie and the national-capitalists. The four classes were to be led buy the CPP, as the leader of the working class. For the first time in decades a new Chinese government was met with peace and hope, instead of massive violent opposition, within its territory. The government and its political force, the CPP, were expected to fulfill century long dream of the Chinese people for â€Å"reason, liberty, progress and democracy.† The government promised to bring about a string of swift political and economical reforms that would dramatically improve life of every Chinese citizen within the life span of one generation. A promise of a vast land reform that would give long-awaited land to millions of peasant families won their support for the new government. At that time the party’s members of peasant origin accounted for nearly 90 percent. The Chinese intellectuals supported the communists for their promise to establish a variety of democratic institutions that ...

Heat and Dust (Characters and Summary)

Heat and Dust (Characters and Summary) Heat and Dust Characters: 1923Olivia, Douglas, The Nawab, Mr. /Mrs. Crawford, Mr. /Mrs. Minnies, Harry, The Begum, Dr. SaundersPresent timeThe Narrator, Inder Lal, Chid, Maji, Dr. Gopal, Karim and Kitty, Ritu, Inder Lal’s mother Summary The narrator of the present went to India in order to find out her grandfather’s first wife– Olivia’s story. She gets to know the Indian officer Inder Lal, who sublets her a small room in Satipur and becomes a friend of his.While being more and more accepted in the Indian society and knowing more about the Indian culture, the narrator herself has been changed by India as well. The change of her is not only obvious by her outward appearance, some of her attitudes has been changed as well. She thinks the old sick beggar woman is dispensable and has hesitated to help her. On the other hand, she has helped Chid without hanging back, although he was also infected. The relationship between t he narrator and Inder Lal has developed as well. They became intimate and have a love affair, while Inder Lal’s wife, Ritu, was on the pilgrimage with his mother.They like to talk to each other in order to find out as much as possible about the Indian/western world, which is foreign to them. During the conversations, the narrator finds out that Inder Lal is not happy in his marriage with Ritu. She is not good educated and can not understand his thoughts. Inder Lal’s mother has chosen her to be his wife because of the compatibility of their families and her fair komplex. Olivia’s story is plotted in 1923. The narrator discovers her story by reading her letters to Marcia, her sister. Olivia could not speak Hindu nor Urdu, what made it difficult for her to find any Indian friends.Anyhow she never had the intention to be under Indians. She does not like the Crawfords and the Minnies. They are the contrast of her: They speak Hindu, know exactly which behaviour is exp ected and get along with all sorts of situations. Her only friends in India were Harry and the Nawab. After meeting each other the first time while the dinner party in the palace, the Nawab and Olivia kept meeting each other either in her home, or in his palace. The picnic at the Baba Firdau’s Shrine ended up with a love affair between the Nawab and Olivia.Olivia got pregnant and told both the Nawab and her husband Douglas about the pregnancy. Douglas had no idea that the child might be not his. Nevertheless the Begum, the mother of the Nawab, soon arranged an abortion for her, but the scandal was not to be hidden anymore. After the abortion, Olivia made her way to X, a small village in the foothills of the Himalayas. She maintained a house there and died in the 1950s. In the end the narrator, who is pregnant from Inder Lal, but has decided to keep the baby, also comes to X and rents a room in Olivia’s house.

Ethics in Practice Case: Is There a Market for a Sustainable Hamburger? Essay

Coperate Citizenship: Social Responsibility, Responsiveness, and Performance â€Å"Ethics in Practice Case† Is There a Market for a Sustainable Hamburger? 1)Is the world ready for a socially responsible hamburger? Yes, I believe the world or at least the United States is ready for a socially responsible hamburger chain such as â€Å"Bugerville†. Any company that can be socially responsible but still produce a good product should be an example for other business not doing the same. How much would I be willing to pay assuming the burgers really taste good? I guess the amount I would be willing to pay would be somewhere market average or above just because they are socially responsible by buying local meat with no additives and powering their business with local treadmill power versus McDonald’s who has not taken the extra step to improve on their social responsibility. 2)What tensions among its economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities do you think are most pressing to â€Å"Burgerville†? Out of all the issues I believe â€Å"Burgerville† would have economic responsibility pressing them the most considering the prices might be a bit higher than others just because the go above and beyond the legal, ethical, philanthropic responsibilities. I do not believe this would be a pressing issue to the point of any major concern. 3)Does â€Å"Burgerville† sound like a business that might work in Oregon and Washington, but maybe not elsewhere? No, I believe it could be a business that would work and do well in several other places in the United States. It may not be able to use wind power in every state for instance, but they could make substations like solar panels instead, given the various resources and locations. What is the future of â€Å"Burgerville†? I personally believe the future of â€Å"Burgerville† is very bright because we as a society are holding businesses to higher standards and considering their socially responsible and a good company to work for they should expand rapidly.

Michael Ondaatje’s “Elizabeth” Essay

Michael Ondaatje’s â€Å"Elizabeth† portrays the life of the English Queen Elizabeth I. Ondaatje fuses prose and poetry, fact and fiction, realism and surrealism. The effect of this fusion creates a high degree of dramatic realism. It illustrates the progression and transition from childhood to adulthood. The Poem opens with a young Elizabeth harvesting apples with her father (King Henry VIII) and Uncle Jack (fictional character); preceded by a trip to the zoo. The atmosphere suddenly shifts from going to the zoo, to ice fishing with Philip (King of Spain) on a cold winter day. Abruptly, the atmosphere and time shifts again to describing Mary’s (Elizabeth’s stepsister) teeth. Then jumps to a dancing scene with Elizabeth’s confidant, Tom (Lord Thomas Seymour), which is followed by the execution of Tom. Finally, the poem ends with a rather short description of Elizabeth writing poems with another confidant, the Earl of Essex. The narrative lines and descriptive passages employed in â€Å"Elizabeth† do not flow logically and coherently from point A to point B. The names do not appear to be in historical and chronological order; however, they fit into a generalized image of the political mayhem, betrayal, and punishments of that time. Elizabeth’s stepsister â€Å"ËÅ"Bloody’ Mary Tudor, Mary’s husband Philip II of Spain, the unfortunate Lord Tom Seymour, and her late favorite, the Earl of Essex, were all executed. Ondaatje’s â€Å"Elizabeth† alters from child-voice through adolescent-voice to adult-voice, catching the tone of each stage of maturity. Ondaatje’s imitation of the tones shows how Elizabeth must, through debilitating maturity and complex situations, sacrifice passion to power, as how a young ruler would have to. For example in stanza three, Philip â€Å"broke the ice†(19) and â€Å"then he [Philip] kissed me [Elizabeth]†(22), suggests that love is deceitful, and is to be avoided. Furthermore in stanza five, â€Å"I kept the love in my palm till it blistered†(34) connotes that love is painful and not time-worthy. Death is present and apparent in last stanzas as both threat and momento mori (remembrance for the dead), even to the young mischievous girl who â€Å"hid the apple in my room/ till it shrunk like a face/  growing eyes and teeth ribs†(7-9). The symbolic references to â€Å"apple†(2) and â€Å"snake†(12) conjure up the relationship between Elizabeth’s life to that of Adam’s and Eve’s. The evil, deceptive snake in Adam and Eve convinces Eve to eat the apple, which in the end leads to her downfall. Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII of England, compliments and sides with snake in the zoo, by describing it as â€Å"Smart†(16). This siding of the snake might indicate to the readers of the residing evil within him. In stanza three, the image of ice fishing and eating raw, uncooked fish implies a primitive and uncivilized way of living. A primitive life is a dangerous one. The correlation between the snake, the father, and the primitiveness can lead to a sense of danger in Elizabeth’s life. Elizabeth senses the danger and evades it by becoming sly and controlling. This is indicated by the tonal transition in as she slides from thoughts of â€Å"Tom, soft laughing†(28) and â€Å"turning / with the rhythm of the sun on warped branches, / who’d hold my breast and watch it move like a snail / leaving his quick urgent love in my palm†(30-34), to his beheading, and finally to her later â€Å"cool†(44) flirtations â€Å"with white young Essex (45). Nevertheless, Elizabeth’s control of voice captures the readers’ attention. â€Å"Elizabeth† is one example of Ondaatje’s attempts to defy traditional poetry writing. And he achieves it in the incoherency of events, the un-rhythmic lines and the irregular stanzas.

Web Site Structure

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and compare three Web site structures from the student textbook â€Å"New Perspectives on the Internet† by Schneider and Evans. This student will identify the preferred structure and why; provide two Web site locations with URL addresses, and discuss advantages to Cascading Style Sheets in the creation of a web page. A hierarchical structure is where the â€Å"pages are linked going from the most general page down to more specific pages†¦In a hierarchical structure, users can easily move from general to specific and back again.† (Schneider/Evans. 2006. p. 65). A linear structure is where â€Å"each page is linked with the pages that follow and precede it in an ordered chain.† (Schneider/Evans. 2006. p. 64). Linear structure does allow for augmented pages â€Å"in which each page contains an additional link back to an opening page.† (Schneider/Evans. 2006. p. 65). The third type of structure is called Mixed structure where â€Å"the overall form is hierarchical, as users can move from a general introduction to individual†¦however, links also allow users to move through the site in a linear fashion. (Schneider/Evans. 2006. p. 66). A Mixed structure provides the up and down and side to side movement within a site. The preference of this student would be Mixed structure and Hierarchical structure as these two types of structures provide maximum movement throughout a Web site. Formatting links, home pages and paths are unique to each Website; but, however, are similar depending on structure. A web site that this student enjoys to peruse is the National Geographic Web site, with the URL located at http://www.nationalgeographic.com. This site appears to be styled in a hierarchical structure, as it allows general to specific inquiry. It also allows the movement of backward and forward. Another web site of interest to this student is Facebook, with the URL located at http://www.facebook.com. This web site is designed on the linear structure with augmentation. Facebook pages are linked with pages that â€Å"follow and precede it in an ordered chain.† (Schneider/Evans. 2006. p. 64) Because Facebook does support an augmented style, links to outside sources and other available pages are available to the user. This design, however, from the user opinion, is lacking in personality and compatibility with the user. The design appears to be generalized, and simplified, allowing for many users in many locations and of many cultures. It is, therefore, very generic. Both Web sites provide home page links; but, because of the differences in structure, movement within each web site page is different. After some research in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), this student has discovered several advantages in creating web pages. âž ¢ Cascading Style Sheets are written outside of the HTML codes and are therefore easy to access, change and manipulate. âž ¢ Cascading Style Sheets provide the designer the ability to change one section within the one sheet and having all similar sheets change as well in numerous locations. In closing, Cascading Style Sheets are a must in the creation of a web site. They provide ease of movement; top to down, back and forward and specific movement side to side. This ability provides a user-friendly web site. Depending on the information provided by the Web site and the audience to which it is geared, determines how the structure of the web site is designed.

Buddhism and Confucianism

Buddhism and Confucianism share many similarities, such as their influence on Chinese society and also teaching their people to be virtuous. They do though, differ in their beliefs and on a fundamental point; Buddhism is spiritual, while Confucianism is entirely secular. Buddhism and Confucianism are parallel in several ways. First, as mentioned before, they both influenced Chinese society in a way. Buddhism influenced China by the improvements of landscape painting. Their belief teaches compassion, karma, reincarnation, meditation, enlightenment, and respect of Heaven and Earth. The influence of Buddhism grew o such an extent that vast amounts of finical and human resources were expended on the creation and establishment of impressive works of art and elaborate temples. This growing interest in Buddhism helped to inspire new ways of depicting deities, new types of architectural spaces in which to worship them, and new ritual motions and actions. Confucians influences the basis of society, family structure, and the government for thousands of years. Buddhism encourages a respect for life; in China it helped modify the cruel punishments call for under Legalism. Buddhism espoused respect for all forms of life. Buddhism encouraged the people to be charitable and monasteries became the cultural centers of learning and scholarship. On the other hand, Confucianism had a great impact on the Chinese civilization. It greatly influenced their attitude toward life and it also set their patterns of living and standards of social value. Because of their influence on Chinese society, Buddhism and Confucianism also taught their followers good conduct. The Buddha taught that nirvana, or union with the universal spirit, can be reached through an understanding of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, not through reincarnations from one cast to another. Confucianism taught that social order, harmony, and good government should be based on strong family relationships. Education was also important both to the welfare of an individual and to society and the respect to parents and elders were important to a well-ordered society, too While they may be similar on several levels, Confucianism and Buddhism can certainly be worlds apart in some aspects. One of them, and most important of all the differences, is the distinction between the secular and the spiritual. Confucianism, for one, is very spiritual, as it believes in the afterlife, the spirit that unties everything (Brahman), as well as believing the reincarnation. Even though Buddhism somewhat believe in reincarnation, they desperately try to avoid it, as they want to achieve Nirvana, or union with the universal spirit, which offers release from human suffering. Buddhists focus on minimizing or eliminating suffering. They try to master and reduce the desires and attachments that cause suffering. They are also very big on the cultivation of compassion towards all beings that can suffer. Confucianism, on the other hand, is entirely secular. Its followers devote their time solely to the principal of reciprocity and also the three essential values: Xiao, Ren, and Li. It also focuses mainly on the cultivation of character and human-heartedness, along with fulfilling ones duties to family and country. And because of their differences between their †¦.. t leads to their difference in their belief system. Buddhism is a religion while Confucianism is more of a philosophy. Confucianism believes that you should be improved by education and development of your character, while Buddhism belief is that there will always be negativity in life, and that all life has a lot of suffering in it. Therefore, you cannot change that. This is why Buddhists think reincarnation is a bad thing Also, the Confucians believed you need to understand the relationship with family, and to follow the five goals of Confucianism. The Buddhists had a totally different idea for this though†¦ they believe that you just need to follow behavior in the ways of the eightfold path As you can see Confucianism and Buddhism are very different, but at the same time they are very similar. Each belief has its unique view on basic beliefs, overall goals, goals of the individual believer, view of life, rules of behavior, views of society and influence on China. Even though some of the views are negative, it is the only way the people of that belief know.

Thomas Edisons contribution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thomas Edisons contribution - Essay Example In 1979, Edison developed a carbon-filament lamp. He demonstrated operation of lamp at his Menlo Park laboratory. Very next year, he began producing lamps commercially in which he used carbonized bamboo as filaments. After finding that the oxygen weakens the platinum once it gets heated, he put the filament in a vacuum bulb. This surely improved the performance of his lamp. The market was eagerly waiting for a device that could solve their lighting needs. Edison applied the Joule's and Ohm's laws in developing high resistance lamps reducing the size of copper conductors and thereby its cost. He was the first person to convert carbon into a wire-kind ; the invention helped him to make incandescent electric lamps providing one more utility that fulfilled market needs (Inventions (2012).  Ã‚   Electric Power SystemWhen question comes to developing electric power system, he felt the need to develop host of other devices such as electrical generator, electric motors, fuses to prevent ov erloading, and the screw socket to hold lamps. Edison also designed a direct-current system that was required to provide power to an isolated single building. Soon he realized that an alternating current system was a better alternative for high-voltage transmission. He did not develop an alternating current system because he believed that high voltages were unsafe. His contribution to the development of electrical systems and devices is unprecedented.His only invention in the field of pure science came to be known as the Edison effect.

To investigate various ways of financing educational boot camps for Research Paper

To investigate various ways of financing educational boot camps for less privileged but gifted students in the Czech Republic - Research Paper Example It was also imperative to collect information on these learning platforms, so as to provide insight on what they would constitute, since they do not exist within the Czech education system. Information on the Czech education system was obtained from government sources like reports by the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. There were also sources such as organizations’ and foundations’ reports like those by the European Commission and the Czech Institute for Information on Education. These secondary data sources were deemed credible owing to the impartial nature of their statistical findings on education, and especially gifted education in the country. The sources were also considered the best, as they provided a comprehensive overview of the background information that formed a basis for the research. The decision to use interview was aimed at collecting personal opinions from potential education boot camp financiers as research data. Interviews were also considered most suitable, since in depth understanding of and insight into the subject of gifted education funding in the Czech Republic was paramount to the study. Through directly interviewing potential sponsors of the proposed education programs, it was possible to directly define the study’s context. Additionally, use of interviews as primary data collection tools made it possible to discover the thoughts and feelings of the respondents on gifted education in the Czech Republic, while identifying their specific reasons for various opinions (Ã…  krabà ¡nkovà ¡, 2011). It was also imperative to gain human perspective of extant data and trends of gifted education in the country. There were several advantages of using interviews in the research. Key among the benefits noted was the usefulness of the interviews in obtain ing information in details, particularly in regard to personal opinions, outlooks on gifted education, and overall opinions.

Leadership Communication Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leadership Communication - Coursework Example The understanding of one’s audience is very important for leaders in ensuring effective communication for several reasons. The first reason is that understanding the audience presents the leader an opportunity to know the best ways to employ in delivering the message to the audience to ensure a great number of the audience understand or benefit from the information conveyed (Barret, 2014). The leader needs to understand the reasons why his topic is important to the audience, as well as the lessons he may want the audience to learn or know relevant to his presentation. Knowing the audience involves understanding their cultural differences, religious beliefs, age, educational levels, among other things. In order to ensure effective communication in this case, the leader needs to project positive ethos. In order to achieve this, a leader needs to be trustworthy (Agarwal, 2010). This helps make the audience build trust on him. In addition, the leader needs to have good reputation as well as develop and uphold similarity with the audience. This helps in maintaining trust as well as winning the approval of the audience, thereby making the communication effective (Barret, 2014). There are several barriers to effective communication. Some of these include language barriers, gender, emotional barriers, as well as cultural barriers. Physical, perceptual as well as interpersonal barriers may also form part of the barriers to effective communication (Agarwal, 2010). For instance, a person may communicate in a language that the audience do not understand. This is a form of language barrier. This was one case experienced in my workplace recently involving ineffective communication. The leader came and issued instructions in his local dialect. As a result, nobody understood what he said. However, he never bothered to explain or translate to a language that we could understand. This could be

Patient Safety And Medication Administration Research Paper

Patient Safety And Medication Administration - Research Paper Example Transcribing of medicine takes place in two major forms, which are through handwriting and computer inputting (MÃ ´nica et al., 2011, p. 225). In any of these cases, there was a study by Meng-Ting et al. (2010, p. 258) which established the most frequent cases of errors nowadays. Omalhassan et al. (2009, p. 389) on the other hand argued that the forms and reasons leading to errors during transcribing are different when basing these on handwritten transcribing or computer typed transcribing. While using handwriting, misspelling, wrong interpretation of writing and wrongful representation of figures have been noted to be examples of the commonest forms of errors (Hossein et al., 2012). When computers are used, Matt G. (2013, p. 28) noted that there is the possibility of the computer automatically changing or attempting to correct a spelling, which may lead to error with spelling if not detected.At the administration stage also, Moura, Prado and Acurcio (2011, p. 314) warned that error s are still possible even if all the aforementioned processes have been carried out successfully. In the light of this, Murray et al. (2009, p. 761) saw that the issue of poor supervision on the part of nurses over patients whiles administering drug is a major cause of error as it leads to wrong dosage. This means that at the transition stage where the nurse leaves the drug with the patient, it is possible for the patient to either undertake or overtake the drug if close monitoring is not in place.

Why do Economies Grow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why do Economies Grow - Essay Example Here, the capital essentially includes all production tools. More work was done by other researchers after Solow to expand his mathematical model, as a result of which, certain other factors were also found to be the driving factors of a nation’s economy. Such factors include but are not limited to human capital and land. The validity of information generated by Solow can be estimated from the fact that he was awarded â€Å"the 1987 Nobel Prize in economics† (Hardesty, 2011). Technology plays an important role in boosting the economy of a country. The following chart shows how the listed countries’ economy grew from 1973 till 2007: Economic growth in different countries from 1973 to 2007 (Kenworthy, 2011). It can be seen in the chart above that certain countries showed a greater growth of economy as compared to others in the mentioned duration. â€Å"One reason is â€Å"catch-up†: partly because they could borrow technology from the leaders, countries tha t began with a lower per capita GDP tended to grow more rapidly† (Kenworthy, 2011). Sustainability of economic growth depends on several factors like the property market, mortgage trends and interest rates etc.

Friend Game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Friend Game - Essay Example In the Collin’s article ‘Friend Game’, we identify the abuse of internet services by teenagers who commit suicidal behavior leading to the death of one teenager by the name Megan Meier. The article explains the different roles of each individual in the death of the girl, by sending malicious messages to her which frustrates the girl leading to her sudden death. Despite Tina’s endless trials to find justice for her lovely daughter, she does not get justice, and in return she turns to make the life of Lori Drew miserable. The Drew’s are aware that their daughter is responsible for the death of Megan, but they deny that fact blaming her that she actually took her life. Justice is denied to the Meier’s despite the endless efforts of the reporters who do the investigation to reveal the reality. Meier is a teenager who needs to be protected from malicious actions, and she is protected by the enforced privacy laws and laws governing the use of social media. In my view, she was denied justice is justified by the reasons discussed in the main body of the essay. Megan as an individual lead a natural lifestyle despite the challenges she faced due to her illness, but her parents were in hand to help her cope with the situation. Lori Drew and Megan lived in the same neighborhood, and they were long time friends who played together during their child hood. She was thirteen years and a volley ball player and to crown it all a Chihuahua manic. Despite all this, she led a gloomy lifestyle as she hated herself and could at times need her space something that pissed off her friends who felt neglected when she was not in the mood to play. Like any other girl, she and her age mates lead a social life that they valued so much to their sense of status and acceptance. Through this, she made new friends and exchanged messages about their social life. The sites allow users to rank their ‘top friends’ for the

Go to a Web site for a company selling business-to-business products Essay

Go to a Web site for a company selling business-to-business products or services. Compare this Web site to one selling consumer - Essay Example Their target group is medium to large scale tour operators who offer online reservation facilities. Travelocity, http://www.travelocity.com  is a large travel agency which targets anyone interested in traveling. Their target group is heterogeneous. It included regular travelers, people on vacations, business personnel as well as diplomats representing all the social classes. Although it is operated in the US it provides many local sites for the outsiders. If the home pages and the contents are compared Pegasus infoCorp has used much professional way to publicize their information. Their service and current clients are listed and they have used an animation (a globe and several annotations) to give an overall idea of their service. The home page of the Travelocity is much customized to it target audience, the travelers around the world. It directly provides booking facilities and other information required for travelling such as maps, hotels, car hires, activities. Non like the Pega sus infoCorp, Travelocity provides details on special discounts and package rates and have used inspiring annotations making it more competitive. They continually play a slideshow of those packages at the top the site.

Religion and So-called German Christians Essay Example for Free

Religion and So-called German Christians Essay Religion continues to be one of the most influential forces in the world. It has been seen to provide great peace and harmony to believers, but it has also been the cause if not an actual reason for some of historys greatest wars. It can be used as justification from leaders of war, can it also serve as an instrument of resolution as well? Religion has come to be a much stronger force than any material incentives. It is far better at directing positive behaviour towards social betterment than any laws or physical force. For instance, Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr conducted non-violent protests based upon religious beliefs. Religion can also be used to help bring people together as they are more willing to work together. By contrast, places that reject religion, such as Revolutionary France, communist Russia and China, or Nazi Germany are often very brutally oppressive. However, it is not always the case. For example, Iran: a country where religion is so prevalent is equally as oppressive as these countries. Incidentally, religion can be very dangerous because it can and has been used to justify horrific acts. Crusaders not only killed many Muslims, they also massacred many Jews and Eastern Christians in the process of attempting to win control of the Holy Land. Adolf Hitlers followers among them the so-called German Christians were believers in their Fuhrer. The Inquisition carried out its torture in the name of God. Religion should never be involved in politics because it can then be used as an instrument of control. However, in places where religion develops freely and people have free access to places of worship, it provides people with a sense of hope, praying serves as therapy and members of a congregation feel a sense of community and friendship. Some of the greatest works of art were created in the name of God. Furthermore, Woodrow Wilson suggested that a strong affinity exists between religious commitment and patriotism. Love of country, just like the love of God certainly inspires good deeds but not always. Furthermore, religion may have led to the creation of the worlds finest art, but it has also caused its destruction. Religion can be a source of extreme nationalism. In Christianity, Islam and Judaism, God is described as mighty warrior, just king and righteous judge. He apparently punished the unjust, the unrighteous and the disobedient. The idea that a nation is the instrument of Gods will has led to war and the subjugation of people viewed as ungodly. Fundamentalism clouds everything. There is a need to be right and superior, which develops an ego and once we fall foul to it, we are lost. Conversely, biblical commandments are the basis of Western ethical and legal systems. It has seen to teach us tolerance for people with other beliefs and opinions. Usually believers are more peaceful, law-abiding and tolerant than the non-believers in the world. Some people need it psychologically and without it may step to extremism such as suicide or anarchy. However, some live in a delusion and in a constant state of intellectual dishonesty. Some people, who are so far devout in their own beliefs, use them to beat other beliefs and religious groups into submission. Religions like Islam justify holy wars against the unfaithful, meaning those of other religions. This can also be seen in the violence of the crusades launched by Christians in the medieval period and by later wars between Protestant and Catholic. Religious conviction like the extremist Hindu groups against Christians and Muslims in India has paved the way for the terrorist attacks in New York City on September eleventh 2001. Religious clashes have led to some of the most heinous human behaviour in recorded history. Western states grew as a result of religion and religious philosophy. Western European and North American societies are still based on Protestant ideals of diligence, thrift and moderation. The very existence of theocratic state, proves that governments in these states are much more stable than regimes in secular countries because leaders are viewed as appointed by God. Political stability, in turn, leads to economic welfare. Despite this, Theocratic states become totalitarian regimes because they are based upon obedience to a ruler who is seen as Gods representative rather than a democratic constitution. They may be stable but they are not essentially concerned with their peoples welfare. By prioritising religious imperatives over economic development and by their intolerance of the questionable types who drive economic process states like Iran have become corrupt, authoritarian and poor. In conclusion, I believe that religion provides many opportunities and hope for those who have nothing else to turn to, it helps bring unity and sometimes peace into communities. However, I also believe that it has become a perversion of the redemptive message of Jesus, by so-called devout humans using their beliefs to ruin and destroy the lives of many others. I myself am agnostic and am very open-minded.