Rise of Stalin

Essay Topic: â€Å"People can be swept along by events, whilst others use events to their advantage† How accurate is this statement in relation to the rise of power of either Joseph Stalin or Benito Mussolini? Joseph Stalin’s rise to power in relation to the statement â€Å"People can be swept along by events, whilst others use events to their advantage† is that of the latter when taking a look at how he was able to rise to the position of dictator of the Soviet Union.Stalin meticulously plotted his way into power using influential events, such as the occurrence of his promotion to General Secretary in which he displayed political skills to manipulate political situations, and also the influential post of liaising between Lenin and the Politburo with great success. Though his ascent to the leadership of the Soviet Union was neither easy nor inevitable, Stalin’s success was not an accident. He had tactics in place to gain the position, and Lenin’s de ath was the most major of all events that Stalin used to his advantage to take power.Relative to the statement, Stalin climbed the political ranks by being a loyal supporter and member to the Bolshevik party. Stalin, born in Georgia, and educated at Tiflis Theological College until he was expelled in 1899 for his revolutionary ideas, had joined Lenin's party as early as 1903 and thus was one of the Old Guard among Bolsheviks. To begin with, Stalin was one of Lenin’s favourites, and in 1912, Lenin, appointed him to serve on the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party. SparkNotes, 27/2/13) Stalin worked his way up the political ranks of the communist Bolshevik Party, gaining respect for doing many of the dirty jobs that no-one else wanted such as robbing banks to fund the Bolshevik Party . Between 1917 and 1922, Lenin gave Stalin three key jobs, People’s Commissar for Nationalities, Head of Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspectorate, and Liaison Officer whi ch gave him a position of some importance amongst the party. However, in 1922, what can now be described as his most influential appointment to occur, Stalin was chosen to be General Secretary of the Communist Party. JohndClare, 27/2/13) His appointment to General Secretary was the most important occurrence in the buildup to Stalin’s battle for power as was the view of British Marxist Historian Edward Carr, who believed the rise of Stalin was due to the Party and the post as General Secretary. At the time this event appeared insignificant, most members in the party saw the job as quite dull and unimportant, but Stalin used it to his advantage with great success. (JohndClare, 1/3/13) The position gave him benefits which allowed him to influence the direction of the Communist Party.The General Secretary position gave Stalin the power to expel or appoint people to posts, and control membership, therefore allowing Stalin to surround himself in the party with his supporters and re move those loyal to his enemies. He had accumulated enormous power into his hands. However, by 1923 Lenin’s thoughts had differed, he had become worried about Stalin, describing him as too brutal and self-serving â€Å"†¦ I am not sure that he will always know how to use that power with sufficient caution. † Fortunately for Stalin, he remained General Secretary until and beyond Lenin’s death.Without the post, Stalin would have found it near impossible to gain enough supporters and authority in order to rise to the heights of power. (Reed, 1967) Stalin was an opportunist, and the deterioration and then death of Lenin surfaced the important question as to who would succeed him. When Lenin died, it created a confused and uncertain atmosphere to the party, however, Stalin was ready. Not only had Stalin claimed to be the true heir of the master’s legacy at Lenin’s funeral, but he also used Lenin’s death to emulate the glow of Lenin’s achievements by skilfully manipulating the dead leader’s legacy for his own ends. Suite101, 4/3/13) This event provided the chance for Stalin to ride on the movement of popular enthusiasm for Lenin and his accomplishments. Though, despite having an accomplished political position, and having effectively executed his tactics of surrounding himself with his supporters, Stalin’s quest for power was hampered by the revelation in Lenin’s Testament â€Å"I suggest the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post and appointing another man. † Through this revelation, Lenin’s death was the time for Stalin to put his plans into practice.Succession of Lenin would be achieved at the defeat of his insufficient political rivals. He would do this by out-manoeuvring them through political brilliance and ruthlessness. Everybody expected Trotsky the incredible leader of the Red Army would take over the leadership. (Reed, 1967) Stalin and Trotsky wer e therefore in competition for leadership as Trotsky was his main challenge. Their rivalry moved from relatively minor antagonisms and jealousies to bitter competition for the role of Lenin's successor. (Pereira, 1992) Stalin furthermore used his additional jobs such as networking between Lenin and the Politburo when Lenin was ill.This meant that he controlled access to Lenin, and in doing so was able to send Trotsky the wrong date for Lenin’s funeral. Trotsky’s noted absence from Lenin’s funeral resulted in him being depicted as an arrogant character, and consequently Trotsky’s colleagues overlooked his excellent leadership for his big-headed attitude. Stalin therefore formed an alliance with left wing Zinoviev and Kamenev to cover up Lenin’s testament and get Trotsky dismissed in 1925. He then jumped ships to rightist side and encouraged ‘Socialism in one country’ as opposed to ‘World Socialism’ which resulted in the dis missal of Zinoviev and Kamenev.Lastly, he used the General Secretary position to argue that the New Economic Policy was against communism, leading to the dismissal of the right wing Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky. (JohndClare, 5/3/13) Stalin’s political cleverness was the difference between him and his rivals as viewed by historian Chris Ward, â€Å"Trotsky and Bukharin might win the argument, but Stalin invariably won the vote†. Stalin had longed to be a hero and leader, (Reed, 1967) so he used everything he had to his greatest advantage â€Å"He’s not an intellectual like the other people you will meet †¦ but he knows what he wants.He’s got willpower, and he’s going to be on top of the pile someday† as viewed in Author John Reed’s seemingly accurate prediction on the outcome of Stalin. (Reed, 1919, 96) Stalin gained office after office, as he climbed the political ladder, though not until 1929 had he consolidated his position as he ad of the Communist Party. His ambition and highly calculated approach was a major factor to securing power. Though most importantly, his ascent to leadership was based on the various positions he held in the party and his ability to use them as an edge over his opponents with great skill at the death of his predecessor.His desire to become leader of the Soviet Union was developed by his appointment to General Secretary. However, the death of Lenin opened the door for opportunity. Stalin was an opportunist. He was able to rise to the power how he did because he recognised the importance of each event as they came, and used them to his own advantage. Bibliography: Internet * Stalin Takes Power, accessed 28. 2. 13 http://www. johndclare. net/Russ9. htm * Brett Reed,  European History, 1967, accessed 28. 2. 13 http://www. johndclare. net/Russ_Rev_Brett. htm Infoplease, The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Copyright  © 2011, Columbia University Press, http://www. infoplease. com/en cyclopedia/people/stalin-joseph-vissarionovich-rise-to-power. html * SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on Joseph Stalin. † 2005. http://www. sparknotes. com/biography/stalin/ accessed February 27. 2. 13 * Moreorless, Joseph Stalin, Last modified 21 January 2013, accessed 4. 3. 13 http://www. moreorless. au. com/killers/stalin. html * Alan Kinghorn, Suite101, January 30 2011, accessed 4. 3. 13 http://suite101. om/article/stalin-and-the-battle-to-succeed-lenin-a340177 * Norman Pereira, HistoryToday, Stalin and the communist Party in the 1920s, Published 1992, Viewed 9. 3. 13, http://www. historytoday. com/norman-pereira/stalin-and-communist-party-1920s Books * Josh Brooman, 1994, Russia and the USSR: Empire of Revolution, Longman Group Limited, Essex * John Reed, 1919, Ten Days that shook the World, 1919, Boni & Liveright, New York * Dean Smart, 1998, Russia under Lenin and Stalin, Stanley Thornes, Ellenborough * Steve Phillips, 2000, Lenin and the Russian Revolution, Heinema nn

Gender roles in Sitcoms Essay

â€Å"Gender is the crucial factor in characterization in the majority of sitcoms. Up until the impact of feminism in the 1970s, in the UK at least, it is clear that most of the successful sitcoms featured leading male characters (Hancock, Steptoe, Dad’s Army, Till Death Do Us Part, Porridge etc.). Women were more likely to feature in ‘ensemble casts’ – The Rag Trade, Are You Being Served? This was also a function of the employment opportunities for women. Since the 1970s, women in leading roles have been more common (but the most successful comedies have tended to be based on couples rather than single women).† (Roy Stafford, TV Sitcoms and Gender, ONLINE) Based on television analysis it is very simple to notice what it means to be a mother, from the television’s perspective: to be a mother means to cook when your husband is hungry, to clean the house when necessary, to take care of the children etc. To be a father means to work and to come home expecting a cooked meal for whenever you are hungry, to make the tough decisions and to be the dominate figure in the household. Television is saying a lot about the roles of male and female couples. In what concerns the female types in sitcoms, Roy Stafford suggested a specific classification, across comedy and drama since the 1950s: †¢ Matron/Working Battleaxes †¢ Sexy assistant †¢ Business matriarch †¢ Woman in a Man’s World †¢ The Vamp (1980s) †¢ Woman in Power †¢ Women who fight other women †¢ Woman who watches her ‘biological clock’ For my paper I chose to talk about three different sitcoms, namely: Bewitched (1964 –1972), The Nanny (1993–1999) and Cougar Town (2009). Bewitched (1964–1972) â€Å"A young-looking witch named Samantha meets and marries a mortal named Darrin Stephens. While Samantha pledges to forsake her powers and become a typical suburban housewife, her magical family disapproves of the mixed marriage and frequently interferes in the couple’s lives. Episodes often begin with Darrin becoming the victim of a spell, the effects of which wreak havoc with mortals such as his boss, clients, parents, and neighbors. By the epilogue, however, Darrin and Samantha most often embrace, having overcome the devious elements that failed to separate them. The witches, most having names ending with the soft â€Å"-a† sound, and their male counterparts, known as â€Å"warlocks†, are very long-lived; while Samantha appears to be in her twenties, many episodes suggest she is actually hundreds of years old. To keep their society secret, witches avoid showing their powers in front of mortals other than Darrin. Nevertheless, the perplexing inexplicable effects of their spells and Samantha’s attempts to hide their supernatural origin from mortals drive the plot of most episodes. Witches and warlocks usually use physical gestures along with their magical spells, and sometimes spoken incantations. Most notably, Samantha often twitches her nose to perform a spell. Modest but effective special visual effects are accompanied by music to highlight the magic.† (Wikipedia, Bewitched, ONLINE) â€Å"Bewitched† is one of the many examples were the father goes out to work and the mother stays at home, cleaning, cooking, taking care of the children. Samantha attempts to denounce or leave her witch world behind because she is now married to Darrin, a mere mortal, for whom she would do anything. She is a home-loving wife who does everything to support her husband by promising to leave her magical powers at the door in order to try to live a normal life as a housewife. The Nanny (1993–1999) †Jewish-American Fran Fine, fresh out of her job as a bridal consultant in her fiance’s shop, first appears on the door step of Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) peddling cosmetics, and quickly stumbles upon the opportunity to become the nanny for his three children. Soon Fran, with her off-beat nurturing and no-nonsense honesty, touches the whole family as she gives the prim-and-proper Maxwell and his children a dose of ‘Queens logic,’ helping them to become a healthy, happy family, a family that she later fully joins when she becomes engaged and then married to Maxwell. She then adds to this family of five when she and Maxwell have fraternal twins. Other characters include sardonic butler Niles (Daniel Davis), and Maxwell’s socialite business partner C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane), who views Fran with jealousy and skepticism.† (Wikipedia, The Nanny, ONLINE) †The Nanny† † is no longer the type of sitcom where the wife stays at home and just her husband goes to work. Compared with †Bewitched†, this sitcom is more modern and more different in what concerns the gender roles. Fran Fine is no longer just a home-loving wife who does everything to support her husband, but she exposes her point of view and most often she dose so as everyone to do as she wants to. She has a stronger character and is more independent comparing with Samantha. Cougar Town (2009) †Jules Cobb – a recently divorced single mother exploring the truths about dating and aging. Jules spent most of her 20s and 30s married to Bobby and raising a son, Travis. She tried to relive her 20s and make up for lost time by dating younger men, but has since come to terms with the limitations of her age and has had relationships with men her age. She resides in a small town in Florida and is a real estate agent who is successful in business. Because she has been out of the dating world for a while, Jules discovers it is difficult to find love again.[10] A close-up of her driver’s license in a season 2 episode reveals her full first name to be Julia and her birth date to be November 15, 1968 (age 43).† (Wikipedia, Cougar Town, ONLINE) †Cougar Town† is a modern sitcom with modern elements, modern characters and modern women. The home-loving wife, the devoted mother to the family, the wife that does everything for her husband and for supporting him, the wife that just stays home and takes care of the children, cleans the house, cooks, is no longer the type of the female character used in this sitcom. Here, Jules is a modern woman that decides to find some excitement in her dating life. She is divorced and is more concerned with her ​​looks than her family. Jules is working, is going out with her friend, dates younger boys, wants to have a perfect body so she can hide her real age†¦so, she is a modern woman with modern desires. Television is a powerful influence in determining the roles of men and women in society. Young people are especially influencd by its portrayal of gender roles. †Throughout the history of television, the role of the housewife and mother has changed from a subservient woman to the more controlling, powerful, and dominant female portrayed in today’s culture. In early television, the 1950’s and 1960’s, the housewife or mother was always seen as submissive towards the more assertive father or husband. In Common Culture, Harry Waters explains in his article, â€Å"Life According to TV,† that males often got a deviation of roles, and females were usually playing the part of a mother, wife, or girlfriend. (Waters 167) As time progressed, that role was changed to a more authoritative and domineering woman who controlled a somewhat of a bumbling idiot of a husband.† (Example Essays, Roles Of Women In Television, ONLINE) There are no limits to what the genders can do. Now days you find most women out in all of the workplaces which were once deemed male oriented. And you find men staying home and raising families, doing the job that once only women did. †The idea of feminity has evolved over time just as women’s roles in the media have. Women on television in the past had very few roles but the main one was to be the wonderful mother of the wholesome family program. [†¦] In today’s society women are not expected to stay home and live off their husbands, women are not even expected to get married or to have children if they so choose. Women’s roles on television have changed from the housewife to the working woman. Yet the woman’s role is still usually a support of the leading character who happens to be a male.†

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Object Oriented Programming is the main drain in project development Essay

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Concepts in Physical Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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SLP - 1 ADDING VALUE TO THE ORGANIZATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Ethics of Child Labor Essay Example for Free

Ethics of Child Labor Essay Ethics of Child Labor I. Intro A. During the nineteenth and early twentieth century child labor was a rampant problem with the advancements in technology. Then during the mid twentieth century, the United States started implementing child labor laws such as setting an age limit for somebody to work for pay and also setting certain health and safety codes at the work place. Despite efforts to prevent child labor, it is still prevalent in some areas in the world today. Most of these children work on small farms. II. Is Child Labor right or wrong? A. Pros: i. Human Rights Watch says that child farm workers in the United States- the vast majority of whom are Latino- regularly work 12 to 14 hour days, often suffering pesticide poisonings, heat-related illness, machine and knife-related injuries, and life-long disabilities. Many are forced to work without access to toilet or hand-washing facilities or adequate drinking water. (Cray 4) i. Helps support a struggling family financially ii. Child labor has a place in the world economy as long as it is neither hazardous or dead-end work, where the child laborers can still get an education and thereby help their families out of poverty since an education will ensure better paying jobs in the long run. iii. Work alongside their parents is both a financial necessity, and also part of the ethnic family work ethic. B. Cons: i. Illnesses, injury, lifelong disabilities. ii. The associative qualities of child labor is it produces a negative image of the associated company, country, family that enforces it. iii. Emotional distress is put on that child for life III. Jeremy Bentham A. Ethical System including the influence of Theology 1. Moral Aspects of Awareness: i. Finitude-â€Å"capacity of transcendence which gives humans the ability to imagine their own end†(Schaffer 66). ii. Incompleteness-â€Å"Comes from a sense of transcendence- we are able to imagine states which we can never quite achieve. This is about the individual†(Schaffer 66). 2. Beliefs about Right and Wrong i. Hedonic calculas:â€Å"According to this doctrine, the way to judge between alternative courses of action is to consider the consequences of each, in terms of the pleasure and pain of all the people affected†(Mills 281) 3. Definition of Good i. â€Å"Utilitarianism presupposes one overriding moral principle: that one ought to aim at the greatest happiness of the greatest number. â€Å"(Mills 280) ii. Bentham thought what was good was whatever gave the most amount of pleasure to the most amount of people iii. Subjective Theory of Value-â€Å"How I feel, not a matter of right or wrong, knowledge not needed. â€Å"(Schaffer 73) 4. Obligations i. â€Å"If the central question of political philosophy is taken to be: â€Å"Why, if at all, should the citizen obey the state? The utilitarian answer is quite clear. The citizen should obey just so far as obedience ill contribute more to the general happiness than disobedience. If the central question is taken to be the nature and ontological status of the state, the answer is equally clear: the state is not a super-entity with purposes and a will of its own, but a human contrivance to enable men to realize as many of their desires as possible. â€Å"(Mills 281) ii. Explanation: Bentham believes it is the obligations of the state to provide the people basic pleasures and if the state is doing that then the people should comply with some of the states’ demands and if that is not the case then the people don’t have listen to the state. 5. Ideals and Virtues i. â€Å"It is as the exponent of utilitarianism and as the acknowledged leader of the philosophical radicals, whose program of social reform was firmly based on utilitarian theory, that Bentham is chiefly remembered. He thought of the principle of utility as primarily a guide for legislators. Thought it he hoped to impart some order into chaos and illogic of the law†(Mills 281) ii. â€Å"Perhaps the crucial question for a utilitarian ethic intended mainly for lawyers and legislators is whether it can account adequately for justices. It may be argued that justice requires the equalization as well as the maximization of pleasures. It is not unjust to require me to endure five units of pain on Monday for the sake of ten units of pleasure on Tuesday. But is it just to require Smith to endure five units of pain for the sake of ten units of pleasure for Jones? It is doubtful whether Bentham can meet this objection. He does, however argue that the maximization of pleasure will itself involve an equalizing tendency. This is because the economist’s law of diminishing utility applies to pleasure. The minor amenities of life afford much pleasure to someone whose other pleasures are few, but comparatively little to someone whose pleasures are many. Consequently, while it is true that a utilitarian, forced to choose between a course of action that gives X and Y 10 units of pleasure each and one that gives X 31 units of pleasure and Y 10 units of pain, will prefer the second, it is also true that such choices are most likely to arise when X’s life is as a general rue more painful than Y’s†(Mills 283) iii. Sincerity-free from pretense or deceit, proceeding from genuine feelings (Oxford American Dictionaries) iv. Tranquility-quality or state of being tranquil;calmness;peacefulness;quiet;serenity(Dictionary. com) 6. Culpability/Consequence i. â€Å"In Bentham’s view, our conviction that it is unjust to punish an innocent man is based on nothing but the empirical consideration that punishing the innocent is not likely to deter others from crime. This is, however, not always true: the innocent man may be a hostage, or he may be generally thought to be guilty. †(Mills 283-284) ii. Consenquence:â€Å"a conclusion derived through logic, something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions. † (Merriam Webster Dictionary) B. How Bentham would address Child Labor i. If Bentham were assessing the issue of child Labor he would probably take into account the pleasure and pain involving the children and the employers. From the employers point of view their getting workers working for lower pay and also more capability of certain tasks rather than adults. From the children point of view, Bentham would see that it would be a advantage for a struggling family for their children to work to help put food on the table also it could help inspire a stronger work ethic for the children. Then when calculating the pain involved, that would be attributed to possible injuries and diseases the child might get and also the trauma inflicted upon the child and family. Bentham would also recognize the outrage of other countries around the world that condemn child labor as a legal practice. Using hedonic calculus, Bentham would determine if this right or wrong and taking account of all the pleasure and pain involved he would probably come with the conclusion that Child Labor is wrong. IV. Aristotle A. Ethical system including the influence of theology 1. Moral aspect of awareness i. Unfinished-â€Å"Seeking the Other half-we have to drive to discover otherness through poetry, literature, movies, etc; profound desire to be in relation/community Philosophical Religious Understandings-in complete (dream) Aristotle, long for innocence Augustine†(Schaffer 66). ii. Explanation: Aristotle thought that to reach a higher level of being we must engage ourselves in the field of arts to reach the other half of our self 2. Beliefs about right or wrong i. Aristotle believed good was something that brought you happiness or fulfills your desires. ii. Aristotle also believed if you don’t overly indulge yourself in your desires then it would be considered ethical but if you indulge in excess then it would be unethical 3. Ideals and Virtues i. Temprance:†The Greek philosopher Socrates considered temperance to be almost synonymous with self-mastery. The temperate person, he argued, is the one who exercises control over his or her desires and thereby escapes domination by them. Aristotle took a similar view, holding self-indulgence to be childish. For these philosophers, and for many of the ethicists that followed them, the hallmarks of temperance are moderation and restraint of one’s desires and passions. †(Ruggiero 112) ii. Prudence:† This virtue known also as practical wisdom, consists of choosing one’s behavior judiciously by consulting experience and deliberating thoughtfully about what response is most appropriate. Prudence is the exact opposite of rashness and impulsiveness. †(Ruggiero 111-112) 4. Definition of Good i. Subjective theory of Value: â€Å"How I feel =not a matter of right or wrong; knowledge not needed†(Schaffer 73) ii. Aristotle thought whatever was good was whatever fulfilled your desires or made you happy 5. Obligations i. Obligations of friendship:â€Å"Friendship entails mutual respect and a special interest in the other’s well being. It requires one to rejoice at the other’s success and good fortune and to share the pain of the other’s disappointment and failure. It also requires on to be trust-worthy about confidences, to provide emotional support when it is needed, and to restrain the urge to be critical in small matters. †(Ruggiero 100) ii. Obligations of friendship:â€Å"Citizenship obligates a person to promote the well-being of the country and fellow citizens by respecting and observing the law and respecting the legitimate initiatives of the country’s leaders, even if one disagrees with their political perspective. In a democracy, it also requires participation in the electoral process. When the country is unjustly attacked, it is also a citizen’s responsibility, conscience permitting, to support the country’s response and even, if one is young and healthy enough, to play an active role in the country’s defense. † (Ruggiero 100) 6. Culpability/Consequence i. Consenquence:â€Å"a conclusion derived through logic, something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions. † (Merriam Webster Dictionary) B. How Aristotle would approach Child Labor i. Aristotle would approach Child from a subjective theory of value and determine if it was right or wrong depending on the situation. For example if the family of the child is in desperate for money then he would consider it ethical for child to work. But if the child is suffering from the work then Aristotle would then consider it unethical. VI. My ethical system A. Ethical System Including the Influence of Theology 1. Moral Aspect of Awareness i. Incompleteness: â€Å"Comes from a sense of transcendence-we are able t imagine states which we can never quite achieve. We have a desire to have a complete awareness of our incompleteness† (Schaffer 66). ii. Unfinished-â€Å"Seeking the Other half-we have to drive to discover otherness through poetry, literature, movies, etc; profound desire to be in relation/community Philosophical Religious Understandings-in complete (dream) Aristotle, long for innocence Augustine†(Schaffer 66). 2. 3. Beliefs about right and wrong i. Believe you should do whatever gives you most amount of satisfaction and security. 4. Definition of Good i. Subjective Theory of Value: â€Å"Subjective theory of Value: â€Å"How I feel =not a matter of right or 5. Ideals and Virtues i. i. Justice-â€Å"Evaluation of situations according to their merits, without prejudice, and giving each person his or her due†(Ruggiero 102) ii. tranquility: quality or state of being tranquil;calmness;peacefulness;quiet;serenity iii. Temprance:†The Greek philosopher Socrates considered temperance to be almost synonymous with self-mastery. The temperate person, he argued, is the one who exercises control over his or her desires and thereby escapes domination by them. Aristotle took a similar view, holding self-indulgence to be childish. For these philosophers, and for many of the ethicists that followed them, the hallmarks of temperance are moderation and restraint of one’s desires and passions. †(Ruggiero 112) iv. Prudence:† This virtue known also as practical wisdom, consists of choosing one’s behavior judiciously by consulting experience and deliberating thoughtfully about what response is most appropriate. Prudence is the exact opposite of rashness and impulsiveness. †(Ruggiero 111-112) 6. Obligations i. Obligations of friendship:â€Å"Friendship entails mutual respect and a special interest in the other’s well being. It requires one to rejoice at the other’s success and good fortune and to share the pain of the other’s disappointment and failure. It also requires on to be trust-worthy about confidences, to provide emotional support when it is needed, and to restrain the urge to be critical in small matters. †(Ruggiero 100) ii. Obligations of friendship:â€Å"Citizenship obligates a person to promote the well-being of the country and fellow citizens by respecting and observing the law and respecting the legitimate initiatives of the country’s leaders, even if one disagrees with their political perspective. In a democracy, it also requires participation in the electoral process. When the country is unjustly attacked, it is also a citizen’s responsibility, conscience permitting, to support the country’s response and even, if one is young and healthy enough, to play an active role in the country’s defense. † (Ruggiero 100) 7. Culpability/Consequence ii. i. Consenquence:â€Å"a conclusion derived through logic, something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions. † (Merriam Webster Dictionary) 8. Ethical influences i. Parents: My parents have instilled a strong ethical foundation for life. Since I was little kid, they have taught the importance of kindness and honesty. ii. Coaches: I have played sports my entire life and it has been a major influence in shaping my character. Sports have helped keep me disciplined and how to stay cool under pressure, and not letting my emotions control my actions. 9. My tradition i. â€Å"Natural Law-(def) the view that there is an unchanging normative order that is a part of the natural world†(Schaffer 83) ii. â€Å"One way to provide criteria of judgment on major issues, examine natural law (in relation to divine law) and human law to show the way in which they complement each other. † (Schaffer 83) iii. â€Å"Orders of Creation- (def): a hierarchy is given in creation which reveals obligation, responsibility and offer criteria for morality† (Schaffer 84) B. How I would address Child Labor i. I believe child labor is an unethical practice. It puts way too emotional distress and also physical injuries to be justified. The only positive I can see coming from child labor is the money that child would bring in. Conclusion A. Child labor is not as pressing as an issue as it used to be but still practiced around some parts in the world. I believe Bentham and Aristotle would both disapprove of child labor based on their idea that the basic goal in life is too find happiness and satisfy your desires which labor does not serve.

A Failure To Communicate

A Failure To Communicate What we have here is a failure to communicate. This famous quote from the 1967 film, Cool Hand Luke, characterizes the plight of the characters in the short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. A Temporary Matter, When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine, and Interpreter of Maladies, three stories in Lahiris book Interpreter of Maladies, demonstrate how a failure to communicate dooms the relationships between the characters in each story. Not every breakdown in communication is for the same reason, but it is usually neglect for the partners interests. This failure of the relationships is portrayed in these stories as due to a failure of one or both of the partners of the relationship to realize the needs and desires of the other. Lahiri portrays her characters as oblivious to the other partners feelings or self-directed, only focusing on their own situation. In Lahiris stories she lets us walk in the shoes of another person where she points out the obvious flaws that the protagonists seem to miss. The story, A Temporary Matter, begins with a notice that for five day electricity would be cut off for an hour in the neighborhood of Shukumar and Shoba, a young Indian couple. After the death of their baby, who died at birth, the two are going through depressions. They constantly avoid each other, only meeting up to have a silent dinner or have an awkward check-up on the other. The love in their relationship had become none-existent and the images of when they did love each other haunt Shukumar. Before the night of the first blackout Shukumar prepared dinner for Shoba, hoping to rekindle something between them. They had dinner by candle-light in silence, until Shoba brought up a little game where they had to tell each other something they had never told the other before. They did this every night until the first night after the blackouts. Shukumar had set up the dinner table as if the blackouts were still happening, but Shoba turned on the lights and brought up a serious subject. Sh e revealed to Shukumar that she was preparing for a life without him. Shukumar then retorted with something that was equally as hurtful. Lahiri ends the story with the two sitting at the table weeping. Lahiri uses her first story to illustrate to the reader how the neglect of one or both people in the relationship can cause it to fail; the inability to meet someones needs or make sacrifices in a relationship ultimately dooms it. By the time of the nightly power outages, they had become experts at avoiding each other, neither Shukumar nor Shoba was willing to face the other for fear of having to deal with the tragic loss of their baby (4). In their mutual depression they are both unwilling to help themselves and unable to relieve the stress they are living under, much less helping each other. They refused to let go of this tragedy, The film in his camera still contained pictures of Shoba, in the yard, when she was pregnant (15). The pictures represent a happier, idealized time in their relationship, and by keeping the pictures in his camera it shows that he is unwilling let go of this image and face the reality of the present. He cannot accept that their relationship is failing and neither can Shoba. They are unwilling and unable to move forward, dragged back into depression by the constant reminders of the death of their baby. The more they could not help themselves move on, the more they could not help the partner. Shukumar is stuck in a malaise and Shoba does everything to distract herself. They did not have the ability or the willpower to help themselves or each other; therefore they were stuck in a dying relationship. To illustrate the fact that Shukumar and Shoba are too busy wallowing in their self-centered misery Lahiri snuck in the image of the dying plant in dried up dirt in the midst of all this misery, Even though the plant was inches away from the tap, the soil was so dryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ he had to water it first before the candle would stand straight (10). The plant and soil are a metaphor for the relationship. His relationship had life and many chances, but he neglected those chances. He was unwilling to water the plant, just like he unwilling to help his relationship. Even at the end, the plant is dead but he is still using the soil. He does not even watering the plant for the plants sake, but using it for his own needs; just like when they have these intimate moments during the blackouts, he is not to keep his marriage alive, he is doing it to get his doubts and secrets off his chest, It happened over fifteen years ago. He felt relief now, having told her (17). These confessions were not meant to help mend the relationship but were used instead to relieve their conscience and ultimately ended up hurting each other, Our baby was a boyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ he promised himself that day (the day the baby was born) he would never tell Shoba, because he still loved her then (22). He knew this would hurt Shoba, but now he did it for personal gain and vengeance. Their self-centered attitude toward their relationship ultimately drove them apart. In the short story When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine, the title character, Mr. Pirzada, a botanist from Dacca, India, leaves his wife and six daughters behind to study plant life in New England. Ten year old Lilia and her parents, an Indian family, invite Mr. Pirzada to come over to have dinner with them. While in the U.S. a war broke out in India and Dacca was hit. Mr. Pirzada would come every night to the house of Lilia and eat dinner with them. One of those nights in October, Lilia began to accept his constant visits, and even carved a pumpkin with him. On Halloween night Lilia was about to venture out trick-or-treating for her first time alone until Mr. Pirzada got worried and asked if he should go. Fearing losing her independence she told him not to worry, he sulked back surprised into the doorway. They do not talk again, and the family does not hear from him for months until one day they receive a letter from Mr. Pirzada telling them that he found his family and all were safe. When Mr. Pirzada finds that the communication between him and his family is flawed, he slowly opens channels with Lilias family. Mr. Pirzadas need for communication was shown Each week [when] Mr. Pirzada wrote a letter to his wife, and sent comic books for his seven daughters (24). However this proves to be an unsatisfying way of communication because it is one way communication; therefore he looks toward Lilia and her family to fill the void of the lost relationship with his daughters and his family. As Mr. Pirzada begins to go to dinners, he starts to treat Lilia more and more like his daughter. The turning point in their relationship is the carving of the pumpkin, Yes, lets carve it,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ For the first time we all gathered around the dining table (35). Before the carving of the pumpkin the height of the interaction between Mr. Pirzada and Lilia was when he gave her candy each night. They realized that they had to give up a little bit of comfort for him. He accepted the f amily because they took him in during his time of need. The whole family and Mr. Pirzada gathering around that table represented that Mr. Pirzada was part of the family. Through Mr. Pirzadas interactions, Lahiri illustrates that when one loses a line of communication, they look for it somewhere else. A relationship is doomed to failure if one of the sides of the relationship neglects the needs of the other side. On Halloween night, fearful of losing her independence, Lilia chooses to spend the night with her friend instead of spending it with Mr. Pirzada (something typical for the American culture, but difficult for Mr. Pirzada to understand), and tells him, Dont worry' (38). Disregarding Mr. Pirzadas fear that hell lose another daughter, Lilia neglects his needs and his pains. This act shows that she lacks the understanding that in order to help Mr. Pirzada she needs to sacrifice some things in order to keep her relationship with him alive. The communication between the two is broken down due to her obliviousness to the causes of this self-centered act. As such, their relationship fails: For a long time we did not hear from him. Our evenings went on as usual, with dinners in front of the news (41). Through her failure in communication, their relationship disintegrated. Throughou t the days with Lilias family, Mr. Pirzadas ties with them deepen, but when Lilia becomes oblivious to his needs, the relationship fails. In Lahiris third story Interpreter of Maladies, Mr. Kapasi is a working man in India with two jobs, an interpreter for a doctor and a tour guide. He is stuck in a dysfunctional relationship after the doctor could not prevent the death of his child. One day he is assigned the Dass, a young, irresponsible, and equally dysfunctional couple with nothing that holds them together except three children. Mr. Kapasi is made aware of this very early on in the story, with the Dass allowing their children to do whatever they want. Midway through the trip, Mr. Kapasi tells them about his job as an interpreter. Mrs. Das takes a sudden interest in Mr. Kapasi that she did not display with her husband or kids, saying that his job seems à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦so romantic (50). Mr. Kapasi becomes deeply enamored with Mrs. Das, feeling that her interest means that she loves him. He spends the rest of the story fantasizing about how their friendship would bloom, and worrying about leaving Mrs. Das or losing her interest. In order to spend more time with the family, he takes the family to the Sun Temple. Once there Mrs. Das stays in the car with Mr. Kapasi, where Mrs. Das confesses her failing relationship, her inability to get her stress off her chest, her affair, and that her youngest is not actually Mr. Dass. She asks Mr. Kapasi for a cure to make her feel better and make the pain go away, but Mr. Kapasi asks her, Is it really pain you feelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ or is it guilt? (66). She becomes angered by this and storms off to her family, where she finds that her son has been beaten by the monkeys for his food. The story ends with Mrs. Das kneeling down to take care of her child as the paper with the address of Mr. Kapasi (that she was going to use to mail him) flutters out of her bag. Lahiri brings these two dysfunctional relationships together to display the different types of neglect: neglecting another and neglecting ones self. Through these two different types of neglect, she shows that without neglect a relationship is much more functional. In the very beginning Mr. Kapasi realizes that Mr. and Mrs. Das were a bad match, just as he and his wife wereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the bickering, the indifference, the protracted silenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (53). Although we see Mr. Kapasi care for and try to help his depression stricken wife, The countless other ways he tried to console his wife and to keep her from crying in her sleepà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, he knew that his wife had little regard for his careerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (53). Lahiri brings up the point that it only takes one to neglect and ruin a relationship. He began to understand that the reason he does not get along with his wife is because she neglects his feelings and help. The indifference for his job and the constant bicke ring is due to the wifes jealousy and self-centered thinking, she resented the other lives he helpedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (53). This is why Mr. Kapasi is love-stricken by Mrs. Das, When Mr. Kapasi thought once again about how she had said, romantic, the feeling of intoxication grew, because she seems to respect him and seems to makes him feel like his job is actually something worthwhile (53). The bickering, indifference, and silence was non-existent; she seemed genuinely interested in him. He feels like she realizes his troubles and does not neglect them like his wife does, therefore his affection grew. Due to the fact that his wife neglects his needs for respect, he looks for a new relationship elsewhere. However in the same story, Lahiri reveals the other side of the spectrum: how neglecting ones self can tear apart a relationship. Mrs. Das reveals her unwillingness to reach out and search for an outlet or a friend, when she tells Mr. Kapasi that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦she did not make many close friends. There was no one to confide in about [her husband] at the end of a difficult day, or share a passing thought or worry (63). Simply put, she neglected her own needs. Instead of going to the trouble of finding someone to fill this need, she decided to cheat. She felt the ability to relieve herself of some of her stress, but this is ultimately unsatisfactory. In her continuing effort to relieve stress, she tells Mr. Kapasi some of her stories and secrets. It is only after the talk with Mr. Kapasi, she realizes that she is neglecting her own needs and neglecting the needs of her family, When she whipped out the hair-brush, the slip of paper with Mr. Kapasis address on it fluttered away in the w indà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (69). She realizes that she needs a loving family and he children need her. She stops neglecting her children by the act of brushing the hair of her beaten boy. It is clear that the communication had been rekindled between her and her family from there. The paper fluttering away represents that Mr. Kapasi will be unneeded as an outlet for communication because now she has her family. She is no longer oblivious to the fact that she needs her family as an outlet. Mrs. Das realizes that due to her neglecting herself she is neglecting her family, and therefore chooses to fix her problem of communication by reviving the relationship with her family. In these three stories by Lahiri, failure of communication is caused by neglect. This is demonstrated by either one or both of the characters in the relationship acting oblivious to the other persons needs and/or is self-centered enough to not care. Oblivious neglect is the inability to recognize the needs of another and self-centered neglect is when one is unwilling to help or recognize these needs. The communication between Shukumar and Shoba breaks down due to their inability and unwillingness to help themselves or each other. The relationship between Lilia and Mr. Pirzada fails due to Lilias obliviousness to the effects of her self-centered want for independence from Mr. Pirzada and her family. The failure between Mrs. Das and her family was caused by her obliviousness to her own need for an outlet of stress, while Mr. Kapasi failing relationship is due to his wifes selfishness and unwillingness to let Mr. Kapasi help her. Each of these relationships is different, yet the common thread is communication, or the lack thereof.

Events that Lead to the Civil War Essay example -- history

Events that Lead to the Civil War The civil war is known for its issues of slavery and the conflict between the north and the south. The split in the union can be traced as far back as the 1810’s, just as the industrial revolution was beginning. With the industrial revolution’s effects on the north and the south caused the economy to split. The north became more industrialized; the south started relaying more on agriculture. In the north, machines, interchangeable parts, and mass production took over, and started the building of factories. These first factories were used for making textiles and later evolved to manufacturing a wide variety of goods. This sparked opportunity for jobs, and with immigrants flooding in form Europe it was no problem filling the positions. With the factory system, it was efficient and inexpensive for the north to employ a large work force. The factories caused slavery in the north to die. In the south cotton was becoming king; it was the biggest money marker the south had. Cotton is a very laborious crop, hence the ownerships of a lot of slaves. Unlike the immigrants in the north, slaves were property. Slaves were also much less of a prophet, because when a slave got sick an owner couldn’t just replace him, they needed to take care of their property. In the north if a worker got sick, there were plenty more immigrants waiting for a job. In 1818 the power balance in congress was equal; ten free states-ten slave states. Then, Illinois became the 11th free state and Alabama followed as the next slave state. There were two more states that wanted to enter the union, Missouri and Maine. This brought about the Missouri compromise of 1820. In 1819, Missouri wanted to join the Union, but in the North, as a slave state. This would make the balance of power in congress unequal. Many Northerners were opposed to the idea, so northern congressmen refused to pass the bill. Northerners proposed that Missouri be a slave state and that no more slaves were to be brought in and all slave children would be free at the age 25, so Missouri would eventually become a Free State. Southerners were opposed to the idea. Congress debated for many months, and then Henry Clay proposed that Maine enter the Union as a Free State. He also proposed prohibiting slavery above the 36030’ latitude, the southern boundary of Missouri. The South agreed, sin... ...e planned on giving weapons to slaves so they could rebel against their owners. The south saw this as a threat, that a man was helping blacks kill them and their families. Brown was captured and hung. The election of November 1860 was the final straw for the south, after Lincoln was elected South Carolina seceded from the union. Abraham Lincoln was a republican, his main goal as president was to preserve the union, not abolish slavery. The seven deep southern states were the next to secede, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. These eight states then formed the confederate states of America, electing Jefferson Davis as their president and Alexander Stephens as their vice president. The start of the War April 12, 1861, less than a month after President Lincoln was inaugurated, Lincoln already had trouble with the confederate states of America. All union troops loyal to the north had been expelled form the southern posts and sent back to the north, but one fort was still occupied by union troops, Fort Sumter. Lincoln told Davis that he was going to re-supply the fort. When the ships came with supplies the south fired on the fort starting the war.

Wedding Speech Written for Two Best Men -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Speec

Wedding Speech Written for Two Best Men Brandon - Ladies and Gents before I continue I would like to point out to those of you who may be feeling the effects of the alcohol that there are actually 2 of us standing up here and no you are not seeing double. Firstly, I would like to say how pleasing it is to see so many of John and Rhonda’s close relatives and friends who have joined them on their wedding day. It never fails to amaze me the distance some people will travel for some free food. OK, Ladies and Gents it is an absolute privilege for Kain and me to be standing here as John’s best men. Since John asked us to perform this honor we have been seeking advice on the duties we have to perform. One of the main duties is obviously to ensure John arrives on time and looking as sharp as possible for his big day! So in order to fulfil this duty, and not that we don’t trust John, we felt it necessary to stay here last night and after a few drinks in the bar and sharing a room with John I can confirm to you all that he slept like a baby†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ he wet the bed twice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..and woke up several times crying for his mother! Kain -Another duty of course is to thank John on behalf of the bridesmaids, for his kind words, and I have to say they look absolutely wonderful and have done an excellent job today. Wouldn’t you agree Brandon? Brandon - Absolutely, and it is no wonder as the girls have had their hair done by Ni... ...e Fantasy Channel Brandon – To John, Is marriage really for you. You made a big impression on us, we hope we didn’t leave any on you. From all the girls at Legs&Co. Real telegrams – Kain 1, Brandon 1 etc Kain - Ladies and gentleman, it gives me the great pleasure to invite you all to stand and raise your glasses in a toast to the 2 people who without them today would not have been so special†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦LADIES & GENTLEMEN†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..THE BAR STAFF Brandon – Seriously though, John and Rhonda we hope that your love for one another is modern enough to survive the times, yet old fashioned enough to last forever†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ You really are a perfect match. Ladies and Gentlemen we give you the Bride and Groom!

Comparing Tough Times :: essays research papers

Comparing Tough Times   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Authors have done many essays on learning and teaching. In two particular essays, the authors focus more on reading and learning to speak good, which is also associated with reading. The narrators in Frederick Douglas’s essay â€Å"Learning to Read and Write† and Maxine Hong Kingston’s â€Å"Learning to Speak Like and American Girl† not only tell the reader about their conflict of relationship between society’s dominant culture and their own sense of identity, but educate the reader and explain the choices the characters make which determine the direction of their lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Learning to Read and Write† the speaker tells about his life as a young slave boy. He is â€Å"†¦twelve years old, and [is thought of by others as] being a slave for life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1003) His desire and yearning to read and write is not allowed as a slave. He meets a few young white boys who are willing to teach him how to read and write if he will bring them bread. â€Å"As many of these I could, I converted into teachers.†(1003) Kingston’s essay â€Å"Learning to Speak Like and American Girl† is similar to â€Å"Learning to Read and Write† because of the time period and the controversy. During this time, which is set during World War II, Chinese girls were just begining to be sent to American schools and taught how to speak and read English. The students in the class and the teacher would give these students a hard time because they were not loud or fluent enough. â€Å"When I went to kindergarten and had to speak English for the first time, I became silent.†(1007) these two stories are similar in society because they are both challenged with the dominant culture. The authors express their own sense of identity by telling the readers their ethnic background and their significance in the story. The speaker in the â€Å"Learning to Read and Write† shows his identity as a young slave wanting to read and write. The speaker in â€Å"Learning to Speak Like and American Girl† is a young Chinese girl learning to speak and read English fluently. Both authors have similar conflicts yet they represent a different era in history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In these essays, the authors are telling a story about the characters life. The stories are directed towards the audience to express the kind of pain and suffering the characters went through to learn and apply what they had been yearning for.

Justice Served?

In Sherman Alexie’s poem, â€Å"Capital Punishment†, a part that was very interesting, yet confusing was when the narrator was being sympathetic. The narrator was very considerate of the prisoners. In the poem, Alexie makes the narrator be a cook at a jail that had the death row. Perhaps Alexie made the narrator be a cook instead of someone else like a guard or a warden because the cook would not represent the law; the cook just works for the jail. Readers of the poem, â€Å"Capital Punishment†, might at irst be puzzled by the sympathy of the cook towards the minorities that get the death sentence, but a close reading of the poem helps us see that the cook is against capital punishment.Throughout the poem the narrator shows us the controversial commentary about how the cook is for capital punishment. When the cook mentions, â€Å"Those Indians are always gambling†, it makes it seem like it is an everyday thing. (14). Then the cook states, â€Å"What did t hey expect? All of the stories should have been simple. † (96 ­97). he/she is implying that it is not important that a person just died.It is a normal thing for people to died, so we should not care. A reader of this poem might assume that cook is just doing his job, but in reality, he/she does care for what they are serving to the Indian man. In the poem there are sections where the cook says, â€Å"(I am not a witness)† (5,22,41,64,79) though it is clear the cook is because he/she is the one telling the poem. The narrator periodically repeats that staza five times. The first time it is mention is after the cook mentions that he/she is to prepare the last meal for the a prisoner that is g

Deception Point Page 59

In about five minutes the President would introduce Ekstrom and his NASA staff. Then, in a dramatic satellite linkup from the top of the world, NASA would join the President in sharing this news with the world. After a brief account of how the discovery was made, what it meant for space science, and some mutual backpatting, NASA and the President would hand duty off to celebrity scientist Michael Tolland, whose documentary would roll for just under fifteen minutes. Afterward, with credibility and enthusiasm at its peak, Ekstrom and the President would say their good-nights, promising more information to come in the days ahead via endless NASA press conferences. As Ekstrom sat and waited for his cue, he felt a cavernous shame settling inside him. He'd known he would feel it. He'd been expecting it. He'd told lies†¦ endorsed untruths. Somehow, though, the lies seemed inconsequential now. Ekstrom had a bigger weight on his mind. In the chaos of the ABC production room, Gabrielle Ashe stood shoulder to shoulder with dozens of strangers, all necks craned toward the bank of television monitors suspended from the ceiling. A hush fell as the moment arrived. Gabrielle closed her eyes, praying that when she opened them she would not be looking at images of her own naked body. The air inside Senator Sexton's den was alive with excitement. All of his visitors were standing now, their eyes glued to the large-screen television. Zach Herney stood before the world, and incredibly, his greeting had been awkward. He seemed momentarily uncertain. He looks shaky, Sexton thought. He never looks shaky. â€Å"Look at him,† somebody whispered. â€Å"It has to be bad news.† The space station? Sexton wondered. Herney looked directly into the camera and took a deep breath. â€Å"My friends, I have puzzled for many days now over how best to make this announcement†¦ â€Å" Three easy words, Senator Sexton willed him. We blew it. Herney spoke for a moment about how unfortunate it was that NASA had become such an issue in this election and how, that being the case, he felt he needed to preface the timing of his impending statement with an apology. â€Å"I would have preferred any other moment in history to make this announcement,† he said. â€Å"The political charge in the air tends to make doubters out of dreamers, and yet as your President, I have no choice but to share with you what I have recently learned.† He smiled. â€Å"It seems the magic of the cosmos is something which does not work on any human schedule†¦ not even that of a president.† Everyone in Sexton's den seemed to recoil in unison. What? â€Å"Two weeks ago,† Herney said, â€Å"NASA's new Polar Orbiting Density Scanner passed over the Milne Ice Shelf on Ellesmere Island, a remote landmass located above the Eightieth Parallel in the high Arctic Ocean.† Sexton and the others exchanged confused looks. â€Å"This NASA satellite,† Herney continued, â€Å"detected a large, high-density rock buried two hundred feet under the ice.† Herney smiled now for the first time, finding his stride. â€Å"On receiving the data, NASA immediately suspected PODS had found a meteorite.† â€Å"A meteorite?† Sexton sputtered, standing. â€Å"This is news?† â€Å"NASA sent a team up to the ice shelf to take core samples. It was then that NASA made†¦ † He paused. â€Å"Frankly, they made the scientific discovery of the century.† Sexton took an incredulous step toward the television. No†¦. His guests shifted uneasily. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen,† Herney announced, â€Å"several hours ago, NASA pulled from the Arctic ice an eight-ton meteorite, which contains†¦ † The President paused again, giving the whole world time to lean forward. â€Å"A meteorite which contains fossils of a life-form. Dozens of them. Unequivocal proof of extraterrestrial life.† On cue, a brilliant image illuminated on the screen behind the President-a perfectly delineated fossil of an enormous buglike creature embedded in a charred rock. In Sexton's den, six entrepreneurs jumped up in wide-eyed horror. Sexton stood frozen in place. â€Å"My friends,† the President said, â€Å"the fossil behind me is 190 million years old. It was discovered in a fragment of a meteorite called the Jungersol Fall which hit the Arctic Ocean almost three centuries ago. NASA's exciting new PODS satellite discovered this meteorite fragment buried in an ice shelf. NASA and this administration have taken enormous care over the past two weeks to confirm every aspect of this momentous discovery before making it public. In the next half hour you will be hearing from numerous NASA and civilian scientists, as well as viewing a short documentary prepared by a familiar face whom I'm sure you all will recognize. Before I go any further, though, I absolutely must welcome, live via satellite from above the Arctic Circle, the man whose leadership, vision, and hard work is solely responsible for this historic moment. It is with great honor that I present NASA administrator Lawrence Ekstrom.† Herney turned to the screen on perfect cue. The image of the meteorite dramatically dissolved into a regal-looking panel of NASA scientists seated at a long table, flanked by the dominant frame of Lawrence Ekstrom. â€Å"Thank you, Mr. President.† Ekstrom's air was stern and proud as he stood up and looked directly into the camera. â€Å"It gives me great pride to share with all of you, this-NASA's finest hour.† Ekstrom spoke passionately about NASA and the discovery. With a fanfare of patriotism and triumph, he segued flawlessly to a documentary hosted by civilian science-celebrity Michael Tolland. As he watched, Senator Sexton fell to his knees in front of the television, his fingers clutching at his silver mane. No! God, no! 69 Marjorie Tench was livid as she broke away from the jovial chaos outside the Briefing Room and marched back to her private corner in the West Wing. She was in no mood for celebration. The phone call from Rachel Sexton had been most unexpected. Most disappointing. Tench slammed her office door, stalked to her desk, and dialed the White House operator. â€Å"William Pickering. NRO.† Tench lit a cigarette and paced the room as she waited for the operator to track down Pickering. Normally, he might have gone home for the night, but with the White House's big windup into tonight's press conference, Tench guessed Pickering had been in his office all evening, glued to his television screen, wondering what could possibly be going on in the world about which the NRO director did not have prior knowledge. Tench cursed herself for not trusting her instincts when the President said he wanted to send Rachel Sexton to Milne. Tench had been wary, feeling it was an unnecessary risk. But the President had been convincing, persuading Tench that the White House staff had grown cynical over the past weeks and would be suspect of the NASA discovery if the news came from in-house. As Herney had promised, Rachel Sexton's endorsement had squelched suspicions, prevented any skeptical in-house debate, and forced the White House staff to move forward with a unified front. Invaluable, Tench had to admit. And yet now Rachel Sexton had changed her tune. The bitch called me on an unsecured line. Rachel Sexton was obviously intent on destroying the credibility of this discovery, and Tench's only solace was knowing the President had captured Rachel's earlier briefing on videotape. Thank God. At least Herney had thought to obtain that small insurance. Tench was starting to fear they were going to need it. At the moment, however, Tench was trying to stem the bleeding in other ways. Rachel Sexton was a smart woman, and if she truly intended to go head-to-head with the White House and NASA, she would need to recruit some powerful allies. Her first logical choice would be William Pickering. Tench already knew how Pickering felt about NASA. She needed to get to Pickering before Rachel did.

Accounting Standards in the United States of America

Accounting in the USA The following report will describe and discuss the major elements of accounting in the USA. It will show that the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), where as the International Accounting Standards (IAS) are set by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This report will also state the similarities and differences between these standards. In addition, the following report will use relevant examples to evaluate current accounting problems and issues in the USA related to international convergence of accounting standards.Fargher et al. (2008, page. 67) pointed out that FASB’s conceptual framework (CFW) for financial reporting is generally consistent with that of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). However the FASB provides more detail with six statements of financial accounting concepts (SFACs). The first level in the CFW explains the main purposes of financial reports are to provide useful information for investors and creditors, to estimate future cash flows and to claim venture resources. The second level consists of qualitative characteristics and elements of the CFW.The qualitative characteristics of the USA CFW are relevance, reliability, comparability and consistency. The main components include assets, liabilities, equity, investment by owners, distributions to owners, comprehensive income, revenues, expenses, gains and losses. The third level of CFW indicates how the firm executes the events based on assumptions, principles and constraints. There are four assumptions: economic equity, going concern, monetary unit and periodicity. The four principles include historical cost, revenue recognition, matching and full disclosure.The constraints consist of cost-benefit, materiality, industry practice and conservatism. Fargher (2008, p. 229) mentioned that USA uses FASB 95 Statement of Cash Flows, plus FASB 102 and 104. The for mat is the same as the international one which includes operating, investing and financial activities. However, it is encouraged to report cash flows using the direct method even though the indirect method is usually used. Interest paid and received and dividends received are classified as operating activities. Non cash transactions are excluded from the cash flow statement. Fargher (2008, p. 89) stated that the income statement format under US GAAP involves a range of steps but the subtotals are listed before the unusual and rare items. Changes in retained earnings are included in the retained earnings statement and comprehensive income that reports changes in fair value and similar items after the operating income. Note disclosure is based on particular standards plus SEC and other sources under the US GAAP hierarchy. IFRS and US GAAP have some similarities but there are also several differences. The main similarities and differences are in the areas of revenue recognition and inv entory valuation.A similarity between US GAAP and IFRS is that revenue is not recognised until the revenue is actually earned. Under the US GAAP, a large amount of guidance provided usually only applies to specific industries. For example, there are specific rules for the recognition of software revenue and sales of real estate under US GAAP, while comparable guidance does not exist under IFRS (Ernst & Young 2010). Also, both systems define inventory as assets held for sale in the ordinary course of business. A significant difference between using US GAAP and IFRS is the inventory costing method is that US uses LIFO, whereas LIFO is prohibited by the IFRS.Also, inventory valuation is measured under the IFRS at lower of cost and net realizable value. However, under the US GAAP, inventory valuation is carried at the lower of cost and market, where the market is the current replacement cost (Ernst & Young 2010). According to (Todd M. Hines 2007, p1) IFRSs are becoming more important in the global economy. â€Å"Over the last 35 years there has been a strong push towards the adoption of a uniform set of financial accounting standards to replace the myriad number of country-specific standards now in use†. This indicates that each country has developed its own sets of financial accounting standards.It is essential to work towards the uniformed international accounting standards for organisations doing business globally to have comparable information. As a result of this push for internationally recognised set of accounting standards, IFRS were created with the goal of providing a single internationally recognized set of accounting standards. In an ever increasingly globally connected world, more transactions and investment planning occur on a global level. As international convergence has progressed many countries have conformed under IFRS and adopted their standards.The USA has similar standards but continue to use different financial reporting standards. Ho wever these differences according to (Todd M. Hines 2007, p4) often ‘lead to confusion and large complications for preparers and users of financial statements’. Financial statements prepared under different reporting standards are hardly comparable, therefore overseas investors may not be able to compare between the financial reports of business under IFRS and those operating under US GAAP. This can lead to confusion and affect the judgments of financial statement users.Due to the difficulties in comparison the users of the financial information must understand both IFRS and GAAP to make informed decisions. Moving from US GAAP to IFRS will have a major impact on business’ financial reporting in the USA. Decisions made by managers, financial advisors, CEO’s, governments, and the users of financial statements will have to be drastically rethought with the change. If the USA decides to follow the convergence trend towards IFRS, they will be moving into a more volatile reporting environment, particularly in the reporting of assets as well as that of net profit.One alarming statistic is that the volatility of tax benefits, deferred tax benefits in particular, can be 98% more volatile under IFRS (McAnally, et. al. 2010). This increased volatility is due to the greater use of fair value in the preparation of the financial statements, and the eventual elimination of historical cost under IFRS. Fair values are used under IFRS to better reflect the changing economic conditions, but this introduces uncertainty and makes it much harder to predict reported earnings than under historical cost, which the USA uses.Although fair value is more relevant, often it is not reliable due to the influence of economic conditions on the valuation of assets. This increased volatility will lead to retraining in every area of accounting. With the change to IFRS, there will be a large amount of rethinking and retraining for areas such as financial planning and for ecasting as well as in target setting, but the major area it will affect is the reporting of financial statements. Another issue regarding the convergence of the USA to the IFRS accounting standards is the effect it will have on IT systems.As the adoption of IFRS starts to gain momentum among many counties, global business will be dealing with major changes over the next few years. According to Pratt (2010), not only are private companies considering the IFRS, but also public companies including banks and private investors who also have growing concerns about the implication of the convergence. This adoption of IFRS by the USA will bring about several changes in the way recording and reporting financial data is carried out. This is due to the differences between IFRS and U. S.GAAP standards. It has been found that there are 103 differences between IFRS and U. S. GAAP in the way recording of data happens. Management in the performance and technology division of KPMG suggests that the change to IFRS will drastically affect the accounting IT systems in the USA (Pratt, 2010). One of the major concerns for the USA is that under IFRS the financial data needed to keep IT systems up to date will have to be more detailed and more frequent. It is also believed that the financial reporting ledger will be affected by adopting IFRS.Pratt (2010) claimed the US needs to ‘[m]ake sure that the new system accommodates IFRS if [companies] are planning to upgrade the system. ’ This will mean more money will need to be diverted from other key functions and into the development and upgrading of IT systems. With the major push for convergence, the USA needs to critically evaluate the effect that their move to IFRS may have on their IT systems and the software they use. Also, U. S. companies will need to become familiar with the new systems and technology before the change in order to keep up with international competitors.The major elements of the USA include the concep tual framework, financial reports, revenue recognition and inventory. Taking problems and issues into account, our group concludes that the convergence of the USA to IFRS would benefit both, the global economy and the USA. Although problems with financial reporting, volatility, retraining and IT systems may arise, converging to international standards will allow users to have easy comparisons between companies and greater transparency.In conclusion, we feel it is beneficial for the USA to converge to international standards so that there are a set of global standards for all companies to follow. Word Count: 1491 BIBLIOGAPHY Books Fargher, N, Wise, V, Kieso, DE, Weygand, JJ &Warfield, TJ 2008, Fundamentals of Intermediate accounting, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Milton. Websites Ernst & Young, 2010, Revenue Recognition, viewed 29 September 2011, Ernst & Young, 2010, Inventory, viewed 29 September 2011, L. Gordon Crovitz. 2008 (September 8). Closing the Information GAAP, viewed 29 Sep tember 2011. lt; http://online. wsj. com/article/SB122083366235408621. html> Mary E. Barth. 2004. Fair Values and Financial Statement Volatility, viewed 29 September. Journal Articles Todd M. Hines 2007 ‘International Financial Reporting Standards: A Guide to Sources for International Accounting Standards’; Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, Vol. 12(3), p. 1-8 McAnally, M, McGuire, S, & Weaver, C 2010, ‘Assessing the Financial Reporting Consequences of Conversion to IFRS: The Case of Equity-Based Compensation', Accounting Horizons, Vol 24 (4), p. 589-621Gornik-Tomaszewski, S 2003, ‘Short-Term Convergence Between US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards', Bank Accounting & Finance (08943958), Vol 16 (5), p. 39-42 Tarca, A 2004, ‘International Convergence of Accounting Practices: Choosing between IAS and US GAAP', Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting, Vol 15 (1), pp. 60-91 Pratt, MK 2010, ‘GET READY FO R GLOBAL ACCOUNTING', Computerworld, Vol 44 (3), p. 21-23 Laux, C. & Leuz, C 2009. ‘The crisis of fair-value accounting: Making sense of the recent debate’. Accounting, Organizations and Society. V 34 (6-7), p. 826-834

Paragliding: Gliding and Foot-launched Glider Aircraft

Paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a hollow fabric wing whose shape is formed by its suspension lines, the pressure of air entering in the front of the wing and the forces of the air flowing over the outside. Despite not using an engine, paraglider flights can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometres, though flights of 1-2 hours and covering some tens of kilometres are more the norm. By skilful exploitation of sources of lift the pilot may gain height, often climbing to a few thousand metres over the surrounding countryside. Paragliders are unique among soaring aircraft in being easily portable. The complete equipment packs into a rucksack and can be carried easily on the pilot's back[2], in a car, or on public transport. In comparison with other air sports this substantially simplifies travel to a suitable take off spot, the selection of a landing place and return travel. Paragliding is related to the following activities: Hang gliding is a close cousin, and hang glider and paraglider launches are often found in proximity. [3] Despite the considerable difference in equipment the two activities offer similar pleasures and some pilots are involved in both sports. †¢ Powered paragliding is the flying of paragliders with a small engine attached. †¢ Speed riding or speed flying is the separate sport of flying paragliders of reduced size. These wings have in creased speed, though they are not normally capable of soaring flight. The sport involves taking off on skis or on foot and swooping rapidly down in close proximity to the slope, even periodically touching it if skis are used. †¢ Paragliding can be of local importance as a commercial activity. [4][5] Paid accompanied tandem flights are available in many mountainous regions, both in the winter and in the summer. In addition there are many schools offering courses,[6] and guides who lead groups of more experienced pilots exploring an area. Finally there are the manufacturers and the associated repair and after sales services.

Hungary`s agricultural industry in the 20th century, Impact of the Essay

Hungary`s agricultural industry in the 20th century, Impact of the Social System - Essay Example This paper presents the historical overview of the agricultural industry in Hungary, more specifically the industry in wool and sheep livestock, before and after the Second World War. The economic history of Hungary in the respect of the wool industry development, is indicating of the ineffectiveness of the central-planned economic system Prior to World War II Hungary was producing some 6,000 metric tons of wool for textile processing and export; post World War II that production dropped to 2,000 metric tons, but jumped back up to 4,000 metric tons in 1951. Post World War II Hungary’s economic directions were dictated by state planners. Poultry and eggs became export products during the late 1930s. Herds of sheep and other livestock decreased and a reduction in the farmland devoted to fodder was observed. Hungary had rich farmlands, while the Soviet Central Asian countries had a more harsh environment, suitable to raising sheep for wool and wool exports. Recent developments as cited by the OECD indicate that there are new markets opening for the textile industry, and, like any other nation, Hungary has an opportunity to avail itself of that opportunity, and return to a pre World War II economic way of life that served it well. The model for income food consumption relationship values by Rask and Rask is analyzed. The impact of economic development on consumption of food products depends heavily on the level of per capita income, as demonstrated by the Engel Curve. In order for Hungary to sustain a viable wool production industry, it would have, using the model, calculate the animal product CEs of feeds consumed by those animals in correlation to the production of consumable livestock yield.

Critique of Aristotle's Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Critique of Aristotle's Politics - Essay Example In each of these types of governance, he gives the sound and the bad. According to Aristotle, the philosopher king is the ideal governance. In this form, the kings’ interest is in the welfare of his people (Tacitus & Benario 18). The highest form of governance is the monarchy. It is hereditary in nature, and people can associate freely with the royal family. In a monarchy, the interests of the nation take priority above all other matters. When the respectable leadership of a monarchy becomes rogue, Aristotle terms it as tyranny. When leadership becomes self seeking the citizens of this state, suffers thus; cannot achieve happiness (Chuska 277). Aristotle considers aristocracy of philosophers to be the second best leadership. When this form of leadership gets crooked, it becomes oligarchy. Further, he views democracy as the worst form of leadership. In his opinion, the third best form of leadership is one whose polity would combine all the noble forms of leadership. According to Aristotle, a polity is a constitution. Aristotle is of the opinion that, for a polity to be viable, it has to consider the stability and security of its people. The aristocracy as Aristotle puts it is the rule of several. When a virtuous rule of law prevails the society enjoys solidity. In this rule, the needs of the wealthy get priority while the rest of the population gets neglected. This brings about class division, and discrimination on the basis of riches. The elite in the society protect and guard their status making it difficult to join the elite group from low class people. According to Aristotle, who was advocating for fairness, elitism in the society is wrong (Chuska 278). Polity is the rule of the majority. This is what Aristotle refers to as the rule of many. In the better form, it concerns with the needy. The leaders take office through an election. It is the citizens of the state who decide the person