A history of the US civil rights movement Essay

A history of the US civil rights movement - Essay Example still contended with discriminatory tendencies, disenfranchisement, segregation and different kinds of oppression such as violence that is racially propelled. Moreover, laws at the state and local levels such as the Jim Crow laws, effectively prohibited African Americans from theatres, train cars, juries, legislatures, bathrooms and classrooms (Jackson, 15). However, in 1954, the Supreme Court abolished the â€Å"separate but equal doctrine† that was the force behind a state condoned segregation and discrimination. This act of the U.S. Supreme Court attracted considerable attention to the suffering of black Americans in the United States and set a platform for a civil rights movement (1954 - 1968) aimed at bringing change to the land of the free peoples. The activists utilized various tactics in marching towards their objectives. Some of these included direct action, boycotts, civil disobedience, civil resistance, voter registration, community education and other nonviolent avenues. The results of the civil rights movement eventually included the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. These acts resulted in crisis circumstances that often prompted useful dialogue between the government and the civil rights activists. The government (whether local, state or federal), communities and busine sses were manipulated into urgent reactions to the various circumstances that demonstrated injustice faced by the black Americans (Levy, 312). The African-American civil rights movement has a special place in the United States’ history. Because of the movements, there was realized a clear definition of the conceptions that prevailed regarding the nature of civil rights, the role of the government and importantly secured for the black Americans their citizenship rights (Jackson, 12). An important consequence of the movement was the amendment of the constitution that saw to the abolition of slavery in all its forms, and the legislation

Senior Philosophy EXAM 3 Study Guide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Senior Philosophy EXAM 3 Study Guide - Essay Example Hence, Epicurus concluded that we should not live in fear of death (Epicurus, 510). 2. According to Dawkins, animal fighting is restrained and gentlemanly in the following way. Animals do not necessarily fight to eliminate their rivals because, by doing that, they would mostly likely be endangering their lives even more. Dawkins argues that in a complex system of rivals, it might be advantageous to your other rivals if you eliminate one of them; your other rivals might stand to gain more from the elimination than you. For this reason, Dawkins argues that animal fighting is, in most instances, based on the advantages that would accrue from the fighting and as a result, animal fighting in most cases are restrained and gentlemanly. 3. Rand claims that Altruism permits no concept of self-respecting, self-supporting man, and no concept of justice. To support her claim, Rand contend that Altruism as an ethical theory is based on the false idea that, anything that is good for an individual( for selfish interest) is morally bad, while what is good for other people, not an individual, is morally right. For this reason, Rand argued that Altruism has no room for people first fulfil their own interests before catering for the interests of other people. For this reason, Rand claims that Altruism is against the virtues of self-respect, self-supporting, and the virtue of justice. 4. In his account of happiness in the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle makes it clear that happiness is not merely a feeling or a sensation. For Aristotle, happiness is the highest and final good for all activities of man. As such, any man’s activity is aimed at attaining happiness for man. Happiness, therefore, is the final end of all human being’s endeavour and human beings seek happiness for its own sake. All the other good that human beings seek, for instance pleasure and honour, may be sought partially for their own sake, but ultimately they will be sought for the sake of happiness. F or that reason, happiness cannot be sensation or feeling because feelings and sensations cannot be the final end, pleasurable feelings are sought for the sake of happiness, which is the highest good. Hence, happiness is not simply a feeling or a sensation. 5. According to Immanuel Kant, it is morally wrong for one to take a loan and promise to repay it, while one knows that they will not be able to repay it. To support his claim, Kant used his moral maxim, i.e. the categorical imperative to judge whether or not such an action is morally justifiable. The categorical imperative states that, in moral dilemma, you should always act in a manner that you would wish your manner of acting to be made a universal law, applicable to all similar cases. Kant, therefore, argued that since one would not wish breaking promises to be made into a universal law, it is, therefore, morally wrong for one to fail to repay a loan that they had promised to repay. 6. According to Mill, one can tell whether o ne pleasure is of greater quality than another by the use of the following criteria. If people are asked to choose between two pleasures, pleasures of which they all have prior experience, the pleasure that majority of people will choose, not due to moral obligations or for any other reason, but for the sake of the pleasure itself, then that pleasure that is proffered by the majority of people is of higher quality than the other pleasure that was preferred by only a

Comparing Current Economic Crisis And Great Depression Economics Essay

Comparing Current Economic Crisis And Great Depression Economics Essay Comparing current economic crisis and Great Depression. The current U.S economic crisis that begun August 2007 has plunged the country into a very dangerous phase in the U.S economic performance (Hilsenrath and Paletta, 4). The great decline in stock market which reduced spending and wealth among people resembles to the great economic depression (Katz, 10). The Great Depression was an economic recession that eroded stock market wealth and eventually spilled to other sectors of the economy (Hilsenrath and Paletta, 4). During the Great Depression, it has been recorded that Dow-gold ratio reduced substantially to a lower of 47 percent, most similar to the 42 percent experienced in the current crisis. The enraging crisis also foresaw crippling of most financial institutions due to bad loans and many banks had to freeze lending from 1929. There has been similar experience in the current crisis as the credit markets are on verge of collapsing. In 2008, sum credit in financial institutions has reduced by more than 250 percent while bad debt level has gone below 350 percent market (Waggoner, 1). The two crisis have shown similarities when comparing the trends in real estate. Like in the 1929 Great Depression, there has been a great overvaluation of the real estate. Problems in real estate have been the main factors contributing to the current crisis (Delong, 2). Under the global monetary system, dollar is converted with gold which means all the over currencies are only converted to gold or the Pound. However, this has become completely different since the dollar which is converted to gold has not been able to meet monetary conditions for conversion to gold standard which has destabilized world monetary system (Petrov, 2). Government response to the crisis is similar. In the current crisis, the United States government has signed a multibillion economic stimulus package totaling to $700 billion. This was a similar strategy which was taken in the Great Depression but in both economic crises, the economic stimulus package has not lived to its expectations (Stewart, 2). It is still acceptable to say that the current economic crisis resembles the great economic depression of 1929 because the high rates of unemployment that was witnessed during the depression has also affected the United State economy where many people have remained jobless and retrenchment rates have been at its peak. The current rate of unemployment stands at 6.1 percent which is even below the 1992 rate which was 7.8 percent. Similarly those still employed are under fear of loosing there jobs people anytime if efforts towards recovery does not succeed (Waggoner, 3). It is said that unemployment rate hit 10 % for the past two years. Research shows that the job crisis in America reached a point where both the underemployed and unemployed stopped searching for jobs and the rate of those looking for full time job but they could only get part time job reached 17.4 %. The rates of job crisis in America is said to be the highest figures in the world and continuity of such trends in Americ a will certainly change the new generation and the life course (peck, 2). The economic crisis in America forced president Franklin D. Roosevelt and the congress of the time to create FDIC with an aim of providing the federal state guarantee of deposits so the inception of FDIC in America granted people with certain amount of money guarantee of their money and those who deposited their finance with FDIC were very certain that their money was safe even if bank failure occurs (FDIC, 1). How U.S economic crisis is different from the great depression What need to be reflected first is that the 1929 occurrences were termed as a depression while the current situation in America is a recession. Scholars have said that the current economic crisis in United States is unlikely to culminate into the 1929 great economic depression. Some of the notable differences between the two include the following: During the economic depression the dollar was devalued relative to gold. Currently, there is absence of gold standard that serves as a restriction to the amount of money supply that can be expanded since the gold standard was abolished in 1971 thereby making the restriction of the dollar being tied to gold standards a nightmare in today world (Krugman, 3). During Great Depression, America economy was not ridden by bad debts as it is today. Currently, U.S economy has introduced credit cards that never existed in 1929. Similarly national debt and deficits in money available for spending was significantly lower than it is today where Americas debt is largely owned by foreigners who may easily devalue the dollar through selling dollar reserves and treasury bonds a decision that may lead to an international war. Although the economic crisis has caused pain in America economy for instance collapse in financial market, overvaluation of real estate, fall in energy prices, collapse of industrial centers and existence of recession in many sectors of the economy there are hopes that some cities will recover much better than before the occurrence of financial crisis since there are almost fifteen areas in the economy that are still expanding such as oil and natural resources (Florida, 4). Similarities between japans crisis of 1990s and the U.S Economic crisis The financial market stress that hit American economy resembles Japanese market crisis after 1997. Its recorded that various banking institutions and securities greatly affected financial markets thereby leading to increased crisis in the banking system of the two countries. Likewise asset market was greatly hit with no indications of bottoming out which is similar to American real estate market. It is also indicated that great losses were noted in the financial market where cases of bad loans were prevalent and this is said to have held the recovery of Japan economy (IMF, 1). In both economies, the economic crisis led to decline in consumers consumption habits since prices for goods were unaffordable thereby making consumers to minimize their spending potential with a view that in the near future prices will fall due to decline in demand. The period between 1980, Japanese monetary authorities flooded markets with liquidity so as to enhance the business to cope up with the rising value of Japanese yen. The excessive flow of money in the economy by 1990s led to immediate increase in the market value of equities and land since many investors directed their finances in real estate business (Posen, 6). Differences between japans crisis of 1990s and the U.S Economic crisis. Although the crisis in America and Japan were spearheaded by weak regulation and easy credit, policy makers argue that Japanese crisis looked larger than the American one because Japanese crisis stretched and affected the asset prices which were believed to be three to four times bigger than the American (Peck, 2). The banking crisis in the two economies shows that the American crisis was quite uncharacteristic since it shows household profligacy whereas the Japanese banking crisis comprised borrowing of finances by firms. In Japan for instance the sum bank losses on bad debts was almost 20% of the gross domestic product between 1993 to 2005 (Dick, 2008). Trends shows that policy response to the crisis in America were quicker and this made America move into the second of and manageable fiscal stimulus package. The U.S took quicker steps to revive the banks through the use of public funds within one year while Japan took eight years to recapitalize its banking systems (Mikitini, 2000). The lesson learnt from Japanese economic crisis is that the buying habits of consumers changes negatively when the rate of inflation is very high thus consumption rate of consumers decreases because they anticipate that prices of the products and services will fall in the near future where the will be able to buy at low prices and make some savings (Delong, 8).. It can be said that current governments came up with a number of policies to counter the effects of economic crisis for instance in America the federal reserve system kept the interest rates very low and expanded supply of money in the economy. Similarly many governments adopted the policy of reducing payments on housing loans. The strategy by federal government to inject more money into banking system in 2004 to 2006 helped increase the targeted federal money to more than the normal rate of 5% which reduced demand for houses thus fall in prices for houses hence solving the bubbles in the real estate management. Federal government also began bailing companies and banks that were collapsing such as GM, AIG and Chrysler and this helped to stimulate recovery of many banks and companies (Gene, 3). Work Cited Cavallo, Eduardo. Dealing with the crisis: Lessons from America. Retrieved Marc 6, 2010 from http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/3358, 2009. Florida, Richard. How the Crash Will Reshape America. Retrieved March 6, 20106 from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/03/how-the-crash-will-reshape-america/7293/, 2008. Hilsenrath, Jon S., and Paletta, Damian. Worst crisis since 1930s with no end yet in sight. Retrieved March 6, 20106 from http: //online.wsj.com/article/SB122169431617549947.html. 2008. Stewart, Heather. International monetary fund says U.S crisis is largest financial shock since Great Depression. Retrieved March 6, 20106 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/09/useconomy.subprimecrisis, 2008. Waggoner, John. Is todays economic crisis another Great Depression? Retrieved March 6, 20106 from http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-11-03-economy-depression-recession_N.htm, 2008. Peck, Don. How a new jobless era will transform America? Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/how-a-new-jobless-era-will-transform-america/7919/, 2009. International monetary fund. Japans policy response to its financial crisis: parallel with the U.S Today. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2009/031909.htm, 2009. Dick, K. Nanto. U.S financial crisis: Lessons from Japan. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/110816.pdf, 2008 Shirakawa, Masaaki. Way out of economic and financial crisis. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/110816.pdf,2009. Mikitani, Ryoichi. Japans financial crisis and its parallel to America experience. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://bookstore.piie.com/book-store/319.html, 2000. Tabuchi, Hiroko. Japans stationery decade cautionery tales for U.S. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/business/economy/13yen.html, 2009. Katz, Richard. Todays Americas financial crisis is not like Tokyos lost decade. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from ttp://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/64823/richard-katz/the-japan-fallacy. Bank of Japan. Way out of economic and financial crisis: Lessons and policy actions. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.boj.or.jp/en/type/press/koen07/ko0904c.htm, 2009. Posen, S. Adam and Mikitani, Ryoichi. Japans financial crisis and its parallel to U.S experience. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Parallels-Experience-Institute-International/dp/088132289X, 2009. Federal deposit Insurance Corporation. Why FDIC was created in U.S. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.fdic.gov/about/learn/learning/why/index.html,2004. Krugman, Paul. Monetary policy. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/samuelson-friedman-and-monetary-policy/, 2009. Foreign policy. Top 100 global thinkers. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/30/the_fp_top_100_global_thinkers, 2009. Delong, J. Bradford. The great crash and the great slump. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/Slouch_Crash14.htm, 1997. Beland, Daniel, and Francois vergniolle. Fighting big government. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LSyGk7VKC9CmgGkxbNp0mSm7LpLnv8K1tJY3jtmkhvJJGYsQ22pX!-1504265975!1494505646?docId=5006720711, 2005. Smiley, Gene. Great depression and current economic crisis. Retrieved March 6, 2010 from http://www.institute.sk/article.php?3100, 2009.

Gonorrhea Essay -- STD Sexually Transmitted Disease

Approximately 1 million new cases of this disease are reported each year in the United States, and public health experts estimate that an additional million or more gonorrhea infections go unreported each year. Although these numbers seem very large, the disease occurs less frequently now than it did in the early 1980s. The rate of infection among young unmarried people between the ages of 15 and 24, however it remains very high. Study results released in 1988 by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute for Health Policy estimate that $ 1 billion is now being spent each year in the United States for the diagnosis and treatment of gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria. It is almost always spread through sexual activity involving direct contact with mucous membranes. It is readily transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse. The cervix, the urinary tract, the mouth, and the rectum provide ideal points of entry for the disease. In woman, the most common site of infection is the cervix . In men , it is the uretha . The infection can be spread from a man’s penis to the throat of his sex partner , it is much less likely that a man will contract or spread the disease by performing oral sex on a female partner . This disease can also be passed from a mother to her baby during childbirth The greatest danger for the newborn is blindness , but this can be prevented by placing a few drops of sil...

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 6

It was a full-force invasion. Even before the echoes of breaking glass had died, figures in black uniforms were swarming through the window. Dark ninjas, Keller thought. An elite group made up of vampires and shapeshifters, the Night World experts at sneaking and killing. Keller's mind, which had been roiling in clouds of stifled anger, was suddenly crystal clear. â€Å"Nissa, take her!† she shouted. It was all she needed to say. Nissa grabbed Diana. It didn't matter that Iliana was screaming breathlessly and too shocked to want to go anywhere. Nissa was a vampire and stronger than a human Olympic weight lifter. She simply picked Iliana up and ran with her toward the back door. Without being told, Winfrith followed close behind, orange energy already sizzling between her palms. Keller knew she would provide good cover- Winnie was a fighting witch. She made full use of the new powers that all the Night People were developing as the millennium got closer. As one of the ninjas lunged after them, she let loose with a blast of poppy-colored energy that knocked him sideways. â€Å"Now you!† Keller shouted to Galen, trying to hustle him into the hallway without turning from the ninjas. She hadn't changed and didn't want to if she could avoid it. Changing took time, left you vulnerable for the few seconds that you were between forms. Right now seconds counted. Galen got a few steps down the hall, then stopped. â€Å"Grandma Harman!† I knew it, Keller thought. He's a liability. The old woman was still in the living room, standing with her feet braced apart, cane ready. Her apprentice, Toby, was in front of her, working up some witch incantation and tossing energy. They were right in the flow of the ninjas. Which was as it ought to be. Keller's mind had clicked through the possibilities right at the beginning and had come to the only reasonable conclusion. â€Å"We have to leave her!† Galen turned to her, his face lit by the multicolored energy that was flying around them. â€Å"What?† â€Å"She's too slow! We have to protect you and Hiana. Get moving!† His features were etched in shock. â€Å"You're joking. Just wait here-I'll bring her.† â€Å"No! Galen-â€Å" He was already running back. Keller cursed. â€Å"Go on!† she yelled to Nissa and Winnie, who were at the entrance to the kitchen, where the back door was. â€Å"Take the limo if you can get to it. Don't wait for us!† Then she turned and plunged into the living room. Galen was trying to shield Grandma Harman from the worst of the energy being exchanged. Keller gritted her teeth. This group of ninjas was only the first wave. They were here to breach the wards and make an opening for whatever was going to follow. Which could be a dragon. The ninjas hadn't finished their job, though. Most of the wards were holding, and the one that had fallen was on a small window. The dark figures could only squirm in one at a time. The house shook as whoever was outside slammed power at it, trying to break a bigger entrance. Faintly, Keller heard an engine rev up outside. She hoped it was the limo. Galen was pulling at Grandma Harman. Toby was grappling hand-to-hand with a ninja. Keller batted a couple of the sneaks out of her way. She wasn't trying to kill them, just put them out of commission. She had almost reached Galen. And then she heard the rumbling. Only her panther ears could have picked it up. Just as the first time when she'd heard it, it was so deep that it seemed both soft and frighteningly loud. It shook her to her bones. In a flash, she knew what was coming. And there was no time to think about what to do. Galen seemed to have sensed it, too. Keller saw him looking at the roof just above the door. Then he turned toward Grandma Harman, shouting. After that, everything happened at once. Galen knocked the old woman down and fell on top of her. At the same time, Keller sprang and landed on top of both of them. She was changing even as she did it. Changing and spreading herself out, trying to make herself as wide and flat as possible. A panther rug to cover them. The brick wall exploded just as the window had, only louder. Shattered with Power, Keller thought. The dragon had recovered†¦ fast. And then it was raining bricks. One hit Keller in the leg, and she lashed her tail in fury. Another struck her back, and she felt a deep pain. Then one got her in the head, and she saw white light. She could hear Galen shouting under her. It seemed to be her name. Then nothing. Something wet touched her face. Keller hissed automatically, pawing at it in annoyance. â€Å"Lemme lone.† â€Å"Boss, wake up. Come on, it's morning already.† Keller opened heavy eyes. She was dreaming. She had to be. Either that, or the afterlife was full of teenage girls. Winnie was bending over her with a dripping washcloth, and Nissa was peering critically over her shoulder. Behind Nissa was Iliana's anxious little heart-shaped face, her hair falling like two shimmering curtains of silvery-starlight gold on either side. Keller blinked. â€Å"I was sure I was dead.† â€Å"Well, you got close,† Winnie said cheerfully. â€Å"Me and Toby and Grandma Harman have been working on you most of the night. You're going to be kind of stiff, but I guess your skull was too thick to crack.† Keller sat up and was rewarded with a stabbing pain in her temples. â€Å"What happened? Where's Galen?† â€Å"Well, golly gee, Boss, I didn't know you cared-â€Å" â€Å"Stop fooling around, Winnie! Where's the guy who's got to be alive if the shapeshifters are going to join Circle Daybreak?† Winnie sobered. Nissa said calmly, â€Å"He's fine, Keller. This is Iliana's house. Everybody's okay. We got you guys out-â€Å" Keller frowned, struck by a new worry. â€Å"You did? Why? I told you to take the girl and go.† Nissa raised an eyebrow wryly. â€Å"Yes, well, but the girl didn't want to go. She made us stop and turn back for you.† â€Å"For Galen,† Keller said. She looked at Diana, who was wearing a pink nightgown with puffy sleeves and looked about seven. She tried to make her voice patient. ‘It was good to think of him, but you should have followed the plan.† â€Å"Anyway, it worked out,† Nissa said. â€Å"Apparently, the dragon blew the house down on top of you, but then he walked right over you trying to get to us.† â€Å"Yeah. I was kind of hoping he wouldn't realize Galen was there,† Keller said. â€Å"Or wouldn't realize he was important.† â€Å"Well, when he found we'd already gotten away in the limo, he and his buddies took after us in cars,† Winnie said. â€Å"But Nissa lost them. And then Iliana†¦ insisted, and so we circled back. And there you were. Galen and Toby were digging you out. We helped them and brought you here.† â€Å"What about Grandma Harman?† â€Å"She came out of it without a scratch. She's tougher than she looks,† Winnie said. â€Å"She talked to Iliana's mom last night,† Nissa added. â€Å"She fixed everything up so we can stay here. You're supposed to be a distant cousin, and the rest of us are your friends. We're from Canada. We graduated last year, and we're touring the U.S. by bus. We ran into Iliana last night, and that's why she was late. It's all covered, nice and neat.† â€Å"It's all ludicrous,† Keller said. She looked at Iliana. â€Å"And it's time to stop. Haven't you seen enough yet? That's twice you've been attacked by a monster. Do you really want to try your luck for a third time?† It was a mistake. Iliana's face had been sweet and anxious, but now Keller could see the walls slam down. The violet eyes hazed over and sparked at the same time. â€Å"Nobody attacked me until you guys came!† Iliana flared. â€Å"In fact, nobody's attacked me so far at all. I think it's you people they're after-or maybe Galen. I keep telling you that I'm not the one you're looking for.† This was the time for diplomacy, but Keller was too exasperated to think. â€Å"You don't really believe that. Unless you practice being stupid-â€Å" â€Å"Stop calling me stupid!† The last word was a piercing shriek. At the same time, Diana threw something at Keller. She batted it out of the air automatically before it could hit. â€Å"I'm not stupid! And I'm not your Witch Child or whatever you call it! I'm just a normal kid, and I like my life. And if I can't live my life, then I don't want to-to do anything.† She whirled around and stalked out, her nightgown billowing. Keller stared at the missile she'd caught. It was a stuffed lamb with outrageously long eyelashes and a pink ribbon tied around its white neck. Nissa folded her arms. â€Å"Well, you sure handled that one, Boss.† â€Å"Give me a break.† Keller tossed the lamb onto the window seat. â€Å"And just how did she make you two turn around and come back for us, by the way?† Winnie pursed her lips. â€Å"You heard it. Volume control. She kept screaming like-well, I don't know what screams like that. You'd be surprised how effective it is.† â€Å"You're agents of Circle Daybreak; you're supposed to be immune to torture.† But Keller dropped the subject. â€Å"What are you still hanging around for?† she added, as she swung her feet out of bed and carefully tried her legs. â€Å"You're supposed to stick with her, even when she's in the house. Don't stand here staring at me.† â€Å"You're welcome for putting you back together again,† Winnie said, her eyes on the ceiling. In the doorway, she turned and added, â€Å"And, you know, it wasn't Galen she kept screaming we had to go back and get last night. It was you, Keller.† Keller stared at the door as it shut, bewildered. â€Å"You can't go to school,† Keller hissed. â€Å"Do you hear me? You cannot go to school.† They were all sitting around the kitchen table. Iliana's mother, a lovely woman with a knot of platinum hair coiled on her neck, was making breakfast. She seemed slightly anxious about her four new houseguests, but in a pleasantly excited way. She certainly wasn't suspicious. Grandma Harman had done a good job of brainwashing. â€Å"We're going to have a wonderful Christmas,† she said now, and her angelic smile grew brighter. â€Å"We can go into Winston-Salem for a Christmas and Candle Tea. Have you ever had a Moravian sugar-cake? I just wish Great-aunt Edgith had been able to stay.† Grandma Harman was gone. Keller didn't know whether to be relieved or frustrated. Despite what she kept saying, as long as the old woman was around, Keller would worry about her. But with her gone, there was nobody to appeal to, nobody who could order Iliana into safekeeping. So now they were sitting and having this argument. It looked like such a normal breakfast scene, Keller thought dryly. Iliana's father had already left for work. Her mother was bustling around cheerfully. Her little brother was in a high chair making a mess with Cheerios. Too bad that the four nicely dressed teenagers at the table were actually two shapeshifters, a witch, and a vampire. Galen was directly opposite Keller. There were shadows under his eyes-had anyone gotten any sleep last night?-and he seemed subdued but relaxed. Keller hadn't had a chance to speak to him since the dragon's attack. Not that she had anything to say. â€Å"Orange juice, Kelly?† â€Å"No, thank you, Mrs. Dominick.† That was what this family thought their last name was. They didn't realize that witches trace their heritage through the female line and that both Iliana and her mother were therefore Harmans. â€Å"Oh, please, call me Aunt Anna,† the woman said. She had her daughter's violet eyes and the smile of an angel. She was also pouring Keller juice. Now I see where Iliana gets her scintillating intelligence, Keller thought. â€Å"Oh-thanks, Aunt Anna. And, actually, it's Keller, not Kelly.† â€Å"How unusual. But it's nice, so modern.† â€Å"It's my last name, but that's what everybody calls me.† â€Å"Oh, really? What's your first name?† Keller broke off a piece of toast, feeling uncomfortable. â€Å"Raksha.† â€Å"But that's beautiful! Why don't you use it?† Keller shrugged. â€Å"I just don't.† She could see Galen looking at her. Shapeshifters usually were named for their animal forms, but neither Keller nor Raksha fit the pattern. â€Å"I was abandoned as a kid,† she said in a clipped voice, looking back at Galen. Diana's mother wouldn't be able to make anything of this, but she might as well satisfy the princeling's curiosity. â€Å"So I don't know my real last name. But my first name means ‘demon.'† Diana's mother paused with the juice carton over Nissa's glass. â€Å"Oh. How†¦ nice. Well, then, I see.† She blinked a couple of times and walked off without pouring Nissa any juice. â€Å"So what does Galen mean?† Keller said, holding his gaze challengingly and handing her full glass to Nissa. He smiled-a little wryly-for the first time since sitting down. † ‘Calm.'† Keller snorted. â€Å"It figures.† â€Å"I like Raksha better.† Keller didn't answer. With â€Å"Aunt Anna† safely in the kitchen, she could speak again to Diana. â€Å"You understood before, right? That you can't go to school.† â€Å"I have to go to school.† For somebody who looked as if she were made of spun glass, Diana ate a lot. She spoke around a mouthful of microwave pancake. â€Å"It's out of the question. How can we go with you? What are we supposed to be, for Goddess's sake?† â€Å"My long-lost cousin from Canada and her friends,† Diana said indistinctly. â€Å"Or you can all be exchange students who're here to study our American educational system.† Before Keller could say anything, she added, â€Å"Hey, how come you guys aren't at school? Don't you have schools?† â€Å"We've got the same ones you do,† Winnie said. â€Å"Except Nissa-she graduated last year. But Keller and I are seniors like you. We just take time off for this stuff.† â€Å"I bet your grades are as bad as mine,† Diana said unemotionally. â€Å"Anyway, I have to go to school this week. There are all sorts of class parties and things. You can come. It'll be fun.† Keller wanted to hit her with the pot of grits. She had a problem, though. Iliana's little brother Alex had escaped from his high chair and was climbing up her leg. She looked down at him uneasily. She wasn't good with family-type things, and she especially wasn't good with children. â€Å"Okay,† she said. â€Å"Go on back and sit down.† She peeled him off and tried to start him in the right direction. He turned around and put his arms up. â€Å"Kee-kee. Kee-kee.† â€Å"That's his word for ‘kitty,'† Iliana's mother said, coming in with a plate of sausages. She ruffled his white-blond hair. â€Å"You mean Kelly, Kelly,† she told him. † ‘Keller, Keller!† Winnie corrected helpfully. Alex climbed into Keller's lap, grabbed her hair, and hoisted himself into a standing position. She found herself looking into huge violet baby eyes. Witch eyes. â€Å"Kee-kee,† he said flatly, and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Winnie grinned. â€Å"Having trouble?† The kid had two chubby arms around Keller's neck now and was nudging her chin with his head like a kitten looking for pets. He had a good grip, too. This time, she couldn't peel him off. â€Å"It's just-distracting,† she said, giving up and petting him awkwardly. It was ridiculous. How could she argue with baby giggles in her ears? â€Å"You look kind of sweet together,† Iliana observed. Tm getting dressed for school now. You guys can do whatever you want.† She floated off while Keller was trying to think of a reply. Nissa and Winnie hastily followed her. Galen got up to help Iliana's mother with the dishes. Keller tugged at the baby, who clung like a sloth. Maybe there was shapeshifter blood in this family. â€Å"Kee-kee†¦ pui!† That was what it sounded like. â€Å"Pwee?† Keller glanced nervously at his diaper. â€Å"He means ‘pretty† Iliana's mother said, coming back in. â€Å"It's funny. He doesn't usually take to people like that. He likes animals better.† â€Å"Oh. Well, he has good taste,† Keller said. She finally succeeded in detaching him and gave him back to his mother. Then she started down the hallway after Iliana, muttering, â€Å"Too bad about his eyesight.† â€Å"I think his eyesight's just fine,† Galen said, right behind her. Keller turned, realizing they were alone in the hall. His faint smile faded. â€Å"I really wanted to talk to you,† he said.

Functions of Police Essay

Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) not only operate across the entire nation, but the agency also has agents serving abroad. In addition to this, the FBI is not a police agency, but an agency with jurisdiction to investigate any and all matters in which the United States is, or maybe an interested party (The Scope of Present Federal Activity, 1968). The Federal Bureau of Investigation limits its jurisdiction to laws pertaining to federal statues, including all federal statues not primarily assigned to other agencies. These include statues dealing with espionage, sabotage, treason, civil rights violation, the assault and murder of federal law enforcement officers, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, mail fraud, federally insured banks, and interstate transportation of stolen vehicles, and property (Hill, 1999). In addition to these laws, some federal agencies offer helpful services to other local police agencies, including use of its vast fingerprint file, and a sophisticated crime laboratory that aids local police in testing and identifying evidence, such as hair, fiber, drugs, blood, and tire tracks. The FBI’s National Crime Information Center is a computerized network linked to local police departments by terminals. Through it, information vehicles reported stolen, wanted persons, guns reported stolen, and so on are made readily available to local law enforcement agencies (The Scope of Federal Activity,1968). The following agencies are also part of federal law enforcement: 1. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Investigates illegal drug use and carries out independent surveillance and enforcement activities to control the importation of narcotics (Hill, 2009). 2. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Has jurisdiction over the sales and distribution of firearm, explosives, alcohol, and tobacco products (Hill, 2009). 3. U.S. Marshalls. Court officers who help implement federal court rulings, transport rulings, transport prisoners, and enforce court orders (Hill, 2009). 4. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Enforces violations of income, exise, stamp, and other tax laws. Its intelligence division actively pursues gamblers, narcotic dealers, and other violators who do not report their illegal financial gains as taxable income (Hill, 2009). Federal police agencies do not have the order maintenance or peacekeeping duties typical of a local police department, which oftentimes causes controversy and sometimes civil disturbances. Last, the jurisdictions of some federal law enforcement agencies are extremely narrow. The United States Supreme Court Police for example provide protective and investigative services for the Supreme Court only (Framework for Assessing the Acquisition Function at Federal Agencies, 2006). State police provide traffic and criminal law enforcement, as well as other services that are particular to the needs of that state government. Some of the functions of state police includes controlling traffic on the highway system, tracing stolen automobiles, and aiding in disturbances and crowd control (Pavone,1942). In states with large, powerful county sheriff’s departments, the state police functions are usually restricted to highway patrol. In others, where the county sheriff’s law enforcement role is limited, state police usually maintain a more active investigative and enforcement role and aid city and town police departments in criminal investigations Misner, 1960). The local police are the workhorses of the law enforcement system in America. They perform many functions and tasks including, but not limited to: (1) Law enforcement-examples include burglary investigations, apprehending criminal perpetrators, serving warrants, or giving court testimonies, (2) Peacekeeping and order maintenance-examples include preventing fights or disturbances between individuals, or peacefully resolving domestic disputes before they spiral out of control, (3) Service- examples include hospital and funeral processions escorts, or delivering mail for city officials (4) Information gathering-examples include determining neighborhood reactions to a proposed liquor license in the community, investigating cases of missing children, or investigating and reporting dangerous road conditions (Mathis & Zech, 1985). Other duties and responsibilities of the local police include protecting life and property- patrolling a particular jurisdiction at night, keeping citizens from a fire scene, or recovering and returning stolen items or lost property. Enforcing the law-ensuring traffic laws are adhered to, filing police reports and complaints, or seizing illegal weapons. Preventing criminal activity-patrolling high crime areas. Maintaining the peace- showing high police visibility and presence, or intervening in neighbor disturbances. Arresting violators-apprehending fleeing suspects, or giving citations to alcohol permit holders who sell to minors. Serve the public trust- giving directions to travelers, delivering emergency messages, administering first aid ((Mathis & Zech, 1985). County law enforcement as it relates to police functions involves the sheriff’s department. These individuals perform various functions ranging from investigations to supervision of sentenced offenders. Furthermore, they provide courtroom security as well as confining and transporting prisoners, serve summons, and warrants, enforce traffic, and criminal laws. Sheriff’s departments frequently operate the county jail, which houses hundreds and even thousands of prisoners, depending on the particular county. In certain counties, the sheriff’s department shares law enforcement duties with a separate police department. Furthermore, the sheriff’s law enforcement functions today are carried out only in unincorporated areas within a county or in response to city departments’ request for aid in such matters as patrol or investigations (Misner, 1960). Sheriffs generally have more leniency over police chiefs when it comes to running their own agencies. The local police, in many counties, operate the sheriffs department. In many counties, local police governs the operations of the sheriff’s department, and the sheriff must operate as a partisan politician to remain in office. The authority to appoint special duties and to award patronage jobs contributes to the sheriff’s power and influence in a county (Misner, 1960). Identify and address possible future changes in laws and the overall impact these changes will have on the field of policing. The Governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal signed the new Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011 into law May 13. Legal challenges facing the Atlanta Police Department are expected and might delay implementation, but it is scheduled otherwise to take effect July 1st. Possible changes to the new law, the Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011, will have a significant and chilling effect on the Atlanta Police Department. One of the challenges presented is that crime reporting will go unnoticed and unreported in communities and jurisdictions where immigrants are predominant (Moya & Shedlin, 2008). Fear of deportation and arrest would give illegal immigrants an even greater incentive to stay â€Å"under the radar† and avoid drawing attention to themselves. Doing this would undercut and undermine the Atlanta police department’s overall crime-fighting efforts which will ultimately impact unreported crime for their police officers. The greatest impact these new changes in the Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act will have on the Atlanta police department is that in the absence of federal policy, the Atlanta police department will be forced to take a very active role in dealing with issues pertaining to immigration, although they don’t have the authority and resources to tackle immigration issues. Furthermore, their authority still hasn’t been made clear as of yet and federal resources are not sufficient to support them (Moya & Shedlin, 2008).

Biological Diseases essays

Biological Diseases essays For hundreds of years people have been struck down with diseases such as Cholera, an acute diarrhoel infectious disease. Diphtheria is a serious contagious bacterial disease. Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver. Malaria, is another infectious disease. And Typhoid Fever, an acute, highly infectious disease. I will talk about hese diseases that through out the years scientists have been trying to cure the world from. These diseases lie in areas where there is poor sanitation of tropical areas of the world, where a lot of bacteria and parasites live. Some of the vaccines or medication we have the parasites are becoming immune to it. We must administer successful vaccines out to the people and teach them about the diseases so they can understand how to take care of it. First, Cholera is present in many countries all over the world. It's caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. This bacterium can be anywhere. In your water supply, in under cooked food such as seafood, raw fruit and vegetables, and foods that have been contaminated during preparation and storage also. Cholera can result from poor sanitation and hygiene practices. If these problems aren't fixed Cholera could be around forever. "Although some cholera victims have no apparent symptoms at all, others may suffer severe dehydration from massive diarrhea" (Craig Wallace, 2001). Painless and effortless diarrhea is common of symptomatic cholera. The diarrhea is clean with no pus or blood; it's only a continuous "rice-water" light-grey stool, with flecks of mucous material. After the diarrhea appears you have sudden bouts of vomiting and about "75% of all Cholera patients also suffer severe muscular cramps, usually confined to the extremities" (Craig Wallace, 2001). Sunken eyes and cheeks, dryness of the tongue, and mucous membranes, hoarseness, and drawn and withered skin on the hands and feet and face diagnose ...

PepsiCos Bid for Quaker Oats Example

PepsiCos Bid for Quaker Oats Example PepsiCo's Bid for Quaker Oats – Case Study Example PepsiCo’s Bid for Quaker Oats PepsiCo had been looking for a strategic acquisition ever since it’s restructuring. The restructuring exercise had ledto a dramatic rise in its margins on lower sales and employee strength. However, due to a sudden boom in information technology, the consumer products sector was not a hot favorite among the investors and therefore, PepsiCo’s executives thought it wise enough to wait for the right moment. The dotcom bubble burst in 2000 gave then this opportunity and Quaker Oats seemed to be the best fit in their long term acquisition strategy. PepsiCo was in a position to benefit significantly from the synergies to be achieved as a result of acquisition of Quaker Oats. Gatorade, one of the major products of Quaker, used warehouse brokers’ distribution system in contrast to PepsiCo’s Direct Store Delivery System. Both the systems were appropriate for their products. Through the acquisition, PepsiCo would be able to leverage Gatorade’s distribution system for its low volume products such as Tropicana. Moreover, benefits would be derived from economies of scale through common suppliers, production lines and capacity utilization. The acquisition would also enable PepsiCo to diversify its range of snacks. However, there were a few problems with the acquisition. PepsiCo only wanted a stock for stock transaction through pooling of interests, hence leaving no room for goodwill. As a result of this accounting method, PepsiCo would not be able to divest its assets in Quaker for 2 years. Another problem was that, PepsiCo would not be able to buy back its shares in large numbers. This cash distribution policy had been used extensively by PepsiCo and Quaker in the past to consolidate their assets. This acquisition, therefore, called for a sudden and big change in this policy. Another problem in the acquisition was that PepsiCo was more interested in Gatorade which constituted 40-45% of Quaker’s business while the other product lines such as food products may act as a liability for PepsiCo. Also, Quaker’s Price-Earnings ratio was lower than PepsiCo’s and an acquisition in the proposed manner could lead to erosion of PepsiCo’s earnings. There is no perfect solution to these problems but if PepsiCo sees considerable value in this acquisition, there is no harm in changing its cash distribution policy for the short term. Also since PepsiCo repurchased shares in the recent past. It may not be in urgent need to do the same for quite some time. The synergies gained as a result of this acquisition are sufficient to justify it. The company would gain significant cost savings as a result of Quaker’s distribution system, complementary product lines and health quotient of its products. These cost savings would more than offset the losses due to changes in cash distribution policy. Since, PepsiCo is interested only in Gatorade; it could also consider having talks to acquire only this part of Quaker’s business. However, this would require a completely different acquisition strategy as compared to stock for stock transaction. As far as Price-Earnings ratio is concerned, it is the best for Quaker among competitors. In other words, Quaker is the best possible acquisition target for PepsiCo at the moment. This may a lead to a short term dilution of its earnings and affect stock performance. The same should get compensated over the medium term. Baldwin, Carliss Y & Soudakov, Leonid. â€Å"PepsiCo’s Bid for Quaker Oats (A)†. Harvard Business School, 2008

How to Write a Formal Essay †Get your Sophistication on! BestEssay.education

How to Write a Formal Essay – Get your Sophistication on! How to Write a Formal Essay – Get your Sophistication on! Much of the essay and paper writing that you do in school is formal. And you are writing formal essays all the time without realizing it – you just may not be getting the grades you should, because you don’t fully understand the nature of these types of essays, as opposed to other types. Here you will find all that you need to know about formal essay writing. First, to Define Formal Essay Writing The formal essay is, above all, objective and impersonal. It is a piece of writing that explains, that informs, that compares and contrasts, and that may also attempt to persuade. These type of essays are contrasted with such pieces as a narrative (telling a story) or a personal statement essay that a student might write for college or graduate school admissions. Think of the difference between using the pronoun â€Å"I† and the pronoun â€Å"he† or â€Å"one.† That is perhaps the simplest method of differentiating between formal and informal essays. The other difference between formal writing and informal writing is usually that formal types are based upon factual evidence and data, while informal types are based upon emotion, stories, and un-supported beliefs/views. The Formal Essay Format A formal essay must be at least five paragraphs long and consist of an introduction, at least 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion. This probably sounds familiar to you; however, remember, that a personal statement essay also has the same format. Again, the difference is being personal or impersonal and objective. The Introduction: Obviously, this is the opening paragraph of your essay. It begins with some type of highly engaging sentence – a startling statistic, a quotation from a related famous expert on the topic, or a question that piques interest. The introduction must also state the topic and the thesis. Any formal essay must have a thesis statement, which provides the point you are trying to make. The thesis is usually the final sentence of the introduction. The Body: These are the paragraphs that will provide the information, evidence, etc. to prove your thesis statement. There may be any number, but there must be at least 3, and each must begin with a topic sentence. The Conclusion: Wrap up your points to demonstrate that your thesis is valid. Writing a Formal Essay of Various Types The structure and format for a formal will always be the same, no matter what type of essay you are writing. Here are some examples of formal essay topics based upon purpose/type: Expository: Explain the life cycle of a virus once it enters the human body. Definition: Define justice as it relates to our current court system in the U.S. Analysis: Analyze the poem, â€Å"The Raven† by Edgar Allen Poe Comparison/Contrast: Contrast the health care systems in the U.S. and Germany. Process: Explain the process by which ocean water is de-salinized Persuade: Convince an audience that prison privatization is a bad idea Contrast these topics with the following topics that are personal and informal. Describe a significant event in your life that impacted your belief system. Recall a time when you met with failure. Describe how and why you think you failed. What did you learn? Learning how to write a formal essay is not difficult – you already know the format. The key is to keep it objective – just the facts!

Job titles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Job titles - Essay Example In 2007, demand for Information Security jobs started growing. [1] Today getting a job in the information security field can be tricky. However, titles in the field range from security administrators, network security analysts, information security analysts, security architects, information security engineer, Web application security analysts, security auditors, and compliance auditors. But beware—these titles can entail very different responsibilities within different companies, so it’s important when looking for a job in this field to focus on what people are looking for in terms of skills. This assignment is to search for job advertisements related to Information Security through the Internet. The finding information will be summarized in a table including the advertised job title, and a summary of the responsibilities, Jobs requirements and company profile. Reflection summary will highlight potential overlap in responsibilities among different job titles and responsibility. There are looking for a candidate with good experience in Information Security in core banking project with experience in designing, implementing and monitoring a secure IT infrastructure in terms of Information / IT security products, processes, procedures, guidelines and standards. Plans and manages the activities of suppliers engineers and contracted staff involved in the installation, commissioning, and maintenance of computer systems for company network and other hardware related peripherals. Degree (BSc or Diploma) in Engineering, Business Information or any other relevant field. 7+ years of experience in the IT Security Industry is a must. 3+ years of experience as Technical Sales Specialist in IT Security Industry. Strong background in Risk & Compliance/Security is a plus. Certifications in one or more of the following are a plus - CISSP, CISM, CISA, CIA, CRISC. Local market knowledge is a plus Assist the Software Group and Intelligent

Pearson VUE Corp and Current Information Architecture of the Firm Research Paper

Pearson VUE Corp and Current Information Architecture of the Firm - Research Paper Example Forming a section of Pearson plc., Pearson VUE is a cooperation worth 8 billion making it the largest commercial education publishers and testing company (Rinehart and Sloan, 2010). Its main operation facilities are situated in India, the United States, and the United Kingdom while its satellites cover Japan and China. This has enabled Pearson VUE to stand out as a global leaders when it comes to information technology electronic testing , government, academic and professional clients offering services ranging from data management to test development (Morgan, 2010). Pearson VUE Testing Process Pearson VUE has had great impacts with reference to ICT testing providing skills that are fundamental and offer credentials to start people and all knowledge level in ICT careers. These initiatives have attracted the attention of several entrants to the ICT field as well as partners such as the higher education and government (Pivar, 2008). Pearson VUE incentives on professional development thr ough certification and training programs have led to the realization of ICT workforce that is well equipped with skills that are relevant in this industry. Pearson VUE testing has been observed to lead to proficiency when it comes to SQL queries running and writing ensuring a combined set of skills in data complex database, resolved KPIs queries from candidates and clients, timely reports for SMT/OMT and clients which are effectively completed, doing away with ICT procedures that are outdated and support of the VSS (Hondros, 2005). The Pearson VUE has been designed in such a way that its exams in any classroom setups are standardized , measurable, are taken as frequent as possible while its analyzing and grading process are faster (Hondros, 2005). This has been achieved through a convenient and easy exam rescheduling and registration in its centers across the world, the complete utilization of Internet in the process of securing data and transmitting it to its test centers, making i t possible for its exams to be downloaded and always available as scheduled, having its exam results accurately and promptly presented to agencies who are certified after which they are merged with the test database that already exists, connections and monitoring all Pearson VUE hub and protection of its certifications through the Digital Embosser that cannot be tampered with (Ondrus and Pigneur, 2009). The above testing process ensures complete satisfaction to the clients as it enables a registration that is painless and quick, having its exams readily available when needed, testing results reported promptly to the chosen and certified agency. To improve its testing processes, Pearson VUE has employed different technologies including the use of biometric identification in the authentication of test takers. The PalmSecure and the Camera biometric technologies used in the identification have been employed in over 500 facilities globally. These technologies have ensured that those tak ing tests are in a position to accurately, conveniently and quickly determine their identity before sitting down for a scheduled test. The one to many matching technology offers an enhanced fraud prevention layer making use of biometric acceleration distribution technology. The Sensometrix is an additional technology in support of the biometric acceleration technology that compares the biometrics of each test taker

Olympics games and a permanent home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Olympics games and a permanent home - Essay Example Financial hazards are pertinent problem where many hosting cities fail to cope up with. But apart from financial hazards, political calamities are also one of the very obvious hazards which the event has to face due to rotating sites. Polarisation and corruption also easily get into the scheme of things of such an auspicious event due to its shift in place. There was a massive boycott in participation during the Montreal, Moscow and Los Angeles games. Moreover, the dark day in the history of Olympics which occurred in the event of 1972 Munich Games where Israeli athletes were attacked, will remain an unforgettable event. All these happened due to myriad polarised selection of places which fell under the regime of different socio-political blocks. Nevertheless, the myth that after hosting the games many cities are able to improve their human rights conditions under the compulsion of the international pressure have been proven time and again and Jacques Rogge, The President of Internat ional Olympic Committee even held the perception till the Beijing Game that the games would â€Å"have a good effect for the evolution of China†. At the same time he also maintained that the Olympic Games would turn out for China as â€Å"a great catalyst for change†. But the government’s increasing restriction for the visit to Tibet and clamping down its dissidents proved the attempt of better human rights condition under international exposure into a complete vain. Olympic Games are far beyond.... At the same time he also maintained that the Olympic Games would turn out for China as â€Å"a great catalyst for change†. But the government’s increasing restriction for the visit to Tibet and clamping down its dissidents proved the attempt of better human rights condition under international exposure into a complete vain. Olympic Games are far beyond the parochial politics of nation, society and economy. Thus for the sake of the maintenance of healthy spirit of the game, it is essential to give it a permanent home possibly in a neutral zone to free the game from corruption, politics and polarisation which will render a strong platform for a game like Olympics to flourish with healthy spirit and competition. Even luminaries associated with the sports world feel the need of a permanent home for the Olympics. Bill Bradley, a Senator and a Democrat of New Jersey seriously felt that the permanent home of the Olympics would be â€Å"suitable for insulating the Games from u nwarranted and disruptive international politics† (Banks-Altakruse, â€Å"Give the Olympics a Home†). Task 2 Today’s low-cost airlines are able to offer fast and cheap travel. However, some people believe this is at a cost to the planet. Suggest ways that governments and individuals could tackle the environmental impact of low-cost flights. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. The current market scenario of the global aviation industry is apparently competitive. The competition is also at a rapid increase which is influencing the marketing strategies of the major industry players. For instance, in the global airline industry companies

Research and Report on a Current Online University Assignment

Research and Report on a Current Online University - Assignment Example The aspects include different leadership theories and knowledge of ethical leadership among others (Education Portal, 2013). Brief Analysis of the Course Based on Different Principles as well as Benchmarks and Improvement of the Course On the basis of different principles as well as benchmarks, it can be affirmed that the course of Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership tends to assist the students in providing them with effective ideas for solving different problems within a workplace. The course generally concerns the usage of various scientific research based techniques that deliberately trains the students to become an effectual business leader. Moreover, the different topics of the course relating to various leadership philosophies, ethics along with styles of personal leadership and conflict ultimately raise the benchmark of the course. Contextually, the course can be improved by appointing a broad range of faculties belonging to diverse educational as well as professional backgrou nds so that the students can be provided with greater ideas about the perception of organizational leadership especially in K-12 business settings and become a successful business leader in their future endeavors. Apart from appointing experienced faculties, the course can also be enhanced by introducing more helpful topics such as strategic planning, organizational behavior, leadership theory as well as practice relating to e-learning and statistical methodologies among others (Michigan State University, 2011). Evaluation of the Selected Course in Determining the Learning Needs and Expectations of the Learners The different topics or subject areas included in the course of Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership effectively determines the learning requirements as well as the expectations of the learners with due significance. In relation to the learning needs and the prospects of the learners or the students, it can be stated that the completion of this course would ultimately support t hem in obtaining the skills required for superior leadership positions in the current day business sectors and to efficiently train others in performing different leadership roles successfully. The various significant topics of the course would also help the learners in acquiring a detailed idea about solving conflicts or disputes, conducting any strategic planning and making any effective developmental policy required to deal with the situation. In other words, it can be stated that the course would eventually aid the learners in successfully dealing with the complex situations commonly faced within a workplace and therefore holding superior leadership positions as compared to others (Education Portal, 2013). Hence, it can be affirmed that the course designed is effective enough to address the learners’ expectations and needs with efficiency. Benchmarks and Principles of Doctor of Business Administration - Management Course The course of Doctor of Business Administration und er Grand Canyon University provides its students with the prospect to raise their knowledge about different theories of business. This particular course has been structured in a way so that the learners or the students can acquire a comprehensive idea about various aspects that include execution of business management theories relating to global economy and implementation of

The Effectiveness of Organizational Actions, Structures, and Research Paper

The Effectiveness of Organizational Actions, Structures, and Multiagency Involvement in Response to Homeland Security - Research Paper Example Terrorism is definitely a serious issue for the super power America as it has faced one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in century (Bullock et al, 2012 p. xv). Positioning statement The department of the Homeland security( DHS) was founded by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) signed on November 25, 2002 with departments from 22 different government agencies initiating official operations on March1, 2003. The DHS has since then underwent a series of restructurings and reorganizations with the aim to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. This section will deal with the actions taken by the US government in tackling the counter terrorism aspect and its subsequent development of a strong base structure with the involvement of the multilateral agencies engaged in tackling the counter terrorism issue. Literature Review Background of the problem The aspect of terrorism is a transnational threat that entails potential risks to the global interests of United State s’ manifested and developed from the international and the domestic surroundings. The core theme of the United States efforts in addressing these transnational issues is to detect, deter and defeat the terrorist faction, primarily the Al Qaeda (Painter, 2011, p. 8). Supporting evidence The Obama administration recognized the significance of the home ground jihadist threat in two of its recent strategy documents. In June 2011, the administration announced the National strategy for the counter terrorism which focused on the Al Qaeda, its affiliates and its adherents. Obama’s top counter terrorism advisor John Brennan publicly described that homeland security is the primary area of emphasis with respect to counterterrorism efforts. In August 2011, the Obama administration released a strategy for combating the violent extremism revolving around the counter action of the radicalization of all types of potential terrorists. The domestic focus of the policy was the protection of the civil rights, federal cooperation with the local leaders in the private and the public sectors. In 2004, Congress passed the project Bio Shield in order to encourage the private sector to develop certain biological counter measures to protect the lethal effects of the biological menace done by the terrorist attacks (Painter, 2011, pp. 8-10). The National Counterterrorism Center is the primary organization for the integration and analyzing the processes involved with terrorism. The system provides all source intelligence support to the government wide counter terrorism activities and establishment of the information technology systems and architectures and infrastructure between the NCTC and the other agencies. The NCTC serves as the chief advisor to the Director of National Intelligence on the international organizations for the strategic operation planning of the counter terrorism (Counterterrorism, n.d., p.3). In the fall of 2001, the anthrax incidents induced the potentia l biological attacks against the nation. In January 2001, President Bush declared a supplementary appropriation with an amount of around $ 1 billion to tighten the states’ capabilities of the bio-terrorism. Developments were made by the states in the utilization of

Offenses of burglary Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Offenses of burglary - Research Proposal Example While in the past, the retributive or punitive aspect has been a foremost element of burglary sentences, in recent times, this has been slowly evolving into a kind of restorative justice, or sentencing, aimed primarily at reparation of economic status of the victims, or seeking to put them in a position, had the felony not taken place. This is apparently aimed at providing material succor to the victims for the property lost or destroyed, due to the felonious act. Current studies show that, imparting from the charge of leniency in burglary pronouncements, the restorative and reparation part of sentencing practices of courts are gaining more currency, especially with regard to public attitudes and outlooks towards burglary crimes in United States of America. It is also being increasingly seen that punishment for felony needs to commensurate with levels of actual felony the culprit has indulged in. This proposal seeks to examine public opinion and beliefs towards sentencing practices by Judges and juries and how these have impacted felony cases. It needs to be appreciated that there are many influences that impact upon opinions. Impressions drawn from media coverage and how the general public view felony crimes and its final sentencing results also determines the formulation of opinions. The changing trends in legal pronouncement are also important since they would, to a large extent, set precedents for future trials and sentencing of defendants in burglary cases. Summary and evaluation of seven designs and methods used in previous research with similar objectives Summary: 1. Questionnaires presented to Senate Court Judges on cases of felony. 2. Interviews conducted with executive functionaries of correctional schools 3. Public surveys with selected respondents and responsible private citizens. 4. Interviews with prison wardens and jailers of juvenile homes 5. Conducting studies in prison settings housing criminals with recidivist occurrences of burglary, larceny and similar crimes 6. Information gathered from State police troopers and law enforcement departments. 7. Internet information gathered from US Department of Justice (DoJ) websites 1. Coming to the involvement of senate court judges, it transpires that the members of these juries are responsible for hearing trials and passing verdicts on crimes relating to burglary offences. Their wide ranging knowledge and experience would be important aspects for a study of this kind. 2. It is seen that in cases of burglary crimes committed by juveniles and young people, the courts would sentence them to detention or incarceration, in correctional or reformatory schools, depending upon the severity of the offence. Although forming a minority for the purpose of this survey, this would be useful for the purpose of this survey. 3. Since the public opinion or benefits are a significant part of this research study, it is but natural that this aspect needs to be considered. Therefore, a survey in the line of public research through online questionnaire, or video conferencing

The Effectiveness of Organizational Actions, Structures, and Research Paper

The Effectiveness of Organizational Actions, Structures, and Multiagency Involvement in Response to Homeland Security - Research Paper Example Terrorism is definitely a serious issue for the super power America as it has faced one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in century (Bullock et al, 2012 p. xv). Positioning statement The department of the Homeland security( DHS) was founded by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) signed on November 25, 2002 with departments from 22 different government agencies initiating official operations on March1, 2003. The DHS has since then underwent a series of restructurings and reorganizations with the aim to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. This section will deal with the actions taken by the US government in tackling the counter terrorism aspect and its subsequent development of a strong base structure with the involvement of the multilateral agencies engaged in tackling the counter terrorism issue. Literature Review Background of the problem The aspect of terrorism is a transnational threat that entails potential risks to the global interests of United State s’ manifested and developed from the international and the domestic surroundings. The core theme of the United States efforts in addressing these transnational issues is to detect, deter and defeat the terrorist faction, primarily the Al Qaeda (Painter, 2011, p. 8). Supporting evidence The Obama administration recognized the significance of the home ground jihadist threat in two of its recent strategy documents. In June 2011, the administration announced the National strategy for the counter terrorism which focused on the Al Qaeda, its affiliates and its adherents. Obama’s top counter terrorism advisor John Brennan publicly described that homeland security is the primary area of emphasis with respect to counterterrorism efforts. In August 2011, the Obama administration released a strategy for combating the violent extremism revolving around the counter action of the radicalization of all types of potential terrorists. The domestic focus of the policy was the protection of the civil rights, federal cooperation with the local leaders in the private and the public sectors. In 2004, Congress passed the project Bio Shield in order to encourage the private sector to develop certain biological counter measures to protect the lethal effects of the biological menace done by the terrorist attacks (Painter, 2011, pp. 8-10). The National Counterterrorism Center is the primary organization for the integration and analyzing the processes involved with terrorism. The system provides all source intelligence support to the government wide counter terrorism activities and establishment of the information technology systems and architectures and infrastructure between the NCTC and the other agencies. The NCTC serves as the chief advisor to the Director of National Intelligence on the international organizations for the strategic operation planning of the counter terrorism (Counterterrorism, n.d., p.3). In the fall of 2001, the anthrax incidents induced the potentia l biological attacks against the nation. In January 2001, President Bush declared a supplementary appropriation with an amount of around $ 1 billion to tighten the states’ capabilities of the bio-terrorism. Developments were made by the states in the utilization of

Hume and Kant on Free

Hume and Kant on Free Will Essay Abstract This paper is an attempt to show how Kant’s ideas concerning practical and transcendental freedom of the will was a significant correction to the parallel theories of Hume. It starts out by clarifying Hume’s critique of free will, especially as it appears in An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. It draws the conclusion that Hume’s philosophy is espousing skepticism, and that Kant’s effort is to overcome this skepticism and restore trust in reason. The philosophy of Kant is outlined in order to make the last point. It is generally agreed that Kant supplied the definitive stamp to philosophy that ushered in the modern age. Hume, though enormously influential in his time, and a favorite in the French salons of philosophy, fell into disrepute in the Victorian era, and only since has become a subject of restored interest. Yet Hume is the philosopher cited by Kant as having stirred him from his â€Å"dogmatic slumbers’. He had espoused a philosophy of empirical skepticism, so thorough and devastating in its scope that it became impossible for Kant to remain in his settled certainties of Newtonian science. It was the spur that carried him on to compose the Critique of Pure Reason (1781), where reason is restored, and man is once more vindicated as a rational being. Just because he refuted and answered Hume’s skepticism does not imply that the latter philosophy is nullified. We must keep this in mind, that Hume’s skepticism is completely valid as far as sense experience is concerned, and Kant does not refute any part of this philosophy. What he does is posit a further dimension to human understanding, specifically, the synthetic a priori faculty of the mind, the existence of which Hume did not suspect. Only after this addition is the primacy of reason restored. So we cannot say that Kant has destroyed Hume’s philosophy, rather he has added to it. Central to Hume’s skepticism is his critique of â€Å"cause and effect†, which is spelled out to its most profound depths in chapter VII of the An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748). The preliminary task is to outline the copy principle. The premise to this is that all knowledge begins from sense experience. Among such we are able to distinguish between primary and secondary sensations. The primary sensations are extension, motion, inertia etc, which are indeed the concepts that physics tackles. Color, taste, smell etc are said to be secondary sensations, composed or derived from the primary ones. The copy principle says that the primary sensations, though not delivering complete information from the material object – which is more poignantly described as â€Å"the object in itself – nevertheless is a faithful copy of it. This is why primary sensations are distinct and forceful presences in our mind. Secondary sensations are in turn copies of the original copy, and due to this derivative nature they lose distinctness to us. We will examine the copy principle of Hume in a moment. For the time being we accept it as such and consider the consequences. For Hume’s purposes, it has allowed him to refer to objects and their motions with confidence, and not to be held back by the validity of these concepts. For without the principle we don’t know as yet that objects are objects, and motion is motion, and we would have had to deal with a chaos of sense experience, and nothing meaningful to refer to it against (1993, p. 12). So now, with the copy principle of Hume as foundation, we proceed to talk about objects in motion. Next, we observe interdependence between objects, carried out in space and time. We â€Å"know† that motion in one object is â€Å"cause† to motion in another. A billiard ball in motion strikes another, and after impact the second acquires a velocity too, and the faculty of our understanding tells us, without the least inkling of doubt, that the impact imparted by the first ball is the cause of the second ball gaining motion. This understanding is so refined that we can, with a little help from Newton’s mechanics, predict the exact trajectory of the second ball by analyzing the trajectory of the first. We know it, but how do we know it? This is the crucial question for Hume. For if we do not have the answer we are left with skepticism. After impact with the first ball the second could have taken any one of an infinite number of trajectories. But it takes only one, and indeed we expect it to take only that one. A physicist may come along and try to convince us that it could not have taken any other trajectory because the laws of motion stipulates that, with the initial conditions given, the path it takes is the only possible one. But this is not an answer to the observer of the billiard ball, because he doesn’t care what the laws of physics are. If nature had followed another mathematical law then another outcome would have been just as valid. The observer could then have framed his conundrum differently: Of the infinite possible mathematical laws why just that one? There is nothing in the inner logic of the situation that dictates that the first ball should produce exactly the prescribed trajectory in the second. Hume said this about the experimental set-up, that we may try an experiment ten times, and may arrive at the exact same result ten times. But this does not prove that the specific outcome is inevitable. Not even if we confirmed the outcome a million times, because we would still only have a statistical probability and not a proof. Hume’s conclusion is that there is no rational link between cause and effect. Yet we expect effect to follow cause, immediately and irrevocably. If this is so then, explains Hume, it is a feeling transmitted to us by custom. What exactly he means by custom is left vague. He could not have meant anything other than â€Å"observing over and over again†, even though this fails to take into account new experience. He himself supplies a famous counterexample in the Enquiry. Some one who has experienced all the shades of blue, except for a tiny strip of the spectrum, is expected to report a gap when looking at the full spectrum of blue. But the fact is that he does not observe a gap at all, and recognizes at once the full spectrum of blue, even though he is experiencing a particular shade on blue for the first time. The recognition was instantaneous, and the eye did require â€Å"accustoming† beforehand. This readily disposes the theory of â€Å"custom†. Hume, however, continues to insist that our convictions regarding cause and effect can have no other source than custom. That the inference to custom is a vague one is made clear when he comes to consider free will. The very act of consciousness, he says, testifies to the existence of free will. But coming to reflect on how it is possible that we are able to willingly set our limbs into motion, and to move and external object thereby, it appears nothing less than miraculous. The mystery in nothing less than how one immaterial body imparts momentum to another: For first: Is there any principle in all nature more mysterious than the union of soul with body; by which a supposed spiritual substance acquires such an influence over a material one, that the most refined thought is able to actuate the grossest matter? (Hume, 1993, p. 43) The upshot is that we cannot explain free will, just as surely as we cannot explain cause and effect. ‘Custom’ was hesitantly introduced to explain cause and effect, and the same comes to the rescue of free will. As constant observers of nature we come to expect an effect to always follow a cause, and the same analysis ought to be applied to the orbit of human will. In all times and in all places humans have shown a constancy in their day to day affairs, which points to a constancy in human nature. The speculation concerning the scope of free will is overdone by the philosophers, maintains Hume. The exercise of free will, when looked at through the vista of human history, does not display divergence as much as it displays constancy. Hume broaches on the distinction between freedom and necessity to make this point clear. Inanimate objects convey to us most clearly the quality of freedom. We may describe an inanimate object as indifferent to the rest of the material universe, and in that sense free. But this freedom also entails necessity. The object is subject to the necessary laws of causation, and indeed is bound entirely by them. This is the relationship that binds cause and effect to inanimate objects, and is a relationship that is composed of both freedom and necessity. Hume transposes the same analysis to the relationship between human beings and free will. The will is indeed free, but being so implies that it conforms to human nature. He proposes the following definition: By liberty, then, we can only mean a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will; this is, if we choose to remain at rest, we may; if we choose to move, we also may. (1993, p. 63) The notion of free will advanced here bears a crucial difference to the popular one, and begs to be spelt out. What Hume describes as free will is not a choice between course ‘A’ and ‘B’. Rather the choice is between ‘A’ and ‘not A’, the latter implying stagnation, not an alternative course. This is the entire extent of our free will. We choose either to move forward, or else to stand still. This is what Hume would describe as freedom to act. Free will, however, is in complete accordance with human nature, and therefore follows the laws of necessity, just as everything else in contingent reality. Free will urges us to act â€Å"freely†. With freedom to act we may respond to this urge, or we may desist. In the final analysis our understanding of free will hinges on custom, in the same way as does our understanding of cause and effect. The past is guide to the future in the probabilistic sense. Beyond probabilities we have no understanding of either, contends Hume. In order to enforce this skepticism he proceeds to dismantle the Cartesian theories that pretended to explain mind and matter interaction, especially the theory of occasionalism advanced by Father Nicholas Malebranche. In this theory God is made both motivator and executor of every act or incident that seems to be â€Å"cause†, while the circumstances which we call a cause are only occasions for God to act in such a manner. Hume complained that this not only made God a slave to his own creation, but it also eradicated free will, making everything â€Å"full of God† (1993, p. 47). By disposing summarily the Cartesian explanations of cause and effect Hume makes his skepticism complete. Kant overcomes this skepticism by revising the premise of Hume. The correction is made most forcefully in the opening to the Critique: Although all our knowledge begins with experience, it does not follow that it arises entirely from experience.   For it is quite possible that our empirical knowledge is a compound of that which we receive through impressions and that which our own faculty of knowing (incited by impressions) supplies from itself†¦ (1999, p. 1) To be fair to Hume, he does consider this possibility, and ponders whether there is a blueprint in the mind where all ‘causes’ and all ‘effects’ can be referred back. (1993, p. 44). But he dismisses this idea when he realizes that a static blueprint can never account for the dynamic reality. However, the faculty that Kant is suggesting is not static, rather dynamic and creative, and here lies the crucial difference. In the technical terms of Kant it is the synthetic a priori faculty of the mind. This is distinguished from the analytic a priori faculty, such as logic. The rules of logic are extant in the mind (a priori), but form a self-consistent system (analytical), and therefore do not depend on sense experience. On the first instance it seems impossible that the mind can have a faculty that is synthetic a priori, where synthetic implies that it is creative. It entails that order is created out of the chaos of sense experience, and order that was not there before. But Kant also provides proof that the mind is capable of synthesis. Mathematical propositions are synthetic a priori, he contended. The proposition â€Å"3 + 5 = 8† may sound like self-consistent logic, but it is not really so. â€Å"8† is a completely new concept, and is not contained in either â€Å"3†, â€Å"5† or â€Å"+†. If we know that â€Å"3 + 5 = 8†, it is due to a synthetic a priori faculty in the mind. As Kant relates in the Prolegomena, when he realized that mathematical propositions are indeed synthetic a priori, it led him to ponder on what other such concepts the mind uses to facilitate understanding, and it appeared to him, in due course, that â€Å"cause and effect† was a concept of understanding that derives from the same faculty. He does not at all concern himself with material reality as a â€Å"thing in itself†, that which the materialist philosophers were after in order to provide a foundation to Newtonian science. Like Hume he maintains throughout that an absolute material reality is beyond knowledge, and to speculate on its existence was futile. We only need to consider what we perceive and what we do. He also shows that Hume falters at exactly those points where he cannot dismiss material existence in itself. The copy principle is slavish to a material object in itself. The object does not deliver copies to our mind; rather the mind provides the concepts of space in which we are able to conjure up material objects from sensory data. Both â€Å"space† and â€Å"time† are pure concepts of the mind, contends Kant, and like â€Å"cause and effect† are the tools by which we come to understand contingent reality (Prolegomena, 2005, p. 26). As soon as it is made out that we are the responsible architects of our own reality, and are not passive bystanders to an absolute material reality beyond our control, we suddenly discover ourselves as moral beings. Therefore the subsequent direction of Kant’s philosophy, after the metaphysics of understanding has been established, is towards a metaphysics of morals. And so emerges the crucial distinction that Kant makes between practical and transcendental freedom. To say that we have practical freedom implies we are able to understand the world, and by doing so we direct the will accordingly. We will do so of course for practical purposes – survival, utility, convenience, happiness etc. this would seem to cover the entire orbit of freedom. But Kant went on to demonstrate, in his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), that such freedom is not actually freedom at all, and indeed is a binding. Thus far Kant is in concord with Hume. Now, the metaphysics of understanding, as spelt out in the Critique, is not the entire picture. The synthetic a priori faculty of the mind fashions understanding out of sensory experience. But such understanding does not lead to truth. As pure concepts of understanding space and time are both necessarily infinite. But because they emanate from the finite mind they are also finite. So in their very make-up space and time lead to contradictions. The same end must necessarily meet anything that takes place within space and time. So that matter is both infinitely divisible and also made up of concrete building blocks. As another example, we have free will, but at the same time everything is caused, so we don’t have free will. Such examples are put forward by Kant as pairs of â€Å"antinomies†. According to our understanding both consequences are valid, and yet they mutually contradict each other. All practical reasoning necessarily leads to pairs of antinomies. This must be so, because we reason by means of subject and predicate, where the subject is the cause of the predicate. But this subject is in turn predicate to another subject, and so on in an infinite chain of causation. If there was an ultimate subject at the beginning of this chain, we could have claimed to have discovered the final cause, and thereby have at hand a pronouncement of truth. But in contingent reality there is no such final cause. So whenever we try to make pronouncements of truth we must face contradiction. We cannot say that practical reason is false for this reason. Life is ruled by contingencies, and practical reason is to explain the contingent, or to facilitate such understanding. Absolute truth lies beyond all contingencies, and this is ruled by â€Å"pure† reason, explains Kant. It is not within the grasp of the human mind, yet it is the underpinning of the mind, and is the source of all innate faculties. The same analysis applies to practical freedom, which is but the corollary to practical reason. With practical freedom we choose our course according to practical reason, i.e. we are motivated by self-serving motives – happiness, honor, respectability, and so on. But in doing so we bind ourselves to those endless chains of contingencies, so that we are not really free. We chase material acquisition in order to be happy, and yet it always eludes us. The definition of freedom is to escape all contingencies, and yet by the application of practical reason we are mired more and more into contingent reality. Therefore we are not free. This is indeed a contradiction, one which Hume does not pay heed to. The very act of consciousness tells us that we are free, that out will is free. If practical reason does not embody this freedom, then surely pure reason must do so. By the same token, we are in possession of a transcendental freedom, which is a path that overcomes all contingencies, and is dictated by pure reason. Kant describes this path as the moral one. We recognize and follow this path from a sense of duty. To clarify what it is, duty is done for its own sake. There is no material motive whatsoever attached to it. Not for any particular good, it is done for the universal good. It is a categorical imperative, meaning that the very make-up of our being, or pure reason, dictates that we follow it. As an aid to identifying one’s duty Kant devised the following wording for the categorical imperative: â€Å"I ought never to act except in such a way that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law† (Moral Law, 2005, p. 74). Kant is described as overcoming Hume’s skepticism. But it is questionable whether the latter is a skeptic at all. According to a contemporary, Hume’s philosophical paradoxes are delivered with a confidence that belies skepticism: â€Å"Never has there been a Pyrrhonian more dogmatic† (qtd. in Mossner, 1936, p. 129). A more recent reassessment of Hume is carried out by the German Neo-Kantian philosopher Ernst Cassirer, who opines, â€Å"Hume’s doctrine is not to be understood as an end, but as a new beginning† (1951, p. 59). The nature of this new beginning is well articulated by Hume himself. â€Å"Indulge your passion for science,† nature tells us, according to Hume, â€Å"but let your science be human, and such as may have a direct reference to action and society† (Hume, 1993, p. 3). If we listen carefully, the moral note that Hume is sounding is hardly different from that of the categorical imperative of Kant. Not for the person’s sake, but for humanity’s sake. Not for the particular good but for the universal good. This is the essence of Hume’s projected â€Å"science of man†, as it is also the heart of Kant’s metaphysics of morals. References Cassirer, E. (1951). The Philosophy of the Enlightenment. Trans. Fritz C. A. Koelln and James P. Pettegrove. Boston: Beacon Press. Hume, D. (1993). An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. E. Steinberg (Ed.) Boston: Hackett Publishing. Kant, I. (1999). Critique of Pure Reason. W. S. Pluhar (Trans.), E. Watkins (Ed.) Boston: Hackett Publishing. Kant, I. (2005). Kants Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing. Kant, I. (2005). The Moral Law: Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals. Translated by H. J. Paton. New York: Routledge. Mossner, E. C. (1936). Bishop Butler and the Age of Reason: A Study in the History Of Thought. New York: Macmillan.

Aesthetic Labour Within The United Kingdom

Aesthetic Labour Within The United Kingdom Within recent years it has been found emotions play a large part in todays work place, with the same now being said in regards to aesthetic labour. Postrell (2003) even suggests that we are on verge of entering an aesthetic economy, bring forth an era of appearance and feel. With the fundamental feature of this economy predominately being employees appearance developing the notion that style is strategy, Postrell also suggests that the look of employees can also determine the ambience of a room as much as the furnishings or decor. Aesthetic labour itself is a modern term in regards to recruiting staff whom look the part (Witz et al, 2003). The concept of aesthetic labour was developed based on employers impression that parts of the service industries were portrayed as the style labour market this includes the following service areas; bars, hotels, events and retailers, who require aesthetic skills in addition to social and technical skills from employees (Nickson et al, 2004, p.3). Todays research shows that within the UK, service jobs now accommodate around three-quarters of all jobs, with them predominantly coming from the retail and hospitality sectors. With a 17 percent growth between 1979 and 2003 within these sectors alone it can be seen from current examination of employers trends that the selections of employees with self presentation skills have a higher preference than experience or technical skills. For example a current survey of one hundred human resource experts within the United States of America accountable for employing hospitality industry employees publicized that their top two criterias were pride in appearance and a good attitude (Martin and Grove, 2002), the hospitality training foundation (2001) also confirmed that these top criterias are also shared by the industries within the UK. Once again both within the UK and USA it has been found that once employees have been employed their appearance continues to influence and help them, with sug gestion that service, profession and pay are all subjective to employees appearance. Within the UK this is most prominent in the service sector however it can be seen in most areas (Harper, 2000). Nick et al (2004, p.3) argues that aesthetics within interactive service work is also becoming a major input however this trend has not yet been confirmed by policy markers. Other authors also suggest that the aesthetics within interactive service work is extremely significant with trends coming from interrelationships as well as from human and non human elements that are found with the workplace itself. In which aestheticization process can present them through fundamental actor network theory, these are transitions of redevelopment identifying how systems come together to act as a whole (Deepdyve Beta 2010). In particular in many customer facing jobs a large amount of importance is placed on a persons characteristics to a degree in which employers specifically look for people who are passionate, stylish, confident, tasty, clever, successful and well travelled (Warhurst and Nickson, 2001, p.14). It is essentially that all employees portray the right image for the company, irrespective of the skills they possess. Grugulis et al (2004) argues that many managers may try to control how their employees feel and look, as well as how they behave, so that they can expose the correct emotions, aesthetics and productivity needed within a specific working environment. Moulding employees appearance is a very well known process used by employers to maintain a business like image; this includes the use of uniforms and dress codes. In a recent survey it was found eighty percent of organisations surveyed enforced a uniform policy or dress code, principally to keep up a corporate image. Due to employee ap pearance and aesthetic appeal being considered an essential part of any companies branding or competitive approach (Grugulis et al, (2004). In addition another survey within the UK based around the retail sector detailed that ninety percent of employers rated appearance as a crucial recruitment and selection process, with sixty one percent of them subsequently offering training in dress sense and style (Nickson et al, 2005). This is also true for emotional labour, Hochschild (1983, p.7) explains how emotions manages the feelings of employees to create the right visual appearance from their facial and body expressions. However other authors have observed that image is theoretically becoming stopped due to the lack of up to date research and debate (Witz et al 2003). It has been thought that aesthetic labour is opening a new kind of discrimination based around people being turned down or employed for different jobs solely because of their looks. Oaff (2003, p.7) stated if your gender and your race havent kept you off the short list, your physical appearance still might. Aesthetic labour has also been seen to have neglect on gender, with an acknowledgment of body work within the service industry (Adkins 2000). Adkin reports that there is a large attention placed on gender and sexuality within the origins of the aesthetic components of labour. Many authors feel there is a thin line between sexuality and gender within a job role. For example research has shown within the service industry there is a 63 to 37 percent female to male split and within the hospitality sector there is a 59 to 41 percent female to male split. Kerfoot and Korcznski (2005, p.388) identifies that the majority of service jobs have female based employees whose jobs are linked to low wages and less to none job prospects. From this it has also been found when advertising for jobs many companies purposely gender stereotype their adverts to list soft skills that are exclusively feminine based. The gender stereotyping of jobs also links to the thought that customers in particular males prefer the female touch that is brought to the initial meeting. Aesthetic labour has led to large social changes within the majority of sectors leading to an increase in seasonal, part time and temporary job openings, allowing a high level of younger workers to gain experience especially those within the tourism industry. The main reason for this is younger people are often aesthetically closer to consumers customers. Baum (2008, p.81) explains this by saying the sector seeks to attract employees who..(deliver) aesthetic labour(so are in) much closer proximity with their customers. These types of people are known as style workers, they are those who physically and emotionally match their working environment and therefore closely identify with the products, being able to understand their customers needs and wants. In a previous Singaporean context a process was referred to in which service workers are highly brand conscious, Gurrier et al (1998, p.34) states the modern young Singaporean is disinclined to work in service unless the image of the pro duct accords with their own sense of fashion. Working in Gucci means that the product becomes part of her own accessory range. Within todays hospitality sector it is easy to see the vast social different between the employee and consumer it is understandable why employers employ the correct type of people for their organisations that matches their emotion and the aesthetic requirements. The term aesthetic labour first appeared in 1999 when Chris Warhurst and a team at the University of Strathclyde compared the term to an older medieval Italian term called sprezzatura. This has since become a fundamentally piece of research in terms of human resource management or hrm. With people such as Mulford et al (1998, p.1585) making claims that the attractiveness of people is dependent on their opportunities to develop socially and cooperate with others. Making it is easy to see where the pressures of recruitment and retention of employees based on their image has affected hrm. The idea of aesthetic labour may cause conflict within the sense that ethnical problems may arise if someone is employed solely on how they look. This has since developed tension based on what people feel management ought to or should do. The ethics of aesthetic compare this to management viewing us up against a framework allowing them to judge right and wrong. The ethics and morality of aesthetic has been address by many authors for example it is suggested that the business background produces its own unique moral standard (Nash 1990, p.5). However Fisher and Lovell (2006, p.42) feel that ethics is based around doing well, in which wrongs are prevented or masked if done. With a variety of different views in the air, for hrm the challenge to retain professionalism is key due to the thought and actions of aesthetics causing pain and worry to their organisations employees. Emotional labour has a direct link to aesthetics the term emotional labour was first identified by Hochschild in 1983 and is used to depict the actions of service workers that goes beyond their usual physical and mental roles. In which the employees show actual worry for the customers needs. Examples of this include customer facing roles in which employees use the term service with a smile, they help solve complaints and change the customers mood. Hochschild (1983) uses the term management of feeling to create a publicly facial and bodily display. The use of emotional labour is a good practice especially used in the face of angry or unhappy customers when employees may need to hide their really emotions. It has been found that organisation have since place a large amount of strategic orientation on this, so that employees know how to handle themselves not only in front of customers but also other employees and internal customers. It is easy to see how emotional skills will also place any potential employee further up the recruitment ladder. Having both emotional and aesthetic skills will help employers complete their aim to have oven ready employees which are ready to go straight into the job with little training. This strategy is extremely useful in minimising costs, but employing these types of people based solely on these particular skills also places knowledge by the employer that the characteristic of the employee cannot be necessarily trained. Looking directly within the service based sectors the importance of aesthetics as well as self presentation skills is effortlessly demonstrated. However the problems caused is also very noticeable. Although many businesses strive to maintain competitive advantage, the evidence from many forms of research places this dependency on the new style driven niche in which many managements attempts of controlling their employees expands beyond the usual aspects. Nevertheless the positives and the potential of aesthetics on an employee to customer based ratio evidently are flourishing, unlike that of the employer to employee ratio within any organisation which is under strain with new forms of discrimination being found. Although academic skills are clearly not a major part of any recruitment or selection processes, the aesthetic skills are now becoming a requirement do help the utilisation of any organisation. Furthermore it can be seen the large difference between aestheticised labour and a esthetic labour, in which employees have preserved certain characteristics and appearance to both maintain and secure their employment. With reference to a employees specific wage being dependent on the employees gender/sexuality or image there is little evidence to completely agree with this however it can be seen that employees do receive other kinds of payback in the form of benefits such free clothing or make overs. It can also be found that the emotional skills work particularly well along side aesthesis, helping organisations gain oven ready customers who will fulfil the companies needs to place the employee straight into the heart of the business. At present self presentation skills is not currently predominant in the learning market, due to the shortage of approval by the policy makers. This may be because of the concerns of moulding employees appearance or because they are unsure how to integrate it into the training agendas. Whichever it may be it is easy to see the impact it will and is already having on organisations human resource management team, as there are so many different points of views on the right and wrong ways to go about aesthetics when recruiting and maintaining employees.