An Era of Smart Phones and Dumb People

An Era of Smart Phones and Dumb People You spot them immediately. They're gathered around the swing set Eke moths to an open flame; not talking, Just looking down at what's In their small hands. There's around four of them, appearing to be first graders or so, testing away twice as fast as you ever could, completely oblivious to everything around them. Pausing for a second, you stop to wonder, â€Å"Whatever happened to actually using the swing set? † Technology is like a fine wine; as it matures and ages, it becomes better and better, making it appeal to large crowds of people.Yet what happens If one has too much wine? They become drunk. Just like an alcoholic, the next generation appears as if they are addicted to this modern technology, and that is not be such a good thing as people think It Is. The kids seem to be gradually losing one of the most delicate and treasured things on this planet: human Interaction. For example, let me pose a simple question, when was the last t ime you have a game night with your family, or any other time that was solely devoted to your nearest and dearest? Some will answer years while others, mere days.Twenty-first century based females tend to go to their own sections of the house with an electronic of their choice, whether that may be a Kindle, phone, Pod, Tablet, you name it, instead of hanging out with their family. Young children observe this and brand It as the norm. Well, why shouldn't they? Aren't we the ones at blame for this? The ones they look to in order to know how to interact, to act with others? Look at the older population, the elderly, in your community; they will smile at you through car windows while parked at red lights or ask you how you're doing while o'er both standing In the grocery line at your local supermarket.Sadly, this seems to be a rare thing to stumble across these days in all of us young people. Back when I was a kid, If I wanted to play a game I would go find my brother and we would have to make one up ourselves. That's right; we had to use our imaginations, just like our dear friend Sponge taught us to. But now, with Inventions such as the Leaped and Manitoba, instead of making up their own games, children have the ability to download over three hundred and twenty-five APS with a push of a button.Along with these APS, as if they weren't already enough, the youngsters can record videos, take pictures with the two cameras available, listen to music, and access an internet made just for them. At their age, I had sidewalk chalk and a stinking Jump rope for crying out loud. Yet why would they choose such simple, ordinary things when they have hours of guaranteed entertainment right at their little fingertips, within those many APS? Snatching away. Ah yes, now I've remembered.You know all those outdoor toy commercials that make kids want to explore the great outside? Me neither. Outside: The brilliant archenemy of the indoors. It's a place to be loud, rambunctious, and l east of all quiet. In a nutshell, it's a child's heaven on Earth, or should be. But instead of actually going outdoors to play, kids tend to stay inside claiming it's too hot, too cold, too windy, too†¦ Too anything really. So instead they sit on the couch watching mindless television shows while withering away into nothing more or less than lazy, couch potatoes.If the patterns keep up we may eventually all turn into mild forms of the characters in the beloved movie Wall-E: grotesquely fat, genealogy obsessed humans, who don't know how to live without an electronic in one hand and a remote in another. This sickens and saddens me all at once. Now, am I declaring that all technology is bad and it should be banished from Earth never to be spoken of or seen again? That we should Just absentmindedly convert back to the ways our ancestors and live without modern conveniences? Of course I'm not!I'm merely asking you to take a step back and look at how much technology you use on a dail y basis, even if it's Just making a call on your cell phone r turning on the TV to unwind after a long day at work. I simply don't want a world where the next generation becomes engulfed and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of technology being shoved down their throats as soon as they are able to walk and talk. The relationships we construct with others should be cherished and preserved by interacting with each other face-to-face every rather than Just testing each other. I'm asking you to get off the couch and be social.Go to Struck with a few friends, go shopping with them, or maybe even volunteer and meet new people. Find the balance in your life; don't let technology control it. The same goes for your children, sure you can give them a Nintendo or a Tablet, but remember to shoo them outside every once in a while to play. A child's imagination or anyone's really, can't be replaced with APS and computers, it's Just impossible. They can be compressed, though, if they don't have a ch ance to grow. A close friend once told me, â€Å"We are living in the era of smart phones and dumb people,† and if you think about it enough, we are. We really, truly are.

The Death Penalty

The Death Penalty â€Å"If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call. † (McAdams) The death penalty should be legalized in all fifty states, to avert from crime, keep repeat offenders off of the streets, and to reduce taxpayers the cost of keeping those found guilty of heinous crimes in prison low. The death penalty can in fact deter heinous crimes from being committed when it is lawful in a state. Social scientists have stated that the act of general deterrence, which is when the punishment deters potential criminals from committing crimes, keeps criminals from going through with crimes. However, it is more shown that premeditated crimes are usually the ones stopped by general deterrence, not crimes under passion. Heinous crimes have been reduced highly in the states that have a capital punishment law. The death penalty keeps repeat offenders off of the streets. In Michigan a case that represents this happened; â€Å"A man who was hired by Honeywell Inc. , after serving four years in prison for strangling a co-worker has been charged with killing another co-worker and a woman he allegedly stalked and threatened for weeks† (Sullum personal file). Had the death penalty been allowed in Michigan the woman’s life could have been sparred, for the male who murdered her would have been executed long before and never had the chance to murder her. The death penalty may be a long process, but it does not give those on death row a hope of parole. By having the heinous criminals in prisons on death row keeps them from repeating crimes. In five out of seven cases it is said that criminals will once again commit crimes once released from prison of jail. The death penalty keeps the criminals in jail and executes them. This protects the general public from murderous crimes from repeat offenders. The death penalty also keeps taxpayers costs low, because the prison looses members in which the state taxes would have to pay for. The citizens of the state pay for the prisoners, and my eliminating the criminals jailed for heinous crimes reduces cost by a high percent. The average cost per year per prison is about $1 billion. By enforcing the death penalty and making it lawful can reduce that cost by almost half. Half does not sound like much in such large terms, but in reality it is an immense amount of money that the taxpayers can be using somewhere else. Struggling families still have to pay for imprisoned criminals and the death penalty can in turn have more money in that home, because it would not be put towards the prison. There is another side to the death penalty, however. Most people believe the death penalty is immoral and unjust. Some say that the idea of â€Å"an eye for an eye† should not apply to the death penalty. Capital punishment is still an act of murder, which is punishable by law. This is a major argument of those against capital punishment. There are also religious views that keep many opposed of the death penalty. Christians view the death penalty as wrong because of the fact that killing a killer is still killing, which is a sin that breaks one of the Ten Commandments. The large population of Christians in the United States keeps the vote against capital punishment high, because this nation was built on that faith and it is also the highest religion in the nation. The death penalty keeps taxpayers cost low, keeps repeat offenders off of the street, and deters heinous crime, and therefore should be made lawful in all fifty states of the United States of America. The Death Penalty The Death Penalty: It is Never Justified A young man has been charged with the brutal murder of a seventeen year old girl after raping and mutilating her body. This crime was so heinous and unthinkable that the only punishment that seems to fit the crime is capital punishment; there is merely one problem†the man convicted is innocent. The public is so caught up in bringing Justice to the murdered girl that through capital punishment more injustice is brought into the world and the life of another innocent being is taken. There is no going back and undoing the mistake.There is no undoing in the matter of death. The accidental murder of an innocent person through the death penalty is Just one way in which the death penalty is a completely unethical, flawed, and unjustified form of punishment. Problems associated with the death penalty such as it being inhumane, discriminatory, and an unfair form of punishment, are reasons that capital punishment is never the answer to aggravated murder [claim]. The death penalty is extremely inhumane. Three common techniques used to perform the sentence include the electric chair, gas chambers, and lethal injection.Supporters of the death penalty argue that modern science has eliminated the factor of pain by lethal injection [rebuttal], but how can this truly be proved? The scientific journal the Nature Publishing Group [backing] reported that almost half the prisoners are still conscious although paralyzed during the lethal injection as the drug stops the heart. The NPG then goes on to state, â€Å"If suitably qualified individuals refuse to help prepare a new protocol, the state will face the prospect of continuing to use amateurs to kill people with arbitrary and outmoded technology' (â€Å"Amateur† 2) [evidence].Dying is a painful thing. The punishment of death is already extreme, but the fact that the prisoner is being put down with chemicals that aren't even provided by physicians or scientists is cruel and la cks any compassion. Andrew Stephen, the United States editor of the New Statesman magazine which reports on current affairs, [backing] also explained the inhumanity of the most humane form of capital punishment: lethal injection. Stephen explained how the potassium chloride used in the injection causes excruciating pain as it makes its way through the veins and into the heart to kill the person.Stephen follows this by stating, â€Å"The American Veterinary Medical Association even issued guidelines in 2002 saying that the mix was unacceptable for putting dogs and cats, let alone humans, to sleep† (Stephen 33) [evidence]. How can a democracy in the U. S. which stands for Justice possibly support this blatantly inhumane form of punishment that isn't even suitable for animals? There is no way to properly kill a human being, it is immoral and unjust not matter who it is done to, and therefore does not hold a place in the U. S. Jurisdiction.The death penalty can also be very arbit rary or random in the sense that there is ot a set standard for everyone who commits murder to be sentenced to death. It makes little sense how some prisoners who are convicted of terrible murders get the privilege of living while others who did not murder in cold blood do not get the opportunity for rehabilitation and redemption. The cause of such arbitrariness can be attributed to discrimination. David Bruck, who was a Harvard and University of South Carolina graduate, served as a lawyer detending those charged witn capita punishment [backing].Bruck illustrates how unfair capital punishment is in an essay he wrote for The New Republic magazine. Bruck explains how a man from Louisiana named Ernest Knighton killed a gas station owner while robbing the gas station. This is of course a terrible crime; however, the crime was not premeditated and pales in comparison to other gruesome murders, yet somehow Knighton was chosen to be executed. This may be explained by the fact that Knighton was black, the victim was white, the Jury at his hearing was entirely white, and he lacked sufficient defense.In other words, discrimination was a factor. Bruck explains this execution by stating, â€Å"Ernest Knighton was picked out to die the way a fisherman takes a cricket out of a ait Jar. No one cares which cricket gets impaled on the hook† (Bruck NPA) [evidence]. There were clearly more threatening murderers out there than Knighton, but Knighton was chosen to die. The chance that this kind of discrimination will continue is entirely possible [modal qualifier] and illustrates the faults in the system of capital punishment.However, in cases such as capital punishment where death is involved, there is no room for faults. Life is a precious gift not to be taken lightly. Money also seems to be a discriminatory factor in the death penalty, as rich eople are more likely to avoid the death penalty than are poor people who cannot afford proper defense. A rich murderer's life is no more valuable than the life of a poor murderer, yet the chance of survival for a poor man is much lower than that of a rich man. This harsh fact is unfair.Scott Phillips author for the Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology [backing] writes, â€Å"As Former Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, for example, noted: ‘One searches our chronicles in vain for the execution of any member of the affluent strata of this society† (Phillips 718) [evidence]. It is efinitely plausible [modal qualifier] that the people who have money are the ones who can afford the best defense and therefore avoid the death penalty. It hardly seems fair that the rich get to live over the poor not because of innocence, but because of the size of their wallets.Two wrongs do not make a right under the conditions of murder. The system of capital punishment is obviously defective as it discriminates and seemingly picks its victims at random, risking the possibility of killing even the innocent. Advoc ates of the death penalty argue that it is the only form of punishment that is orthy of murder [rebuttal]. This is an â€Å"eye for an eye† mentality. Edward Koch, the former mayor of New York [backing], supported this mentality by stating, â€Å".. it can be easily demonstrated that the death penalty strengthens the value of human life. If the penalty for rape were lowered, clearly it would signal a lessened regard for the victim's suffering.. .When we lower the penalty for murder, it signals a lessened regard for the value of the victim's life† (Koch NPA) [evidence]. Koch's statement is a fallacy of a false analogy and is therefore not plausible [modal qualifier]. No two rimes can really be compared to each other. Rape and murder are admittedly two very horrific offenses, but are in no way the same.We do not rape the criminals charged of rape to show them how it feels, nor should we kill the criminals charged of murder. Killing the prisoner makes us no better than th e prisoner himself. Instead of capital punishment, there should be harsher punishments in Jail for those convicted of murder, Just as those convicted of rape have harsher punishments than those convicted ot tnett. Another argument supporters of the death penalty like to utilize is that killing a uman being is okay because it is done by the state, which has more rights, rather than an individual [rebuttal].Koch makes the point when he writes, â€Å"The execution of a lawfully condemned killer is no more an act of murder than is legal imprisonment an act of kidnapping†¦ Rights and responsibilities surrendered by the individual are what give the state the power to govern† ( Koch NPA) [evidence]. This is once again a fallacy of a false analogy. Of course legal imprisonment is not kidnapping, because it is an agreed upon punishment by the people of a democracy for those who have roken the laws of society. On the contrary, capital punishment is not entirely agreed upon because this punishment is too harsh.Capital punishment is not necessary to govern its people; if the state must resort to the killing of individuals by the death penalty which has already been proven faulty, there are greater issues at hand. In the end, those who wish for capital punishment aren't really wishing for Justice, or to keep order. Justice and order can be achieved with without the killing of prisoners. It is rather unjust to inflict the death penalty, its only purpose to serve as a orm of bitter revenge that one can only hope will avenge the death of the lost person.However, it is not the place of the state to take revenge, but to bring Justice. Justice needs to be fair, humane, morally sound, and it needs to be reasonable. The death penalty in no way fits into any of those descriptions. This is a topic that should concern everyone. If the people of the United States allow for the death penalty, and the legal system makes a completely possible and at some point probable [modal qualifier] mistake and wrongfully sentences an innocent man to death, that death is on each and every person who advocates the death penalty. The Death Penalty The Death Penalty: It is Never Justified A young man has been charged with the brutal murder of a seventeen year old girl after raping and mutilating her body. This crime was so heinous and unthinkable that the only punishment that seems to fit the crime is capital punishment; there is merely one problem†the man convicted is innocent. The public is so caught up in bringing Justice to the murdered girl that through capital punishment more injustice is brought into the world and the life of another innocent being is taken. There is no going back and undoing the mistake.There is no undoing in the matter of death. The accidental murder of an innocent person through the death penalty is Just one way in which the death penalty is a completely unethical, flawed, and unjustified form of punishment. Problems associated with the death penalty such as it being inhumane, discriminatory, and an unfair form of punishment, are reasons that capital punishment is never the answer to aggravated murder [claim]. The death penalty is extremely inhumane. Three common techniques used to perform the sentence include the electric chair, gas chambers, and lethal injection.Supporters of the death penalty argue that modern science has eliminated the factor of pain by lethal injection [rebuttal], but how can this truly be proved? The scientific journal the Nature Publishing Group [backing] reported that almost half the prisoners are still conscious although paralyzed during the lethal injection as the drug stops the heart. The NPG then goes on to state, â€Å"If suitably qualified individuals refuse to help prepare a new protocol, the state will face the prospect of continuing to use amateurs to kill people with arbitrary and outmoded technology' (â€Å"Amateur† 2) [evidence].Dying is a painful thing. The punishment of death is already extreme, but the fact that the prisoner is being put down with chemicals that aren't even provided by physicians or scientists is cruel and la cks any compassion. Andrew Stephen, the United States editor of the New Statesman magazine which reports on current affairs, [backing] also explained the inhumanity of the most humane form of capital punishment: lethal injection. Stephen explained how the potassium chloride used in the injection causes excruciating pain as it makes its way through the veins and into the heart to kill the person.Stephen follows this by stating, â€Å"The American Veterinary Medical Association even issued guidelines in 2002 saying that the mix was unacceptable for putting dogs and cats, let alone humans, to sleep† (Stephen 33) [evidence]. How can a democracy in the U. S. which stands for Justice possibly support this blatantly inhumane form of punishment that isn't even suitable for animals? There is no way to properly kill a human being, it is immoral and unjust not matter who it is done to, and therefore does not hold a place in the U. S. Jurisdiction.The death penalty can also be very arbit rary or random in the sense that there is ot a set standard for everyone who commits murder to be sentenced to death. It makes little sense how some prisoners who are convicted of terrible murders get the privilege of living while others who did not murder in cold blood do not get the opportunity for rehabilitation and redemption. The cause of such arbitrariness can be attributed to discrimination. David Bruck, who was a Harvard and University of South Carolina graduate, served as a lawyer detending those charged witn capita punishment [backing].Bruck illustrates how unfair capital punishment is in an essay he wrote for The New Republic magazine. Bruck explains how a man from Louisiana named Ernest Knighton killed a gas station owner while robbing the gas station. This is of course a terrible crime; however, the crime was not premeditated and pales in comparison to other gruesome murders, yet somehow Knighton was chosen to be executed. This may be explained by the fact that Knighton was black, the victim was white, the Jury at his hearing was entirely white, and he lacked sufficient defense.In other words, discrimination was a factor. Bruck explains this execution by stating, â€Å"Ernest Knighton was picked out to die the way a fisherman takes a cricket out of a ait Jar. No one cares which cricket gets impaled on the hook† (Bruck NPA) [evidence]. There were clearly more threatening murderers out there than Knighton, but Knighton was chosen to die. The chance that this kind of discrimination will continue is entirely possible [modal qualifier] and illustrates the faults in the system of capital punishment.However, in cases such as capital punishment where death is involved, there is no room for faults. Life is a precious gift not to be taken lightly. Money also seems to be a discriminatory factor in the death penalty, as rich eople are more likely to avoid the death penalty than are poor people who cannot afford proper defense. A rich murderer's life is no more valuable than the life of a poor murderer, yet the chance of survival for a poor man is much lower than that of a rich man. This harsh fact is unfair.Scott Phillips author for the Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology [backing] writes, â€Å"As Former Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, for example, noted: ‘One searches our chronicles in vain for the execution of any member of the affluent strata of this society† (Phillips 718) [evidence]. It is efinitely plausible [modal qualifier] that the people who have money are the ones who can afford the best defense and therefore avoid the death penalty. It hardly seems fair that the rich get to live over the poor not because of innocence, but because of the size of their wallets.Two wrongs do not make a right under the conditions of murder. The system of capital punishment is obviously defective as it discriminates and seemingly picks its victims at random, risking the possibility of killing even the innocent. Advoc ates of the death penalty argue that it is the only form of punishment that is orthy of murder [rebuttal]. This is an â€Å"eye for an eye† mentality. Edward Koch, the former mayor of New York [backing], supported this mentality by stating, â€Å".. it can be easily demonstrated that the death penalty strengthens the value of human life. If the penalty for rape were lowered, clearly it would signal a lessened regard for the victim's suffering.. .When we lower the penalty for murder, it signals a lessened regard for the value of the victim's life† (Koch NPA) [evidence]. Koch's statement is a fallacy of a false analogy and is therefore not plausible [modal qualifier]. No two rimes can really be compared to each other. Rape and murder are admittedly two very horrific offenses, but are in no way the same.We do not rape the criminals charged of rape to show them how it feels, nor should we kill the criminals charged of murder. Killing the prisoner makes us no better than th e prisoner himself. Instead of capital punishment, there should be harsher punishments in Jail for those convicted of murder, Just as those convicted of rape have harsher punishments than those convicted ot tnett. Another argument supporters of the death penalty like to utilize is that killing a uman being is okay because it is done by the state, which has more rights, rather than an individual [rebuttal].Koch makes the point when he writes, â€Å"The execution of a lawfully condemned killer is no more an act of murder than is legal imprisonment an act of kidnapping†¦ Rights and responsibilities surrendered by the individual are what give the state the power to govern† ( Koch NPA) [evidence]. This is once again a fallacy of a false analogy. Of course legal imprisonment is not kidnapping, because it is an agreed upon punishment by the people of a democracy for those who have roken the laws of society. On the contrary, capital punishment is not entirely agreed upon because this punishment is too harsh.Capital punishment is not necessary to govern its people; if the state must resort to the killing of individuals by the death penalty which has already been proven faulty, there are greater issues at hand. In the end, those who wish for capital punishment aren't really wishing for Justice, or to keep order. Justice and order can be achieved with without the killing of prisoners. It is rather unjust to inflict the death penalty, its only purpose to serve as a orm of bitter revenge that one can only hope will avenge the death of the lost person.However, it is not the place of the state to take revenge, but to bring Justice. Justice needs to be fair, humane, morally sound, and it needs to be reasonable. The death penalty in no way fits into any of those descriptions. This is a topic that should concern everyone. If the people of the United States allow for the death penalty, and the legal system makes a completely possible and at some point probable [modal qualifier] mistake and wrongfully sentences an innocent man to death, that death is on each and every person who advocates the death penalty. The Death Penalty The Death Penalty â€Å"If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call. † (McAdams) The death penalty should be legalized in all fifty states, to avert from crime, keep repeat offenders off of the streets, and to reduce taxpayers the cost of keeping those found guilty of heinous crimes in prison low. The death penalty can in fact deter heinous crimes from being committed when it is lawful in a state. Social scientists have stated that the act of general deterrence, which is when the punishment deters potential criminals from committing crimes, keeps criminals from going through with crimes. However, it is more shown that premeditated crimes are usually the ones stopped by general deterrence, not crimes under passion. Heinous crimes have been reduced highly in the states that have a capital punishment law. The death penalty keeps repeat offenders off of the streets. In Michigan a case that represents this happened; â€Å"A man who was hired by Honeywell Inc. , after serving four years in prison for strangling a co-worker has been charged with killing another co-worker and a woman he allegedly stalked and threatened for weeks† (Sullum personal file). Had the death penalty been allowed in Michigan the woman’s life could have been sparred, for the male who murdered her would have been executed long before and never had the chance to murder her. The death penalty may be a long process, but it does not give those on death row a hope of parole. By having the heinous criminals in prisons on death row keeps them from repeating crimes. In five out of seven cases it is said that criminals will once again commit crimes once released from prison of jail. The death penalty keeps the criminals in jail and executes them. This protects the general public from murderous crimes from repeat offenders. The death penalty also keeps taxpayers costs low, because the prison looses members in which the state taxes would have to pay for. The citizens of the state pay for the prisoners, and my eliminating the criminals jailed for heinous crimes reduces cost by a high percent. The average cost per year per prison is about $1 billion. By enforcing the death penalty and making it lawful can reduce that cost by almost half. Half does not sound like much in such large terms, but in reality it is an immense amount of money that the taxpayers can be using somewhere else. Struggling families still have to pay for imprisoned criminals and the death penalty can in turn have more money in that home, because it would not be put towards the prison. There is another side to the death penalty, however. Most people believe the death penalty is immoral and unjust. Some say that the idea of â€Å"an eye for an eye† should not apply to the death penalty. Capital punishment is still an act of murder, which is punishable by law. This is a major argument of those against capital punishment. There are also religious views that keep many opposed of the death penalty. Christians view the death penalty as wrong because of the fact that killing a killer is still killing, which is a sin that breaks one of the Ten Commandments. The large population of Christians in the United States keeps the vote against capital punishment high, because this nation was built on that faith and it is also the highest religion in the nation. The death penalty keeps taxpayers cost low, keeps repeat offenders off of the street, and deters heinous crime, and therefore should be made lawful in all fifty states of the United States of America.

Pagkalulong Sa Bawal Na Gamot

Critical thinking is an important quality to cultivate and for many educators, it is the goal of education. Here are a few examples of critical thinking from my own life. First, one of the things I try to do for work is to make good financial investments. For this to take place, you need to analyze everything or think critically. You need to know what is going on in the world (economically speaking), see what things are going to be in demand in the future, and act before others do.So, I drew up a picture of the world and what I thought would happen and I invested based on my convictions. All of this was borne out of critical thinking. Second, when I think back to my university days, I had to decide on a major. There were so many choices and I decided to go with a major that I not only loved, but also a major that would make me more marketable in the long run. I realized that I could study practically all the things I loved in various departments. Based on this, I chose the department that was most marketable.Critical thinking entails careful analysis of all the variables (or as many as you can cover) in a situation, using data and logic to process the information and shape the decisions. Other factors may also enter into the mix†¦ As I considered the timing of my retirement from classroom teaching, I reviewed the financial considerations regarding investments, pension and Social Security payments, options for other means of obtaining income, and tried to predict anticipated current and future expenses.All of this took time and research, but was â€Å"easy† in terms of recording figures that could be examined objectively. Harder to quantify but still vital to the analysis were my reflections on how I was approaching the challenges inherent in classroom positions. I evaluated my energy level, commitment to spending the time and effort outside of the classroom, and my enthusiasm for continuing my personal education in the field. I also felt that emotio ns did play a role in the process and did allow my feelings about continuing to work with middle schoolers enter the process. Bless them, but they are enough to wear anyone out after so long! ) The final piece in my decision-making process was the awareness that my father's health was declining and that I needed to make myself much more available to assist with transportation, supervision of medical concerns, and general involvement in trying to maintain a quality of life for him that is as good as possible for as long as possible. Is critical thinking fast and easy? NO! Is it important in many real life situations? YES!

What price choice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

What price choice - Research Paper Example Through their literary artistry and political ideologies, these literary and historical figures made their own set of choices which impacted modern society. A person’s choice can alter one’s perception of life in general; its influence can expand infinitely and thus, choices do not only refer to what one prefers but what legacy he desires to make to the people around him. William Ernest Henley, through his poem â€Å"Invictus,† illustrates what life is and choice as a leading factor to affect one’s destiny. The last two verses of his poem create an image of life as a ship, where the person is â€Å"the master of his fate† and â€Å"the captain of his soul† (Henley 15-16). Patrick Lim, a professional business coach, argues in his essay, â€Å"The Art of making Choices,† that there are three kinds of choices people have to make in their lives. He coined the term â€Å"fundamental choice,† which means the choice regarding a person’s â€Å"state of being† and â€Å"basic life orientation† (n. pag.). Most events published in literature exemplify the role of decision-making in one’s destiny; as simple as choosing what road to take may have larger effects in the future. The four selected works of literature are bound together through unity of theme: choice. The texts might be morbid, fran k, or ironic; the choices presented in the selected texts didactically address the impact of choice in one’s life. â€Å"The Lottery,† upon its first publication in the magazine called â€Å"The New Yorker,† aroused controversy with its ironic representation of society’s violence. The setting which typifies an ordinary village filled with realistic characters contrasted with the real agenda of their celebration mentioned in the story. With Jackson’s description of the character’s habits and the way they treat each other, it is almost unpredictable that the lottery the story is referring shades the setting with an unusual accepted darkness the

Opinionated final paper- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Opinionated final paper- - Essay Example ten read the poem as a representative of the carpe diem theme, the speaker seems to step beyond the seize-the-day theme of â€Å"Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May† into darker territory. The speaker of â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† imbues the poem with sexual imagery, tone, and wording that is of a serious nature and that would put any female reader on guard against his advances. The very title and opening of the poem are aggressive in their tone. The speaker refers to the â€Å"coyness† of the Mistress (Marvell 1). Most women are naturally shy and reserved in terms of sexual relationships and pursuit of such relationships. Society places a stigma on those women who are too forward or who pursue sex too much. Because society does this, many women become offended if their suitors do not perceive them as reserved in regards to sex. The speaker of the poem tells the Mistress that the â€Å"coyness . . . were no crime† only â€Å"Had we but world enough and time† (2 and 1). This approach is the equivalent of the modern pick-up artist’s technique of complimenting a woman but combining an insult into the compliment. The speaker compliments his mistress for her shyness but then insults her for putting off his advances for too long. Most women would recognize the insult hidden within the compliment and take offense to the tactics of the s peaker. The speaker continues insulting the Mistress’ shyness and coyness and aggressively attacks another of most women’s insecurities, their beauty. After informing his mistress that he would wait hundreds of years for her to give in to his advances, he revokes that statement by insulting his mistress’ beauty. He builds himself up by detailing how he would wait for her love â€Å"Till the conversion of the Jews† (Marvell 10). But, he informs her that should she wait that long her â€Å"beauty shall no more be found† (25). This fear is one of many women. They fear that time will rob them of their beauty and of the ability to

Global Market Entry Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Market Entry Strategies - Essay Example Ultravac started manufacturing the 'portable asthma pumps' under the brand name 'purepumps', when there was no other company in the Australian market, manufacturing such pumps. Two other companies were marketing these pumps by importing from Europe. Company assessed a huge market for the local product. In order to meet the Australian legal and medical regulations, Ultravac ended up investing heavily in the 'purepumps' venture, which saw huge cost overruns. On the other hand the two competitors, importing the pumps, made good use of economies of scale and were able to keep their customer base intact on account of the critical nature of the product; it being a medical aid product, customers appeared somewhat reluctant to use a new and unproven product. This forced the company to think about alternatives. The strategic alliance with Pharmacare, an Australian pharmaceutical chain, proved helpful for the company in that it offered a readymade market for asthma pumps through pharmacies, doctors' surgeries, hospitals etc. and company was able to increase its market share. The complex conditions of agreement between Ultravac and Pharmacare, did not allow the company to enter into partnership with other companies in the domestic market, which proved to be a serious setback for the company. Eager to come out of the alliance with Pharmacare, the company started winding up the p... Company was able to provide a dependable aftersales service support to the customers, which helped the company in gaining customer's confidence Eager to come out of the alliance with Pharmacare, the company started winding up the production of asthma pumps. But the strategy backfired on at least two counts. One, the factory workers were up in arms against the sudden decision of closure, which forced the company to shell out a hefty $850 000 in order to calm down the agitating workers. Secondly, customers became apprehensive about the service and repairs. In addition Pharmacare too slapped a legal suit on Ultravac. All this resulted in adverse publicity for the company and the once national fame started translating into national shame. Finally, Ultravac had to enter into out of courst settlement with Pharmacare by paying a good undisclosed amount in addition to assuring its customers that the company will indeed keep looking after the customers for repairs and maintenance. Ultravac had to reinvest huge amounts in brand building exercise to gloss over the damage done by the problematic tie-up with Pharmacare. The company continued to serve domestic as well as international markets for the next couple of years, but preferred to go for a change of brand identity once again, using it as a tool to tide over the bad publicity. Key external factors faced by Ultravac in the international arena include; Company entered into strategic alliances with supplies and distributors from abroad. On the one hand company entered into agreements with suppliers of component parts, guaranteeing unhindered flow of components for its asthma pumps market. On the

Reading Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reading Summary - Essay Example It was thereby specifically identified that Thomas Cook had envisioned to take this remarkable opportunity to market visiting these battlefields in 1919, as advertised in the Traveller’s Gazette. As reported, two forms of travel were initially offered: (1) the first class luxury travel and (2) a more popular travel by motor car from Paris. Excerpts of descriptions of these battlefields were cited to provide the readers with the overview on how these were promoted through the Traveller’s Gazette. Facts were likewise provided in the rates for luxury travel, as well as scheduled departures for the battlefield tours during those times. Likewise, rates and schedules were also revealed for the popular travel tours which initially lasted for about one-week. Overall, the article was successful in indicating that even events related to deaths of loved ones through their bravery and courage in battlefields have been strategically capitalized to spur growth in tourism. Summary: â €Å"A New Way of Thinking About Tourism† The article entitled â€Å"A New Way of Thinking About Tourism† discussed the innovative point of view that classifies tourism as mobile and highly connected to people’s daily activities. ... The author rationalized that the focus on mobility naturally emerged with the onset of the telecommunications developments in recent times. The effect of the cited space-time compressions enabled immediate access to places and locations with speed that spans across distance in shorter time frames. As emphasized, readers were illumined on the possibility of thinking about tourism through a leisure mobility spectrum which was apparently described as a day’s activity could include visiting tourist spots, hotels, and other tourist events and be able to access or return to one’s domicile within a day’s frame. The thrust of tourism and mobility is to integrate and connect events usually associated with tourism to other social activities, which are seen as connected, rather than distinct, separate or distant. The recent developments in transport, technology, communications, and opportunities to span across borders of time and space were noted to be instrumental for the emergence of mobility in tourism. Summary: â€Å"Get Ahead: why travel and tourism is the sector to be in† Recent trends on the global market see the travel and tourism industry as one among those with vast growth potentials. In the article entitled â€Å"Get Ahead: why travel and tourism is the sector to be in† written by Jesse Whittock and published online in the Travel Trade Gazette on November 28, 2012. Sourcing the information from the chief executive of People 1st’s travel and tourism, hospitality and passenger travel sector skills council, Brian Wisdom, it was revealed that despite the economic gloom, this particular sector remains robust with statistics that back up the optimistic trend.

Country Report- Comparative Politics (Tunisia) Essay

Country Report- Comparative Politics (Tunisia) - Essay Example In the modern history, Tunisia has changed into a sovereign republic, named the al-Jumhuriyyah at-Tunisiyyah. Tunisia has over five million people, almost all Arab-Berber descent. The Mediterranean is on the north as well as east of the country, Libya is in the southeast, and Algeria is on the west. Tunis is the capital and the largest metropolis. It is found near the ancient site of the city connected with Carthage. During this time, two presidents, who had a tremendous impact in Tunisian society, have led it. Its first modern leader, President Habib Bourguiba delivered to the place of work hard-won political experience, after several decades connected with service on the list of leadership on the independence mobility. As the actual major figure on the Neo-Destour Celebration, he seemed to be instrumental in obtaining entire independence pertaining to Tunisia in 1956. He dominated government entities until their removal in 1987. Through his decades in place of work, his feats inclu ded the law change, economic procedures which detoured briefly in a socialist way, a mild but steady improvement in lifestyle, and the foreign insurance policy, which retained a private approach even though maintaining buy and sell and financial connections to the west. Benjamin Ali was the President of the Republic throughout 1987, in addition to kept electrical power until this individual was forced to leave in 2011. His economic policies possess emphasized a place orientation. His test at re-approachment using Islamist groups would not meet anticipations. The lording it over party ended up being reorganized. Within his authority, Tunisias economy continued to accomplish at a new pace, which in turn yielded a new moderate although overall regular rate associated with growth. A great independence, mobility lasting many decades gradually prevailed, bringing about the end of the French protectorate. In 1954, the Tunisian wrestled and major civil

Michelangelos Sistine Chapel Ceiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Michelangelos Sistine Chapel Ceiling - Essay Example The project was based on fresco, which was a contemporary complex form of painting. Frescos sometimes required carving and minor sculptures as well. Although the medium was thus a very challenging one, Michelangelo was a versatile genius. He was well acquainted with designing and crafting frescos and he was an expert in this field. However, the main complexities in this project involved altitude and complexity of the subject itself. In order to complement the twelve apostles to be painted across the ceiling, Michelangelo had to create over 300 figures. â€Å"The rectangular panels in the centre depict episodes from the book of Genesis. They are surrounded by prophets and other biblical figures†.What is more, the ceiling was at a height of approximately 68 feet from the floor. The surface of the ceiling was considerably curved. So Michelangelo might have wondered that how exactly his painting was going to be viewed and understood from below. Now on a curved surface, any proport ional two dimensional representations would probably look awkward. For example, if a human figure is made across a curved surface, then some of its portions would emerge nearer to the viewer creating disproportions. Michelangelo apprehended this enormous challenge of visual illusions even before he actually began the work. Consequently, Michelangelo started to create disproportional human figures. For example, if the middle portion of a human figure was to be created across the distal concave part of the ceiling, Michelangelo magnified it.

There are limitations, but financial and management accounting perform Essay

There are limitations, but financial and management accounting perform a fundamental role in the measurement of performance wit - Essay Example In this context, the performance measurement has been characterized as an activity of key value for organizations in different industrial sectors. The specific issue is examined in this paper; emphasis is given on the role of the financial and management accounting in performance measurement, as a key part of strategic decision process in modern organizations. It is concluded that both financial and management accounting are quite important for the successful development of performance measurement schemes – even if, in certain cases, the involvement of financial and management accounting in performance measurement causes delays in the completion of the relevant processes – under the terms presented below. Because of the above problem, a series of recommendations has been included in this study aiming to support the improvement of performance measurement systems. 2. Performance measurement in organizations 2.1 Performance measurement – description, role The use of performance measurement in modern organizations has been related to the achievement of specific organizational targets. Most commonly, the performance measurement is used a firm’s managers in order to evaluate whether the organizational activities manage to achieve a particular level of performance – as set by the planners of these activities. In this way, it will be possible to estimate if these activities have paid back the investment made on them or not. In practice, the performance measurement – as one of the firm’s key strategic processes – can be quite complex. This fact is reflected in the theories developed in the particular field – referring to the content, the role and the phases of performance measurement in modern organizations. At a first level, certain differentiations can be identified in the criteria used by theorists when having to define the performance measurement; however, a close examination of their views would lead to the assumption that they all emphasize on the value of performance measurement as a tool for estimating the achievement of organizational goals – including the risks involved. In accordance with Hatry (2006) the performance measurement can be defined as the ‘regular measurement of the results (outcomes) and efficiency of services or programs’ (Hatry 2006, p3). On the other hand, Meyer (2003) notes that the term ‘performance measurement’ can be explained using two different definitions: the dictionary definition, which focuses on the past, i.e. on the performance of the organization up to the time point when its performance is measured and the economic definition, which refers rather to the future, emphasizing on ‘the measurement of the shareholder value into the firm’ (Meyer 2003, p20). It is further explained that in the context of the dictionary definition ‘performance is measured by operational measures or current financial res ults’ (Meyer 2003, p20); on the other hand, the economic definition is based on the measurement of performance ‘using share prices’ (Meyer 2003, p20). Another definition of performance measurement is mentioned in the study of Harbour (1997); in the above study reference is made to the performance measurement as a method for ‘measuring work accomplishments and output’ (Harbour 1997, p7). At the next level, Epstein et al. (2006) emphasize on

The James Bond Phenomenon Essay Example for Free

The James Bond Phenomenon Essay The James Bond series of movies is unarguably the most successful film franchise of all time. This is so due to countless of reasons. The spy in the black tuxedo who prefers his Martini shaken and not stirred and possesses a genuine taste for extremely beautiful women is the embodiment of a lot of elements. The book has thoroughly explored what needs to be explored in the mystique surrounding the world’s most famous British super spy. The book in general was not only convincing, but it was of utmost believability. There were times in my own reading that I found myself having a smirk on my face because of the way Mr. Lindner stroked the obvious facts that everyday people like us can see and yet totally ignore or be unaware of. The book wanders on the realism of James Bond and its counterpart on the superficial side, and that was in my opinion, the most sensible asset the book has to offer. The phenomenon which James Bond brought about to the world, according to the book, could never be discounted, for it defined the contemporary and yet timeless tale of a spy against the bad folks. For Mr. Lindner, James Bond changed the mindsets of people in varying ways and how the world in general was perceived by mankind. On the other hand, stated Lindner, â€Å"how the people viewed crime totally changed when the phenomenon of James Bond occurred. † Christopher Lindner not only focused on how James Bond literally changed the world, but focused equally and emphasized on the ways he did it. Not only in the way it penetrated culture but on how the Bond franchise became a sort of a tradition among moviegoers and aficionados. From the perspective of the book, James Bond thrives in the world of popular art, and yet embedded in a world of his own. Not only was the James Bond the motion picture franchise touched by the book, but on how it became so enduringly successful and how it managed to hold its own against time, the generations, and the changing of the tastes and preferences of the merciless critics, moviegoers and the viewing public in general. The evolution of the James Bond as portrayed by actors and Bond’s hard road to finality and success were stunningly described in Mr. Lindner’s fabulous work. Concurrently, he had managed to be the voice of the ordinary moviegoer in how he had stated the differences of the impact that Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan had inflicted upon the tradition and at the same time being an avid showbiz insider in the way he elaborated all the negotiations and the processes in which the mere novel underwent en route to become a phenomenon. And moreover, not only the difference among the actors were thoroughly touched by Lindner, and their fortes, on how they captured the audience and most significantly, the figurative sense in which they wore the black tuxedo and their general appeal in the eyes of the world. Even though Lindner had tackled the personas of James Bond throughout the spy’s existence for almost half a century, he still managed to dig much, much deeper into the persona, the man with the most gentlemanly of manners, with the most cunning of ways, and those three sheer convincing eternal words that virtually every civilized individual on earth could recite. â€Å"Bond, James Bond. † No stone was left unturned in the book, no apparent detail about the world’s most famous spy was overlooked, and there no exaggerations, just plain and simple obviousness, a more elaborate and keen obviousness regarding the mystique, the thrill, the ways and the wave that James Bond infectiously swayed upon the world, yes, the whole world. Works Cited: Lindner, Christoph. The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003.

Element of Drama Essay Example for Free

Element of Drama Essay Accordingly, elements of drama consist of literary, technical and performance elements. In Hamlet, it can be said that the elements of drama for each category are quite obvious. The first element to consider is the characters. It can be said that most dramas composes of the major and minor characters and in line with Hamlet, The major characters include Hamlet and Claudius and the minor include Marcellus which serves a specific purpose of informing the lead character of the appearance of the his father’s ghost. There is also protagonist antagonist and in the case of Hamlet, the protagonist is Hamlet and the antagonist. Another type of character is the stereotype and the role of Hamlet also shows how such s stereotype has been modified. The theme of Hamlet is commonly stated as the failure’s of the youth of poetic temperament to adjust with different situations which demand action. The plot lies on the struggles of Hamlet and how she cope or not cope with the situation that challenges her. It can be said that Hamlet has been able to achieve artistic maturity through the opposing struggles of the people in the drama the moral integrity that it implies with the audiences. In terms of technical side, it can be said that drama plays have been able to produce a sense of hatred and revenge to the audience with how they perform the drama. For instance, the settings show a heavy feeling in the part of Hamlet because of the death of his father. The musical scores alike provide revengeful music as they try to make the people feel the tension among characters. The actors and actresses of the play has been very effective in making the audience feels the wrath of Hamlet because of what happened to his father (Bradley, 51). It can be said that Hamlet was written with poetic diction that uses eloquent words as well as phrases and the performance have shown in their actions how this drama has been able to create and keep tensions and suspense throughout the play. All in all, it can be said that this drama has been able to use different elements integrated to establish a tragedy. Reference Bradley, A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear Macbeth. New York: Penguin, 1991.

Separatism and Conflict in Catalonia

ï » ¿Separatism and Conflict in Catalonia Abstract The following research paper focuses on Catalonia’s desire for Independence. The study was carried out on a week-long field school in Barcelona, Northern Spain. Throughout this study, the history, culture and politics and the evolved landscape of the city was analysed. These aspects were analysed to enable us to get a vivid understanding of the conflict that has taken place in Catalonia throughout its struggle for independence. Through this analysis three main themes surfaced, these were memory, difference and separatism. The main aim of the research carried out through surveys was to answer the following question: â€Å"Will Catalonia resort to violence to achieve independence?† A mixed methods approach was used in order to get answers from participants, it was a suitable method because high quality information and opinions were established. Introduction: The history of Catalan separatism is complex. Giner (1984) has stated that â€Å"Modern Catalonia is the outcome of the unification of numerous great and intricate sets of long-term historical phenomena†. Catalonia is a member of Spain’s self-governing societies in the Northeast of the country whose history is somewhat separate from that of Spain, in that large fragments of Spain were historically ruled by the crown of Castile, authoritatively speaking barbaric Spanish, and Catalan was part of the crown of Aragon, officially speaking old Catalan. Catalonia is an area which is rich in separatism, an area which is longing for its own independence from Spain. The following paragraphs will analyse and discuss the separatism that exists in Catalonia in Barcelona.   To describe separatism, one would say that it is the promotion or practice of separation of a particular assembly of people from a superior body because of factors like ethnicity, religion, or gender.   Separatism is continuously occurring throughout Europe. A prime example of a separatist area is the region of Catalonia within Barcelona. Catalonia, who is proud of its own identity and language, is one of Spain’s wealthiest and most industrialised regions, and also one of the most independent-minded. However, since 1714, Catalonia has struggled to maintain its own culture, language and territory (Mantlethought.org, 2017). There are three key events that have led to the emergence of Catalan separatism, the 1705 War of the Spanish Succession, Catalonia’s support for rival claimant to the Spanish throne, and Franco’s Dictatorship. Archduke Charles of Austria of the House of Habsburg, against King Philp V from the House of Bourbon, resulted in the suppression of its parliament and traditional liberties upon the latter’s victory (BBC News, 2017). In the 19th century there was somewhat a revival in Catalonia. At this point in its history, Catalonia was the leader of industrialisation within Spain and had experienced a cultural revitalisation, here commenced a movement to revive Catalan culture and language, which resulted in the rise of Catalan nationalism. After the formation of a political union with the Aragon regions in 1137, Catalonia arose and seized extensive economic and political control through the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Then, in 1479 came the replacement of a single monarchy after the unification of Aragon and Castille.   These houses then amalgamated in the late fifteenth century, a period that also marked the deterioration of the old Catalan language. Succeeding eighteenth-century political manoeuvrings in Castile caused the Spanish War of Succession in which the regions in Catalonia were in support of the Austrian contender for the crown. Catalonia merged into Spain which resulted in the inhibition of its language and governance. This then lead to the appearance of Catalonian nationalism towards the end of the nineteenth century as numerous cultural movements began to insist more recognition (Breen et al., 2016). The Commonwealth of Catalonia was first established in April 1914, and devoted a large amount of finance to infrastructure, cultural and scientific institutions. It was then solidified in 1925. A fraction of independence was granted during second Spanish Republic, 1931-1938 (Breen et al., 2016). In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and Franco’s progression of power, the Catalan language, political organizations and cultural codes including its anthem and flag were further suppressed. In November 1971, a large number of cultural and political leftist protestors gathered together and established the Assembly of Catalonia, encouraging the restoration of independence and recognition of Catalan culture and identity (Breen et al., 2016). Research Context It has been said that separatism is primarily associated with nationalism and nationalist ideologies. A nation is an assembly of people who have the belief that they are comprised of a ‘single people’ on the basis of a cultural or historical criteria, such as a shared language (Flint, 2017). Members of a nation share common ideas about their origins and hope for a common destiny. They possess common national symbols including customs, language and religion, and oftentimes are unaware of the fact that their country’s narrative may be built on myths.   They are often committed to a certain territory over which they attempt to gain authority, or even the capacity to deal with their own country’s matters. Nationalism therefore, is the theory that each nation has the right to a state, thus having the right to govern a portion of territory. The geopolitics of nationalism has resulted in millions of deaths as people fought to create a state for their nation and defend their states in the name of national defence, against genuine and alleged threats. Separatism, secession, irredentism, self-determination, independence, sub-state nationalism are many of the words that are used interchangeably to describe the conflicts that exist between states and would be sub-state. This sort of conflict is nothing original even with the arrival of globalisation, transnationalism and the influence of multinational associations. Separatist schemas continue to be a powerful political force and a challenge to present-day global borders. Though separatism in Catalonia is new, nationalism is not. Tensions between Spain and Catalonia have been notoriously strained since Catalonia came under Spanish rule in 1714 during the War of Spanish Succession. In the 19th century, the nationalist movement developed and demanded greater independence for Catalonia. The movement later dealt with the problems Catalonia faced throughout the 19th and 20th centuries including the dictatorships of Miquel Primo de Rivera and Francisco Franco. Franco’s dictatorship had a major impact on Catalonia, with their culture and language being suppressed, because of the practice of the Catalan language and expression of Catalan culture being prohibited. The people of Catalonia struggled to possess their own identity separate from Spain during this time. After the death of Franco in 1975, the nationalist movement began moving in a different direction. As the first decade of the 21st century came to a close, the movement developed further as nationalists began demanding independence. Tensions remain between Spain and Catalonia in relation to the use of their own separate language and carrying on with their own culture. Many separatist movements follow a mostly diplomatic direction that focuses on the practice of culture and tradition to activate support and drive onward with their own plans (Breen et al., 2016).   It is difficult to tell if Catalonia will take a violent route in order to reach independence, however it was evident in our surveys that the people of Barcelona do not think that their country will. Separatism has always remained a fundamental part of the character of Europe. It is continuously argued that separatist movements are rising in many European states, reinvigorated by a backdrop of economic crisis and political uncertainty (Bieri, 2014). A quantity of these separatist movements are linked with violent campaigns for independence (e.g. the Basque Region, Corsica) while others including Scotland and Catalonia have followed a mainly peaceful route that has concentrated on the use of culture and heritage to mobilise support and drive forward separatist agendas (Breen et al,. 2016). There are thought to be around 45 active separatist movements across 30 countries with their political aspirations and methodologies all being very diverse. An integrated European Union was at one point according to Liable touted as some kind of ‘magical elixir’ which could quieten the demands of separatist organisations and curb unrest among national minorities. Perhaps separatism is a resurgent force across Europe, separatism according to Bieri has been reinvigorated in part by an all-encompassing impact of the economic crisis and pervasive political uncertainty throughout the EU. It has been said that separatist movements either pursue independence within their central states or to form independent states. Separatist movements are protruding within the European Union, which is now estimated to have over 40 separatist parties (EFA, 2014). The most noteworthy of these movements include Scotland in the United Kingdom, Catalonia and the Basque Country in Spain, and Flanders in Belgium (Bieri, 2014). Separatism in the European Union appears contradictory at first, the European Union is frequently looked upon as a â€Å"post-sovereign† system and perhaps a model for globalization (Mathews, 1997).   The European Union resulted from the economic and institutional integration of European states in the decades following World War II (Jones, 2012). While the European Union isn’t a state itself, it is capable of intervening the national laws and policymaking decisions of its member states (Krasner, 2009). Under the European Union, Europe’s economy has assimilated into a single market under one currency, the Euro. Despite being so highly integrated, separatist movements are not only emerging but have the potential to destabilize the European Union (Dayton, R. 2015)   Bieri has stated that separatism has been revived in part by the all-inclusive influence of the economic crisis and prevalent political ambiguity throughout the EU. Other than Catalan separatism, another sovereignty well known for their desire for independence, is Scotland. Scotland ceased to be an independent state in the early 1700s. Unique heritage, culture and civil society was not diluted by the union with England, and this is something the people of Scotland passionately wanted. Scottish nationalism as a political force did not intensify until the 1960s, with the Scottish Nationalist Party winning a by-election. The discovery of oil in the North Sea inspired nationalists to think more aggressively about separatism. Debates about devolution gained momentum during the 1990s and under a labour government the Scottish parliament was formed in 1999. 2007 elections saw the SNP make significant gains at Labour’s expense and Salmond became the First Minister. Further electoral success in 2011 led to calls for a referendum and in 2012 it was announced that a referendum would be held in 2014. This was purposely set to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the victory of Scottish forces over English invaders at the battle of Bannockburn. The result of the Scottish referendum returned a marginal victory for the No campaign. However, the advent of Brexit has once again instigated a push for independence. Catalonia, in their fight towards independence, has developed various issues over the years. These include Language, Culture and Self -governance. Tensions over language in Catalonia, particularly from an educational perspective, persevere and in recent years have been intensified. At the same time the political struggle between the Catalan and the Spanish central governments has also increased. Woolard and Frekko (2013) have pointed out that the present debates resemble those of past decades, and thus one could have the notion that nothing has changed in the sociolinguistic makeup of Catalonia (Soler-Carbonell, Gallego-Balsà   and Corona, 2016). Democratic consolidation resulted in a renewed state nationalism that saw in the last wave of territorial reforms the culmination of the autonomic model set up in 1978, and the current context of economic crisis has reinforced the debate on the necessity of introducing recentralization policies for economic and efficiency reasons (Keating, 2009).   Thus, after 30 years of democracy and devolution the question of self-governance and self-determination remains at the centre of the political debate in Catalonia and Spain. Thus, it is clear that much of the separatism that now exists in Catalonia has stemmed from historical grievances centred around cultural and linguistic identities. Part B Methodology: In the formation of this report, a mixed methods approach was used which involved both quantitative and qualitative surveys being carried out. This proved to be both a successful but challenging approach. One of the main challenges being language barriers. Although the participants were passionate about their views, it was difficult to get sufficient information from them as they had limited English. A number of people refused to respond as they didn’t understand what was being asked of them. The interviews were carried out over a number of different areas scattered across the city of Barcelona. Culture within Barcelona The museums of Barcelona are perhaps the best way to explore and get a better understanding of Barcelona’s Culture. Museums became symbols of the shared social memory establishing the ‘imagined community’ a space where the nation could present itself, to itself and to others (Anderson, 1983).     El Born Cultural Centre is a prime example of this. The Born Centre Cultural is now a Cultural Centre that is in â€Å"El Born†. El Born is a quarter that was part of the old Barcelona when the city was inside the walls, it is now a significant place to visit for its historical burden. Where we find nowadays the Born Centre Cultural, it was an old market of iron built in the 19th Century. Some years ago, it was originally planned to build a new library for the city of Barcelona, and when they started constructing, a tercentenary ruins were found inside that floor. These were the ruins of the houses and streets of the people who lived during 1700, the century that lived the Spanish invasion which made Catalonia to be part of Spain until nowadays where there is a longing for independence from Catalans. El born is categorised as a public space which aims to attract multiple audiences into a conversation about Catalonia’s past, present and future. For an example, the centre employs a trilingual style to its exhibits and artefacts with signposting in Catalan, Spanish and English, with guide books available in French, German and Dutch. The political utilisation of external visitors is arguably just as important as the mobilisation of the city’s residents (Breen et al., 2016) The cultural and emotive meaning that the people gave to this ruins must be remarked. In Catalonia, the following proverb exists: â€Å"Roda al mà ³n I torna al born† which means â€Å"Visit the world and come back home†. Ironically, the word â€Å"born† means â€Å"home† to them. This sentence, in fact is the one that is being used for the campaign about the Born Cultural Centre in order to capture the connection between the past, present and future that exists in this space. When visiting the site we were able to imagine the daily life of Spanish ascendants and, in most cases, how they earned a living. El Born Cultural Centre, taken on Tuesday, 28th March, 2017) Interior of the El Born Cultural Centre. This represents the layout of the houses in Barcelona during the 1700’s. During the visit to the El Born Cultural Centre, we carried out a survey investigating various aspects of this very important cultural museum. The interviewees appeared to be very passionate about the centre, saying that it attracts hundreds of visitors on a daily basis, some of them being the people of Barcelona themselves. When asked what the role of the cultural institution was, one interviewee replied that it was â€Å"to preserve the history of the succession war†. She went on to say that â€Å"it is a real-life representation of what life was like during this time, how difficult it was during the war, it shows how small our living space was and how little we had†. When asked whether heritage plays a role in the Catalan separatist movement, she replied â€Å"Yes, it is the reason why there was a war†. Landscape within Barcelona: Landscape is the outcome of a collective revolution of nature. It is the cultural translation of a society on a particular portion of nature, and this translation is not only material, but also spiritual, ideological and symbolic. In this sense, landscape acts as a hub of meaning and symbolism, and produces a sense of belonging and a territorial identity that is predominantly strong in some nations (Noguà © and Vincente,2004).   Landscape has been described as a concept that is hugely saturated with cultural and, above all, ideological implications (Peet, 1996). The landscape can be understood as a dynamic code of symbols that speak of the culture of the past, present and maybe also the future. The semiotic legibility of a landscape or the ease with which its symbols can be decoded, can be complex to a greater or lesser degree, but is always linked to the culture that produces the symbols (Noguà © and Vicente, 2004). The architecture of Barcelona has clearly evolved parallel with Catalan architecture. Within Catalonia both physical and concrete cultural heritages have been used repeatedly in the past to justify and promote a culturally distinct peoples and region (Mellon, 2008). The majority of this has taken place against the background of Catalonia’s intervention of its place within Spain and as an aspirant autonomous region. Espelt and Benito (2005) have argued that this process of heritage development emerged during a period of ‘national and cultural reawakening’ in the late nineteenth century, for example, the glamorized physical and visual appearance of Girona was successfully created. A similar process of reconstruction or re-edification took place in Barcelona. The landscape has changed dramatically over a period of time due to urban reconstruction and autocratic regimes. Catalans aim was to have a different landscape to that of Spain’s and therefore modernization occurred. Modernization is linked closely with urban aesthetics and beautification. Each leader set off to celebrate by political order by means of the building of urban and architectural settings with regards to embodying the ideology on which a new era is based and to commemorate the political achievements and purposes of his autocratic regime (Cavalcanti, 1997). The urban characteristics that exist in the city along with its tourist appeal are not purely the result of the Modernist period or a recent dramatic transformation. In fact they are the result of an extensive and riotous historic evolution. The following are the most note-worthy landscapes within Barcelona. Each uphold a remarkable and significant history, and through decoding the landscape, visitors at these sites are able to find out more about the history of the area. Parc de la Ciutadella Perhaps the most beautiful landscape of Barcelona can be found in Parc de la Ciutadella. After a seize which lasted thirteen months, Barcelona fell to the army of King Philips V throughout the war of the Spanish Succession. In order to keep secure control over the city of Barcelona, the Bourbon king built the biggest fortress in Europe, a star-shaped citadel or ‘Ciutadella’. An enormous part of the Ribera region was destroyed in order to make room for this fortress. The neighbourhood was rebuilt thirty years later at another location as ‘Barceloneta’ (authorSTREAM, 2017). Barceloneta:   A distance from the inner city lies Barceloneta. This is deceptively called the Fishermen’s Quarter, an area which was in fact born as a result of a political, military decision. It was in this area that the inhabitants of La Ribera were repositioned when their own homes were destroyed to make way for the building of Felipe V’s fortress La Ciutadella. The four cubes represent the size of homes around this shanty area. This mark of remembrance is a significant example of Barcelona preserving its history for the future generations. This residential area is now a very attractive mix of traditional and modern; washing can be seen hanging along narrow balconies, while bars and restaurants have developed the night life (Insightguides.com, 2017). The Eternal Flame Another important example of Barcelona preserving their history is the Eternal Flame. Located on Fossar de les Moreres, it burns to commemorate those that died during the War of the Spanish Succession 1713-1714. It is a place that marks abundant symbolic importance where the mass of history takes centre stage. This monument stands as a reminder. It is of great meaning to the Catalans themselves. In the year 1989, it was the architect Carme Fiol who revealed the victims’ burial site by destroying the buildings that had stood there, and covered the whole ground with ‘brick as red as the blood that had been spilt’. This is another prime example of the Catalans preserving their history for the future. Monumentalisation The most earliest monumentalisation of Barcelona in the introductory decades of the twentieth century can be seen as a method designed to relocate the city as the capital of the region. The succeeding Modernista buildings of Domenech, Puig and Gaudi demonstrated the uniquely Catalan architectural expressions of identity and aspiration. These extremely glamorized nineteenth and early twentieth century discourses are now being displaced by more pragmatic agenda-led narratives that are being used to justify and promote territorial conflicts where landscape and built heritage are presented as ideological cornerstone (Breen et al., 2016). La Sagrada Familia has been described by Hughes as Barcelona’s Eiffel Tower. It is of extreme importance to the people of Barcelona. Despite the re-imaging of the city, it still is the emblem of Barcelona. Gaudi’s work, including the Sagrada Familia   are all particularly resilient Catalan symbols as they were constructed during a period of great significance for Catalonia, during which contemporary Catalan nationalist thought and praxis was founded (Scholars-on-bilbao.info, 2016). Perhaps the most outstanding part of the landscape in Barcelona is the Barcelona Gothic Quarter. The Barcelona Gothic Quarter was re-constructed in the twentieth century. Even though historic monuments, hypothetically, refer back to past eras, in many cases they were produced recently. In Barcelona, feudal buildings were restored in a gothic style, while other historic buildings and facades were moved stone-by-stone into the area and ordinary residential houses were removed and replaced by seemingly historic buildings. As a result, the new Gothic Quarter look as if it is a space which is completely medieval but was actually re-built between 1927 and 1970. This regeneration was meant both as an example of the invention of tradition in the context of Catalan nationalism and as a way to promote the city through remarkable historic monuments (Gant, 2013). Redevelopment in Barcelona: The city of Barcelona is an exceptional case study of many of the key themes of urban development and change. It has a large tertiary sector, its traditional manufacturing industries have been declining, and multinational investment has become increasingly vital. The rapid development of Technical Parks for high-tech industry is a modern feature associated with the growth of what is becoming known as the European ‘sun-rise’ belt, along the Mediterranean coast between Valencia and Northern Italy.   The motivation behind Barcelona’s physical expansion has been the growth of the economy. Remaining factories and workshops in the Poblenou district are being changed into a zone of new technologies (Geographyfieldwork.com, 2017). With some buildings not being in use, they appeared to be covered in graffiti, often expressing the person’s views towards the government.   Political Landscape: Landscape results from the collective transformation of nature. It is the cultural translation of a society on a particular portion of nature, and this translation is not only material, but also spiritual, ideological and symbolic. In this sense, landscape acts as a centre of meaning and symbolism, and creates a sense of belonging and a territorial identity that is particularly strong in some nations.   It was proven from the observations made throughout the field study that landscape, understood as the cultural prognosis of a society on a certain space, develops into a fundamental element in the creation process of a national identity, in our case the Catalan identity, both in its late 19th century origins and in its present- day form (Noguà © and Vicente, 2004). It has been noted that the landscape of Catalonia was to play an important role in the building of Catalan nationalist ideology. At the height of the nationalist Renaixenca, Catalonia was delicate to the new aesthetic and symbolic gratitude to landscape, especially mountainous landscape, which was sweeping the rest of Europe. The mountain therefore, became a key figure among Catalan nationalist symbols, part of the â€Å"essential landscape† (Noguà © and Vincente, 2004). It has to be said that the dominant cultural symbols that are scattered throughout the city of Barcelona are flags. But to the people of Barcelona, these are more than just a flag. These are representation of what they desire – to remain a united country or an independent Barcelona, a representation of whether they want to remain in the present or progress to a future where Barcelona becomes an independent state from Spain. In Catalonia, the burning of a flag is seen as an offence and oftentimes results in imprisonment. Overall, in the city of Barcelona, in terms of single flags displayed, the dominant symbol numerically was the Catalan flag. The Barcelona flag, though numerically second, nevertheless registered a significant presence. A considerable number of balconies displayed both, and the Olympic flag was often added, while a small n umber incorporated the Spanish flag as well. The distribution in the metropolitan area covering the total conurbation of about four and a half million people is more difficult to measure. In both the city and the studied area the nature of displays varied with the character of the district. Where Castillian was the predominant language, that is, in working-class barrios populated mostly by immigrants from the rest of Spain and where socialist sympathies were stronger, Barcelona flags tended to predominate, whereas in the more middle class districts like Gracia, nearer the centre, the flags were overwhelmingly Catalan, with a good proportion of these in this particu lar case being ‘indepencia’ flags. Grievance Diagram: The 7 core grievances that are included in the following diagram are: Government PoliticsEconomic CrisisLanguageCultureIdentityMedia Grievance Core Diagram for Barcelona, it represents the main grievances of the city and it is clear that the most part of these are linked to the divide in political views amongst the people of Barcelona Qualitative Survey The first survey carried out on the field work was a qualitative survey, which aimed to establish what fraction of the population wanted independence and what remaining number did not want independence, and whether or not they thought that their country would resort to violence in order to achieve it. From the surveys carried out, 50.58% said yes and 41.27% said no. The remaining 8.14% were unsure. Social Vulnerability The second survey that was carried out was the social vulnerability survey, it was carried out to find out what parts of the structure of Barcelona are under threat or at risk. This was completed under the following headings: SocialEconomic Environment Governance Future threats The aim of the survey was to establish what parts of Catalonia’s social structure was most at risk. Social Vulnerability Diagram Summary of Findings from the Social Vulnerability Survey: From our analysis of the results from the survey, it was clear that there is a clear difficulty with governance within Catalonia. This can be explained by the struggle of the state to receive legal and financial autonomy. Furthermore, it is clear from the diagram that socially, Barcelona is not at risk. It can be said that in times of crisis, communities come together again as there is an obvious decrease in social cohesion. It is evident from the diagram that politics is the most at risk, so it is essential that steps are taken so as not to increase the vulnerability of the state, and to avoid all potential conflict triggers. The following is a list of potential conflict triggers: Further suppression of identity.A continuance in the unequal distribution of wealth.Negative perceptions displayed through the Media. In terms of lessening social tension in Catalonia, it would be suggested that: The government address their financial issues and perhaps restructure their economy.Encourage the media to become more open minded so as not to create negative perceptions of Catalans.Currently the dialogue used within Catalonia is conflicted, it is suggested that they change this dialogue, aiming it at resolution. To conclude, the main hypothesis of this research was â€Å"Catalonia will not resort to violence to achieve independence†. From the research carried out over the field study in Barcelona, it can certainly be said that they will not resort to violence. From our observations and surveys, it was evident that in the future, Catalonia will experience stability and will no longer experience pressure from the Spanish state over its own affairs. In my opinion, if it strengthens its foreign affairs and strengthens its already growing economic output then it will transform into a strong, viable state, one that does not need to resort to violence to achieve independence. If Catalonia was to build upon its strength as a separate part of Spain, perhaps in the future it will gain the independence it has always been passionate about. Bibliography Anderson, B. (1983) in Breen, C., McDowell, S., Reid, G. and Forsythe, W. (2016). Heritage and separatism in Barcelona: the case of El Born Cultural Centre. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 22(6), pp.434-445. authorSTREAM. (2017). A Weekend Walk in Barcelona27, Parc de la Ciutadella1. [online] Available at: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/sandamichaela-1936055-walk-barcelona27/ [Accessed 15 July 2017]. Bieri, M.(2014) in Breen, C., McDowell, S., Reid, G. and Forsythe, W. (2016). Heritage and separatism in Barcelona: the case of El Born Cultural Centre. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 22(6), pp.2-3. Bieri. (2014) in Dayton, R (2015) Separatism, Globalization, and the European Union. Vol 15, 1 Breen, C., McDowell, S., Reid, G. and Forsythe, W. (2016). Heritage and separatism in Barcelona: the case of El Born Cultural Centre. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 22(6), pp.434-445. Cavalcanti, M. (1997). Urban reconstruction and autocratic regimes: Ceausescus Bucharest in its historic context. Planning Perspectives, 12(1), pp.71-109. Cosgrove, D. (1989) in Landscape and national identity in Catalonia. Political Geography, 23(2), pp.113-132. Dayton, R. (2015) as cited in Separatism, Globalization and the European Union. Available at:   http://aei.pitt.edu/74525/1/Dayton_SeparatismGlobalizationEU.pdf [Accessed 2 July 20017] EFA, (2014). in Dayton, R (2015) Separatism, Globalization, and the European Union. Vol 15, 1. Available at: http://aei.pitt.edu/74525/1/Dayton_SeparatismGlobalizationEU.pdf [Accessed 2 July 2017] EFA, (2014). in Dayton, R (2015) Separatism, Globalization, and the European Union. Vol 15, 1 available at: http://aei.pitt.edu/74525/1/Dayton_SeparatismGlobalizationEU.pdf [Accessed 2 July 2017] Ermengem, K. (2017). Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona. [online] A View On Cities. Available at: http://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/parcdelaciutadella.htm [Accessed 12 Apr. 2017]. Flint, C. (2017). Introduction to geopolitics. 1st ed. Abingdon: Routledge, pp.96-97. Geographyfieldwork.com. (2017). Barcelona Urban Development and Change. [online] Available at: http://geographyfieldwork.com/BarcelonaUrbanDetail.htm [Accessed 11 Apr. 2017]. Insightguides.com. (2017). Available at: https://www.insightguides.com/destinations/europe/spain/barcelona/city-areas/the-waterfront-and-poblenou?cv=1&session-id=d42c55c9ff8c8272ff33cf080899b2ca [Accessed 2 Aug. 2017]. Jones, B. (2012) in Dayton, R (2015) Separatism, Globalization, and the European Union. Vol 15, 1 available at: http://aei.pitt.edu/74525/1/Dayton_SeparatismGlobalizationEU.pdf [Accessed 2 July 2017] Keating, M. (2009) in Serrano, I. (2017). Just a Matter of Identity? Support for Independence in Catalonia. Krasner, S, D. (2009) Dayton, R (2015) Separatism, Globalization, and the European Union. Vol 15, 1 available at: http://aei.pitt.edu/74525/1/Dayton_SeparatismGlobalizationEU.pdf [Accessed 2 July 2017] Mantlethought.org. (2017). The Independence Movement in Catalonia: Is It Worth It?. [online] Available at: http://www.mantlethought.org/other/independence-movement-catalonia-it-worth-it [Accessed 11 Apr. 2017]. Matthews, J, T. (1997) in Dayton, R (2015) Separatism, Globalization, and the European Union. Vol 15, 1 Mellon, J. (2008) in Breen, C., McDowell, S., Reid, G. and Forsythe, W. (2016). Heritage and separatism in Barcelona: the case of El Born Cultural Centre. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 22(6), pp.434-445. Mc Dowell, L. (1994) in Landscape and national identity in Catalonia. Political Geography, 23(2), pp.113-132. Noguà ©, J. and Vicente, J. (2004). Landscape and national identity in Catalonia. Political Geography, 23(2), pp.113-132. Noguà ©, J. and Vicente, J. (2004). Conceptualizing City Image Change: The ‘Re-Imaging’ of Barcelona, pp 398-423 Peet, R. (1996) in Landscape and national identity in Catalonia. Political Geography, 23(2), pp.113-132. Soler-Carbonell, J., Gallego-Balsà  , L. and Corona, V. (2016). Language and education issues in global Catalonia. Questions and debates across scales of time and space. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 29(1), pp.1-5.

National Energy Plan Essay -- essays research papers

National Energy Plan  ¡Ã‚ §The balance between energy consumption and the environment have always seemed at odds with one another. Is it possible that the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge could be opened to oil exploration without adverse effects to the environment? I believe it can. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Q.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What type of National Energy Policy do we have here? A.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Years of misguided federal and state environmental policies have raised the cost of production, failed to improve our nation's aging infrastructure, and dangerously increased America's dependence on unreliable foreign sources. The result: rising consumer utility bills, rapidly increasing gasoline prices, and rolling blackouts and brownouts. A fundamental imbalance between supply and demand defines our nation ¡Ã‚ ¦s energy crisis if energy production increases at the same rate as during the last decade our projected energy needs will far outstrip expected levels of production. Q.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the current legislation? A.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In early 2001, President Bush unveiled his National Energy Policy Report and I feel that was a step in the right direction. It recommends environmentally sound changes to increase domestic supply, improve delivery, reform counterproductive regulations, and encourage energy diversity. Although more should be done to ensure that any new policies adhere to free-market principles, the plan provides a blueprint for reform.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More recently, the Energy Conservation, Research, and Development Act of 2003 passed the House of Representatives 246-180. It goal is to conduct a balanced, long-term research effort in the areas of Buildings, Industry, FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies and Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure. Grants will be offered to develop and transfer various energy conservation technologies to the nonfederal sector.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some examples of funded projects Grants have been awarded to perform: (1) Research on high performance heat pumps; (2) research on thermally efficient commercial buildings; (3) research in vehicle engines; (4) research on high temperature materials; and (5) research on industrial separation processes. Congressman Chris Cannon (R-UT) praised House passage of a comprehensive energy plan designed to... ...s, that would indicate they are actually more reliable than fossil plants. Wind and Solar power can't come close to the capacity factors of nuclear power, for obvious reasons. The population of the United States and the World is growing rapidly, and even with significant conservation measures, demand for electricity will increase. This is particularly true if we can move a significant number of people from gasoline powered cars to light rail and electric automobiles, both of which require large amounts of electricity. Nuclear power is a proven, safe, and effective technology for production of electricity, and the technical issues of radiation control and waste management have long since been resolved. Q.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is your projection for the future? A.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A majority of people around these days grew up in a time where anything with the word  ¡Ã‚ §nuclear ¡Ã‚ ¨ in it causes them to flinch. Its just the way life was back the. I think America is going to have to adapt. Were stretched to the seams as it is right now so I cant see how we can go on much longer with out creating safe alternatives to out dependence on fossil fuels.

Free Essays on Mansfields The Dolls House :: Dolls House essays

The Doll's House      A contributing factor to the story "The Doll's House" by Katherine Mansfield is the characterization of Kezia as she travels in her innocence through the symbolic world of experience.   Kezia is essential to the plot because she represents a taboo, offering opposition to common ways of thinking. Through the portrayal of Kezia, as she interacts as the symbolic eccentric, Mansfield emphasizes the powers and blind justification of conformity within a society. The story commences with the arrival of the doll's house sent to the Burnell children.   The Burnells take a great liking to this new acquisition.   As the two older children admire the red carpet, red plush chairs, and gold frames of this highly ornamented house, Kezia, the youngest of the girls, takes an interest in the rather simple lamp. In fact, "what she liked more than anything, what she liked frightfully, was the lamp." This infatuation symbolizes her impeccability in comparison to the others as she is drawn to the unadorned lamp. Kezia proceeds to find fault with the state and proportions of the doll's house and perfection with the lamp in its simplicity.   As others take interests in the gaudy nature of the house, Kezia rebels:   "But the lamp was perfect.   It seemed to smile at Kezia, to say `I live here.' The lamp was so real." Conflict intensifies as Kezia remains the odd ball.   The appreciation of the lamp is a metaphor for the actions to come. Kezia likes the lamp because she does not know any better.   Thus, she decides to befriend the Kelveys because she doesn't see anything wrong in doing so.   The Kelveys are a family that are shunned because of their economic status.   Throughout the town, "Many of the children, including the Burnnels, were not allowed even to speak to them."   Without a second thought, school children and their families followed in the consuming tradition of looking down upon these unprivileged people.   Kezia offers offset to this common path of thinking and questions such a blind following.   She asks her mother, "Can't I ask the Kelveys just once?" To which, the response is, "Run away, Kezia; you know quite well why not." Mansfield successfully expresses the enveloping and controlling nature of conformity through the juxtaposition of Kezia's innocence to the prejudiced views of   those who live in the world of experience.   While others remain to push Kezia's nonconformist

Alcohol And The Church :: essays research papers

Alcohol And The Church It seems to be that our main questions are, Should we use alcohol and what about those that abuse it? How should the Church deal with those that do drink or should we as a society deal with it? While there is nothing in the Bible that says drinking is a sin, but drunkeness is. I believe as a society we do have a problem with alcohol abuse. But in the same respect I do not feel that the church should judge those who do drink socially, regularly, or abusively. When the time comes everyone will be judged individually by God alone. I feel it is his decision solely to do what is best for all. The church may teach not to use alcohol, but to discriminate against those in the congregation (or even those that are not) that do is not a solution to the problem. I feel in order to get alcohol abuse under control we as a society need to teach our children the risks of using alcohol, not only in the home but in the schools as well. To reach the heart of the problem is to face the problem head on. As a social drinker myself (I put my self in this classification) I don't feel I have an alcohol problem just because I enjoy a drink now and then. I do not abuse it and would never put myself behind the wheel of a car to take the risk of taking someone else's life. You don't need to be drunk to cause an accident, it's been proven in many cases only a few drinks can impair someone's stability. If more thought of this there would be less tragedies on our highways. When it comes to food and there are people starving in the world, when we could help by not converting food grains into alcohol, this should be made more aware to our society. I'm not sure most people are aware of this. It is supposedly our main concern to feed the hungry and shelter the poor. If giving up something that only contributes to loneliness and destruction than ever, because there are more that abuse than those who don't, it seems to me to be a logical solution. I think the best we can hope for in our future and our children's is that we have to