Compare war poems Essay

Many terrible things happened in World War 1 or the Great War. For me one of the main points were the injustice of it all, how the officer class treated the young ordinary soldiers, mostly from the working class, I have chosen two poems by Siegfried Sassoon which pick up on these themes â€Å"Base Details† and â€Å"Does It Matter? † In both these poems, Sassoon uses sarcasm to magnify his feelings of both anger and frustration, and this makes both poems particularly poignant. In â€Å"Base Details†, Sassoon portrays the role of an army commander back at headquarters (â€Å"the Base†), well away from the front line. As soon as you read â€Å"Base Details you can tell how much Sassoon hates these base areas, in which the generals lay behind. The sarcasm he uses is so utterly obvious of his hatred and he shows this by using a simple rhyming scheme as if a ? Even in the title, Sassoon begins his sarcasm by punning on the word â€Å"Base† i. e. describing both the place, but also the â€Å"base† behaviour in his view of the people there. Sassoon shows his disgust for such people by portraying men who took themselves so seriously, in their bright red uniforms: â€Å"If I were fierce†¦ I’d live with scarlet Majors†¦ â€Å", but are in reality pathetic, puffing figures: â€Å"†¦ bald, and short of breath† What Sassoon particularly hated was how these pompous people sent miserable young men to die at the Front: â€Å"†¦ speed glum heroes up the line to death† Whilst they were safely tucked away at Base, eating and drinking the best of food and wine: â€Å"Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel† It was so irritating hearing the patronising words of sympathy: â€Å"†¦ poor young chap, I used to know his father well† And of course when the war was over, these officers could return safely and uninjured to England, unlike countless millions of ordinary soldiers and other officers: â€Å"And when the war is done and youth stone dead, I’d toddle safely home and die – in bed. † Every line drips with sarcasm which powerfully brings out the unfairness of how the war was conducted. This brings me to my second point, and what happened when the many injured soldiers returned to Britain, which is what is â€Å"Does it Matter? † is about. In this poem, Sassoon deals with soldiers with physical and mental injuries of all sorts. â€Å"†¦ losing your legs† â€Å"†¦ losing your sight† â€Å"†¦ those dreams from the pit† Having returned, people at home tried to be nice and understanding, but really had no appreciation of how these words would be felt as patronising and how it is to feel you are being pitied in this way. Sassoon again uses a form of sarcasm here, although less bitter than in â€Å"Base Details†. In each of the three stanzas of this poem, Sassoon asks with irony: â€Å"Does it matter? † that the soldier had such and such an injury when it clearly matters whether you have lost you legs, or sight or are going out of your mind with awful nightmares. In each case he paints a picture of how hurtful and frustrating it was for these soldiers to hear people at home almost dismiss their injuries, when they can then happily go about their own lives in a way that the soldiers cannot: â€Å"†¦ when the others come in after hunting (with legs! )† It really was so patronising, even if unintentional, to say: â€Å"There is such splendid work for the blind† Or â€Å"And people won’t say that you’re mad; For they’ll know that you fought for your country And no one will worry a bit. † It is really like saying â€Å"there, there† to a child. War is always an awful thing, and causes much misery for all concerned. In the above poems about the Great War, Sassoon focused on two aspects, the awful unfairness of how ordinary soldiers were sent to their death by useless and vain superiors, and the anguish of those who returned injured caused by the patronising pity of those at home.

Living As If God Does Not Exist Essay

Since ancient times, alongside society’s development is the widespread proliferation of the religious consciousness of mankind. Although primitive small-scale societies had always been depicted as animists and polytheists, the concept of the High God is a common theme that has already been discovered. Studies of ancient societies have revealed in the belief of a Supreme Being, although this was also coupled with worship of lesser spiritual entities since the Supreme God seems distant and uninvolved in daily concerns of men. Compared with modern men, people of the ancient past were mainly agricultural communities. They are basically more aware of their natural surroundings and the different forces which affect his sustenance and survival. Many of these forces are beyond his control and understanding. Early man was therefore more inclined to acknowledge the existence of a Great Being who is responsible for the existence of the world and the one who is in complete control over all. Worship, whether to God or lesser spirits, has often been closely associated with receiving favour and positive results, or to ward off negative conditions like sickness. But current mode of attitudes and perspectives that pervade modern men has increasingly being held under the spell of beliefs that exclude God and the invisible world from the realm of reality and day to day living. Such an approach to life however, is not entirely exclusive in modern times. This was already present in the distant past where there were critics of religious beliefs — for instance among some of the ancient Greek philosophers and the Roman Lucretius; in India, where most see it as a rich place of religious practices, materialism has already flourished at the time of the Buddha and for many centuries afterward which basically rejected all belief in a transcendent world; and in China, rationalist Confucianism often involved a rejection of religious doctrine. But these protests against the existence of and reliance of a Supreme Being or of spirituality in general, are only sporadic and never gained majority allegiance during its time. But this is now greatly pronounced in the modern period than ever before, since the powerful restatements of atheism and agnosticism have found a wide success in acceptance and following. The rise of the scientific discoveries and inventions, as well as the increase of intellectuals has made it more ideal to reject the existence of God and other religious values. Man sees himself as the ultimate controller of his destiny, as he experiences more control of the things that affect him. As greater understanding of the world around him is achieved, man sees a greater lack of importance in relying on an unseen and somewhat ‘distant’ God. Modern man is also pressed with many concerns. The large masses of manual workers that were born of out of industrialization in the big cities of northern Europe have caused them to become largely alienated from the faith of their fathers. It is both the social and intellectual forces which have thus combined to promote a widespread practical atheism. There are mainly anti-religious ideologies of modern man which has come to influence modern day thinking. First, was the growth of liberal humanism that principally influenced the western world. This philosophy is rooted in the scepticism of the eighteenth century; it received a greater momentum from the religious controversies of the nineteenth century. Second, was the spread of German type of atheism which were popularized by the writings of Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche. Nietzsche even pronounced the death of God in one of his writings. He announced the death of God, as man is ‘awakened’ to the ‘reality’ that God is only a creation of the human mind. Today’s society is very much influenced, although mostly indirectly, by the banner of humanism that fiercely denounces the existence of God and His requirements. Humanism passionately proclaims that the acknowledgement of God is a declaration of war against life, against nature, against the will to live; and that Christianity is the formula for every slander against this present world and guilty of proliferation of ‘lies’ of a world beyond or afterlife. Out of this, came the atheistic Communist ideologies, which for some time in the past, has pronouncedly divided the world. Then, there were also the philosophical movement known as Existentialism, which ironically had Christian origins through the work of Kierkegaard, has nurtured within it a newer type of atheism, popular since the Second World War. Such a deluge of assault on the Christian faith would seem overwhelming and puzzling to those who profess faith in it. God and Christianity seem to have often called down upon strong denunciations. But it is not entirely out of reason. There has been the spectacle of inter-denominational strife, the growing cynicism towards the authenticity of those who were key figures of the Christian faith as against their extravagant lifestyles, memory of persecutions, and the political conservatism of many Christians — all these must be taken into consideration. However, what could be considered a more major reason for rejection is because of the more common association of Christianity with Puritanism. There have, indeed, always been pronounced ascetic elements in the Christian experience, although they are considerably less than in most other of the world religions. It can be said though, that Puritanism and ascetism obviously have important place in certain kinds and phases of different religions. Puritanism demands the population at large to conform to it. Central to the Christian belief is the submission to the Supreme Being, and His instructions. The world, as symbolized by Nietzsche, continuous to express a strong reaction against such beliefs. God and his laws are often received as restrictive, since man’s experience show that he possess desires and instincts which often goes in conflict to what God approves, and must therefore contend with it for most of his time. For most men, this seems to constitute a kind of conspiracy to confine human self-expression and freedom. It is not surprising then, to see an abundance of decay in wide areas of society, since unwillingness to submit to God’s authority is more appealing in order to gratify the self. God is therefore seen as an enemy against the fulfilment of the desires and plans of the self. In addition to this, many simply suspect that those â€Å"kill-joy† Christians, do make those impositions on others condemning jollification and gaiety, as an unconscious repressions and anxieties which stems from Freudian influence. The rejection of the divine and supernatural is not just a mere intellectual scepticism about the truth of God and Christian beliefs; it has also been an emotional rebellion as well. Social factors have contributed. As we have seen, the dislocations caused by industrialism in many Western countries, have produced the alienation of much of the working masses from Christianity. In addition, social forces have brought a distrust of the older forms of authoritarianism. This was already demonstrated between the World Wars, the rejection of being ruled by a higher force. Moreover, this has been heightened after the war where many younger folks have opportunities of work and spending that often creates a sense of being relatively independent. This new found independence rewards man’s desire to be the sole controller of his own life. Such an attitude was already displayed since man’s creation. Self-rule, the rebellion against God’s authority has become the norm. With this development, the traditional forms of Christian teaching and preaching and the presentation of the ethical side of Christianity as something fixed and God-given have not had a widespread effectiveness. What is more popular in many folks of today’s generation is the adherence to anti-authoritarianism and which continuous to stimulate anti-Church feeling, even to the political level. Various advocacies that are being presented with much militancy and following today (i. e. same sex-marriage) run in complete opposition to God- declared laws. It is therefore not an unexpected condition that those who support such advocacies will reject God’s authority and existence. God’s ‘in-existence’ would mean that man can do whatever seems right in his own eyes. Truth and right is therefore relative. Also, aside from the agnostics and anti-religious atheism, are those within the so-called Christian societies, are a large number of people who simply do not attend church or religious ceremonies (Smart, pp. 558-573). They are not necessarily lacking in religious belief, but nevertheless they do not feel themselves called upon to belong to any religious organization. They are people who live in a large, gentle twilight zone between religiousness and agnosticism. They have inherited much of the humanist movement, but they do not share the intellectual presuppositions. They include many, therefore, who, when asked, profess belief in God — or more vaguely in a Power which controls the cosmos. But they are not convinced of actively participating in worship of such a Being as something essential of one’s existence. They are not inclined to pray, seek God, read the Bible, though they might possibly do so in times of stress or great danger. They are, for the most part, alienated from the fellowship with God and the fellow believers. They are aware of the differences of teachings in different denominations, and are thus mistrustful of dogma. They have no wish to deny God’s existence outwardly, but they do not desire to seek and know Him. They have reverence for a Creator; but they feel that God is distant and detached. They respect Christian moral values, but they reject Puritanism. They do not have much sense of sin, but they admire saintliness. They are worried by death, and they hope to live for a better afterlife. But the division between heaven and hell they do not feel. Such people far outnumber the committed atheists and the explicit agnostics. For many members of society today, science possess greater prestige derived from the practical benefits of technology and the awesome mumbo-jumbo surrounding the expert, has superseded that of religion. The current civilization can be depicted in such a state. Although the blatant atheists and agnostics have been relatively few, the influence of their thinking has been formidable. Despite the ‘advancement’ in knowledge, man has generally been ignorant of God and His ways. What is generally esteemed as ‘wise’, those who reject God, does not see the pointlessness of their argument. Creation itself speaks as a witness to His superiority and existence. What is evident in creation is the presupposition of a Creator. If the world and the universe came out of chaos, scientific discoveries show that everything in it has a purpose and held with much order, which could not basically flow in congruence with the ‘accident’ theory. Also, the amazing functions of the human body, also defy such a premise that man was created by chance. For man to reject his Creator and His authority is one of the most miserable and worse thing that has occurred to man. Man indeed is very much in need of redemption from the futility of his own way of thinking. Reference: Smart, Ninian. (1984). Contemporary Religious Experience. The Religious Experience of Mankind. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons

Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Review - Essay Example The present day NFL runs on the rule that any player suspected or diagnosed to have gone through a concussion needs to consult a medic with immediacy, and that the medic is supposed to remain with the player till they get better (Boriboon 25). Handling concussions, as can be borrowed from the article, is a collective responsibility from the therapists and the players if the players have to receive the best care and perform for their teams (Boriboon 25). The article by Johnson is a compilation of the concussions that young players face; in this case, focus has been shed on football players (180). The author clearly indicates that high school football players are greatly involved with tackle football which predisposes them to sport- related concussions (Johnson 181). Johnson then proposes the use of Return to play approaches (RTPs) to account for the concussions by the football players by giving an example of 23,000 damages that are football related, which occur annually (183). The author insists that these players are exposed to numerous health risks ranging from brain injuries to trauma amongst others (Johnson 183). Conclusively, it is arguable that RTPs do not provide a lasting solution to concussions by the football players. As Johnson indicates, football players especially the ones in high school can have negative implications on the players not only on their health, but also in terms of the academic and athletic performance (185). It is recommended that the players and their coaches devise a more reliable approach on dealing with concussions as opposed to solely relying on RTPs. Marchi, Nicola., Jeffrey Bazarian, Vikram Puvenna, Mattia Janigro, Chaitali Ghosh, Jianhui Zhong, Tong Zhu, Eric Blackman, Desiree Stewart, Jasmina Ellis, Damir Janigro, and Robert Butler. â€Å"Consequences of Repeated Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in Football Players.† PLOS ONE 8.3 (2013): e56805. Web.

PI4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PI4 - Essay Example ommunicating with people within and outside the organization; the person occupying this position will have to interact with the company’s employees so that the right message can be effectively communicated (Cronshow et al., 2007). In order to resolve any conflict that arises among the people, HR assistant will have to deal with it in a true and fair way so that everyone is satisfied with the final decision made. The HR assistant will have to learn all three communication skills i.e. oral, written and nonverbal. The written skills are crucial as the person will be writing the policies for the company and the language used should be adequate so that the employees can clearly understand the intended message. While dealing with the staff, the HR assistant will have to ensure that each employee is at ease to discuss any problem and both of them can agree on a solution so that the problem is resolved. The nonverbal communication is the most important aspect as it reflects upon the professionalism and expertise of the person; the HR assistant will have to ensure that the right gestures and postures are used while communicating so that there is a healthy relationship between the assistant and HR manager. Based on your identification of the elements and qualifications provide an opinion as to whether the company has conducted a proper analysis of the particular job they are seeking to fill and whether they would be able to gather a pool of qualified applicants. The main elements of a good job description are that they have complete details about the tasks and duties that the jobholder will perform along with the required skills and qualifications (Brannick, Levine & Morgeson, 2007). From the analysis of the job advertisement, it is evident that the company has done a thorough research about the particular job requirements. However, two elements are missing i.e. required qualification level and experience that the candidate must have in the HR field. Although all other

Is Capital Punishment Effective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Is Capital Punishment Effective - Essay Example 2). However, sound policy should not be based on what is popular. Rather, the best indicator that capital punishment makes sense from a public policy perspective is arguably its success as a deterrent of crime. The deterrent effect of capital punishment has been debated for some time. Studies on the extent to which the death penalty actually causes a decrease in the incidents of murder and other violent crime have produced mixed results. Nevertheless, recent moves by several states to impose moratoria on capital punishment have offered a novel opportunity to assess the impact of a suspension of the death penalty. For the first time, it has been possible to directly compare and contrast violent crime statistics in several jurisdictions both pre- and post-moratorium. This has shown a clear and substantial correlation between elimination of capital punishment and increase in incidents of murder. This paper discusses the evolution and current state of capital punishment in the United States. It will survey the seminal Supreme Court cases on the topic; and will consider empirical evidence that substantiates the effect of the death penalty as a deterrent. Not only is the death penalty appropriate within a democratic society in which the overwhelming majority of people support it; but it is also a reasonable public policy choice given the evidence substantiating its deterrent effect. The 20th Century was a very active period for application o... unishment declined somewhat in the 1940s and 1950s, executions were still much more frequent than today: approximately 130 a year in the 1940s and 75 a year during the 1950s, compared to an average of 48 per year in the 1990s. Over 65% of the American public approved of the death penalty during these decades" (Dezhbakhsh & Shepherd, par.10). The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a decline in support for the death penalty, with its lowest point coming in at 42% in 1966. "Opposition to the death penalty increased because of growing doubts about the morality of the death penalty, awareness of Western Europe's abandonment of capital punishment, abatement of the 1930s crime wave, lack of deterrence evidence, widespread belief in the racially discriminatory use of the death penalty, and increasing concern about the arbitrariness of death penalty sentences" (par. 11). The number of executions began to decline, reflecting the drop in public support. The movement of states away from mandatory death sentence statutes and toward discretionary statutes whereby juries had the power to decide whether or not a particular case warranted the death penalty led to an arbitrary application of capital punishment that raised questions about its constitutionality. This period culminated in the Supreme Court's Furman decision, 408 U.S. 238, in which the Court held that "the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty in these cases constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments" (Furman v. Georgia, 1972). The holding in Furman essentially found "that discretionary capital statutes resulted in arbitrary sentencing, violating the Eighth Amendment's cruel and unusual punishment clause. This decision effectively voided the death penalty statutes of all

Interaction Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interaction Analysis - Essay Example Although it was short, a brief introduction of his cultural background was established. The actual meeting had begun with a brief prayer outside the house, which was interpreted as a religious ritual to welcome a special guest in the house. The Jordan region is mainly inhabited by Muslims with a distinct Arabic origin. A great percentage of the population upholds Islamic values and Mohammed is not an exception. As a Christian, I had to respect this religious and cultural situation and consent to the prayer although my religion does not agree with some aspects of Islam. This is an example of the behavioral code that is expected when interacting with people from different cultures. The meals session was a great experience and a great opportunity to understand the cultural values by observing the non-verbal codes. Particularly, this was an opportunity to understand the culture by observing the eating habits, type of food, and the overall family involvement during mealtime. Our meal was a reflection of the Arabian-Jordan dining culture. Halloumi, a pita-style bread sandwich was served with grilled meat marinate and fresh vegetables as the main course. This type of food is an identity of the Jordan community and a lot can be learned about the culture by just looking at the food. According to Mohammed, mealtimes are respected and, therefore, people should not talk during mealtime. However, the best time for verbal communication and interaction came immediately after the meals. We shared a debate and a discussion about different cultural values that Mohammed upholds. Certainly, he values religion and it seems that his culture is deeply entrenched into the Islam. This is one of the most important sessions since I got a chance to compare and contrast his cultural values and mine. For instance, I observed that religion has a great influence on his morals, since they are founded on Islam. However, this contrasted with my cultural background, whereby, my religion has nothi ng to do with my cultural background. Indeed, the two are very different. My cultural background does not stem from religion, but rather, encompasses religion as an important aspect of life. Nevertheless, we still uphold similar family values and beliefs. Although there are very big differences in the societal roles especially for women, the roles within the family remain relatively the same for both cultures. Mohammed does not let his wife go to the Mosque simply because the larger community does not encourage that. However, he feels that the cultural values are changing rapidly and that he may decide to embrace the changes and give her permission to attend prayers and Islamic gatherings. This was a memorable moment since I was able to differentiate the contrasts in which different cultures accept changes. Whereas, our culture is fast and swift to adapt to changes, some cultures are very conservative and, therefore, very slow and resistive to changes. It is evident from the verbal communication pattern that Mohammed can be classified in the high-context culture group. He comes from a culture that has strong values and most of the life aspects are strongly associated with the culture. For instance, he would conclude many sentences with the phrase â€Å"Inshallah.† I came to realize that this phrase simply means God willing. It is an expression of hope that a premeditated endeavor will be

An investment opportunity from global warming Essay

An investment opportunity from global warming - Essay Example As mentioned beforehand, majority of the Americans and possibly people around the world believe that "global warming" is at our midst. Proof of this is the menagerie of international treaties which seek to encourage clean technologies and reduce carbon emissions, which is considered to be a major mitigation of "global warming". Let us take the Kyoto Protocol as an example. This treaty is the offshoot of the UNFCCC and is the primary international agreement on combating climate change. The United States did not ratify this protocol, which probably fans the guilt that must be felt if we are talking about the American market. Reporting for CNN Money, Chris Taylor also listed a Silicon Valley company by the name of Planktos which was bought by Vancouver's Solar Energy Ltd. for $1.3 million. The company is testing a technology that would dump huge quantities of carbon-eating phytoplankton algae in the ocean and sell the resulting credits to European countries that can't cut their carbon dioxide emissions enough to meet Kyoto targets. Moreover, Sustainability Advantage author Willard cited a 66% increase in profit on average for small and medium-sized companies which adopted environment-minded practices due to better market share among other factors. A business investing in clean technology will be most likely successful due to two important factors. First, the public policies are friendly and governments will most likely offer incentives for the business. Second, and most importantly, there is significant market share out there and the demand is not merely created.

Competent Leadership in Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Competent Leadership in Human Resources - Essay Example It is the capability of efficient leaders to put efforts to get a factual outcome, setting objectives harmoniously in order to accomplish a mission and setting priorities right as well as maintaining principles, which cannot be compromised in the endeavors to achieve a certain goal. Prudent leaders view their position as a responsibility to achieve the desired goal. This essay is a critical evaluation of competent leadership in human services. The strengths that are needed in order for leaders to be competent in this field have been discussed. Some weaknesses that may hamper effective leadership have been highlighted. Â  There are several factors that a leader should put in to practice in order to improve his strength. The ability to balance various interests, adaptability and the ability to innovate are some of the strengths that enhance competence in offering effective human services. Being trustworthy is a very important attribute of leadership. This is because others depend on the leader in order to be triumphant in their endeavors. Without trust, people cannot believe in leadership and therefore do not follow the wishes of their leader. Kelly et al (2006, p. 182-183) further argue that acquisition by leaders of essential data concerning a range of backgrounds enables leaders to design the best organizational plan. This would serve to enhance planning to offer human services especially in situations that need a balanced allocation of resources.

The Communist Manifesto Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Communist Manifesto - Term Paper Example â€Å"The socialist and communist systems, properly so called†¦spring into existence in the early undeveloped period, described above, of the struggle between proletariat and bourgeoisie†(Marx and Engels, p.28). As pointed out in ‘The Communist Manifesto,’ the class struggle can be observed in the early epochs of human history. â€Å"Freeman and Slave, Patrician and Plebeian, lord and serf, guildmaster and journeyman† (Marx and Engels, p.3). These two classes were always facing each other in a feat that is characterized as oppressor and oppressed. The opening of the new market as America, The East-Indian and China gave rise to the bourgeoisie. Then, the old feudal system was not able to satisfy these markets, causing the manufacturing system to take place. Given the rise of the middle class, the bourgeoisie had turned every occupation into a wage-worker relationship and had constantly revolutionized production and expanding market causes the destructio n of local markets in old established nations. By demanding large quantity of raw materials and forcing nations to become bourgeoisie themselves and calling into existence the working class: The Proletariat(Marx and Engels, p.34). ... Under communism, all classes will disappear in the face of socialism. The proletarian in England, France and America had lost traces of national character and the bourgeois law, morality and religion had lost its appeal. The idea pertains to the destruction of all concept of individual property. This becomes a national struggle guided by the communist party. Eventually civil war is followed by a full blown revolution and the overthrow of the bourgeoisie is inevitable. Historically the serf, while serving, can rise above and become part of the commune as a small bourgeois under feudal society was able to develop into a bourgeois. As for the modern worker, instead of trying to keep up with the progress of the industry, this will only sink him deeper into poverty. Poverty can be seen to advance much faster than population and wealth. â€Å"The proletariat of each country must of course, first of all settle matters with their own bourgeoisie† (Marx and Engels, p.12). This is the m ain natural law that makes the bourgeoisie unfitted to be able to be the ruling class in a society. The bourgeoisie now may not take care of the wage-worker since it depends on the wage-worker to support it. This causes the elimination of the bourgeoisie by nature as it will not be able to define itself in the society. â€Å"The socialistic bourgeois want all the advantages of modern social conditions without the struggles and dangers necessarily resulting therefrom† (ibid, 27). The creation and augmentation of capital is at the heart of the condition for the existence of the bourgeoisie. The wage-worker is essential to create capital. It rests exclusively on competition for wage-worker. The

The Political Economy of Global Communication Essay

The Political Economy of Global Communication - Essay Example It has become a catch-22. As Peter Wilkin (2001) states, the "means of communication is a dangerous weapon to be placed in the hands of private institutions driven by profit interests as much as it is when placed in the hands of monopoly state power." The news media is this profit-driven organization, and its threat is real. The arena now is Iraq, now in the third year of a war sprung from the fear of a threat. Today, the relationship between the state and the media in terms of supporting each others interests. The available body of literature indicates that security issues have changed since World War II. The perceptions of people in the East differ greatly from those in the West due, in part, to media and communication as a whole. Prevention is often overlooked as an integral part of security. The case study will evaluate the role of the media in global security. Oftentimes ownership of media, whether public or private, plays a role in the kind of communication people may receive. In addition, wealthy investors, owners, and sponsors can skew the presentation of communications messages both locally and globally. The media is a powerful and influential player in high stakes political games but is also a tool in which a civil society gets information about global issues which now may affect them. Finally, this paper will examine how the Iraq crisis of 2002/2003, when the possible manufacture and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction came to a peak, was both created and shaped by the me dia of both the United States, the aggressor in this conflict, and Germany, the largest member of the European Union and a staunch opponent of the war. SECTION TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW According to a study compiled by the World Watch Institute, security tops the lists of concerns for most nations (State of the World, 2005). National security is frequently referred to as the military, or the military and homeland security and has resulted in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in the United States. However, according to Anita Dancs, (2006), director of the National Priorities Project and Security Policy Working Group member, "securing our nation has three components: the military, homeland security and preventive measures." Preventive measures refer to actions, plans and policies that neutralize or prevent violent conflicts (Dancs, 2006). Undoubtedly, the media plays a new role in global security by virtue of its position in the communications marketplace. They determine public opinion and can shape decisions and alter perceptions of problems. For example, Paul Rogers (2005) reports that even though North Americans typically respond to surveys that violence is on the rise both nationally and internationally, worldwide violence is actually diminishing. The Human Security Report reveals that "the number of armed conflicts has decreased by more than 40% , and the number of major conflicts(which it defines as resulting in 1,000 or more battle-deaths) has declined by 80%" (Rogers, 2005). The report also notes that the number of autocratic regimes is decreasing as well. This is an important consideration because, as Stephen Krasner (1983) has delineated, regimes are based upon norms and principles which do not change without a revolutionary impetus. For example, if a terrorist regime acts upon the principles of their religi on and seek to fight a holy war, such as in the tragedy of 9/11,

The media institutions Essay Example for Free

The media institutions Essay Media is the method and organisation used by specialist groups to convey messages to large socially mixed and widely dispersed. It can be defined as a means of public communication, which is open to all audiences of people living under different conditions in widely different cultures, therefore reaching a great and wider audience. It establishes contact with people at a distance from the media source and from each other. If we are referring to a single form of communication such as T. V or radio than we use the term medium. The audience for mass communications is unique to modern society and the main form of mass media is Television, Internet, Radio, and Newspapers. Its obvious that the mass institution has increased as individuals are spending an overwhelming amount of physical time with different media forms. This is known as centrality of the media. Analysing sociologist arguments and reports will successfully assist me to complete this essay. Throughout this essay I aim to discuss and analyse the following media institutions: Internet, Video games and Television. The first media institution to be mentioned in this essay is the Internet. The Internet is the largest WAN (wide area network) in the world. It was developed by the United States Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency in the 1960s and was initially known as ARPANET. As the Internet became more established thus having a positive aspect on its popularity many people obtained access to the Internet and the number of people who use it is growing considerably. The main reason being that it now contains user friendly software, which has packages that help people use the Internet easily e. g. Netscape, AOL. The Internet has now become cheaper as companies realise that they can make a great deal of profit if the majority of the society have the Internet e. g. If consumers join the NTL phone line they get the Internet free therefore encouraging a lot of people to get it. There are many deals that means anyone who has a phone line, a computer and modem can be connected for as little as i 12-i 15 a month. In addition it now has a faster communication telephone line, which means that communication can reach top speeds, visuals images and sound can be quickly downloaded. Digital communications across ISDN lines allow greater amounts of information to be accessed. Again the Internet has become part of the civilisation, as an individual if you dont have access to the Internet you are seen as not being up to date. A statistics illustrate the Internets popularity has increased as it now reaches 146 countries, and involves 3 million computers and 40,000 sub networks. The Internet has become such an established form of media institution that its is often seen as a valuable tool to sell things over the web which is called the e-commerce. There are also 500 million users worldwide and the numbers is still immensely growing. In addition as computers are becoming cheaper, society is realising that you need to be computer literate to cope with the heavy demands of the business world. As more economically developed countries revolve around the computer. Michio Kaku a sociologists state that in the past decade, more scientific knowledge has been created that in all human history. Computer power is doubling every eighteen months and the Internet is doubling every year. Gilroy proclaims the Internet is still continuously growing he used California as an example of his Internet popularity research. He illustrates that California has dramatically expanded its share of high tech jobs in the US. In 1997 2000 thousands a month was being created. By 1996 there were 355 Internet hosts per 1,000 people in Silicon Valley a far higher ratio than anywhere else in the US. Charles leadbeater states that Internet usage is multiplying as five times the rate that television spread in the 1980s. Users of the Internet are now beginning to chat, shop, and entertain themselves through the comfort of their home. However sociologists believe that the Internet has a threat to society as it begin to restrict people from socialisation they state that people will become unhealthy and mentally depressed. Tele working such as shopping, going to school will be replaced by computer links. People will be able to invade private lives through broad-catching as they can pick any information they want such as radio and T. V programmes. The Internet will force a downward spiral in the economy as people will no longer need to purchase products such as music from the stores but instead download e. g. Kazza. Older generations worry that the Internet will have a negative impact on young people in society due to the fact that the Internets reputation is known for its quick reliable response 24/7. They explain that the younger generations live in an impatient and permanently depth less present, in which there is no sense of perspective and little sense of obligation. On the contrary they is also many advantages of using the Internet for example the disabled tele-working would be more convenient. If you live under the pressure of the world then it also saves time as you can carry out daily tasks from the comfort of your home. Broad catching makes people access and pick any information they need at a quick and reliable speed and includes free downloads which save money. You will be able to communicate with people world wide at a free or cheap cost this is known as asynchronous communication. Society will soon be able to obtain a wide variety of information. Serial delivery will broaden peoples knowledge and we will be entertained quite easily. Copyright will become a thing of the past. Information will be the property of everyone and we will have access to everything. Most importantly it will reduce the importance of characteristic skin colour, gender physical attraction and sexual orientation will no longer be important in the virtual would of the Internet. Everyone will be viewed as equal. The second media institution is video games. Video games can be played on several types of platforms: home consoles used with TV sets, computers, and computers with access to the Internet, coin-operated arcade machines, and handheld devices including games systems, cell phones and Palm Pilots. In the past these electronically products were not available highlighting the fact that they have become developed and more poplar. Atari introduced video games in 1972; this was a ping pong game. Nintendo introduced hardware in 1986 and it is estimated that over 4 billion pounds has been created through them selling games. Other companies that are involved in producing games are Sony, Microsoft and Saga. As fashion and taste changes, so does the video games, and many companies try to change the correct theme of their games e. g. at the beginning of the football season a football game becomes popular e. g. Fifa 2004. This re-emphasises the idea that games are extremely popular. Computer and video game sales in the United States are a $6. 35 billion industry, with estimates of $16. 9 billion by 2003. The major studies indicate that children ages 2-18 spend, on average, between 20-33 minutes a day playing video games. The amount of time spent playing video games varies by age. On average, 2-7 years old spend 8 minutes a day, 8-13 year olds spend 32 minutes a day, and 14-18 years old spend 20 minutes a day playing video games. Boys spend substantially more time playing video games than do girls, regardless of age. On any given day, 44% of boys report playing video games compared to 17% of girls. Another piece of evidence that shows that video games are becoming more popular is Media technology in the home. In 1986 10% had video games, 1989 11% had video games, 1991 12% had video games, 1992 17% had video games and in 1993 20% had video games. Overall these statistics accentuate that video games are becoming more popular. The Sociologist SKIRROW quoted that: Video games are unattractive to women since they are apart of a technology which is identified with male power, and they usually involve male characters acting in aggressive way. Women also state that games are sexist because they tend to have no main role in the video game e. g. they are being rescued or need saving by the main character. Women characters in the game are also not identified by their name but for example someones girlfriend. Most games are targeted towards the males so most games examine boxing, racing, football and fighting. Overall most games are based on real life situations, this means that they put real life situations into the game e. g. Sims. Its not the producers fault but the nations fault, as this is how the society operates. Provenzo states that There does seem to be a significant relationships between aggressive behaviour and subjects playing video games. Provenzo also quoted that women tend to have no action in video games, women have no names, and many video games are masculine. The fact that the invisible culture is increasing illustrates that children enjoy being in controlled of something, but are they really in control or are they being influenced negatively. Many games are become extremely realistic reflecting real life situations where too much exposure to a premature mind such as a child can affect them permanently. Video games have been evaluated and its been concluded that they are not just entertaining but also have effects which can be positive and negative. The positive aspect of gaming is that it has an education impact as it provides individuals with detailed insight on computer literacy, the design feature in the most popular interactive games are extremely detailed, which sociologist believe improve skills such as visualisation, visual attention and concentration. Playing violent games allows them to explore their feelings, master their rage, improve strategically thinking and empower themselves against life challenges. The negative aspect of participating in playing games is that it sometimes interferes with homework and academic performance. It increases verbal aggression and physical aggression. People that spend time playing violent games are probably more likely to be in fights than people that dont play at all. Television is also known a media institution, in 1922 the first public broadcasting began by a private company. Other companies joined in the business and they set up their own channels which was to be presented on T. V. These were the BBC (1935), Channel 4 (1982), Sky (1984) and Channel 5 (1995). Television has definitely increased it occupies a large, and often the largest, part of most peoples leisure time, to the extent that entertainment and social life in general is sometimes organised around the television (mass media). Statistics and facts show this. 99% of the population have a TV set. More people have a TV than own a phone. Television popularity has increased over the years as in 1986 the daily viewing was 78 hours, 1991 was 79 hours and in 1993 was 82 hours. These statistics illustrates a positive correlation meaning that its obvious that the hours have increased in 2003. Since Television was becoming more popular, politicians scrutinised the TV and this lead them to set up the Peacock Committee. This was set up by Professor Peacock. The disadvantage of TV is that research has confirmed that the roles are allocated to the sexes on television are highly distorted. The stereotypical role of man portrayed on T. V is that they tend to be assertive, tough and dynamic. On the contrary the female role is that women tend to be soft, deferential and, whenever possible, physically attractive. This can be emphasised by an important factor in T. V, commercials (advertising). Women have the traditional domestic role in the household, as they tend to show how to use the vacuum cleaner or what kitchen appliance the consumer should purchase e. g. cooker. This is significantly clear that this would be targeted towards the female audience, as this is how western society operates, women tend to do most of the domestic duties. Products aimed at men involve women as being sex objects e. g. Lynx the Lynx effect. The advantage of TV is that we can get a wider perspective of the knowledge world wide society learns about different cultures such as religion music, food, clothing etc. Also we are quickly entertained from the comfort of our homes In conclusion, I believe that the media institution is gaining power and will come to eventually directing and determining the culture of society rather than respond to or reflect society culture. Overall sociologist believe that the mass media is increasingly becoming more popular as the term meditation describes this process of mass recognition. The media has begun to replace our local knowledge and awareness. This suggests that the media has become very popular and important in society lives due to the fact that they have replaced community-based forms of social and cultural life.

An Analysis Of Performance Management Strategies Business Essay

An Analysis Of Performance Management Strategies Business Essay Performance management (PM) includes activities to ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance management can focus on the performance of an organization, a department, employee, or even the processes to build a product or service, as well as many other areas. In both definitions it is clear that performance management is process of continuously measuring performance of each individual in organization to achieve set goals. To check that organization is performing in right way, we use performance management strategy or system to measure performance of specific department or employees or to measure performance of whole organization. Performance management talks about important and broader issues of organization. It gives procedures to organizations to achieve their goals. Performance management links all people, teams and individuals associated with business. Performance management should include: Performance management throughout the organization for individual, team and increased productivity of organization. Development is also very important for improved performance. Unless there is no development plan for employees in organization there will be no performance improvement. Organizations should ensure that employees are encouraged and motivated to fulfill their responsibility. How It Works? As performance management is very key part of organization to make organization work effectively. So this strategy should be structured properly. There should be a performance management framework to operate it effectively and efficiently in organization. Tools of Performance Management Performance Reviews To measure performance management there should be regular reviews of individuals performance. There should be performance review meetings to evaluate performance management. The meetings should be properly managed and planned to measure. Learning and Development Most famous and successful organizations give importance to employee development for increased performance of organization. With the help of performance reviews employees can be encouraged to look for deficiencies in them. And it should be responsibility of organization to provide learning and development schemes. Organizations which have high emphasis on individuals learning have emphasis on performance improvement indirectly. Measurements Organizations which want to measure performance management effectively, there employees or individuals should know that on what criteria or through which procedures their performance is going to be measured. Organizations should measure performance on fairly and honest basis. Pay In many organizations performance management is related with performance related pay. Performance related pay is important tool in many organizations to motivate employees through performance related pay. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY OF DERBY CITY COUNCIL I have taken the performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL as example to evaluate their strategy. I am going to evaluate their performance strategy of 2007-2010. Objective The basic objective of performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL is to manage performance across council and the steps they will use to achieve their goals. They have described everything in their strategy that what they are going to achieve and how they will achieve. Importance of Performance Management As from definitions it is clear that performance management strategy is used to make organization more effective and to engage every employee in development of organization. So DERBY CITY COUNCIL has taken the importance of performance management very seriously as well. Performance management strategy make council to look for current status of their work, monitor for problems and issues arising, how to solve them and plans to implement their strategy. Performance management strategy is important to DERBY CITY COUNCIL for number of reasons. Improving Services Council is always here to improve services for people. So thats why performance management strategy is very important to council as they want to continuously improve services for people. They are focused on achieving right goals according to needs and expectations of local people and community. And their strategy helps them to look out their progress in achieving those goals and to look for any issues occurring in their current plans or not. And according to council their strategy is main key to improve their services continuously for people. Motivating staff For DERBY CITY COUNCIL their performance management strategy is not only to achieve goals like to improve services of people. For council effective management strategy is that which motivate their staff to understand them what is their role in this strategy, how much they are involved in achieving goals set by council for local people and whether their staff is getting fit into framework set by council to achieve their targets. Thats why council has described in their workforce Development Plan the scheme called Achievement and Development to stay connected with staff and promote their learning and to motivate them to fulfill their individual duties to achieve organizational goals. Meeting Government Expectations Performance management strategy is important to council because they want to meet government expectations. As performance assessment which is annual assessment by local authorities to measure performance or achievements of council in last year. So to meet government expectations performance management strategy is important to them. Demonstrating Value for Money Council tax is always concern for local residents, and they want to see that while council is doing or improving services for them or not. So this strategy is important to them to make a clear vision in local community about their value of money and council is continuously working for improvements. Purpose of Strategy For DERBY CITY COUNCIL, purpose of their performance management strategy is to Establish strong planning and performance framework to continuously improve services. To implement performance management system to measure performances of individuals and of organization. To achieve their set goals and targets. To be classified as four star council by meeting government expectations by continuously improving services for people. For DERBY CITY COUNCIL effective performance strategy not only requires good strategy but also organizational culture which supports this strategy by encouraging staff to improve their services. Performance Framework of DERBY CITY COUNCIL Their performance framework includes community strategy, corporate plan, business plans, team plans and individual plans. In framework council used community strategy to set the long term visions and targets for local community. Its a long term strategy to improve services which can be renewable. The Council corporate plan is to support community strategy how they will focus on continuous improvements and key actions to be taken for improvements. Business plans in performance framework are there to describe how each section of council work for improvements. Team plans will demonstrate employees to develop their understanding that how they will individually or in teams contribute for improvements. For council performance framework has to be clear, accurate and timely planned. What Council is Aiming to Achieve? Through their strategy council want to create an environment where every individual knows his/her contribution towards improving services and feel motivated and encouraged to manage their own performance effectively. Council Main Principles Council target is based on five principles which lead towards improvement. Balanced measurements For every process three elements are always important like inputs, outputs and outcomes. According to council as outcomes are always important for end users but they want balanced set of all measures means inputs, outputs and outcomes in their strategy to improve services. Strong Decision Making For council strong decision making is very important to them. As it is their one of main principle that decisions maker should be confident enough in information which he/she is using for decision making. They should use data of good quality to make decisions. The data or information which is used for decision making should be accurate, strong and relevant. Clear The performance information must be clear and should be accessible to all users. Goal Oriented Information should be goal oriented, focusing on key goals and targets to be achieved. Individual role Every individual must know his/her role in managing performance and key actions towards improvements. How Council will achieve his Vision? In this section council will deliver his strategy to achieve their goal. For council there are some sections which should be fulfilled to make their strategy successful. Role of Leader in Culture of Performance Management A performance management culture is climate or environment in which organization is working. Through performance management culture every employee and individual knows the values and vision of organization and their own roles to achieve those goals for organization. It encourages and motivates individuals to act in their role properly and perform their duties. As it is important for everyone to manage performance culture, but it should be lead by effective leader who has strong leadership skills. Like in performance framework of DERBY CITY COUNCIL there should be effective leader to lead corporate or business plans. Strong and confident leaders know what kind of performance is required and have ability to clearly communicate every individuals role towards improvement. They make clear to everyone that these areas are to be focused or improve and whose role is required or important in this issue. Advantages: Managers or leaders set clear goals and expectations across all employees which are continuously monitored. With performance measures there are continuous appraisals. DERBY CITY COUNCIL has culture where excellent performance is praised and shared across council. Clear Roles and Responsibilities To make their strategy effective council has described every individuals roles and responsibilities in their performance management strategy. Some roles are described below: Corporate Directors: Take operational responsibility of key actions to be done by council. They continuously review performances. They made actions required regarding data quality for decision making. They ensure that performance is under consideration in department. Performance Board: This board monitors that performance management strategy is implemented properly or not. Heads of Service They identify opportunities for improvement in strategy or performance management system. They monitor underperformance and their responsibility is to take necessary actions when required. Cabinet Their responsibility is to deliver council priorities. They review performance every three months and take actions if performance is not managed properly. They have also responsibility of measuring either value for money is achieved or not. Council Their role is to provide clear vision and to make corporate plan accordingly. They approve all budgets. They ensure every achievement. Audits and Accounts Their role is to maintain the internal environment controlled and managed. All Staff Know what their roles and contributions are required by council to achieve goals and improvement in services. They know what is vision of team in which they are working and what are the visions of stakeholders? What are their own personal goals and what they require to improve in themselves? Internal Audit They have to assess overall procedure implemented for producing performance management. They check procedures which are high risk. Advantages Everyone knows what performance framework is and know that improving services for local people is vision of council. Every member plays an important role in monitoring and managing performance management strategy. Continuous and Strong Performance Information System Council performance information is regularly used by group of people, employees, individuals and stakeholders. The Council use performance eye as main tool to analyze, collaborate and reporting performance information to all of them. The system is accessible to all staff so thats why information is clear to all staff. Advantages: Performance eye tool includes all visions of performance management including value for money. Wide use of performance eye tool by all members, employees and stakeholders. While developing performance eye data quality is taken seriously. Local people get informed about council performance and progress in achieving their goals. Continuous Assessment of Performance Measurement of performance honestly and actively is very important part of performance culture. Council has taken this point in consideration as well to take effective actions against underperformance, ensuring right actions to be done to bring performance back to action. Council considers their employees to be best source for their success and their development is necessary for councils future. It is very important to agreeing objectives with employees, giving them appraisals on their achievements and addressing their development needs in right and set path. Outcomes: Council continuously manages poor performers and rewards good performers and work for their development. Learning and Development Learning forms the basis of development of performance managed culture of organization. Here learning is about collecting information about what plans has worked and what has not worked. Organizational performance board is there to improve learning and to view which actions are necessary. Training and development is always important for exploring knowledge of every individual in every organization and at all levels. With performance management strategy a separate training plan is implemented as well in relation with performance for support and development of individuals. Outcomes: Sharing of knowledge and learning between all departments of council and other stakeholders. With help of different plan, more structured learning with performance management strategy. Main Steps in Delivering our Strategy Council has delivered their performance management strategy in the form of short term, medium term and long term goals. Short term Goals Short term goals are those goals which are to be achieved in 1 year or shorter period of time. Improved areas of underperformance through strict and strong action planning and benchmarking. Council does benchmarking to compare his results with successful results achieved by other same type of organizations. To look at their planning and way to achieve targets. Training of performance tools to all staff to improve performance managed culture. It is short term goal of council to train all staff to how to use performance tool to stable the culture of organization. Council wants to achieve this goal in short period of time to improve performance for community. Communication of performance information with local community. Council wants to achieve this target in of communicating its progress to local community, and to tell them how they are progressing, how they are working , how they are converting resources into improvement for community. So there should be clear and transparent communication with local community. Celebrating the achievements. Council wants to celebrate and wants to tell to local community that they are achieving their goals and proved increased performance. Medium Term Goals Medium term goals are goals which are to be achieved in period of 1 to 2 years. Review of performance eye It is target of council to review performance eye tool according to council and future needs. After review, if council requires further changings, needed to be done effectively. Improvements in Learning and Development Learning and development scheme should be reviewed half yearly or yearly to manage performance effectively. If performance management is not working effectively it can be due to no learning and development as well. So its council target to review their learning and development plan continuously. Long Term Goals Long term goals are those goals for council which they want to achieve in period of three years. Change to Performance Management System Implement changes to performance management system to work it more effectively and issues which has affected the performance management of organization. Changes to Individual Performance Council wants to implement changes to every individual performance to make them more effective for organization. It is a long term goal for council to check individual performance management to check who needs learning and development. Conclusion Performance management strategy is used to measure performance of individual, team and or organization as a whole as well. With the help of this strategy organizations measure how effectively their employees as individual working and how much efficient is organization working. With the help of performance management strategy Everyone came to know that how much they are contributing towards organizational goals and targets. Everyone ensures that what is organization expecting from them and they has skills and support to achieve this or not. Effective communication increases in organizations between all employees. Managers encourages individuals to do best they can and opportunities of learning and development. Performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL has describes some main principles which are important for them in their strategy. They have given importance to: Being clear and transparent to your staff about what is performance. Understanding to employees how they can improve performance management culture. Every individual should be focused on his own contributions needed by organization. Decision maker should be confident and strong enough in decision making. Decision maker should have good quality of data. Recommendations As I have evaluated strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL. They have given every information about how they will implement their strategy and what are important key roles to them for effective strategy. One thing which seems wrong to me in their long term plan is about changing of individual performance in long term plans. In my point of view, individual performance should be monitored continuously and sudden plans should be implemented to change in their individuals performance. If they need some improvement learning and development plan should be applied effectively.

Effects of Climate Change on Human Health

Effects of Climate Change on Human Health Climate change has become a hot issue lately. 21st century has to face a new crisis that could have long term effects on the world as well as on human health. Climate change becomes a hot topic now because of things that human have been doing for the last 100 years have been increasing and can change the Earth climate. If there is no preventions, climate change could happen very fast than any in the last 1000 years. Climate change in many ways. Climate changes dramatic and rapid, some the result of the impacts from comets or asteroids (New England Aquarium, 2012). But today, human activities have become the main force causing climate to change rapidly. Climate change is not only about change to the weather. It could affects the environment that people, plants, and animals depend on. This means that climate change is not affect human only but it is about plants, animal, and all the other living and non-living things such as soil, rocks, oceans, and lakes. The melting of polar ice caps shows that human being needs to be concerned about climate change. The rising of sea level could damage the land and if it is occurs without any attention to stop it, human could lose their homes. The effects of climate change that have occurred could wake the people up about the importance to preserve the Earth. Scientists believe that climate change could increase the spreading of disease. Dissemination of diseases could lead to heat-related illnesses and even death. Extreme weather such as storms, could increase the risk of high winds, dangerous flooding, and direct threats to human being and property (United State Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). The number of people facing health problems caused by climate change will rise. Climate change not only causes damage to the Earth, it could also affect human health. Climate change can lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders, asthma, respiratory allergies and airway diseases, and foodborne diseases and malnu trition. Climate change could bring mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Mental health is a point of well-being in individual when he or she realizes his or her abilities, can work productively, can cope with the normal stresses of life, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. In certain cases, many mental health disorders can also lead to other chronic diseases and even death. Stress- related disorders comes from abnormal responses to acute or prolonged anxiety, and included diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. It is been reported that 26.2 per cent of Americans over the age of 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year, 9.5 per cent suffer from mood disorders, and 6 per cent undergo serious mental illness (Environmental Health Perspectives and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2010). In 2008, a boy is depressed and is admitted to the psychiatric unit at the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne as he refusing to drink water because worrying about millions of people would die if he drink the water (Anthes, 2009). This situation shows that even climate change could lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Some children also having terrible nightmares about global-warming-related natural disasters. Responsible persons should know their roles to prevent mental health problem on children before it is too late as they are too young to face climate change. Family members loss is also one of the cause that lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Tornadoes and wildfires, floods, and droughts have caused mental suffering to people since time eternal (Ferris, 2012). Extreme events cause damage or loss of property, death or injury of loved ones, and last but not least the recovery efforts could also lead to stress. Besides, climate change also could cause asthma, respiratory allergies, and airway diseases. A group of doctors said that climate change can lead to the variety of respiratory diseases (Koebler, 2012). Asthma is a chronic disease in which the airways of the lungs become inflamed or narrowed resulting in disruptions to normal breathing pattern. Asthma has become the second main cause of other chronic diseases affecting children. Asthma affects mostly five years old children. However, the frequency of asthma is highest among adults. This disease is dangerous as it could block the airways and end in death if action is not taken fast. Climate change threatens asthma in many ways. Higher temperatures caused by climate change increase certain greenhouse gases such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, and nitric oxide. Smog caused by minute particles from smoke stack emissions and diesel exhaust particles from vehicles create danger for people with respiratory illnesses such as chronic obstructive pu lmonary disease and cystic fibrosis, as well as asthmatics (Scott, 2012). Ground level ozone which is a toxic component of smog causes asthma attacks and makes existing asthma become worse. Dust, soot, fly ash, and exhaust particles can become lodged in the lungs and also could trigger asthma attacks. Research have been made and shown that the number of hospitalisations for asthma has increases as the level of particulate matter rise (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2005). Air pollution also could lead to asthma, respiratory allergies, and airway diseases. Air pollution includes greenhouse gases that could cause global warming by trapping heat from the Sun in the Earths atmosphere. Climate change could cause foodborne diseases and malnutrition. Foodborne disease is a disease caused by consuming contaminated food or drink (MedicineNet.com, 2012). There are more than 250 known as foodborne diseases and most of them are caused by bacteria, parasites, and also viruses. Foodborne diseases spreading in many ways. First symptoms effect in gastrointestinal tract as all foodborne microbes and toxins enter the body (MedicineNet.com, 2012). High air temperature can boost cases of Salmonella and bacteria-related food poisoning as bacteria tends to grow rapidly in warm environments (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). These kind of diseases are dangerous as it could cause gastrointestinal distress and death. Heavy rainfall also can spread foodborne diseases by the overflows from sewage treatment plants into fresh water sources and finally effect certain food crops with pathogen-containing feces. Other diseases related with foodborne are Campylobacter, E. C oli, and Calcivirus. Malnutrition is the insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients (Medical News Today, 2010). Climate change causes insufficient in food all over the world. Depletion of nutritionals food causing many mineral deficiency among people and in certain cases it could lead to death. Poor diet could lead to a vitamin or mineral deficiency and sometimes causing in scurvy, a disease where an individual has a vitamin C deficiency (Medical News Today, 2012). Scurvy still occur although it is a very rare disease. It affects elderly people, alcoholics, or people who live on a diet devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables. Beriberi is caused by lack of vitamin B1. This disease affects the nervous system (Elizabeth Quinn, 2008). Pellagra is also a disease related to malnutrition. It is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B3. Rickets are caused by the deficiency of vitamin D, phosphorus, or calcium in body. People who are infected with this disease suffer from fragi le bones, delayed growth, pain in bones, and muscle weakness (Elizabeth Quinn, 2008). Climate change has many consequences and effects to the Earth and to humans. Climate change can lead to mental health problems and stress-related disorders. mental health problems not only effect adult but also among children. They tend to have nightmares about global-warming-related natural disasters. Family loss also one of the causes of mental health problems and stress-related disorders. Climate change leads to asthma, respiratory allergies, and airway diseases. Asthma is dangerous as it could block the airways and will lead to death if action is not taken fast. Dust, soot, fly ash, and exhaust particles are dangerous as they become lodged in the lungs and also could trigger asthma attacks. Asthma could attack anytime and anywhere. Precautions are needed for people who already suffer from asthma. Climate change decreases the production of foods on Earth. This situation could lead to foodborne diseases and malnutrition. Foodborne disease is a disease caused by consuming contaminat ed food or drink while malnutrition is the insufficient, excessive of imbalanced consumption of nutrients. Foodborne diseases mostly caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Diseases related to malnutrition are scurvy, Pellagra, and rickets. There are many ways to prevent climate change. Prevention is needed to save the Earth and secure a better place for human being. Human should walk, bike, take mass transit, or carpooling to reduce gas consumption that could lead to asthma. Recycle can saved up to 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide each year if people recycle half of his or her household waste (Earth911.com, 2007). Replacing a compact fluorescent from a regular light bulb could saves 150 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. Turn off your television, computer, and other electronic devices when are not in use as it could save each household thousand of carbon dioxide every year. People can plant trees. Trees can absorb one tone of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. The most important way is by stay informed about the environmental issues (Earth911.com, 2007).

The Hale Bopp Comet :: essays research papers

The Hale Bopp Comet As I am sure all of you know, we have recently been able to see a new but not permanent additon to the night sky. This addition is known as Hale-Bopp, a comet that is about 122 million miles (about 1.3 times the distance of the sun to the earth) from the earth and is approximately 25 miles wide. Hale-Bopp was discovered on July 23,1995 by two scientists named Alan Hale in New Mexico and Thomas Bopp in Arizona. This is the first discovery for both of them, although Alan Hale is one of the top visual comet observers in the world, having seen about 200 comet apparitions. That is one of the reasons they put his name first. Alan Hale comments, "I love the irony -- I've spent over 400 hours of my life looking for comets, and haven't found anything, and now, suddenly, when I'm not looking for one, I get one dumped in my lap. I had obtained an observation of P/Clark earlier, and needed to wait an hour or so before P/d'Arrest got high enough to look at, and was just passing the time til then, and I decided to look at some deep-sky objects in Sagittarius. When I turned to M70, I saw a fuzzy object in the same field, and almost immediately suspected a comet, since I had been looking at M70 last month, and *knew* there wasn't any other objects there." Thomas Bopp explains his story like this, "On the night of July 22, 1995 some friends and I headed out into the desert for a dark of the moon observing session. The site, which is west of Stanfield, AZ and a few mile south of Interstate 8 is about 90 miles southwest from my home. My friend Jim Stevens had brought his 17-1/2" Dobsonian. We started the evening observing some of the Messier objects such as the Veil and North American Nebulae in Cygnus, when Jim said " Let's look at some of the globulars in Sagittarius." We started our tour with M22 and M28, observing at 50X and then at 180X. Around 11:00 local time, we had M-70 in the field when Jim went to the charts to determine the next object of investigation. I continued watching M-70 slowly drift across the field, when it reached a point 3/4 of the way across a slight glow appeared on the eastern edge. I repositioned the scope to center on the new object but was unable to resolve it. I called to Jim and asked him if he knew what it might be, after a visual inspection he stated he wasn't familiar

Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah Plain and Tall - Comparing Book and Movie :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah Plain and Tall - Comparing Book and Movie The beginning of the movie begins with the exact same scene between Anna and Caleb that appears in the book. However, the movie, Sarah Plain and Tall has a variety of differences from Patricia MacLachlan’s children’s novel Sarah Plain and Tall. Essentially the movie had to go to a deeper level in order to attract adults to the story. Every event that is in the book happens in the movie. However, the movie adds scenes and complicates the relationships between the characters. The complication between characters is especially shown in Anna and Sarah’s relationship. In the movie Anna is mad about Sarah coming to stay for a month. However, in the book she says â€Å"I wished everything was as perfect as the stone. I wished that Papa and Caleb and I were perfect for Sarah† (21). In the book Anna has no trouble liking Sarah, but in the movie Anna has a hard time letting go of her real mother and will not let Sarah get close to her. It is not until Sarah comforts Anna after a bad dream and tells her â€Å"when I was ten my mamma died† (which was not told in the book) that Sarah and Anna have a close relationship. After Sarah and Anna reach an understanding, Sarah tries to help Anna remember her mother by putting her mother’s candlesticks, quilt, a painting, and her picture back into the house. They also put flowers on her grave together. However, Anna and Sarah’s relationship is not the only one that takes a while to develop. With the exception of some small problems with Sarah’s strong will, MacLachlan makes the relationship between Sarah and Jacob seem easy. However in the movie, Jacob also has a hard time letting Sarah get close to him because of his love for his dead wife, Katherine. For example, in the movie when they fight about putting Katherine’s possessions in the house and going to visit the grave Sarah says â€Å"I cannot make a difference until you make peace with Katherine’s death†. Jacob does not make that peace until Sarah goes to help Maggie deliver her baby. The delivery brings back memories of Katherine’s death since she died giving birth to Caleb. It is here that Jacob realizes â€Å"I never stopped long enough to tell her that I missed her†. Once Jacob realizes this he has room to love Sarah.

War in the Modern World :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  War in the Modern World War has fascinated the minds of the greats throughout history. Its concepts and understandings have been passed on to us through the few surviving works of those, whose lives were touched by war, in an ancient archive. Some saw war as an ordinary, inevitable phenomenon that has a place among natural order of human lives (Jacob Walter), while others interpreted it as devastating and terrible deviation from the natural order of things (W.T. Sherman). Over the course of our archival readings we have learned of war through the records from the Trojans in their leather sandals (Hector), the horsemen of Sherman’s brigades, the WWI soldiers with their new gas shells and machine guns, and eventually through the eyes of the jungle and desert warriors with their booby traps and air strikes. While ways and methods of war have changed with the course of time, people never seemed to have loosened their grip on war as they continued to rise to the call to arms and go to battle to kill and t o die. This is a crucial observation as it allows us to reason that, perhaps, war is an important part of human existence. People eat, sleep, make love, and make war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aside from the consistency of its occurrence throughout history, war also fascinates with its complexity, or, more directly—its irony. It could be mesmerizing and adventurous to some participants, and at the same time evil and hellish to others (O’Brian). It combines death, destruction, fear and atrocities unheard of in the times of peace, with courage, loyalty and passion—undoubtedly qualities we all admire. Based on the records of the archive I have come to believe that to best understand this concept of irony one must look at war as at least two conflicts in one. The first one is that of the nation’s leaders. It glorifies war, it tells tales of heroism and bravery and how it is a man’s duty to defend his motherland. The second one is personal war—the struggle with basic human dignity and morality in the face of the forgiving indifference that most soldiers, as evident from the archive, face at war (attitude of Ratâ€⠄¢s friends when he is blow apart, Dulce et Decorum Est). The fact of the matter is that both are right in their unique ways, they simply live in different realms and have different eyes that see war differently.

Is Prejudice and Discrimination a Myth or a Real Life Situation Essay

Prejudice is a cultural attitude that rests on negative stereotypes about individuals or groups because of their cultural, religious, racial, or ethnic background. Discrimination is the active denial of desired goals from a category of persons. A category can be based on sex, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, or class. More recently, disadvantaged groups now also include those based on gender, age, and physical disabilities. Prejudice and discrimination are deeply imbedded at both the individual and societal levels. Attempts to eradicate prejudice and discrimination must thus deal with prevailing beliefs or ideologies, and social structure. Although there is no wide agreement as to the â€Å"cause† of prejudice and discrimination, there is a consensus that they constitute a learned behaviour. The internalization of prejudice starts with parents and, later, teachers–the groups primary in the formation of attitudes within children. The media and social institutions solidify prejudicial attitudes, giving them social legitimacy. In a sense, it is incorrect to speak of â€Å"eradicating† prejudice, since prejudice is learned. At best, one can reduce prejudice and discrimination. Society looks most often to education and legislation to alleviate prejudice and discrimination–for reasons still not clearly known, inter-group contact alone is not enough to reduce prejudice. On one hand, multicultural education, whether direct or indirect, constitute the mainstay of educational efforts to eliminate prejudice. On the other hand, the emphasis on civil rights, enlightened immigration policies, and mandates for quota hiring are the cornerstone of legal approaches to alleviating the effects of prejudice and discrimination. The most overlooked area in resolving the problems of prejudice and discrimination lies in the web of close relationships where genuine feelings of love can be fostered and strengthened. The private sphere may indeed be the last frontier where a solution to the problems of prejudice may have to be found.

Money Bring Happiness

â€Å"It is not money that brings up happiness but what we do and how we do it† 309 Money is most often cited as a crucial material for people to satisfy their needs ranged from the simplest to the most complicated desire. Hence, many people spend their whole life seeking for money which offers them utmost happiness and super power. In contrast, I honestly believe that it is not money that brings up happiness but what we do and how we do it.Speaking of mentality, money is not necessary and sufficient condition leading us to happiness. What is happiness? Simply speaking, happiness is the way people feel satisfied with what they have. Let’s me back it up by some illustrations. A poet will definitely feel sublimated when he finishes composing a masterpiece of poem. A stamp collection will obviously happy with looking and treasuring his stamps. Even an old man can smile for whole day if he wins a game of chess.Doubtlessly, in such cases, money plays no role in the humans fe eling. Hence, I completely believe that people can feel extremely pleased and happy without any interference from money. Moreover, to tell the truth, being absorbed in earning money can result in the loss of happiness of the people in life. In the materialized world, people keep on intending which is the best way to invest their money, what the most profitable market segment is worthy to be put money in and who is the most suitable person who will control the portfolio.The people obsessed with money can easily forget their actually meaningful tasks such as caring for their families, having time with their friends†¦etc. They trap themselves in the materialized ambition and lose what are important to their life. How can they feel happy? To wrap up, in my perspective, happiness can’t be built up solely on money. That’s the reason we should care for many facets of life rather than money.

Banneker Argument Essay

Banneker Rough Draft #2 Decades before the Civil War, even when the nation was but a few years old, slavery played quite a controversial role in the United States. While writing the Declaration of Independence, exclusions of all references made to slavery avoided conflict in an attempt to hold the fragile young nation together during the critical period leading up to its independence. However, the leaders of the country knew the subject would pop up again. Just a few short years later, as the country began to envision its future, the issue of slavery made another appearance.Many people, including free African-Americans such as Benjamin Banneker, argued against slavery. In his letter to Thomas Jefferson, Banneker argues in favor of abolition with respect and passion through his mastery of powerful diction, impassioned and reverent tone, and emotional appeal. Throughout the piece, Banneker reminds Jefferson of the struggle for independence. He recalls for Jefferson how discontented the colonies felt with King George’s tyranny. He supports his argument with key words from the Revolution, speaking of the â€Å"rights and privileges† bestowed upon the former colonists.He quotes Jefferson himself, pulling an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence which states that â€Å"all men are created equal. † However, many thought slaves simply property and not men, so did not seem applicable to the situation in their eyes. Banneker warns against hypocrisy, stating with loaded words such as â€Å"groaning captivity and cruel oppression† that Jefferson and the others would be just as tyrannical as King George should they just stand by and let slavery continue. Banneker feels quite passionately about this, something reflected by his tone.He feels obligated to act, because â€Å"so numerous a part of [his] brethren† were experiencing carnal treatment and abhorrent horrors and all he could do to help included sending a strongly-worded, yet m ost likely ineffective, letter to a political official. Banneker knows that unfortunately, despite his pedantic diction due to his extensive education, he holds less credibility than a white man during this point in time. So despite his passionate argument, the letter as a whole reflects respect.Banneker addresses Jefferson as â€Å"sir,† uses panegyrics, and towards the end of the letter he attempts flattery by stating â€Å"your knowledge of the situation†¦ is†¦ extensive. † This respect played a key role in Banneker’s letter being seriously considered. Banneker’s tone fuels his use of the appeal pathos. Banneker speaks of the times when â€Å"human aid appeared unavailable† to the colonies, when they seemed to have no hope. He attempts to evoke feelings of altruism from Jefferson by insisting that he possesses the ability to do what the French did for the colonies- help win the fight for freedom.Banneker reminds Jefferson how much he e njoys his freedom from England, something undeniable and labeled by Banneker as a â€Å"blessing of Heaven. † Banneker uses Jefferson’s intense value and love for liberty and equality to point out the urgency with which his brethren should be given rights and privileges â€Å"equal and impartial† to those of white men. Banneker’s fervent desperation for the freedom of his brethren seems almost tangible. The hypocrisy of the situation must have been understandably frustrating, but eventually, despite almost a century of waiting, slaves became emancipated in the United States. Word count: 536

Future of the New York Times

The Future of the New York Times In my opinion there should not be a â€Å"trade-off between the company philosophy and the core goals of sustainability, profitability, and growth†. The goal of any company and organization is to survive. Companies and organizations create mission statements and set forth goals. Pearce and Robinson (2013) states â€Å"the unique purpose that sets a company apart from others of its type and identifies the scope of its operations in product, market, and technology terms† (pg. 3). The mission statement or philosophy that is a distinguishing factor of differences between companies, helping to set for the company’s operations and ethics for their products, as well as for their place in the market, as well as in the community. With the New York Times, the message given (mission) is to deliver responsive and accurate â€Å"journalism† to their customers, as well as to areas outside of New York.The New York Times has lived up to it s mission, by adhering to its ideals; the New York Times has foregone being profitable, as well as sacrificing growth. In the article we read,† The constancy of their commitment to high-cost journalism has put the Sulzberger family in an increasingly contrarian position†¦the Sulzberger’s have subsidized the Times in valuing good journalism and the prestige it confers over profits and the wealth it creates†¦for much of its history, the Times barely broke even† (Bianco, 2005, p. 65).How a company image is portrayed to the world is a crucial factor and element of their values, ethical standards, mission and goals. The New York Times, without the Sulzberger’s wealth, would have failed years ago with its current stated mission and goals. The New York Times needs to take a step back and examine where they started, where they have been, where they are now and where they want to go, as well at taking a good look at today’s world and begin to benchm ark their competitors and creating a new vision for the New York Times.The Sulzberger’s and Bill Keller are giving the impression that they are endeavoring to changes in order and moving away from their belief â€Å"that quality journalism pays in the long run† (Bianco, 2005), it’s hard to change 100 plus years of business strategy. In all companies, not just the New York Times, the image portrayed is important and may also determine a company’s credibility, as well as its future. The value system, including its mission and goals will set the direction of the company.The ethic’s which are portrayed daily need to be consistent with the direction that the company has set from the top (President & CEO and Board of Directors) on down to each and every employee. Years of hard work in preserving a company’s image and place in the community can be lost in a single failure or lack of foresight. References Bianco, A. , Rossant, J. , & Gard, L. (2005) . The future of the new york times. Businessweek, 3916, 64-72. Pearce, J. A. , & Robinson, R. B. (2013). Strategic

Case Summary LEGO ( Based on the case reading to answer the four Study

Summary LEGO ( Based on the reading to answer the four questions) - Case Study Example Competition as a criterion for evaluating the different product lines and operations determines what products are the competitors involved in making. Such a criterion goes in hand with lessons learnt, in which LEGO identifies the different areas that require improvement, aimed towards the improvement of future performance. Changes in the marketplace for any product line determine the future that a particular product and organization takes. Regardless of the particular product line, changes are necessary for every organization, as a means of making improvements in areas that have failed, or those that never worked as per the required standards. Toy industry, is indeed an industry that requires significant changes in order to develop products that impress children more. Critical changes needed for the industry include increased innovation, which introduces new products, the establishment of an increased performance competition in the same industry. Additionally, changes contribute to the development of new technologies, an aspect that contributes towards the enhancement and improvement of efficiency and performance, as well as the improvement in quality of the products to meet the demands of the market. LEGO is facing a significant number of internal issues, which are currently affecting the organization’s performance and competitiveness, and which require strategic planning to be effectively addressed. First is management. LEGO, previously, remained a successful player in the toy industry; however, with the continued growth of the company over the years, layers of complexities in operations have been added. Such challenges are attributes of poor leadership and management, and which can only be resolved through strategic planning. Another internal issue of great significance to LEGO is increased production wastes. Costs’ cutting is one of the best ways for an organization to increase its profit margins. LEGO currently experiences high

Renewable Energy Consumption in the Future Research Paper

Renewable Energy Consumption in the Future - Research Paper Example At current consumption rates, we are left with 200 years of coal, 40 years of oil and 60 years of gas. Fossil fuels, Nuclear, and hydroelectric power plants also pose a danger to the environment (Hargreaves, 2011). If we are to address the issue of global warming, brought about through carbon emissions, then we will have to use the right energy sources, and dispose of the waste produced in our day to day lives in an effective manner. The use of solar panels is leading renewable alternative energy source used globally. Solar panels work by harnessing the radiation from the sun and converting it to electricity. Its main advantage is the abundant availability of the sun’s rays and widespread accessibility across the globe. But supply can be variable and intermittent, depending on weather conditions and time frames. These factors would probably underscore why the uptake of solar panels has not been as widespread as would be expected. According to the Pew Center on Global Climate c hange (2010), solar power only produces one percent of the energy requirement of the whole world in 2008. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2010), Americans generated approximately 2.3 million tons of waste, in the year 2009. 53% of that waste was dumped, 33.8% recycled and 11.9% burned. This would seem to indicate that only a small portion of waste actually gets recycled. According to the grassroots recycling network (grrn.org), many of the products that we think are recycled are actually â€Å"downcycled†. For example, newspapers are turned into low-value products like insulation material and cow bedding. The problem with this type of waste management system is that it leads to the continual degradation of the environment, and depletion of natural resources likes forests. A huge part of the waste is constituted by paper products, and if we are not careful how we source for more paper materials, we could end up cutting more trees, and thus furth er compounding the greenhouse effect. The best way to achieve the reduction of carbon emissions is by looking for better and more sustainable renewable energy sources and by utilizing better recycling methods. Enhanced Geothermal Systems This system generates electricity by harnessing the heat naturally generated by the earth (Blodgett & Slack, 2009). To accomplish this, you need to dig into a rock located in a cold area. The fractured network is then improved to make a basin into which supplementary wells are going be pierced in. Chilly H2O is then squirted towards the wells, through the fractured network, gripping the warm temperature from the rock as flows into the rock. The end result is, steam is captured from the resurfacing water, which is then used to power steam turbines. Afterward, it is then redirected to the fractured network to repeat the whole cycle again. This method of power generation produces zero carbon emissions and is currently in use at Copper Basin in Australi a. Smart Grids A Smart Grid is a â€Å"computerized† electricity grid. It involves adding two-way digital communication technology devices to an electricity grid (Williams et al, 2007). Each electronic device on the network can gather data, through sensors, plus two-way digital communication between the field and the utility’s network operation center. This connectivity can then allow the operator to adjust and control each individual device.