Media Relations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Media Relations - Assignment Example There are a few huge qualities that are connected to the Ramadan merriments in the Islam schedule, and being the ninth month of the Islamic schedule, Muslims are for the most part expected to quick from day break till nightfall for around 29 or 30 days. Given that the Islamic schedule is dictated by the lunar cycle including the Ramadan that comes after the ninth month, with the seeing of the new moon (Murray, 2012). Taken from the Arabic word ar-ramad suggesting dryness or scotching heat, Ramadan means an obligatory fasting season for the grown-up Muslims in which in the whole ‘blessed month’ they are required to swear off nourishments, drinks and other physical needs. Ramadan is expected to be a period for purifying the spirit, concentrating consideration on God and eager generosity. Eating starts after nightfall, mulling over the part of purifying the spirit for God. Henceforth, Ramadan can be seen as a period when Muslims are taught on issues of otherworldliness, tolerance and modesty (Murray, 2012). People are required not to take part in contaminating exercises that may prevent their virtue. In different angles Muslims are required to limit their bodies, especially the tongue from parts of tattle and conniving. Following Ramadan, follows the festivals for the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. Non-Muslims ought to see this month as a featuring of the Muslim fellowship customs, and brings a unique sentiment of closeness (Murray, 2012). â€Å"The reasoning of fasting calls upon us to know ourselves, to ace ourselves, and to train ourselves the better to free ourselves. To quick is to recognize our conditions, and free ourselves from them.†-Tariq

Capital One Case Study Essay

In shopper loaning, each item is developing a similar way as Visas toward huge, national-scale consolidators supplanting nearby, vis-à-vis loaning. That development has occurred in Visas. It’s well under path in car fund, home loans, and home value. Its coming all the more gradually in portion loaning. So purchaser loaning, a significant piece of the advantage side of banking, is all streaming toward national consolidators like Capital One. - RICHARD D. FAIRBANK, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION’ Joined Kingdom, the Hfs Group, to reinforce its Global Financial administrations (GFS) auxiliary in the British market. As of April 2005, it had adequate liquidity ($21 billion) and capital ($9.2 billion)4 to empower its popular image to venture into new markets and take advantage of the privilege lucky breaks for gainful development. In spite of the fact that the company’s securing of Hibernia in March 2005 gave it a chance to enter the quick creating Texas markets of Houston and Dallas, it may confront solid rivalry from other enormous acknowledge organizations, for example, Citigroup and J.P. Morgan. Capital One Financial Corporation is an enhanced bank holding organization, with a 2005 market estimation of $18.92 billion. It gives a range of monetary administrations through its primary auxiliaries Capital One Bank, Capital One FS.B. (which offers purchaser and business loaning and buyer store items), and Capital One Auto Finance Inc (COAF). From a little neighborhood bankcard backer in 1995, the organization has changed itself into one of the biggest money related foundations in the United States by continuallyâ introducing a constant flow of items. It highlights one of the most perceived brands in the business, which it influences alongside its systems of direct promoting, chance examination, and data innovation to develop and broaden into different organizations. Positioned 206th in the Fortune 500 rundown in 2005,2 the organization has been continuously changing itself from a Mastercard organization to a foundation that gives banking and other money related administrations to purchasers. By January 2005, it was the 31st biggest store establishment in the United States with $25.6 billion3 in enthusiasm bearing stores. Capital One has been on the way of expansion from the late 1990s and has made three acquisitions somewhere in the range of 2004 and 2005: Onyx Acceptance Corporation, eSmartloan, and Hibernia National Bank. It has additionally procured a home value financier organization in the Capital One is the fifth biggest charge card supplier in the United States5 and perhaps the biggest backer of MasterCard and Visa Mastercards. It was established as a completely possessed auxiliary of Virginia-based Signet Bank when Richard D. Fairbank, CEO and director of Capital One, was welcomed by the bank to head its bankcard division. It started its activities in 1953, that year MasterCard International was framed. Fairbank and the previous bad habit director of Capital One, Nigel Morris, understood that customary banks offered credits without concentrating on the clients like breaking down their hazard qualities. They concluded that by utilizing innovation and information mining methods in the dynamic procedure of giving credit, the bank could charge the fitting financing costs all the more precisely and acquire more noteworthy benefits. In 1994, Capital One was spun off from Signet as an open Mastercard organization and set up itself in McLean, Virginia. It had a first sale of stock of 7,125,000 portions of normal stock in the United States and Canada, at a cost of $16 per share,6 which was overseen by J.P. Morgan Securities Ine., Goldman, Sachs and Co. furthermore, Barney Ine. It is a piece of the S&P 500 file, and furthermore exchanges on the New York Stock Exchange with the image COF ~ This case was composed by Susmita Nandi, under the course of Sumit Kumar Chaudhuri, ICFAI Business School Case Development Center. It is proposed to be :;: utilized as the reason for class conversation instead of to illustrateâ either powerful or ineffectual treatment of an administration circumstance. The case was gathered from 25 distributed sources.  © 2005, ICFAI Business School Case Development Center. No piece of this distribution might be replicated, put away, transmitted, recreated, or  © conveyed in any structure or medium at all without the authorization of the copyright proprietor. Somewhere in the range of 1994 and 2004, the organization developed at a yearly compound pace of 29 percent/both as far as its EPS and the quantity of clients. In 2004, its profit were $1.5 billion, and the EPS was at $6.21.8 At the finish of 2004, the organization and its auxiliaries held 48.6 million records and $79.9 billion9 in oversaw credits extraordinary, which developed by 12 percent ($8.6 billion) over the earlier year (see Exhibit 1). It had 17,760 workers in March 2005. The bank offers 7,00010variations of its MasterCard and Visa cards, every one is altered to engage distinctive client inclinations and needs by joining item highlights, for example, various foundations and hues, alongside fluctuated yearly rate rates, credit cutoff points, expenses, and rewards programs. Capital One’s valuing technique depends on the hazard level of its clients. It offers platinum and gold cards to its favored clients with astounding record of loan repayment and a wide scope of made sure about and unbound cards to clients with constrained or poor financial record. The organization additionally gives a scope of customer items like car finanCing, contract administrations, credit protection, and home-value advances. Customizations of Mastercards at Capital One are made with the help of its Information-Based Strategy (IBS), which uses complex information mining procedures to coordinate its Visas (its mix of loan costs, expenses, rewards, and different conditions) with focused clients dependent on their FICO ratings, credit utilizes, and different parameters. IBS is the combination of one of the world’s biggest databases, data frameworks, a very much prepared group of investigators and analysts, and propelled scoring models. The company’s dynamic procedure is made effective by uniting promoting, credit, hazard, and data innovation. It chooses its most gainful clients and the suitable rate by utilizing the thorough testing of econometric and time arrangement models. The FICO assessments of clients depends on the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) scores, which are utilized to anticipate installment chance by taking a gander at a few factors, including record. The IBS framework utilizes FICO scores to separate its clients into three gatherings of super-prime (with astounding record as a consumer), prime (normal financial record), and sub-prime (with poor or almost no record). Using IBS, the organization has had the option to find a gathering of understudies who were excluded from the mailing arrangements of other Visa organizations on the grounds that these understudies, for the most part jobless and practically zero financial records, were viewed as high hazard. Capital One’s system of sending Mastercard applications, which were custom fitted to the requirements of these understudies, demonstrated powerful, as 70 percent of the applications were filled and sent back, in this way making another market for the organization. IBS has additionally helped Capital One maintain a strategic distance from clients who don't pay intrigue charges on advances. The charge-off rate (for awful obligation) of Capital One is the industry’s least, and for 2004 was at 4.37 percent, contrasted with 5.32 percent in the earlier year. Capital One’s GFS section offers an arrangement of differing items to both household and universal shoppers. In the local market, the GFS fragment incorporates portion loaning, social insurance account, contract loaning administrations, and private venture loaning administrations. GFS has been on a development bend and in 2004, it represented 27 percent of Capital One’s complete oversaw advances, which are contained detailed advances and wobbly sheet securitized advances. It likewise represents 14 percent of its income. Its worldwide portfolio basically comprises of Mastercard business in the United Kingdom and Canada, esteemed at $8.2 billion and $2.4 billion,12 separately. Capital One is the United Kingdom’s seventh biggest charge card backer, and among the best ten of the equivalent in Canada. In January 2005, the organization finished the conventions to gain a British value business firm called Hfs Group to reinforce its situation in the United Kingdom. Albei t Capital One had property in France and South Africa, it left these business sectors because of absence of development openings. Capital One created solid profit and advance development again in 2004, as it has every year since its first sale of stock ten years prior. The organization is all around situated for proceeded with achievement in 2005 in both our Us. Visa and our developing and beneficial enhancement organizations. - RICHARD D. FAIRBANK, CHAIRMAN CAPITAL AND CEO, CORPORATION† ONE FINANCIAL Capital One developed at 30 percent14 (see Exhibit 2, on page 68) somewhere in the range of 1994 and 2004 by giving Mastercards at appealing loan fees. The vast majority of its business is led by means of post office based mail (garbage mail sales), despite the fact that it likewise showcases its items through TV and Internet (http://www .capitalone.com). It extended its charge card activities in Canada, Europe, and South Africa in the late 1990s. Simultaneously, the organization additionally made vital pushes toward broadening its portfolio by going into financing of autos and other engine vehicles, home loan and home value advances, protection, and other purchaser loaning items. Albeit 60 percent of its all out oversaw advances is in its Visas business (see Exhibit 3, on page 68), the organization is slowly expanding its tasks in different business portions. In 1998, Capital One purchased Amerifee, an organization that gave financing to elective medical procedures, for example, orthodontic, vision, and corrective strategies. It turned into a completely claimed auxiliary of Capital One in May 2001. Amerifee is a market head known for introdu

Best Government and Political Science Majors and Programs at Small Liberal Arts Schools TKG

Best Government and Political Science Majors and Programs at Small Liberal Arts Schools Political science is a social science that focuses on the theory and practice of government and politics at various levels. Majoring in government means that you’ll study political structures, policies, and the concepts of justice and democracy.  The most common tracks and concentrations of political science are political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international politics. However, many government and legal studies majors and programs are also inclusive of curriculum regarding those four main divisions.   Political science and government are popular majors for students who plan to attend law school, and for those who would like to work in politics, government, public administration, education, public service, and business.    Most liberal arts schools offer political science programs, so we chose to focus on programs that allow for specialized programs of studies and other unique offerings. Williams:Williams has two majors that belong on this list. There is the political economy program, which was created to give students context and understanding of how politics and economics interact in the formation of public policy. A cool feature of this program is that classes are jointly taught by a political scientist and an economist -- the program is truly interdisciplinary and students graduate with an understanding of economics within the context of American and international politics. And then there is the more traditional Political Science major, which has the traditional subfields. But in addition to those tracks, students can also choose individual concentrations. This list details the individual concentrations that have been chosen in the past, including “Injustice and Liberation” and “Politics and Economics of the Pacific Rim.” The diverse list suggests that Williams has the resources for students to customize their studies, and dig into unique topics of interest. Smith:  Smith College offers a major in government, which i s centered around thinking about the true purpose of politics, the responsibilities of governments, and duties and rights of citizens. Another aim of the program is to familiarize students with the many differing and diverse perspectives on political issues that are often based on ethnicity, race, gender, and culture. There are four subfields within the major: American politics, political theory, comparative politics, and international politics. It is also possible to choose a concentration based on one of eight themes, which range from public policy to gender and sexuality. Washington and Lee:  The politics major at Washington and Lee in under the umbrella of the Williams Schools, WL’s business school. Because the program is situated in a business environment, course offerings also include classes on statistics and methods. And then there is the Washington Term, which is a six-week spring term that consists of an academic course, work experience in D.C., and a lecture series. Stu dents work for four days (Monday â€" Thursday) and Fridays are spent in a guest lecture with professionals that currently work in Washington, D.C.  Pomona:  The politics major at Pomona is satisfied with eight courses. Students must take one class from each of the four main subfields and the major focuses on the U.S. government, foreign policy, and global politics â€" but if you are interested in a particular area, it’s possible to choose a specialization or undertake a year-long independent project and a thesis study. Funded summer research grants are available, and Pomona also hosts a pizza and politics series, which are lunch meetings for students to discuss their research with professors and guests.  Tufts: The political science curriculum at Tufts is similar to the rest of the schools on our list. In addition, high performing students have the option of taking graduate school level classes (with permission from your professors) at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a “limited number” of Poly Sci majors are accepted into a five-year B.A./Masters program at the Fletcher School.   Tufts also posts numerous internship opportunities, some of which exist within the school itself. If you’re interested in attending grad school and would like the option to apply during your undergraduate career, this program is worth considering.  Swarthmore: Swarthmore’s program covers the four major areas of political science, but the school is also constantly updating the course catalogue to address issues in the political world as they arise in real-time. The major is linked to other departments at the college, including Environmental Studies, Public Policy, Interpretation Theory, The Democracy Project, Education, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Lang Center for Social and Civic Affairs.  Vassar: Vassar’s program stands out because of its emphasis on the questioning of our current societal values. Students discuss overarching questions such as “Wha t forms of government should exist” and “How can justice best be achieved?” It’s true that his kind of thinking often permeates a liberal arts education, but Vassar’s website makes it clear that it is a true benchmark of the program.  Bowdoin: Bowdoin’s government and legal studies major is a good option for students who plan to attend law school. This is because all of the subfields (American politics, Comparative politics, political theory, and international relations) are tethered to the creation of effective writing skills, analysis and argumentation skills, critical reading, analytical thinking, and library and research skills â€" skills that are crucial for any aspiring lawyer. The course offerings delve into a wide variety of topics such as political philosophy (“Human Being and Citizen”) and environmental politics (“The Politics of Climate Change.”) Comparing political science programs can be difficult because many of the programs are similar. We suggest that you use our list as a starting point to find what you’re most excited by, and then dig into more programs on your own.  If you’re unsure about what kind of program is best for you, contact us here.

Example Answers to Questions on OCED Principles - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1858 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? The OCED principles of the corporate governance stress the significance for the corporate governance of the markets for the corporate control functioning in a transparent and an efficient manner. The OCED principles promotes the policies that are designed in order to attain the very highest sustainable economic growth and also an increasing standard of living and also increasing employment opportunities in the member countries, while still maintaining its financial stability, and therefore contribute to the overall development of the international economy. This is very useful to the member countries and to the entire world (Cottrell Ranking, 2000). The policies are also designed to contribute to the sound trade and industry expansion in the member countries and also the non-member countries in the procedure of the economic development. The policies also contribute positively to the expansion of the global trade on non-discriminatory, multilateral basis in acco rdance with global obligations and duties. The OECD ministers have expanded the agenda of the corporate governance and also offer very specific guidance for regulatory and legislative initiatives in all the non OECD and OECD countries. These principles are taken seriously especially by the Financial Stability Forum such that they have designated these principles to be among the twelve main standards for the sound the systems of finances (Frynas, 2005). The principles offer the basis for a wide programme of cooperation and working together between non-OECD and OECD countries and also underpin the component of corporate governance of the IMF/World Bank especially on the ROSC (Reports on the Observance of Codes and Standards). These principles allow the policy makers to be aware of the positive contribution that is made by good and needed corporate governance offers to the investment, financial market stability, and also economic growth. The principles also explain well that enhance d good corporate governance adds much to their competitiveness (Guera, 2002). The OECD principles are known to be living instruments that offer non-binding standards and also desired practices and also offer guidance on the ways of implementation. These principles also give a forum for any existing dialogue and also exchange of different experiences among all countries worldwide (Drutman Cray, 2004). The SOX (Sarbanes Oxley Act) of 2002 is a set of corporate governance principles which is a well recommended to all corporations. I can therefore recommend these principles to the mining company because they are set by SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). It is known to be a legislation with which prosecution is an outcome of failure to its compliance. It can help to improve the confidence of investors especially in the financial markets of the corporation (ASE, 2003). It aims at aligning the interests of the management to the shareholders. This helps to protect the stakehol ders especially the shareholders. The Nasdaq, AMEX, and NYSE need most of the directors to be more independent. The meaning of an independent director is a person whose only nontrivial familial, financial, or professional connection to the entire corporation; the executive officers among CEO, and chairman are her or his directorship (Akabzaa, 2000). The Combined Code of 2003 was formed in the United Kingdom after Hampel Committee which had been set up to evaluate the existing arrangements on the corporate governance on a global level. This committee was expected to make relevant recommendations and also design a certain code for the enlisted companies. The committee came up with the Combined Code and is applicable to all the registered companies. Question 2: corporate and social responsibility initiatives The principles of OECD helps the mining company to improve and reexamine the legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the corporate governance in each individual country, and to also offer suggestions and guidance for investors, stock exchanges, corporations and other relevant parties about their responsibility in the procedure of improving the good corporate governance. There are several initiatives that this mining company should carry out in order to fit into the principles and also to start the social and corporate responsibility. Good corporate governance ought to offer proper necessary incentives for the management and the board to pursue roles and objectives which are in the companyà ¢ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¢s interests and also its shareholders and should make possible efficient and effective monitoring (Haselip Hilson, 2005). The programmes of the corporate social responsibility in the mining companies are more often inclined to spotlight on the community initiatives as their outcomes in environmental, social and economic terms are greatly felt at limited levels. Some of these incentives couple the fact that they are bringing the mining revenues and profits to the area and also offering financial compensation to the residents for the loss of land, livelihoods and housing. The company could also be involved in infrastructure such as community schools and buildings as well as building access roads (Hilson Murck, 2001). There are also community health initiatives that offer health services to their employees and also their families, and also equipping and building health centers and hospitals for the surrounding communities. There is also a community foundation which is explained as a fund which is generated by the entire company which is utilized for the social investment functions; these can attract attention from the external donors. The mining company can also support small local businesses and these preferential procurement policies for all the local suppliers. The mining companies could also support sustainable livelihood projects and the importance of this i s to decrease the economic overdependence by the community on the particular mine and also develop sustainable and alternative employment opportunities for shareholder communities. There is also the initiative involving the micro-credit scheme regarding finances where they can give out loans which could be used to create jobs, launch new enterprises, and also help the economies to expand and also flourish. When the families are able to access the credit loans, they are able to invest depending on their priorities, for example health care, housing, school fees, or nutrition other than focusing on everyday survival and therefore people are able to plan well for their future. These micro-credit schemes can be aimed especially the women can provide opportunities to the disadvantaged groups in the local communities (Goodman Schwartz, 2004). Question 3 There are monetary factors and also non-monetary factors which could act as incentives or as disincentives by the large companies i n an attempt to address their social responsibilities. The monetary factors which act as incentives include financial incentives, material incentives, satisfactory remuneration and possibility of the upcoming paid employment. The disincentives of the monetary factors include alterations in the tangible incentives, inconsistent remuneration, and inequitable distribution of the incentives between the different employers (Goodman Schwartz, 2004). The nonmonetary factors that act as incentives include community respect and recognition of the mining work; acquisition of the valued skills; personal development and growth; peer support; accomplishment; identification an job aids such as shirts, badges and uniforms; preferential treatment; status in the community; and also minimal and flexible hours clear responsibility. The non-monetary factors which act as disincentives in large companies include inadequate supervision; time constraints; excessive demands; lack of respect among the em ployees and employers; inadequate refresher training; and another person from a different community. These can be incentives and disincentives applicable to a community health service provider which is an international company and is concerned with the social responsibility of dealing with their clients (Drutman Cray, 2004). The community health provider has factors which are incentives and these include community information systems; community organizations which support the work done in the center, and also involvement of the community in the selection of the community workers. The disincentives include lack of involvement of the community in the support, training and selection; and also unsuitable selection of the community workers. Question 4 There are various challenges that are faced by companies in the process of auditing their impact on labor, human rights and environment. Corruption and bribery is one of the main challenges. These two continues to decrease the lev els of economic activity and also continues to have an adverse consequence on the poor people. Increasing cases of reporting and investigation of bribery scandals often sustained by the governments increases the reputational risks especially to the companies. These are viewed as complicit in similar irregularities. Corruption and bribery are adverse values that should not be encouraged in any company because they adversely affect the company at large. The companies as a solution should demonstrate a strategy that is proactive in order to deal with these vices (Ite, 2005). There is also the challenge of product responsibility where the concerns over product safety, health concerns and product quality over the use of the product are increasing daily. The companies in question are forced to take more measures in order to promote range of security and safety processes. This would help to avert the expected increase of boycotts of brands and products. These are caused by high sophisti cation of the customers and also the absence of trust in the power of the regulators who should protect them. The lack of adequate funds is also another challenge and this causes negative impacts on the reexamining of the factors in the organizations. This is because the auditing may lead to the incurring of extra costs which lowers the profit margins of the company. Many companies do not have the money and capital to carry out these procedures and still maximize on their profits. There is also the challenge of the employees. Some companies permit their employees to work for extra hours. These workers work for more than the required time and are paid on hourly wage basis and this is because the company expects them to work all these hours. Therefore the employees are left with no alternative because they do not aspire to lose their jobs. Some of the time, they are not well paid all their wages as agreed and also end up not being paid during the overtime hours. This is because they are not aware of their rights and should therefore be taught concerning their rights as employees. There is also the challenge of child labor and forced labor which prove hard to be measured well. This is because there is the time constraint which means that there is no enough time to look into these matters in a single financial year. There is also the challenge of determining how and why the human rights are useful in the given business. These may involve the identification of the human rights that are relevant for the company. There is also a challenge in identifying opportunities to carry out their duties with other businesses in order to expand the human rights. It is also taxing to ensure that the given company does not involve itself or complicit in all human rights abuses (Hillson, 2002). There is the challenge of determining the procedure that a company should undertake in order to avoid discrimination especially in the processed of selection of the labor force a nd should also promote equality and diversity in the place of work and this is very significant. The labor standards are expected to expand especially in the long term and therefore the stakeholders require communicating honestly and openly in issues regarding their challenges, successes, and also activities. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Example Answers to Questions on OCED Principles" essay for you Create order

Did Vikings Wear Horned Helmets

We’ve all seen them—pictures of large, hairy men with horns sticking proudly out of their helmets as they rush to rape and pillage. It’s so common it must be true, surely? The Myth Viking warriors, who raided and traded, settled and expanded through the middle ages, wore helmets with horns or wings on them. This iconic symbol is repeated today by fans of the Minnesota Vikings football team and other artwork, illustrations, advertising, and costumes. The Truth There is no evidence, archaeological or otherwise, that Viking warriors wore any type of horns or wings on their helmets. What we do have is one single piece of evidence, the ninth century Oseberg tapestry, suggesting a rare ceremonial use (the relevant figure on the tapestry may even be that of a god, rather than representative of real Vikings) and plenty of evidence for plain conical/domed helmets made mainly of leather. Horns, Wings, and Wagner So where has the idea come from? Roman and Greek writers referred to northerners who wore horns, wings, and antlers, amongst other things, on their helmets. Like much contemporary writing about anyone non-Greek or Roman, there appears to have already been a distortion here, with archaeology suggesting that while this horned headgear did exist, it was largely for ceremonial purposes and had largely faded out by the time of the Vikings, often considered to have started in the late eighth century. This was unknown to the writers and artists of the early modern era, who began referencing the ancient authors, making misinformed jumps and depicting Viking warriors, en masse, with horns. This image grew in popularity until it was taken on by other forms of art and passed into common knowledge. The temporary misidentification of a Bronze Age carving in Sweden with a horned helmet as Viking didn’t help matters, although this was corrected in 1874. Perhaps the greatest step on the way to the ubiquity of the horn was in the late nineteenth century, when costume designers for Wagner’s Nibelungenlied created horned helmets because, as Roberta Frank puts it, â€Å"humanist scholarship, misunderstood archaeological finds, heraldic origin fantasies and the Great God Wish...had worked their magic† (Frank, The Invention..., 2000). Within just a few decades, the headwear had become synonymous with Vikings, enough to become shorthand for them in advertising. Wagner can be blamed for a lot, and this is one instance. Not Just Pillagers Helmets arent the only classical image of the Vikings historians are trying to ease out of public consciousness. Theres no getting away from the fact that Vikings did a lot of raiding, but the image of them as pure pillagers is increasingly being replaced by nuance: that the Vikings then came to settle, and had a major effect on the surrounding populations. Traces of Viking culture can be found in Britain, where settlement took place, and perhaps the greatest Viking settlement was in Normandy, where the Vikings transformed into the Normans who would, in turn, spread out and forge their own extra kingdoms including a permanent and successful conquest of England. (Source: Frank, ‘The Invention of the Viking Horned Helmet’, International Scandinavian and Medieval Studies in Memory of Gerd Wolfgang Weber, 2000.)

What Is Our Safeguard Against Corruption Performed By...

What is our safeguard against corruption performed by federal officeholders? It is impeachment. Impeachment is the Constitutional power given to the House of Representatives to remove a federal officeholder from office. â€Å"Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution says, ‘The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors’. (Longley). The power of impeachment has historical significance as only four times in our history has Congress had serious discussions of impeachment. Due to the requirement of a ruling vote from the House of Representatives and the Senate, there are issues and complications†¦show more content†¦The Senate will first meet in a private session to debate the verdict and then an open session to vote on that verdict. For the verdict to result in a conviction a 2/3 vote is required. With the convict ion of the accusation, the President will be impeached and removed from the office. Once impeached, the Vice President gains presidency, which may allow for the problems behind the Presidents impeachment to carry forward. The two-step process of impeachment does not always lead to a desirable outcome. What are actions of treason, bribery or high crime misdemeanors worthy of impeachment? â€Å"To decide the meaning of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors,’ we might start by looking at the intention of the people who wrote the Constitution. There are two principal sources for gauging their intent: the notes (mostly taken by James Madison) from the debates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787; and the Federalist Papers, a group of essays (mostly by Madison and Alexander Hamilton) written in support of ratification of the Constitution† (Alan Hirsch). Basically, impeachment is not linked to criminal law and the test for impeachment is not satisfied by all crimes, but a criminal action is required. The attempt to impeach has been initiated several times throughout the history of the United States, but in only a few instances has it led to a full impeachment. â€Å"The House has initiated impeachment proceedings more than 60

Stereotypes Are they a problem Essay Example For Students

Stereotypes: Are they a problem? Essay Why do women and men communicate so differently? Could it be thatgenetics play a factor? I believe so. In general, males are much strongerand more aggressive than females are. This directly effects how the twogenders communicate. For example, women tend to offer suggestions and givereasons, whereas men tend to give demands without reason. We live withthese differences everyday, and although we do not always understand thesedifferences, we have come to accept them. We stereotype women as theweaker more emotional gender. They are the homemakers. Men are seen asthe caretakers of their families, the financial providers. They arestronger and more dominant gender. What importance does this have insociety? How does it effect society? Many women feel that they do nothave the same privileges as men. On the other hand, some men say it isunfair that so much more is expected from them compared to what is expectedfrom women. To me these sound like simple complaints. Stereotypes shouldnot be seen as wrong, because in most cases they simply highlight thedifferences between men and women, unfortunately there are alwaysexceptions, and sometimes stereotyping can result in conflict. Primarily stereotypes are not wrong, they exist because of the verydistinct differences between men and women. Almost all stereotypes hold atleast some truth. For instance, men say women want to talk too much and aretoo emotional. Deborah Tannen explains in her article Put Down That Paperand Talk to Me that women feel the need to talk with those they are closeto in order to compromise and build relationships (Tannen, 229, 9). So themen are right, women do feel the need to talk a lot in relationships. Whatis so bad about a stereotype that is true? Yes, there are those men andwoman who do not reflect the set image. For instance, some men stay homeand take care of their children, which is traditionally known as a womansjob, and some women are the financial providers for their families. Justbecause the stereotype claims women stay home and men go to work, does notmean this is the case in every situation. Our society has come far overthe past decade. Stereotypes today have very different meaning than theydid many years ago. Stereotypes mean most do, not all do. It is perfectlyacceptable in todays day and age for a woman to work and leave her husbandhome with the kids. In fact may people respect it. Unfortunately, there are instances in which stereotyping does createproblems. Some people over emphasize the existence and legitimacy ofstereotypes as a whole. For example, the men or women who openly expresstheir disapproval for those who do not follow traditional male and femaleroles have caused severe conflict with feminists and male advocates. According to them, men and women should never pursue a life outside of thetraditional setting. These beliefs are completely outdated. Very fewpeople continue to live such old fashioned lifestyles. On the other hand,the feminists and male advocates who say that stereotypes are unfair andbelieve men and women should be considered equal, are just as guilty ofstereotyping society. In the article Real Men Dont, Or Anti-Male Bias inEnglish, Eugene August argues that it is unfair that our society excludesmales as parents (August, 217, 7). Those such as August are accusingeveryone of being completely biased against the opposite sex. It seemshypocritical that they would fight for equality and then label our entiresociety as being sexist. Our society has changed so much over the years. .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b , .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .postImageUrl , .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b , .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b:hover , .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b:visited , .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b:active { border:0!important; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b:active , .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u63a50a3b895e8da0c8c4990696df798b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Presidential Election Of 1972 Essay ThesisMost do not feel that male and female roles are set in concrete. Except for the few situations which result in conflict, stereotypesshould not be seen as unjust. Men and women are very different, andstereotypes simply highlight the most common differences. Feminist andmale advocates fight to say we are all equally alike, but this is untrue. Science can prove we are both physically and mentally different. Why wouldwe want to be equal? What fun would it be if we were exactly alike, if wespoke the same language. The little games men and women play with eachother while conversing would be lost. The question everyone asks himselfor herself after talking with someone of the opposite sex, I wonder iftheres something there? would cease to exist.

The Chipotle Restaurants Mission

Chipotle is one of the most successful quick-serve restaurant chains within the industry. The company’s main distinctive feature is the focus on the healthy and organic food with references to the idea of sustainability.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on The Chipotle Restaurant’s Mission specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From this point, the company’s mission â€Å"Food with Integrity† can be discussed as the driving force of the restaurant chain’s significant progress. Although the company successfully operates within the highly competitive market during a long period of time, some new strategies should be proposed to contribute to the company’s further growth. The main factors which are associated with the company’s development are the concentration on the quality of the products which are ordered and provided quickly; the development of the â€Å"Food with I ntegrity† mission with accents on healthy organic products grown at the local territories; the unique combination and taste of fresh and healthy items; the focus on ideas of sustainability along with following the principles of the social responsibility; the strong customer loyalty; the intensive cooperation with the social media and support of the charity programs; the strong relations with suppliers; the effective leadership; the problems with the international expansion and usage of the foreign suppliers; the effective leadership and guaranteed high profits basing on the company’s leader position within the market (Appendix 1). In spite of the fact that the company successfully operates within the extremely competitive environment overcoming a lot of challenges, risk of new entrants is high, and the company needs the more innovative approach to its development in order to respond to the modern trends within the market. Thus, it is possible to propose such alternativ es for the company’s strategy as the development of the new menu following the principles of sustainability and using the high-quality healthy and organic products; the promotion of the â€Å"Food with Integrity† mission in its connection with the healthy lifestyle trends basing on the social media; the provision of the flexible approaches to cooking the menu items; the improvement of the cooperation with suppliers. To choose the most appropriate variant of the new strategy for Chipotle, it is important to note that the diverse and competitive market provides the great choice of any food according to unique recipes. That is why, the strategy should contribute to the further increase of the customer loyalty. Moreover, referring to the SWOT Matrix, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the most effective and realistic strategies should be based on the analysis of the company’s strengths and opportunities (Appendix 2). To receive the definite advantage over the competitors within the industry, it is necessary to respond to the customers’ interests and expectations. The promotion of the â€Å"Food with Integrity† mission in its connection with the healthy lifestyle trends, basing on the social media, can be discussed as the effective strategy to attract more customers.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is necessary to focus on the traditional principles of the â€Å"Food with Integrity† mission, basing on the company’s classical healthy and organic food popular with the public. The accents should be shifted to the accentuation of the associated charity programs, fitness programs, and health programs. The community’s health and welfare can become the company’s main focus. The implementation plan should include such stages as the statement of the food’s costs and the perc entage used for charity, the connection of healthy food and public fitness programs, the control of the public’s health with the help of special equipment, and the focus on the environment sustainability in connection with the organic food. The possible obstacles are the immediate increase of costs which will be overcome and competitors’ imitations. The ethical implications of the strategy are closely associated with the question of social responsibility. Following the proposed program, the company can not only attract more customers but also meet the needs of the community and respond to the environmental issues. Appendix: SWOT Matrix Strengths Weaknesses Focus on providing organic and healthy food â€Å"Food with Integrity† mission High quality and unique taste of products Customer loyalty Intensive cooperation with the social media Effective leadership Strong and effective relations with suppliers Stable profits The conservative development of th e company within the competitive and diverse market The comparatively high costs of the sustainable food production The problems with the international expansion Opportunities SO Strategies WO Strategies Flexibility in menu items, ordering, and providing food The intensification of the healthy lifestyle trends with the focus on the healthy food The further improvement of cooperation with organic product suppliers The customers’ support of the sustainability ideas To develop the new menu where the focus on the healthy and organic food is preserved, but the item choice is wider and rather innovative (S1, S3, O1) To promote the healthy lifestyle trends with references to the social media basing on the â€Å"Food with Integrity† mission (S2, S5, O2, O4) 1. To shift the accents from the conservative following the organic food ideals to the flexibility and innovation in menu items (W1, O1) Threats ST Strategies WT Strategies The increase of the competitor s’ number The economic impact on the price of organic products The ineffectiveness of the chain’s strategy within the developing market 1. To concentrate on the cooperation with suppliers to avoid the significant increase in the organic products’ price (S7, T2) 1. To correlate the costs with the organic products’ price with the help of the new financial strategies (W2, T2) This case study on The Chipotle Restaurant’s Mission was written and submitted by user PhantomReporter to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Freedom Caucus Definition and Membership

Freedom Caucus Definition and Membership The Freedom Caucus is a voting bloc of about  three dozen Republican members of the House of Representatives who are among the most ideologically conservative in Congress. Many of the Freedom Caucus members are veterans of the  Tea Party  movement that took root following the bank bailouts of the Great Recession and the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008. The chairman of the Freedom Caucus is U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina. The Freedom Caucus was formed in January 2015 by nine members whose mission is to â€Å"advance an agenda of limited, constitutional government in Congress.† It has also argued for a more decentralized power structure in the House, one that allows rank-and-file members a greater voice in deliberations. The mission of the Freedom Caucus reads: â€Å"The House Freedom Caucus gives a voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them. We support open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans.† The coalition has been described as a splinter group of the Republican Study Committee, the conservative group that serves as a watchdog on the partys leadership in Congress. Founding Members of the Freedom Caucus The nine founding members of the Freedom Caucus are: Rep. Justin Amash of MichiganRep. Ron DeSantis of FloridaRep. John Fleming of LouisianaRep. Scott Garrett of New Jersey  Rep. Jim Jordan of OhioRep. Raà ºl Labrador of IdahoRep. Mark Meadows of North CarolinaRep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina  Rep. Matt Salmon of Arizona   Jordan was elected the first chairman of the Freedom Caucus.   Members of the Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus does not publicize a membership list. But the following House members have also been identified in various news reports as being members of or affiliated with the Freedom Caucus. Rep. Brian Babin of TexasRep. Andy Biggs of AlabamaRep. Rod Blum of IowaRep. David Brat of VirginiaRep. Jim Bridenstine of OklahomaRep. Mo Brooks of AlabamaRep. Ken Buck of ColoradoRep. Warren Davidson of OhioRep.  Scott DesJarlais of TennesseeRep. Jeff Duncan of South CarolinaRep. Trent Franks of ArizonaRep. Paul Gosar of AlabamRep.  Morgan Griffith of VirginiaRep.  Andy Harris of MarylandRep.  Jody Hice of GeorgiaRep. Darrell Issa of CaliforniaRep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia  Rep. Alex Mooney of West VirginiaRep. Gary Palmer of AlabamaRep.  Steve Pearce of New MexicoRep.  Scott Perry of PennsylvaniaRep. Ted Poe of TexasRep. Bill Posey of FloridaRep. David Schweikert of AlabamaRep. Mark Sanford of South CarolinaRep. Joe Barton of TexasRep. Randy Weber of TexasRep. Ted Yoho of Florida Why the Small Freedom Caucus Is a Big Deal The Freedom Caucus represents but a small fraction of the 435-member House. But as a voting bloc, they hold sway over the House Republican Conference, which seeks support from at least 80 percent of its members for any move to be considered binding.   â€Å"Choosing their fights carefully, the Freedom Caucus has certainly made an impact since its formation,† wrote the Pew Research Center’s Drew DeSilver. DeSilver explained in 2015: â€Å"How does such a small group get to have such a big say? Simple arithmetic: Currently, Republicans have 247 seats in the House to 188 for the Democrats, which would seem to be a comfortable majority. But if the 36 (or more) Freedom Caucus members vote as a bloc against the GOP leadership’s wishes, their effective strength falls to 211 or fewer- that is, less than the majority needed to elect a new speaker, pass bills and conduct most other business.† While the makeup of the House has changed since then, the strategy remains the same: to maintain a solid caucus of ultraconservative members who can block action on legislation they oppose even if their own party, the Republicans, control the House. Role in John Boehner Resignation The Freedom Caucus rose to prominence during the battle over Ohio Republican John Boehner’s future as speaker of the House in 2015. The caucus was pushing Boehner to defund Planned Parenthood even if it meant forcing a government shutdown. Boehner, tired of the infighting, announced he would abandon the post and quit Congress altogether. One member of the Freedom Caucus even suggested to Roll Call that a motion to vacate the chair would pass if all of the Democrats were to vote in favor of ousting Boehner. â€Å"If the Democrats were to file a motion to vacate the chair and were to vote for that motion unanimously, there probably are 218 votes for it to succeed,† the unnamed member said. Many in the Freedom Caucus later supported Paul Ryan’s bid for speaker. Ryan was to become one of the youngest speakers of the House in modern history. Controversy A handful of Freedom Caucus members defected because they were unhappy with the group’s tactics, including its willingness to side with Democrats on votes that would undermine mainstream or moderate Republicans, including the effort to oust Boehner through a Vacate the Chair motion. U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble of Wisconsin quit after the leadership coup. â€Å"I was a member of the Freedom Caucus in the very beginning because we were focused on making process reforms to get every Member’s voice heard and advance conservative policy,† Ribble said in a written statement provided to CQ Roll Call. â€Å"When the Speaker resigned and they pivoted to focusing on the leadership race, I withdrew.† U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock of California quit the Freedom Caucus nine months after it formed because, he wrote, of its â€Å"willingness- indeed, an eagerness- to strip the House Republican majority of its ability to set the House agenda by combining with House Democrats on procedural motions.† â€Å"As a result, it has thwarted vital conservative policy objectives and unwittingly become Nancy Pelosi’s tactical ally,† he wrote, adding that the Freedom Caucus’ â€Å"many missteps have made it counterproductive to its stated goals.†

The U.S.A War with Iran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The U.S.A War with Iran - Research Paper Example Let’s first discuss why Iran is disliked among the Western nations. Iran has already been seeing tense relationship with the U.S. and its allies, since the Iranian Revolution that came about in the late 1970s. The threat to Iran’s solidarity increased when President Bush declared it as part of â€Å"Axis of Evil† (â€Å"Iran War†, para.1). This risk did not decrease with the election bringing Barrack Obama in presidency. The notion that has further triggered the decision of war with Iran is Iran’s quest in nuclear technology. According to the U.S., the fact that Iran is acquiring nuclear weapons will be a threat to world’s peace. Even the allies of the U.S. - England, Germany, and France, are worried about this nuclear state of Iran. Moreover, Israel has also a long prevailed hate relationship with the Muslim world. This hatred grew when the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, gave some anti-Semitic statements declaring that Israel should not be present on the face of the Earth. This situation increased Israel’s worry that Iran might be acquiring nuclear weapons to destroy Israel, which being one of the U.S.’s allies.This introduction explained why the U.S. decides to enter into war with Iraq, but now let’s discuss why this is a bad strategy. First of all, it is a matter of peace. Entering into war will disrupt the peace, not only of Iran but also of the U.S. who has already lost the lives of many of soldiers in military actions against Iraq and Afghanistan.... who has already lost the lives of many of soldiers in military actions against Iraq and Afghanistan. Nouraee (para.10) states that Americans will never tolerate if the correct number of casualties of American soldiers in the war is revealed to them. War will only increase hatred and will encourage the residents of the attacked country to develop rebellious feelings toward the U.S. This will not help to decrease terrorist attacks, but will increase violence and radical hostility. It will only turn it into a global hate war. Hence, war on terror in Iran is not a good strategy, because the U.S. has already been suffering from financial burden because of heavy budgets being assigned to war on terror. The U.S. will never want to weaken its economy further. Terrorism is still increasing. Hence, we cannot relate the war on terror to increase or decrease in terrorism. War will only raise turbulence, hatred, rebellion, violence, as well as even more terrorist attacks in future. Also, war mean s destruction. War kills many innocent people along side terrorists. Little children, frail women, and old people get killed for no reason. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan killed many innocent lives. The U.S. has always been a liberal country, as well as has always talked about the rights of children, men, women, old people, and even animals. If the U.S. enters into a war with Iran, it will be a huge threat to the liberal reputation for it. The war on terror must come to halt because it kills innocent citizens of the attacked country. Cline (para.1) writes that: One of the most common antiwar arguments is the fact that wars result in the deaths of innocent people. This objection accepts that a state may have a vested interest in

Microbial Water Quality and Influences of Fecal Accumulation from a Essay

Microbial Water Quality and Influences of Fecal Accumulation from a Dog Exercise Area - Essay Example The results obtained from the samples were keenly analyzed and evaluated to give the relevant result. Published documents were also reviewed to compare the result found with the current experiment results (Garfield and Walker, 2008). The results found were obtained through different tools and techniques, these included sampling of the water and also an analysis of fecal accumulation and burden at different spots along the rivers and lakes. With the fecal accumulation strategy, different masses of dry feces were taken and weighed and then compared with the quantity of feces available per plot. The water sampling technique entailed sampling of the water at different points of the river and then filtering the water on specific filters to give the E.coli bacteria levels before an analysis is done on the amount of waste found in the water (Garfield and Walker, 2008). More feces were deposited at the upstream than downstream. Simple linear regression was used for a comparison and analysis of data obtained from the water sampling technique. This was to determine the relationship between the sample of water collected and the fecal amount found. For the data obtained on the fecal E.coli burden, a correlation analysis was done to give the best result on the relationship between the two (Garfield and Walker, 2008). The result from water sampling showed a variety in correlation between the amount of fecal discharge in the upstream and downstream but did not show any correlation with the seasons (Garfield and Walker, 2008). The regression analysis however showed there was a significate rate of fecal discharge during the summer than in all other existing seasons. Over time it was realized that the amount of feces discharge increased at a constant rate within and around the water sources. The feces of canine animals such as dogs were also found to contain a

Urban transport conditions Essay Example for Free

Urban transport conditions Essay Urban transport conditions in bangkok, thailand For the past 30 years, the urban population of the world has been rapidly growing. In 1975, the urban population in developing regions has exponentially grown from 861 Million to 2135 Million in year 2000, and still is expected to grow by 45% in 2015 (Metge Jehanno, 2006). Such increase in population would entail a subsequent demand in adequate transportation systems. Being a developing country would involve that new developments will take place, which will result in the traffic congestion of the area. Such congestions will be due to the lack of mitigation policies, particularly pertaining to land use and transportation (Hokao Mohamed,1999). Thailand’s urban centre, Bangkok, is one good focus in analyzing the conditions of urban transportation in Developing countries. Bangkok â€Å"began in 1782 as a settlement on the bank of the Chao Phraya, and this area soon became the center of the city’s government and religious institutions† (Wyatt, 1995: n. p. ). Bangkok Metropolis has an area of 1,569 sq km (606 sq mi), which restricts it to utilize much of the land for the construction of roads. Bangkok is barely above sea-level, making it subject to frequent flooding, in addition to the 60 inches of precipitation it receives every year. Chao Phraya River is just one of the major waterways in Thailand, which is still currently used as a route for transport within the city. However, some of the canals have been filled in order to accommodate the construction of roads (Wyatt, 2005). The Bangkok Metropolis’ modes of transportation barely meet the demands of its 9 million daytime populations. Sixty-five percent of the city population relies on public transportation, more specifically the city buses, metered taxis, the Skytrain, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) subway, and the tuk-tuks. The Skytrain has a capacity of 700,000 passengers per day, and is situated along the Silom and Sukhumvit, two of the most frequently congested roads in Bangkok. The MRT is a Thai-foreign venture whose construction commenced in 1997, and approximates a capacity of 80,000 passengers per hour. The Tuk-tuks are the Thai version of the canopied tricycle, and are public utility vehicles that can accommodate up to three persons per trip (â€Å"Tuktuks, Bangkok†, n. d. ). The mass transit system includes both buses and trains (â€Å"Infrastructure: Highways†, 2004). Although there are existing public transportation systems, the increase of the number of private car ownership doesn’t seem to wane. According to a study conducted by Du Pont and Egan (1997), such increase in ownership can be attributed to the inadequacy of Bangkok’s mass transit system. The rate of the development of infrastructures simply cannot keep up with such a rapid pace of motorization, therefore, this results in intolerable traffic jams in the city (Gakenheimer, 1997). One problem causing the endless traffic congestion in Bangkok is the proportion of road area to the number of vehicles traversing the roads everyday. Only 8% of Bangkok’s land area (roughly 625 sq km) has been used for roads, which is obviously insufficient to accommodate its 2 million vehicles (Du Pont Egan, 1997). Poboon et al. (1994) conclude that: â€Å"Traffic jams in Bangkok are therefore inevitable because they are attempting to carry too little passenger travel on public transport relative to their provision of roads† (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). The inefficient city planning that failed to provide secondary routes from the major arteries within the city cause traffic to be as slow as an average of 6-10 kph in the central business district. Such inefficiency results in an annual loss of $9.6 billion, simply because an estimated 44 days in productivity is lost in exchange for travel time (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). Not only does congestion account for the financial losses of the city, it also aggravates air pollution. In 1990, it has been estimated that â€Å"8-hour exposure at street level is equivalent to smoking 9 cigarettes per day†, and that such levels of pollutants have exceeded the safety guidelines set by the World Health Organization (as cited in Du Pont Egan, 1997). GOVERNMENT PROJECTS AND IMPLEMENTATION The government has prioritized the Bangkok traffic issues, and several commissions have been institutionalized to deal with these issues, most of which had been unsuccessful (â€Å"ASEM Bangkok†, 1996). More than 30 government agencies are responsible for transport and urban development of Bangkok, but the implementation of transport and land-use plans are carried out by 11 agencies which fall under two ministries — Interior and Transport Communications (Du Pont Egan, 1997).

Love in The Importance of Being Earnest Essay -- Oscar Wilde Papers

Love in The Importance of Being Earnest Love is perhaps the most actively sought moral objective of one's life. And though marriage is often thought to be the logical consequence of love, it is Oscar Wilde's contention in his satire, The Importance of Being Earnest, that love begets bliss and marriage thwarts this course of bliss. Algernon Moncrieff spends very little time falling in love and the rest of the time striving toward engagement. Wilde demonstrates through him that once one becomes intent upon achieving a goal, the individual's motivation becomes a matter of action rather than truth. Algernon is no longer driven by a moral objective; instead, he becomes intent upon achieving a societal standard. "The truth is rarely pure, and never simple" (35). Love is truth. Marriage results in the systematic complication of love. Algernon becomes disillusioned in the process of seeking truth. In defining Algernon's preconceived notion of marriage and then describing the subsequent earnest pursuit of engagement, Wilde achieve s a consequential climax that satirizes marriage. Algernon is a pompous man of seemingly strong, albeit unconventional, convictions. Wilde uses him for the sole purpose of mocking the sanctimonious institution of marriage. In the beginning of the play, Algernon considers Jack's intent to propose to Gwendolen to be "business," not "pleasure" (30). Yet eventually Algernon also resolves to propose to Cicely, discrediting his own established belief: "I really don't see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is un... ...man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth" (108). Though Algernon, by the play's close, does not realize this, it is the inevitable that he will eventually realize that the truth is no longer with him. For, Algernon initially speaks nothing but the truth. Yet on his path toward achieving his moral objective, he becomes so intent upon the actions that he loses the truth; Algernon is so set on becoming engaged that he forgets that divorces, not marriages, "are made in heaven" (30). Wilde's initial intention is for Algernon to appear to be the antithesis to society's spokesperson. As Algernon, contrary to expectation, abandons his own truth, and the play ends happily ever after, Wilde reveals to the reader his view that marriage is ridiculous. Bibliography: the importance of being earnest -- oscar wilde

Childhood Obesity Solutions Essay

Prevalence of childhood obesity has increased greatly in the recent years, so much so that the number of children considered overweight by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has nearly quadrupled among children aged 6-11 years old (Cawley, Meyerhoefer, and Newhouse, 2007, p.506). Many members of the public, media, and congress have declared childhood obesity as a major public health concern, considering it to be an â€Å"important cause and consequence of wider disparities in health† (Freudenberg, Libman, and O’Keefe, 2010). Director of the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the CDC, Dr. William H. Dietz, went as far as to say â€Å"This may be the first generation of children that has a lower life span than their parents† (Roberts & Wilson, 2012). Though it is evident steps are needed to be taken to help protect the health and futures of our youth, those with the most power to actually make a visible, long lasting environmental change are the most reluctant to do so. Policymakers have alternate interests in finances that water down their attempts to take charge. Sadly, often times playing the social problems game takes precedence over the more genuine social problems work. As a Washington Post article so boldly states â€Å"In the political arena, one side is winning the war on child obesity. The side with the fattest wallets.† (Roberts & Wilson, 2012) Proposals that frame childhood obesity as being an inevitable result of increasing environmental surroundings by unhealthful foods are too often neglected by government officials more willing to frame childhood obesity as an individual problem. Indeed it is more convenient to claim providing freedom of choice to individuals who are capable of making their own decisions, emphasizing self regulation, and freeing themselves of responsibility to their nation to lead in financially beefy actions. This essay seeks to demonstrate that childhood obesity should no longer be considered an individual cause stemming from lifestyle choices which can be changed through minor solutions such as education in physical activity and nutrition. Unfortunately, this social problems ownership has become the taken-for-granted frame for this problem (Loseke, 2003, p.69). Childhood obesity really is a social problem which is a direct result from our environment, social structures emphasizing fast, unhealthy, frankly JUNK food which is readily available in any given neighbourhood and continuously marketed through all mediums to increase profits to some select wealthy individuals. I will stress that the only solutions met by this pressing issue have been solely symbolic solutions which have been prematurely praised as they are false attempts to appear loyal to the public, communities, and school systems, while truly remaining loyal to the corporations, who some may very well be held entirely accountable. Within this paper the exploration of three chosen symbolic solutions to date will include: American Government’s distribution of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies for Increasing Physical Activity Among Youth, the national law passing of requiring restaurants with 20 or more chains to provide calorie information on menus and menu boards, and lastly, the enhancement of PE requirements for school aged children. The distribution of said guidelines is reported to be important by reviewing â€Å"the evidence on strategies to increase youth physical activity and make recommendations†¦ and to communicate findings to the public.† (Rodgers, 2012, p.10) This report focuses on five settings, but in reality only offers strategies for 3 of them. Two settings (Home and Family, and Primary Care settings) received no proposed strategies to increase physical activity among youth, and focused only on areas requiring further research (p.7). Those settings which did receive proposed strategies were quite obvious suggestions which doubtfully would have any significant impact on physical activity among youth. One such suggestion is to â€Å"provide teachers with appropriate training† (p.5). Although it must be noted that this is not a report distributed solely to decrease obesity among youth, it is distributed to increase physical activity among youth, which is not the same, though admittedly similar. On the webpage this guide is provided, a number of other arbitrary tools can also be found. Webinars on online nutrition information, fact sheets, blogs, access to printable posters, and more. Educating the public, educating the parents of youth, and the youth themselves of course is important. At what point however will it be supplemented by restrictions on marketing of food and beverages to youth, which this guideline reports is estimated at a whopping $10 billion per year, but shows no indication of wanting to reduce or restrict this, and can only suggest counterbalancing with media campaigns directed to offset these unhealthy images (Rodgers, 2012, p. 3). One article is more forward in summarizing â€Å"Despite this widespread recognition of negative impact of marketing unhealthy foods, the practice continues unabated.† (Harvard School of Public Health, 2012) Mandated menu labelling of calories in some American jurisdictions was passed in 2008, requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more facilities to post calorie information next to each item on their menus and menu board (Kuo, Jarosz, Simon and Fielding, 2009, p.1680). This new law was backed by evidence that â€Å"eating fast food has been shown to increase caloric intake and the risk of becoming obese† (Harvard School of Public Health, 2012). As an alternative to restricting what is sold in these fast food chains, restricting advertising of these products, or perhaps even zoning restrictions on how many fast food restaurants were permitted to be within a certain range of schools, this new law appears to be the most liberal of solutions, and the most beneficial for the companies selling these high calorie foods. Findings from a health impact assessment are as follows: â€Å"mandated menu labelling at fast food and other large chain restaurants could reduce population weight gain, even with only modest changes in consumer behaviour.† (Kuo, Jarosz, Simon and Fielding, 2009, p.1683) As promising as this is, it is followed by a stronger and more realistic assessment stating â€Å" if nonobese restaurant patrons were more likely to order reduced calorie meals than were obese patrons, the impact on the obesity rate could be less than what we reported†. Because there was no study conducted on the weight of those opting for calorie reduced items, it is difficult to say if this solution is beneficial to the target audience, obese people in these jurisdictions. If changes are being made that is great, but there is no evidence to date to support this influencing the rising issue of obesity. It is just another means of essentially saying that the government is willing to educate on the food being provided and it is the choice of the individual, to consume or not consume. One solution offered by government recognizes that with the majority of youth enrolled in schools, school is an ideal place to provide much needed physical activity to students (Rodgers, 2012). In implementation, many state policies require schools to â€Å"have a PE unit requirement that constrains students to spend a minimum amount of time in PE class† (Cawley, Meyerhoefer, and Newhouse, 2007, p. 508). A study evaluating the effectiveness of such policies revealed that, naturally, a required PE unit is correlated with a higher probability that the student participates in PE (Cawley, Meyerhoefer, and Newhouse, 2007, p. 511). Although this is clearly a positive outcome of enforcing requirements among youth to enroll in PE classes, this same study goes on to say that â€Å"a requirement is correlated with students reporting fewer minutes spent active in PE†(p.511). Yes, you read that correctly, specifically 15.1 fewer minutes active in PE for boys, and 3.1 fewer in PE for girls (p.511-512). In conclusion, this report sums up the opposing information by stating that â€Å"curriculum development is not significantly associated with the amount of time spent active in PE†. As such, the implementation of these programs sounds a lot more effective in theory then it is in practice. All three of these solutions offered by government are certainly steps in recognizing that childhood obesity is in fact prevalent in our society. These solutions also claim that something can be done to reduce the level of harm to children’s health, and that actions should be implemented in correcting this epidemic. Essentially childhood obesity is a recognized social problem in our society. Unfortunately because the victims, (obese children), are politically powerless individuals, proposals to decrease the harm attributed to them have been, and will continue to be symbolic. Sadly, effort from interest groups with good intentions can be overshadowed by the social problems game of politics. This concept is not lost in an article posted in The New York Academy of Medicine which reads as follows: â€Å"†¦private interests generally have more resources and skills than public health reformers to achieve their policy goals, and are more successful in resisting changes than advocates are in implementing them. These structural barriers are a powerful deterrent to reducing childhood obesity. Creating cities where health rather than business concerns take precedence will require new approaches to governance and democracy.† (Freudenberg, Libman, and O’Keefe, 2010, p.761) It appears as though, for now, the social problems game of proposing symbolic solutions for childhood obesity is being accepted by audiences. Since Loseke claims that â€Å"the goal of social problems game is persuading audience members† (p.51), government officials, the players, are succeeding. References Cawley, J., Meyerhoefer, C. and Newhouse, D. (2007), The correlation of youth physical activity with state policies. Contemporary Economic Policy, 25: 506–517. doi: 10.1111/j.1465-7287.2007.00070.x Fredenberg, N., Libman, K., O’Keefe, E. (2010), A tale of two obescities: The role of municipal governance in reducing childhood obesity in New York city and London. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 87:5 doi:10.1007/s11524-101-943-x Harvard School of Public Health, (2012), The obesity prevention source toxic food environment. Retrieved from: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ Kuo, T., Jarosz, C., Simon,P., Fielding, J. (2009), Menu labelling as a potential strategy for combating obesity epidemic: A health impact assessment. American Journal of Public Health, 99:9 doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.153023 Loseke, D. (2003), Thinking about social problems. New York: Walter de Gruyter, Inc. Robert, J., Wilson, D., (2012, April 27), Special report: How Washington went soft on childhood obesity. Reuters. Retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/ Rodgers, A., (2012), Physical activity guidelines for Americans mid-course report: strategies to increase physical activities among youth. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: http://health.gov/paguidelines/default.aspx

Comparison Of Christianity And Judaism - 743 Words

Across the world, there are varied belief systems that have been formed. As many people may know these belief systems are unique in, multiple ways, one being what they believe in and how they worship, or even where their religion was originated and how far it has spread. These systems may be diverse in how they lecture and which God they have trusted, but believe it or not they acquire multiple similarities. An example that all these belief systems share is that they all have had an impact on the lives and ways of the people also known as the followers. Two belief systems that I believe are most dominant is Christianity and Judaism. Christianity is by far one of the very most beloved belief systems in the world. Christianity was†¦show more content†¦Also, polygamy which was the practice of marrying multiple spouses. Additionally, human rights meant that all men were created equal in the image of God. (regentsprep.com) Judaism is another important belief systems. Judaism w as founded by Abraham son of Terah, which Jews believe that he was in a high position of respect Judaism emerged in the middle east around Israel, around 3500 years ago. Judaism consists of many different beliefs and teachings. Two of these principles are the belief in one god and they believed that their life would never end. In other words, They believed in one god by the name of Tetrammation or Hashem. Jews also believed that he was the highest god and that he was considered very serious and powerful. Additionally, When Jews believed that their life would never end they meant that when they would die they would not go to heaven or hell because they did not believe in that. As a matter of fact they believed that they would all go to where mosses and Rabbi Akiva gave constant and everlasting classes of the Bible, and they would get eternal bliss. All of these belief systems have lasting impact, Judaism’s impact is just as interesting. The influential impacts included Monothe ism, the weekend, Census, and many more. Moreover, the way monotheism was an impact because of jews by introduces the powerful nation of one god. Also, the Torah provided the teaching that the world was created for a purpose. Additionally, as mentioned, Judaism gave theShow MoreRelatedComparison between Judaism and Christianity700 Words   |  3 Pages Comparison between Judaism and Christianity Name Institution â€Æ' Christianity and Judaism are two religions which share an origin. Abraham is the father of faith of both Christians and Judaists. The two religions are based on the Old Testament; however, Judaism has refused to acknowledge the New Testament. It is said that is a Judaist accepts Christianity, and then become complete. However, if a pagan accepts Christianity, they are converted because they do not have the basis that is providedRead MoreComparison Between Judaism And Christianity1711 Words   |  7 PagesDaniel Cooney 5/15/17 Rav Shai Jewish Faith and Practice Comparison of Judaism and Christianity Judaism and Christianity may be completely different religions, but they along with many differences there are many similarities between the religions. Religions may vary from culture to culture, but mostly all are based on the same principle; that there is something greater than us that we all should believe in. Being that this is such a widespread belief, you would think that all religions wouldRead MoreReligion Comparison: Judaism and Christianity771 Words   |  4 Pagesone that is actually the sun. To a person who is strong in their belief, would rather die. Even perform a Self-immolation, which is a similar event in the book, Fahrenheit 451. 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Judaism has the Hebrew Tanakh whichRead MoreChristianity And The Modern World1341 Words   |  6 PagesIn my thesis essay, I choose Christianity as my essay topic, in my essay I will cover the common characteristics how Christianity contribute to the modern world. And how the role of the women has changed over time based on Christianity religion. I hope to show my professor that I fully understand the subject I am writing on while developing a conclusion of my essay. Christianity creation even though the organ may seem long, according to biblical terms Christianity was formed appormiety around 6300Read More Compare and Contrast Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Essay824 Words   |  4 PagesCompare and Contrast Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Human beings have always been curious about the meaning and purpose of life. Religions try to answer the curiosity people have about there being a higher source, typically identifying this greater domination as God. Some beliefs teach that there is only one G-d this is defined as a monotheistic religion. Some examples of monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Although each sect has a different perspective on teachingsRead MoreCreation Myths in the Abrahamic Religions1850 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The whole difference between construction and creation is this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists† (qtd. in â€Å"Charles Dickens†). Although the creation stories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have some differences, the fact that the three Abrahamic religions all arose in the same Middle Eastern area in succession may have had an effect on not only each religion’ s beliefs that can be found in their creation myth, but also