The dangers of stereotypes Essay Example For Students

The dangers of stereotypes Essay By only associating negative aspects with one particular culture or race, we are directly inhibiting our ability to look at them with the same amount of respect, care, and appreciation that we look at our neighbors or friends with. At the end of the day, what separate one human being from another human being are our choices. The difference between Osama Bin Laden and I is that he can kill hundreds of human beings, and I cant deliberately kill an ant. Beyond that, we all have the same basic needs as every human. We will write a custom essay on The dangers of stereotypes specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now If we allow ourselves to believe that every Muslim makes the same choices as Osama Bin Laden, then people like Muhammed Ali Jinnah and Benazir Bhutto will quickly be forgotten. The knowledge we gain from single stories is false, but yet it represents so much of our knowledge of other cultures and countries. Ethnically diverse groups are important in our societies, a blend of cultures being much better and more powerful than a single culture. If we allow ourselves to simply accept the stereotypes that are handed to us because of media, then the respect that every individual deserves will slowly diminish. The sense of one individuals strength in comparison to another individuals weakness will be heightened causing the idea of a global community to slowly disappear, and the idea of ego becomes more prevalent. The single stories presented in the media affect our perception. A few months ago, a television show Outsourced was broadcasted. While some episodes were funny, the way they presented India was borderline rude and was offensive to many Indian- American citizens. It didnt go unnoticed by the shows viewers, that the only smart guy was the white guy, while all of the Indians were presented as stupid people who needed to be guided in everything they did by the white guy from their love lives to their jobs. The Indian characters were continuously subliminally insulted and degraded whereas the white guy was constantly portrayed as the hero of the show. When I watched the show, I took it for its entertainment value because I know that in reality there are Indians that are extremely intelligent and capable of pronouncing Chicago correctly. However, those who havent had any particular experiences with Indians beyond tech support and call centers will assume that Outsourced accurately represents what India looks like. Also, along with the picture of Slumdog Millionaire the picture of India is definitely not a beautiful picture. While there is that aspect of India, it is not the only aspect. If only that feature is kept in mind, the perception of India and her citizens are negatively impacted, and will only harm our amalgamated wish to have a strong global community. As much as I am a victim of single stories, I am also guilty of blindly believing in single stories. I too blindly believed in the single story of Africa before I watched this video. Its important that when we make observations about other people, cultures, countries we keep in mind that our perception is affected by many influences and that perception should never be set in stone. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge section.

Frankenstein Essays

Frankenstein Essays Frankenstein Essay Frankenstein Essay ‘Victor Frankenstein is justly punished for his blatant interference in the natural process of life. It is a clear case of science and ethical responsibility being abused To what extent do you agree with this assertion? Support with close textual reference Frankenstein’s instinctual lust for knowledge and mechanical love for the human anatomy drives his interference in the natural process of life. This interference is harshly ramified within Shelley’s novel through specific characterisations and reference. Frankensteins clear defiance and interference in the natural mechanics was a case of science and ethical responsibility being abused. Shelley’s explicit writing style and emphasis on the consequences which Frankenstein faced, highlights her ideas and concerns about the instinctive line separating science and ethical responsibility. â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to perform? † Frankenstein’s ambitious and hypnotised state of mind leads him to the creation of his ‘monster’. His efforts, however, are undercut by his creations grotesque appearance. Frankensteins monster was not a product of collaborative scientific effort but of dark, supernatural workings. The appearance of the monster and ultimate rejection by Frankenstein emphasises Shelley’s concerns about the extent of where science can go before it’s considered unethical or immoral. Frankenstein changes over the course of the novel from an innocent youth fascinated by the prospects of science, into a disillusioned, guilt-ridden man determined to destroy the fruits of his arrogant scientific endeavor. : In creating a being, Frankenstein was aware that the outcome of this beings physce or appearance could not be articulated or formulated. Shelley emphasises Natures inability to be formulated and it’s essence of beauty and tranquility and juxtaposes this with the ugliness of the Monsters physical appearance. â€Å"The cup of life was poisoned forever† This powerful analogy distinctively relates to this permanent change once structure has been interrupted. The soul binding effect on Creator and Creation is embedded within the underlying text of the novel and is at the forefront of its meaning. Once Frankenstein created this living entity he has an instinctive connection to it. The way in which Frankenstein rejected his creation and unremorseful in his allegations of its being amplified Frankenstein’s disappointment of his work. The cup being poisoned forever relates to the burden in which his creation has not only on Frankensteins life, but the natural voice of humanity. His creation doesn’t only provide inconvenience and suffering to his life, but ultimately this knowledge and creation could affect the mechanics of humanity’s progression. I am alone and miserable; man will not associate with me Frankenstein’s monster is ultimately burdened with his grotesque appearance due to his creator’s flaws. Frankenstein not only has felt the burden of his creation but the monster himself has been alienated and isolated from humanity. Frankensteins interruption of the natural processes of life has not only affected him, but ultimately his creation. Frankenstein’s monster feels worthless due to his physical appearance, which really doesn’t bring to justice his natural benevolence and child-like curiosity within his workings. William, Justine, and Henry-they all died by my hands. Frankensteins eventual ultimatum that he had caused the death of his loved ones provides another shift of physce within his character. His emotionless and lobotomised state of mind has driven his character to this obsession of knowledge and natural process. The death of his family is a metaphor for a greater idea of Shelleyâ₠¬â„¢s. Frankensteins journey was ramified by numerous consequences, fatality, morbidity and ultimately his death. Retrospectively, this is only on small scale compared to the progressing image of this ethical responsibility and science dispute, which was coming to light in the 19th Century. Shelley presents devastating consequences for Victor Frankenstein’s over indulgence in the journey of knowledge and the blatant interruption in the natural process of life. Fatality, Morbidity and his ultimate death provide blows of warning and concern throughout her novel. Written by Adam Cuthbertson (A)

Advantages And Disadvantages Of The System Of Trial By Jury Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of The System Of Trial By Jury - Essay Example Another reason behind having trials by jury is to protect the liberty of the accused – because crime is not only a legal subject, it is also social hence, it is important to ensure that the society also renders a certain act as a crime. The advantages of jury trial are numerous. First, it injects in insensitive system an element of humanity: the abstract impersonal trials become closer to reality with the inclusion of law people who judge only on the basis of social conscience, rather than stricto-senso law. This helps in decreasing the undue influence exerted by legal professionals in the adversarial system as Britain who tend to conduct business on strictly legal terms without paying heed to the opinion of the lay majority. Secondly, trial by jury is a manifestation of the right of an accused to be judged his own peers and hence this is also an expression of his liberty. According to Devlin (1956)1 ‘trial by jury is more than an instrument of justice and more than the wheel of constitution; it is a lamp that shows freedom lives’. Therefore, trial by jury is an inherent right of an individual that opens one path for him to ensure that he gets a fair trial. Thirdly, trial by jury is reflective of contemporary social conditions and that helps the defendant in his fair trial. Also, the secret deliberations of the jury members in the jury room after which they arrive at certain verdicts are helpful because they are free from any outside influence; any investigation or interrogation is not allowed into how jury members reached a certain verdict. This helps the jurors to decide on a suitable verdict independently free from any pressure, or remorse from any party. This also ensures that no media intervention is... The advantages of jury trial are numerous. It injects in the insensitive system an element of humanity: the abstract impersonal trials become closer to reality with the inclusion of law people who judge only on the basis of social conscience. This helps in decreasing the undue influence exerted by legal professionals in the adversarial system as Britain who tend to conduct business on strictly legal terms without paying heed to the opinion of the lay majority. Trial by jury is a manifestation of the right of an accused to be judged his own peers and hence this is also an expression of his liberty. According to Devlin ‘trial by jury is more than an instrument of justice and more than the wheel of the constitution; it is a lamp that shows freedom lives’. Trial by jury is an inherent right of an individual that opens one path for him to ensure that he gets a fair trial. Thirdly, trial by jury is reflective of contemporary social conditions and that helps the defendant in his fair trial. Also, the secret deliberations of the jury members in the jury room after which they arrive at certain verdicts are helpful because they are free from any outside influence; any investigation or interrogation is not allowed into how jury members reached a certain verdict. This helps the jurors to decide on a suitable verdict independently free from any pressure, or remorse from any party. This also ensures that no media intervention is allowed in the jurors’ room and hence, all the jurors can decide in an impartial and fair way.

Anthropology - Youth Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Anthropology - Youth Culture - Essay Example triarchy, marriage, educational systems and the like.†1 Because each individual is born as a subject of a particular form of ideology, believing he is acting on his own freely formed or freely recognized ideas, he inadvertently reinforces the practices and rituals of the ISAs.2 This circle of activity is called â€Å"interpellation† and demonstrates how â€Å"ideology is not a static set of ideas imposed upon the subordinate by the dominant classes, but rather a dynamic process constantly reproduced and reconstituted in practice.†3 However, in order to work, interpellation requires the individual to respond to the hail of a particular ideology, thereby becoming its subject and participating in its practices. Bad subjects of the realm who do not recognize, accept or maintain the dominant discourse are subjected to societal ridicule, obsequy or ostracism. When enough individuals are subjected to this type of ridicule, obsequy or ostracism, they begin to group togeth er, forming a subculture with a common voice of some sort. For one adolescent subculture, that voice emerged in the 1990s as a band called Green Day. To understand how Green Day helps to define an entire subculture, it is first necessary to understand what the subculture might be reacting against. From this point, an examination into where the band is different from and similar to other musical genres coupled with an analysis of the band’s message eventually reveals the types of individuals who feel connected through this music. Subcultures are groups that operate in some form of opposition to the greater culture. Louis Althusser suggested all aspects of society, regardless of class or political affiliation influence the various ideologies of a given time. In 1969, he wrote: â€Å"rather than a strict relationship between ideology and the economic base of society, where one class imposes its values on another, ideology is a dynamic set of practices in which all groups and classes participate.†4

Integrated Technology Systems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Integrated Technology Systems - Assignment Example Response time, hysteresis, long-term stability, sensitivity are some of uncertainties. Traceability of measurements from sensors is achieved through the implementation of regional calibration programs specific to each parameter or instrument. All sensors should have long term stability of measurements to guaranty maintenance and calibration intervals of one year or more. Temperature is the specific degree of coldness or hotness as referenced to a specific scale. A temperature sensor is used in detecting changes in physical parameters such as output voltage or resistance that correspond to the temperature change. Thermocouple is built from two electrical dissimilar metals are place at one end of a circuit. Thermocouple circuit has the most considerable temperature range when compared to other temperature sensor technologies, that is –200 to +2310Â °C. Thermistor is temperature sensor that proportionally changes its resistance in relation to temperature changes. Thermistors are of two types: negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and positive temperature coefficient (PTC). PTCs have positive change in resistance with temperature rise, while NTCs have negative change in resistance when temperatures increase. RTDs (Resistive Temperature Devices) embrace a change in electrical resistance in measuring or controlling temperature. A typical RTD has a sensing element, and connection wires to measurement instrument. RTDs are resistance devices hence generate their own heat that adds up to medium being measured. Shields/Screens that house temperature sensors affect quality of measurement of atmospheric temperature. Hence these shields/screens should reduce the effects of atmospheric and environmental factors (such as solar radiation, wind, dew). The sensors for soil temperature are configured at depth of up to 100 cm in undisturbed soil. The

Globalization: Developmental Boon Or Bane?

Globalization: Developmental Boon Or Bane? Years ago, globalization was the curious buzzword which was viewed with much optimism by much of the world, including the poor and underdeveloped nations . The merging of the worlds economies promised great opportunities for growth and development especially for Third World economies. Today, there are two prevailing sentiments on globalization: either that globalization has resulted to prosperity for the poor nations or that it has resulted to the prosperity of the rich at expense of the worlds poor (Irogbe, 2005). This paper posits that while globalization have provided a range of benefits for underdeveloped nations, the wheels of globalization has led to the widening poverty gap, the deterioration of national economies, marginalization of the South, cultural homogenization, and environmental degradation. Main Features of Globalization Globalization is a complex process which has many facets: economic, political and cultural. To understand this more concretely, discussed are the main features of globalization from the perspective of the developing world and how it is concretely manifested. Looking at globalization from a Third World lens is crucial to our understanding of it (Yotopoulous Romano, 2007). This is because, when viewed from the perspective of the First World, it is easy to appreciate the obvious benefits of globalization. For instance, globalization has enabled Americans to get hold of a wide range of products and services from all over the world. The margining of the worlds economies have allowed us to enjoy goods previously inaccessible to us because of high cost: for instance, fruits such as pineapples, bananas, and mangoes that is not homegrown in the United States. We can listen to world music, Africa, Jamaican, Latin American, and Arabic rhythms through our iPod all day long. What is not clearly visible to us is how the wheels of globalization impact the farmer in Southeast Asia, the coffee growers in Latin America, and the agricultural workers in Africa. Economic integration While faster interconnected through advanced technology and transportation is the most popular idea about globalization, globalization is a fundamentally economic phenomenon. The economic promise of free trade and free competition was supposedly designed to help Third World economies to gain market access previously impossible to penetrate (Lechner Boli, 2004). This has been true. Underdeveloped countries have been able to export their local products to developed markets unlike in the past (Sen, 2000). However, the bigger picture suggests because of the inherent asymmetries of the worlds economies, globalization also leads to asymmetrical development benefitting the rich countries more than the poor (Yotopoulous Romano, 2007). Economic integration through the merging of the global economies takes on three primary forms: liberalization, privatization, and deregulation (Benyon Dunkerley, 2000). Liberalization is the downgrading of the social goals of national development, combined with the upgrading of participation in the world market (McMichael, 2004, p. 158). This is achieved by reducing and eventually removing the barriers to flow of goods, capital, and services among countries, e.g. the removal of tariffs on agricultural products such as corn, rice, or beef. Deregulation means the reduction of the reduction of the role of governments in regulating trade and production and in providing services (Yotopoulos Romano, 2007). It adheres to the belief that the market is the most efficient and effective determinant of what should be produced and what would be consumed. Privatization in its purest sense means divestiture of state-owned enterprises or SOEs (McMichael, 2004). What used to be an ideological battl e between big government/welfare states and more marketless state has moved into the mainstream economic development debate under the guise of sound economic management and good governance (Benyon Dunkerley, 2000, p. 45). A deregulated market freed from the visible hand of government is the most efficient, less burdensome system that will result in economic progress through foreign investments, so goes the argument. Economic pragmatism and expediency are the main motives for privatizing today, driven mainly by balance-of-payment imperatives and the need to shift the burden of development from the public to the private sector (Leeds, 1990). To drive these three key strategies of economic globalization, two main institutions are responsible: the worlds transnational corporations (TNCs) and the triumvirate of public international financial institutions (Buckman, 2004). The global TNCs hold tremendous influence in global trade because it has control over investment, employment, and trading decisions which surpass the decision-making power of most developing countries. The triumvirate of the the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) act as a global overseer of the processes of economic globalization (Benyon Dunkerley, 2000). In theory, the triumvirate could be held accountable by the worlds governments but in practice, it has become a major global bureaucracy wielding enormous, largely unaccountable influence (Buckman, 2004, p. 87). The global privatization network includes multilateral and bilateral lenders, large MNCs, merchant banks, stockbrokers, accounts and manageme nt consultants, legal firms, marketing, specialist consultants, and think tanks (Leeds, 1990). The TNCs control the lions share of the world trade. The strongest among them, act more cohesively, in close cooperation with their respective governments, to assault or defend markets (Bello, 1997, p. 5). Hence, globalization also means the most intense competition even among industrialized economies. For instance, the United Sates and the business interests it represents stands to gain the most from globalization, which is why it has tried to dominate both the GATT-WTO and the APEC (Benyon Dunkerley, 2000). While imposing unilateral measures to protect its own market, the US is trying to prevent other countries from acting in the same way by invoking the principles of free trade. On another plane, many Northern governments, despite the neoliberal ideology of reducing the role of the state in economic matters, still heavily subsidize their agricultural products. These then become very ch eap and when dumped into the markets of developing countries, local products cannot compete. This explains why farmers in Chile, Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia have experienced destruction of their local economies such as in textile, transport, and even agriculture (Bello, 1997; McMichael, 2004). Political marginalization Globalization has also resulted to the political asymmetries leading to the marginalization of the South. Globalization has proceeded under the premise that modernization is the key towards the genuine development of the Third World. However, the dependency theory of development suggests that modernization will only lead to increasing domination of the major world economic players to the detriment of the poor nations. The basic decisions in global trade are still influenced by the dominant countries, leaving dependent nations with few choices because the parameters have already been set by the former (Willis, 2005). It is in the South where globalization as a political process really reduces the role of the nation state in terms of deciding the direction of development through macro-economic policies. Parallel to this is the qualitative strengthening of the institutions of global economic governance (Bello, 1997, p. 8). The main mechanism for this has been the debt trap, whereby highly indebted countries are compelled to undergo structural adjustment programs (SAPs) in exchange for more loans. The infamous SAPs of the IMF, and so-called development loans from the World Bank routinely come with harsh conditionalities that require developing nations to abandon important domestic programs that serve the population. These include education, health services and environmental programs, which dont produce revenues to repay IMF and World Bank loans or interest. This system leaves countries utterly dependent upon market and pricing systems over which they have no control. Meanwhile, they have given up th e ability to determine their own destinies. The greatest mystery of course is how any of the promoters of such rules and conditions (among others) could possibly argue that these rules could help nations rise from poverty. Clearly, this is a blueprint for dependency and poverty creation. Cultural homogenization Globalization is a phenomenon that crosses and erases geographical and political borders and makes all countries start to look the same. As a result of globalization, local products, services, and cultures disappear into a global culture, a culture defined not by the global citizenry but rather the worlds economic and political superpowers mostly North America-owned corporations. Because of globalization, people on every continent are exposed to and consumed by a North American culture defined by Nike running shoes, MTV, Coca Cola, and McDonalds. Some people have re-named the process of globalization and called it McDonaldization or CocaColonization. Not only does globalization create one bland culture the world over, it forces people to arrange their lives to promote this culture. Poor Filipino farmers end up being forced off their land and into factories producing running shoes and video cameras for North Americans, Brazilian rainforests are destroyed in order to make room for giant beef farms producing hamburgers that will be consumed by the worlds richest people. Because of its focus on corporations access to the free market, globalization has led to an increase in the gap between rich and poor. The worlds poorest people have experienced deepening poverty while the incomes of a very few rich people, have soared. The arrival of the Web has raised a number of democratic possibilities. However, its decentralised structure has prevented business and the media from gaining control over it. Numerous attacks against people and organisations take place every day on the Web; taking action against them is not an easy task. Although the re is a great deal of insecurity on the Web, that does not prevent people around the world to use it for their transactions and their communications, since it is a more democratic and less controlled media (Cohen Kennedy, 2007). Conclusion The implications of globalisation for a national economy are many. Globalisation has intensified interdependence and competition between economies in the world market. This is reflected in Interdependence in regard to trading in goods and services and in movement of capital. As a result domestic economic developments are not determined entirely by domestic policies and market conditions. Rather, they are influenced by both domestic and international policies and economic conditions. It is thus clear that a globalising economy, while formulating and evaluating its domestic policy cannot afford to ignore the possible actions and reactions of policies and developments in the rest of the world. This constrained the policy option available to the government which implies loss of policy autonomy to some extent, in decision-making at the national level.

Being a Muslim :: Papers

Being a Muslim Yes I think it is hard to be a Muslim in a country like England for example if you go to school or work you have to miss some of the prayers. Five Pillars of Islam Shahadah A Muslim expresses his/her faith in the following words: Ash-hadu anla ilaha illal-Lahu Wahdahu la Sharika Lahu wa-ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu The English translation of the Shahadah is as follows: " I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One, without any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger." The declaration of faith consists of two different parts, i.e., the absolute belief in the Unity of Allah (God) and the belief in the Holy Prophet Muhammad as a mortal human being and the Messenger of Allah. A Muslim accepts Allah as the only God, and only Master, Lord and Ruler with no partner sharing in any way His Being, Powers and Attributes. He is One; He is Unique; He is not the father of any one, nor He has or had any father. He is Almighty and Self-Sustaining. He is there forever, and will be there forever. A Muslim believes in Allah as the Ruler and must not disobey Him. In fact everything that exists in the universe obeys Him. He is the Fashioner of all the Universes that may exist. This statement makes one to completely submit to the Will of Allah and that is why one who declares this belief is called a Muslim - one who completely submits to the will of Allah. Salat Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is a most important element of the faith. It is prayer of a very high level. The Holy Quran repeatedly enjoins the offering of salat and indeed declares it to be a fundamental characteristic of a believer. The benefits of salat are countless. The Holy Quran says: "And enjoin Prayer on thy people, and be constant therein.

Case of Unocal Burma Essay

Work in progress at the Yadana pipeline project †¦ modern equivalent of slavery? Unocal Corporation, the California-based giant gas-and-petroleum corporation, will face trial in a United States court on charges of forced labour of Burmese people to build the $1. 2 billion Yadana Gas Pipeline Project in southern Burma. On September 18 last year(2012), a panel of the U. S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena reversed a previous Federal District Court decision and allowed the groundbreaking human rights lawsuit against Unocal to go forward. In the Doe v. Unocal case, 11 Burmese villagers are suing Unocal for human rights abuses including rape, forced labour and murder during the building of the Yadana gas pipeline project in Burma. â€Å"This is a landmark decision,† said Richard L. Herz, an attorney with the non-profit group EarthRights International (ERI), co-counsel in the lawsuit. â€Å"In recognising that corporations that aid and abet egregious human rights abuses can be held accountable, the Ninth Circuit has affirmed that U. S. corporations cannot violate international human rights with impunity. † The decision said that plaintiffs need only demonstrate that Unocal knowingly assisted the military in the perpetration of the abuses, and that they had done so. The court also found that forced labour such as that employed by the Burmese military on behalf of the Unocal pipeline is the â€Å"modern equivalent of slavery†. The ruling stated, â€Å"The evidence supports the conclusion that Unocal gave `practical assistance’ to the Myanmar Military in subjecting Plaintiffs to these acts of murder and rape. Thus, because Unocal knew that acts of violence would probably be committed, it became liable as an aider and abettor when such acts of violence, — specifically, murder and rape — were in fact committed. † The legal battle began six years ago when Burmese villagers filed a suit in U. S. federal court demanding that Unocal pay millions of dollars in damages for abuses committed by soldiers along the Yadana pipeline. However, in 2000, despite the court finding evidence that â€Å"Unocal knew that forced labour was being utilised and that the joint venturers benefited from the practice†, the  federal judge dismissed the case because the company’s conduct did not rise to the level of â€Å"active participation† — a liability standard borrowed from the Nuremberg war crimes trials involving the role of German industrialists in the Nazi forced-labour programme. Lawyers for the Burmese villagers responded by filing a new lawsuit under state law and making many of the same charges in the Superior Court in Los Angeles. In June 2002, the California Superior Court Judge Victoria Chaney’s decision held that plaintiffs’ claims might proceed to trial. The trial of the California State case is scheduled to start in early 2003. The lawyers for the Burmese villagers also appealed the federal judge’s dismissal last year, which led to the ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court on September 18 last year. Although the Ninth Circuit Court has sent the case back to the lower federal court for trial, the villagers’ lawyers said they would ask Superior Court Judge Victoria Gerrard Chaney to apply the new liability standard in the California State trial. Unocal maintains that its actions are not on trial in the California case and that the company expects to be vindicated of `vicarious liability’ charges. Responding to the federal decision, Unocal’s lawyer Daniel M. Petrocelli said: â€Å"What the case is about is whether a private American company can be held responsible for the actions of a foreign military regime when the company itself didn’t do any of the offending conduct. † â€Å"No Unocal person participated in any acts of wrongdoing,† Petrocelli said. â€Å"Unocal does not have, nor ever had, any control over the actions of the Myanmar military. The company does not direct, countenance or condone the violation of any person’s human rights, and it certainly did not aid or abet the violation of anyone’s human rights. And if that is the standard that is applied in this case, we are confident we will meet that standard. † During the early 1990s, ignoring widespread calls from the Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and pro-democracy groups worldwide for a moratorium on international investment, transnational oil companies Unocal (U. S. ) and Total (France) chose to invest in a regime with one of the worst human rights and environmental records in the world. In 1992, the Burmese military government entered into a joint venture with Unocal and Total to construct a gas pipeline from the Yadana gas fields in Burma’s Gulf of Martaban to the Thai border. This represents the single largest foreign investment project in Burma. The Yadana gas revenue is one of the largest sources of foreign capital for the Burmese military government. The Burmese military regime was contracted by the oil companies to provide â€Å"security† for the project. Ever since, the Burmese army has engaged in systematic human rights abuses and environmental degradation in order to fulfil its contractual responsibilities. The U. S. court accepted the case against Unocal based on extensive documentation including eyewitness accounts of human rights abuses in the pipeline region provided by ERI. Along the Burmese pipeline route, killings, torture, rape and extortion by pipeline security forces have increased sharply since the Yadana Project was initiated. Many villagers along the pipeline area provided eye-witness descriptions of forced labour: â€Å"Battalion No.  273 came in to our village and asked for two porters to go to two places, including one located directly along the pipeline. These people had to go because it was their turn. The soldiers ordered a total of 18 porters from our village tract. The work lasted about 20 days, and they did not get any payment. I know they did not get payment because that was always the case, and it was the same again. † The influx of soldiers in the previously isolated Tenasserim region also caused an increase in illegal hunting, logging, and wildlife trade. The region is one of the largest rainforest tracts left in mainland Southeast Asia, home to wild elephants, tigers, rhinos and great hornbills, to name just a few rare and important species. It is also home to numerous indigenous peoples, including the Mon, Karen, and Tavoyans. An incriminating piece of evidence is a declassified cable sent from the U. S. Embassy in Rangoon to the U. S. State Department in 1995 that confirms Unocal’s relationship with the Burmese military and their collusion in forced labour. Known as the â€Å"Robinson Cable†, the cable chronicles a meeting between the U.S. embassy staff and Joel Robinson, Unocal’s manager for special projects. According to the cable, Robinson accepts Unocal’s relationship with the Burmese military: â€Å"On the general issue of the close working relationship between Total/Unocal and the Burmese military, Robinson had no apologies to make. He stated forthrightly that the companies have hired the Burmese military to provide security for the project and pay for this through the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). He said three truckloads of soldiers accompany project officials as they conduct survey work and visit villages. He said Total’s security officials meet with military counterparts to inform them of the next day’s activities so that soldiers can ensure the area is secure and guard the work perimeter while the survey team goes about its business. † Tyler Giannini of ERI said that the evidence belies Unocal’s claims that it is not responsible for the acts of the Burmese military. â€Å"When Unocal and Total hire the military, tell them where to go, what to do, and depend on them for the security of their project, they are morally and legally responsible for the abuses that their security forces commit. Unocal was dealing with the devil. Now they will have to answer to a jury,† he said. Doe v. Unocal is the first case in U. S. history in which a corporation will stand trial for human rights abuses committed abroad. Human rights lawyers have viewed the court decision on Unocal as a breakthrough for foreigners seeking to hold multinational corporations accountable for their alleged complicity with repressive regimes in human rights abuses. With at least 10 similar lawsuits pending around the U. S. against multinational corporations, including ChevronTexaco Corp. and Coca-Cola Co. , the Unocal court ruling will encourage human rights lawyers to proceed on these cases.

Word Class Definition and Examples

Word Class Definition and Examples In English grammar, a word class is a set of words that display the same formal properties, especially their inflections and distribution. The term word class is similar to the more traditional term, part of speech. It is also variously called grammatical category, lexical category, and  syntactic category (although these terms are not wholly or universally synonymous). The two major families of word classes are lexical (or open or form) classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) and function (or closed or structure) classes (determiners, particles, prepositions, and others). Examples and Observations When linguists began to look closely at English grammatical structure in the 1940s and 1950s, they encountered so many problems of identification and definition that the term part of speech soon fell out of favor, word class being introduced instead. Word classes are equivalent to parts of speech, but defined according to strict linguistic criteria. (David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2003)There is no single correct way of analyzing words into word classes...Grammarians disagree about the boundaries between the word classes (see gradience), and it is not always clear whether to lump subcategories together or to split them. For example, in some grammars...pronouns are classed as nouns, whereas in other frameworks...they are treated as a separate word class. (Bas Aarts, Sylvia Chalker, Edmund Weiner,  The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2014) Form Classes and Structure Classes [The] distinction between lexical and grammatical meaning determines the first division in our classification: form-class words and structure-class words. In general, the form classes provide the primary lexical content; the structure classes explain the grammatical or structural relationship. Think of the form-class words as the bricks of the language and the structure words as the mortar that holds them together. The form classes also known as content words or open classes include: NounsVerbsAdjectivesAdverbs The structure classes, also known as function words or closed classes, include: DeterminersPronounsAuxiliariesConjunctionsQualifiersInterrogativesPrepositionsExpletivesParticles Probably the most striking difference between the form classes and the structure classes is characterized by their numbers. Of the half million or more words in our language, the structure words- with some notable exceptions- can be counted in the hundreds. The form classes, however, are large, open classes; new nouns and verbs and adjectives and adverbs regularly enter the language as new technology and new ideas require them. (Martha Kolln and Robert Funk, Understanding English Grammar. Allyn and Bacon, 1998) One Word, Multiple Classes Items may belong to more than one class. In most instances, we can only assign a word to a word class when we encounter it in context. Looks is a verb in It looks good, but a noun in She has good looks; that is a conjunction in I know that they are abroad, but a pronoun in I know that and a determiner in I know that man; one is a generic pronoun in One must be careful not to offend them, but a numeral in Give me one good reason. (Sidney Greenbaum, Oxford English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 1996) Suffixes as Signals We recognize the class of a word by its use in context. Some words have suffixes (endings added to words to form new words) that help to signal the class they belong to. These suffixes are not necessarily sufficient in themselves to identify the class of a word. For example, -ly is a typical suffix for adverbs (slowly, proudly), but we also find this suffix in adjectives: cowardly, homely, manly. And we can sometimes convert words from one class to another even though they have suffixes that are typical of their original class: an engineer, to engineer; a negative response, a negative. (Sidney Greenbaum and Gerald Nelson, An Introduction to English Grammar, 3rd ed. Pearson, 2009) A Matter of Degree [N]ot all the members of a class will necessarily have all the identifying properties. Membership in a particular class is really a matter of degree. In this regard, grammar is not so different from the real world. There are prototypical sports like football and not so sporty sports like darts. There are exemplary mammals like dogs and freakish ones like the platypus. Similarly, there are good examples of verbs like watch and lousy examples like beware; exemplary nouns like chair that display all the features of a typical noun and some not so good ones like Kenny. (Kersti Bà ¶rjars and Kate Burridge, Introducing English Grammar, 2nd ed. Hodder, 2010)

Finance Research and New Zealand Essay

Finance Research and New Zealand Essay Finance: Research and New Zealand Essay Fundamentals of Research Article Critique Analysis of Chinese Travellers' Attitudes Toward Holidaying in New Zealand: The Impact of Socio-Demographic Variables Rebecca Caldwell 100800271 Vy Bui 100737215 George Brown College Fundamentals of Research Article Critique Analysis of Chinese Travellers' Attitudes Toward Holidaying in New Zealand: The Impact of Socio-Demographic Variables For the purpose of studying research methods used in the industry of hospitality, we have chosen to critique Asad Mohsin's (2007) study of mainland Chinese holidaymakers' attitude and interest in New Zealand activities and the effect of socio-demographics on their travel. Mohsin states in his report that there is an association between a destination and emotion, ranging from positive to negative (Mohsin, 2007, 22). It is the goal of this study to examine which emotions are evoked when considering New Zealand, from whom, and for which activities. The findings of this study were factors such as relaxation and intellectual/curiosity of discovering new ideas and place, especially through encountering different cultural backgrounds, were important to Chinese seeking to travel abroad. The least important factors being activities associated with challenge ratings, such as bungy jumping and water skiing. Also, contrary to popular belief gambling in c asinos was given a low rating of importance (Mohsin, 2007, 35). The process by which this information was gathered was through surveys, distributed in dense population areas. The study’s purpose is clearly outlined as â€Å"to explore the attitude of the Mainland Chinese holidaymakers, their interest in the tourism and hospitality features on New Zealand and the impact of socio-demographic variables on their travel motivation." (Mohsin, 2007, 21) The reason for wanting to study these travellers is to improve and retain the current trends attracting Mainland Chinese holidaymakers to New Zealand to continue to meet the needs of Chinese travellers. One thing the study lacks is a proper hypothesis. There has been no prediction of what the study may reveal, only the results of previous study findings. In order to arrive at his conclusion, Asad Mohsin developed a likert scale in order to measure the attractiveness of certain activities using a numerical system, numbers one throug h seven, to represent whether the activity is of importance to the travel to experience. An option for zero was also included due to the cultural mannerisms of the Chinese to avoid giving offence to their hosts. The zero is a way for those individuals that had not ever experienced an activity could give a non-response. The survey was first created in English then translated into Mandarin. The survey was also used in a trial to determine whether anything was left out or if there were questions that were hard to understand. Those who participated in the trial surveys were interviewed after taking the survey. Once the survey was finalized, it was administered in randomly selected major shopping centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. These cities were selected on basis of having the largest concentration of outbound holiday makers in China. After all data was collected, reliability of all responses was analysed using a half-split model, Keaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and the Bartletts t est in order to measure adequacy and sphericity. After testing, the data was analyzed through sorting the data using mean averages and dividing it into age categories. Using this strategy helped to determine what demographic to target for marketing and what activities these individuals are most interested in. The author indicates that approval was obtained from the appropriate review boards. The study focused on the impact of socio –demographic of Chinese to make travel decision in New Zealand, what motivates Chinese travel to New Zealand, and how activities in New Zealand attract Chinese travellers. Asad Mohsin used many ways

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Response paper - Essay Example On the other hand, the swing style involved well structured, energetic, and danceable. Whereas swing music appeared to feature coordinated big crew arrangements, bebop music highlighted inventiveness. Characteristically, a topic would be presented collectively at the opening and the end of every piece, with coordinated solos based on the chords of the song. Hence, most parts of a song in bebop style tended to be improvisation, the only connections keeping the work together being the core harmonies played by the rhythm segment. Bebop musicians also used various harmonic devices unlike in sing jazz. The harmonic advancement was experience first during a performance by Charlie Parker, Cherokee. While bebop combo comprised of trumpet, saxophone, piano, drums and double bass, swing used a powerful rhythm section of drums and double bass, brass instruments at times stringed instruments (Erenberg, 2000). During this era, a period involved certain situations of slavery and post-liberation institutionalized racism. The styles depicted a created culture drawn from both the European and the African cultures. The changes were attributed at the fact that the old jazz was an American invention, and therefore, they wanted something that was more African (McDonnel & Cooper, 1998). The two types of music, Bebop and Swing, are much related and in most cases, they are difficult to separate and tell apart. Both styles are part of jazz music that started with an African music and ragtime. Both were started by one person who had strong inspiration and influenced other people to use similar styles in their music. In swing, it was Louis Armstrong whereas in Bebop it was Charlie Parker in conjunction with Dizzy Gillespie. In both swing and Bebop, the instruments making up the bands were same. They consisted of piano, bass, drums, trumpet and saxophone (Ake, 2010). The success of swing era came in 1942 when a recording ban was led by an American Federation of

CoverGirl Cosmetics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

CoverGirl Cosmetics - Research Paper Example ed by any organization would influence the financial ratios and therefore business objectives would also be reflected in the financial ratios of the organization. For instance, if an organization is expanding its business and trying to improve its profitability then the financial ratios would reflect an improvement in profit margin, operating margin as well as other ratios that are used to measure the productivity and profitability of the company. Three most important ratios for organizations are operating margin, net profit margin and total assets turnover. CoverGirl Cosmetics is the company selected for this report and as the company is a business unit of Procter and Gamble therefore financial statement of P&G’s beauty division has been used to calculate the financial ratios. In order to calculate the industry average ratios; two firms have been selected besides CoverGirl Cosmetics and these firms are Revlon and L’oreal. The following table shows the important financial figures required to calculate three