Construction of femininity Essay

The very titles of both plays, Gertrude, The Cry and Ophelia Thinks Harder offer the grounds for the presumption that the central theme is related to a woman. Furthermore, in the light of postmodernism one may presuppose to read the revisionary approach on the woman’s question. Now when Gertrude and Ophelia have become the archetypes, their reading in the postmodernist works gives the possibility to understand the principles of the latest tendencies of the literature. The play expresses the modern understanding of Hamlet by throwing the light upon the subjects that were left enigmatic by Shakespeare. Reading the archetypes in the modern adaptations allow a better understanding of postmodernism. The study’s focus is the representations of Shakespearean Hamlet women in the modern plays. Despite a series of transgressive forms of language in both literary pieces (in particular in Barker’s), the plain-spoken parody on the original play, the focus on the problem and the atmosphere of femininity appear close to original Shakespeare. The atmosphere around femininity in both plays seem more authentic to the heroes of original Hamlet that for example in the representations of 19th [1] century when the femininity was a cult and the femininity of Ophelia was the idyllic example. Is it the genius of Shakespeare to create a play that seems to have constantly the necessity to be unveiled? Is it the work of poststructuralist philosophers that influenced the postmodern authors to re-understand the women in Shakespeare’s literature? Has the urgency of rethinking of the female role through rethinking the femininity finally found its proper reflection in the fiction? Of course, Gertrude and Ophelia represent different and sometimes quite the opposite female types. Gertrude is in her maturity while Ophelia is in her puberty. This difference gives the opportunity to study the whole picture of femininity on different levels. To make the picture complete, both authors introduce new feminine characters. In order not to eclipse Gertrude, Barker omits Ophelia in his adaptation; however he introduces Isola, Claudius mother and Ragusa, somewhere at Ophelia’s place. As for Betts, there are Maid and Virgin Mary; however the plot is formed in a way that to the end of the play there are more female characters than male. Gertrude and Ophelia characters symbolize the eternal problems that women are facing. Different as they are, they always converge. And the study of both of them is necessary for this course of effort to bring the answers to the questions raised above. The philosophical debates over essentialism and femininity, the problems of gender, the rethinking of its ontological construction, the post-structuralism and the deconstruction have been largely introduced in the course of the 20th century [2]. Although, they have some differences in approach, commonly they agree that the femininity is to be socially constructed. It is rather clear that both postmodern writings of Barker and Betts could possibly not disregard these approaches when writing on women. Moreover they are industriously participating in the debates. For example, the plot Ophelia Thinks Harder is explicitly under-wound on gender construction. Barker is focusing more on the relation of femininity and the power. Bett’s claim on Queen: â€Å"We have to work at being women†¦ † (Queen,3,17) highlights the coercive nature of femininity and can recall one the Beauvoir’s famous claim that one is not born, but rather becomes a woman[3]. Femininity construction in the conventional understanding is regarded as the â€Å"the art that [all the heterosexual women] must master†(Queen, Scene 3, p. 16). It is quite natural that all the compulsory is to be criticized in the western democratic society. However the femininity is compelled so slight and subtle that one can possibly not be aware of it. But the outcome of this compelled femininity can be more dangerous to the point that one can believe and can touch all the levels of human being. This is what this study will attempt to highlight in this work. It is sad to mark that this is the prevailing philosophy as for gender problems finds its supporters mainly in the homosexual ranges. [4] With all my respect for the diversity, in some cases it is like Barker’s Hamlet who â€Å"will write the Book of Love whilst having never oh not ever loved† (Hamlet, Scene 13, p. 55). While the heterosexual women suffer of so many not less urgent problems of no solution. What is the role for example of the philosophy on gender, treating the problems of femininity in the issue of domestic violence. A 1992 Council of Europe study on domestic violence against women found that one in four women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, 400 hundred women die because of their partner’s violence every year [5]. Generally speaking, the contemporary philosophical orientation is hardly finding something constructive to propose at least for heterosexual women leaving the contradiction unresolved. Efrat Tseelon criticizes the modern authors regarding the woman’s question in â€Å"The Masque of Femininity†: â€Å"My claim is that this tradition covers very different theoretical explanations. It ranges from mythological and theological descriptions which define the essence of a woman as dissimulation, to psychoanalytic accounts and contemporary social theory which define the essence of femininity as an inessential social construction†[6]. Majority of the postmodern writers and philosophers, who are focusing on femininity, give the answers principally on the deconstruction of gender. Some tendencies for internationalized feminism take into consideration the women of the third world situations as highly appreciable [7]. However, similar problems in the western society do not have the sufficient treat. Even if theories exist, they are too difficult to adopt in real life for the heterosexual majority of women as it is proved in Ophelia Thinks Harder. In this context literary works treating questions concerning women again become more important. They are indispensable in understanding femininity in modern terms. Inasmuch as studying them contributes to the working on the consciousness. And it is due to the quality of the literature independent of the conventional construction or philosophical trends and largely contributing into both, to intersect the theory and the real life. Whereas Howard Barker’s intentions are rather cryptic, Jean Betts provides the both in her work: her work is full of incomparable imagination, she provides the historical and philosophical data from Aristotle to Queen Elizabeth and the outline of Christian thought over femininity and she evokes for the representations of women in all the dimensions. Of course such approach helps her preliminarily to put some light on the original character of Shakespearean Ophelia by the introduction of the thought on femininity in the period when Shakespeare created Ophelia, the post-Elizabethan period, the beginning of the 17th century. This information in the guise of fiction makes apparent the true reason of Shakespearean Ophelia’s collapse. Women were regarded as physiologically â€Å"failed men† – as a product of incomplete development caused by insufficient generative heat in the womb. They were seen as the effeminate man, the aberrations of effeminacy. Woman’s sexuality was thought of almost a separate organism within the woman, with a will – womb[8]. Calling back to these perversions in the postmodernist frame allows the reader to question the hegemonic cultural discourse of nowadays. Whereas Betts is trying in her own words to help to â€Å"dismantle some of the foundations of this deeply buried prejudice against women†, (Writer’s Notes, Ophelia Thinks Harder), Barker is focusing more on the sexuality of the femininity as the power and the tragic outcome of the excess of the femininity and feminine sexuality. He questions the verity of the sexual feminine liberation and if it really liberates the woman. Undoubtedly a certain sexual feminine liberation has become a part of the conventional construction of femininity. However, there is no seamless category of conventional femininity, no for femininity as there is no seamless category for the woman. â€Å"The very subject of women is no longer understood in stable or abiding terms†[9]. The best possible definition for the conventional femininity gives Betts’s Gertrude: â€Å"†¦ display her wares†¦ you’ll dazzle them all†¦ a fantastical cosmetic and corset fitting process; e. g. Eyebrow plucking, leg waxing, arm oiling, nails, garish face mask, fierce corsetry, grossly padded bra, chastity belt, etc†¦ You will delight, but not over-excite. †¦ a pure sweet, submissive little virgin†¦ † The conventional femininity is double-faced. Having Chaste Mary as an ideal, the feminine best culmination is â€Å"to play the cards right†. What Ragusa has actually performed. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ marriage is the greatest moment in a woman’s life to be a bride the day of all days†¦ † (Ragusa, Scene 15, p. 63). Trying her best to construct the feminine self, she married Hamlet and inherited the throne after his death. Ophelia’s Mother suggests: â€Å"women are treacherous, sly, scheming, deceitful†¦ †. Even making children in the conventional understanding of the femininity is corresponded to please or manipulate man: â€Å"They want kids, do it. They don’t – well come to me and I’ll help you when the time comes. â€Å"; â€Å"A woman with a son is powerful. † (Queen, Scene 3, p. 17; 19) However, in the original version Gertrude had nothing but sufferance and the collapse of her life because of her son, who did not accept her mode of life. The response is paradoxically given by the same all feminine Betts Gertrude: â€Å"-and we are inconsiderate enough not to give a shit what driveling adolescents like you think. † (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54). Of course, Barker’s power of Gertrude is certainly far from her bearing a son. Unmasking the masquerade Insomuch as the woman’s question is to be read the titles of both plays, the unthought-of before or rethought (thinks harder) and a sore utterance of the extreme feelings (the cry) are manifesting. Shakespearean women thus have a chance to cry out their repressed truths. It is absolutely normal when taking in consideration the historic-cultural context of the role of gender in the Shakespearean period that women like Gertrude and Ophelia, were shown and identified by their relation to men. It is of the great achievements of Shakespeare to draw the remarried widow as the tragic hero when â€Å"for playwrights of the early modern period, a remarrying widow was a subject for comedy†[10]. Today, in the light of deconstruction, what was identified as the feminine can turn to be masculine and vice-versa theoretically [11]. Practically, the process of choosing the gender is not without the desperate torments. The femininity as the obstruction to the knowledge in Betts version and the extreme feminine sexuality of as the pseudo pluck of the apple of forbidden knowledge in Barkers are the central themes in the plays. Betts’ Ophelia hence thinks harder than the original Shakespearean one. What does this possibility to think or to rethink presents for the female? Shakespearean Ophelia’s life was predicated by what men around her thought. Her father and brother decided how she should behave herself. Hamlet’s refusal of her was fatal. Betts offers Ophelia the choice to think herself for her life, what will it turn to? As for Gertrude, will her cry hush the desperate attempts of Hamlet to de-sexualize her? Is the cry the horror and sexual pleasure of her femininity or does it stand over female and masculine categories? Modern Shakespeare suggests that Gertrude’s flagrancy, her over sexualized femininity cost the life of another feminine innocent Ophelia [12]. Indeed desire and death go traditionally together as proved above, but what is the place of the femininity in desire? Even if it is true, why should the feminine sexual desire be identified with femininity? And why should the masculine desire excuse itself by femininity? In Betts rewriting, Ophelia is in the same cultural context, the oppressed woman, the same â€Å"mad fool† (Queen, 7, 52) boyfriend Hamlet. It should therefore come as no surprise, that her desperate attempts of thinking meet the terrible attacks from all the members of the society. To condemn these attempts on failure, they take an argument that thinking is not feminine, accusing Ophelia of not being feminine. Throughout the play Betts is proving that the imposed conventional femininity is an instrument to prevent the woman to think. She focuses in particular on why thinking for a woman is so dangerous in the conventional understanding. The power stands for the explanation and certainly not a â€Å"psychotic clown† who sets the rules. The power serves as the relationship between individuals. The one who possesses the knowledge possesses the power. Isn’t after overcoming the conventional femininity and get educated that: â€Å"we dress up to learn, to write, to get published†¦ be lawyers, doctors, lead armies, run countries†¦ † (R&G, Scene 8) that the gender war is foreseen to happen: â€Å"I see strife; I see gender war; I see the initial X†(First Woman 4, 26). At first glance, Barker’s Gertrude possesses the power. She is evidently more delighted with her sexual power than the political one that she posses with her statute of the queen. From her comes out the cry, the extreme point of ever possible desire and pleasure and of horror. The extreme desire is always conventionally associated with sin as well as with feminine. This is evident in the story of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. The first sin has become sexualized with Eve’s violation of God’s specific instruction [13] The Cry is like the reproduction of the first sentiment that the new sinful world lived: the desire and the horror. Gertrude possesses this cry. Is the extreme femininity the way to posses the cry or does it come out of the brain that has no binary category? â€Å"MY BRAIN IS WHERE DESIRE IS† (Hamlet 5, 28) Where is the place of the intellect in the conventional construction of the femininity? Knowledge and desire go together. As mentioned above was it not for the desire of knowledge that the first sin occurred? Therefore, knowledge is interpreted as unnatural to female. As the epigraph to Ophelia Thinks Harder proposes: â€Å"Laborious learning or painful pondering, even if woman should greatly succeed in it, destroy the merits that are proper to her sex† (Kant). In the course of all these tormenting moments of thinking, Betts’ Ophelia is read as what is in the psychoanalytic terms called bisexual: not feminine, not masculine. At least she is resisting to become feminine. Before getting down on why she is refusing the conventional femininity, one should clearly make the difference between the biological sex and the socially constructed femininity or masculinity. Freud claims that the child is born bisexual and femininity or masculinity is constructed [14]. Following the psychological steps related to his parents the child develops his/her masculinity/femininity. Then as it is developing it is influenced by the socio cultural frames. Together with the theory of deconstruction they would consider us to read Ophelia bisexual. Indeed she claims that she does not want to be the man, nor the woman (Scene 3, 17). However her bisexuality is also determined by the social frames. She does not want not to be the man, nor the woman because she does not want to be seen like conventional feminine or masculine. The conventional understanding of the femininity does not correspond to her individuality. Hence, she is refusing the conventional notion of being feminine: â€Å"Behavior as instinctive as a cat’s with a bird†¦ † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3); â€Å"†¦ viper†¦ like Eve would arouse in him evil and lust (Hamlet, Scene 4, p. 29) or â€Å"The lady doth protest too much†(III,ii,225) She is refusing to be tough and try to corrupt the man she is not. She is refusing to be tough to be overwhelmed with her sexuality as something shameful. â€Å" Hormones, cycles of blood, reproductive turmoil-you are flushed with your female destiny-you are adulated, euphoric-yes-you are clearly in love†¦ † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3). If choosing gender in the natural way is as impossible as it was in the original version and if we know that the femininity is rooted in the social construction is it left to the society to decide if she becomes a normal woman [feminine]? Is there a solution to stand out the opinion of the society? On one hand Barker’s Gertrude is independent from the society’s opinion, on the other she is strongly dependent on others, as she needs to astonish. The conflict in Ophelia Thinks Harder lies in Ophelia’s resistance to the psychic subordination of the conventional. Being female, according to the social conventions her body must be superior to her mind, while the masculinity would be gifted with mind and femininity with body. Ophelia is forced to be separated from her mind and to delight and be delighted by her feminine body. She is not abnormal or exceptional. â€Å"The thousands of us† (Scene 8, p. 66) had to disguise as men to be disjoined from their minds. Judith Butler is decisive upon Beauvoir proposal that the female body ought to be the situation and the instrumentality of the woman’s freedom, not a defining and limiting essence [15]. She writes: â€Å"In the philosophical tradition that begins with Plato and continues through Descartes, Husserl, and Sartre, the ontological distinction between soul (consciousness, mind) and body invariably supports relations of political and psychic subordination and hierarchy†. While Betts uncovers the diverse and dissimilar states of female’s self-construction, Barker is focusing on the exploration of the body. Helen Cixous is speaking about the writing of the female body [16]. Quite in a similar way, Barker is studying the possibility of â€Å"learning to approach their [women’s] own forbidden bodies†. Indeed one can mark the parallel even in the titles with The Laughter of Medusa and Gertrude The Cry. Barker’s Gertrude claim â€Å"I’ve made an instrument out of my body† (Scene 14, p. 62). Gertrude explores and perceives the knowledge through the possibilities of her body. Of course Barker has not invented that Gertrude is exploring her sexuality. Shakespearean theme is also read in Betts: â€Å"it may come as a shock, little boy, but quite a lot a lot of people over 30 fondle each other. Oh yes; Claudius and I†¦ HAVE SEX. † (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54).

How Does the Practical Life Exercises Help Children in Their Daily Living? by Maria Montessori

Reason for Practical Life ExercisesChildren are naturally interested in activities they have witnessed. Therefore, Dr. Montessori began using what she called â€Å"Practical Life Exercises† to allow the child to do activities of daily life and therefore adapt and orientate himself in his society.It is therefore the Directress’s task to demonstrate the correct way of doing these Exercises in a way that allows the child to fully observe the movements. Montessori says, â€Å"If talking don’t move, if moving don’t talk†.The directress must also keep in mind that the goal is to show the actions so that the child can go off and repeat the activity in his own successful way. Montessori says, â€Å"Our task is to show how the action is done and at the same time destroy the possibility of imitation†. The child must develop his own way of doing these activities so that the movements become real and not synthetic.During the child’s sensitive peri od between birth and 6, the child is constructing the inner building blocks of his person. It is therefore important for the child to participate in activities to prepare him for his environment, that allow him to grow independently and use his motor skills, as well as allow the child to analyze difficulties he may have in the exercise and problem solve successfully.Montessori also saw the child’s need for order, repetition, and succession in movements. Practical Life Exercises also helps to aid the child to develop his coordination in movement, his balance and his gracefulness in his  environment as well as his need to develop the power of being silent.Dr. Maria Montessori developed her philosophy of education based upon actual observations of children. She said children prefer work than play, and they can only be in their natural self, when their natural self is satisfied through work. It's also through work they acquire independence, order, the power of concentration and be normalized. Exercises of Practical Life was introduced and was recognized as the very heart of Montessori Education for it provides the opportunity for the child’s development of physical co-ordination, social skills, emotional growth as well as cognitive preparation.Having a rich and stimulating prepared environment equipped with purposeful materials and trained teachers are important for the child to grow to their full potential. Practical Life Activities are the first activities the child is introduced to within the Montessori environment. These exercises are prepared based on activities children witnesses in their day to day life. That is why children can immediately satisfy their inner needs and desires by mastering these exercises independently. Also Practical Life area allows children to do the things what adults do everyday, for example cleaning, dressing or greeting people. As we know that children construct their knowledge by themselves through their life experi ence.Categories of Practical Life ExercisesPractical Life Exercises are grouped into four categories, development of motor skills, care of environment, care of self and social grace and courtesy. Exercises in each of these categories provide the opportunity to do purposeful work and are designed to teach the child life skills, so that they may become confident to do their daily chores at home. Activities grouped under ‘Development of Motor Skills’, such as carrying, pouring, squeezing, and twisting, sorting, etc. give the opportunity to exercise and co-ordinate body movements of the child.Movement is very important to the child; because it contributes not only for the physical growth also intellectual and spiritual development of the child. â€Å"Through Movement, he acts upon his external environment and thus carries out his own personal mission in the world. Movement is not only an impression of the ego but it is an indispensable factor in the development of consciou sness, since it is  the only real means which places the ego in a clearly defined relationship with external reality.†The secret of ChildhoodThe child learns to ‘Care for the Environment’ from exercises like cutting, cleaning, washing, polishing, sewing and more. They learn that they are a part of the environment and learn to respect and develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Also the child will gradually learn how to gain greater control of his gross motor movements so that he would be able perform more complex tasks later on. Some of the activities such as washing of a table can be carried out as a group task, which helps the child to be socialized. The child needs to build himself and learn to take care of himself.The exercises in ‘Care of Self’ category are designed to provide the child skills need for his sole independence. In order to gain independence, the child needs to establish will and discipline in order. Some of the activities in this category are on how to dress himself and stay clean by washing himself; hands, face, feet as well as his belongings; shoes, napkins, etc.. Between the ages of 2 1/2 -6, the child is in a sensitive period for the learning of good manners.The exercises of ‘Grace and Courtesy’ are focused on developing will power, establish a proper posture, greet people, excuse one and interrupt when necessary. Maria Montessori considers the Social Grace and Courtesy activities as the most important exercises in the practical life curriculum. She felt that when children are first brought into a Montessori classroom, emphasis must be placed on social grace exercises.Motive of Practical Life ExercisesPractical Life Curriculum area has four main direct aims; Order, Co-ordination Independence and Concentration, Dr. Maria Montessori observed that children need order at a specific sensitive period in their development. If not provided during this period the opportunity is for egone. A routine is very important as well as a place for everything and everything in its place. This offers the child for orderly self construction. Co-ordination refers to coordinating large and small muscle movements as well as eye-hand co-ordination that reflect the respective development of child’s mental life. â€Å"Man achieves his independence by making efforts. To be able to do a thing without any help from others: this is independence. If it  exists, the child can progress rapidly; if it does not, his progress will be slow† The Absorbent Mind, chapter.XIV, pg 155It is very important that the child is given freedom to do these exercises at a time the child pleases; he should be allowed to try, make mistakes and correct his mistakes by himself without any help. The satisfaction of completing an activity drives the child towards independence. The power of Concentration is one of the most calming activities for a child. This is something which is controlled by the child and it challenges his body and his mind. With concentration the child is able to focus on purposeful work. I’ve witnessed to the concentration that my 3 and half year old niece had for folding her little brothers’ nappies.The pile of nappies was two times bigger than her, I thought, she would be bored and leave, but for my amazement after 45 minutes I could see that she has folded all nappies very neatly and have kept one on top of another and was ready to be placed in the drawers. Within the Montessori classroom deep concentration can be acquired through the ‘Silence Game†. To achieve silence requires effort and the attention of the will, and maximum control of self-consciousness of every movement. Montessori thought of the silence lesson as a means for bringing children to this higher level of spiritual awareness. Practical Life Exercises aid the child in his journey towards normalizationAs a result of learning Practical Life Exercises in the M ontessori environment, the child starts to develop confidence, self-esteem, he grow towards independence, mutual aid and co-operation, profound spontaneous concentration, attachment to reality and most importantly child's joy of learning is supreme. All these help the child to lead towards normalization. The normalized children possess a unique character and personality not recognized in young children Normalization is the most important single result of our whole work. The Absorbent Mind, Chapter XIX, pg. 204.Children needs a carefully prepared environmentIt is important to provide the child an environment to work on activities of their own choice at their own pace experiencing freedom and self discipline while developing towards independence. Even though materials in Practical  Life area are the least standardized, exercises needs to be carefully thought and designed. A prepared environment should consist of purposeful and meaningful materials and properly trained instructors. W hen preparing materials the teacher needs to consider few principles of the Montessori Practical Life materials which satisfy Childs’ development needs.Firstly she needs to make sure that each material we give the child should have a definite purpose, for an example the mat is laid to mark the area of his workstation, handling the spoon develops child’s skill of spooning which leads to independence. Secondly materials should progress from simple to more complex design and usage. As a preliminary exercise for transferring solid objects we could give the child a spoon and later, it could progress to tweezers, chopsticks. Also it should be designed to prepare the child indirectly for future learning’s such as writing, mathematics and scientific concepts.We prepare the child for wiring by teaching them the pincer grip, using thumb, index and middle fingers to hold objects and by left to right and top to bottom concepts, so that these orders naturally incarnates in t he child’s mind. The mathematical concepts such as judgement of capacity and volume, division, calculation and exactness includes in activities of spooning, pouring and sweeping. The activity, transferring water using a sponge gives the child the scientific concept of weight. The child could feel the weight of the sponge defers when the water is absorbed and when the water is released. Dr. Maria Montessori said, â€Å"Each individual should become aware of his own errors. Each should have a means of checking, so that he can tell if he is right or not.† Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, pg 247.So she included the path to perfection, which she called â€Å"the Control of Error† within the materials itself so the child would be able to observe the activity he completes and understand his own mistakes. If a child has finished working on the dressing frame with large buttons, and he can see that buttons has gone through wrong buttonholes or buttoning halfway or seeing on ly half of the button come up the flap, these would be his control of errors. He has the opportunity to guide himself to correct his own mistakes. Furthermore when preparing the activity in the Montessori classroom the directress need to make sure that all materials are kept together in a basket or a tray and grouped accordingly to the level of  development.The activity should have its unique location and be reachable to the child so that the child could use the materials of their own choice and return the exercise, leading to independence and self-discipline. Also it is important to be providing attractive and clean child friendly and child size materials. Each activity should be limited in quantity. In a Montessori classroom the directress plays a major role. She needs to be properly trained, be a good role model and she should be able to develop and maintain a happy and rewarding teacher-child relationship. †The first essential is that the teacher should go thru an inner, spiritual preparation – cultivate certain aptitudes in the moral order.† Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, pg 298.The teacher's prime objectives are to: maintain order in the prepared environment, facilitate the development of the child, encourage independence and self-sufficiency. In conclusion it is apparent that Practical Life Exercises refines movement, providing a foundation in early learning, attitudes and dispositions. Practical life exercises also provide children a sense of accomplishment as they engage in real, meaningful work with tangible results. The familiar home-like environment of the practical life corner allows children to gain independence, order, concentration and confidence as they carry out thoughtfully prepared activities. This leads to normalization.

Business continuity Essay Example for Free

Business continuity Essay Just in time concept is a lean operation concept applied in supply chain management where an enterprise strives to produce only what is needed, whenever it is needed and in the amount that is needed. It allows for efficient production of quality products through complete waste elimination, avoidance of inconsistencies and also elimination of non-value addition activities within the production line. (Lieb & Miller 1988) According to (Stank & Crum 1997) the wastes that are eliminated are related to labour, where over staffing is a waste, time, in this case idle time or use of extra time to accomplish a goal is considered waste. Just in time concept emphasizes on customer requests and avoids making decisions based on forecast. In this concept, inventory is considered as an additional cost to the process. Traditionally, it would be considered to be value adding in the system. In this case, businesses and organisations are advised to eliminate any form of inventory that does not impact any additional value to the product. The just in time concept has various benefits to a business firm or enterprise. The benefits include an improvement in the flow of goods into, within and from the warehouse. There is also better planning and consistency in the organisation. Manpower can be reduced when production process has stopped mainly due to planned shut downs for maintenance, stocktaking activities, or any other reason (Stank & Crum 1997). This helps the enterprise to save on cost related to labour and other production overheads. When an organisation adopts the JIT concept and implements it, it helps in the production of better quality products and also increases the efficiency of production. All the aforementioned benefits are customer oriented. We therefore realise from the benefits customer satisfaction is enhanced. This in turn has an impact on customer loyalty and improved sales by the organisation. The net effect of this is improved profits by the organisation (Swamidass 2000). Despite having all the above benefits, the outcome of the terror attacks on September 11 has cast a lot of doubt on the just in time (JIT) concept deliveries in the supply chain. In a supply chain, each organisation along the chain depends upon a supplier and therefore in case of a hitch along the chain, the repercussions are felt along the whole chain. Before the September 11 attack the â€Å"JIT† was comfortably applicable and implemented to various businesses. Until this time, overstocking was avoided and components were delivered to the right place at the right time and in the right form with no hitch. Piling of inventory was avoided and production processes proceeded smoothly. However, the events of September 11 reversed all these, there were delays caused by grounding of aircrafts and also a longer time was required for border inspections. Transport on land was also highly affected. As an example, due to these interruptions, commodities destined for the Gap, Banana republic and the old navy stores ended up to a warehouse next to an airport. The business environment, both external and internal will always be fluctuating. External environment like the impact from natural calamities e. g. hurricanes, snow, storms, floods, earthquakes and internal environments like strikes, affect business operations. Therefore, for an organisation with a JIT system, in case of any fluctuation in the business environment, the supply chain will be disrupted and therefore flow of products downstream will not be realized (McClenahen & Jusko 2001). For a sudden change in the business environment, the shocks will be felt throughout the supply chain. There will be a gap that will be created along the chain at the point where the fluctuation is highly felt. It is a noble idea for businesses to consider having some safety stock on hand at each link of supply chain, which will take care of the emergencies in case of any eventuality. Since a supply chain consists of a network/series of suppliers and consumers, a hitch on one supplier side will affect the consumer who is also a supplier to the next consumer. Therefore in a business that has adopted the JIT system, it might end up being grounded because of lack of inventory to process or sell to the next stage of the chains. It is therefore highly recommended for such businesses to develop a Just in case system, a system that allows for a safety supplies that will take care of any eventualities. Even though the JIT system has a number of shortcomings in case of shocks within the supply chain, it is important to note that organisations can still implement JIT and maintain an attractive supply chain with lean inventories even during emergencies. To achieve this, one of the moves that a firm can make is locate where there is stock piling of inventories (Lu & Kyokai 1989). Firms can have most of its inventories stocked next to or near their locations. This will help overcome the problems due to shipment or air transport in case these modes of transport are affected. A firm can also consider having more than one supplier for a given commodity, this will be a second option during emergency situations. For an organisation to succeed in its implementation of the JIT system, major changes within the organisation need to be undertaken. The top management need to show commitment and offer full support. They are also required to lead from the front if the benefits of the JIT system are to be realised. The adoption and implementation of the JIT system will substantially affect the mode and criteria through which carriers and other logistics services providers will be recruited by the organisation. Organisations should be able to come up with service providers who are very efficient so as to pass on the efficiency downstream the supply chain. The just in time concept is highly dependent on the speed and efficiency with which products are moving at along the chain. It is therefore worthy to mention that the JIT system will highly affect the style of operations in the logistics industry. The number of logistics service providers to be recruited will also be determined by the success of the JIT system. According to (Ian 1988), constant and effective communication between business firms and their suppliers is another important factor that will affect the future of JIT in the global business environment. The quality of information that will be conveyed should also be put into consideration. The right information should be conveyed to the right place, at the right time and to the right person. A successful implementation of the JIT system in the future will highly depend on additional training of the implementing personnel (Abuhilal, Rabadi, & Sousa-Poza 2006). A lot of emphasise should be on the training of the personnel that are directly involved in the implementation of the JIT concept. This should not be taken to mean that other employees in the organisation should not be trained. An elaborate training plan on this system should be unveiled and the concerned departments or functions for example, production, logistics, marketing should be given intense training. The major areas to be considered should include: policies on JIT system, communication skills and training on commitment to the principles of JIT. The future of the just in time (JIT) system in the global environment will highly depend on the level of technology that will be embraced by an organisation. This includes both in machinery and other office operations. Adoption of improved technology for material handling is a key area that firms need to look at. They should consider embracing cross docking or flowing inventory through a distribution centre. With an improved material handling facility, the businesses can absorb shocks easily in the event that there is disruption in the supply chain (Kreng & Wang 2005) The use of information technology is in inventory management is particularly crucial if the growth and success of the JIT system is to be guaranteed. Business organisations should utilise information technology resources both in hardware and software so as to enhance the success of the JIT system. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) modules should be adopted for inventory management and controls within the organisation. Internet resources should be highly utilised for an effective JIT system. The most applicable resources include e-procurement, e- marketing. e-banking and e-mailing. When an organisation conducts procurement via internet, a variety of goods both in terms of quality and quantity may be obtained. The business deal is also conducted in an accelerated speed. Marketing via the internet allows for the organisation to reach many customers within a very short time and hence improve on the organisation’s sales. Internet banking allows for faster business transactions hence delays associated with payments are reduced and therefore the supply chain is protected from such delays (Hale 1997). To ensure that the intended results of the JIT concept are achieved, it is important for firms doing business together along a given supply chain be proactive in their operations. By being proactive, it means that a consumer should be involved directly in what their supplier is producing. The consumers should be involved in product design so as to have a product of their own making. On the hand it is very important for the suppliers to follow up and find out how their products are serving the customers. This will help in the elimination of ripples along the chain and hence easy implementation of the JIT system. The players in the supply chain should develop a culture of sharing problems when they occur at a particular point of the supply chain, this in a nutshell will reduce the overall effect that the problem would have on the entire supply chain (Titone 1996). The just in case system is another approach that will have an impact on the future of JIT system in the global environment. It is very important for firms to have a buffer stock that can bail it out when events in the supply chain don’t seem to be favourable. The idea of having safety stocks for emergency times should not be confused by firms holding inventories. It is a different concept from overstocking. Business continuity. (2016, Oct 17).

Case studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Case studies - Essay Example â€Å"Franch head of IT systems at the Ministry of Culture, Bruno Mannoni, said the department has cut back on expenses since it began replacing 300 of its servers running Windows NT and UNIX to open-source alternatives. Since Microsoft hires software programmers from Vietnam, which the Chinese republic still considers as its own territory, Microsoft has violated the official stance of the Chinese Republic and thus Governmental Organizations should demonstrate their feelings by peaceful objection declining to M.S software and switching to the alternative like Open Source Software Since the Software codes are not easily available, the end user is unknown about the absolute specifications of closed source software such as Microsoft. These software might contain back doors which may leak secret information on government run computers and can be used as a counter offence at a time of war or political crises between the US (manufacturer of Microsoft) & china (end user of M.S software) Assume that you are working for the marketing department of Microsoft China. Develop a detailed list of briefing points that would help your salespeople convince top executives of large PRC companies to use windows operating system software on their web servers. â€Å"Companies such as Red Hat, Novell and SCO offer Linux operating system software for sale;charge a fee for installation and configuration help. They also offer service contracts to help users maintain and upgrade the software on a continuing bases.† Thus In terms of IT staff management, the Microsoft Soft wares are much cost effective. This sentiment is echoed by many high profile business people, including Barclays Banks Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Lloyd, who cites "terms of service" as the main reason behind his recent decision to choose a Microsoft desktop over Linux alternatives [2] Since Microsoft soft wares are prepared keeping in mind highest standards of quality by a single company with Quality

The War on Terror Has Led To Greater Violence Essay

The War on Terror Has Led To Greater Violence - Essay Example However, all the countries the US has strategic control over, do not seem to be able to overcome insurgents and troublemakers. The underlying argument that attributes the causality of events is that the surge in violence caused by insurgents and ‘terrorists’ is a consequence of the continued interruption of the US, NATO and its allies in the affairs of foreign countries. The argument is further strengthened by the fact that the loss of civilians as a result of misdirected and poor strategic and military decisions on the part of the US and NATO has been colossal. Think of it this way, how would the American public react if a rival state such as China, invaded Texas. It then went on to establish military bases, strategic air bases, and firm control over the region. Furthermore, it carried out searches in houses of all residents on the premise of suspected terrorist activity. The reaction would be that of anger, contempt and frustration and would lead to an uprising against the foreign occupants. The situation in Iraq and Afghanistan is strikingly similar to the one presented above, except that it is happening for real with the occupation of the US and NATO forces. ... That proposition however, could turn out to be extremely challenging for the developed world amid one of the worst economic crises of history. The rationalization that leads to the establishment of insurgent groups and ‘terrorist’ organizations stems from the basic argument of right of freedom and independence. These organizations are often termed as freedom fighters or warriors by their supporters and the zeal and purpose with which they fight goes far beyond economic incentives. Furthermore the strongest insurgent groups that are participants on the other side of the War on terror, including Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, are driven by the extra zeal of religious extremism, whereby they seek to establish the principles of their version of Islam and do not tolerate anyone who does not follow their interpretations of the religious scriptures of Islam (Riedel). Their perception of death and its consequences is starkly different from a common American citizen. Through war they seek to achieve martyrdom, and through martyrdom, heaven. Their faith in their religion is far stronger than their love for this life and their purpose of existence hinges on a better afterlife (Crews and Tarzi). To further their cause they often misinterpret or quote religious scriptures out of contexts, bringing in vulnerable youngsters to join their struggle and broadening their horizon of influence and power. Hence, it is important to realize that bringing such groups down is not a statistical battle in terms of number of men; rather it is a war against a specific faith that is strong. The invasion and occupation of these nations gives this faith extra life and

A French Joint Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

A French Joint Venture - Essay Example well, French construction materials company restructured the loss-making state-owned Huaibei Mining Company (HMC) by entering into the joint venture in 1994 and turned the company as profit making company in 1999 by implementing various structural reforms in labor, production, technology, and marketing.(Goodall 103). Entering into joint venture will help to acquire innovative know-how and skills. When China opened its market in 1978, it has become most attractive land for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the whole globe. It is to be observed that three-fourths of FDI attracted by China took the shape of Joint ventures (JV’s). JV offers distinct advantages like reduction in costs. A foreign JV partner may offer capital by way of cash, technology, machinery, know-how whereas the Chinese partner may offer factory land, building, skilled workers, and machinery. Collaborating a joint venture with the state-owned enterprises (SOE’s) in China frequently has raised issues for foreign companies as SOE’s are the distinct form of business entity with a diverse cultural setting. There is less freedom for foreign investors in JV’s as foreign partners have to operate in co-operation with the local SOE’s. By opening the doors for foreign investors, China is transforming to market economy from the centrally planned economy or government controlled economy. Earlier in the joint venture, the HMC Management had failed to keep its promise of granting financial rewards for good performance by employees. As the result, employees lost their faith in the management. HMC HR function was found to be disassociated from business goals and acted only as policemen or administrative function. (Goodall 105). As such, in JV, Lafarge encountered higher extent of complexity due to socio-economic, cultural, political and institutional divergence involved.

My Special Woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Special Woman - Essay Example I was very happy in the relationship. I wanted to spend more and more time with her . It was all about us. She made me forget about anything else in the word. It was fantastic. I was clearly falling in love. From the malls, cinemas, fancy restaurants, and amusement parks to vacations together - nothing seemed to be able to ever separate us. After a while I suggested her to live with me. Actually, the relationship with my roommate wasn’t really smooth, and, therefore, it was the best time for her to replace him. At first, she had doubts and did not want to move in with me. However, after some hesitations, she decided to take a step. Immediately, we started to organize our life together, and of course we purchased furniture at Value City - our favorite store at the time. We would spend hours at Walmart shopping around and looking for small staff to make up our house. In a short time, our home was fully equipped. Then came my birthday. She surprised me with a cake with a picture of me and my family on top of it. That really touched me since my mom and brother were back home. It was like a family reunion for me. Moreover, she prepared a celebration party for me. I am always having a good time on my birthdays. She is never tired of surprising me again and again. Every year she does something extraordinary and something especially for me to make sure I am happy. Living togheter has definetly improved our relationship. We had become a real family, particularly when her son joined to live with us.

Project Management Organizational Structures Paper Research

Project Management Organizational Structures - Research Paper Example Each form of organizational structure has its strengths and weaknesses, and is able to handle particular projects based on the context. Functional organizational structure involves divisions based on major functional areas such as marketing, finance, human resource, manufacturing, and so on (Meredith and Mantel, 2012). Functional organizational allows flexibility in staff planning and resource allocation because functional divisions can act as the administrative base for a project. Further the functional unit may be specialized to tackle the project thereby providing the technical expertise required to successfully complete the project. Additionally functional structure allows the technical expertise and know-how to be concentrated in the units and hence available to work on different projects. The staff can be shifted from one project to another while the functional division continues to provide a pool of experiences and specialized staff (Meredith and Mantel, 2012). The functional division acts as the center of specialists which ensures availability of specialized staff to work on different projects. The presence of experienced staff also enables the relevant expertise to be channeled into the project for successful execution and completion of the project. Lastly, the functional organizational structure organizes the specialists in a unit so that the arrangement not only helps in project execution but also in the advancement of the appropriate talent. A downside to functional organizational form is that it puts clients at the backseat. Often client interests are not the focus but functional units focus more on the work and how the expert staff is allocated to the projects (Meredith and Mantel, 2012). This sometimes leads to client interests to be ignored. The fact that the functional organizational form deals with functional areas means that the form is more inclined towards the activities involved in the project completion. It is

Business plan - how a bank can penetrate Bulgaria's market Research Paper

Business plan - how a bank can penetrate Bulgaria's market - Research Paper Example Bulgaria has been able to attract a significant level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the year 2001. The financial Crisis that hit Bulgaria market in the year 2007-2010 marked an economic decline of up to 5.5% in the year 2009. Fortunately, the country regained a positive growth of close to 0.2 % in the year 2010, contrary to the rest of Balkan Countries (Lapteacru, 85). The country operates using one of the most stable currencies in Eastern Europe the Lev termed Leva when in plural form. The currency is pegged with the Euro with a prevailing rate of 1.95583in every Euro. Bulgarian strongest sectors include the energy, metallurgy, machine building, mining, agriculture and tourism. The primary exports from the industries include steel and iron, machinery and refined fuel, and clothing. The major obstacles towards foreign investment and economic growth involve inadequate R&D funding coupled with the development policies with unclear definition. The European and international ma rkets also experiences lower levels of competition and productivity. In the year 2012, the Bulgarian GDP attained a nominal of $ 50.78 billion, with $ 103.15 billion (PPP) in the same year. This marked a growth of 0.8% with a nominal of $ 6, 903. The GD per capita ranked at $ 14, 020 (PPP) with 5.6% in Agriculture, 31.1% in Industry and 63.2% in service. In the year 2012, inflation rate was experienced at 3%, with a population of 215 living under the poverty line by the year 2011. The Gini Co efficient ranked 28.2 in the year 2007 (Bulgarian - American Credit Bank AD 1200). The sources of wealth Top company profiles by name, revenue/profit, and ownership Lukoil Neftochim Bourgas locates at B urgas, Bulgaria. Lukoil acts as the chief oil refinery company in Bulgaria and South East Europe. The ownership of the company lies under Russian Oil giant LUKOIL. The refinery accounts for close to 7% of Bulgaria’s GDP, AND 25% in revenue to the state budget. LNB remains the chief produc er and supplier handling liquid fuel and related materials including petrochemicals and polymers in the country, and remains the leading company in the line of petroleum related products in Europe. The company provides a minimum of 8,500 Bulgarians with employment opportunities (Elenkov and Petkova 4). SWOT more geared towards Bulgarian economy as a whole rather than Private Wealth market Strengths A better part of the Bulgarian communist period concentrated on heavy industry despite the fact that biochemical and computer products came in play as valuable products in the year 1980. Since Bulgarian market relied on the Soviet market, the culmination soviet market coupled with the Warsaw Pact resulted into a major crisis that hit the country in the year 1990s. The first growth noted in the year 2000 has seen gradual but progressive growth the early 2000. Individual manufacturing industries’ performance appears uneven. The industry that experienced loss and has not been able to catch up with the Western Europe market includes food and tobacco processing companies. The textile industries experienced a decline in the mid-1990s, but since the year 2000 the clothing exports has experienced a steady growth (Erd?nc 78). The Bulgarian economy has experienced stability in the macroeconomic environment with low direct taxes over the years. The fiscal policy of the country also tends to have a significant element of

Sample Adolescence Movie Paper, school age , early childhood Essay

Sample Adolescence Movie Paper, school age , early childhood - Essay Example The school he attends has programs that allow the children who are of the same age to play together and avails toys for them to play with. They have several play sessions both indoors and outdoors so that they can be able to explore and develop in a wholesome manner. The different sessions in their daily routine are also punctuated by breaks that allow them to feed on snacks as well as have a chance to visit the bathroom. This breaks are scheduled in a regular manner so that the children are not engaged in a particularly activity for too long to make them lose their interest in it. Garvin is four years old and has dark soft hair with round eyes and a pale complexion. He seems like a social and outgoing boy who is not shy compared to the other children who are in his class. At the beginning of the observation, Garvin is standing next to a desk in class together with three other children while some tubs of blocks are on the table before them. Garvin carefully looks at the girl next to him as he stretches forward and picks a block from the table. He moves to the side of the table where the block is nearest to the edge and picks it before the girl could pick it and goes round the table to the spot where he was initially standing. This shows the development of a gender schema which can be said to be a cognitive framework that allows the organization of information that is relevant to gender therefore making children come up with rules concerning what is appropriate for girls and boys (Feldman 252). He starts rolling the block from one side of the table to the other and stretches to clear the items that were on the table so that he can show the rest of the children what he was doing. He continues doing this while making sure that they children who are with him at the table see what he is doing. Soon he moves around the room to find a different toy to play with and leaves the blocks for the children who were with him at the

The underground man Essay Example for Free

The underground man Essay The underground man is amusing and thought-provoking. His assertion that his intelligence is the reason for his isolation must have some truth; that he should be so socially inept at his age is probably explained by his acute sensitivity, but it is interesting to think that it might also have been his isolation that has led to his extreme sensitivity. Since he is situated outside of the normal social structure, he is able to make observations that â€Å"normal† persons could not. He is like an ugly man who cannot bear to show his ugliness to the world, yet one who also desires intensely to become part of it. This is a maddening aspect of his character. For all his intelligence, he is remarkably stupid for refusing to understand. He states that it is his choice to live in isolation because he suffers from acute consciousness, but despite all this it is obvious that he desires to have a â€Å"normal† life. However, the predominant feeling that I had from reading the story is frustration. Most frustrating is that he does not even try to resolve his problems. This attitude of his is exemplified when he says: â€Å"Ha! you may object sarcastically, this way youll soon find pleasure in a toothache. Well, Id answer, theres pleasure in a toothache too. (p. 99) His greatest â€Å"toothache† here is his alienation and isolation from â€Å"normal† society. I, as I suspect almost everyone, have had feelings of alienation and isolation that, during the time of their occurrence, I could only have described as profound; although looking back these feelings become easier to rationalize and to see the cause of. But he insists in the fact that he is always rational, and that his intelligence is superior and furthermore correct. He knows that he is negative and destructive towards himself and others, but he makes no effort to resolve this. He seems disillusioned, but he is actually a pitiful victim of self-deception, attaching the wrong sort of â€Å"superiority† to his miserable intelligence, and believing himself superior to everyone else. When he says: â€Å"You know, ladies and gentlemen, probably the only reason why I think Im an intelligent man is that in all my life Ive never managed to start or finish anything† (p. 104), he means that only the stupid can be so sure of themselves; this is one thing that is irritating and frustrating about him. His intelligence has rendered him immobile because he is aware of all the uncertainty inherent in nature, and he will not believe that he has a full understanding of reasons, as the stupid man does. He finds comfort in justifying his plight by asserting that he is intelligent But in his portrayal of his â€Å"misadventures† in the second part of the story, I felt a distasteful sort of sympathy. One almost feels elated on his behalf, in the instance when he is almost joyous that he would at last have an â€Å"encounter with reality†: So this is reality, I mumbled, dashing downstairs, finally Ive met it head on. † (p. 159) At last a decisive event will happen in his life, one over which his excessive rationalizing has no effect. He hides from from life, and he feels alive only by being destructive. But in him one finds a sort of friend who will probably understand your every ill emotion because he has experienced it all, but who will also probably scorn you and make you feel foolish. His intelligence has allowed him – or perhaps has forced him – to live a life of constant rationalizing, thus robbing him of he ability to relate to the â€Å"lower† level of ordinary human life. But he is also subject to pride despite his intelligence. I could almost sympathize with what happened when he â€Å"did make a friend once, but I was already a tyrant at heart and wanted to be the absolute ruler of his mind. I wanted to instill in him contempt for all those around us; I demanded that he break with his world† (p. 147). I have had my share of instances of a vague sense of contempt for everyone, but I am far from rejecting society as he has. His rejection of society has led to society rejecting him, and this has robbed him of tangible experiences and made him desperate.

Ethics, Euthanasia and Canadian Law. Utilitarianism Theory, Morality Essay Example for Free

Ethics, Euthanasia and Canadian Law. Utilitarianism Theory, Morality Essay Utilitarianism Theory Introduction v. Latimer Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The case study is about Mr. Latimer and the actions he did in the name of ending the pain and torture that Tracy, his twelve-year daughter, was going through. Tracy suffered from Cerebral Palsy; it was due to this that Tracy was quadriplegic. She was not able to do anything on her own and therefore used to rely on other people for assistance. Feeding herself was difficult; hence, it was the family’s responsibility to ensure that their daughter did not sleep hungry. Ever since she was born, Tracy had undergone two surgeries, which according to Mr. Latimer had caused more pain to her than before. When Mr. Latimer was told that His daughter was to undergo another surgery, he was not comfortable with this idea since it meant even more pain for Tracy. It was because of this that Mr. Latimer decided to end his daughter’s life by exposing her to carbon monoxide. Later on Mr. Latimer confessed to killing his daughter and it was because of this that he was accused of second degree murder and issued a 10-year jail term, which was in accordance with the Criminal code. Morality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my opinion, Mr. Latimer was morally right when he decided to end his daughter’s life. Since he was the parent, he knew exactly the pain that Tracy was going through. Latimer knew that the surgeries that his daughter was being subjected to were doing her more harm than good. This is because she was only a twelve-year old and such pains were unbearable. It is obvious that Latimer loved his daughter; this is because he allowed two surgeries to be performed on her. Mr. Latimer had the perception that the surgeries would improve Tracy’s life but this never happened, instead, it made her life unbearable. Due to this, Mr. Latimer was against another surgery since it meant additional pain and suffering. Hence, in my opinion, ending his daughter’s life was the moral thing to do as a parent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The verdict made on Mr. Latimer was morally wrong. This is because the jury never stopped for a while to consider the pain that this girl used to undergo on a daily basis. According to Bauslaugh (2014), it would be wrong to equate Latimer to a murderer. This is because unlike other murderers who are malicious, Latimer ended his daughter’s life out of love and mot malice. By deciding to end his daughter’s life, which was always painful, Latimer was morally right. Ending a person’s life in order to end the pain that one is going through has always been referred to as euthanasia. Medical practitioners have practiced euthanasia for decades and it is still active to date. In order to embrace morality, the jury would not have paid much attention to the fact that Latimer committed murder but on the main reason that prompted him commit the act. Utilitarianism and Formalism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Perez and Moore (2012), whereas utilitarianism is the process where one does an act that he or she beliefs is morally right, Formalism is the act where one’s actions are either right or wrong. The main difference between utilitarianism and Formalism is that whereas Utilitarianism first considers the reasons behind certain actions, it is different with formalism. This is because unlike utilitarianism, Formalism never considers morality or the reasons why one committed a certain actions. This is because in formalism, one’s actions are either right or wrong. Utilitarianism Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my opinion, instead of formalism, the Court would have embraced the utilitarianism theory before making the final rulings. According to Perez and Moore (2012), utilitarianism always puts into consideration the happiness of the majority. Happiness is usually a byproduct of one’s action and not a defensible principle. According to studies, before making any conclusions, it is usually vital that one acts in a manner that creates happiness to many people (Perez Moore, 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Perez and Moore (2012), people are often distinguished on their level of morality, when faced with a moral dilemma; a moral person usually calculates the amount of happiness that his or her actions will cause. For instance, had the jury been moral, it would have stopped to consider the consequences of the rulings before accusing Latimer of second degree murder and finally sentencing him to prison. Latimer’s sentence received a lot of uproar from the public; this is because many people were not happy with the manner in which the ruling was made (Bauslaugh, 2014). Since utilitarianism puts into consideration the happiness of the majority, it becomes evident that one does not consider the repercussions that he or she might face because of the actions made (Perez Moore, 2012). References Bauslaugh, G. (2014). Ethics, Euthanasia and Canadian Law. Retrieved on 26 October 2014 from file:///C:/Users/David/AppData/Local/Temp/Ethics,%20Euthanasia%20%20Canadian%20Law%20%20%20%20Robert%20Latimer.html Perez, D. W., Moore, J. A. (2013). Police Ethics: A Matter of Character. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar/Cengage Learning. Source document

The Story Of The Boys From Brazil English Literature Essay

The Story Of The Boys From Brazil English Literature Essay The story begins when three men, meet each other in San Paulo, in 1974. They have rented a room for a conference. They also invited six other men which are aged mid-fifties. Sr. Mengele has given the order to kill 94 men on different days in the next 2,5 years: The first will be on October 16, 1974, and the last on April 23 1977. These murders are in the interest of the Aryan race. Every man on the conference has a German nationality, but they get a new identity. Dr. Mengele told them that they are traveling representatives. For the murders they will receive diamonds. Of the six men Schwimmer is going to England ( 13 murders), Farnbach to Sweden (14 murders), Traunstreiner to Norway ( 10 murders) and Denmark ( 6 murders), Kleist goes to the Netherlands ( 8 murders) and northern Germany ( 8 murders), Mundt goes to southern Germany ( 8 murders) and Austria ( 9 murders) and at last Hesse goes to the U.S.A ( 12 murders) and Canada( 6 murders). The 94 who need to be killed are all around the 65 years old, and have as occupation civil servant. They just may murder these men and not their families. It must look like a accident or a natural death, and not like murder. The whole was recorder by a recorder.. A co-worker placed this, against a payment from Barry Koehler, a 23-year-old North-American, the co-worker gives the recorder later to him. One of the maids make a slip and the 3 men searched for Barry because they knew that Barry was behind al thus. Barry did this all, because he would like to work for Liebermann, a Nazi-hunter, but Liebermann doesnt wanted him and therefore he gets further by himself. Barry called Liebermann to tell him about the conversation on the congress, but at that time, while he is talking with Liebermann, storms three men into his house and murder him. Liebermann doesnt know if he should believe what he heard, but he still requests to the British journalist Sydney. he knows Sydney very well, he wants the newspaper articles since 16 October (on which the first man would be murdered) in which men from around the 65 years on an unnatural way have gone dead. Liebermann gets after a few days an envelope with 40 articles which 11 agreed in terms of their age and occupation. Liebermann goes to one of the families of the deceased men, Mrs. DÃ ¶ring in Essen, to see how DÃ ¶ring exactly died. Liebermann speaks with Karla, Mrs. DÃ ¶ring, and her son Erich. After these conversations Liebermann thinks that DÃ ¶ring isnt murdered by the men of Mengele. He also decided to go to Mrs. Curry to check out if her husband perhaps have been killed. Also this woman has a son and when he comes downstairs he thinks it was Mrs. DÃ ¶rings son, but he was astonished that it was Mrs. Currys son. The sons were almost identical to each other. They have bot h a sharp nose, dark hear and blue eyes, they are pale and 13 years old. Also in the two families the fathers both worked as civil servants and around the 65 years, and the wifes are much younger than them, they were 42 years. Liebermann finds out that more families have the same agreements. Liebermann finds out from Mrs. Curry that her son is adopted from the adoption centre rush-gaddis-Adoption agency, where Frieda Maloney worked from 1960 till 1963. Parents could get only a child here when the mothers aged more than if they 45, and the fathers must aged around the 52 years. Liebermann want to talk with Maloney, but she is in jail, because she had committed mass murder in the Second World War. Liebermann goes to the prison to visit Maloney, and he may talk an half hour with her. Maloneys telling that they get the job in 1960. She must detecting men which where born between the 1908 and 1912, and women which must been born between 1931 and 1935. The man must been civil servant , both parents had to be white and Christians with a North European background. Maloney has in three years time 45 people with these characteristics. All adopted babys were boys with black and blue eyes and they came from Brazil. Frieda Maloney cooperated, because they would report her by the police , because she fled from Germany because she did all those mass murder. She didnt know where the babies came from and she also didnt that they where clones. She knew from a number of the parents still the names , one of them was Wheelock. Liebermann still mentions a couple of names and so he finds out that these families gets their babys 4 weeks after each other., the four fathers gets also four weeks behind each other killed. So Liebermann know who is the next whos getting murdered, and this will be murdered Mr. Wheelock is. All six men, recalled by Colonel Seibert, which has a higher rank than Mengele, because he believes that Liebermann knows too much, and this could be very dangerous. Mengele doesnt know anything about this, and he is very mad. He wants Liebermann and the rest of all the men on the list murder by himself. He called the secretary of Liebermann with the excuse that he is the father of the murdered Barry Koehler and so he is know now that Liebermann went to a hotel in Washington. Liebermann has now a appointment with biology-Professor NÃ ¼rnberger. He knows now what Mengele really wants. Mengele would like to make new Hitlers by cloning. The children have all the same genes as Hitler, but they grow up just like Hitler. It would be exactly a Hitler-clone. Mengele wishes that the clones have exactly the same education as Hitler has had. This means, a father who is civil servant and which, if he is 65 years, dies. And they must have a mother who is around the 42 years old. Only in this way , there would be a second Hitler created. Liebermann would go to Washington, but he goes first to the Office of the Young Jewish Defenders which is under the leadership of Rabbi Gorin. Liebermann asked for help to protect Wheelock Fortunately he didnt went to Washington, because Mengele is waiting her for him to kill him. Liebermann would like to speak with Wheelock to explain to him that he is in danger. Wheelock is not afraid because he raises watchdogs. Mengele called the secretary of Liebermann again to ask where Liebermann stays. She tells him that Liebermann is going to visit Wheelock and she tells him the time Mengele is going by himself to Wheelock, acts that he is Liebermann and he shoot Wheelock. Mengele is waiting in the House of Wheelock, this is possible because Wheelocks son is going to school and Wheelocks women is working. When Liebermann arrives, Mengele acts that he is Wheelock. Liebermann finds out that he isnt Wheelock but Mengele. Mengele held Liebermann under fire and tells him first, of his brilliant p lan, before he kills Liebermann. Liebermann hears the watchdogs behind the door. He is trying to run to the door and tries to open it. Thats possible, but he is life-threatening affected by four bullets. The dogs storms in, because Liebermann opened the door. Mengele shoot one dog death and stand all around him. The son of Wheelock, Robbert went home. Mengele explains the little boy that he is adopted and that he can be a perfect leader, because he is a Hitler clone, he has a piece of skin, and a half a liter of blood from Hitler, but the boy doesnt believes him. He lets the dogs bite him, and Mengele dies. Liebermann went to the hospital. When Mengele lays death on the ground, Liebermann took the list with 94 names from Mengeles jacket. Gorin Rabbi of the Jewish organization wishes all boys gets killed, because they all can be the new Hitler, but Liebermann doesnt want this and he flushes the list by toilet. The dogs of Wheelock were killed by the police. The police couldnt identify who was murdered, because the face was completely maimed, and his passport was also under a falls name. The book ends when one of the 94 boys draws a man on a large platform state and that this man has a large public which welcomed him. Perhaps this will be a new Hitler 2.Explain the title. The title of the book is: The boys from Brazil. The title called so because there are 94 cloned boys. Which were cloned to be like Hitler. All of these boys came from Brazil. Parents who adopted those boys where blank Christians from a North European background. Because the boys which have been adopted came from Brazil, they called the book the Boys from brazil. 3. What is the theme of the book and why? The theme of the book is the fair for a new Hitler, how people abused cloning, and murder. Because Dr. Mengele would like to clone boys just like Hitler. Their Father must also die when he is 65, so Dr. Mengele kills all those men. He doesnt want a world without Hitler, so he decided to make a new Hitler. 4. Which genre does the book belong to and why? The cover of the book says its a thriller, but there are also lots of detective-scenes in the book. It could also be a psychological drama because they describe a lot of thoughts and the feelings of the persons. The book was thrilling, and also a lots of detective-scenes, perhaps when Liebermann is wants to solute the murders. 5. Which of the characters could you identify with best and why? I think I could identify me with Mr. Lieberman the best, because he wants to stop the murdering and he doesnt want a new Hitler or a new world with Hitler. 6. Chose a quotation from the book which is exemplary to the book, and explain why you have chosen this quotation. The boys are exact genetic duplicates of him I chose this quotation because it says a bit about what the boys of Brazil. Theyre clones of Hitler. And Dr. Mengele wants to make a new Hitler. 7. Choose a scene from the beginning, the middle and towards the end of the book you liked best/ least/ impressed you most/ disappointed you. And explain why? Begin: I like the part at the conference in San Paolo least. The men which want to kill 94 men had a conference in San Paolo. This part explains to the reader where and who they are going to kill. I liked this part least because it was a bit long- winded to me. And I didnt understand it at the beginning. But after I read more pages I understand it much better. Middle: The part where Liebermann investigates the murders I like best. He goes to different families to investigates why the men are murdered, and he finds out that the children came all from Brazil, and looked almost the same. He wants to know why these boys looked almost identical, and why the men which had been killed had the same age, and all the woman had also the same age. He went to Frieda Maloney and he finds out that dr. Mengele wants to create a new Hitler. I liked this part best because this was a bit of a detective-part. End: The scene where Dr. Mengele goes to the house of Wheelock impressed me the most. Dr. Mengele wants to kill Liebermann by himself, and he know that he is underway to the house from Wheelock. But before Liebermann arrives there Dr. Mengele acts like him and shoots Wheelock. Then he tried to murder Liebermann. But Liebermann pulls the door open en the dogs from Wheelock stormed in. Dr. Mengele shot one, but when the son of Wheelock came home he gives the dogs the order to kill Dr. Mengele. This part impressed me the most because it was really trilling, this part was really exiting to read.

Jack Kerouac and The Beat Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Jack Kerouac and The Beat      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jack Kerouac, was born on March 12, 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts, as the youngest of three children.   Jack decided to be a writer after his brother Gerard died at the age of nine.   From the life and death experience of his brother's death, and the Catholic faith of his childhood, he developed a spiritual tendency in his character that would last throughout his life.   The fact that Kerouac was a spiritual "seeker," may be the most vital aspect of his life.   In post WWII, Eisenhower America, Jack Kerouac came from a poor rustic industrial community to change the face of American Culture forever.   He chronicled the wild rebellious culture of "the Beats" in the late 50's and early 60's, paving the way for a more accepting American Society and the tolerance of alternative lifestyles enjoyed today.         Ã‚  Ã‚   As a Roman Catholic who grew up in Calvinist New England, Jack took in a double dose of guilt and sensitivity to sin.   In his book Dr. Sax his first "bout with sexual desire, masturbation, is interrupted-in a virtual parody of crime and punishment- by the news that his dog had been hit by a car."   Jack probably could have handled this "double dose" trebled by the death of his brother.   Jack gave up Catholicism early on, but carried inside him the "sad peasant mystery of Quebec Catholics "(59 Kerouac).   The Catholic association of Kerouac's thought are as plain as an idea of his total incompatibility with Catholicism, but sometimes mistaken for it" the idea that the suffering oppression are saintly"(17, Victor-Levy).   Kerouac rejected materialism and liberalism of middle class America; for example he was not political or religious but emotional (Rumsey).         Ã‚  Ã‚   Jack r... ...the Beats" in the late fifties and early sixties, paving the way for a more accepting American society and the tolerance of alternative lifestyles we enjoy today. I.Introduction II.America Prior to the Beats   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A.Puritan Culture and Calvinism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B.Post WWII Culture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   C. Consumption   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   D.Sacrifice for the Common Good III.Kerouac's Impacts on the Fifties and Sixties Through his Writings   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A.Glorified Individuality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B.Promoted Cultural Diversity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   C.Romanticized Alternate Lifestyles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   D.Acceptance of Recreational and Personal Substance Abuse IV.Society's Alteration as a Result of Jack Kerouac   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A.More Accepting American Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B.the Romantic Vision of the American Rebel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   C.Teen Rebellion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   D.Popularized Aspects of Classic Literature V.Conclusion

The Jungle :: essays research papers

Part I In the book The Jungle, there are many characters. The major character is Jurgis Rudkus. The book revolves around his life in Packingtown. Jurgis is originally from Lithuania. When we first meet him he appears as very large and powerful. He has a wife, Ona Lukoszaite, and a son named Antanas. Mike Skully is the powerful political leader in Packingtown. Phil Connor is a foreman in Packingtown â€Å"politically connected† through Skully and causes much trouble for Jurgis. Jack Duane is an experienced and educated criminal who is also â€Å"politically connected†. A man named Ostrinski is a half blind tailor who teachers Jurgis about socialism. There are also members of Ona’s family who play minor roles in the story. The story opens with a feast at Jurgis and Ona’s wedding in America. They have a wedding feast after the ceremony. This is where Ona hopes her and Jurgis get some money. To their surprise, the young do not observe the tradition of giving m oney to the bride to help pay for the feast. Ona becomes worried that they are not going have enough money, but Jurgis simply replies by saying â€Å"I will work harder†. The story then flashbacks to how the two first met. Jurgis met Ona at a horse fair, and they fell in love. They were too poor to have a wedding because Ona’s father had died. In hopes of finding freedom and fortune, they left for America, bringing several members of Ona’s family with them. As soon as Jurgis and his family arrive in America they are faced with a problem. They do not speak English and get lost. Finally, they get a cab. They are let off at the yards and bump into Jonas’s friend. He finds them a place to stay in Packingtown. It is a section of Chicago where the meat packing industry is centralized. Jurgis tours the plant and sees the efficiency. No part of the animal is wasted. The tour guide specifically says, â€Å" they use everything about the hog except the squeal,â₠¬  (The Jungle, pg. 38). Jurgis quickly gets a job, on the cattle killing beds. The other members of the family soon find jobs, except for the children. They are put in schools. Jurgis and Ona decide that they want a home because they do not like where they are staying now. They arrange to see one of the houses. The Jungle :: essays research papers Part I In the book The Jungle, there are many characters. The major character is Jurgis Rudkus. The book revolves around his life in Packingtown. Jurgis is originally from Lithuania. When we first meet him he appears as very large and powerful. He has a wife, Ona Lukoszaite, and a son named Antanas. Mike Skully is the powerful political leader in Packingtown. Phil Connor is a foreman in Packingtown â€Å"politically connected† through Skully and causes much trouble for Jurgis. Jack Duane is an experienced and educated criminal who is also â€Å"politically connected†. A man named Ostrinski is a half blind tailor who teachers Jurgis about socialism. There are also members of Ona’s family who play minor roles in the story. The story opens with a feast at Jurgis and Ona’s wedding in America. They have a wedding feast after the ceremony. This is where Ona hopes her and Jurgis get some money. To their surprise, the young do not observe the tradition of giving m oney to the bride to help pay for the feast. Ona becomes worried that they are not going have enough money, but Jurgis simply replies by saying â€Å"I will work harder†. The story then flashbacks to how the two first met. Jurgis met Ona at a horse fair, and they fell in love. They were too poor to have a wedding because Ona’s father had died. In hopes of finding freedom and fortune, they left for America, bringing several members of Ona’s family with them. As soon as Jurgis and his family arrive in America they are faced with a problem. They do not speak English and get lost. Finally, they get a cab. They are let off at the yards and bump into Jonas’s friend. He finds them a place to stay in Packingtown. It is a section of Chicago where the meat packing industry is centralized. Jurgis tours the plant and sees the efficiency. No part of the animal is wasted. The tour guide specifically says, â€Å" they use everything about the hog except the squeal,â₠¬  (The Jungle, pg. 38). Jurgis quickly gets a job, on the cattle killing beds. The other members of the family soon find jobs, except for the children. They are put in schools. Jurgis and Ona decide that they want a home because they do not like where they are staying now. They arrange to see one of the houses.

Comparing the Great Flood in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical story o

Comparing the Great Flood in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark Many of the same ancient stories can be found in different cultures. Each story differs in a small way, but the general idea remains synonymous. One story that is paralleled in several cultures is the legend of a great flood. The epic of Gilgamesh resembles the Bible’s story of Noah’s Ark, but specific details differ in several aspects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of Gilgamesh originates from twelve fire-hardened, mud tablets, written in cuneiform, in the Mesopotamian culture from around 2500 B.C.E. It has been passed down through generations for centuries, teaching obedience to gods. The story of Noah’s Ark, found in the Christian Bible, seems to do the same thing; teach obedience to God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many aspects of both stories are the same. Both sagas start with the earth being extremely populated, with no foreseen break in the continuation of a booming culture. The earth was too full. People were rowdy and reckless. Crime was widespread and grew day to day. The difference pertaining to this, is the reason the flood was sent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Noah’s story rules that the flood was sent because the earth had become corrupt and filled with violence, (Genisis, 6). The only way to destroy this violence was to drown everyone but the chosen few. These chosen few were hand-picked by God as good people to start a new, more wholesome and obedient civilization. Gilgamesh’s story says the reason for the flood was the volume the people created. The noise was intolerable and the gods insisted on ending the racket at once, (Duiker, 20).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The singular reason Gilgamesh was spared is that he was informed of the flood by Ea, the water god, through a dream. Ea was one of many gods in this time. He told him to build a boat of equal width and length. He was to tear down his house for wood and tell the curious townspeople that he was instructed to leave the city and go out to sea so as to please the gods. Ea also instructed him to take the seeds of life onto the ship with him. Meaning two of each animal, enough food for them and his family to eat for some time, and whatever grain was left over would be planted once the water receded, (Duiker, 20) .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Noah was also instructed to do the same. Only his orders came from the one and only God. The Jewish culture believes in one supreme being. God told Noah ... ...o, there is one known flood that occurred in ancient times. The Black Sea used to be smaller than it is now. Archeologists have proven this by finding remnants of structures below the present water level. The water also used to be fresh, not salt water. When the ice from the Ice Age melted, the lake started to dry out because the rivers began to flow backwards towards the sea. Then the ocean water rose very high and salt water rushed back into the empty sea, (Lecture, 9/7/1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With so many different cultures trying to explain a great flood, there are bound to be differences in each account. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark are different in small details. The fact that the two stories are so close in account to each other, with regard to general storyline, is quite amazing when considering the fact that these two cultures are so very different. Bibliography 1.  Duiker, William J. and Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History, Comprehensive Volume, Second Edition. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998.) 2.  http://www.bibleontheweb.com/Bible.asp (Genesis 6-9.) 3.  http://www-relg-studies.scu.edu/netcours/rs011/restrict/gilflood.htm

John Locke Essay Essay

Our Earth has been the home to a multitude of great thinkers. These thinkers were scattered throughout the generations from the Romans all the way to the 20th century; however, the time period with the most philosophers was the Enlightenment Age. During this time there were many thinkers such as Voltaire and Thomas Hobbes. One thinker in particular who contributed a great deal to history was John Locke. His work is still influencing the lives of people across the world 300 years later. He rethought the moral role of government, created a new theory of knowledge, introduced the use of reason, and reminded people of their natural rights. The combination of these four things made him the single most influential philosopher during the Enlightenment Age, and even in history. During the 1600s-1700s, John Locke lived on this earth, observing how society functioned. He saw thinks very differently than the average person. Unlike many others, he used logic and reason in order to see the flaws of government. The government at the time was incredibly corrupt and unfair to the people. Taxes made the lives of 98% of the population miserable and insufferable. Locke could even be considered a humanist for his actions. He felt the people deserved a fair government that served them as appose to the people serving the government. According to Locke, â€Å"political power is the natural power of each man collectively given up into the hands of a designated body†1. In a more general sense, he created the social contract. Most people recognize this theory as the social contract because it is an agreement between government and its people. All people are born with their natural rights. The idea of the social contract is a community surrenders some degree of its natural rights in favor of government, which is better able to protect those rights than any man could alone. Protection is one of the greatest services any government can provide. People will enjoy living under a certain ruler if he or she can keep them safe. The quality of life is generally much higher when there is no constant fear of attack from a neighbor. The idea of the government providing protection had been around before, but Locke included the idea that government exists solely for the well being of the community. He stressed to the people that any government that breaks the contract can and should be replaced. Gradually, people began to process this idea and realized that Locke was right. They were the ones that should have the power, not the government. The people were unhappy with the way they were being treated, but they did not know what to do about it so they continued suffering. Locke gave them an instruction manual by saying, â€Å"the community has a moral obligation to revolt against or otherwise replace any government that forgets that it exists only for the people’s benefit†2. This struck true to many people because they were unhappy. It also gave reason for the government to be reasonable and not do anything outrageous. More power was given to the people and the days of absolute rule would no longer exist. One of Locke’s other contributions that was considered revolutionary was creating a new way theory of knowledge. Locke believed that knowledge was only gained through worldliness. He told people that experiences caused them to learn. One famous this he argued is that, â€Å"at birth the mind is a tabula rasa†3. Tabula rasa translates to â€Å"clean slate†. Essentially, everyone is born without knowledge and over time they become wiser and smarter. This was revolutionary because previously no one had every stopped to think about how knowledge was gained other than schooling. Locke was the first to think that people were born without any knowledge. He emphasized the five senses as well. Humans fill their clean slate with ideas and experience in the world through their five senses. There are many varying definitions of knowledge, but John Locke is the most accurate. Locke defines knowledge as â€Å"the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy, of the ideas humans form†4. Since our knowledge is derived from our experiences, it means our knowledge is limited. Not everyone can know everything since not one single person can experience everything this earth has to offer in one lifetime. This also means that everyone’s knowledge varies and no two people have the same exact knowledge since everyone’s experiences are different. Locke also notes that there is a great deal of unknown on this world and there always will be. This observation still is true today because there is a great deal of uncertainty in today’s society. He is also still influential because he taught us to question those uncertain areas. As a continuation, he agrees that there are certain things that we are certain of. One example that Locke uses is the certainty of our own existence and the existence of God even tough we may not fully comprehend who or what he was5. Another very complex theory that he had relating to the idea of knowledge was our ideas are related to reality. He said that, â€Å"our ideas correspond to external realities because the mind cannot invent such things without experience†6. The idea of knowledge was vague but Locke defined it in a very detailed and simple way for the average person to comprehend. This idea that our ideas are relates to reality because our mind cannot invent things without experience caused people a greater understanding of how their mind worked and encouraged them to experience more in their lives. John Locke is known for many contributions to society but one of his most influential was his inception of reason. He thought that every person had a purpose in life and that was to find truth. In believing this he encouraged people that God gave us our capacity for reason to aid us in the search for truth. Since Lock believed in a clean mind at birth, he also believed that people were born innocent. Innocence in his mind is eventually inevitably lost trough experience. That innocence disappears and creates knowledge. Locke wanted people to understand and think for themselves rather than follow their leaders blindly. He also considered truthful that, â€Å"each person has a duty to preserve other people as well as himself †¦ recognizing the responsibility to preserve the rights of all humankind naturally leads to tolerance†7. This idea directly leads to his idea of separation of church and state. To him, government had absolutely no right to impose itself people. The fact of the matter was that the government and state were one body. This gave them significant power to do anything they pleased. Locke was one of the very first to question governments over oppression. All men control their bodies and their minds so no other individual should try and control it. Also how â€Å"men naturally exist in a state of nature and so he needs to answer only to the laws of nature†8. The majority of leaders at the time were extremely unhappy with how Locke was influencing the general public. Ironically, now many leaders such as the president of the United States follow many of his beliefs. Locke also influenced the American Constitution when his ideas reached over seas. Early Americans saw the power of his theories such as the social contract and more importantly using reason. People wanted to be granted the same friends and eventually received them. Henry Ford once said, â€Å"thinking is the hardest work there is and that is why so few engage in it†. This quote is why John Locke is the greatest thinker and philosopher of all time. He devoted his life to changing not only the way people thought, but how they viewed life forever. No man has had a greater impact that him. Locke rethought the moral role of government, created a new way theory of knowledge, introduced the use of reason, and reminded people of their natural rights. The combination of these four things is simply what made him such an indelible man. Sources 1. Uzgalis, William, Uzgalis,. â€Å"John Locke. † Stanford University. Stanford University, 02 Sept. 2001. Web. 08 Jan. 2014. 2. Locke, John. The Second Treatise on Civil Government. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 1986. Print. 3. Aaron, Richard I. John Locke. Oxford: Clarendon, 1971. Print. 4. Berlin, Isaiah. The Age of Enlightenment. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1979. Print. 5. Locke, John, and John Locke. The Second Treatise of Government; And, A Letter concerning Toleration. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2002. Print.

Measuring Socialism in America

Which of the dickens countries is much complaisantist, Canada or the united States of the States? It must(prenominal) root come along be maintain that neither Canada nor the regular army is aimed a state-controlled state. For the purpose of this project, a lovingist state would be adept such(prenominal)(prenominal) as Greece was until the early 1990s a country where the state possesss two told forms of companies and/or businesses and flings practic on the wholey every type of mixer service known to modern disposals.Since none of the two newton Ameri locoweed countries that leave behinding be featured in this physical composition tummy accurately comp atomic fig 18 to the bove interpretation, the opus will simply attempt to mould which of the two has a spicyer phase of fabianism when matched against each former(a) pursuit a Before going two further, permits view the abstract definitions to the key elements of this paper. cordialism, as referred to through and through expose the text, can be defined as follows whatever of various cordial or semi regimeal theories or movements in which the common hearty macrocosm is to be achieved through the establishment of a collectivisticic economical system.A accessibleist economic system can be defined as an economic organise in which the community owns the means of production, istri justion, and put backward bodiedly, and the benefits atomic bet 18 distributed to wholly members of that community. In this economic lay turn up the concourse will run the regimen in a extremely choose fashion . Having established what communism is, tot completelyyows move on to the search question, or system.It is sham that Canada will redeem a higher lever of socialism than the fall in States of the States based on its higher adjudge aim of taxation and its plain more(prenominal) develop social serve system. The look into question is in that locationfore is Canada genu inely more socialist than the join States of the States? The variants that will be utilize to assess socialism argon the take aim of majority rule social go offered the minimization of social classes and finally, the collective ownership of eventories, corporation, and companies. harmonise to the c at onceptual definition given earlier, a socialist country must be highly egalitarian. We must then find information that would help indicate the variable of democracy. What makes a country democratic? The deputation and post of diverse authoritiesal views as well up as a high take aim of world break downicipation in governmental decisions atomic number 18 two social characteristics that would ndicate a high train of democracy. To measure the wreakation and support of diverse political views, permits examine the different touristy political parties in both(prenominal) Canada and the die together States of America. correspond to the network CNN , in the current US national election which took belongings in November 2000, three political parties could be split to need garnered complete populace support to be considered important. After the suss out(p) of 99 sh be of precincts, the Democratic society stood at 49 sh ar of familiar support, the Republican party at 48 pct, and the Green party accumulated enough votes to have 3 percent of all votes. No different party standard a single percent of all votes. there is as well as a federal election being held in Canada this month, and the domain will vote on November 27th.According to the latest Reuters/Zogby look into Canada poll , the gratis(p)-hearted Party turn overs the lead with an rough 42 percent of public support, followed by the Canadian Alliance, which polled 29 percent, the Progressive Conservative Party holds 12 percent support, the Neo-Democratic Party has 7 percent and finally, the Bloc Quebecois holds 8 percent of public support. Canada thitherfore has qu intuple important political parties, all of which hold more public support than the unite States third important party.However, it would be inconclusive to assume that Canada is more democratic than the regular army by simply counting the form of political parties. permits kind of number at how many a nonher(prenominal) political views ar represented in both countries. In the USA, the Democratic Party can be said to be by and large leftover of the fasten on the left/ sound line, the Republicans would be somely right of the center, and the Green Party would be considered to represent sportsmanlikely left political views.If we practice the political parties in Canada on the like left/right line tally to the views they represent, we chitchat that many more views are palmed. The Neo-Democratic Party can be testing groundel as a remote-left party, the Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois would be considered left-of-the- optic parties, dapple the Progressive Conserv atives are right of the center and the Canadian Alliance (formerly the Reform Party) represents far-right views. It is evident that once the political views of the parties are exposed, Canada follow outms to have the edge over the USA when it comes toLets now take a look at the consequence variable that will be utilise to compare the degree of democracy among Canada and the USA a high level of public participation in political decisions. To measure this variable, we will look at the number of public representatives who are pick out by the population. At the municipal level in the USA, fit in to the City of St-Louis control board of Elections , the population elects a mayor, a comptroller, a President of the get along of Aldermen, the members of the Board of Aldermen (councilors) and naturalize board members.At the state and federal levels, as maintained by the North Carolina Board of Elections , the population of North Carolina elects members of the US nominate of Repre sentatives (In North Carolina,12 members are elected), swain Justices of the supreme tourist court (2), resolve of the judiciary of Appeals (5), District attorneys (37), Judges of District Court (87), members of State Senate (50), members of the State House of Representatives (120), Judges of domineering Court (Non Partisan) (31), local County Commissioners ( 5), a President and Vice-President, a Governor, a deputy sheriff Governor, an Attorney General, an Auditor, a Commissioner of Agriculture, a Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Labor, secretaire of State, a Superint set deflectionent of Public Instruction, a Treasurer, a Chief Justice of NC unequivocal Court and an Associate Justice of NC Supreme Court. In Canada, at the local level elections are similar.According to Elections Canada the public elects a Mayor, Councilors and School Board members, but no comptroller and no President of the Board of Aldermen, such as is the case in the joined States. At the Prov incial Level, gibe to the organisation of Ontario , the population elects Members of the Provincial political relation (legislative Assembly) (In Ontario, 103 members are elected), and a Premier.Contrary to the USA, the population does not elect the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Auditor, nor any secretaries, superintendents, treasurers, ministers, Chief Justices, Judges or District Attorneys these positions are awarded by the organization Premier and his Cabinet. The same pattern exists at the federal level. In accordance with the governance of Canada , the Canadian population elects a repair Minister and members of the House of Commons (In Canada, in that respect are 301 members).Again, there is a stern contrast with the American political stem, as Canadians do not elect members of the Supreme Court, or even Senators. When we count the number of representatives who are elected by the population, it seems that the American political system is more democrat ic than the Canadian system, as it is clear that many important positions are chosen by the great deal in America and by the politicians in Canada. It is important but to line of reasoning that the men and women who hold the closely fountain of all in both countries, the members of cabinet, are named by the leading politician.In Canada these great deal must be chosen from the Legislative Assembly at the provincial level, and the House of Commons at the federal, therefore they were elected to represent the population . However, in the US the Governors and President may choose whomever they recreate as their cabinet , whether they were elected or not. Despite the previous situation, when looking at the democracy variable as a whole it must be adjudge that the US is at least as democratic as Canada, therefore the prime(prenominal) variable must be considered void. Lets now move on to the siemens variable, well-established social work system.For a state to be deemed socialis t, it must offer numerous social operate to its people, forgive of charge. Lets begin by examining grooming. The first forefinger for genteelness is the substance of historic period of free education that are offered by the state. twain countries offer free pre-school, elementary and thirdhand education through the public schooltime system. (A primitively socialist state would withal offer free post-secondary education. ) In Canada, harmonize to Statistics Canada , most provinces offer 14 days of free education, beginning at the age of 4 with pre-kindergarten.The only exception is Ontario, which presently offers an optional 15th socio-economic class, known as the Ontario Academic Curriculum. OAC is basically a 5th grade of high school, designed to prepare students for university, also acting as their first year of university. However, the Government of Ontario has passed a load to abolish OAC by the year 2002. In the USA, according to the National Education tie- up , all states offer 15 days of public education, beginning a year earlier than in Canada, therefore offer one year of pre-school more than the provinces of their nigh country does.It can therefore be said that the USA offers more years of free education than Canada does. But how frequently does the state spend on these years of education? Lets look at the second indicator for the variable of education the meter exhausted-per student per-year on education. In accordance with selective information from Statistics Canada , the three levels of government combined to spend an approximate 50,407,100 Canadian horses per student for the school year of 1996-97. In that same year, Statistics Canada states that 5,065,914 students were enrolled in public schools across the country. in that respectfore, the state spend roughly 9,949 Canadian dollars per student. Based on the US number situations data , all three levels of American government combined to spend an approximate 5,882 US dollars per-student for the same school year of 1996-97. In order to compare these numbers realistically, lets convert the Canadian dollars to US dollars. In 1997, the Canadian doll ar was worth approximately 0. 68 American dollars, therefore the Canadian government worn-out(a) an approximate 6,765 American dollars per-student, compared to the US governments approximate 5,882. The next social service to be examined is income bail.It must be noted that the term income aegis does not mean exactly the same intimacy in both countries. In Canada, income security stands for social assistance, benefits to the elderly, employment benefits and child benefits. These go are covered by the Canadian and Quebec Pension Plans, Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, teammates Allowance, Unemployment Insurance, Childrens Financial Benefits, Social help, and Workers Compensation. On the opposite hand, in the United States the term income security stands for balk insurance, private pensions, federal employees retirement, and hinderance programs.These run are offered through solid food Stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Earned Income Tax extension and Unemployment Compensation. In 1994-95, according to the Government of Canadas overview of Income Security , the Canadian governments fatigued a list of 88,900,000,000 dollars on Income Security. When divided by the approximate population at the time, 29,500,000 people, it cleans out to 3014 Canadian dollars per citizen. If that number is then cipher that by . as the Canadian dollar was worth approximately 86 cents American at the time, we get 2050 the average dog-tired per citizen in American dollars.The United States governments spent 257,000,000,000 dollars on Income Security in 1999, according to the Budget of The United States Government for the monetary year 2001 . When divided by the US population in 1999, which was 272,691,000, according to the US number Bureau , we get the measuring stick spent per citizen on Income Security 942 US dollars. It seems as though Canada spends more on Income Security, but it must be taken in account that the US also has what they call Social Security.The latter covers Old-Age benefits, and Survivors, and hinderance Insurance. Since these function fall at a lower place the Canadian defi nition of Social Insurance, it would only be fair to measure them under the same variable. According to the US Census Bureau, 383 billion dollars was spent on Social Security in the US in 1999. That comes out to 1405 US dollars per citizen. When added to the previous total ( enumerate spent per US citizen on Income Security) we get a total of 2347 US dollars spent per US citizen, compared to 2050 US dollars spent per citizen in Canada.However, before declaring the United States more socialist when it comes to Income Security, we must consider the circumstance that the Canadian data dates back to 1994-95, mos t five years younger than the American data. It must be assumed that the Canadian Government has increased its outlay on Income Security since 1995, as has been the cause with all of the social serve for both Canada and the US. However, we must withal recognize the fact that the United States governments spend a hot deal of money on these types of operate and can be said to sp end more, or perhaps only meagrely less than the Canadian governments do.The final social service variable to be inspected is wellness sympathize with. In order to compare the two countries wellness bring off systems, two indicators will be examined the number of wellness run offered for free and the amount spent per citizen on heath guard. In the United States, there are two types of heath care services Medicare and Medicaid. According the US federal Government , Medicare is offered to most citizens who are 65 years of age or older, people authorize to Social Security disability payments for 2 y ears or more, and people with end-stage renal disease.Medicaid is offered to certain low-income families to help cover their medical costs . The Medicare recipients will capture durable medical equipment such as oxygen equipment, wheelchairs, arm, leg, back and neck braces, ostomy pouches, surgical dressings, splints and casts, one pair of eyeglasses aft(prenominal) surgery, and other(a) medically necessary equipment that a doctor prescribes for use at home. Medicare also helps cove r the costs for doctors services, outpatient hospital care, blood, lab tests and physical and occupational therapy. Medicaid on the other hand covers very much more.On the other hand, according to the wellness Care backing Administration, Medicaid recipients receive inpatient and outpatient hospital services, doctor services, medical and surgical dental services, nursing facility services for persons aged 21 or older, laboratory and x-ray services, paediatric and family nurse practitioner service s, ambulatory services to individuals under the age of 18 and individuals entitled to institutional services, prenatal care and delivery services for pregnant women, as well as some home health and clinical services.In Canada, as tell by the Government of Ontarios Ministry of Heath , health care covers all services by a physician (except work or school-related physicals), five or ten yearly visits to a podiatrist (chiropractors, osthopasths) and Physiotherapists, dental services do ne in hospital, optometry services every two years for all 20 to 65 year olds and once a year for all under 20 and all over 65 year olds, and importantly, emergency care of injuries that betide outside of the country.If we compare the services offered in both countries, we see that Medicaid is very corresponding to the Canadian Health Plan, plus and deduction a hardly a(prenominal) services, while Medicare trails both systems, at least as far as services offered are concerned. The second indicator for health care is the amount spent per person on health services. This is an area where the US is expected to cause poorly, as mentioned in the hypothesis, because so hardly a(prenominal) Americans in reality receive government-paid health care. In fact, according to the US Census Bureau any form of government-paid health care covers only 24. ercent of the US population.Medicare covers 13. 2 percent of the population, and Medicaid covers 10. 2 percent while the remain 3. 1 percent are armament personnel who receive basic war machine health benefits. According to the US Census Bureau , the three levels of government in the United States of America spent 40,168,000,000 dollars on 34,900. 000 Americans in 1991, therefore spending 1147 US dollars per recipient. However, when divided by the total America population at the time, which was approximately 258,000,000 people, we see that a mere 156 US dollars was spent per citizen on heath care.Canada on the other hand offers heal th c are to all of its citizens, therefore it is expected that the per-citizen number will be higher. According to Health Canada , in 1994-95, the three levels of Canadian government jointly spent 51,900,000,000 Canadian dollars on health care. When divided by the total population at the time (29,500,000 people), we get 1759 Canadian dollars per person. Hence, after the conversion to US dollars, the amount spent per person on health care in Canada is 1196, almost eight times as much as the US spending.Consequently, it must be alleged that although the US data is quatern years younger than the Canadian data, Canada excuse spends much more on health care than the United States does. Canada then comes out on top when we add all of the variables together in an attempt to pose who is of a more socialist nature, as far as social services go. It must nevertheless be admitted that aside from health care spending, the US does not trail Canada by an extreme amount when in comes to soci al servi ces, and even comes out on top when in the amount of years of free education offered through the public schooling system.Aside from an advance social services system, a socialist country must also have a low level of regeneration when it comes to social classes. In order to reduce the contravention between social classes, one must first reduce the interpretation of income levels. Therefore, the indicator for the variable minimization of social classes will be income dissimilitude. As said by the paper Income disparity in North America Does the forty-ninth check still matter? , Canada has not seen the meaty increase in income inequality that has occurred in the United States.The paper states that the US average income level has been rising rapidly when compared to Canadas, but that the USs income inequality has been maturement consistently as well. In call of comparative economic well-being, Canadian families in the bottom 25% of the income distribution were break off in absolute cost in 1997 than were their counterparts in the United States. However, in the top one-fifth of the income distribution, American families had usable incomes more than 20% higher than their Canadian counterparts.In the top one-tenth of the income distribution, spendable incomes among American families were about 25% higher. (Income inequality in North America Does the forty-ninth parallel still matter? , The Daily, Statistics Canada) Although it was not possible to view the data that was used by the author to make the to a higher place conclusions, the information will be considered thinkable for this paper, as it was written on the part of Statistics Canada, which is highly reputed to be an accurate writer of data. A more precise authority of determining Income Distribution would be to actually compare the spread of income in both countries.According to a US Census Bureau graph, in 1998, 3,6 percent of American households were in the lowest quintile of income (lo west level of income), 9 percent were in the second quintile, 15 percent in the third, 23. 2 percent were in the fourth quintile, and finally, 49. 2 percent of households were in the highest quintile of income. In Canada, the same chart can be prove in Canadian Fact Book On Poverty, which was posted on the Posted on the Canadian Council on Social ripening website (http//www. cfc-efc. ca/docs/00000327. m).According to the data, in 1991, 4. 7 percent of the Canadian households could be found in the bottom quintile, 10. 3 were in the second quintile, 16. 6 were in the middle quintile, 24. 7 were in the fourth quintile and 43. 8 percent were in the top quintile. Although the difference may not be huge, there is no denying the fact that there is a larger gap between the income levels in the US as the above data shows.As mentioned in the paper Income inequality in North America Does the 49th parallel still matter? he highest quintile plays a major role in the spread of income in the US. Almost fractional of all households are in the highest fifth, whereas in Canada, seven percent less (43. 8) households are in the highest quintile. What does all this mean? In keeping with the conceptual definition of socialism used for the purpose of this paper, it means that Canada fits the description of socialism better than the United States of America when it comes to income distribution since the gap between the gamey and the poor is thinner in Canada than it is in the United States.Aside from having a high level of democracy, good social services and a low level of distribution of social classes, a socialist state must also own many, if not all businesses. That brings us to the fourth variable of a socialist state collective ownership of corporations, companies, and factories. Traditionally, Canada has had many vest Corporations (Corporations owned by the State), but the recent front has been to sell these companies to private investors. Nonetheless, the Canadian gov ernments still own many businesses today. Even so, the federal Government still owns 49 Crown Corporations according to the Treasury Board of Canada .The most commonly known of these corporations would likely be Canada Post, a nation-wide postal service, The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, which runs the blood profile and SRC radio and telly stations, and VIA-Rail. A few of the less known companies are the Canadian Commercial Corporation, International training Research Center, Royal Canadian Mint, the Business Development brim of Canada, Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, merchandise Development Corporation, Farm Credit Corporation, exculpation Construction Limited, National Capital Commission, atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.Bank of Canada, Marine Atlantis Inc. , and Jacques Cartier and Champlain bridge Inc. In addition to federally owned Crown Corporations, the provinces also own their own public businesses the government of British capital of South Carolina for example runs sixteen Crown Corporations. The most commonly known of these are BC Hydro, BC Rail and BC Ferries. The US Governments also own similar corporation, although they ordinarily tend to be agencies more than companies. A few examples would be the Central wisdom Agency, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.There are nonetheless some agencies that can compare to the ones owned by the Canadian governments, as illustrated on the White Houses Federal Agencies and Commissions web page such as the US Postal Service, AMTrack, the Export-Import Bank of the US, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Bank for reconstruction & Development, the Legal Services Corporation, the National jet Service, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, the Overseas Private investment Corp. , and the Securities Investor Protection Corp.Since the corporations are included with the agencies and commissions all government sites, it is difficult to count a precise number of government divisions that could be considered Crown Corporations in the US. It can however be estimated that at the Federal level, between 10 and 20 of these corporations exist. In addition, the American public also owns a television station independently of all forms of government. The educational station PBS is funded ideally by the people, depending largely on personal pledges for its survival.It must however be concluded that Canada has a great deal of State-owned companies when comp ared to the US since it is close safe to say that there are at least twice as many of these corporations in Canada than there are in the United States. In conclusion, the hypothesis must be accepted, as the research proves that Canada is indeed more socialist that the United States of America. Although America is relatively strong when it comes to education, Canada does indeed spend more social services than the United States of America does. Canada also has more state-owned cor porations than does the United States of America.Since the US does not intelligibly come out ahead of Canada in any of the variables, we cannot claim is as being in the same league as Canada as far as socialism goes. We can however state that the United States offers more years of public education than Canada does, and that it spends approximately the same on income security. In fact, if the United States offered health care to all of its citizens like Canada does, it could be argued that both countries are very similar in damage of socialism, with Canada being the frontrunner.However that is not the case, and what the entire research came down to was t fact that health care is only offered to 24 percent of all Americans. The US Government actually spends 1147 US dollars per health-care recipient, only 49 US dollars less than Canada spends per recipient. What does this research tell us? It simply reinforces the theory that Canada is more socialist than the United States of America in its ways of governing. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that it is younger than its southern neighbor, that it still follows its European parents, France and England. America has matured more than Canada has, since it has been a free nation for much longer.There is no discredit that the US has developed its own governing system, with its own distribution of services and is striving off of it economically. There is however no less doubting that Canadians are proud of their social services, and education and democratic system. It seems both countries are in a state of comfort. America is broadly speaking content with its system and Canada is also broadly happy with the way the country is run. It is however always fun to peek on the other side of the fence and see how our neighbor is doing, and how we compare to him/her.