Saturday, August 31, 2019

Women in Hamlet

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the roles of women are dependent on men. There are only two women in the play who have a direct relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia, who looked up greatly towards Polonius, Laertes who has a great influence on her life as well as Hamlet. The other female role is Gertrude, Hamlets mother always trying to impress the men in her life not only her son but previous marriages. As these women are the most important female characters in the play it is first shown through Ophelia. Ophelia is not independent as she has to rely on men such as her father, brother and boyfriend.First, she is greatly obedient for her father willingly to do what he requests her to do without hesitation. Polonius gives her advice to take in a strong manner to break it off with Hamlet knowing she must listen. She responds with respect â€Å"I shall obey, my lord† (I. iii. 136). She tells him that she will do as he asks obeying his commands, because he is the only one she may go t o until she gets married. Not able to make decisions for herself either way for the fact if she married Hamlet he would be making them for her.Also, Hamlet was the man she considered spending her life with and was willing to do what he would ask of her trying to win his affection. Although, after listening to her father, by agreeing to stop seeing Hamlet, he over reacts on her with anger, mocking in which her reputation is ruined and how she will never find a man. She does not defend herself after these comments knowing you cannot battle against a male, yet later cries to wish he did not react that way â€Å"Oh, woe is me / T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see!† (III. i. 160-1).Requiring the desire to please all men, this makes her feel terrible although she did satisfy her father. Another influence she significantly admires and respects is her brother Laertes. Before his leave, he gave her great advice in which she took account of since her brother was like a role m odel, promising, â€Å"I shall the effect of this good lesson keep / As watchman to my heart. †(I. iii. 45-6). Wanting to make him feel proud and show prove how she is capable of taking care of herself.Later, with the loss of her father and absence of her brother, as well as being apart from the man she loves, is one of the reasons to why her life ends early. She drowns as explained, that her garment pulled her down. Moreover, it is as if she had no one around to motivate her to fight to live, since none of the men are around to regulate her to do so. Furthermore, Ophelia a young woman is obligated to abide by the rules of men as well as the Queen of Denmark also who relies on their comfort.Gertrude’s oblivious personality makes her dependent on the men in her life shadowing not only King Claudius but King Hamlet and her son Hamlet as well. The love for her son ends her life in tragedy by drinking from the chalice of poison that King Claudius prepares for Hamlet. Altho ugh, she knows not to drink the chalice as the King warns her not to, nevertheless, does it anyways symbolize as a sacrificing mother. Before her death the last she says, â€Å"No, no, the drink, the drink! O my dear Hamlet! / The drink, the drink! I am poisin’d† (V.ii. 303-4).This depicts what happens if women are disobedient as she was to her husband which led to her death and also portraying how saving Hamlets life was what she had to do being selfless and caring. In addition, Gertrudes need for attention is seen after her quick marriage following the death of King Hamlet. Losing the feeling of importance, where she needs, and rapidly gets over her husband’s death moving on explaining to hamlet, â€Å"Do not for ever with thy vailed lids / Seek for thy noble father in the dust† (I. ii. 70-1).Revealing how her values of affection are far greater than her moral righteousness and respect of herself not considering others approach on situations. Marrying K ing Claudius, she is highly dependent on him, who is able to persuade her in fictitious ideas others might not allow themselves to believe yet Gertrude constantly does. Such as after, he hears of the death of Polonius, tries to make it sound like he is helping Hamlet with his best interests when in reality he plans to kill him.As he assures the Queen, â€Å"It had been so with us, had we been there / His liberty is full of threats to all† (IV.i. 13-4), the king attempt to secure his own safety first sending Hamlet off somewhere far by seeming like it is for a greater intrest. Gertrude is oblivious to her surroundings which present it easier for the King to manipulate in addition for her disregard for her own place and her ultimate confusion. Gertrude is a strong character by her title as being the Queen, nevertheless forced to obey and concur with reinstated ideas by the King, losing attention from King Hamlet and sacrificing herself for Hamlet.The woman of Shakespeareâ€℠¢s play Hamlet needs guidance in order to achieve fulfillment. Ophelia, seen loyal and obedient to her father Polonius, brother Laertes and listening to other males such as Hamlet recognized throughout the play, displays her devotion to make them pleased. Finally, Gertrude has a high power considering all the women and even men, still fights the struggle between impressing men in order to achieve satisfaction. They both play the passive roles in the play; this shows that all women were not measured as equals.

Analyzing The Theme Of Nature In Literary Devices English Literature Essay

The subject of nature is really of import to each of the texts to be discussed in this essay: The Fat Black Woman ‘s Poems by Grace Nichols ; Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. In a sense, the fact that each work is created within a different literary genre to some extent dictates the indispensable differences amongst them. However, this essay sets out to analyze how, in add-on to comparing literary devices, nature is used as a different jussive mood in each of the selected texts. Throughout the drama, Willy escapes back into his memories and it is profoundly important, hence, that the countryside is allied to this: ‘I was driving along, you understand? And I was all right. I was even detecting the scenery. You can conceive of, me looking at scenery, on the route every hebdomad of my life. But it ‘s so beautiful up at that place, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the Sun is warm ‘[ 3 ]Loman both belongs in the state and out of it because he has merely used it, as he has used both things and people, to acquire in front. The fact that he has been unsuccessful is hence a treachery of his ain and a generic dream that is ne'er fulfilled nor justified, merely as the narrative he begins to state Linda, his married woman, ends non in revery on the idyllic, as it started, but on loss of control: ‘all of a sudden I ‘m traveling off the route! ‘[ 4 ]Miller uses nature, hence, as an emblem of Willy ‘s supplanting: ‘Many of Willy ‘s activities can be seen as extremely symbolic. He workss seeds merely as he workss false hopes: both will decease and ne'er come to fruition, mostly because the house has become excessively hemmed in by the metropolis. ‘[ 5 ]In add-on, a farther lost dream of Willy ‘s has been connected with nature, that of his brother, Ben ‘s, offer to fall in him and do his luck beyond the suburban life Willy has lived: ‘William, when I walked into the jungle, I was 17. When I walked out I was 21. And, by God, I was rich! ‘[ 6 ]For Willy, hence, nature has become a topographic point of lost hope where ‘the grass do n't turn any longer ‘[ 7 ]; it does non belong and nor does he: ‘A victim of both a hardhearted capitalist society and his ain ill-conceived dreams, Willy ‘s eventual self-destruction is presented with tragic dimensions. His beliefs may be misguided, but he stays true to them to the terminal. Although he has neither soc ietal nor rational stature, Willy has self-respect, and he strives to keep this as his life falls apart around him. ‘[ 8 ] Supplanting is besides a major characteristic of Jean Rhys ‘s novel, Wide Sargasso Sea. First published in 1966, it is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte ‘s Jane Eyre, foremost published in 1847. The fresh uses nature as a agency of developing the narration of Rochester ‘s first married woman, Bertha Mason, here known as Antoinette Cosway, a immature adult female who feels herself displaced following the liberation of the slaves who had worked on her household ‘s plantation. ‘The really word â€Å" topographic point † occurs many times in the novel ‘[ 9 ]and Antoinette seeks consolation in what she sees as an Eden garden, her former place, from which she is cast out: ‘A really of import early set piece is Antoinette ‘s description of the garden at Coulibri, where she was a kid, a garden which was likely based on Rhys ‘s memories of her female parent ‘s household estate at Geneva. It marks childhood as taking topographic po int in a damaged Eden. ‘[ 10 ]The description of the garden is therefore really of import to an apprehension of Antoinette and of the manner Rhys uses her connexion with nature to help her character and thematic development: Our garden was big and beautiful as that garden in the Bible – the tree of life grew at that place. But it had gone wild. The waies were overgrown and a odor of dead flowers assorted with the fresh life odor. Underneath the tree ferns, tall as forest tree ferns, the visible radiation was green. Orchids flourished out of range or for some ground non to be touched. One was serpentine looking, another like an octopus with long thin brown tentacles bare of foliages hanging from a distorted root. Twice a twelvemonth the octopus orchid flowered – so non an inch of tentacle showed. It was a bell-shaped mass of white, mauve, deep purples, fantastic to see. The aroma was really sweet and strong. I ne'er went near it.[ 11 ] The genitive pronoun with which this paragraph opens instantly establishes the duality of Antoinette ‘s state of affairs. This is her place, it should experience like hers but it does non. The ‘beauty ‘ she infers has a ambidextrous luxuriance because it has ‘gone wild ‘ , symbolic of a land which has lost control, albeit for a positive ground. The ‘living ‘ and the ‘dead ‘ mix and encroach upon one another, and there is a snake in the garden in the ‘snaky ‘ orchids. Furthermore, the ‘twisted root ‘ implies a deformation of what was meant to be, metaphorically repeating Antoinette ‘s supplanting. In add-on, this is non the lone illustration of topographic points looking resonant of temperament and/or state of affairs: ‘Places are highly alive in this novel: the menacing, exuberant garden at Coulibri, the cryptic bathing pool at Coulibri, sunset by the huts of the plantation workers, the route fr om the small town of Massacre up to Granbois, the sea and sky at sundown from the ajoupa or thatched shelter at Granbois, the bathing pools at Granbois ( the bubbly pool and the nutmeg pool ) the forest where Antoinette ‘s hubby wanders until he is lost, the route to Christophine ‘s place, the trees and bamboos around the house at Granbois. ‘[ 12 ]Here, Antoinette appears at the same time intoxicated and repelled by the ‘sweet and strong ‘ of the garden, which possibly says something about her similarly ambivalent attitude towards those around her and they to her: ‘The image we now have of Rhys and her heroines is that of a inactive, impotent, self-victimized schizotypal personality who, comfy with failure, wields her weakness like a arm — all every bit natural as being female. ‘[ 13 ]The presentation of nature at the ‘honeymoon house ‘ is likewise hard to put, looking to be one thing but really being another, but her form er place is ‘a sacred infinite where Antoinette hugs to herself the secret hidden in Coulibri ‘ .[ 14 ]It is, so, these secrets in isolation, echoed in the descriptions of Antoinette ‘s fatherland that make the representation of nature in Wide Sargasso Sea so clearly an jussive mood of the text: Equally long as Antoinette can retrieve and order the events of her memories into a temporal or causal sequence, make even an semblance of sequence and keep a mensural sense of infinite and clip, so she can keep her life and ego together. Her act of narrative becomes an act of avowal and coherence, a nod to the universe and its conventions, an effort to forestall herself from fade outing. When, in Part Three, Antoinette lies encaged in Thornfield Hall ‘s dark, cold loft, the togss that hold her to the world that the universe perceives as saneness eventually interrupt. These togss are the elements of conventional narrative: additive chronology, sequence, narratorial clarity, distance. She herself admits at this point that ‘time has no significance ‘ ; sequence disintegrates into a confusion of present and past and finally into a dream which narrates her hereafter.[ 15 ] This has been quoted at length because it addresses many of the literary devices that the novelist, as opposed to the dramatist or poet, can utilize to develop a subject. With respect to nature, it is used by Rhys, as suggested above, to make a temporal infinite for Antoinette that is symbolic of the individuality she has lost. The abandon which is infringing upon the Eden of the garden, subsequently to be wholly destroyed, is an illustration of the manner in which the novelist can utilize one strong image to take into another, both being resonant of the yesteryear. Indeed, once more as stated above, the act of stating the narrative creates the character in the head of the reader and the locations in which she is placed are connected to that, as is the temporal disruption which memory green goodss and which is frequently, as with Antoinette, declarative mood of her province of head. The evocation of nature as a turbulent and affectional presence adds to this, with the sea as the ulti mate semiotic of challenge, pandemonium and disruption. Grace Nichols ‘ 2nd aggregation of poetry, The Fat Black Woman ‘s Poems, published in 1984, besides uses nature to arouse a peculiar image. However, as this is poesy, the lingual and literary devices used are really different from either those of the dramatist and/or novelist. ‘Nichols grew up in Guyana ‘[ 16 ]but has made her life and calling in England, ‘she has lived and worked in Britain since 1977 ‘[ 17 ], and this cross-cultural jussive mood is really much evident in her work: ‘her poems often acknowledge the foreigner clime, geographics, and civilization of England ‘s metropoliss ‘[ 18 ]Within The Fat Black Woman ‘s Poems, Nichols seeks to arouse a different perceptual experience of beauty from that which is shown in white Western civilization: ‘Nichols besides deploys the fat black adult female as a powerful challenge to the dictatorship of Western impressions of female beauty ‘[ 19 ]and therefore ‘ engender a new heroine, a adult female who revises the aesthetic of female beauty. ‘[ 20 ]One of the techniques Nichols employs to make this is uniting nature with an facet of the physical ego, as here in ‘Thoughts floating through the fat black adult female ‘s caput while holding a full bubble bath ‘ : Steatopygous sky Steatopygous sea Steatopygous moving ridges Steatopygous me[ 21 ] The unfamiliar word, ‘steatopygous ‘ ( intending holding to the full rounded natess ) is repeated for accent and juxtaposed with images of nature so as to bring forth an emblem of the black adult female as stopping point to nature, her organic structure shaped like the sky, moving ridges and sea. Nichols is authorising black adult females in image by making this as she does by giving the black adult female her ain alone voice: ‘In doing the fat black adult female the speech production topic of many of these verse forms, Nichols signals her refusal to busy the topic ( erectile dysfunction ) place designated for the black adult female by history and to take a firm stand on more complex subjectivenesss. ‘[ 22 ]Nichols is besides concerned that the voice should look realistic and hence the natural images perform yet another map: ‘Like many Afro-Caribbean authors, Nichols infuses her poesy with the religious energy of the tradition of adult females before her , a tradition that has little written record. ‘[ 23 ] In another verse form from the aggregation, ‘Beauty ‘ , this reproduction of a different image of physical entreaty can besides be seen to be connected with nature: Beauty is a fat black adult female walking the Fieldss pressing a breezed hibiscus to her cheek while the Sun lights up her pess Beauty is a fat black adult female siting the moving ridges floating in happy limbo while the sea turns back to embrace her form[ 24 ] Again, the adult female is juxtaposed with nature, supplying a integrity between the character and her milieus which is both actual and metaphorical. Repeat is used one time more by the poet to underscore the connexion between the subject of the aggregation and beauty in abstract. Indeed, the word ‘Beauty ‘ , the merely capitalised word in the verse form, is set entirely on a line, as is ‘hibiscus ‘ , as if to emphasize its importance as an emblem or iconic of what Nichols says is an imperative i.e. that this is what beauty unambiguously is. There is a common embracing between the adult female and nature, she ‘pressing ‘ the ‘hibiscus/to her cheek ‘ and ‘the sea bend [ ing ] back/to hug her form ‘ . It is as if Nichols is proposing that the ‘fat black adult female ‘ who is ‘riding the waves/drifting in happy limbo ‘ is in unison with nature and recognised by it as being so. All of nature, so, like â⠂¬Ëœthe Sun [ that ] lights up her pess ‘ is lauding her and she it. There is no punctuation in the poetries, underscoring the smooth, natural flow of the descriptions and the manner in which they are intended to connote all that is inherently natural. As Nichols writes in ‘The Assertion ‘ , ‘This is my birthright ‘[ 25 ]and therefore the probe of beauty within the verse forms becomes a socio-political jussive mood, excessively. In decision, all three texts – Miller ‘s Death of a Salesman, Rhys ‘s Wide Sargasso Sea and Nichols ‘ The Fat Black Woman ‘s Poems – all use nature as a manner of enlarging upon and more efficaciously showing their cardinal concerns. An of import component of this is the manner in which hapless false belief is used by the writers, i.e. nature reflecting and/or proposing a temper or subject. As the three texts discussed here are from different genres, they of class usage nature in different ways, using different literary devices, as has been shown. However, for each of the writers nature is singularly of import and enriches the single texts immeasurably. In the concluding analysis, hence, it might be suggested, so, that nature itself becomes about a communicative character within each of the really different plants discussed within this essay, as its importance to the creative activity and communicating of each can non be overestimated.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Top Pay for Top Performance

Bates, S. (2003). Top pay for top performance. HR Magazine. Berglas, S. (2006). How to keep A players productive. Harvard Business Review. 1. Bates argues that in order to keep top performers satisfied and productive, there should be a substantial difference in the variable pay or merit-based salary increases that top performers and poor performers receive. Based on the available research (which is mentioned in the article), how big of an increase is needed to â€Å"catch anybody’s attention†? (1 point) . Assume that you were hired last year to work in HR for a large corporation. The corporation hired one of your classmates at the same time. Each of you were paid $40,000 in your first year on the job. You are one of the top performers in your company. Your classmate is an average performer. Your boss explains to you that finances are tight because of the recession, and that there is not a lot of money set aside for merit increases. However, your supervisor wants to rewa rd your hard work.Thus, he/she gives you a 4% salary increase compared to your classmate’s 2% increase. (2 points) a. In dollar amounts: i. How much of an annual gross increase did you receive? ii. How much does this amount to per week? iii. How much of an annual gross increase did your classmate receive? iv. How much does this amount to each week? v. How much more than your classmate do you get paid each week after the raises go into effect? b. How motivated are you to continue to perform at a high level? 3.What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a variable pay system that is linked to performance? (2 points) 4. Sometimes, the best performers are not motivated by money alone. What is it that some A players want in terms of compensation? (1 point) 5. What does Berglas recommend for keeping â€Å"A players† productive? (1 point) 6. Combine the recommendations from these two articles and create a compensation package for top performers and average perfo rmers. You may be creative, but your package should be realistic and should be motivating. (3 points)

Thursday, August 29, 2019

International Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

International Human Resource Management - Essay Example Competent and highly skilled workers are necessary. Above all, the corporation must be sensitive to the culture of peoples where it is operating as well as the culture of people they are serving. This is an essay that will explicate international human resource management (IHRM) from the theoretical vantage of culture to determine strategic performance management and its competitive advantage amid contextual changes. The researcher will also explicate culture within the context of diversity in relation to IHRM amid challenges in international business operations, citing Marrriot International Inc., as an example. But before going further, it’s necessary to first define some relevant terminologies that is thematically used in this study. International refers to a scope of affairs that is involving two or more countries. Human resource management, on the other hand, refers to a system relating to hiring or employing, training, designating, performance managing and appraising emp loyees’ performance (Jackson, Lafasto, Schultz, and Kelly, 1992). Culture also refers to beliefs, values and customs that are integral and are influential in their decision-makings, style of leadership and on how relations are managed (Pettigrew, 1979). Internal and external conditions are maybe influential to person’s emotional and psychological make up but its culture that molded persons’ perceptions, behaviors, organizational management, working relations and evening systems of operations (Pettigrew, 1979). Like external and internal environments, culture is undergoing continual change. HR policies and procedures therefore must be adjusted to cope with this change. Human Resource Management and Diversity Armstrong (2006) explained that human resource relate to management’s system where workers perform tasks to contribute to the achievement of corporation’s goals by employing persons, enhancing their skills, maximizing their capacities in exchang e for just compensation for services rendered. Managers value performance and evaluate worker’s performance based on corporate standards as part of career development and employ coaching or feedback mechanism for the improvement of performance (Schneier and Beatty, 1979). HRM is essential in corporation's growth and in retaining competitive advantage thus, the need to capitalize superior human resource management. Consequentially, the increasing demand require High Performance Work Practices by ensuring that workers are hired through criteria of procedures; with compensation and incentives based on performance standards. It also encourage or mandate labor forces participation in production and decision-making as well as provide them skills to enhance their knowledge, abilities to improve their motivation (Delaney and Huselid, 1996). Thus, companies must have standard to manage worker’s performance to contribute quality results for the organization (Lingle and Schiemann , 1996: 56-61; de Waal and Coevert, 2007: 317-416) that measures efficiency and effectiveness of workers. It also involved managing organization, administering of personnel, management to manpower. The system fundamentally consider that HR works to meet needs and goals but also

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The use and abuse of anabolic steroids by athletes, the problem seem Research Paper

The use and abuse of anabolic steroids by athletes, the problem seem to begin as early as high school and continues later on to the professionals - Research Paper Example Testosterone is the only hormone targeting the male sexual characteristics as it stimulates the reproductive organ and development of muscle and bones. It also promotes the growth of skin and hair and influence sentiments and sex drive in males. In males, the adrenal gland as well as the testes produces testosterone; whereas in the females it is only secreted by the adrenal gland. There are over hundreds various types of anabolic steroids synthesized in order to maximize its benefits. Since 2013, not a single type of anabolic steroid has been synthesized that do not have any kind of side effect. In most of the developing countries, anabolic steroids can easily be purchased without any prescription. However the American government has tried to impose some control over the buying and selling of these drugs. The use of anabolic steroids in US without any prescription is considered illegal and may also result in one year of imprisonment or $1,000 fine. These steroids are derivatives of testosterone, a hormone found naturally in males. A healthy male produces 2 to 10 mg of testosterone. It helps in hair growth, deepening of voice, growth of reproductive system and increases the density of bones and muscles (Anabolic Steroids). Anabolic steroids were originally developed in the year 1930 for treating the cases in which the body is not able to make much testosterone for fulfilling the daily requirement. In the following years physicians tried using this drug for other purposes but did not achieve effective results. Disadvantages associated with the drug over shadow its benefits and therefore its use was restricted to medical purposes only. Anabolic steroids were used by pediatrics for stimulating the rate of growth in children whose growth rate was slow. The availability of the synthetic growth hormone has limited the use of this hormone as growth stimulator in children. It was also used in the treatment

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Flight Attendants Role in Aircraft Research Proposal

Flight Attendants Role in Aircraft - Research Proposal Example The aircraft passengers at the time have extremely long travel durations and it is extremely important that flight attendants the ensure full cooperation with the passengers (Shaw 2007). The major roles of flight attendants also include the safety of the passengers as they need to be facilitating them during the flight and also advise them on how to have a safe flight by providing them with safety instructions. The flight attendants are involved in boarding the flight in a collective form that is called the cabin crew. The world’s first flight attendant was Heinrich Kubis. Heinrich Kubis became the first flight attendant in the year 1912 (Shaw 2007). The main roles and duties of the flight attendants are basically concentrated towards the safety and security issues for the entire travel time period of the airlines. Before the commencement of any flight, it is required by the flight attendants to conduct the safety briefings with the pilot and the lead flight attendant of the airline (Kanki et al 2010). During the session of the briefing, the flight attendants thoroughly go over the checklists of emergency and safety element. The emergency equipment and their locations are verified along with all other necessary types of equipment required for the flight. Some passengers may have special needs, some small children may be traveling without a guardian and the responsibility may be given to a specific flight attendant, and at times some VIPs are required to give special attention during the flight. All these boarding particulars are verified before the flight commences by the flight attendants (Shaw 2007).

Monday, August 26, 2019

Identity in the Indian Ink Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Identity in the Indian Ink - Essay Example The novel teams up with ideas that are fascinating as well as characters that revolve around an English woman who was visiting the subcontinent during the years that were yearning in the British Empire dominance (Davis 33). British and Indian definition of Identity The British people define Indian identity in terms of the behavior and culture the Indians display. For instance, the nude picture is a representation of Indian culture as evidenced by Flora when she says, â€Å"this one is for yourself†¦I’m pleased† (Stoppard 74). The picture is nude to represent Nirad’s tradition as well as a revelation that he had stopped aping the English. However, Nirad meant to please Flora who had always told him to stick up for himself and stop doing everything the English do (Stoppard 43). This causes a cultural clash because Flora wants Nirad to be himself. Nirad wants to impress Flora using his knowledge of English culture and of England. Using oils in painting was Engl ish and not Indian; therefore, Nirad had to make the painting nude in order to be Indian. Thus, the British defined Indian culture based on following Indian roots and keeping away from English culture. Traditionally, Fosters which is a passage to Scotts and India the Raj quarter, the play examines experience in the colonial field by focusing on the relationship between given couples. Throughout the play, Flora’s and Nirad’s relationship changes from being a formal one to being an intimate one. Their relation brings in major points of culture clash and tension too. Identity as displayed by the Characters Identity is given much attention throughout the play, especially as can be traced in different levels but it is clear in the relationship between Flora and Nirad. Stoppard chose an original way of presenting the identity in their relationship because he represents them using the art. In this respect, his idea of â€Å"skill without imagination,† is craftsmanship and offers numerous helpful objects, e.g., wickerwork, picnic, and baskets. Imaginations devoid of skill yield modern art. This is interesting because it reveals his view on the art as well as power of the human imagination, which should interpret and perceive the arts as it was done by the main characters (Kelly 50). The British as well as Indian perceptions during the colonial past are depicted in close parallel with the perceptions of the refashioned post-colonial. The reflection of Stoppard on the Anglo-Indian hybrid identity as well as combined cultures, i.e, Anglo and Indian in nature are traceable in the vastly Anglicized contemporary nature of Anish who opposes Mrs. Swan concerning imperial history topics and articulates the dominance of Indian culture, although he states, â€Å"England is my home now†¦I have spent half my life here" (Stoppard 18). His spouse is an English lady who is a contemporary deconstructive style painter, not like his father. Among the most conf licting viewpoint regarding the Empire’s past start to arise when Anish states, "The first War of Independence" or "The Rising of 1857", which Mrs Swan calls "The Mutiny" ( Stoppard 17). The author offers a similar voice to the two viewpoints as a somewhat heated contest on imperial history follows. An exemplar regarding Mrs Swan’s opinions is, "We were your Romans, you know. ...We might have been your Normans" (Stoppard 17), after which Anish persuasively puts forth his viewpoint.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Young Goodman Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Young Goodman Brown - Essay Example He decides to go on this journey in the middle of the night through a forest. His wife urges him not to go alone because she knew that something suspicious was going on but he wanted to discover the truth even though he feared his own actions. It was clear that he was having second thoughts about his journey as he says, â€Å"†¦. Methought as she spoke there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done tonight. But no, no; 't would kill her to think it† (Young Goodman Brown, Web). His willingness to go on this journey shows his desire of finding out answers about his life as well as Puritan beliefs. After meeting his fellow traveler who asked him about being late, Goodman replies by saying, â€Å"Faith kept me back a while," (Young Goodman Brown, Web). By faith, Goodman either meant his wife or even his belief and faith in God which required him not to go on this journey. In the story of Young Goodman Brown, the character of Goodman Brown is driven by his own desire of discovering the truth about his fellow members of the Puritan community. The setting of this story is such that Goodman starts imagining fear and evil everywhere along his route in the forest. He says, â€Å"There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree†¦

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Website for Marketing Firm Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Website for Marketing Firm - Research Proposal Example Another advantage that online advertising has is its capability to reach a global audience at a fast rate. This enables extensive exposure of the products, brands or services being advertised, resulting to a high success rate (Online Advertising - Advantages and disadvantages 2005). With these facts, the creation of a website would definitely be a great help to promote a business at a very reasonable cost. Websites now reach a greater audience than the traditional advertising vehicles. Moreover, websites represent a kind of dynamism that makes the product or brand being advertised looking very competitive and updated. The purpose of this website is mainly to promote the Marketing Firm, its company profile and most importantly, its products and services to the market. It would be a user-friendly site, in which interested clients could browse through to search on needed information regarding their required service. It basically aims to capture its target market and eventually lead to sales.

Friday, August 23, 2019

The disclosure of sensitive and classified information by persons Research Paper

The disclosure of sensitive and classified information by persons currently or previously employed by or affiliated with the Uni - Research Paper Example However, these sources and not authorized disclosures of the core information. This is also because the press only releases individually and cumulatively. Just like secret intelligent actually works. But however, this is a very major issue. If one is working or has worked with United States federal government, then one should know the importance of keeping your organization secrets to yourself. Being not an ordinary citizen, you are of the key persons of the country to keep in-charge of the national security of the United States. The unauthorized disclosure of classified intelligence has always been extraordinarily been resistant to the authenticity. Though there is a committee named as Foreign Denial and Deception Committee. This organization makes an interagency effort in order to understand how other agencies get to know about and how they try to defeat the US secret intelligence activities, but then even the unauthorized disclosures of classified intelligence still seem to be a s erious problem for the US national security. Where the term classified information means the information, which at the time of violation of the US laws is, for thenational security, specifically designated by a United States Government Agency for limited rights of distribution. George Tenet – the Director of the CIA, said in an interview about unauthorized disclosures, that they have become one of the biggest threats to the survival of the US intelligence. And definitely, what harm the wikileaks did to the US national security, no one would deny it. Though the US law states that whoever intentionally shares any kind of classified intelligence information to an unauthorized person or transmits, furnishes or publishes it in any way which leads to the benefit of any other foreign government or to the insecurity if the United States concerning the preparation or use of any code, design, construction, maintenance or repair of any device or apparatus or communication of any intelli gence activities of the United States with any foreign government shall be either fined or be imprisoned for not more than ten years, or as a punishment may be have to suffer from even both but the steps take to stop the violation of these rules must be improved in order to assure the security of the US intelligence. George England, the Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense while stating the rules and the responsibilities for the national defense of the US in his Reporting and Investigation Guide said that every civilian employee, active or reserved National Military Guard, any member, contractor or an employee of a contractor of the department of defense working with the classified material is instantly supposed to report through any security channel, any suspect disclosing the classified information to anyone. Then further actions will be taken after consulting with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and other officials after confirming if the information of offici ally released under a proper authority or what. Then further decisions would be made for starting an investigation by some military organization or Federal Bureau of Investigation, which will base on how accurate was the information that was disclosed, how much damage was caused to the national security by the disclosure of that information, how many people gained access to that information, if its investigation will increase the damage caused, the reasonable expectations of the

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Eassy HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eassy HR - Essay Example Hiring decisions are the possible final opinions that can be adopted in a hiring process. They are culminating possibilities from the hiring process that involves recruiting and selection processes of potential employees. The hiring decisions that I might witness in functional areas, manufacturing and accounting areas, include appointment of freshly recruited employee, renewal, or extension of an employee’s contract, promotion of an employee, or dismissal of a particular employee or recruit for an alternative. The decisions largely rely on the job specifications, job design, and the qualities that are demonstrated by the recruits in any of the possible hiring cases. A consideration of the expected roles of a potential employee, potentials of the recruit and the organization’s job design is for example essential in determining the ability of the recruit to adapt to the organization’s structure and culture. Consequently, making the hiring decisions should rely on t he management’s informed opinion based on the recruit’s past data from previous employers that allows for both human resource forecasting and quantitative forecasting of the recruits’ abilities. The resultant opinions of the hiring panel are then deliberated upon and a final decision is made on whom to hire for the subject position (Castillo and McAniff, p. 64). There exist varieties of strategies that can be used to recruit applicants into an organization’s human resource. Examples of the most currently used recruitment strategies include job postings, application of the print media, mail recruitment, recruitment through personal contact and recruitment from an organization’s interns. Job postings may be the traditional posting of job opportunities at a strategic place such as public notice boards or may be electronic on listing agencies’ websites and may be geographically target specific or may be universal. Recruitment through the media is however, regional

The HTML page Essay Example for Free

The HTML page Essay HTML which stands for Hyper Text Markup Language is a scripting language which is primarily used for building web pages (W3C. org, 2007). The language is an interpreted language and used extensively to build a standard website. The web pages are linked together using the features of the HTML alone where it creates hyperlinks to join pages. All these combined web pages are hosted to the internet and is registered under a domain that facilitates it to have an Internet Protocol address to access it over the internet domain. The HTML can be explained as follows: †¢ Hyper Text – It usually implies several variants of text that can be used for displaying information over the web page to the internet users. It can also embed objects like pictures, static and moving graphics and video in the web pages using the options available for its representation. †¢ Markup Language – It is called so as it belongs to the family of markup languages which puts or assigns tags to the text so that their representation is enhanced (W3Schools.com, 2007). For example, representing text in paragraphs, tables and others. Internet browsers use the HTML in a very unique manner. The process is as follows: †¢ To generate a web page, a request for the page requires to be made. The IP address or the domain name is typed in the address bar and pressed enter. †¢ The request now travels across the network and hits the nearest DNS (Domain naming service) server where the domain name is resolved. †¢ The web page request is done at this moment. †¢ The HTML page once fetched is interpreted by the browser and displayed in the browser using the tags specified. †¢ The page layout is according to the instructions in the HTML source. Internet browsers provide an excellent facility to interpret the HTML page with the specified instructions. References W3Schools. com (2007). Retrieved 10, November 2007 from http://www. w3schools. com/html/html_intro. asp. W3C. org (2007). Retrieved 10, November 2007 from http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Disability Representation In The Media

The Disability Representation In The Media My personal reasons for choosing this dissertation topic stem from an interest in how media representations shape the attitudes of wider society. I feel it is important to note that I am writing as a non-disabled student with the view that disability studies and research should not just be the interests of disabled people. Issues of inequality and social injustice need to be considered by all members of society, while ensuring that the views, definitions and experiences of the particular group remain central to the discussion. It has been made apparent that the voices of disabled people have been absent from discussion because of the assumption that they need others to speak them and decide on their needs (Barton, 1993). Dominant views of disability dictate that it is a personal problem of the individual, based on biological impairment. However, I strongly advocate a social model of disability which emphasises that oppression and discrimination by society is the cause of experiences of disability. I plan to make this my main approach in writing my dissertation. Barton (1996, pg. 5) describes disability studies within the field of Sociology as an emancipatory project and argues that the fundamental question we must ask ourselves is whether the sociological imagination contributes to the benefit of disabled people (original emphasis) I believe that any research which aims to illuminate the prejudices implicit in cultural representations of disability, are necessary pursuits and it is vital to seriously consider the reasoning behind research projects as well as the ultimate impact they are aimed to have on particular groups. There has been many publications regarding disability and media representation in recent times which highlights that disability, impairment and disabled people are being frequently misrepresented in the mass media. Research has also suggested that such media representations have an alarming affect on the attitudes of the public. This issue can be divided into three key areas, the use of disability stereotypes, the use of specific language and images of disability and the under-representation of people with impairments working within the mass media. Pressures from disabled activists and legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005 have brought this issue onto the agenda and worked to improve the rights of disabled people. An increasing awareness of the issues has resulted. However, the extent of this awareness is debatable as there is still much work to be done in tackling the negative and disempowering portrayals within the media and the current views of society. It is clear that the media has not made sufficient changes and therefore this issue remains extremely relevant. My aim is to explore the representations of disabled people to see whether any changes have been made. 1.3.3 Can Disability be represented positively? It is safe to say that the majority of media depictions of Disability and impairment are incorrect and exclude people with impairments from participation within media production. During my search for literature on the issue of disability and the media, I found that a substantial amount of studies were very critical of the media and focus only on negative stereotypical portrayals with an inclusion of recommendations for their demise. An example which I plan to use in my literature review chapter is Barnes (1992) disabling imagery and the media which ambitiously attempts to deal with all aspects of the media in misrepresenting disability. Despite such an extensive collection of studies in this area, there is very little literature which focuses on the representation of disability by disabled people themselves. It could be argued that there are not enough media sources which involve disabled people of which to analyse. However very recently I am pleasantly surprised to see that there ar e a few emerging. Notable examples include the Channel 4 mockumentary Cast Offs in which six characters with different impairments live together on an island. The show highlights many disability issues and challenges stereotypes of disability. Themes include sexuality, disabled identity and the exclusion of disabled actors and actresses from television (Wilde, 2009). Other media sources which feature disabled people include, Britains Missing Top Model and Dancing on Wheels. Although this is a step in the right direction, the inclusion of individuals with impairments on TV has been restricted mainly to reality TV which offers little insight into the lives of disabled people; instead they are centred on strength and achievement despite the individuals impairment rather than a celebration of disabled identities. The new American musical drama Glee has considered disability issues within its plot lines, this included the use of wheel chairs during a performance in order to educate the a ble-bodied performers on the importance of considering the needs of wheel chair user Artie and the difficulty in getting around the high school from his perspective because of the lack of ramps and accessible doors. Unfortunately however, the character of Artie is played by a non-wheel chair user and so any positive aspects of disability representation in the show are practically reversed by the exclusion of disabled actors and actresses from participating. 1.3.4 The Sun and Ouch! I wanted to choose two online sources for my study which were imposing in terms of disability representation and portrayal. Tabloid newspapers are notorious for depicting various groups inaccurately and producing sensationalised media in order to sell newspapers. The Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper which is among the highest in circulation in the world (The Newspaper Marketing Agency, 2010). The use of disablist language is common in tabloid newspapers and often in the broadsheets too. Reports regularly provide distorted representations of the experience of disability and focus on stereotypical assumptions (Barnes, 1991). This topic will be expanded further in chapter three. I chose The Sun because of its popularity in the UK and because tabloid news is a major source of information for the general public, I will be using articles from The Sun online website. After selecting a tabloid source for my study I began searching for an online source which involved the self-representation o f disabled people, I dismissed many websites because they were charity based, political in nature, or simply provided information and advice for disabled people without necessarily being based on the views and experiences of this group. Examples of websites I considered include Radar and Disability Now. I chose Ouch! because it is not centred on disability politics and aims to reflect the lives and experiences of disabled people (See Ouch! 2010, http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/about.shtml). The website consists of articles, blogs, podcasts as well as other features. The writers and contributors are not concerned with political correctness but seek to offer insights into the topics that are important to disabled people and those with a stakehold in disability such as family and friends. To ensure that representations and portrayals of disability are suitable, the Ouch! team are disabled themselves. My first impressions of the website and its content were that it is very humour based and do es not take itself too seriously. It is friendly, accessible and taps into the ordinary, everyday experiences of disability. This is why I decided it would be a suitable source for comparison with a more mainstream media source. 1.4 Structuring my Dissertation My dissertation will consist of six key sections. The first is my introduction which will outline the topic of study, along with my reasons for choosing it and my aims. Chapter two will historicise disability using the work of Barnes (1991, 1996, and 1997). Chapter three will discuss the existing literature which relates to my topic, this will include studies of media representation and disability, a discussion of the political models of disability and the key terms involved in the debate. In chapter four I will discuss my methods of research, including how I selected my sources and an examination of the strengths and weaknesses of my chosen method of content analysis. I will also consider any ethical implications of the study in this chapter. Chapter five will be my most important section, in this I will present and discuss my findings. The final chapter (chapter six) will be focused on my concluding the study. It will relate my findings to the objectives presented in the introducti on and the issues raised in my literature review. It will also include a reflection of my chosen methodology and a summary of the dissertation. 2.0 The History of Disability In order to understand the representations and societal perceptions of disability today, it is necessary to study a history of Disability. The attitudes and practices of the past have a vital influence on present day beliefs. Barnes (1997) argues that the lives of Disabled people in history have been overlooked in favour of an emphasis on medical perspectives and it is clear that many disabled people experience exclusion from mainstream society. This is evident in such areas as employment, in which 45% of disabled people of working age are excluded from. It has been found also that disabled people tend to have lower earnings, with disabled men earning on average  £1.50 less per hour than non-disabled men (Hyde, 2001). As a result, many disabled people live in poverty or are at risk of poverty. Discrimination can also be seen within the education system welfare, housing, leisure and environment and planning. The evidence that disabled people experience sever economic deprivation and social disadvantage is overwhelming and no longer in dispute, whether it be from the governments own commissioned research, from research institutes and academics or from disabled people themselves. (Oliver, 2003, pg. 312). Historically, people with impairments have long been oppressed and marginalised. Hostile treatment, pity and ignorance are common disabling experiences. Barnes (1997 and 1991) claims that perceptions of disability are rooted in ancient Greek and Roman history, he discusses how the cultures of the western world are based on the achievements of the ancient Greeks who built their existence on slavery. Greek society was extremely violent, male dominated and prone to war. They had a strong value for physical and mental strength and any weaknesses and flaws were not tolerated. Such a concern for perfection meant that the infanticide of sick and disabled children was very common. In Greek philosophy, the gods and goddesses were idealised representations of perfect humanity (Dutton cited in Barnes, 1997, pg 13). The only god who was physically imperfect was Hephaestus, this Greek God was rejected by his parents because of his grotesque appearance and labelled a cripple by his wife Aphrodite who committed adultery with a more aesthetically pleasing lover. This mythology is significant as it is a clear source of the links made between impairment and sexuality today as many of us assume that disabled people are unable or do not want to have a sex life. When the Romans conquered Greece and expanded their empire, the values of strength, individualism and able-bodiedness were inherited with it. The Romans also advocated the infanticide of weak children and ridiculed people who acquired impairment during their life course. Many roman games involved using individuals with impairment as comedy acts for the amusement of others. Although both the Greeks and Romans attempted to develop treatments for impairments, they were reserved mainly for those with power and wealth (Garland, 1995). Another foundation of our thoughts and beliefs of disability can be found in the western religions of Christianity and Judaism. Religion in ancient societies viewed disability as anti-religious and a reflection of sin or immoral behaviour. Barnes cites many references from religious texts which imply that impairment is a consequence of bad behaviour. For example, in Deuteronomy (27-27) it states that immorality will be punished by blindness. In contrast to Greek and roman society, the Jewish faith opposed infanticide and encouraged its members to care for the less fortunate this is also a feature of subsequent religions stemming from the Judaism, such as Islam and Christianity. People with impairments were accepted by the community, but as objects of neediness and charity. This was a key feature of Christianity. Consequently, they were viewed only in terms of their impairment and treated as incomplete human beings in need of sympathy (Barnes, 1997). During the Middle Ages disability was associated with evil and superstition and people with impairments were treated with extreme hostility. Children born with impairments were believed to of been sent by the devil as a result of parents involvement in witchcraft and other black arts. This association with evil was very strongly held in Britain during this time and was reflected in art and literature, Shakespeares Richard III is a good illustration of this, Richard is portrayed as physically and mentally deformed despite having no physical impairment. He is destined to only be successful as a villain which perpetuates the negative stereotype of impairment and evil. Just as in the ancient world, disabled people were ridiculed during the middle ages in many forms. Analyses of joke books from this time reveal that impairments such as insanity and idiocy were used as sources of humour. Many individuals with visible impairments were displayed as objects of entertainment (Barnes, 1997). The 18th and 19th century saw the transition from agricultural subsistence to factory production during the industrial revolution and urbanisation process. This brought with it a decline in religious authority and the growth of science and rationality. The development of utilitarian philosophy which emphasised the importance of pleasing the majority at the expense of minority groups created a new found value for individuality and progress. These developments provided justification for the beliefs and practices of the past and can be cited as a starting point for the disability issues which are visible today. These include the development and prioritisation of a medical model of Disability, in which the body and impairment are viewed in individualistic terms rather than social, cultural and political. The institutional prejudice and discrimination of people with impairments in everyday social life is a second issue of Disability theorists. The popularity of eugenic ideas during the mi d twentieth century and the murder of thousands of disabled people, as well as other oppressed minority groups during the second world war is another significant point in modern history and many scientists still advocate Social Darwinist ideals and view human imperfections (both physical and mental) as a societal threat, a threat that needs to be eradicated (Barnes, 1996). The rise of the disability movement in the 1960s saw the development of the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS), the establishment of such organisations and the activism of disabled people resulted in a re-classification of disability as distinct from impairment and social in nature as opposed to medical (Barnes, 1997). Disability became defined as the disadvantages caused by social institutions and environments which effectively exclude people from participation (UPIAS, 1976). This was later adapted by other organisations such as the British Council of Disabled People (BCODP) and the Disabled Peoples International (DPI) (Barnes, 1997). Eventually, this new understanding of disability became known as the Social Model of Disability (Oliver, 1996a). Disability theory will be discussed further in my literature review (Chapter 3) with an analysis of both the medical and social models of Disability. 3.0 Literature Review 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Disability and Impairment: Key terms in the debate Disability is difficult to conceptualise because of its multi-dimensional and complex nature. The term can be used in many different contexts and from different perspectives which means there is little consensus on its definition (Altman, 2001). Classifications associated with a medical model of disability are based on a distinction between impairment disability and handicap impairment is defined as functional limitations to do with the body, disability is when an individual cannot function normally because if this impairment, and handicap refers to an inability to participate in social life (Oliver, 1990). The main problem with such classifications is that the individual impairment is considered to be the most important factor and reinforces an individual definition in which functional limitations predominate. Thus, disability is viewed in terms of an individuals personal inability to function (Barton, 1993 pg. 237). This model has had a powerful influence in shaping not just social policy, but societal attitudes and behavior. In reality, many disabled people have rejected this understanding of disability. Instead disability refers to failures in the structural environment to meet the needs of all individuals. The Disabled Peoples International (1981) put forward the following definition which better fits the views of disabled people. Impairment is the functional limitation within the individual caused by physical, mental or sensory impairment. Disability is the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the normal life of the community on an equal level with others due to physical and social barriers. In relation to my content analysis research, I will be looking to identify how disability is conceptualised and the type of language used both in The Sun and Ouch! 3.3 The Language of Disability The first and most important thing to remember about discussions of language and disability is that they arise because disabled people experience discrimination daily and are denied the same rights and opportunities as the rest of the population. Apart from the fact that words can be deeply hurtful to disabled individuals, they have power and are used extensively to justify oppression (Barnes, 1993, pg 8). The power of language is a significant topic of discussion in the area of disability studies. While we assume that the primary purpose of language is to aid communication, Oliver (1994, pg. 4) argues that it is also about politics, domination and control and I am inclined to agree. The development of language is not based on consensus of meaning but rather through the ability of some groups to force their meaning and understanding of others. This form of cultural domination is visible in many forms, the imposition of the spoken word on deaf people and sexist language directed at women are both suitable examples (Oliver, 1989, pg.1). The misconceptions that society has of disability are caused as well reinforced by the use of disablist language. Many of the abusive terms directed at disabled people are well circulated and familiar to most of the population. moron cripple spastic idiot mong dwarf midget lunatic the list is endless (Clark and Marsh, 2002). This kind of terminology has t he power to promote prejudice and discrimination against disabled people. As mentioned in the previous section (3.2) the DPI re-defined impairment and disability in line with the reality that disability is rooted in social injustice. This means that the language used by both the media and wider society ought to reflect a social model of disability in which society discriminates against those who do not conform to the ideals of an able-bodied society. Disablist language such as the disabled or people with disabilities are unacceptable yet commonly used by the press and the population generally. Individuals do not have disabilities, they have impairments. Phrases such as the disabled objectify the individual and impose a particular label on their identity which is based solely on their impairment. Disabled people as opposed to people with disabilities is more appropriate as it implies that the disability belongs to society, whereas the latter makes it the property of the person (Barne s, 1991 and 1992). Within the British press, the aforementioned terms, particularly cripple and handicap are used regularly. This is usually within a sentimental and patronising context. For example stories in which disabled individuals display bravery despite of their disability or handicap or instances where individuals have made personal scarifies to help a disabled individual or group. These generally involve the use of emotive language, such as wheelchair bound afflicted sufferer victim and so on (Barnes, 1991). To summarise, much of the language that is used in discussions of disability are based on an individualistic/medical understanding of the nature of disability. They are not developed from the experiences of disabled people, but rather from the perceptions of others. While conducting my study I will be interested to see which kinds of terminology and language are used in the newspaper articles from my sample. 3.4 Disability Theory: the Medical model and the Social model The medical model of disability has formed the basis of commonsense assumptions and beliefs about the nature of disability. This perspective focuses on the individual and his or her impairment. It imposes a presumption of biological or physiological inferiority upon disabled persons (Hahn, 1985). Medical views attribute physical and intellectual impairments as constituting disability, while denying its social and political nature. Oliver (1983 and 1996a) prefers the term individual model and argues that medicalisation is one element of this, along with psychological aspects. Medical accounts amount to a personal tragedy theory of disability (Oliver, 1990 and Finkelstein, 1980) in which disability simply happens to individuals and is personal to them, it implies that any difficulties are a direct result of impairments (Finkelstein, 1993) this forms the basis of everyday beliefs. In terms of rehabilitation, emphasis has been placed on functional limitations of an individual and attempt s to find ways of preventing, curing or (failing these) caring for disabled people (Marks cited in Williams, 2001 pg 125). As mentioned throughout this dissertation, this way of understanding disability has been heavily criticised by disabled people and disability has been re-conceptualised as a social and political problem through the work of disabled groups in the 1960s (Barnes, 1997). Disability theory has roughly been divided into American and British contributions. I will briefly outline the work of American sociologists, however I am more concerned with the work of British authors as it better relates to my dissertation and its theoretical standpoint. American writers during the 1960s challenged the idea that individual medical conditions or impairments were the cause of disability. Goffman (1963) discuses the role of stigma in spoiling (pg. 15) a persons social identity, one of the forms of stigma he identifies derives from physical abnormalities. He also identifies that disability is socially constructed and concludes that the attitudes of professional contributes to experiences of disability. St one (cited in Barnes, 1997) argues that the social construction of disability is based on the power of the sate in restricting welfare to those who require it. The importance of work and production in industrialised society has meant that those who are unable to participate are in need of assistance from the state, who along with medical professionals, are able to define disability as an individual problem and determine the level of access to welfare and other state services. Other writers, notably Albrecht (cited in Barnes, 1997) point out that disability has been controlled and transformed into commercial enterprise (pg. 6) he claims that societies produce different forms of illness, impairment and disability. The ways in which these are interpreted is dependent on economic factors he argues. American functionalist/interactionist accounts of disability are derivative of Parsonian ideas and focus on the role of being sick which is expected of disabled people and considered to be a form of deviance (Oliver, 1996b). The liberal values that exist in an industrial (and post- industrial) society place importance on personal responsibility and a strong work ethic, deviancy is created when an individual is unable to conform to these ideals. Writers have also argued that people with impairments are dependent on medical professionals who assist in the psychological accommodation of a disabled identity (pg. 21) and provide rehabilitation. The main criticisms made of the American tradition are that they over look the significance of social and economic factors central to experiences of disability. They also fail to take into account the perspectives of disabled people themselves, both these points form the main focus of British writers which I will turn to next. British theorists have been much more critical in their assessments of disability and have explicitly expressed their arguments about the oppression, prejudice and discrimination that many disabled people encounter on a routine basis. A number of writers have approached disability in society through a materialist or Marxist analysis, focusing on economic and political factors. Others have highlighted the importance of the subjective experiences of disability and the role of culture. References have been made to the importance of gender, ethnicity, class, sexuality and other social factors which shape individual understandings of disability (Barnes, 1997). Theorists who use a materialist framework claim that oppression is caused by economic structures. The lives of disabled people have little value in a capitalist society as they are deemed unable to contribute to economic and social life (Riddell, 1996). Finkelstein (1980) identifies three phases in history with regard to societal re action to impairment . In the first, pre-industrial phase people with impairments were not excluded from economic life and the notion of disability did not exist. This was because work was subsistence based and aimed at providing basic food and amenities for survival. Communities needed all the labour they could get from its members (Barnes and Mercer, 2003). The second phase was that of industrial capitalism during the 19th century, both Oliver (1990) and Finkelstein (1980) argue that during this time Disability developed along side capitalist production and free market enterprise. The rise of factory production and the intense levels of speed and control involved meant that disabled workers were not welcome in the work place. Processes of urbanisation created fragmented communities and weakened family networks. The growth of towns and cities to house the work force were geographically and structurally inadequate for disabled people and contributed to their segregation from wider s ociety and the introduction of residential institutions (Barnes and Mercer, 2003). For Finkelstein, it was at this point that people with impairments became a distinctly oppressed group, he argues that in phase the use of technology and the activism of disabled people will end oppression and disability will cease to be viewed in individualistic or medical terms (Barnes, 1997). Perhaps the growth of the internet and websites like BBC Ouch! mark the beginning of this phase. Oliver (1990) also discusses capitalism and disability, he applies Marxist ideas about the power of ideology to argue that the values which form the basis of social practice and culture conceptualised disability as a personal tragedy and aided the development of the individual model. Critics of Finkelstein and Olivers materialist analyses of disability argue that they over look the individual experiences of disability, rather than treat disabled people as a homogenous group. The social model needs to be reconceptualised with this in mind and from a postmodernist perspective which recognises diversity (Shakespeare, 1994, Morris, 1991, Crow, 1992). These writers discuss the prejudiced attitudes towards disabled people through culture, as material explanations fall short in explaining why discrimination exists and how disablist culture produces it. *incomplete* 3.5 Media representation of Disability and effects on the audience The stereotypical portrayal of disabled people within popular culture is one of the most significant factors contributing to the discrimination of disabled people. Hunt (1966) argues that disabled people represent an other in society and pose a threat to the able-bodied values entrenched in its structure. He describes this threat as being divided into five forms, as unfortunate, useless, different, oppressed and sick (pg. 146). Disabled people are considered unfortunate because of the belief that they are unable to lead a full life. They are useless because they cannot contribute economically, different because they do not conform to normal expectations of a human being and marked out as members of a minority group (pg. 150). Finally, they are oppressed and sick because they do not fit in, for the able-bodied, normal world we are representations of many of the things they most fear- tragedy, loss, dark and the unknown contact with us throws up in peoples faces the fact of sickness an d death in the world (pg. 155-156). Hunts arguments about the way disability is understood in western culture are applicable today in studying the misconceptions which are reproduced by the media. As discussed in Chapter Two, such misconceptions stem from the beliefs and practices of the past and have become firmly ingrained within society. Disablist attitudes become normalised through a process of social learning (Barnes, 1991) however, the extent and nature of this process is open to debate and many argue that there is no real way of knowing how he media influences perception. There have been many studies which have investigated the cultural portrayals of disability, some examples follow. 3.5.1 Disabling imagery and the media by Colin Barnes. The focus of this study is the portrayal of disabled people in the media and its stereotypical nature. Using secondary data from the content analysis studies of various organizations, Barnes (1992) identifies several stereotypes of disabled people produced within the media. These are: the disabled person as pitiable and pathetic as an object of violence as sinister and evil as atmosphere or curio as super cripple as an object of ridicule as their own worst enemy as a burden as sexually abnormal , as incapable of participating in community life and as normal (Barnes, 1992, pg 3). Rather than focus on particular aspects of the media, Barnes chose to study all aspects of the media, including the press, radio, television, books and so on. He argues that media depictions of disability contribute to experiences of discrimination in a significant way. He goes on to reiterate that the poverty experienced by disabled people cannot be explained by the traditional model which suggests individua l physical or intellectual limitations to be the root cause. It is caused by reactive environments and disabling barriers. Thus disability refers to a complex system of social constraints imposed on disabled people by a highly discriminatory society (Barnes, 1992, pg. 5). As mentioned in Chapter T7wo, stereotypical assumptions about disability stem from the beliefs and practices of earlier times, they are embedded in the very structure of society and are expressed in all institutions- ed

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Internet of Things (IoT) in Insurance

Internet of Things (IoT) in Insurance There are many Insurers with well-defined IoT based solutions in their core business product space, such as Usage-Based Insurance in auto insurance, discounted smart sensor device offers etc.   Large Property and Casualty (PC) insurers have been watching the IoT technology space mature over a period of last couple of years, and thus have capitalized well on their learnings and analysis.   Expectations from IoT continues to grow in the field of insurance. IoT is not just about the connected devices, but any IoT solution is incomplete without capturing the real-time and relevant data.   This captured data should be available in cloud, to have the ability to run advanced analytics to provide appropriate customer and other stakeholder dashboards.   It is key for the insurers to leverage their existing high volume of data, and develop the ability to drive improved outcomes for customers, brokers partners. In this article, we review the journey of IoT in the insurance industry, and we discuss what to expect from IoT in future.   Other aspects of this article includes the impact of other technology trends with IoT, such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language processing etc. Influence in PC (Property Casualty) and (Life Annuities) LA industries IoT has been able to mark its impact in PC market, but LA market still needs exploring opportunities.   PC insurers have deployed more IoT projects than LA players have. Connected ecosystem is one of the core IoT trends in the insurance space.   Approximately 34 percent of customers have indicated that they would be inclined to smart homes and real estates.   Close to follow in terms of trends are the wearables with 30 percent customer interest. In terms of numbers, LA has only 5% projects deployed, whereas in PC percentage is 12%. The trends clearly indicate that growth of IoT based solutions in both the domains is obvious. As IoT grows in adoption, leading insurers will find ways to leverage the data available from these technologies to improve operations and better engage customers. BI Intelligence recently projected that by 2020, there will be over 34 billion connected IoT devices, and over $6 trillion spent on IoT solutions in the next 5 years. With this expected growth in IoT and wearables, insurers need to plan for their use by consumers and the impact of these devices on consumer behavior and expectations. Below are a couple of success stories in the PC world where IoT has played a significant role in improving their business: Progressive Snapshot ® Progressive insurance groups Snapshot ® product is a flagship initiative that primary deals with IoT and high volume of data with analytics to provide Usage-based insurance to its customers.   Its primary intent is to reward good driving, and thereby encourage insureds to save in their insurance costs.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Snapshot ® is an OBD II based simple device that pluggable into most modern cars.   This device keeps a track on the driving habits such as usage of brakes, average speed etc., along with other relevant data such as time of driving etc. Liberty Mutual Google Nest Liberty Mutual has collaborated with Google Nest to provide its customers an ability to prevent perils.   Customers are offered the Nest protect device along with their insurance at no extra cost.   This IoT device helps customers identify and alert on critical parameters such as smoke, CO emission levels, temperature variations etc. It rewards the insureds for staying safe. Challenges and Barriers for IoT in insurance Some of the apparent challenges that comes along with IoT based solutions in the insurance industry are: Security Risk IoT is susceptible to cyberattacks as it involves multiple devices and multiple protocols.   IoT based solutions are effective with very large volumes of data flow between entities, over networks and many a times over public networks.   Such solutions make the Insurance Company vulnerable to interceptions. Large investments are required to secure IoT generated data, to avoid intrusions as well as misuses of such data for fraudulent activities.   IoT solutions should include a clear focus on identifying and addressing the possible security risks and threats as an important aspect.   Insurers and the insureds should understand the security dimension of such solutions to ensure appropriate measures are in place. Data Volume management Strength of IoT solution is to provide and capture data (real-time in most cases), which is added to the Insurers big data repositories.   Such large datasets are the assets for the insurance companies and the whole solution relies on how stakeholders utilize these large volumes for the benefit of all.   With large data volumes, comes the volume management challenges that requires significant planning and appropriate enterprise strategy.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   It is also very important to plan the inclusion of the IoT real-time data with the historic data such as Policy, Client, and Claims data etc. Data ownership is also a challenge with IoT data management strategies.   It is always a challenge to understand if the data belongs to the insured or the insurer.   There are other data challenges such as privacy, data tampering etc., which need absolute attention from the Insurers while defining and establishing a long-term solution. Standardization and Regulation With an increasing trend of growing numbers of IoT devices, interoperability is already a challenge.   Plenty of startups as well as large players are trying to capitalize on the IoT market by deploying and integrating devices.   With lack of regulations and agreements in place, the IoT solutions are bound to fail.   There have been quite a few initiatives by many players on this front, but the process maturity will take some time. Disruption to existing large business models Insurance industrys business relies on the right balance between the volume of risk managed, and the claims associated with the covered risks.   To understand this better, insurers always seek to contain the volume of claims by preventive measures to have a good handle on the loss ratio.   This leads to have a direct impact on their written premium to losses ratio and thus improves their margins.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   IoT solutions give a great advantage in avoidance of claims by providing relevant indications and alerts for most of the critical major perils. There is always a threshold to such business theory because if the claims keep going down then it will have a direct effect on bringing down the premiums as well.   Insurers need to ensure the IoT based solutions provide the right balance and manage the alignment between solutions and core business models. IoT with other technologies Insurance industry has recognized the importance of IoT in its business, and we have seen a clear growth trend for the last couple of years. We believe that the trend will continue in the same direction, with an increase in the implementations of IoT based solutions.   IoT solutions involve multiple technologies to maximize benefits for stakeholders.   For example, IoT solutions are inclusive of Analytics, Cloud, protocol management etc. Some of the other trends where we see an immediate impact in the insurance industry are: Natural Language Processing Talking to devices is not something new for the human beings.   We have had our smartphone based digital assistants in existence for quite long now.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Amazon echo has already pioneered in the home digital assistant space.   Imagine a situation where an IoT device like Amazon echo, captures the conversations by a senior citizen living alone.   IoT devices can be extremely beneficial in emergencies for senior homes, and NLP capabilities to such sensors can help prevent any medical situation by understanding, processing and alerting appropriate agencies for help. NLP and Text processing is predicted to have a positive disruption in the insurance industry by providing abilities such as information retrieval from unstructured data, sentimental analysis to streamline the flow of information to customers thereby improving customer relationships, kiosk based Chabot etc. Blockchain Blockchain looks very promising when it comes to providing some of the challenges that IoT solutions possess.   Roadblocks such as inorganic scaling of IoT devices (without identity, or interoperability), information and privacy concerns etc. can leverage the fundamental principles of Blockchain technology for an appropriate resolution.   We foresee Blockchain considered as a heavyweight partner technology for IoT based initiatives. Insurance companies and their technology arms will need to understand and implement the appropriate solutions involving Blockchain.   Blockchain comes with its own baggage of challenges hence we recommend a thorough study of the problem scenario. Artificial Intelligence IoT generates high volumes of data, and such significant and relevant data is of no use if we do not have machine-learning capabilities introduced in our IoT based solutions.   As the devices are increasing, so will the data volume as well.   This significant and invaluable data will help our systems to understand what is working vs what is not working. This data volume goes beyond human capabilities for analytics; hence, a machine learning will be inevitable to maximize the return from IoT based solutions. Future Impact of IoT in Insurance Industry IoT based solutions have done tremendous development in all horizons of human life and the impact has been on positive as well as negative side. On the positive side, IoT provides real time data, which provides useful information ahead of time to both Insurers and Insureds that helps them in taking preventive action and reduces/eliminates losses. On the negative side, IoT brings risks, both physical and financial; with the connected devices over Internet. Some of the significant areas of IoT impact listed below: Need of Cyber Insurance policies will grow With the growth of IoT, the risk of data loss and resulting liabilities will increase. Cyber insurance policies provide coverage against data liability losses and the costs involved due to data breaches, hence there will be improved focus on cyber insurance products, which increase the sale of such policies. List of excluded risks will increase in cyber policies With IoT penetrating more and more in human life the risk of cyber-attacks on IoT devices will also increase. Providing coverage against all these risks will be loss for Insurance carriers hence insurers will provide specific exclusion for cyber perils. Minimize the insurance need IoT based solutions will continue to alter the risk associated with customers and their perils, which will make both Insurance carriers Insureds aware of the risks before time. This will have an impact on the global insurance market, as the chances of error will reduce which results in shrinking the insurance market thereby minimizing the need for insurance. Artificial Intelligence and containers will distribute IoT: The year 2017 would see Internet of Things software distributed across cloud services, edge devices, and gateways. Further, machine-learning cloud services and Artificial Intelligence will be used to mine data from IoT devices. Role of Insurance carriers in IoT security will increase More and more inclination of consumers towards IoT enabled devices lead to more security risk for them. Since IoT technology is changing so fast, it has become a big challenge for the insurance regulators to cope up with that and design the new products accordingly. Insurers are taking on the financial risk associated with the increase use of IoT; hence, they will address the IoT security via proper underwriting. IoT will affect the mobile industry in both directions Many upcoming solutions will create enhanced mobility solution requirements and at the same time, we will see some IoT solutions making mobile apps redundant.   With increased connected devices, mobility solutions will enhance the user experience using digital assistants, smart watches etc. IoT certification will suppress Industry specific certification In order to get into the nerves of IoT, the vendors will be motivated to get IoT certified inspite of having Industry specific certified. Investments will be focused on minimal cost based trainings and certifications along with maintaining high standards of these certifications. Along with it, all major industrial vendors will come together to jointly certify their IoT-enabled products with enterprise vendors. *Forrester ICRMC Report NIIT technologies IoT We have been participating in the growth of IoT based solutions across industries.   NIIT Technologies Ltd has already worked with a large US based insurer to come up with a complete connected solution suite.   This solution involves end-to-end IoT based package for the Personal lines insurers, especially dealing home and dwelling insurance based. NIIT Technologies also has in-depth experience with IoT based devices including, but not limited to, Bosch XDK, Google Nest, Amazon Echo, VR devices, Pressure and Temperature measuring devices as well as expertise in learning and research devices such as Raspberry pi, Arduino etc.   Our dedicated IoT lab and its experienced resources work closely with our Data Analytics experts to design comprehensive solutions for the insurance industry. NIIT Technologies is also working on other relevant initiatives i.e.   IoT solutions integrated with NLP, machine learning and Non Natural disaster artificial intelligence solutions etc. Recommendations for Insurers Research and understand customer needs and identify how IoT based solutions can improve your business model.   Understand your capabilities and whether you have the right solutions in place with the existing landscape for data management IoT in isolation is not beneficial for long term; invest on solutions that are beneficial for all stakeholders. Invest on partner technologies, as per relevance with your business Start looking beyond business as usual.   Disruption in business has already become a norm, hence business, technology and product research should be an ongoing process.   Focus on impact by IoT innovations on insurance products, for example, insuring driverless cars, drones etc. Enhance your business model and focus on how to help customers adopt the IoT based solutions.   Without customer buy-in, IoT solutions will have no value, and the benefits to the insurance companies is quite high hence, it is worth the focus. For many insurance products, IoT has minimized the need of large historic data and maturity.   This has happened because IoT has the ability to provide real-time, more relevant and custom user specific data to improve and customize underwriting.   This has allowed smaller players to jump in to participate in this levelled field.   Large insurers need to be flexible to customization of products and need to bring in more agility in product designing as well. Insurers should invest on appropriate Proof of Value and Proof of Concept initiatives for IoT solutions with their trusted partners before initiating any industry scale implementation or solution. Abbreviations and Acronyms IoT Internet of Things PC Property and Casualty insurance LA Life and Annuities insurance NLP Natural Language Processing

Monday, August 19, 2019

Enlightenment and Tartuffe :: Free Essays Online

Enlightenment and Tartuffe The ideals of the Enlightenment can be found in many of the writings from this time period. There are a few characteristics that are commonly associated with the Enlightenment. This was the age of reason. People at this time began to apply rational thoughts to figure out and understand nature and to guide their human existence. In Moliere’s Tartuffe, this ideal is expressed through the character of the king. In the end, Tartuffe has brought an officer of the king back to take Orgon away. However, in Tartuffe’s attempt to get Orgon arrested, the king saw through him and reasoned that Tartuffe was the one to be accused and put to trial. Another defining characteristic is the desire for equality and dignity for all, the thought that all have a set of basic human rights. The Enlightenment also challenged many of the former ideologies, one of which was ignorance. Tartuffe exemplifies these characteristics through the character Dorine. Dorine is Mariane’s lady-maid, in other words, someone with a low social standing because she is a member of the working class, and presumably ignorant because of this low social status. However, in the story, she is much smarter than Orgon and also a lot more reasonable. This shows that it does not matter what social class one comes from to determine their level of intelligence. Her closeness and acceptance by the family, with the exception of Orgon, shows that people can be viewed for their own worth and value. Dorine is someone from a lower social standing than the family, but yet, is able to socialize and befriend the family she works for. Another challenge is to superstition, deception, and oppressive traditions. Tartuffe is a character that is related to the church and yet is a very deceptive, hypocritical character. He is able to con Orgon into letting him into his home. Furthermore, Orgon is deceived into disinheriting his own son and leaving all the inheritances to Tartuffe. Orgon is an example of the oppressive person who tries to maintain complete control.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Digestive System Essay -- essays research papers

Purpose The digestive system prepares food for use by hundreds of millions of body cells. Food when eaten cannot reach cells (because it cannot pass through the intestinal walls to the bloodstream and, if it could would not be in a useful chemical state. The gut modifies food physically and chemically and disposes of unusable waste. Physical and chemical modification (digestion) depends on exocrine and endocrine secretions and controlled movement of food through the digestive tract. Mouth Mouth Food enters the digestive system via the mouth or oral cavity, mucous membrane lined. The lips (labia) protect its outer opening, cheeks form lateral walls, hard palate and soft palate form anterior/posterior roof. Communication with nasal cavity behind soft palate. Floor is muscular tongue. Tongue has bony attachments (styloid process, hyoid bone) attached to floor of mouth by frenulum. Posterior exit from mouth guarded by a ring of palatine/lingual tonsils. Enlargement sore throat, tonsillitis. Food is first processed (bitten off) by teeth, especially the anterior incisors. Suitably sized portions then retained in closed mouth and chewed or masticated (especially by cheek teeth, premolars, molars) aided by saliva Ducted salivary glands open at various points into mouth. This process involves teeth (muscles of mastication move jaws) and tongue (extrinsic and intrinsic muscles). Mechanical breakdown, plus some chemical (ptyalin, enzyme in saliva). Taste buds allow appreciation, also sample potential hazards (chemicals, toxins) Swallowing In leaving the mouth a bolus of food must cross the respiratory tract (trachea is anterior to oesophagus) by a complicated mechanism known as swallowing or deglutination which empties the mouth and ensures that food does not enter the windpipe. Swallowing involves co-ordinated activity of tongue, soft palate pharynx and oesophagus. The first (buccal) phase is voluntary, food being forced into the pharynx by the tongue. After this the process is reflex. The tongue blocks the mouth, soft palate closes off the nose and the larynx rises so that the epiglottis closes off the trachea. Food thus moves into the pharynx and onwards by peristalsis aided by gravity. If we try to talk whilst swallowing food may enter the respiratory passages and a cough reflex expels the bolus. Oesophagus The oesophagus (about 10") is the first part of the... ...a mixture of mucus and serous fluids, each produced to various extent in various glands. Also contains salivary amylase, (starts to break down starch) (antibacterial) and antibodies. In some mammals (and snakes!) saliva may be poisonous, quieting down living prey. Pancreas Endocrine and exocrine gland. Exocrine part produces many enzymes which enter the duodenum via the pancreatic duct. Endocrine part produces insulin, blood sugar regulator. Liver and gallbladder Bile, a watery greenish fluid is produced by the liver and secreted via the hepatic duct and cystic duct to the gall bladder for storage, and thence on demand via the common bile duct to an opening near the pancreatic duct in the duodenum. It contains bile salts, bile pigments (mainly bilerubin, essentially the non-iron part of hemoglobin) cholesterol and phospholipids. Bile salts and phosholipds emulsify fats, the rest are just being excreted. Gallstones are usually cholesterol based, may block the hepatic or common bile ducts causing pain, jaundice. Liver Multi functional: important in this context since the capillaries of the small intestine drain fat and other nutrient rich lymph into it via the hepatic portal system.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Education Systems of Vietnam and England Essay

The secondary education system is very important for both Vietnam and England. It created for children’s future purpose. Compared to Vietnam, England’s current system of secondary education has a long tradition and higher quality, while the secondary education in Vietnam is borrowing from many different countries and poor quality. However, both countries have some similarities and differences in their education system. Their similarities include the free education, the national curriculum applied for all state schools, but they both have some differences in the education structure, the qualities, and the law for private schools. Firstly, there are both similarities and differences in their education system. The secondary education is free for all children, but it is not compulsory in Vietnam. Meanwhile, English children required by law to have a free education until they are 16 years old. Furthermore, the national curriculum created and applied for all state schools in both countries. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate – The ministry of education and training of Vietnam). Moreover, the national test applied for all children in both countries at the age of 11, 14, and 16. In England, the secondary education is a local responsibility, so that the education and teacher employed and provided by Local Education Authorities (LEAs). In Vietnam, the Local department of Education is also responsible for secondary education, but all state schools are employed the teacher individually. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate – The ministry of education and training of Vietnam). Beside some similarities, they also have some differences such as the education structure, the facilities, and the quality of education. In Vietnam, the secondary education are divided into two levels, which are the basic secondary education and the high school education, the student can leaving school or seeking higher education after completed year 12. In contrast, the secondary education system of England encompasses three key stages. Key stage 1 from year 7 to year 9 and key stage 2 from year 10 to year 11 are compulsory, after completed year 11 student can leaving school or complete two more levels to study in higher education. In addition, the facilities and the quality of education in England are much better than Vietnam. Finally, the other difference is the law system.

Pragmatism and the Environment Essay

The environment is at stake. The world we live in is a state of slow death—that the world is dying everyday just as the human body loses body cells every minute. Every natural resource of the world is continually abused without thought of the consequences. In a way, human beings are that of a virus, a systemic biological specie that consumes an abundant and relatively beneficial part, destroys it, moves on to another area, and leaves the consumed, worthless, and decimated. However, human experience teaches us that we cannot always deny the natural law because as intelligible beings capable of understanding, we have the natural ability to adapt to any environment given and finding ways and means to survive. As such, the development of the human race is not possible if not for our natural inclination of adaptability, protection of species, and survival. In the essay Pragmatism and Environmental Thought by Kelly Parker (1996), she mentions â€Å"what we must not try to do is not to master the natural world, but to cultivate meaningful lives within various environments. † This coincides with the natural law of adaptability, in which human beings need not defy standards as defined by nature but to harness it and provide necessary means of survival. Pragmatic Knowledge and Environmental Issues Pragmatism heavily relies on factual understanding rather than the complete belief in the innate ideas of the human mind. William James, John Dewey, Charles Pierce, among other founders of American pragmatism during the start of the century, argued that there are no innate beliefs in which knowledge is based. This means that knowledge is not innately transposed upon the human mind. Rather, experience confirms this â€Å"baseless† knowledge through factual and concrete understanding—that an ideology is only accepted as true if it is to be found practical in application. Human experience is then the basis of such practicality and its truthfulness is defined through practical solutions. The environment is not detached from the pragmatist or any other being. The environment is part of the experience, that there is a symbiotic relationship between the two biological systems as well as other life systems. Parker (1996) emphasized this point in her essay: â€Å"environment, in the most basic sense, is the field where experience occurs, where my life and the lives of others arise and take place† (p. 29). Every circle must have definite bounds in which it interacts and from that interaction is where experience revolves. Through these experiences, there have been developments in the field concerning the environment, especially on ethics. The development of environmental ethics is based on the pragmatic movement. More specifically, the interaction between the two different world views of nature leads to the eventual development of these ethics. These ethics later become moral standards for people until they become a â€Å"norm† of living for most. Based from these practical experiences, these social norms transform into methods of newer forms of social responsibility and enhance environmental awareness such as new laws and legislations concerning the environment, grassroots activism, among others. The Ethical/Global Problem As inferred by the pragmatic view, pragmatism’s role with the environment is more on application rather than theorization. In a more general perspective, human beings have the natural tendency to abuse their surrounding and not to take into account their own actions against different ecological systems around them. This coincides with the debate on moral pluralism and anthropocentrism. Moral pluralism specifies â€Å"no single moral principle or over-arching theory of what is right can be appropriately applied in all ethically problematic solutions† (Parker, 1996, p. 31). There is no ultimate and essential set of moral laws governing every scenario of moral problems. Because of the subjectivity of experience, it cannot be applied to any moral problem because of the lack of objectivity. In relation to environmental cases, there are different moral standards (i. e. , culture, geographical location) that must be taken into account in order for a set of moral/environmental laws to be applied. These different subjective inquiries on what should be protected, allowed, or banned come into a moral dilemma—whether it would be practical or not. Moral pluralism is also related to the problem of anthropocentrism—the prioritization of values for human beings. Human life is placed on greater importance rather than other outside factors. In her article, Parker (1996) further explains this line of reasoning: Again, this is not to say that human whim is the measure of all things, only that humans are in fact the measurers. This must be a factor in all our deliberation in all environmental issues. We can and should speak on other’s behalf when appropriate, but we cannot speak from their experience (p. 2). The essay proposes that we create standards and laws by speaking for ourselves and for the things that we want to protect based on our own experiences and judgment. For instance, the advocates of endangered species or an ecological subsystem represent their â€Å"party† to other human being. It is through the advocates that these creatures are represented in the debate over human need. The Global Challenge With the looming threat of global warming, greenhouse gas, and other ecological concerns, what we should do is concentrate more on proper action and proper representation of all the numerous aspects of the environment. We have already identified several problems that cause environmental distress recently and from these problems, there should be a formulation of steps to quickly counteract these issues. If left ignored or continually debated upon without any concrete formulas of implementation, these problems will continue to grow until they become uncontrollable. The proper need of identifying these problems will help in creating different strategies as well as formulating legal actions that will help protect and preserve environmental issues. The factual and general perspective is the world is dying and it continues to deteriorate as the number of human population increases. The matter of proper action comes into play through the environmental advocacies all around the world that supports of revitalizing planet earth. However, there remains the fact that human beings generally view the environment as something that can be planted, created, destroyed, and recreated again. This cycle implies that even with human intervention, the natural law of nature will still take its place. Society, especially today, should learn to adapt and live harmoniously with the environment in order to create a symbiotic relationship between the two. We also have to address the apathy of humans towards its environment. We should remove from the human mindset that the ecological system that we live in is not infinite and it will soon vanish if we are to let our actions not reflected upon. By examining our actions, we may come to a realization that everything that we do may affect the environment in ways that we might not even know. Removing this unconscious reinforcement may well be one of the keys in solving our environmental problem. The depletion of our natural resources, the unnatural effects of greenhouses gases and the growing number of human population are just a few of many environmental issues that should be given importance. Although these problems are already experiencing drastic developments for the last six years, we already have the initiative and the technology to somehow lessen its steady increase and may eventually, although not essentially eradicate, balance the gap between human state of living and the environment. Living with an ecological system, we must learn how to balance our actions and lifestyles in order to build a beneficial relationship. In this way, everybody wins. Reference Parker, K. (1996) Pragmatism and Environmental Thought. In A. Light & E. Katz (Eds. ) Environmental Pragmatism. London and New York: Routledge (21-37).