Knowledge of the terminology Essay

This paper intends to answer the following question, â€Å"Is it appropriate for an officer to use personal or neighborhood slang or jargon in a report? † as well as, explain the reason/s for it. No, it is not appropriate for an officer to use personal or neighborhood slang or jargon in a report. The reasons for this are the following: First of all, â€Å"jargon† may only be understood by those people use it (Caudle et. al. , 1999). The individuals who use it are those who belong to â€Å"groups that have a similar interest† (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Groups inclined in medicine, law, trade, etc are those who converse/communicate through the use of jargon (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Second, it is claimed that â€Å"people may use jargon to leave an impression of intelligence or to confuse a person† (Caudle et. al. , 1999). This reason in itself is very clear, it is extremely inappropriate for an officer to file his or her report using â€Å"slang† or â€Å"jargon† since this may confuse some individuals who do not belong to the group who may read the aforementioned report (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Third, jargon is only understood by those who have certain knowledge of the terminology utilized (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Thus, in filing a report, it is better to write it in plain English, which is commonly understood by everybody (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Furthermore, it will be easily understood by readers because it does not involve exaggerated words that may puzzle anyone (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Last but not least, the use of jargon is disadvantageous (Caudle et. al. , 1999). In this case, the person may feel offended upon reading the report of the police just like when an individual is included in a conversation where he or she feels excluded because â€Å"jargon† is utilized instead of a â€Å"common† language (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Explaining further, an individual may feel that the report may entail a â€Å"hidden agenda† because of the utilization of â€Å"jargon† or â€Å"slang† (Caudle et. al. , 1999). Reference Caudle, P. , Courtney, K. , Guyton, H. , Keller, M. , & Kind, Carol. (1999). Jargon. Retrieved August 14, 2007 from http://www. uncp. edu/home/canada/work/allam/1914-/language/jargon. htm

Madness through king lear Essay

In the 17th Century, madness was still a relatively new concept. Many people believed it was due to a person being possessed, which resulted in madness often being linked back to black magic and witchcraft. In context, the public would frequently visit Bedlam Hospital to enjoy the spectacle of a madman’s behaviour thus, Renaissance dramatists typically used ‘mad scenes’ for a comical effect. In spite of this, Shakespeare seems intent on a serious, if not slightly disturbing, portrayal of madness in King Lear. Throughout the play King Lear, we bear witness to Lear’s gradual and possibly inevitable descent into madness. As early as Act I Scene 1 we, as the audience, observe early signs of the king’s insanity, albeit political at this point, we are alarmed at Lear’s decision to break up his state. Especially through the means he wishes to do so, his ‘love-test’ is foolish and egotistical, as is his desire to be treated as an important, royal personage after he has given away his kingdom. It is fair to say that all through Act I Scene 1 Lear shows many times that he most concerned with appearances. Seemingly his ‘love-test’ is going to plan, as Goneril and Regan extravagantly pledge their love and allegiance to their father, this is until Cordelia refuses to comply with Lear’s ‘love-test’, answering â€Å"I love your Majesty according to my bond, no more, no less. † simply meaning that Cordelia loves her father as a daughter should. Lear, in his blissful ignorance, cannot see past Goneril and Regan’s elaborate speeches and instead feels humiliated by his youngest daughter’s unadorned answer. As a result, he disowns her and banishes her, Cordelia then departs to France. We can see Lear is already losing control as he goes to strike his faithful advisor Kent and banishes him also, all because Kent questioned the Lear’s actions. As a consequence of Lear’s vituperative temper and his irrational, ‘insane’, actions he leaves himself powerless and at the mercy of his two eldest daughters, with neither his loyal advisor nor his devoted youngest daughter to protect him from what is to proceed. As the play progresses, we can see that the king’s identity is gradually becoming unbeknown to him when he asks the question â€Å"Who is there that can tell me who I am? â€Å"1, we can see that Lear is slowly losing his wits. Lear’s speeches become increasingly disjointed as he becomes more distressed, hinting at the madness that will overtake him later in the play. He is becoming progressively isolated due to his fragile mental state, thus, through Lear the idea of madness could be seen as being presented as vulnerability. In Act II, Lear’s changes of moods and tones indicate his escalating mental instability. His foolishness persists as he insists he will stay with the daughter that allows him to keep the most knights; there is desperation in his confrontation with his ‘dog-hearted’ daughters. Eventually, the beleaguered king’s rages become signs of impotence, not authority, emphasising the fact that the patriarch’s insanity has left him powerless and increasingly vulnerable. When the storm starts we recognise that Lear’s fear that he would go mad, first voiced in Act I Scene 4, has been realised. The storm serves as a metaphor for Lear’s – and England’s – plight, his speeches establish and reflect properties of the storm. Through the storm, Lear’s madness is presented as destructive as his speeches are full of anger and distress, as the mad king moves swiftly from one topic to another. The violence of the imagery that the king employs reflects his state of mind. It is easy to see how Lear’s insanity could be viewed as destructive; he has caused his kingdom’s predicament through his rash actions at the beginning of the play, he has divided his family through his egotism and in his ‘mad’ rages he often behaves like a scorned child using invective language. However, all this considered, Shakespeare also presents Lear’s madness as pitiful. Due to his madness Lear confronts his failings: as a father and a ruler. He shows compassion to the characters that have helped him i. e. the Fool, Kent/Caious and Poor Tom. Even when Lear starts to regain his wits, we sympathise with the king as with his new clarity of vision brings with it distress and much regret. These are not the facts that make us truly pity Lear; it is the reality that wisdom came too late. Jesters were often kept by the monarch to provide witty analysis of contemporary behaviour and to remind the sovereign of his humanity; Lear’s Fool certainly fulfils these functions for his master. At first glance, the Fool’s professional madness is rendered as comical, his seemingly asinine jests often lighten the tone and provide some much needed moments of relief, the Fool’s flippant remark about Poor Tom’s clothing is a good example of him lightening the tone of a distressing scene. However, through the Fool’s professional insanity Shakespeare presents a hidden wisdom. Lear’s Fool is ‘all-licensed’ which essentially means that the Fool is licensed to say things to his superior that anybody else would be punished for. Taking this, and the fact that Lear and his Fool seem to have a very close relationship (the Fool calling Lear ‘nuncle’ and Lear calling the Fool ‘boy’), throughout the time the Fool exists in the play he is able to counsel Lear. The Fool’s sarcastic jesting is blunt and hard hitting. Almost as soon as the Fool enters in the play he harps on Lear’s folly, this is apparent when the king asks ‘Dost thou call me fool, boy? ‘ to which the Fool replies ‘All thy other titles thou hast given away; that thou wast born with’2. Through the Fool’s madness he serves to push Lear towards the truth about his daughters this is evident when he warns Lear that Regan will side with Goneril, ‘Shalt see thy other daughter will use kindly; for though she’s as like this crabs like an apple, yet I can tell what I can tell†3. And again when he hints at the dangerous situation Lear has put himself in by reversing the natural order, making his daughters his mother, ‘The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long that it had it head bit off by it young’4 – this is clearly warning the king that his daughters will turn against him. Furthermore, the Fool also tries to open the king’s eyes so that he can see these truths on his own, ‘Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise’5, as well as have some insight as to why these events are occurring. The third character in question is that of Edgar / Poor Tom. Edgar, Gloucester’s legitimate son, is introduced as being a passive, credulous dupe upon whom Edmund’s6 devious practices ride easy. We are only given a succinct introduction of Edgar before Shakespeare haves him disguise himself as Poor Tom. In the days of Shakespeare, ‘Bedlam hospital’ housed the mentally ill. When they were released Bedlam inmates were allowed to go begging for survival; this is what Edgar has been reduced to by his gullible father and his brother’s trickery. â€Å"My face I’ll grime with filth, blanket my loins. Elf all my hairs in knots, and with presented nakedness outface the winds and persecutions of the sky†7 the fact that Edgar has to disguise himself as a ‘Bedlam beggar’, wandering the countryside in nothing but a loin cloth in order to preserve his life, presents to us his vulnerability and the sheer desperation of his feigned madness. Initially, Edgar is presented as a seemingly lucid character yet, as the plot unfolds we see he has many purposes within the play. Shakespeare uses Edgar’s alias Poor Tom to provide some comical relief as the plot thickens as some of his antics and ramblings can prove to be amusing gibberish. However, in contrast, Poor Tom’s erratic breathless craziness in Act III Scene iv increases the pathos infinitely. A prime example of this would be when he (Edgar / Poor Tom) says that a ‘foul fiend’ â€Å"laid knives under his pillow and halters in this pew, set ratsbane by his porridge†, indicating towards suicide, this speech reflects Edgar’s fragile state of mind and, although fake, his madness is distressing to the audience. We are reminded of Edgar’s humanity in Act III Scene vi (the mock trail scene) as he listens to Lear’s lunatic agony, his ‘act’ as Poor Tom momentarily breaks down at â€Å"Bless thy five wits† this in turn is another moment in which Edgar’s caricature increases the pathos of a scene. Furthermore, I feel that Shakespeare is using Edgar / Poor Tom’s situation to mirror Lear’s. Similarly to the besieged king, Edgar is now reliant on charity and he has also had his world and expectations turned upside down. Edgar’s assumed madness indicates towards Lear’s eventual submission to complete insanity in Act III, through Poor Tom we glimpse what Lear will be reduced to. Madness is portrayed in different ways through these characters: professional, feigned and genuine insanity. Nonetheless, the idea of madness is presented as purposeful, almost like a journey, for all three of the characters in question. Edgar’s ‘pilgrimage’ through his contrived madness serves the obvious purpose of preserving his life. The preservation of Edgar’s life enables him to guide his father but ultimately through his madness his valour is awakened allowing him to play the role of avenger at the end of the play. However, Edgar’s madness also serves a purpose to the principle protagonist, Lear, as it is noticeable that on the heath Edgar’s presence as his caricature Poor Tom aids Lear, as through interactions with Poor Tom the king’s humanity and understanding increase. The Fool’s professional jesting provides some much needed moments of relief. In spite of his comic role, the Fool’s main purpose within King Lear is to, in essence, be Lear’s conscience. In other words, he bestows the king with truth and reason throughout the turbulent situations that occur during his, the Fool’s, time in the play. Due to the fact that he is ‘all-licensed’, and also has a close relationship with the king, he can inform and criticise Lear for his mistakes without being punished for it, this permits him to counsel Lear. Lear eventually gains the insight he needs to perceive his daughters and society for what it really is, insincere and immoral. The Fool’s abrupt disappearance signifies that Lear has gained all the understanding he needs to distinguish between and reality. Therefore, the Fool is no longer needed: his purpose has been fulfilled. Unlike Edgar or the Fool, Lear’s madness is not an imminent occurrence, it develops throughout the play. The insanity of the king is unequivocally ironic, in his apparent sanity he was introduced to be conceited and imprudent, yet when he is ‘mad’ he becomes a more humble, compassionate and attractive character. At the beginning of the play Lear acts exceptionally irrational and cannot see the verity of his superficial values but as a result of his ‘madness’ he demonstrates an increasingly sincere, tolerant side to his nature. Attributable to his intensifying humility he is able to recognise his wrong doings as a leader and a father thus, the king’s madness redeems him as he learns the value of true emotion and is able to consider the sufferings of those close to him. Consequently, this enables Lear to reconcile with his beloved daughter Cordelia. In conclusion, the madness of King Lear is deeply distressing, it develops from and points back to the king’s instability.

Billie Holiday and her influence on Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Billie Holiday and her influence on Jazz - Essay Example The way she sang was completely new to the genre of Jazz at that time and her contributions are still followed by Jazz musicians in today’s time period. There are several legends and myths regarding the personal as well as her life as a musician. Even though she was surrounded with several scandals and was in trouble for a major portion of her life, he life experiences became the real inspiration of her music. The huge amount of contributions she made to Jazz music can never be forgotten. She can easily be said to have been the one who made major transformations to the way Jazz music was being practiced during her time. If a survey of modern Jazz history is conducted, the survey would prove that the Jazz music that is experienced in current times was her innovation. When she started practicing jazz music, there were hardly any jazz musicians who were personalizing their own tunes. There were only a few singers at her time who were singing different from rest of the singers. These singers were not a part of the Jazz music industry. These singers were representative of the Blues genre of music. One of these singers was Bessie Smith wh o along with another great Jazz singer and trumpeter named Louis Armstrong influenced Billie Holiday’s Jazz music (Henderson 295). During her early life she was singing most of the songs that were quite popular. She found this form of music quite monotonous and she started experimenting with her music. During her experiments she altered both the melody as well as the rhythm of the songs. To create her own music, she started phrasing music in relation to the beat and she even included different harmonies that were played by some of her personal favorite horn players including Louis Armstrong (Henderson 295). This mixture of music and experimentation resulted in the development of music that was regarded as magical. Current Jazz musicians use their own vocals as instruments for songs.

Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 24

Reading Response - Essay Example The author presents practical advice to female students on how they can take responsibility in their lives. The practical guidelines of taking responsibility of one’s life presented by the author reveals the conviction that, if women fail to do so, then things can only get worse for them. At this point, it becomes unclear whether only women should take responsibility or whether the entire society should make concerted efforts in promoting the status of the women in the society (Rich 27). The second article considered is authored by Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner and titled, â€Å"A Day without Feminism.† This article effectively helps the reader to imagine how the status of women in the society would still be if women in the past had not embarked on activism that led to increased freedom enjoyed by women. The authors paint a picture of different aspects of life that would have remained oppressive to women if feminism did not emerge. Totally agree with the views of the authors on how life would be without feminism. Moreover, it successfully reveals the patriarchal attitudes that would still define the society while women remained completely passive. According to these authors, women living in the 21st century and the new millennium have to exhibit gratitude to the women who depicted concerted efforts in campaigning for the rights of women (Richards & Jennifer 30). This marks one of the intriguing lessons that I learned from the text concerning how much modern women owe to the earlier feminists. This text is related to other outstanding texts concerning feminism, and the authors explore concepts similar to those explored by other feminist authors. One of the questions that may be posed is, â€Å"when will women stop claiming an education and start receiving it?† The second question would be, â€Å"How has feminism changed the lives of

Skills Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Skills Overview - Essay Example Now, I am already oriented about how business and its environment works albeit I still have to learn about it compared before where I did not even have a clue how business makes money. I could say that I improved my cognitive skills because I now have a grasp about complex theories which I used to find very difficult before. Also, I used to struggle finishing to read a book but now I am already used to reading a whole book completely owing to my improved cognitive skills. Analytical/critical/judgement skills thinking skills I believe that the University stresses this more compared in high school. When I entered the university, I only have the skills taught to me back in high school and never questioned if these concepts were valid. In the university, the teachers always encourage us to think analytically/critically to anything that that we learn. We were even ask to challenge the theories that are being discussed and is always ask what we think about our lessons. In the process, I le arn how to evaluate the lessons taught and compare it with other things that I learned so that I can develop my own insight about it. I carried this mindset in other dimension of my life such as evaluating the things that I encounter. For example, I no longer take news as they are or the opinions of the celebrity which I used to readily believe. I now examine their authenticity by checking their facts and cross checking it with the opinions of the experts. This is an exercise that we always do in the university which is why it is now part of my system. Writing Skills In business and in almost all of our class, we are required to write in a scholarly manner and I have to admit that I still have a lot to learn despite my improvement since I got into the university. There are a lot of ways on how to present ideas and I must say that I am still in the process of learning how to write better. My personal Development Plan Learning never stops and we should always learn new things for us t o continue to grow especially in today’s fast changing world. In my line of chosen career which is business, there are skills that I bear in mind that I need to develop so that I could achieve my goal when I have graduated the university and formally start my chosen career. These skills are; Communication skills In business, it is necessary for us to communicate effectively be it to our superiors, peers, customers or outside agencies and it is usually done in writing. These communications are not only letters but presentations, reports; needless to say, I have to be good in expressing myself both orally and in written language. Business entails presentations and to talking to people so I have to be good in oral communication. But this is not sufficient, I also need to make reports and written communication so I really have to be good in business writing as well. My plan in improving my communication skills both orally and in written language is to constantly practice. Communi cation skills is no different from other skill based activities like sport or playing musical instrument, we have to practice to improve. With regard to communication skills, I do dry runs before making a presentation several times so that I would be more effective with my presentation. With regard to my writing skills, I am more systemic in my approach because writing is quite a challenge. I first do idea mapping, then make an

Textual analysis - Writings from the French Revolution Essay

Textual analysis - Writings from the French Revolution - Essay Example The tax burden placed on poor civilians was not enough to alleviate the crisis faced by the administration. However, he presents a group of people who were longing for their rights and privileges. He uses an unpredicted, composed tone and manages to maintain a calm logic as he presents quite provocative facts about the revolution. He makes wrong, unjust, illogical situations to appear as though they were quite normal and the people could stomach any evil. He presents how the National assembly ironically apprehended power in the name the French nation. The 14th July 1789 Fall of the Bastille did not surprise him. He uses soft words to describe the distressed self-righteousness and radical jubilation that followed and/or provoked the revolution. The riots in Paris and other places are covered extensively to illustrate the devastating effects of the revolution; properties, innocent lives, and immaterial things were lost. The author manages to present the facts while maintaining a relatively neutral position that leaves readers wondering whether he supported the unwarranted revolution. Issues of great concern are presented in a down-to-earth and compassionate manner that easily s ways the readers to pity with the innocent people unjustifiably affected by the revolution. The assertion of the rights of man passed in 1789 was aimed at supporting a later constitutional change. The contents of the Act are not presented. It could as well imply that the Act further devastated people’s efforts to salvage themselves from the undue sufferings and/or acts of the administrators. While the author seems to perceive the rights as inalienable, many such rights were violated on several occasions. Religious divisions are also considered to be a significant factor in understanding the revolution. According to the author, â€Å"The programme of the church reform was also ideological, inspired by the rationalism and

Plantation Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Plantation Economy - Essay Example (West and Augelli, 1999) The history of Central America is linked with the growth and development of the plantation economy. When the colonialists reached the land, they found enabling climate and they set of establishing plantations to create what came to be known as the sugar kingdom in the history of America. The economy of the region is large reliant on Agriculture. There is production of cash crop like coffee, bananas, sugarcane and cotton which is produced through large holding and most of the products is exported to the Northern American and to Europe. However there is also the growth of subsistence crops like corns, beans, bananas, mains, rice and pulley. In the drier regions there is the production of beef cattle. The large holdings most employee modern farming while the subsistence farmers still use the simple farming techniques that have been in use for along time now. (Wrigley, 1999) Plantation farming has been practiced in the region since the settlement of colonialists in the region. However the region still lags behind in economic development despite producing agricultural products to the world. Has the plantation economy helped the region develop economically or has it helped the investors in the large holdings' This paper represents a well arranged and researched inquisitive essay on the impact of large holding farming in the region. The first part will look at the historical development of the large scale farming over the time and how it has developed in the region. Then it will look at the impact this has been making on the economy of the region and at the end it will look at the present economic situation of these countries so as to make a conclusion of there the plantation economy has been of use to the region of if it has not helped the region. In the conclusion it will look the problem that the region has been facing and what can be done on the situation. Development of plantation economy in the region The historical development of plantation economy in the region dates back when the Spanish colonization was started. With the arrival of Spanish and other colonialist in the region, there was increased development of agrarian economy which was favored by the Amazon climate that extends to the region. When the Spanish came, they immediately stated planting bananas in large plantation around 1860s and by 1870 there was increased growth of banana in the region. Most of the plantations in the region were started along the railway lines which were by then expanding northward to America. When an American entrepreneur was commissioned by the Costa Rica government to build a transition railroad, he started growing bananas along the railway road and immediately began exporting them to United States. Keith was highly successful in the venture and he embarked on the same plantation economic along all other major railway roads that he built. He was able to acquire large tracks of undeveloped la nd and in the process expanded the development of banana plantation to Guatemala and Hondura. In 1869 he merged with Boston Fruit Company and formed the United Fruit Company which rapidly expanded to Central America and by 1955 the company had over 400,000 hectares under production of bananas. (Ferguson, 1998; Mahar and Schneider, 1994) As the colonialists settled there was

Effectiveness of Tourism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Effectiveness of Tourism - Research Paper Example However, different countries rely on different sources for generation of income. These sources vary from small basic household products to large-scale destructive missiles (weapons of mass destruction), from daily used dairy products to fashion and clothing accessories, from agricultural products to the latest high-tech gadgets, and from medical equipment to services related to hospitality. Hence, there are countless ways by which countries are earning their livelihoods and generating profit. Tourism is also one of the important ways adopted by many countries of the world, and as a result these countries are generating large amount of income. Tourism fulfills the basic human needs of rest and recreation and can give maximum fruits to countries in many ways (Smith, 1994). It is beneficial for countries that are already developed, and for countries that are willing to develop, tourism can play an effective role provided they have sights to offer to tourists (Octaviano, 2012). Tourism c an play a vital role in raising the GDP of the countries; it can be fruitful in many ways for under-developed countries as these countries usually lack power and are looking for ways to shift their status from that of a third world country to that of a first world country (Urry, 2003). For instance, the role played by Philippines government in the promotion of tourism has worked for the country in a number of ways, and the tourism history of this country can be used as a â€Å"road map† for other under-developed states. Philippines did some structural adjustments with the help of World Bank in mid 70s (1973-1974) and initiated a program to endorse tourism. Moreover, different countries during the same tenure also made structural adjustment programs to promote tourism. They adopted variety of techniques: for instance, they attracted investors and transnational corporations that have in most cases the control over resorts, hotels and transportation; they helped programs funded by other countries, providing them with full government support to enable them to carry out their operations; and they took loans from various different sources in order to create an infrastructure for tourism expansion. The Philippines Tourism Strategy as a Role Model for Under-Developed Countries The Philippines tourism strategy can be considered as a classic example of what tourism has to offer to under-developed countries (â€Å"The Philippines†, n.d.). As it is believed, tourism in Philippines emerged due to major contributions by Marcos (dictator) in 1973 (Lumang, 2008), who had this vision of making Philippines a City of Man. Chasing that vision, he restlessly worked on engaging international hotels chains and other businesses to come and invest in the country in order to promote tourism. Marcos made relaxed and favorable policies for these foreign businesses so that their stay in the country could be prolonged. More than three decades have passed, and still tourism in Philippines is giving fruits and has matured in a number of ways. It has shown growth and is still following the same trend. Moreover, this trend is achieved because of the development plans, goals, policies

Education and Transportation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education and Transportation - Research Paper Example On the way to the Middle East, the Ottoman led Turkey’s Empire conquered Qatar and maintained strong control of strategic cities for several centuries. By 1821, this virgin and valuable land attracted the interests of the Britain who invaded its coastal lands and destroyed the Portuguese structures on the claim that it was a haven for piracy (Al-Amoodi and Kasim 145). Since their entry into the country, the British has dominated and transformed leading sectors of the economy. They have also influenced Qatar’s original culture, language, and general economic activities. One of the areas that have heavily been influenced by the British culture is education. Qatar has many schools and learning institutions that cater for local and foreign academic demands. Its education systems are jointly controlled by the Supreme Education Council and the Ministry of Education. However, the bulk of regulation and control of the academic systems are left to the Supreme Education Council. This is regulatory body has tried to make Qatar’s educations system world-class. This has been realized through according learning institutions more authority to independently exercise full control over their academic affairs. Private and international schools are very popular in major cities of the country. Notably, very few locals attend these institutions on the account that they are unaffordable to majority of low and medium income Qataris (Trani and Holsworth 71). The popular and recommended curriculums are American, French, International, and the British Education Syste m. Given that dominance of the Britain in Qatar, its political systems have referred and recommended the British Education System for the local and international interests. The British academic modules and programs have been applied in Qatar. This has impacted on the general academic standards of the country. This is because they have heavily borrowed from the British education

Security and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Security and Justice - Essay Example Additionally realism beholds security studies as ‘the conditions that tend to employ force more likely, the ways that the application of force influences individuals, societies, state and the exclusive policies that states implement so as to get ready for, prevent or take part in war’ (Walt 1991: 212). The Welsh School approach considers security essentially different to traditional approaches. The School of thought describes security as emancipation (Booth 1991: 319; McDonald 2012: 43). Emancipation is understood as ‘the freeing of people (as individuals and groups) from those physical and human constraints which stop them carrying out what they would freely choose to do’ (Booth 1991: 319). These ‘physical and human constrains’ are not defined deterministically but are somewhat context-specific (McDonald 2012: 48). In comparison to a realist understanding of security, the Welsh School provides a standardized outline that people are supposed to be the referent objects of security established against the state because the moral intent of the state is to oblige a social contract and preserve its population. The two different conceptualizations of security stated above demonstrate how security is judged because there is no consensus on what the expression stands for. Both make convincing yet differing statements about what security means. Consequently, there is no available description of the term that is sensitive to the way security can be perceived or performed by all players. The Welsh School has expressly criticized the realist perception of security. Realists see the state as the principal player in world politics and hence comprehend security to be concerned with the defense of the state (Carnesale and Nacht 1976: 2; Walt 1991: 213). Welsh School scholars oppose this view, arguing that the fundamental role of the state is not to protect itself but to impose a social contract and shield its population especially since the state is offered

In Defense of Gun Control Laws Essay Example for Free

In Defense of Gun Control Laws Essay Guns have always been associated with crimes. The use of guns may either work in the positive or the negative way. On the positive side, it could help in deterring the proliferation of crimes. The mere use or presence of it is sufficient for other criminals to stop their criminal intents. However, this is just one way of looking at gun use and ownership. If guns could be used for combating crimes and criminals, it could also be used to the proliferation of criminal acts. Many evil minded people would utilize firearms in order to compel people to do as they desire—including unlawful acts. The mere presence of a gun is sufficient to threaten an individual and to put one’s life in danger. Any wrong move in using a loaded gun might be the end for another’s life. It is due to this reason that the ownership, possession and use thereof are strictly regulated by the state. For anti-gun control advocates, they feel the need for less strict regulations on gun control and ownership. They are advocating that the laws be relaxed and for the law makers that gun ownership is essential in fighting criminals and crimes. It serves as the ordinary man’s protection against abusive individuals. In this day and age, there so many crimes that are being committed and a great number of criminals causing chaos to society, thus, the need for greater protection against them. Such advocates also invoke that it is their constitutional to own guns. However, in a case decided last June 2008 by the United States Supreme Court, it was upheld that reasonable efforts under of controlling the proliferation of firearms on the hands of private individuals is allowed. The law enforcers and makers however should be guided that there should be no outright ban on handguns (Newsbatch, 2008). This ruling of the Supreme Court would indicate that ownership of guns is not only limited to the military but it also extends to ordinary individuals so long as there is proper regulation. Indeed there is nothing wrong in the ownership and possession of guns as long as there is proper regulation thereof of the enactment and recognition of gun control laws. Blackstone, a former US District Court Judge also shares the view that the public should not be prohibited of their right to bear arms. They should be accorded this right especially in a country where there is a vast militia power. The bearing of firearms is the security of the people against abuse and their mode of defending themselves. However, this should be done in moderation and should be properly regulated (Guncite, 2007). In opposition to the claim that the ownership and possession of guns help deter criminality in the country, this cannot hold to be always true. As previously indicates, the use of guns may work positively or negatively. Instead of stopping crimes, it could even be the means of committing thereof. According to the article of Deborah White (n. d. ), the United States has the highest number of private people owning guns. There are about 80 million Americans of 50 percent of the total homes which own 223 million of guns. Attached with this figure is the fact that more than 30, 000 men and women in the United States die each year due to gun shoot wounds, this is the highest homicide rate from guns around the world. Moreover, it should be noted that among the 30, 000 deaths indicated above, only 1, 500 of which are caused by accidental killings. This is a very alarming figure since it would imply that the high percentage gun ownership and gun shot related incidents have a positive relation. The more guns there are in the streets, the greater is the number of people dying with a bullet on their bodies. Policy Almanac (n. d. ) also reported that there has been a 173 percent increase from 1985 to 1993 and 126 percent from 1993 to 1999 in the number of homicides which are annually committed with the use of a firearm by persons who are between the ages 14 to 24. The figures should serve as a wake up call for law enforcers and remind them the need to properly regulate the ownership of guns and the use thereof. There should be more restrictive laws to be imposed by the state. Stricter measures could lead to lesser crime rate as well as crime related incidents. In order the address the issue on gun control, several laws were enacted federally and locally or by state. On the federal level, the first major mandate was enacted in 1934. Based on this initiative, the sale of machine guns and other fully automatic firearms will be regulated. Four years after such legislation, another law was passed requiring gun sellers to have a license. In addition, the law also prohibits the sale of guns to those who have been convicted of violent crimes. The next law which addressed the issue on gun ownership was passed in 1968. This law is the Gun Control Act of 1968. Based on the said law, imported guns are to be regulated and gun-licensing requirements will be increased. The list of people who should not own and should not be sold with firearms was extended to individuals who have been convicted with any form of non-business related crime, those who are incompetent mentally d those who have been using illegal drugs. After the said legislation, another federal law was again passed in 1986. Such mandate indicated mandatory penalties on the use of a gun to commit federal felonies. Included in the said law is the prohibition on the use of bullets which have the capacity to penetrate bulletproof apparel. Manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons were also banned in 1990 (Newsbatch, 2008). After the said law was promulgated by the Congress, another federal gun regulation was passed in 1994, the Brady Bill. The said bill is considered as the most comprehensive federal effort on gun control. Through this law, a five day waiting period is necessary before purchasers can have their guns. Such period would give the law enforcement agencies to investigate the background of the purchaser. However, this law did not last as it was declared by the Supreme Court to be an infringement on state’s rights. The law was re-drafted and provided that the conducting of background investigation will be accomplished through a national computer system. The provision on the five day waiting period was also removed. In terms of the state or local laws, there has been variance in the enactment of the laws. However, the common provisions include Child Access Prevention law or the prohibition on leaving a loaded weapon which could be easily accessed by a minor. Another is the concealed weapon law or the need to obtain a license which would allow one to carry a concealed weapon. Others include the following: regulation of private sale to minors, regulating all secondary market sales, ban on assault weapons and the one hand gun a month laws, among others. Despite these seemingly comprehensive laws, there is a need to impose stricter measures in order to regulate the ownership, use and possession of guns. Although it is recognized that there is a need for guns in the society, the continued sale thereof to private individuals and the growing number of people who own such should be carefully studied. Guns are very dangerous. It carries with it an authority which no other object could possess. The mere presence thereof is already a cause for alarm. People who have such may use it to protect themselves or to threaten other people. Given the extraordinary authority accorded to firearms, people who are not properly oriented with the use thereof may abuse such authority. Thus, there is a need to regulate the use, possession and ownership thereof to have proper guidance and to eliminate the bad effects thereof to the society. The authority that comes with any firearm carries with it the responsibility to utilize it only to purposes to which it was intended and not to create abuse. Despite the high funding that come from anti-gun control laws, politicians should comply with their basic responsibility to uphold the common good in the society. They should not be easily swayed by the sources of their funds during the last elections.

Equality Rights: Feminism

Equality Rights: Feminism Equality Rights Feminism Equality a term associated with fairness, cohesion, and rights has been an important goal for various theoretical movements that have formed in Feminism. The debate surrounding equality has and continues to be of concern at all different levels feminism arose as a response to the inequalities between men and women. The question of equality itself puts up a parameter of analysis and critique that allows for investigation and speculation. To ponder equality, is to enlighten the senses to explore the possibilities of what is known, what needs to be done, and who or what is involved in seeking equality it challenges the word as well as the people framed within it. Catharine MacKinnon states that â€Å"Feminism is the discovery that women do not live in this world, that the person occupying this realm is a man, so much more a man if he is white and wealthy† (367). With this in mind, feminist movements emphasize the importance of every women’s position in social and political spaces. Various feminist movements can be used to achieve equality. However, each perspective provides a different contribution in obtaining such equality. Feminist theories of the liberal, Marxist, radical, and postcolonial perspectives all cover certain aspects of inequality while limiting in the acknowledgement of another. The integration of these perspectives will allow for a truly beneficial equality for women. Liberal feminism is a stance that argues for women to have equal rights to men and to achieve individual autonomy. They propose a model of individual autonomy by fighting for the right of women to have educational opportunities and to obtain a career that is outside of domesticity. This is part of their main focus of their strive for women to have the same rights that men hold â€Å"naturally† men being the gender of privilege and power (Whelehan 29). Liberal feminists are interested in the politics of law to maintain equality between women and men. From this perspective, equality for women is achievable but due to the nature and intensity of its movements, liberal feminism is considered as a starting point for equal rights and freedoms guaranteed to each individual. It takes a more â€Å"soft† lobbying approach to fight for the equal rights of women to those of men as they try to refrain from any direct challenge to institutions that cause them to be unequal. They would like to change laws but stay within the boundaries of institutions as they prove to be valuable to many women. Imelda Whelehan points out that the â€Å"liberal perspective on state intervention in people’s lives also proved problematic, since state support was crucial to many women’s lives, and any shrinkage of its services would probably mean that their living standards deteriorated† (34). As a result, liberal feminists were caught between fighting for women’s rights and expressing their victimization that is due to their differences in biological sex. Moreover, social change is restricted because if the current liberal state was overthrown, the male-dominant liberalistic status quo would be disrupted and many services provided by the state (especially services provided to women to improve their living standards) will be in jeopardy. Combining liberal thought and feminism provides many contradictions because their beliefs do not apply equally to both male and female due to the constraints of reality. If males and females are given equal rights (as hoped by liberal feminists), there will be strains on both sexes in terms of gender roles within and outside of the economy as well as an emphasis on the females biological anatomy of giving birth. As a result, liberal feminism’s concept of equality is an ideal that is contradictory due to reality, personal benefits, and environmental constraints (such as the state, education, and family needs). It is important to realize that this does not necessarily prove liberal feminism as an ineffective approach to equality. In fact, liberal feminism is the most widely known feminist movement in today’s society. The liberal feminist movement can be seen as the basis and the starting point for the fight towards gender equality. However, this approach needs to be combined with other perspectives for a more effective outcome. Another effective approach to strive for gender equality is to analyze the problem through the Marxian framework. Marxist feminism emphasizes that capitalism and patriarchy are organizing devices that hinder the contemplation of having a society that is equal between genders. They argue that class is a major factor that creates the division between men and women. In other words, the hierarchy system of class produces inequalities by placing power in the hands of a few while oppressing others that do not have this privilege. Marxist feminism focuses their attention on women’s position in labor and in the capitalist system women’s participation in the home and in wage work. Heidi Hartmann states that â€Å"the problem in the family, the labor market, economy, and society is not simply a division of labor between men and women, but a division that places men in a superior, and women in a subordinate, position† (7). As a result, Marxist feminists take on a revolutionary approach to overthrow capitalism in order to dismantle male privilege [really really really good clean cut statement]. They recognize that women are subordinated as a class and that women’s unpaid work in the home needs to be acknowledged because â€Å"women at home not only provide essential services for capital by reproducing the labor force, but also create surplus value through that work† (Hartmann 8). Moreover, Marxist feminism recognizes the social and historical context of all women’s work in paid and unpaid labor. By acknowledging women’s participation in society, women’s contribution will not be taken for granted hence elevating their gender status. Equality can therefore be achieved in a capitalistic sense. While the liberal approach focuses on gender equality in rights before the court of law, the Marxian perspective takes on a capitalistic approach strengthening women’s status in the economic system. These two approaches aim to fight for more power for oppressed women but, at the same time, they lack focus on a major source of this oppression the problematic male-dominant gender system. Radical feminism is useful in analyzing this issue as it focuses on patriarchy as the source of gender inequality. This binary gender system is seen to be a social construct that serves as the basis of gender inequality. Radical feminists argue that men’s privilege oppresses women though social institutions and cultural productions. As a result, men’s dominance over women is seen to take on a social hierarchy that produces unequal power relations. They stress that social organizations created male domination, which has forced upon society a type of thinking that is â€Å"malestream.† Moreover, violence towards women and the objectification of women’s bodies have placed women in a position of exploitation and victimization. Radical feminism coined the slogan â€Å"The personal is political† to emphasize that individual experiences brings out political issues that need to be addressed and acknowledged. They take on a revolutionary approach in that social and political changes are necessary in order to overthrow the structural framework of inequality between men and women. They argue that â€Å"individual female identity and experience [is] the first step to collective revolution† (Whelehan 36). Acknowledging female identity apart from the structural gender framework will allow the female gender to break free from â€Å"malestream† ideals. In other words, the elimination of this gender system will possibly bring the two genders into equality. Another feminist movement that aims to challenge existing social norms and constructs is postcolonial feminism. This movement focuses on rejecting all foundational thought that is known and used as truth. They argue that this truth is constructed and created by the powers of those that are the colonizers (middle-class, white males) who have power over the colonized. Moreover, this truth becomes part of the universal it is accepted to be true with little or no questioning. As a result, postcolonial feminist reject universalizing principles because it marginalizes those that are not part of the norm. Leela Gandhi argues that a â€Å"comprehensive dismantling of colonial hierarchies and structures needs to be matched by a reformed and imaginative reconception of colonized society and culture† (82). Postcolonial feminists stress that women are situated in a â€Å"double colonization† in which they are oppressed as women and colonized people as well as constructed as sexual objects. A reformation of the constructed male-dominant society should take place revamping all social norms that naturally set women as the subordinate. By destabilizing the colonization, ideals on gender that are taken for granted will be overthrown granting an opportunity for women to be acknowledged in society. With an increased level of appreciation of women’s contribution, equality between the genders can be achieved. With the unique standpoint of each perspective, inequality issues regarding different structures of society can be understood better. Each of these perspectives is effective in their own way as they all aim to bring equality between the genders. By incorporating the multiple perspectives, equality can be achieved to a certain extent. The issue of equality is based on people’s perspectives and the social contexts these people are positioned. No matter how hard these feminist movements try to strive for equality, gender differences will continue to exist biological differences can never be eliminated. If â€Å"absolute† equality is achieved, men and women will be seen as equal and existing protection for female’s biological differences will be removed. Protection such as laws regarding birth right allowing women to be released [better word?] from work for a recovery period is beneficial and should not be revoked due to â€Å"equality.† In a sense, rather than relieving female victims from oppression, this â€Å"absolute† equality may cause even more distress for the female community. With this in mind, achieving absolute gender equality should not be the main goal of feminist movements. These perspectives should be used to help strive to seek for the acknowledgement of women’s position in society. Equality does not necessarily have to be achieved in order for females to obtain a better life. Providing respect and recognition for the female gender will be more useful and beneficial. Based on people’s perspectives/attitudes and the social context people are positioned Equality may or may not be possible Possible for certain sectors but women still needs more rights (ex. birth Þ biological difference) May agree/accept certain aspects of a feminist perspective but don’t have to accept all of it All these feminist perspectives has helped strive to seek equality for women and have made significant contributions to the acknowledgement of women’s position in society Liberal and radical both aim at giving women more rights Even if they strive for equality, gender differences will still exist no matter what (biological difference) Would should still have more rights and be protected for those differences Works Cited Gandhi, Leela (1998). â€Å"Postcolonialism and Feminism† in Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction (81-101). New York: Columbia University Press. Hartmann, Heidi (1981). â€Å"The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: Towards a More Progressive Union.† In Lydia Sargeant (Ed.) Women and Revolution (1-41). Montreal: Black Rose Books. MacKinnon, Catherine (1985). â€Å"Pornography, Civil Rights, and Free Speech.† In Rosemary Tong (Ed.) (1999) Feminist Philosophies. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Whelehan, Imelda (1995). â€Å"Liberal Feminism: The Origins of the Second Wave† in Modern Feminist Thought (25-43). New York: New York University Press. Question Three: Discuss the potential and limitations of feminist theories with respect to the analysis of gender and sexuality. Compare several perspectives and then draw your own conclusions about this issue. The social stratification of our society has placed boundaries on all aspects of our lives. With deeper exploration of these constructed issues, multifaceted debates arise in feminism. Moreover, by looking at the social organization of the everyday, feminist theories are able to take a closer look into the complex views surrounding gender, sex, and sexuality. It is important to make a clear distinction between the concepts of gender, sex, and sexuality to understand the underlying message that each of these words conveys each concept has a particular meaning and construction to its term. Gender is often referred to as the social construction of our identity of being â€Å"man/masculine† and â€Å"woman/feminine† (sometimes known as being â€Å"gendered†), whereas sex pertains to the biology of our species (male and/or female). Heidi Hartmann eloquently emphasizes that â€Å"we are born female and male, biological sexes, but we are created women and man, socially recognized genders† (16). Sexuality, on the other hand, refers to our emotional and intimate relationships (heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality). The work of liberal, Marxist, radical, postcolonial, lesbian, and third wave feminism all have considerable overlap in their analysis of gender, sex, and sexuality, but each of these perspectives has its own central focus. As a result, the dissimilar concepts have always resulted in contrasting debates. It is beneficial to analyze the potentials and limitations of each of these feminist theories in order to fully understand the complexity of gender, sex, and sexuality. The integration of these various perspectives will provide a deeper understanding and awareness of the diverse issues that our social structure tries to mask. As a mainstream feminist movement, liberal feminism claims that differences in gender are not based in biology. They believe women and men are not very different due to their common humanity. As a result, they argue that women and men should not be treated any differently under the law women should have the same opportunities and legal rights as men by striving to eliminate laws that differentiate people by gender (Whelehan 29). Liberal feminism has the potential of slowly changing people’s attitudes toward gender and sexuality by increasing women’s participation in what is known to be male occupations as well as encouraging support networks for women. They also provide great contribution by socializing and educating the young with gender-neutral terminology. However, liberal feminism is limited in their focus there is too much emphasis on the macro and very little on the micro. The private sphere of women’s experiences in their home is not brought to the forefront. As a result, many troubling issues such as domestic violence and marital rape are not spoken about. This limitation undermines liberal feminism’s goal to have men and women being treated equally. The silencing of the private and personal life has hindered the individual autonomy and freedom of speech of women women’s domestic and sexual lives become unacknowledged (Whelehan 38). Moreover, Imelda Whelehan states that there is a â€Å"limit to how far liberal feminists will ‘pry’ into individual’s private social/sexual choices† (38). As a result, they do not directly challenge capitalism (the main contributor to the oppression of women), which undermines the idea of changing the institutions that maintain gender bias and censors sexuality. Whelehan also emphasizes that liberal feminism is problematic in that its views are predominately white, middle class, heterosexuals this ignores women who do not inhabit what is a relatively privileged social position (41). Although liberal feminism has created conditions to fight for equality, it is only a stepping stone for the other feminist theories that follow it is limited in the macro and public realm of politics. Another way to approach the problematic concepts of gender, sex, and sexuality is through the Marxian perspective. Marxist feminism suggests that the dual system of roles as paid and unpaid workers in a capitalist economy is the reason behind women’s oppression. They argue that in the workplace, women are exploited by capitalism whereas in the home, they are exploited by patriarchy (Hartmann 5). Moreover, women have fewer economic resources due to their low paying wages as compared to men. Heidi Hartmann argues that sexist ideology has adopted a capitalist form in that patriarchal relations bolster capitalism the subjugation of women in the private and public sphere has allowed for the continuance of patriarchal and capitalistic needs. Women’s work is devalued even though they are the major source to an efficient economy they are caregivers, housekeepers, and work for the paid marketplace. Marxist feminism greatly focuses their analysis on gender being a source of job segregation that exploits women as paid and unpaid workers in the workplace and in the family. They argue that women are subordinated as a class and that â€Å"the problem in the family, the labor market, economy, and society is not simply a division of labor between men and women, but a division that places men in a superior, and women in a subordinate, position† (Hartmann 7). However, Marxist feminism is limited in its macro analysis of society because the individual and private lives of people (especially the exploration of sexuality in regards to producing products of capital) need to be analyzed. It covers feministic issues within the economic system but, due to its limited framework, it is inefficient in addressing problems surrounding individual issues that women are facing in today’s male-dominant society. To analyze these problematic individual issues, the radical feminist framework has proven to be effective. Radical feminism is a conscious-raising group that addresses intense debates surrounding issues of women’s everyday lives. They argue that â€Å"the personal is political† in that the â€Å"original and basic class division is between the sexes, and that the motive force of history is the striving of men for power and domination over women, the dialectic of sex† (Hartmann 13). Radical feminism are greatly concerned about violence towards women due to the depictions of women as sexual objects to be used, abused, and produced in the mass media. Catharine MacKinnon argues that â€Å"maleness is a form of power and femaleness is a form of powerlessness† (369). As a result, according to radical feminism, patriarchy results in the sexual exploitation of women through social control and construction. However, radical feminisms limitation is that the creation of a women-only space includes particular â€Å"women† while excluding those that do not conform to certain gender assumptions such as transgenders it creates another form of power. This exclusion will lead to another type of inequality and oppression that will once again damage society as a whole. The liberal, Marxist, and radical feminist perspectives all focus on the major structures that act as the basis of society’s gender concepts. Postcolonial feminism, on the other hand, challenges the gender blindness that is masked in traditional colonial history it focuses on problematic gender concepts rather than the major structures behind them. In traditional thought, the â€Å"Third World Women† is represented as the colonized women of nonindustrial societies and developing countries who are brought into civilization by imperial, patriarchal domination of Western and European masculinity. Feminist postcolonial theorists argue that the basis of these women’s gender and race places them under imperial circumstances of being women of â€Å"double colonization† â€Å"Third-World Woman† are seen â€Å"as victim par excellence the forgotten casualty of both imperial ideology, and native and foreign patriarchies† (Gandhi 83). This is problematic because the â€Å"Third-World Women† are placed in contrast with Western woman as opposites, othered, and marginalized a position of inferiority to ones gender of not being a dominant, white, middle-class woman. Leela Gandhi exemplifies that this â€Å"implied cultural lack of the ‘third-world woman’ fortifies the redemptive ideological/political plenitude of Western feminism†¦seen yet as another object of Western knowledges, simultaneously knowable and unknowing† (86). As a result, postcolonial and feminist theories challenges discourses that are about women by highlighting the anti-colonial gender blindness and to acknowledge â€Å"Third-World Woman† as a voice of difference instead of an object to be silenced by the power and privilege of colonialism. However, postcolonial feminism is limited in that, like the above perspectives, a more macro-level of analysis is taken whereas the micro-level analysis of sexuality. Postcolonial feminism focuses their attention on the social organization of the â€Å"third-world woman† in relation to colonial practices and exploitation. Lesbian feminism, unlike other perspectives, acknowledges the oppression of compulsory heterosexuality. By challenging traditional norms and heterosexuality, they fight for both women’s and homosexual rights. Lesbian feminism has the potential to combat homophobia by empowering women to explore sexuality and to understand of heterosexual relationships. They argue that the diverse range of â€Å"woman-identified experience† needs to take into account the history and individual experience of each woman’s life (Rich 648). Adrienne Rich argues that compulsory heterosexuality is not examined but accepted as the â€Å"sexual preference† of our society (633). As a result, the perspective of lesbian feminism has implications of dismantling compulsory heterosexuality by recognizing the central truth of women’s history in that the â€Å"preference† of heterosexuality has been â€Å"naturally† imposed on women and that â€Å"women have always resisted male tyranny† (Rich 652). It allows women to move away from the prescribed scripts produced by the distorted lie of compulsory female heterosexuality as â€Å"normal† and a â€Å"preference† a form of liberation for all women. However, lesbian feminism is limited in that they do not address the power issues may still exist in lesbian relationships just as they do in heterosexual relationships. It also neglects larger oppression issues that are bringing distress to the female gender. Contrasting other perspectives, third wave feminism guides their analysis towards a more micro perspective and emphasizes that individual identities are unique and complex. They strive for women to have agency and acknowledge that female sexuality is a form of power to express oneself. They find the category of â€Å"woman† to be problematic because, as stated by Himani Bannerji, women’s issues should not be located on a broad and generalized way of â€Å"Woman a singular yet universal entity† of patriarchal social construction (48). Third wave feminism embraces sexuality and the act of sex as fun rather than deviant or dangerous. They see themselves as empowering and as women of choice. Third wave feminism appreciates and views the internet as an important source for opening up lines of communication and support networks for young scholars (Alfonso and Trigilio 7). They stress the importance of speaking and writing about individual personal experiences in order to resist universal assumptions. However, this is limiting in that they do not evaluate certain issues that arise. Third-wave feminism provides a more micro-approach to analyze everyday conversations. This can be problematic because the specificity of these conversations becomes hard to apply to societal issues. In Rita Alfonso’s dialogue to Jo Trigilio, Rita acknowledges that a â€Å"political generation can account for subject positions across historical waves of feminism, as well as for the existence of two relatively distinct waves of feminism (9-10). However, Trigilio stresses that the use of â€Å"political generation† needs to accompanied with concerns about which groups are empowered to give them a voice (10). Trigilio also fears that there is becoming less class-consciousness in third wave feminism and highlights the increasing problems of academic discourses (written in a form that is only accessible to a few and again oppresses). All perspectives have their own unique qualities that provide insight into the deeper issues that underlie our social and political structures in society. Each stance is beneficial to our understanding even though they are limited due to their specific nature. The combination of liberal, Marxist, radical, postcolonial, lesbian, and third wave feminism will allow us to recognize the historical shifts of these perspectives all these perspectives have risen at certain points in time due to societal issues concerning gender and sexuality. Society is a gradual process that slowly finds acceptance in issues (especially in sexuality) that surface as a result of progressive movements that fight for change. The problematic issues surrounding gender, sex, and sexuality have always brought a lot of distress to women in society. On a larger scale, these problems exist in the economical, political, and patriarchal aspects of society. From a micro viewpoint, domestic oppression and heterosexual gender ideologies are also the concerns of the female gender. Sexuality is a major concern because not only is it seen to be deviant but talk of having sex is seen to be sacred. Instead of finding pleasure in explore ones sexuality, traditional ideology has oppressed the talk and the act of engaging in this private and personal sphere of the individual. Historically, many issues were shunned because of dominant discourses but over time, it has been a gradual movement to give rise to these issues that were always present. By incorporating the multiple perspectives discussed, society can continue to evolve and move towards better social structures and norms that will help improve the living standard of the female gender. Works Cited Alfonso, Rita and Jo Trigilio (1997). â€Å"Surfing the Thrid Wave: A Dialogue Between Two Third Wave Feminists.† Hypatia 12, 3: 7-16. Bannerji, Himani (1999). â€Å"Inroducing Racism: Notes Towards an Anti-Racist Feminism† in Thinking Through: Essays on Feminism, Marxism, and Anti-Racism (41-53). Toronto: Women’s Press. Gandhi, Leela (1998). â€Å"Postcolonialism and Feminism† in Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction (81-101). New York: Columbia University Press. Hartmann, Heidi (1981). â€Å"The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: Towards a More Progressive Union.† In Lydia Sargeant (Ed.) Women and Revolution (1-41). Montreal: Black Rose Books. Rich, Adrienne (1980). â€Å"Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence.† Signs 5, 4: 631-660. MacKinnon, Catherine (1985). â€Å"Pornography, Civil Rights, and Free Speech.† In Rosemary Tong (Ed.) (1999) Feminist Philosophies. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Whelehan, Imelda (1995). â€Å"Liberal Feminism: The Origins of the Second Wave† in Modern Feminist Thought (25-43). New York: New York University Press.

Changes In Global Trade And Financial Flows Economics Essay

Changes In Global Trade And Financial Flows Economics Essay Globalisation is the increasing level of economic integration between countries leading to the surfacing of a new market place. Globalisation has resulted in a reduction in trade protection. This is because of the increased interaction between countries has led to the possibility to purchase goods with similar quality to those developed locally, but for a cheaper price. Financial flows throughout the global economy have immensely increased due to more interaction. In the early 1970s industrial development took place in developing countries, so companies moved production oversees, allowing for lower production costs mainly due to cheap labour. In 1983 the financial system was de-regulated and the exchange rate was floated. This means that the value of the Australian dollar is determined by the supply and demand of the currency. This led to greater accessibility of Australian firms to world capital markets and reduced exporting costs. But this increased the instability of the exchange rate. In the late 1980s Australian manufacturers were persuaded to export to the international market through tariffs, subsidies, local content schemes and quotas. This was in order for them to survive in the large international market. There have been major changes in trade patterns that reflect changes in the global economy. An example is the growth of China being directly related to the demand of raw materials. The increased volume of trade between countries can also be attributed to advances in technologies and new trade agreements such as the Australia United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA). Trade growth is also due to the increase in demand of the resources that Australia has high amounts of. The constantly growing Asian economies demand raw materials that Australian companies extract from the land support growth in certain industries. An example of this is the trade between Australia and China. China is in demand of resource commodities in order to expand their infrastructure and support the 8% growth rate. Explain why globalisation has resulted in a reduction of trade protection Trade protection is a form of regulation that is imposed by a government in order to protect certain industries from cheaper oversees alternatives. Globalisation has resulted in a reduction of trade protection. This is because of increased production possibilities in developing countries that have lower wage rates than developing countries, leading to lower costs and greater profits. The removal of trade barriers can occur because a certain country can: Produce a good not available in another country Produce a good for a cheaper price than goods produced locally Produce a good more efficiently, allowing another country to focus on goods that they can produce efficiently Produce a good that is of better quality because of development of technical skills. However, there are trade protection rules in place in order to protect certain industries and to reduce effects of off shoring on domestic markets. Reasons for protection include: Infant Industries: These are industries that are at the beginning of the product lifecycle and have yet to establish themselves in the market. Therefore they have not yet experienced economies of scale (have not produced enough so that the cost of producing is lower in bulk). Because of this it is very difficult for them to compete with large foreign competitors, who take advantage of economies of scale and offer their products at lower prices, domestically. Although this is a reason for protection, if it is not removed at the correct time the industry may become reliant on government protection and never mature. Therefore a balance must be found between protection and allowing domestic industries to mature. Dumping: This refers to the selling of goods in export markets for a cheaper price than the cost of production. This creates revenue for the exporters that are dumping, but destroys the market for the importing company as they cannot compete with the cheap prices. Dumping is prohibited because of its potential to destroy industries quickly. Dumping may occur because a company wishes to: Gain market share, to reduce excess stock or to deliberately destroy competitive, domestic producers. Dumping also affects employment levels, because consumers will purchase the cheaper good, as the law of demand states the lower the price, the more demand there will be. Domestic Employment: Cheap imports reduce the market share of producers because of consumers purchasing cheaper products. As a result of this unemployment may occur in a certain industry because they may not compete. There may be structural change in the domestic economy because of this inability to compete. An example of this is in the United States in the 1980s where consumers preferred cheaper Japanese alternatives, therefore employment in the car industry decreased rapidly and the structure of the domestic economy changed to specialisation in the computer industry. Explain how trading blocs have impacted on protection levels Trading blocs are intergovernmental, multilateral agreements between countries within an area that decrease regulation on each others exports. Trading blocs have impacted on levels of protection. Since trading blocs are intergovernmental agreements, there must be deregulation in order to achieve maximum trade efficiency. An increase in the amounts of trading blocs internationally has led to a decrease in protection levels between countries in the trading blocs. An example of a trading bloc that has eliminated all trade barriers between the members is the European Union. This was established in 1993 and, although there is minimum regulation, there remains a common tariff between the members. The reasons that countries would want to join a trading bloc are: Improved growth, increased efficiency through importing cheaper goods and services, increased competition, economies of scale (larger markets due to free trade, investment in production due to increased trade and increased technolog y. Explain the consequences of deregulation on financial markets Deregulation of financial markets is where the banks have regulations removed from them. Between the years of 1983 and 1985 the financial system was deregulated by: The cessation of interest rate constraints on banks. This allowed banks to, more efficiently, fight for business (in the form of deposits and loans). Floating the Australian dollar: This is where the value of the currency is determined by the supply and demand of that certain currency. This changes the cost to import from or export to Australia, because the value of the dollar fluctuates. There is an inverse relation between the value of the dollar and the cost to import/export from/to Australia. Granting 40 foreign exchange licenses: This allowed foreign banks to enter the Australian financial system, and was done in order to boost competitiveness in the financial sector. In order to make the Australian banks more competitive, the procedure to set up domestic institutions was made more simple. The consequences of de-regulation are to do with the effects of speculation on appreciation and depreciation of the currency. When there is speculation that the value of the Australian dollar will rise, more people will purchase when it is still low. This increased demand will then cause the dollar to rise because of the floating exchange rate (as shown above). This in turn will have a negative effect on exports from Australia because the currency is worth more in comparison to others. An example is if the USA are importing goods from Australia with the Australian dollar buying 40 US cents. There will be more exports from Australia at this exchange rate in comparison to when 1 Australian dollar will by 1 US Dollar. Outline the role of the WTO, IMF and the World Bank in the global Economy The World Trade Organisation is a global establishment that supervises and implements rules controlling global trade. It is at the middle of decreasing trade protection and barriers. The trade policies that are determined by the WTO and multilateral agreements have expanded world trade; therefore it is seen as a symbol of globalisation. The accomplishment of the WTO in decreasing obstructions to trade and encouraging globalisation can be attributed to a reduction in mainly tariffs and quotas. This is done by: Enforcing international agreements and trade rules: Controlling trade disputes Observing trade policies Supervise trade negotiations While many countries have based their development on export and support globalisation entirely, there are many opponents to globalisation that have hindered the WTOs protection reduction scheme through protesting. This is known as the anti-globalisation process and is undertaken by numerous individuals/organisations because they are opposed to transnational corporations having un-regulated power and specifically because of profit maximisation leading to reducing costs which may lead to a more dangerous work place. The success of the WTO is measured by world trade figures. The amount of merchandise trade exports in 1990 was 14 times bigger than in 1950. The International Monetary fund is an establishment that has been set up with the intention to help countries finance trade and assist with balance of payments. Its prime intention is to guarantee steadiness of the worldwide financial structure, the system of exchange rates and worldwide payments that allows countries and its people to purchase goods and services from each other. In short it promotes globalisation. This is completed by loaning funds to nations in crisis to aid them in paying debts, imports and stabilising currencies. Examples of nations needing financial aid are Russia in 1998, many countries in Asia in 1998 and Argentina in 2003. The countries that obtain help from the IMF usually have conditions imposed on them. The types of conditions that the IMF imposes include: An increase in taxes Decreasing financial assistance on food and fuel Requiring members to disclose monetary and fiscal policies Since these reduce the living conditions of the impoverished, the IMF is frequently perceived as supporting global capital at the expense of the poor. It is, in addition, criticised for pushing nations at the beginning of the economic life cycle to open their economies, float their currencies, and reduce manufacturing and trade barriers. Since there are lags, it takes a while for the income levels to rise and demonstrate the benefits of these actions undertaken by the IMF. The World Bank is built as an organisation for financially supporting long standing expansion scheme for developing nations. The loans that are made towards these developing nations have a very low interest rate and are commonly referred to as soft loans. It not only lends money cheaply to developing nations, but also enforces procedures in order to endorse trade, boost exports and deregulation. An example of this is where some farmers in certain impoverished nations are persuaded to harvest produce for global demand, rather than for neighbouring areas. This may be done in order to boost profits from exports for the entire country. Although this may have a negative impact on local areas because rather than having those supplies used for the locals, they are used, instead for use in exports. Analyse how the global credit crisis has changed global trade and financial flows The global credit crisis has affected global trade and financial flows within the economy greatly. The following trade statistics show the trade numbers between the years 2005-08. Year Imports Exports 2004 9.5 10.5 2005 6 6.5 2006 6.5 8.5 2007 2 6 2008 -12 1.5 The trend of the data can be analysed in the following graph. Results taken from World Trade Organisation website: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2010_e/its10_toc_e.htm From the results above it can be seen that between the years 2004 and 2008 there was a drastic decrease in the export and import numbers internationally from 10.5% to -12%. This was due to the effects of the Global Credit Crisis. This will be shown below The global credit crisis began having major impacts in 2007, and still has major impacts on most economies in 2010. The global credit crisis began in the 1980s, where gigantic companies produced mechanical goods. At the end of the decade these firms identified that much more money could be made by investing into the financial industry. An example of a company that took part in this exercise was GE, who by the 90s, was making 10 times more money in investment, than in the production of goods. Due to the amount of cheap loans available, they borrowed much and became in debt. This money was then used to invest in financial bubbles. At first hefty profits were made, and many companies followed suit and by 2005 there was 14 so much money invested in speculation, that in value it equalled 14 times the value of the American economy. Debt began being offered to low income earners to in order to make more money and they could not pay it off. This had an incredible impact on the rest of the wo rld, showing the theory that when America sneezes, everybody catches a cold. Australia was one of the less affected countries due to its link with China. The global credit crisis had a large effect on global trade and financial flows. They include: Less demand for goods and services: Since there was far less demand, the price of elastic goods and service will go down, translating into less production, leading to greater unemployment. From this unemployment, there will be less household income therefore less goods and services will be bought. It was like a never ending circle. Less availability of credit: After the banks had gone bankrupt, there was no body to lend money to consumers, meaning spending was minimal. Rapidly decreasing Gross Domestic Product -Australia has developed a foreign debt of almost $A500 billion from borrowing money in order to fix the extended account deficit. There have been major changes in trade patterns that reflect the changes in the global economy. The rapid growth of China and the export of their manufactured goods, have led to a massive increase of raw materials demanded of certain countries like Australia. Results show that in 2003 the exports from Australia to China were triple what they were in 1990. This ever growing link between Asia and Australia has such a large importance that one of the objectives of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) is to have Australia join so that free trade can occur between them. In conclusion it can be said that the structure and target of Australian trade is greatly affected by the trends of the global economy.

Dammed Dams :: essays research papers

Dammed Dams The basic principle of a dammed dam is to prevent water from being passed. People have been continuing and to build and perfect these structures, not knowing the full intensity of their side effects. If one takes a weighing scale and put the benefits of the damns on one side and the side effects on the other side, the side effects will out weight the benefits 10 times over. One of these dammed dams has been placed on the river Colorado, actually not one but 40 of these dreaded dams. We should actually change the term River to a huge plumbing system. The Colorado River is known as the most controlled and legislated river in the world. In order to satisfy the needs of humans we have created the one of the largest plumbing system in the world so that we can go to our fridge and have a glass of water. The water has been taken from the river and the fridge has bee powered by the hydroelectric generators, which have been installed on the dammed damns. The consequence of these damn has been devastating to the environment. I therefore urge the student government association to organize an environment exposition so we can educate the students of Embry Riddle. These dammed dams have had devastating effects on the ecosystem, which depends on the constant flow of the river to survive. Fish such has salmon and other species have considerably declined due to the fact they cant reach their breeding grounds. There are four fishes which are listed on the endangered species list and for them to be listed on the list it took a law suite!! I mean why does it have to take law suite to acknowledge the critical habitat of these species If one decides to fish on this river one has to keep in mind that most of the water is destined for the fountains in Las Vegas and the swimming pools in California. So I urge the student association to organize a exposition so we may realize that the water the fishes are swimming in is already bought. Where does all this water go? Water the most unique compound on earth, which is required to sustain life by all life forms, is been used to the extent that at our currant progress of water consumption we will have a water war in the next 2 centuries! So where does all this water go?

The Individual and Society in the Communist Manifesto Essay -- Karl Ma

The Individual and Society in the Communist Manifesto The end of 19th century, Western Society was changing physically, philosophically, economically, and politically. It was an influential and critical time in that the Industrial Revolution created a new class. Many contemporary observers realized the dramatic changes in society. Among these were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who observed the conditions of the working man, or the proletariat, and saw a change in how goods and wealth were distributed. In their Communist Manifesto, they described their observations of the inequalities between the emerging wealthy middle class and the proletariat as well as the condition of the proletariat. They argued that the proletariat was at the mercy of the new emerging middle class, or bourgeoisie, and could only be rescued by Communism: a new economic form. During the 19th century, the proletariat was at the mercy of the bourgeoisie for survival. The bourgeoisie imposed conditions that required the proletariat to work under harsh, unsafe, and unhealthy industries. Cities were overcrowded, unsafe, and hazardous due to the many factors including the smoke from the factories that clouded the skies. Earlier, Friederich Engels had described the conditions of the proletariat in the town of Manchester. He saw, â€Å"everything which here [aroused] horror and indignation [as] of recent origin which [belonged] to the Industrial Epoch†.1 Not only did the proletariat have to work in unsafe factories but also was doomed to life long misery. Marx and Engels saw both the proletariat and the bourgeoisie as an outgrowth of feudal society. They argued that the bourgeoisie emerged as a result of exploration and discovery of new land, ... ... 8 Hadley Cantril, The Politics of Despair (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1958), 41 9 Bertell Ollman, Alienation: Marx’s Conception of Man in the Capitalist Society (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1971), 131. 10 Neil Harding, â€Å"Marx, Engels and the Manifesto: Working Class, Party, and Proletariat.† Journal of Political Ideologies (1998): 13-44 11 Karl Marx and Friederich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (London: England 1848): Proletarians and Communists. 12 Hadley Cantril, The Politics of Despair (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1958), 85-86, 87, 95. 13 Hadley Cantril, The Politics of Despair (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1958), 87 14 Hadley Cantril, The Politics of Despair (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1958), 94 15 Antonio Gilman, â€Å"The Communist Manifesto, 150 years later.† Antiquity (1998): 910- 913.

Essay --

My Capstone will be the replacement of aging Microsoft Windows XP business computers with newer computers running Microsoft Windows 7. Although Windows 8.1 is currently available, I have chosen to deploy Windows 7 for a myriad of reasons. Windows 7 has gained popularity and a reputation for being a solid replacement for Windows XP. I have worked (officially) in the IT field for over 4 years now, and have been involved in multiple Windows 7 migration projects. I will use my previous experience, in addition to my newly developed skills, to produce a successful plan for rolling out this operating system on a widespread basis. In my experience, projects such as this are not planned very well. My goal is to make sure that every aspect of this project is fully documented, so the steps may be reproduced as needed for this project or duplicated for future projects. This project will be thoughtfully planned from start to finish, with clearly set expectations. Of course, in the real world, not everything can be accounted for at the time, and one must be flexible with the execution of a project of this magnitude, but with the proper planning any obstacle can be overcome. â€Æ' Review of other work During my tenure as an IT professional and during the preparation of this project, I have completed countless hours of research and performed many hands-on tests. One of the case studies I have researched is the Windows 7 migration for Boeing, based out of Chicago, IL. Boeing determined that they needed to ensure a global business strategy, with an increased competitive edge and minimal impact to employees. In order to accomplish this, their IT department performed 6 months of readiness testing on 3,800 applications, 1,800 of which were determined to... ...em to reduce staff by 25%. Their new, modern infrastructure is now easier to administer, and they were able to take advantage of newer efficient applications that were not possible before, such as Microsoft Office Communications Server and SCCM for patch management and application delivery. Users were able to get up to speed quickly with the familiar interface, and overall surveys showed that employees were pleased with the ease of use of the new systems, as many were already using newer operating systems and software at home. The new environment is now more secure, which means less patching for system engineers and less time spent working on machines. Inclusion of features like the Snipping Tool eliminated the need for third party software (and additional cost). PDO also reduced power consumption by using the power options scheduling features included in Windows 7.

Robbers Cave Experiment: A Critical Review

In this paper, the RACE will be explored in two parts: a) An overview of the study would be presented along with a critique of its findings and b) its generalization and application to real-world and Asian contexts will be formally discussed. Overview Of study Purpose and design The stud's focus was on intercrop relations (Sheriff, AAA)-?specifically cooperation and conflict, where the intricate processes involved in members' attitudes in two or more groups over a period of time were investigated.Sheriff had intended for the experiment to progress as natural as possible, so as to trace the formation, functioning, attitude shifts and resulting consequences towards one's own group (in-group), out-group and their members accurately from scratch. A large-scale experiment, the RACE took place In a sufficiently-isolated (I. E. , without interference or interaction with the outside world) field setting in the Robbers Cave State Park, Oklahoma, over a span of more than two weeks.Sheriff empl oyed a rigorous procedure in the selection of 24 participants, all of whom were 1 2-year-old males from middle-class background, Protestant, tit similar educational and socio-cultural background and no prior relationships with one another (Sheriff et al. , ICC). In order for greater experimental control, participants from â€Å"atypical† backgrounds were eliminated-?the boys had to be well-adjusted individuals who cannot come from broken families and were doing well psychologically, physically and academically.The boys were later split into two groups. Staff members participated in the camp under the guise of â€Å"senior counselors†, whose duties were to observe first-hand group interaction behaviors among the boys. Participants were led to believe that they were taking part in a typical summer â€Å"camp†, and that the interaction processes which arose from â€Å"problem situations† were natural products of their existing circumstance or environment. Ap proach The RACE progressed in successive stages (Sheriff et al. 1 95th): 1) Experimental in-group formation, where both groups formed their in-groups and established relations (independently of each other) through activities involving cooperation and common goals; 2) Friction phase, where intercrop relations were thoroughly explored through experimentally- reduced through competitive activities that produced frustration for the losing group; 3) Integration phase, where both groups are brought together to reduce existing intercrop tensions and encourage harmony to attain â€Å"subordinate goals† (Sheriff et al. 15th) integral to a â€Å"problem† scenario. The goals, which were subsequently introduced, were of significant common appeal and which required both group's equitable cooperation to obtain. If endings Hypotheses of the study, which are not elaborated here, were tested and validated by Sheriff and his team at the conclusion of the RACE. Instead, the following con clusions drawn (Sheriff et al. , IEEE) are mentioned for their relevance to the subsequent sections: Intercrop attitudes (e. G. Prejudices) are not merely products of individual personalities or frustrations brought to the situation. In-group solidarity heightened in the face of (real or imagined) competitive and reciprocally-frustrating activities, where outgrip were unfavorable stereotyped. Rather, interaction produced when working toward common subordinate goals served well to improve inter-group relations and cooperation. A critique To begin, the ARC has been recognized for its high ecological validity (Jackson, 1993).However, it does not explain the process by which subordinate goals reduce inter-group hostility. It also does not fully acknowledge third party influences (e. G. , ‘bystander effect' of camp counselors). In respond to this, Jackson (1993) proposed that further theories be advanced. Interestingly, research by Teasel and Turner (1986) (as cited in Brewer, 1975 ) subsequently challenged the ARC with its ‘social identity theory, noting that overt competition is not always necessary to produce intercrop inflict, and that competition is not always be a bad thing (Valentine, 2010).Beyond these and ethical considerations, the RACE also had many other limitations: Its findings cannot be reliably generalized to the wider population due to its homogeneous and gender-bias (Brewer, 1975) sample-?similar studies later conducted in Russia, Lebanon and ELK produced differing results (Determent & Spencer, 1983). It seems that cultural difference IS an essential variable (Kim & Meyers, 2012) that the RACE had overlooked. The age of the participants may have also influenced-?cognitively or behaviorally-?how he conflict or cooperation (I. . , interactions) played out. Furthermore, the presenting conflict situations had been staged and variables carefully experimentally-controlled for, which produced UN-realistic outcomes simplistic for real-world gen eralization. To a lesser extent, psychologists have pointed out that realistic intercrop conflicts were heavily determined by the degree of group identity and loyalty, and that if the two groups had failed in achieving the subordinate goals, the conflict could have exacerbated (e. . , blaming other party) instead of seeing relief (Brook, 2006). Application of incepts In consideration of the above, while the RACE is a landmark experiment that undoubtedly has its uses in theory (e. G. Generating future research; Brewer, 1975), blanket applicability unto real-world contexts would be an erroneous step to take. The ARC suggests that when resources are scarce, people should be especially in-group-biased (Campbell, 1965).Indeed, this phenomenon surpasses time and space. Examples are when the anti-Muslim riots broke out in Manner (AY Swashbuckler, 201 3) and negative stereotypes for the Muslim were perpetuated by rioting monks rallied fellow Buddhists to make cuisines with â€Å"our own pe ople?'; and when the Nazi regime in the 1 sass propagated Aryan propaganda and oppressed the entire Jewish race for â€Å"causing' Germany's economic problems.Also, we can agree with Sheriff that inter- and intra-group attitudes are not mere extrapolations of individuals and their habits, for social-psychological phenomenon such as â€Å"grouping† (Smith & Mann, 1 992) imply the presence of hidden and complex processes behind group dynamics. Next, subordinate goals may not necessarily improve intercrop relations, as Sheriff et al. Claimed (1 IEEE). As mentioned, allure to attain these goals can result in mutual blaming frustration and shaming.A good example would be global warming, a trans-boundary issue experienced by all countries. While the common threat is sufficiently real and joint problem-solving should be assumed, countries instead are not able to resolve the issue-?intercrop hostilities (e. G. China with the IIS) heightened as the competition (e. G. , for economic p rimacy) is too overwhelming. These suggests that interaction and intercrop relations are highly dynamic and susceptible to fluctuation. Lastly, let us not forget the instrumentality of ultra difference factors on group relations.The RACE was conducted five decades ago using a racially-homogeneous sample. Modern globalizes societies have become â€Å"smaller† and more heterogeneous with technological advancements. Moreover, many parts of Asia–especially Southeast-Asia-?see highly-mixed communities comprising dozens of racial/religious groups, each with their unique sub-culture. As such, diversity of the wider population has to be considered and reflected in their appropriate context and in light Of today's fast-changing world.