Post Washington Consensus Consensus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Post Washington Consensus Consensus - Essay Example primary health care, primary education, and infrastructure ;tax reform (to lower marginal rates and broaden the tax base);Interest rate liberalization ;a competitive exchange rate ;trade liberalization ;liberalization of inflows of foreign direct investment ;privatization ;deregulation (to abolish barriers to entry and exit) and secure property rights. This privatization agenda in pursuit of globalization has come under criticism as (1) says," Some of the most vociferous of today's critics of what they call the Washington Consensus, most prominently Joe Stiglitz... do not object so much to the agenda laid out above as to the neoliberalism that they interpret the term as implying. I of course never intended my term to imply policies like capital account liberalization...monetarism, supply-side economics, or a minimal state (getting the state out of welfare provision and income redistribution), which I think of as the quintessentially neoliberal ideas". In development literature it is examined and accepted that The Washington consensus emerged out of a kind of counter reaction in development economics (3) to what has been termed as rather operationally successful neoliberal revolution against Keynesianism prescriptions of the 1970s.The Washington Consensus, materialized in large and specially built Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) suggested for a substantial portion of the developing countries in the ensuing years of 1980s and 1990s.It was the outcomes of these SAPs that were not along expected lines and which resulted in external criticism of The Washington Consensus itself. Joseph Stiglitz a World Bank Economist was the most prominent insider to offer criticism of the neoliberalism inherent in The Washington Consensus and the body of criticism is now termed as post Washington consensus consensus (4) in the sense that it agrees on drawbacks and weak points of the consensus. This paper examines the critical body of arguments posed in this new consensus. 2.Post Washington Consensus Consensus (5) exemplify in detail the various outcomes of the SAPs, based on The Washington Consensus, which not fell short of mark in their prime objective of achieving economic growth through market deregulation but also created other weak spots.Amin states that SAPs resulted in ," a sharp increase in unemployment, a fall in the remuneration of work, an increase in food dependency, a grave deterioration of the environment, a deterioration in healthcare systems, a fall in admissions to educational institutions, a decline in the productive capacity of many nations, the sabotage of democratic systems, and the continued growth of external debt. "This made Stiglitz look out for an intellectual alternative t economic growth model. An alternative which was not based on sole emphasis on deregulations of all categories of markets to attain economic growth targets. Stiglitz writes about 'a new paradigm for economic development' (6).This idea of anew consensus arrived from Stiglitz when global development financial institutions had undergone a major policy shift after having witnessed the Asian crisis and analyzed its reasons that were traced to deregulated

Educational psychology Essay Example for Free

Educational psychology Essay Assessment is the process of collecting, interpreting, and synthesising information in order to make decisions about students; provide learners feedback about their progress and their strengths and weaknesses; judge instructional effectiveness and inform educational policy (American Federation of Teachers, et al. , 1990 as cited in Gage and Berliner, 1998). On the other hand, motivation is simply what moves learners from boredom to interest so that they continue learning. It arouses and directs learner’s activities towards learning over time. Assessments can motivate learners if teachers and students roles are effectively performed. For instance, the role of a teacher can be designing tasks in a way that learners can complete with reasonable amount of effort. Difficult tests should be divided into subgroups that are achievable without excessive effort. The role of the teacher even includes ability to inform learners in advance about the nature of the assessments. In this way, assessments are able to motivate student’s effort to learn. Furthermore, Nicholls (1999) as cited in Stepleton (2001) states assessments will motivate learners if they are not seen as a form of torture to the students. The teacher should ensure that students understand that assessments are only meant to assist learners towards achievement of effective learning and attainment of educational goals. If students understand this, they will value assessments and form a positive attitude towards assessments there by getting motivated to learn. Assessments, if used judicially as in grading t tests and scoring of marks, can motivate learners to learn (Gage and Berliner, 1998). Similarly, it is pointed out that given that learners are labelled on the basis of assessments and that these labels create expectations about learner’s ability, characteristics and educational competence. Teachers have to be careful in labelling students. Stepleton (2001) states that according to self-fulfilment prophecy theory, students learn to behave in line with the label or characteristic that has been applied to them. Hence, if assessments are to motivate students, teachers must avoid labelling learners as poor, dull, incompetent or failures on the basis of quantitative results of assessments in the class. If a student feels the teacher knows him or her as an underperformer, the learner may cling to that mentality. On the other hand, good labels such as excellent, good and wonderful should be encouraged and used appropriately to increase motivation on the students learning efforts.

CIS Snapshot :: essays research papers

..::CIS Snapshot::.. When I think of CIS one thing always comes to mind. My first day. No, not my first day this year. The day I’m referring to was the first time I ever came to CIS last year. Near completion of the Danish â€Å"Folke Skole† you have to choose and apply to various â€Å"Gymnasiums† much like applying for university after high school in the states. One of the schools I wanted to attend was CIS. I asked my supervisor if she couldn’t arrange a day where I could go to CIS and see what the IB programme was all about. She said she would try and the next day I got a letter from her telling me the date and time when I would have to go to CIS. When I first arrived at CIS, I was a little overwhelmed at the size. It isn’t a very big school but its layout was a little difficult and I had a hard time finding my way around until I finally ask a student where a Mrs. Richardson was. He, of course, didn’t know. After about 10 minutes of wandering around the halls I finally find the office and they tell me her office was downstairs. I find her at last and she seemed confused why I was there. Apparently she thought I wasn’t due until the week after. I was beginning to have some doubts about the organisational skills of the school. She looks around the halls and pulls the first student she can find to the side and asks if she doesn’t mind showing me around. She nods and tells me to follow her quickly as she was late for class. So my first class at CIS was art. I thought this was going to be fun as I always liked art but after the first mind numbing hour I realised that this wasn’t cut out for me. Th e class itself was fine and the teacher was a fun guy but I had nothing to do other than just watch the other students make their brilliant masterpieces of art. There was one high point and that was when the art teacher told the class that he read an article about a homicidal doctor who would stick ice picks up people’s noses. Fun. After two hours we were finally allowed to go. â€Å"Now what† I thought. Well apparently nothing.

Margaret Atwoods Surfacing Essay -- Margaret Atwood Surfacing Essays

Margaret Atwood's 'Surfacing' Throughout the book the narrator constantly intertwines the past and present as though it is side by side. Atwood shows this in the opening sentence ‘’I can’t believe I’m on this road again’’. The use of the adjective ‘again’ reveals the narrator has been in this place in an earlier life. The narrator seems to repress a lot of her past and continuously contradicts herself, which at times confuses the reader as we can not tell whether she is talking about her past or her present and whether she regards it as home as she says ‘’Now were on home ground foreign territory’’. This links in with one of the key divisions in the story between the Americans and the Canadians that is portrayed throughout the book. This paradoxical declarative reveals that the protagonist feels she should belong there but feels detached from this childhood place, suggesting she may feel alienated from this place revealing something oppressive about this home ground. Also David is the key person who emphasizes this division between the Americans and Canadians. On page three David stresses ‘’Bloody fascist pig Yanks’’, reiterating the stereotypical Canadian disliking of the Americans, using his usual hostile, aggressive language. Ironically David seems to be the fascist pig being the unpleasant chauvinistic pig. The use of the adjective ‘foreign’ links in with the division of language between French and English that we see later in the book. In chapter 2 we see that there is a clear division between the narrator and any emotions. We see that the narrator is emotionally detached from her husband and her child as she â€Å"left him in the city, that would be perfectly true, only it was different city; he... ...ust them, I can’t think of anyone else I like better, but right now I wish they weren’t here†. This shows that the narrator is showing her regrets for bringing them with her reiterating her distrust in them. We also begin to see the narrators distrust in those who are closest to her, her family. When she begins to reminisce on the past she refers to her family with the third person pronoun â€Å"they† for example when she says â€Å"they used to go over it as fast a possible† then later realizes this mistake she is making and states â€Å"that won’t work, I can’t call them ‘they’ as if they were somebody else’s family†. However the tables are turned as we the readers begin to realize that it is the protagonist that we are unable to trust. This is due to the protagonist’s constant self contradictions and self corrections as she says â€Å"my husband, my former husband†.

Variation in Education between Industrial and Developing Countries

While there remain many differences between developing and industrialized nations, one particularly important area in which these differences persist is in education. This essay examines some of the many differences in education between developing and industrialized nations, including differences in access to education, quality of education received, and availability and uptake of higher education.Access to EducationOne of the major differences in education between industrial and developing nations is the level of access which children have to education. Children in developing countries tend to have far less access to education at all levels than children in industrialized nations, although the differences have been particularly well studied in relation to primary education. For example it is estimated that of the 113 million children of primary school age across the world who don’t have access to education, 94 percent live in developing nations (Glewwe & Kremer, 2006).There a re many different factors which may contribute to this, and in fact there are many subgroups within developing countries which differ in terms of access to education. For example those living in rural areas are far less likely to have access to education at any level than those living in urban areas. In addition, some groups such as females and those with disabilities may also have much lower access to education for a number of reasons, many of which may be governed by cultural beliefs and expectations and financial factors (Filmer, 2008).School Enrolment and Years in EducationEven where education is available, there are still often low enrolment rates in developing nations. This may be partially related to legislation in different countries – for example schooling is mandatory to a certain age in most industrial nations, while it is still predominantly voluntary in most developing nations. In addition, other factors in these countries may dominate the level of enrolment with in certain groups, for example in many developing nations fewer females are enrolled in schools than males due to expectations for their performing domestic duties from a young age (Lloyd et al., 2008).In fact there appear to be significant differences in the years of schooling which are typically received by school children in developing nations and industrialized countries, even where rates of enrolment may be initially quite high. It has been suggested that the mean years of schooling has increased by around 3 years across developing countries since the 1960s, but most schoolchildren in developing nations still receive many years less schooling than those in richer countries (Glewwe & Kremer, 2006).Quality of EducationThere is also suggested to be a stark contrast in the quality of education which is offered to children in developing nations when compared to industrialized countries. The evidence which is cited as indicating lower quality includes much higher rates of grade repet ition and the early leaving age of many children from school (Glewwe & Kremer, 2006). While this may to some extent indicate a lower quality of education (Hanushek et al., 2008), it must however also be considered that a lower school leaving age may also be associated with a need to engage in employment in a younger age in many developing countries (Gunnarsson et al., 2006).There are many different factors which may contribute to the lower quality education which is found in many developing nations, including a lack of funding and a lack of resources including both basic teaching materials and access to suitably qualified teaching staff (Glewwe & Kramer, 2006). Many developing nations may be in a difficult position to address these problems without outside assistance from developed countries.Higher EducationAccess to education is not only much lower in primary education in developing nations, but also higher levels of education. Higher education remains far more popular in the indus trialized countries than in developing countries, and several studies have shown there to have been a marked increase in uptake in industrialized nations since the Second World War. For example most industrialized countries now have a university enrolment rate of more than 50 percent of the 18 to 21 year age group, while some have a rate of up to 80 percent (Schofer & Meyer, 2005). This does not however necessarily reflect a difference in the level of education in the younger age groups; instead this is more likely to be related to differences in the demand for higher education qualifications and the availability of funding for these courses. For example in many developing nations there remains more of an emphasis on practical training and there may also be less financial support for higher education courses (Altbach & Knight, 2006).ConclusionsIt is clear that there remain substantial differences between many developing and industrialized nations in terms of the education which is b oth offered and received. It is recognized that the differences in the levels of access to education, the rates of enrolment and the quality of education which is delivered may be particularly important, as each of these may be directly related to the economic development of a country.

The Lowell Mill Girls in the 19th Century

The Lowell Mill Girls in the 19th Century The Lowell Mill Girls were female workers in early 19th century America, young women employed in an innovative system of labor in textile mills centered in Lowell, Massachusetts. The employment of women in a factory was  novel to the point of being revolutionary. And the system of labor in the Lowell mills became widely admired because the young women were housed in an environment which was not only safe but reputed to be culturally advantageous. The young women were encouraged to engage in educational pursuits while not working, and they even contributed articles to a magazine, the Lowell Offering.   The Lowell System of Labor Employed Young Women Francis Cabot Lowell founded the Boston Manufacturing Company, prompted by the increased demand for cloth during the War of 1812. Utilizing the latest technology, he built a factory in Massachusetts which used water power to run machines that processed raw cotton into finished fabric. The factory needed workers, and Lowell wanted to avoid using child labor, which was commonly used in fabric mills in England. The workers did not need to be physically strong, as the work was not strenuous. However, the workers had to be fairly intelligent to master the complicated machinery. The solution was to hire young women. In New England, there were a number of girls who had some education, in that they could read and write. And working in the textile mill seemed like a step up from working on the family farm. Working at a job and earning wages was an innovation in the early decades of the 19th century, when many Americans still worked on family farms or at small family businesses. And for young women at the time, it was considered a great adventure to be able to assert some independence from their families. The company set up boardinghouses to provide safe places for the women employees to live, and also imposed a strict moral code. Instead of it being thought scandalous for women to work in a factory, the mill girls were actually considered respectable. Lowell Became the Center of Industry Francis Cabot Lowell, the founder of the Boston Manufacturing Company, died in 1817. But his colleagues continued the company  and built a larger and improved mill along the Merrimack River in a town which they renamed in Lowells honor. In the 1820s and 1830s, Lowell and its mill girls became fairly famous. In 1834, faced with increased competition in the textile business, the mill cut the workers wages, and the workers responded by forming the Factory Girls Association, an early labor union. The efforts at organized labor were not successful, however. In the late 1830s, the housing rates for the female mill workers were raised, and they attempted to hold a strike, but it did not succeed. They were back on the job within weeks. Mill Girls and Their Cultural Programs Were Famous The mill girls became known for engaging in cultural programs centered around their boardinghouses. The young women tended to read, and discussions of books were a common pursuit. The women also began publishing their own magazine, the Lowell Magazine.  The magazine was published from 1840 to 1845, and sold for six cents a copy. The content poems and autobiographical sketches, which were usually published anonymously, or with the authors identified solely by their initials. The mill owners essentially controlled what appeared in the magazine, so the articles tended to be a positive nature. Yet the magazines very existence was seen as evidence of a positive work environment.   When Charles Dickens, the great Victorian novelist, visited the United States in 1842, he was taken to Lowell to see the factory system. Dickens, who had seen the horrible conditions of British factories up close, was very impressed at the conditions of the mills in Lowell. He was also impressed by the publication issued by the mill workers. The Lowell Offering ceased publication in 1845, when tensions between the workers and the mill owners increased. Over the last year of publication the magazine had published material that was not entirely positive, such as an article which pointed out that loud machinery in the mills could damage a workers hearing. When the magazine promoted the cause of a workday shortened to ten hours, tensions between workers and management became inflamed and the magazine was shut down. Immigration Brought the End of the Lowell System of Labor In the mid-1840s, the Lowell workers organized the Female Labor Reform Association, which tried to bargain for improved wages. But the Lowell System of Labor was essentially undone by increased immigration to the United States. Instead of hiring local New England girls to work in the mills, the factory owners discovered they would hire newly arrived immigrants. The immigrants, many of whom had come from Ireland, fleeing the Great Famine, were content to find any work at all, even for relatively low wages.

smoking essays

smoking essays Cigarette smoking is still the most important preventable cause of premature death in Australia. It has been found that the use of tabacco has resulted in a loss of more than 18,000 lives in Australia each year, while costing the Australian community more than $12.7 billion per annum, which in annual economic costs in terms of lost years of life, loss of income and medical and related costs, were estimated to be at around two percent of the gross national product . Thus, reducing the prevalence of smoking rightly remains a high priority on Australia's public health agenda. In this paper, I will describe the way in which a structural functionalist approach is implicit in the area of health promotion programmes on smoke free environments. Aaron Antonovsky proposed that health is created where people live, love, learn, work and play. This ultimately results to a disproportionately prevalent use of tobacco, where it is found that smoking prevalence is inversely related to education and socioeconomic status. This complements the structuralist theory, which assumes that, what people believe and how individuals behave, is mediated through social institutions. Structural functionalists argue that social institutions like the family, the education system and health care play a role in socializing people. Social roles, derived through consensus, regulate social action, including how we behave with respect to health promotion. Parsons believe that there exists interpersonal and inter-institutional ties within the society. These ties have a compelling effect on the individual to perform and adopt a certain action. Every member of the society has his or her own obligations and responsibility to the society. There exists a social pressure on him for which he cannot disregard his roles and responsibilities to the society and his own family as well. This explains the behavior change by an individuals motivation to comply with those o...

Reclusion vs. Seclusion

Reclusion vs. Seclusion Reclusion vs. Seclusion Reclusion vs. Seclusion By Maeve Maddox A reader asks to know the difference between â€Å"reclusion and seclusion, reclusive and seclusive.† Although synonyms for one another, these words are not interchangeable in every context. Of the nouns, seclusion is used more frequently than reclusion to refer to a state of being apart from society. One of its meanings is â€Å"a desirable separation from the hustle and bustle of daily life†: Wilderness lodges and resorts offer the utmost in luxurious accommodations and amenities, while providing the seclusion that many travelers seek when they visit Alaska. Shrouded by forest, Monterey estate offers seclusion, serenity In the context of public education, seclusion is a term for the prescribed separation of a disruptive student from classmates: The immediate goal of seclusion is to defuse a dangerous situation, protect the student and others from injury, and regain a safe, controlled, productive learning environment. Reclusion also refers to the state of being separated from society, but this word carries the connotation that the separation is a chosen way of life. Although the adjective seclusive may be found in the OED, it is not in common use. Reclusive is the common word used to mean, â€Å"disposed to prefer seclusion or isolation.† The word reclusion has religious origins. In the Middle Ages, women called anchoresses lived in reclusion: they inhabited a cell or small suite of rooms attached to a church and never left. Food was passed to them through a window. Some anchoresses, like Dame Julian of Norwich, received visitors for purposes of counseling, but some lived apart from all but the most necessary interaction with other people, sealed up in their cells as in a tomb. The word for a person who chooses a life of reclusion is recluse (American pronunciation: [REK-loos]; British pronunciation [ri-KLOOS]). In modern usage, the noun recluse and the adjective reclusive are used mainly in a nonreligious context. For example, well-known personalitiesliving and dead are often described as reclusive, notably, J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee, Emily Dickinson, and Howard Hughes. Here are some examples from the Web: Snowden A Recluse One Year On After Receiving Russia Asylum Reclusive  mining  heiress  leaves $30 million to the nurse For the past ten years, the London-born actor [Daniel Day-Lewis] has led a resolutely reclusive existence, locked away on a remote 50-acre estate in the mountains of County Wicklow Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Talking15 Types of Documents1,462 Basic Plot Types

Poetry analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Poetry analysis - Essay Example The use of repetition of words all through the poem such as "civil", bring in alliteration to the following or next. Shakespeare chooses to use the repetition of a certain sound in the subsequent line, generating alliteration. Alliteration in the line 5 is not just the repetition of the letter f sound but of bold words. A line filled with harsh sounding fs as well as words of rivalry are pushed up alongside line 6 and appear to be more unhappy than harsh which inform the audience of the expected death of the lovers that were at first believed to be enemy. Lastly, enjambment in the poem embraces the character of the play being clash and the violence paralleling with love as well as predictable disaster. Form as well as content is important aspects in any text as the combination of all inevitably produce the last meaning of the content. Meaning cannot be consequential if there is no substance in which to support a story on and a sequence of literary method for instance those present in the poem of Romeo and Juliet, place a prominence on this content for it to convey the basic idea that Shakespeare is giving out to the

State sponsors of Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

State sponsors of Terrorism - Essay Example Terrorists become more active and powerful because of state support to them. The motivation and support they get from state sponsorship results in increasing the threat of deadly terrorist attacks on civilians, military forces, and infrastructure. State-sponsored terrorism does not have any particular form. At one end, a state can make use of its intelligence agencies to carry out terrorist attacks on some other country either because of grudges between the two states or because of the intent to destabilize the victim state. On the other end, a state can become a safe corner or safe home for the terrorists from where they can hide after carrying out terrorist attacks on the neighboring countries. Some states even fund the terrorist groups operating in other countries to keep them carry out their criminal activities. Their intent is to weaken the political and military base of the victim state. Some states use their own forces against a particular group of people to suppress their voice and rights. This is also a type of state sponsored terrorism. For example, use of force against Kurds by former Iraqi President Saddam Husain can be termed as state sponsored terrorism (Grothaus, n.d.). Let us take some examples of active and passive state sponsored terrorism in order to clarify the evident and hidden roles of states in promoting terrorism. The first example of active state sponsored terrorism is that of Syria’s development and control of a terrorist group named Al-Saiqa. This terrorist group was based in Palestine and Syria directly and openly controlled this group to tackle the influence of Yasir Arafat who was the most prominent leader of Palestine. Another active state sponsored terrorist example is of Pakistan’s support to the militant groups operating Kashmir against Indian forces. Pakistan provides funds and training to these groups using which they carry out attacks on Indian forces. Their main

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Accounting - Essay Example I can still remember one time when my family and I had an impending ethical decision to make. The memory is still so vivid in my mind because if felt just like yesterday. My father had handed in his resignation at work because he had found a higher paying job. On his last day of work, my mother, my siblings, and I all went into attend his farewell party. He was working as a security guard there and, as such, he was in charge of locking the place up each night. Once everyone had already left, my father had to lock the place up. It was also the case that he also knew the key combination to the safe. Since he was the last one to leave, and he was never coming back to this job, he could legitimately get away with stealing money from the safe. We discussed amongst ourselves whether anyone would notice if some of the money went missing. My brother argued that we wouldn’t be doing anything wrong because the business was already involved in illegal business practices anyway. However, I spoke up and said that if we did this, it would stain my father’s reputation. He had built up a good work rapport over the years and it would be a shame to see this all go to waste over an insignificant sum of cash. I learnt from this experience that making unethical decisions do not pay off in the long run. As I have been growing up, I have made sure to think with an ethical mindset in every situation. In the business world, my personal ethics will thrive because I always think about all the people that may be affected by my decisions. My ethical upbringing has encouraged me to always seek the truth. This may mean being a whistleblower and calling out a fellow employee, but this is something that I feel strongly about. In my future business career, I will make it clear at the interview stage that I am unwilling to perform any action that would be considered unethical. They can be a grey area when it comes to ethical decisions. However, for me, there are no grey areas; if I have to

Ethical Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Ethical Issues - Essay Example Thesis statement: An investigation into the Parenting Programs in US Prison Systems to assess the ethical issues of conducting these sorts of programs. The responsibility a father to lead his child to become a productive and able citizen in the society is significant. But in America, around 24 million children do not get enough care and attention from their fathers (Leving, 2007). Besides, our society is responsible to lead these children towards the right path in their future life. For instance the Council on Responsible Fatherhood situated in Illinois plays the crucial role by conducting parenting programs to tackle this challenge. This Council aims to help the children in Illinois to grow with their fathers. The council is planning to instill awareness among the mass by conducting a number of programs like Regional Meetings, Statewide Symposiums etc. One of the missions of the Council is to raise public awareness on the consequences of absence of fathers in a family, and its negative effect on children (Leving, 2007). The most important reason for the absence of fathers in families is short or long term imprisonment. This exampl e proves the importance of parenting programs in US Prison systems. As prisoners lead an isolated life in prisons, it is important to implement Marriage and Relationship Education Programs under Parenting Programs in Prison Systems. Short or long term imprisonment badly affects father- child/ husband –spouse relation and it is the duty of prison authorities to implement effective measures to improve marital relation through educational programs in prison systems. In the US prison system, there are a number of Marriage and Relationship Education Programs. The Prevention and Relationship Education Program or PREP helps couples to develop strong marriage bonds. The goal of PREP is to negative patterns in marital relationships and to inculcate individual, emotional and

Inherent Difference Between US GAAP and IFRS on Revenue Recognition Case Study

Inherent Difference Between US GAAP and IFRS on Revenue Recognition - Case Study Example In case either requirement fails, the seller must defer revenue recognition, and accounting guidance provides special procedures for single arrangements that contains multiple deliverables and for long-term contracts (Gill, 2007). US GAAP on Revenue Recognition A firm’s gross accounts receivable reflects the amounts customers have promised to pay, and balance sheet displays these receivables net of estimated uncollectible accounts (Gill, 2007). When the seller decides that receivables have become uncollectible, it writes off the receivable because of their significant for analyzing liquidity and profitability; thus, accounts receivable are an input to several ratios used by financial analysis. Therefore, revenue recognition under the GAAP state that the seller recognizes revenue only when the transaction meets the following conditions: Stickney, Weil and Schipper (2009) indicate that the seller is purposed to earn recognized revenue, meaning that the seller has substantially a ccomplished what he or she has promised the customer. In addition, the revenue is realized or realizable, meaning that the seller has received cash or same asset that she or he can convert into cash. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the United States has issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104 (SAB) that summarizes the following four conditions for revenue recognition (Walton, 2009). 1. There exist influential proof of an arrangement exists. 2. Delivery of the service has been settled. 3. The seller’s maintain constant price of the price to the buyer. 4. It is certain that the seller can measure the amount of revenue and is reasonably certain to collect it. According to Stickney, Weil and Schipper (2009), Conditions 2, 3, 4 of SAB 104 are similar to the two conditions stated in the concepts statement 5 of SAB 104 that requires persuasive evidence that the seller has an arrangement with customer in the form of a contract, or prior business dealings p ractices. The arrangement states the responsibilities of the seller and its customers with respect to the nature and delivery of goods or services, the risks assumed by buyer and seller, the timing of cash payments, and similar factors. IFRS ON Revenue Recognition According to Tarantino and Cernauskas (2009), the IFRS distinguishes between revenue from sales of goods and revenue from sales of services with regard to sales of goods. The IFRS specifies five conditions for recognizing revenue: conditions 1 and 2 apply only to the sale of goods. 1. The seller has passed risk over to the buyer in order to evaluate the significant risks and rewards of ownerships of the goods. 2. The seller has not maintained either efficient control or the kind of involvement that is associated with ownership. 3. The total of income can be measured consistently. 4. It is probable that the seller will obtain the monetary remuneration related with the transaction. 5. The costs obtained from the sellers can be calculated reliably. With regard to services, IFRS specifies conditions 3, 4 and 5 plus one additional; that is, the stage of completion of the transaction at the end of the reporting period can be measured reliably (Gill, 2007).

Ethical Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Ethical Issues - Essay Example Thesis statement: An investigation into the Parenting Programs in US Prison Systems to assess the ethical issues of conducting these sorts of programs. The responsibility a father to lead his child to become a productive and able citizen in the society is significant. But in America, around 24 million children do not get enough care and attention from their fathers (Leving, 2007). Besides, our society is responsible to lead these children towards the right path in their future life. For instance the Council on Responsible Fatherhood situated in Illinois plays the crucial role by conducting parenting programs to tackle this challenge. This Council aims to help the children in Illinois to grow with their fathers. The council is planning to instill awareness among the mass by conducting a number of programs like Regional Meetings, Statewide Symposiums etc. One of the missions of the Council is to raise public awareness on the consequences of absence of fathers in a family, and its negative effect on children (Leving, 2007). The most important reason for the absence of fathers in families is short or long term imprisonment. This exampl e proves the importance of parenting programs in US Prison systems. As prisoners lead an isolated life in prisons, it is important to implement Marriage and Relationship Education Programs under Parenting Programs in Prison Systems. Short or long term imprisonment badly affects father- child/ husband –spouse relation and it is the duty of prison authorities to implement effective measures to improve marital relation through educational programs in prison systems. In the US prison system, there are a number of Marriage and Relationship Education Programs. The Prevention and Relationship Education Program or PREP helps couples to develop strong marriage bonds. The goal of PREP is to negative patterns in marital relationships and to inculcate individual, emotional and

Research report 8 Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Report 8 - Research Paper Example â€Å"Major consequences flow from having an immigration stream taht ignores education or skills. Immigrants are now more likely than native-born Americans to lack a high school education† (Buchanan 406). This quotation meant that America’s present immigration policy is skewed towards admitting immigrants who are less skilled and less educated whose level of skills and education are comparable to high school graduate native born Americans. As a result of this wrong immigration policy, there are more immigrants who are dependent on welfare compared before and this has negative effects on American society such as higher social expenditures and higher taxes. Further, this kind of immigration policy is skewed more on admitting immigrants which are less needed by American economy because it ignores skills, education, age and experience unlike in Canada and Australia whose immigration policy are point based depending on the immigrants skills, education and other attributes which could be beneficial to their host country. The audience of the source are Americans and policy makers. The essay (or mostlikely, a speech) was probably written for a president and delivered by a President (although we do not know who exactly) evident with these passages from the texts; â€Å"That is why I am proposing immigration reform to make it possible to fully assimilate the thirty million immigrants who have arrived in the last thirty years. As president, I will ask Congress to reduce new entry visas to 300,000 a year, which is enough to admit immediate family members of new

List of Companies Essay Example for Free

List of Companies Essay 1. AmBank Corporate The AmBank Group is one of Malaysia’s premier financial services group with leadership positions in the retail banking, commercial banking, investment banking and insurance sectors. With an established history and a track record of customer focus and innovation, the AmBank Group continues to serve its customers with a wide range of innovative products and services. 2. Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd is a Malaysia investment holding media and entertainment company that began in the form of a pay digital direct broadcast satellite radio and television service, Astro. 3. Celcom Axiata Berhad Through the Mobile Numbering Portability by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, CELCOM also provides Virtual Mobile Operator services. Celcom also provides rural communications services using CDMA Technology and Satellite Phone. 4. CIMB Bank In their commitment to deliver a more exclusive level of banking, they continuously develop their products and services, advisory capabilities and lifestyle privileges to be more attentive, convenient and rewarding for their customers. 5. DiGi Telecommunications DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd., DBA DiGi, is a mobile service provider in Malaysia. It is owned in majority by Telenor ASA of Norway with 49%. On 24 May 1995 DiGi became the first telco in Malaysia to launch and operate a fully digital cellular network. 6. DRB-HICOM DRB-HICOM Berhad (â€Å"DRB-HICOM) is one of Malaysia’s leading companies listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad, playing an integral role in the nation’s road to industrialisation. 7. Maxis Communications Maxis provides a variety of mobile communication products and services. They offer prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, International Roaming, MMS, WAP (over both GSM and GPRS), Residential Fixed Line services, Broadband Internet plans, and as of early 2005, 3G services to both prepaid and post paid subscription customers. It is easier to attract the customers. 8. Media Prima Berhad Rich with compelling content, Media Primas traditional and new media channels have been able to engage millions of people throughout Malaysia and beyond with something for everyone. 9. Naza Group The Naza Group of Companies is Malaysia’s largest privately-owned conglomerate with businesses in the automotive industry, property development, food and beverage and hotel management to name a few. 10. New Straits Times Group NSTP is the leading printed media with a growing online presence. They inform, educate and entertain. 11. Perodua They responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of all Perodua vehicles as well as after sales service and spare parts operations. Perodua is well-known for selling affordable car for everyone. 12. Petronas Dagangan Berhad Committed to a growth agenda, PDB strives to continuously provide superior products, and services in all its four core businesses of Retail, Commercial, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Lubricants. The Company invests in research and development (RD) to ensure that PDB continues to offer a wide range of internationally recognised high quality petroleum products including motor gasoline, aviation fuel, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, bunker fuel, LPG cylinders and asphalt. Today, PDB is the market leader in the Commercial and LPG sectors, with strong fundamentals to retain and further solidify this position. 13. PLUS Malaysia Berhad The PLUS Expressways Berhad (PEB) or PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PMB) or known as Projek Lebuhraya Usahasama Berhad (PLUS) (formerly Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan Berhad (PLUS)) (MYX: 5052) is the biggest Highway Concessionaries or Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) operator company in Malaysia. A member of the UEM Group, the company is also the largest listed toll expressway operator in Southeast Asia, Asia, and the eighth largest in the world. 14. Pos Malaysia Pos Malaysia Berhad constantly invests in identifying, evaluating and maximising the human capital that drives the organisation and innovating solutions to improve its products and services to fulfill the increasing demands of its customers. 15. Proton Holdings Berhad Using the resources, technology, innovations, manpower and design capabilities which includes the expertise of PROTONs wholly-owned subsidiary Lotus Engineering UK, one of the worlds leading automotive engineering consultancy companies, has provided PROTON with an invaluable resource which has helped place the national car company at the forefront of the automotive industry. 16. Sime Darby Sime Darby provides many kind of services such as Sime Darby Plantation, Sime Darby Industrial, Sime Darby Energy Utilities, Sime Darby Property and Sime Darby Motors. 17. Shell As one of the world’s leading energy companies Shell plays a key role in helping to meet the world’s growing energy demand in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways. 18. Public Bank Public Bank Berhad is a bank based in Malaysia. Public Bank is the biggest domestic bank in Malaysia by shareholders funds. It focuses on retail customers and small to medium sized enterprises 19. SIRIM Berhad SIRIM has been dedicated in championing standards and management services, research and technology in high-end technology development, technology transfer and technopreneurship incubation. 20. Tenaga Nasional Berhad TNBs core activities are in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. Other activities include repairing, testing and maintaining power plants, providing engineering, procurement and construction services for power plants related products, assembling and manufacturing high voltage switchgears, coal mining and trading. 21. Telekom Malaysia As a model corporate citizen committed to good governance and transparency, TM continues its pledge to ensure the integrity of our processes, people and  reputation as well as the sustainability of our operations. Our Corporate Responsibility (CR) ethos reinforces responsible behaviour in the four main domains of the marketplace, workplace, the community and the environment. With a focus on ICT, the Group further promotes 3 major platforms i.e. education, community/nation-building and environment, through our Reaching Out programmes. 22. Konsortium Transnasional Berhad Konsortium Transnasional Brhad is the largest operator of public bus transportation in Malaysia. Its stage and express bus operations provide the most extensive coverage throughout Peninsular Malaysia, covering all major cities and towns as well as Singapore. 23. Petron Malaysia Refining Marketing Bhd Beyond their business agenda, they take their corporate and social citizenship to heart by integrating education and environment programs into our operations to ensure sustainability and contribute to social development. 24. Aeon Co. (M) Bhd AEONs constant interior refurbishment of stores to project an image designed to satisfy the ever changing needs and desires of consumers is clear evidence of this. The Companys performance has been further enhanced by the managements acute understanding of target market needs and the provision of an optimal product-mix. AEONs stores are mostly situated in suburban residential areas, catering to Malaysias vast middle income group. 25. AirAsia Berhad AirAsia Berhad is a Malaysian low-cost airline headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. It has been named as the worlds best low-cost airline, and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. AirAsia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to 78 destinations spanning 25 countries.  Their tagline ‘ Everyone Can Fly’ have attracted everyone to try their services. 26. Malaysian Airlines (MAS) Apart from the airline the group also includes aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and aircraft handling. Malaysia Airlines has two airline subsidiaries: Firefly and MASwings. They offered affordable price for everyone with different classes. 27. Hong Leong Bank The Groups Reaching Out to You embeds the organisation in the country and community within which it operates. Through its financial services arm Hong Leong Financial Group Berhad, which consists of Hong Leong Bank, Hong Leong Islamic Bank, Hong Leong Bank Vietnam, Hong Leong Assurance and Hong Leong Tokio Marine Takaful, the Group is well positioned as an integrated financial services provider. 28. Apple Incorporated Apple Inc. (Apple) designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. News about Apple Incorporated, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. 29. Samsung Corporation Samsung has a powerful influence on South Koreas economic development, politics, media and culture, and has been a major driving force behind the Miracle on the Han River. Its affiliate companies produce around a fifth of South Koreas total exports. Samsungs revenue was equal to 17% of the South Koreas $1082 billion GDP. 30. Nokia Corporation Nokia has production facilities located all over the world and we’re working to make each one as sustainable as possible. In part, this means minimising any negative environmental and social impact the facility may have for example, by reducing its energy consumption or ensuring materials are ethically sourced. But it also means maximising the positive impact our presence can have on the local community from providing rewarding employment opportunities to supporting worthy causes, such as schools or hospitals. JCS3113 Corporate Communication in Practice Name : Nur Afdhaliah Binti Abu Bakar Matrix Number : 4111009431 Title : List of Company with Good Marketing Strategy Lecturer’s Name : Sir Azrul Shah Bin Mohamad Date of Submission : 18 September 2013

Lustration In Czech Republic And Slovakia Social Policy Essay

Lustration In Czech Republic And Slovakia Social Policy Essay Twenty years after the Velvet Revolution resulting in the change of regime, common feeling prevailing in both, Slovakia and the Czech Republic is disillusion. According to the latest polls of STEM agency, forty years of communist oppression would not discourage 12.3% Czechs to vote for the Communist Party in next election. In Slovakia, the Communist Party would enjoy only 3.1% support as FOCUS agency discovered. However, it cannot be concluded that Czechs excused leaders and collaborators of former regime whereas Slovaks did not. These figures have to be seen in the light of approaches Slovakia and the Czech Republic pursued in coping with their communist past. Absence of the lustration law in Slovakia caused that leaders and collaborators of former regime pervaded into new political system easily, and now can be found in many other parties throughout the political spectrum, apart from the Communist Party. Thus, their actual support cannot be verified. Whereas, the lustration law in the Czech Republic disqualified leaders and collaborators of former regime from holding public positions. This essay tries to argue that although approaches Slovakia and the Czech Republic pursued in coping with their communist past were completely different, surprisingly, none of them led to satisfactory outcomes. This essay primarily presents strengths and weaknesses of the lustration law adopted in 1991, as it applied to the Czech Republic and Slovakia together until its dissolution in 1993. Moreover, with minor changes, it has been valid since then in the Czech Republic. On the contrary, in Slovakia it expired in 1996. This essay describes unfavourable consequences of absence of the lustration law in Slovakia. However, it also mentions harms its existence and strict enforcement did in the Czech Republic. While being a common state, Czechs and Slovaks pursued the same attitude in coping with their communist past. Its Federal Assembly passed the lustration law as the first post communist government on October 4, 1991. This law stated precisely who can and cannot hold certain public positions. A person who was: member of State Secret Police (hereinafter referred to as StB), resident, agent, owner of conspiracy flat, informer, ideological or conscious collaborator of StB, high-ranked official of the Communist Party, member of Peoples Militias, student, or researcher at one of the KGB universities for longer than three months, was excluded from public employment (Act on Lustration 1991). In addition, this law specified more precisely category conscious collaborator as person recorded in StB files as confident or candidate for collaboration (1991). The lustration law, valid until 1996, obliged everyone holding a leading public position, including public enterprises, courts, media outlets and higher education institutions to require the Interior Ministry for lustration certificate, of 8-euro value (Lustration Act 1991). However, lustrations happened even before putting the lustration law into life. The Federal Assembly already in January that year passed a resolution in accordance with all members of parliament, ministers, their deputies and civil servants had to be screened for StB collaboration. It did not take long until the first ethical concerns were raised about both, the resolution and the lustration law. Roman David mentions that the International Labour Organisation criticized them for being discriminatory towards the expression of political opinion and human rights groups for violating the right to express, associate, be free from discrimination, and participate in public life (2004, 790). The headlines of internationally respected dailies called lustrations in Czechoslovakia Witch Hunts, Hunts for Villains (New York Times 1991) or Grounds for New Injustices (Le Monde 1992), describing them as threats to democracy, fragile anyway at that time. Many scholars mention that new policy makers used exactly contrary argument, defending lustrations as a mean to build and strengthen democracy. They believed if leaders and collaborators with former regime were given public employment, it would undermine democracy. (David 2004, 795; Williams 2003, 2) In this regard, it is difficult, if not impossible to decide who was wrong and right. However, it is possible to define the strengths and weaknesses of the lustration law from 1991. First, the criticism of the lustration law based on the deprivation of political rights does not hold the water. It prevented leaders and collaborators of former regime from public employment, but as Roman David argues the right to public employment was deliberately omitted from the European Convention of Human Rights (2004, 797). Moreover, he adds that the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1989 was a monolithic organisation which excluded opposition, prohibited discussion and did not allow free elections (2004, 799). It cannot be considered standard political party as it does not fulfil general criteria of a political party recognized in democracy. Thus, it can hardly claim the same legal protection which is given to other parties. (2004, 799) Furthermore, public employment is identified with certain values. Roman David uses an example of USA where the Supreme Court has confirmed several qualifications for public employees, such as trust, integrity and competency, fitness and loyalty and impartiality, fairness and effectiveness' (2004, 797). This shows that the public employment demands exemplary behaviour. Can someone who contributed to oppression of others be an example for others? Does he hold these values? When identifying former regime and its actors, its crimes should not be overlooked. According to the Czech Office for the Documentation and the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism, from 1948 to 1989, 205 486 persons were imprisoned and 248 persons were executed for political reasons, 282 persons died when trying to cross western borders, and 21 440 persons were placed in forced labour camps from 1948 to 1953. Besides, these figures do not include damages of those, who were deprived from possibility to study, work in their field, and were exposed to constant pursuit of StB and regular interrogations, during which StB members were not reluctant to use violent practices. The Communist Party not only gave consent to these practices carried out by the Peoples Militias that was armed forces of the Communist Party and by StB, it encouraged them to use them. Would not their former members be a threat to unstable democracy in Czechoslovakia, if they were given a chance to participate in public decisions? Knowing the context, is not surprising that after 1989 new policy makers took uncompromising stance towards leaders and collaborators with former regime and dismissed them from political life. However, while one ethical concern was solved, another popped up. If a dismissal from public employment was legitimate, then who to dismiss was in question. As nothing is black and white, simple division on bad and good proved to be impossible for a whole variety reasons. Certainly, thousands of people collaborated with former regime voluntarily for personal gains, fully aware of harms their actions caused to others. However, with new lustrations becoming public, new life stories disclosed proved it was not always the case. Some people seemed to be forced to agree on collaboration. Simply, they had no other choice if they wanted to protect their families and friends, keep their employment, study at universities or even if they wanted to continue dissenting against regime. Who could say s/he was in such situation and decided not to collaborate? A handful could. The political party Public against Violence (hereinafter referred to as VPN), created after 1989 mostly from dissidents was one of the firsts that decided to verify whether their candidates ranked to this handful and screened them for StB collaboration. If they were positive (meaning, they had records in StB files as collaborators), either they resigned or we withdrew them from their position. These were dreadful days. We saw life stories of people who were broken in prisons, uranium mines, during their travels abroad or simply at work. Some of them were our long-time friends, Fedor Gal, Slovak dissident and co-founder of VPN recalls (tyzden 2009). It turned out some of leaders of the Velvet revolution had records in StB files as hostile persons, but as collaborators at the same time. The situation got complicated. Was it right to use the same measure for everyone? Moreover, when the definition of categories excluded from public employment in the lustration law proved to be imprecise . However, no controversy could be found in respect to high-ranked officials of the Communist Party, the same could not be said about StB collaborators and members of Peoples Militias. High positions in the Communist Party were to be queued. Everyone who reached this hierarchic level within the system not only decided voluntarily, but also had to put much effort in order to reach it. As Roman David argues, Only devoted and loyal candidates were granted membership. He stresses these were aware of illicit aims of the Communist Party (2004, 802). The StB collaborators were also conscious members. However, in some cases StB members blackmailed them in order to make them sign the agreement on co-operation. Still, the biggest loophole occurred in the category of Peoples Militias members. As Roman David emphasises, even though Peoples Militias helped to oppress the opposition during the communist coup in February 1948, they did not necessarily know this was its purpose when they entered the organization. Later on, when they realized it, they could not disjoin the organization, as it was almost impossible with any communist organisation. (2004, 802) Furthermore, not everyone who entered the Peoples Militias even after the communist coup shared its purposes. The circumstances varied from case to case. This essay would use the case of Milan Kuta, published in the New York Times. Milan Kuta was respected oncologist when he was offered to lead the Oncology Centre in not very favourite Czech town Chomutov in 1985. In order to get this employment, he had to enter the Communist Party and provide the Peoples Militias with first-aid courses. Never being active in political life before, he decided to accept the offer, as he knew it was the only way for the centre to get appropriate finances and for him to get more interesting job. However, in 1991, after the lustration law was enforced, he as the director of state-owned medical centre found himself in unpleasant situation. Coming under the category inconsistent with public employment, he had to resign from his position. (New York Times 1992) Nowadays, Milan Kuta still works in the Oncolog y Centre in Chomutov and is considered renowned specialist in his field. If a role of the lustration law were simplified to being a mean inflicting punishment on collaborators with former regime for their past wrongdoings, it would be difficult to say what Milan Kuta did wrong. Furthermore, in this case, it would be also difficult to defend the lustration as a mean to build and strengthen democracy. How would democracy be endangered if Milan Kuta stayed in his post? He was not active in the Communist Party, and he never collaborated with StB. The only criticism could come from giving Peoples Militias first-aid courses. First, was this inherently bad? Second, could this be compared to pursuing people and oppressing their fundamental rights? It hardly could. Thus, was not a burden of collective guilt too heavy for Milan Kuta? Not only he loosed his post in the Oncology Centre, he had to face a disdain of society. Moreover, Milan Kuta was not the only case. Many people were harmed by imprecise definition of some categories inconsistent with public employment according to the lustration law and by the principle of collective guilt, it imposed. Finally, also the credibility of StB files was questionable. Political leaders, old as well as new, in both countries quickly realized these could be useful tools for political blackmailing. Pavel Zacek, the Czech historian from The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes in Prague claims, StB files were manipulated and thousands of them possibly destroyed by StB, but also the Communist Party, Peoples Militias, and army immediately after the Velvet revolution (SME 2009). This suspicion puts another question mark behind the legitimacy of the lustration law in Czechoslovakia. The lustration law passed in 1991 in Czechoslovakia was important step in preventing leaders and collaborators with former regime from shifting newly built democracy back to dictatorship. However, it was step uncertain, unaware of direction it wanted to take and of destination, it wanted to reach. The categories of people affected by the lustration law were too broad. The public employment covered significant part of the labour market after 1989. Thus, too many people were deprived from public employment and the lustration law did not differentiate among them. A doctor giving first-aid courses to Peoples Militias was in the same position as member of StB pursuing and interrogating innocent people. The lustration law from 1991 was common basis for both countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. However, Czechs were initiators and insisted on the lustration law more than Slovaks, which proved to be true after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993 as well. As Nadya Nedelsky mentions, while the Czech Republic kept the lustration law, prolonged its validity in 1995 and in 2000, though the president Vaclav Havel vetoed its prolongation both times, Slovakia let the lustration law expired in 1996 and never enacted it again. (2004, 76, 66) In the Czech Republic, the lustration law was amended in 2000, granting an exemption to persons born after the 1st December 1972. These, if having interest in public employment were not obliged to submit either lustration certificate or statutory declaration (Amendment of Lustration Act 2000). There are several reasons explaining diverged approaches in dealing with communist past. Most often, scholars argue that the regime was not equally tough in both countries. Nadya Nedelsky confirms it and adds to that that the main reason why both countries were not treated in the same way was different level of dissent. According to her, low level of dissent in Slovakia led to lesser oppression of Slovaks, and consequently after the Velvet revolution to lesser interest in transitional justice as well. (2004, 81) After 1989, Slovak public became divided not only in this matter. Certainly, there was a public support for lustration processes. However, it was not so unite as in the Czech Republic. Significant part of Slovak public was already occupied with the idea of independent Slovak state. This one seemed to prevail. Although, strength of regime or disunity of public in the matter of transitional justice played important role in deciding for and against the lustration law, they do not provide with sufficient reasoning of two contrary attitudes. The character of political scene of that time in both countries should not be omitted in this debate. Nadya Nedelsky mentions, even though Vaclav Klaus and Vladimir Meciar, Czech and Slovak political leader who gained their popularity from playing crucial roles in a split of Czechoslovakia, had several common features, they led both countries to completely different directions. While the government of Vaclav Klaus got the Czech Republic closer to the western democracies, authoritarian government of Vladimir Meciar, breaking fundamental human rights got Slovakia to international isolation. Even though Vaclav Klaus several times expressed his belief that looking back into past can prevent from moving forward in the present and future, he always voted for the lustration law. On the contrary, Vladimir Meciar was strongly against the lustration law, surprisingly referring to violation of human rights. Moreover, regarding Vladimir Meciar, he was accused of stealing and destroying StB files that could discredit him, as he was suspected to be collaborator of StB. As Vaclav Klaus and Vladimir Meciar formed newly created republics for several years after the split to big extent, it is not surprising that the attitude toward lustration turned in the Czech Republic and Slovakia into completely different directions just because they had a different view on it. Nevertheless, surprisingly, different directions these two approaches took did not result in different ends. Harms the lustration law and its strict enforcement caused in the Czech Republic because of its loose definition were described above. Nevertheless, harms its absence caused in Slovakia are not fewer. Lack of public and political interest in settling the past resulted in politics, but also church being riddled by former communists. The most known is the case of Jan Sokol, former Roman Catholic archbishop accused of collaborating with former regime. Even though, his name popped up in StB files several times, never as of hostile person, but as of candidate for collaboration, and later on as of agent, and there was found a record disclosing about whom he informed StB, he never admitted it or offered his resignation. (Nations Memory Institute 2004-2009) Not having the lustration law, Slovakia did not have any mechanisms to withdraw Jan Sokol from his position. Again, similarly as in the case of Milan Kuta, Jan Sokol is not an exception. Slovakia never fully extricated from the influence of leaders and collaborators of former regime. In addition, Slovak political development after 1989 is the case in point, what crucial role the lustration law plays in democratisation processes. Slovakia with its do nothing approach in dealing with the communist past, proved to be weak to protect its young democracy, as Vladimir Meciars government apparently did not comply with democratic principles. Overall, twenty years passed since the lustration law in the Czech Republic has been in force and thirteen since in Slovakia it expired. Certainly, it played important role in strengthening democracy after 1989. A fear that leaders and collaborators with former regime could undermine was understandable. However, is this law tenable in the Czech Republic now being a part of the European Union since 2004? Is not same fear groundless? Who will redress all the damages done to reputations of unjustly accused of collaboration? Vice versa, who will redress all the damages done to dissidents in Slovakia who suffered from oppression of the communist regime, and have to see now their oppressors making public decisions? These unanswered questions did not have to be posed if either the Czech Republic or Slovakia adopted more consistent approach in dealing with their communist past. References Czech Office for the Documentation and the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism. The Number of Casualties of the Communist Regime in Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1989. http://web.mvcr.cz/archiv2008/policie/udv/popraveni/obeti/index.html (accessed December 4, 2009) David, Roman. 2004. Transitional Injustice? Criteria for Conformity of Lustration to the Right to Political Expression. Europe-Asia Studies. 56, no. 6: 789-812. Engelberg, Stephen. 1992. The Velvet Revolution Gets Rough. New York Times. May 31. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/31/magazine/the-velvet-revolution-gets-rough.html (accessed December 4, 2009) Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic. 1991. Zà ¡kon, ktorà ½m sa ustanovujà º niektorà © d(alÃ… ¡ie predpoklady na và ½kon niektorà ½ch funkcià ­ v Ã… ¡tà ¡tnych orgà ¡noch a organizà ¡cià ¡ch C(eskej a Slovenskej Federatà ­vnej Republiky, C(eskej republiky a Slovenskej republiky. (Act on Lustration) 455/1991. FOCUS (Marketing and Social Research agency in Slovakia). Electoral Political Party Preferences for November 2009, http://www.focus-research.sk/files/110_Preferencie%20politickych%20stran_%20nov2009.pdf (accessed December 4, 2009) Gal, Fedor. 2009. Lustracie III. Tyzden (Slovakia). August 30. http://www.tyzden.sk/casopis/2009/35/lustracie-iii.html (accessed December 4, 2009) Monroy, Catherine. 1992. Difficile lustration en Tchà ©coslovaquie Le sort rà ©servà © aux anciens communistes risque de donner lieu à   de nouvelles injustices. Le Monde. February 24. http://www.lemonde.fr/cgi-bin/ACHATS/acheter.cgi?offre=ARCHIVEStype_item=ART_ARCH_30Jobjet_id=398186 (accessed December 4, 2009) Nations Memory Institute. 2004-2009. Sprà ¡va Ã…  tB Bratislava (The StB Report Bratislava). http://www.upn.gov.sk/regpro/zobraz.php?typ=krajkniha=88strana=62zaznam=82158 (accessed December 4, 2009) Nedelsky, Nadya. 2004. Divergent Responses to a Common Past: Transitional Justice in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Theory and Society. 33, no. 1: 65-115. New York Times, national edition. 1991. A Witch Hunt in Prague? April 6. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/06/opinion/a-witch-hunt-in-prague.html (accessed December 4, 2009) STEM (The Centre for Empirical Survey in the Czech Republic). STEM Political Party Preferences for November 2009, http://www.stem.cz/clanek/1884 (accessed December 4, 2009) TASR, Meciar vyuzival materialy StB, tvrdi cesky historik (Meciar abused StB material, says the Czech historian), SME, October 7, 2009. Williams, Kieran. 2003. Lustration As the Securitization of Democracy in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. The Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics. 19, no. 4: 1-24.

Peaceful Execution in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

Peaceful Execution in Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is written by John Steinbeck. The story is about these two men, George and Lennie, and they find work at this ranch. Within a few days, Lennie, a tall bulky man with the brain of a young child, gets in trouble, making his traveling buddy, George, do the unthinkable. George shoots Lennie to make his death a more "joyous" one than the one he would've received from Curley, the man that wanted to kill him the most. It was right for George to shoot Lennie because Lennie died suddenly, was thinking about the dream, and was shot by a friend. By having George shoot Lennie, Lennie died suddenly. Curley would have shot him in his stomach area to have him die a slow and painful death. Lennie didn't have to suffer the pain of death and George wouldn't have to stand there and have Lennie ask questions about why he didn't do anything to prevent Curley from shooting him. When Lennie died, he was thinking about the dream. This made Lennie happy because he was "gonna tend the rabbits". That means his last thoughts before he died were happy ones of a farm, a little shack and rabbits eating the alfalfa. If Lennie didn't shoot George and Curley did, George would be thinking about how he killed Curley's wife and that Curley was really mad at him. That thought wouldn't make Lennie happy and Lennie knew that so he shoot him. Lennie was shot by a friend who cared about him. There was no hatred between them making the death non-revengeful. It was just as if Lennie was hooked up to a machine that kept him alive and George pulled the plug. He was bound to be shot anyways so it was better that George "pulled the plug" instead of Curley. Curley would have shot Lennie in the guts to have Lennie suffer a more painful and slow death. It shows that George really cared for Lennie.

Inspiration and Manipulation Essay -- Essays Papers

Inspiration and Manipulation Emily Dickinson is a poet of great interest because she is one of a handful of artists that â€Å"refuse to conform to the Anglo-American literary traditions† (Howe 11). One of the most fascinating aspects of Emily Dickinson’s character is that she willingly shuts her door to the world which ultimately allows her creativity to thrive without criticism. While historical documents allow contemporary readers insight into her life and provide potential reasons for her seclusion, but the best reflection of Dickinson’s character is found in her poetry. Dickinson’s poetry creates a paradox because her intentions are only seen through her critics. This makes it difficult to fully understand what Dickinson really meant through her words. Dickinson compresses the world around her and in doing so, she redefines literature. Dickinson is a part of her poetry, which is a personal, physical portion of what may be considered her soul. While the Anglo-American heritage tr ies to decompress Dickinson’s poetry so that the masses can understand, readers lose a part of the intensely personal piece that Dickinson put into her art. It is up to the contemporary reader to rediscover her tradition and to incorporate it back into an understanding of her work. Emily Dickinson challenges rules of language and provides a different way to arrange her words on paper. Anglo-American systems are generally uniform to create a coherent, regular, and distinctive form of communication through language and literature. Dickinson had the courage to question the uniformity of language. Dickinson lived in a time when males were considered to be the scholars and females were designated to household tasks. The advancement that she had over ... ...s shifted slightly, but the main threads are still visible. Although Todd does have a point, the controversy lies in whether or not she had the right to do what she did. Of course not all of Dickinson’s intention can be recovered, but closer representation through the investigation of original works is now possible. The question still remains pertaining to the issues of editing in general and how the process affects the artist’s true intentions. Let us look to Emily Dickinson’s situation as a reference for the future. Works Cited - Franklin, R. W. The Editing of Emily Dickinson: A Reconsideration. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Press, 1967. - Howe, Susan. My Emily Dickinson. Berkley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1985. - Jamison, Kay R. Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. New York, NY: Free Press Paperbacks, 1993.

Equality and Diversity Essay

It would be very discouraging for children to be subjected to discriminatory beliefs that are held by either myself or other teachers for example my cousin wanted to be a ballet dancer when he was a child but after teasing from other members of the family suggesting that dancing is only for girls and gay men he did not continue to attend classes. This was something that he regrets as it was a dream of his and now he has grown up he wishes he had been encouraged to dance. By taking any of families or, friends or even my own beliefs in to school is unfair on the children I am there to support. They could be made to feel that if because of their background or who they are means they cannot aspire to be what they want to be so will not reach to achieve their full potential.As with another example my father-in-law is sexist and believes that a woman’s place is in the home cooking, cleaning and looking after the children and if I was to take that to school with me I could treat the girls differently dismissing their work and only encouraging the boys, giving the girls the false idea of they are not good enough. For example: â€Å"Both men and women teachers have low expectations of girls intellectual skills’ since it is thought that girls are inherently less intelligent than boys† (www.right-to-education.org) The support I give the children should be fair and equal in order for every child to feel safe, an equal part of society and that they are worthwhile. Each child should feel that their opinions count and that they have a voice that should be heard, they should not feel excluded or feel that they can exclude any other person because their race, religion, background, sex as this can affect their self-esteem, their confidence and will in turn effect their learning as proved by Jane Elliot in the â€Å"brown eyed-blue eyed experiment† (The Eye of The Storm) in 1968 where the children wearing the collar (to show they were the lesser pupils) took longer than they did the day before when they weren’t wearing the collars in a card pack reading practice. The children had low expectations of themselves and their body language changed (they looked shrunkeninto themselves). To challenge discriminatory behaviour there are many different methods that could be used for different types of discrimination for example if I heard a child being racist, calling each other names such as â€Å"paki† I would go to them straight away and say: â€Å" Excuse me children I heard what you just said why are you calling each other names?†Ã¢â‚¬Å" We don’t use language like that at school how do you think that has made Ron feel?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What do you think would be right thing to say to him†. It is my responsibility and I am legally obliged as a T.A to challenge any kind of discriminatory behaviour. If there were problems in the playground at lunchtime when the boys were excluding the girls from football at lunchtime I could make changes to the playground so I would have an assembly to explain to the children why they would be having a week plan for the use of the footballing area and it would be as follows: Monday: Girls only netball. Tuesday:Boys only football.Wednesday: Mixed netball.Thursday: Mixed football.Friday: Something completely diffrerent, a team building game to get them working together.After this I would find from them what has worked well and what hasn’t.If children in year7 were sending offensive emails I would use the computer to suite to get them to research the consequences of their actions which they will then present to the class or in assembly. This would give them an insight into how such behaviour can affect the victims, they would also be made to apologise to the person or people they were harassing.| | In conclusion by not discriminating we give every child the same opportunities and support them equally, every child has the same right to an education no matter their background, race, religion, sex or disability. Children will have confidence in who they are and will be more productive in the classroom.| | Excellent and thoughtful answer. This also covers 4.2.5 – just add this at the top of the page. SJ 4.3.13

Crime and Best Glorification

The best glorification of crime and criminals seems to be portrayed in the news, TV, and movies. Often you will see how a bank robber will get away with the cash and never get caught. In movies criminals seem to get away with their crimes if in some way the crime is justified. In today’s world it sometimes appears to be easier if you’re the bad guy. This mind set is due to the portrayal of the criminal in movies and on the news. A prime example of glorifying a criminal would be CSI. CIS is a television show that is based on crime scenes and criminal minds. CSI goes into a criminals mind and show how and why I crime happens. This makes the criminal mind seem fascinating and sometimes portrays the criminal as a genius. I feel almost making the crime and criminal as famous and as powerful as the show it’s self. Another example would be Law Abiding Citizen. The main character goes on a killing spire on the justice center of Philadelphia. Even though he has killed so many people you still feel sympathetic towards him because his family was brutally raped and murdered and the justice center did nothing. Due to the circumstances he decided to take actions in to his own hands. This movie, in many ways, makes the crimes and the criminal more glorious as if he had done the right thing. The news is another example of glorifying crime and criminals. The news often talks about how cops can not control gangs, how the gangs are growing and becoming more powerful. This makes the gangs more glorious and, in ways, only adds power to the gang. For young children growing up in gang-ran areas this may push them to join because of the media’s portrayal of the power associated with gangs. The best glorification of crime and criminals seems to be portrayed in the news, TV, and movies. The media truly seems to make it look easier to be the bad guy. In today’s news and movies the criminals seems to be powerful or justified.

The production and sale of cigarettes should be made illegal Essay - 2

The production and sale of cigarettes should be made illegal - Essay Example The sale and use of cigarettes should be made illegal. Tobacco is a dangerous and addictive substance that causes major health problems to its users. Lung cancer increases the risk of lung cancer by 23 times in men and 13 times in women (Cdc, 2012). It also causes 10 other cancers including bladder kidney, and pancreatic cancer. Smoking decreases men’s sperm count and it causes infertility. The regular use of cigarettes is a risk factor that increases the chance of coronary disease. There is empirical proof that states that half of all regular smokers will die from its use. This fact implies that nearly 650 million people or 9.28% of the population will die from smoking. Cigarette smoking is even more dangerous among teenagers and pregnant women. Cigarette smoking is an epidemic that is hurting the youth in America. It is estimated that approximately 80% of all smokers begin to smoke cigarettes before the age of 18. The health dangers of smoking are greater for teenagers because their bodies are still developing. The incidence of teen smoking in the U.S. is extremely high as 30% of high school students are cigarette smokers (Cavnett, 2010). One of the reasons smoking is so dangerous among teenagers is because it causes oxygen deprivation. â€Å"Oxygen deprivation can damage and kill brain cells that are not replaced or repaired later in life† (Cavnett, 2010). Since the brains of teenagers are still developing smoking can inhibit the developmental process due to damage to brain cells. Pregnant women that smoke are irresponsible and are endangering an innocent life that is supposed to be protected by its mother. Smoking among pregnant women is a serious problem that deserves the immediate attention of our society. â€Å"Nearly one-quarter of all pregnant women in the United States are smokers, with more than half refusing to quit during their pregnancy† (Mozes, 2012). Making

Developing Leadership Capacities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Developing Leadership Capacities - Essay Example an seeing the leader as a co-equal of followers Transformational Theory Gives emphasis on the role of leadership in initiating and implementing change Attaches too much importance to the leader as a catalyst of change rather than to all the stakeholders as creators and performers of change Applying Theory U to Cross-Functional Team Leadership One theory of leadership which can help leaders positively transform cross-functional teams is theory U. The first step, going down the U’s left part, is referred to as ‘sensing’ or building up a perceived image of the organization’s present reality that should be understood and transformed (Scharmer, 2009). In a cross-functional team, it is important to develop highly committed members. ... The important questions to answer are: (1) what the team desires to create, (2) why it is important, (3) how to accomplish this, (4) who is responsible, and (5) when and where to perform this. By employing ‘sensing’, the leader of a cross-functional team is able to achieve its goal of improving service to key customers by (Kahane, 2010): (1) discovering shared ideas and perspective by sharing the story and situation that brought highly diverse people together in one team; (2) motivating and being an inspiration to the team; (3) training in deep-dive (‘do what you love, love what you do’ principle) processes and discussion interviews; (4) recognizing key stakeholders that have to be visited and known. Apparently, when relating to the team and the environment, a leader should set in motion and bring in the ‘four channels of listening’: â€Å"(1) listening from what you know, (2) from what surprises you, (3) from empathizing with the interviewee, and (4) listening from her or his authentic source or highest future possibility† (Anonymous, 2012, p. 10). Through ‘sensing’, a leader will be able to uncover the highest potential of every member of the cross-functional team with an open heart and mind. The second step is ‘presencing’, or a more profound understanding of one’s duty and function in the organization; after profoundly engrossing oneself in the perspectives and situations that are appropriate to a setting and its greatest future prospect, ‘presencing’ concentrates on tapping on a more profound source of understanding (Scharmer, 2009). In order for a leader of a cross-functional team to carry out the ‘presencing’ step successfully s/he should form circles where in s/he commits one

Commentary on quotations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Commentary on quotations - Essay Example the rights to equality to black citizens but in modern day America, there are other problems created by the inability that still exists to resolve racial tensions and build more empathy and understanding between races. The quotations from famous works below explore some aspects of freedom and independence for all races. In this extract from a latter, John Winthrop is actually speaking of the privations endured on a ship and the relief that they were able to receive. But in these words that speak of Heaven, a Heaven that can be attained although it is necessary to pass through Hell to get to it, there is an underlying symbolism that indicates happiness and godly ends can only be achieved after much struggle and suffering. The heaven that is described in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, which aims to bring equality and liberty to every individual, can only be achieved after much upheaval and turmoil. This is especially notable in the civil rights movement and the long struggle endured by the slaves in achieving their freedom; they have literally passed through Hell and fought for the equality promised in the Constitution, so that successive generations would not have to endure the privations they did. These poignant words, drawn from the American National hymn, express the spirit of the unity and equality that the nation’s forefathers desired when they framed the Declaration of Independence. These lines clearly state the ownership of American soil is not restricted to any particular race or class, it belongs to every American, irrespective of age, sex or race. The practice of segregation which was practiced in America would therefore rise in contravention to the spirit of equal ownership of land, because it declared certain territories off bounds for slaves. Any practice that seeks to isolate members of particular group within a particular geographical terrain and refuse to let them be free would also rise in

Why is graduate study important at this time in your life Essay

Why is graduate study important at this time in your life - Essay Example As an initial matter, I am vested with many supervisory and training responsibilities. I am directly responsible for training staff in routine clerical and administrative matters. My function is to ensure that these staff members are familiar with Department of Transportation policy and able to accomplish the purposes of our office. In addition to initial training, I continue to supervise these workers and keep them up-to-date with changes in policy and duties. In addition, my job requires a great deal of planning. This involves the delegation of assignments, matching personnel to work projects, and evaluating alternative courses of action for certain work projects and assignments. Another important aspect of my job involves the need to keep detailed and comprehensive reports and records. As a state agency, these are important and time-consuming responsibilities. I prepare charts, tables and reports and enter them into our computer program for evaluation by my superiors. I maintain the agency manual, the electronic tracking system, and make modifications when necessary. The final aspect of my job is related to a more generalized administrative support function. ... This is because I believe that I have completed the previous steps in my educational and professional career that are necessary for graduate study to become both more meaningful and more necessary. In addition, I believe that I have exhausted a great many challenges thus far in my professional life, and that it is time to expand my theoretical knowledge and to prepare myself more full for additional challenges and opportunities. Really, there couldn't be a better time for me to pursue graduate study. I earned my BA in Business Administration from Baruch College back in 2001, and I have updated my professional skills and work experience over the past five years. I have, for example, completed an income tax course through H&R Block, became a notary public and joined the Notary Public Association, improved my technical and computer software skills, and worked closely with many experienced workers and supervisors at the New York Department of Transportation. I have, in sum, developed a more comprehensive theoretical background to a variety of substantive and administrative issues, and also attained a wealth of work experience. I am familiar with many successful methods of operation and also aware of certain shortcomings which need improvements or different approaches. Based on the foregoing, I believe that I am at the perfect stage of development for graduate study. This is because I have the experience to value the knowledge, the interactions, and the opportunities offered by graduate study. I will enter as a graduate study with real-world experience, with questions to ask and consider, and with an understanding of how these issues play out in the real world.

Critical Thinking and Leadership Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critical Thinking and Leadership - Case Study Example Basically, the authors were right in concluding that Yahoo can be viewed as a phenomenon considering that it succeeded in the absence of a sound industry structure or huge capitalization, that what its owners had was a tandem of a great idea and a computer. Primarily, Yahoo describes itself as a "leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company" and because of this, has cleverly managed to stay out of the fray as gigantic conglomerates such as Google and Microsoft fight each other over everything from search dominance to giving a platform for next generation web development. It isn't very clear though whether Yahoo's manner of positioning itself in the industry is just incidental or a deliberate strategy. However, as noted by experts, the company has discovered what could become a very sensible way to compete with a vast number of big and capable players - target multiple areas like music, search and e-commerce, without vexing a major competitor. As one senior director of information technology at Wharton intimated, "There is a lot to be said for positioning yourself in a way that you are not encroaching on Microsoft's turf Google is on Microsoft's radar right now like no other company" (Whitehouse, 2005) But what makes Yahoo different Or what is it doing to make itself different Perhaps one reason Yahoo doesn't get the attention (and ire) of Google is that it is not easy to sort out and pigeonhole. Yes, it contends with Google in the search division, but it has a multitude of other services and assets like the Hot Jobs (an employment site), the Yahoo 360 (blogging and community site) and a shopping network highlighting big and small merchants. Apparently, this media firm's basic objective is to "provide users and advertisers with richer and more relevant experiences....Yahoo reaches 73% of all Internet users in the U.S. in any given month, which speaks to the breadth of the product suite. Yahoo reaches more people in more ways than any other company on the web." But looking closely, Yahoo's success shouldn't merely be attributed to the fact that it rested on simple rules as its founding strategy or operated on a "hands-on" environment. It is simply because Yahoo was an idea whose time has come. Yahoo's creators saw a need which was turned into an opportunity. Its creation or emergence coincided with what millions of people needed at the moment. What they did was like "striking while the iron is hot" and seized the moment. When the authors wrote "The new economy's most profound strategic implication is that companies must capture unanticipated, fleeting opportunities in order to succeed," (Eisendhardt & Sull, 2001, p. 108), they weren't actually talking of a fresh entrepreneurial gospel. They were just talking of a trait or an entrepreneurial spirit that is certainly intrinsic not only of 21st

Water Conservation Essay Example for Free

Water Conservation Essay Water is an integral part of land/soil productivity. Its misuse can cause both degradation and erosion of soils. Management of water resource is considered to necessary for well being of human life as well as crop yields. There is a gap between the seasonal availability of water and its equitable supply throughout the year. Accordingly the storage of water and passage through soils is very important. It is well known that about 70% area in this country is subject to varying degree of water stress. There are areas with heavy rainfall but water problems become predominant during non-monsoon periods. It is thus a matter of concern to create a redistribution system and requirements as and when it is needed. Although there are many methods for water management, the two important methods are mentioned as follows. (I) Watershed management (II) Rainwater harvesting (I) Watershed Management : A watershed is an area bounded by the divide line of water flow so that a distinct drainage basin of any small or big water course or stream can be identified. The rain falling over this area will flow through only one point of the whole watershed. In other words, the entire area will be drained only by one stream or water course. In this way we will have definitive water resource which can be assessed and analyzed for planning for the optimum utilization through ground water, wells, tube wells, small ponds, bigger tanks or reservoirs. Watershed management is very important for rainfall and resultant run-off. More than 900 watersheds of the flood prone rivers have been identified and are at present in operation. The development of delayed through propagation of water harvesting technology is also based on the concept of micro watershed. Himalayas are one of the most critical watersheds in the world. The damage to reservoirs and irrigation systems and misused Himalayan slopes is mounting as are the costs for the control measures during the flood season every year. The vast hydroelectric power potential can be harnessed from the Himalayas watersheds on a sustainable basis. (II) Rain water Harvesting : Water harvesting technologies have established the economic and practical feasibility for inclusion in integrated watershed management plans. A number  of such structures in the Hirakud catchment have revealed that these are desirable for protection of land, restoration of degraded land for creation of micro irrigation potential of reuse of water. This would also help in increased production based productivity for generation of employment of opportunities. The concept of watershed management has been extended to agro-industrial watersheds which take care of agro-industrial development.

The continued discrimination against homosexuals

The continued discrimination against homosexuals Homosexuality is very common in society. However many individuals still discriminate against them. Their prejudgments are based on stereotypes, and lack of information. Due to our social perception, people who are different from them is deem to be threatening. In this report, discrimination against homosexuals will be discussed, with facts, different supporting examples and cases from Singapore and the United States, with Singapore being the more traditionally conservative one. Ways to reduce discriminations against them is also mentioned and explored. The issue and who are involved? We can fall in love, but why cant they? Homosexuality is romantic and/or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex or gender, making up around 10% of the population. Sadly, they continue to be one of the least protected by the government and discriminated against by the society. Homosexuality was categorized as a mental disorder until 1973. The words gay and lesbian are used to refer to homosexual men and women and bisexual refers to those that are attracted to both men and women. Brief History on Homosexuals in Singapore In 1960s, Homosexuality was categorized as a condition in a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Before enlistment, all enlistees would undergo a medical checkup and asked to declare their homosexuality status. Those declared will be downgraded to a Public Employment Status of 3 and were assigned to be clerks. In 1998, Senior Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew , live on CNN International, said, what we are doing as a government is to leave people to live their own lives so long as they dont impinge on other people. I mean, we dont harass anybody. these words helped set the tenor for official policy on homosexuality for many years. His comments is said to be one of the most significant events relating to gay rights. Before 2003, homosexuals were forbidden from being employed in sensitive positions in the Singapore Civil Service. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong abolished this in a widely publicized statement. In 2006, Liberty League, an organization that promotes gender and sexual health for the individual, family and society, was granted $100,000. Brief History on Homosexuals in the US After W.W.11, thousands of homosexuals were dishonorably fired from the armed services and jobs, due to public display of homosexuality, and were ostracized from families and communities. In early 1953, homosexuality became by a necessary and sufficient reason fire any federal employee from ones job. In the 1970s, in some cities, anti- discrimination for homosexual laws was placed. California had its first openly gay elected official; Harvey Milk. Compared to Singapore, the US has a richer and more open homosexuality culture. In recent years, the US has slowly begun acceptance for homosexuality. Several television programs with elements of homosexuality, Will and Grace, Glee, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Greys Anatomy were aired. As the popularity of these shows increases, the gay community is closer to acceptance and justice by the society. They have gay pride parades and homosexual marriages supported by many areas of US, unlike Singapore. Discrimination against Homosexuals With the laws placed and the better recognition of the homosexual community, the situation in both countries seems favorable. However, homosexuals still face rampant stereotypes from the world and may worsen if deeper understanding of homosexuals is not being promoted and measures are not taken. This topic has been chosen because this is a very important issue in this society, and feels that they should have the same rights as heterosexuals. There have been many incidents of bullying and victimizing homosexuals that led to deaths in the US. Many have gone into depression. These should not be tolerated and something has to be done. Homosexuals do not come out for many reasons, the most common being that they are uncomfortable to declare to any society that is perceived to be homophobic. Negative stereotyping is often a result of homophobia, which refers to an irrational fear, prejudice or discrimination towards homosexuals, and can be name-calling and teasing to serious crimes like assault and murder. Positive stereotypes, or counter-types, also exist but may be no less harmful, as they are still oversimplified views of the group being stereotyped. Some examples of the common stereotypes that gays are described to be expressing too much of his feelings, very vulnerable and sensitive, likes touching himself and other people. They are also stereotyped to love talking about feminine things; the use of cosmetics, very concerned with their lips, skin and hair protections. Why this prejudice and discrimination affect society and is important. Current situation in Singapore Although being homosexual in Singapore is not illegal, performing any homosexual acts in public or privately, is. Section 377 of the Singapore Penal Code records the penalty for indecency between individuals which includes consensual, private, adult homosexual acts; imprisonment is up to 2 years. A gay group was denied permission to hold a forum on the role of homosexuals in society. The local media avoids homosexual issues in fear of getting their licenses suspended. In schools, sexuality courses focus more on heterosexuality-the only mention of homosexuality reminds students that it is illegal. Moreover, homosexual couples in Singapore, cannot rightfully own a home through the public housing scheme, thus many rent as private housing is unaffordable to them. Unsurprisingly, this shows that Singaporean society remains deeply conservative and the governments are still not as open to discussions about gay rights. Attitudes towards homosexuality are also tied up closely with the different religious values in this multi-racial society, like Muslims and Christianity which considers it as a sin. In Singapore, the government uses Confucian readings to create a certain amount of ideological coherence in its version of Asian Values and to give it some academic respectability. From an interview, 68.6% of the surveyors expressed negative attitudes towards homosexuality. Christians and Muslims were found to be least tolerant, older people are less tolerant and more educated people are more tolerant. Therefore, Singapore who is a traditionally conservative society may not be ready for a change. Current situation in United States Recently, there have been many news on homosexual bullying leading to suicides, for example , Tyler Clementi, a 19 year old student from Rutgers University. After his college roommate lived-streamed Tyler having sexual relations with his boyfriend, Tyler threw himself off a bridge. Asher Brown was a 13-year-old was tormented for the way he dressed and being gay. His bullies acted out mock gay sex acts in classes. His parents repeatedly contacted school officials on his bullying. Nothing was ever done. He shot himself in the head. Policy on lesbian, gay, bisexual, in US has evolved over time and varies between different regions. Five states and one district have legalized same-sex marriage. President Obama announced that he will work with Congress and the military to repeal the dont ask, dont tell policy that forbids homosexuals from openly serving in the military. However, there is still much opposition, commenting that homosexuals identities should not be made known. However, there have been many interviews and surveys that show that the US is slowly accepting homosexuals. For example the graph below shows that attitudes towards homosexuality in the US, over the years seem more positive. Source: http://www.norc.org/GSS+Website/Browse+GSS+Variables/Subject+Index/ Why is it important? A continuation of homosexual discrimination is detrimental to their mental health, which may increase suicidal tendencies or other mental afflictions. There are many websites contending that homosexuality is a sin, stating that it is entirely up to choice, easily changeable, and giving excuses to put down homosexuals, using reasons like God hates fags. People tend to associate HIV and AIDS as a gay related disease, thinking that as long as they avoid having sex with homosexuals, they are safe from HIV. This ignorance can cause them to practice unsafe sexual intercourse. Stereotyping them to be rapist, pedophiles are very common and these send a wrong message to the public, causing fear. This increases the fear in homosexuals for being discovered to be gay, causing them to feel immense stress and pressure, doubling the chance of depression and suicidal tendencies. The rejection and misinformation results in homophobia causing them to bully other people , verbal assaults, causing other people psychological stress and pain. Homosexuals may also face family and friends rejections. The result is a vicious cycle of prejudice and discrimination. Where can we start to fix the problem? How such prejudice and discrimination creates inequality to the society. The law, sec 377a, criminalizing sexual acts between homosexuals, encourages Singaporeans discriminate against homosexuals indirectly. Other countries have accepted same sex marriage and have laws to protect them. Homosexuals should also have the same benefits as heterosexuals. In Singapore, some teachers were being forced to quit because of their sexuality like Otto Fong, and Alfian Saat. In national service, they are downgraded to positions like clerks, and disqualified from some sensitive areas. All these are deemed to be discrimination and homosexual inequality. Workable solutions for individuals and institutions From what I have found out, these prejudice and discriminations comes from ignorance and misinformation. Unbiased sex education can help to change mindsets of people about homosexuality at large. Singaporeans are consistently taught that sexual acts between homosexuals are illegal but do not talk about why and how we should learn to accept them in our society. This is an important issue, thus this topic should be in Civic Moral Education where students can learn about it. The society can also educate homosexuality in the media, television shows, or host public homosexuality talks and events. For example, in the US, they have a Wear a Purple Shirt Day in honor of homosexuals that committed suicides due to bullying. We as individuals have to learn not to stereotype and listen to peoples misconceptions, but taking initiative to learn more about homosexuality from places like, internet and books. We are more than capable of making our own decisions, and more than capable of being accepting and inclusive. We should create an environment of diversity and acceptance for both heterosexuals and homosexuals. http://socyberty.com/issues/prejudice-and-discrimination-on-homosexuality-in-singapore/#ixzz174Rz1JxF http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_gay_history:_2000_to_2009_A.D. http://www.sgwiki.com/wiki/Singapore_gay_history http://knol.google.com/k/discrimination-against-homosexuals-in-singapore# http://www.norc.org/GSS+Website/Browse+GSS+Variables/Subject+Index/ http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-27/politics/obama.gays.military_1_repeal-policy-that-bars-gays-servicemembers-legal-defense-network?_s=PM:POLITICS http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/statistics-on-discrimination/statistics-on-discrimination-of-homosexuals/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_United_States