The Golden Door To America Essays - Demography, Population

The Golden Door To America Writen by Randy j 11/24/00 I wrote this paper for Political Life 1110 Should America Close the Golden Door? America has, is, and will always be a nation of immigrants: the great melting pot. In the years that have passed since Emma Lazarus' poem was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty ?the golden door? has seen times when it was open wide and times when it was closed shut to almost all immigrants. Many people tend to look at the present immigration problems as a purely modern dilemma. The truth is America has always struggled with the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. Changing times however make it imperative that our government re-examine and adjust today's immigration laws to today's standards. Those standards however are not easily defined. All too often the issue of immigration is used as a political tool or is lost in heated moral debates. In any discussion about immigration you will have those who claim it is good for our nation and those who claim it is ruining the nation. More often than not the bottom line in any debate of this sort is money; will more or less immigration mean more or less money for those already in America. The moral debates come down to a question of who we are as a nation and how we want the rest of the world to perceive Americans. If this great country was forged and built by immigrants passing through ?the golden door? , then how can this same country turn away new immigrants. The inscription on the Statue of Liberty invites all to enter, yet not all are allowed to enter. Immigration has become a selective process with many gray areas. Now Americans are faced with a new dilemma; the nation must decide not whether it is willing to accept new immigrants, but whether it can afford new immigrants. All new immigrant, both legal and illegal must be considered in this equation. Congress can attempt to ease the burden of legal immigration by passing restrictive laws and only allowing in those who they believe will become self-sufficient. Congress must also find a way to slow the flow of illegal i mmigration by enforcing the laws already in place. What this paper will attempt to do is bring the immigration issue into perspective. America most certainly has immigration problems but they will not be fixed by eliminating immigration all together. In fact, America will never totally eliminate immigration, because no matter how tightly the door is closed some illegal immigrants will get through. As long as America continues to be seen as a nation of prosperity, opportunity, and freedom there will be those who wish to come to America. Immigrants have always come to America looking for a better life and Americans are always forgetting that their forefathers were once looking for that same life. As a nation there must be a decision on whether immigration is an issue of conscience or economics. History of Immigration Laws Though most Americans see immigration as a modern problem it has been heavily debated since the 19th century. Throughout most of America's history immigration was se en as a natural process that benefited the nation (Divine 2). Until the 1890's there were no clearly defined policies on immigration. During this time the country started questioning the economic benefits of more immigrants, so things have note changed in that respect. In May 1921, the first bill in American history restricted European immigration and created the quota system (Divine 5). This turn toward restriction could be justified by the downward turn in the economy. Who could argue for more immigrants when the nation's own citizens couldn't find work. The slowing economy and the ?spirit of intense nationalism? in the United States at this time made immigration a hot topic (Divine 23). After the depression hit everyone was in agreement that there was a ?need to limit immigration,? of course the extent of those limits were not easily agreed upon (Divine 77). World War II brought with it a new set of immigrants, and eventually the passing of the Displaced Persons Act of 1947. This allowed immigrants, displaced by the war to enter

The Arab Spring The contemporary Era

The Arab Spring The contemporary Era Introduction The Arab spring is a wave of revolutionary protests and demonstrations that have been taking place in the Arab world since December 18th 2010.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Arab Spring: The contemporary Era specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The revolution has claimed entire regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, as well as major protests in Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Morocco and Syria. There have been minor protests that were quelled by the governments of Lebanon, Sudan, Mauritania, Kuwait, Western Sahara and Saudi Arabia, by yielding to some of the demands of protestors. The Arab spring also inspired clashes in May 2011 at the borders of Israel. The sustenance of the revolution has been credited to the sharing of civil resistance techniques by the protestors in the different Arab countries, where there were rallies, marches, demonstrations as well as strikes that were mainly or ganized and communicated through social media (Sakbani, 2011). The awareness of the people due to the flow of information was always repulsed by the respective governments’ internet censorship and even total disconnection as was the case in Syria from 2008 to 2011 February. Where this has failed there has often been violent repression of the protests by government security forces, often with a considerable amount of casualties as well as counter demonstrations by the respective government supporters. This paper seeks to explore the political situations, in regard to the internal policies established by the leaders of the Arab countries and specifically in Syria and Egypt that led to the Arab spring. The Arab Spring To understand the root cause and the process of the Arab spring, we have to first explore the conditions that triggered its inception. The Arab uprising was sparked by the self-immolation of a Tunisian by the name of Mohamed Bouaziz on December 18th 2010. He was pr otesting the unlawful arrest, corruption and ill treatment by the police amid the hard economic situation in the country. The protests that followed thereafter were greatly successful, with the ousting of the then president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and this inspired similar protest in other Arab countries. The Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, resigned after there were 18 days of massive protests amid crackdowns by government security forces on the 11th of February 2011.Advertising Looking for term paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other leaders, however, moved to quell the anger of the protestors by announcing that they would not context in the next elections, such as the Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir and the Iraqi President Nouri Al-Maliki. King Abdullah of Jordan went ahead to sack two successive governments as the protests still continued. Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president of Ye men, announced that he would resign in 30 days back on 23rd of April in a bid to quell massive protests that had rocked the country, but he later changed his mind and retracted the statement which has led to continued protests. The Arab Spring in Egypt The revolution in Egypt was mainly inspired by its success in Tunisia and it started on the 25th of January. The then to be presidential candidate, Mohamed ElBaradei had already warned government officials that there was going to be a revolutionary wave of protests similar to those in Tunisia, if the pleas of the people were not addressed. It was, however, too late before the government of Egypt could take any action to salvage the situation as on 28th January at midnight, their attempts to stop the organization of the protests by blocking all internet access in the country did not work. Though the social media was successfully crippled, the organizers still found new ways to encourage people to join them and the internet blockade was one of the reasons they cited as a motivation to increase their protests. In a bid to salvage the situation, President Mubarak appointed a new cabinet as well as a vice-president, who was the first in almost three decades. Mubarak later gave the vice-president, Omar Suleiman the power to rule Egypt on 10th February, though this was followed by an official statement that he would still hold on to the presidency until the end of his presidential term. This move was not taken well by the protestors as the demonstrations still intensified. The vice president later announced that Mubarak had resigned on the next day and he went ahead to transfer power to the Egyptian armed forces. This inspired a wave of celebrations across the country with the biggest being at Tahrir square.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Arab Spring: The contemporary Era specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The military then noticed that they we re also facing resistance and went ahead to lift emergency laws that had been in place for thirty years. The army then dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, then promised to organize free and fair elections in the next six months. The armed forces went ahead to appoint a civilian by the name of Essam Sharaf, as the Egyptian prime minister on 4th March. This was greatly approved by the protestor and the protests reduced, though there were other small protests that continued in July with the complaints that the Essam Sharaf administration together with the armed forces supreme council was slow in establishing reforms in the institutions of governance, than expected. The Arab Spring in Syria The Syrian uprising started with a case of self-immolation that sparked protests all over the capital city on the 26th of January. The protestors main grievances were political reforms and the observance of their civil rights by the government (Sakbani, 2011). They also complained th at the county had been in a state of emergency for the last 48 years since 1963. The attempts by the protestors to organize a major demonstration dubbed the day of fury was, however, not successful, but on the 6th of March, the arrest and torture of 15 children who were accused of having written some slogans that were against the regime, sparked even more protests. Thousands of protestors who were against the Baathist regime that had ruled Syria since 1963, gathered in the cities of Deir Ez-Zor, Hama, Daraa, Al-Hasakah, Aleppo, and Damascus, with Daraa being the first to protest on the 15th of March after the release of Suhair Atassi, a politician who became the unofficial spokesperson for the protestors in the revolution. This was followed by reports that the government had arrested over 3,000 Syrians and there had been a lot of casualties as the government security forces shot at protestors. The climax of the protest was on 18th April when almost 100,000 protestors sat at the Squa re of Horns to demand for the resignation of President Bashar Al Assad. The protests continued throughout the next three months with the government conducting harsh security crackdowns and military operations in the country, with the most violent incident occurring on the 31st of July when army tanks stormed cities and killed over 136 people. Political Conditions That Triggered the Arab Spring in Egypt and Syria The revolution was observed to have been motivated by two main issues: the economic hardships of the citizens of these countries; and the harsh laws that were in place that discouraged democracy. The triggering incident that occurred in Tunisia involved a man whose market stall had been confiscated and his complaints were that besides acquiring an education, selling vegetables was his only option to make a living.Advertising Looking for term paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Analysts have specifically pointed out that in Syria and Egypt, the prolonged economic stagnation, violation of human rights, as well as rampant corruption by government officials have led to the common citizens’ suffering, and hence the need for political change. There has been decades of under-development and even in some cases there is evidence of de-development as the established economic policies have failed, and institutions of governance broken or abused (Partridge, 2011). The overall economic growth in the Arab world has been negative since 1971 and specifically the per-capita income of citizens of gulf countries like Syria has been reducing by almost 2.8 percent every year (Gershoni, Jankowski, 2010). The rampant corruption in Syria and Egypt has meant that those who are already rich or are in positions of power enjoy better quality of life while the poor suffer even more. This has led to a wide economic gap between the rich and powerful in these countries, and the poor. However, what took the rest of the world by surprise is the flow of information on the economic conditions of these countries, as previously their dictatorial governments had ensured that they filtered any information on these countries and had declined to participate in any surveys (Tejel, 2009). The inequality and the corruption in these countries is influenced by the fact that most of the economic centers are owned and managed by government institutions, hence, discouraging private entrepreneurship. In Egypt for instance, the government has ceded most of the economic control of the country to the military. This has ensured that the military owns most corporations where they employ retired military leaders and/or their immediate family and friends. It is also observed that state companies consume almost all the financial credit available in Egypt, hence, forcing other family owned small and medium businesses to have to rely on un-informal means of funding which are often exp ensive and exploitative. This has diminished the business community and those who are in business have to sell their products at high prices which have contributed to high cost of living amid reducing incomes (Odugbemi Lee, 2011). The failure of economic policies in Syria and Egypt has contributed to high rates of unemployment as well as under-employment, which are more common for the young who have been the back bone of the uprisings. The rampant corruption, regional conflict and dictatorial leadership has contributed greatly to companies’ thinking of only the short-term, as there is too much uncertainty in the region (Partridge, 2011). The same uncertainty has discouraged domestic investments and the revenues generated due to the rising commodity prices end up being transferred abroad. It has been identified that in Syria, local banks have had low capacities to the point of collapse. The Arab spring was created in such a way that it suggests a new awakening among the citiz ens of Syria and Egypt, which would bring with it a new political and socio-economic order. This has suggested that the Arab world will never be the same again, and the autocratic and dictatorial governments that are still existent in the region, may only have a few years if not months before they come to an end if they don’t establish political, educational and socio-economic reforms. Perhaps the most outstanding difference between the Arab spring and other uprisings, is the fact that the people are fueled by their need for dignified lives rather than the need for political superiority, as has been the case in sub-Saharan Africa and the Balkan states in the past (Ben-Meir, 2011). The passion of these people will probably not let any politically radical group to take power without receiving resistance from them. Previously, there was a belief that the people in Syria and Egypt could not organize themselves and speak with one voice, as the regimes had discouraged any form of o rganization. However, this was not to be as the Syrians and Egyptians organized amid speculation with their governments believing that the voice of the people was too fractured, too radical, too politically immature and insignificant to make any impact or even to be taken seriously. There was also the belief among the political class that the Arab authoritarian rule was going to continue for many decades to come as there was succession of governments among powerful families in most Arab countries, where the sons of the rulers inherited power from their fathers upon them leaving office, as was the case in Syria (Partridge, 2011). The greatest weakness of these assumptions, as is evidenced in Syria, is that they did not put into consideration the greatly educated, informed and politically assertive youth of the country. They still thought that the loyalty of the old generation to these regimes was to be transferred to the younger generation, and they always tried to promote this throu gh their authoritarian rule that has been able to squash resistance fro the citizens for along time. This younger generation is greatly aware of their rights, and has a high appeal for democracy which was earlier profiled as an evil western propaganda that is against their Muslim religion (Press-Barnathan, 2009). As far as the politics of Syria is concerned, the administration of President Assad has squashed the opposition since he came to power as it was the policy before during his father’s rule. This has seen anyone who exhibited political ideas that contradicted his party’s banned from travelling outside the country, arrested and even tortured to death by the police. There have been reports of secret police units that have been used to quell any opposition through inhumane ways. The human rights watch groups in the Middle East have ranked Syria as number one in violations of human rights and this is said to be the greatest down fall of Assad’s legislation wh ich has fueled the revolution in Syria. Political Effects of the Arab Spring The revolution has transformed the geo-politics of the region as it has been observed that the traditional understanding of the political environment of the region has been thrown out of balance. It was previously believed that the politics of the region was defined by the difference in ideologies between those who were pro-western and those who were anti-western, or those who are Sunnis and those who were Shi’a, as well as the belief that it was based on the differences between the Arabs and the Jews, in the case of Israel and its neighbors. It was, however, observed that the great inequalities or disparities in the qualities of life, between the authoritarian regimes and the citizens they ruled were the greatest motivations of the revolution (Gershoni, Jankowski, 2010). The ultimate political result of the revolution has been the great spotlight cast on authoritarian or dictatorial regimes, as the y feel the pressure to restructure their legislative policies or face resistance from their citizens. Some like the Kuwaiti administration have, however, been able to quell the anger of their citizens by introducing subsidies and cash handouts. Others, as is the case in Syria, have had to give fake promises of economic and political reforms (Lunnon, 2011). The young people, who were mostly idealists, utilized the loopholes that had been left by the governments’ belief that they could not organize and therefore were at ease. Their skillful utilization of social media was particularly impressive as it surprised many with its success. There was also the use of nonviolent means to organize protests that took the governments by surprise as they did not know what to do with them since they had always figured out that due to their foolproof control of their territories and strong security agencies, any threat would probably have to be excessively violent. Lastly, the quick and effec tive success of the revolution in Tunisia and Egypt worked to fuel the revolution even further as other countries realized that it is easy and possible to remove even the harshest dictators from power. This has been the short-term change that has brought hope to the people of the Arab countries that there can be an end to authoritarian rule and they can enjoy both economic growth and their freedom. It has also served to warn other dictators like Bashar al-Assad of Syria, or would be dictators in other countries, that their end was near (Ben-Meir, 2011). It has now dawned on many that, autocracies and monarchies in the Arab countries have an uncertain future as the young Arabs have disapproved any cultural obligations to these autocracies. These young people are proponents of regional sovereignty that takes a pan-Arab approach that may not be viable for any western nation that sees this as an opportunity to assert their influence on the regime that comes after. The west has to basica lly take a back seat and watch as the Egyptian and the Syrians try to establish their own forms of government that they think suits their political ideologies as well as their religious and cultural background. In as much as the army may be the final political arbiter in Egypt as has been the case since 1952, there is now a chance for liberals, Islamists, repackaged elements of the previous regime and leftists of various backgrounds, to gain control of, and even influence, the country’s parliament and the government, which was not the case under the ousted Mubarak government. The success of the emerging institutions such as the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions may be evidence of this phenomenon, as they may set limitations to the young neo-liberal economic reform project (Odugbemi Lee, 2011). The other group, besides the army that is probably going to lose much of the influence it enjoys in these nations, is the US government as their regional political clout diminishes with the ouster of the authoritarian governments that they were previously able to influence. The US campaign on the Palestinian-Israel conflict will now enjoy less support or even resistance from the new governments that want nothing to do with the fetishes of the previous regimes, and will probably stay neutral (Shemesh, 2008). This is evidenced by the fact that the US is currently feeling the treat of a growing Iranian regional influence, as the foreign policies of Egypt are now reflecting previously unseen popular sentiments. Economic Effects of the Arab Spring In the long-term, the Arab world hangs in uncertainty as everyone is skeptical of the stability of the new systems of governance that will be put up to replace the fallen ones. This is behind the further uncertainty of whether the desired democratic system of governance will even be established in the near future as it has been previously evidenced in other countries like Somalia, that the ouster of a governmen t by the people may not necessarily be advantageous, as there might be an eruption of violence as different groups seek to assume leadership of the country. This spring may sadly take too long to yield any fruits in some of these countries as traditional liberals, Islamic extremists, high ranking military personnel that still want to cling to power, ethnic groups, business elites and other religiously affiliated groups, compete against each other on the basis of their different ideologies that they all want to be adopted (Lunnon, 2011). The revival of the respective economies may take a while, and it’s dependent on the success of the transitional period and the success of the next administration amid all the international scrutiny especially by the west. The economic consequences of the Arab revolution have affected the entire world and have been especially brutal, to struggling economies of South East Asia and Africa as the prices of oil have shot up. This has brought with i t an unprecedented increase in the prices of basic commodities especially food stuffs. There is, however, hope that with the successes of most of the protests, the oil market in the world will stabilize soon. This is not to say that there is no future threat to the oil market in the horizon since there is still an uncertainty as to how the new regimes will react in relation to the policies and the policy making process of OPEC, which is a body that most of them belong to. Reference Ben-Meir, A. (2011). Above The Fray: Arab Spring, Revival Of The Islamic state. The Jerusalem Post. Web. Gershoni, I., and Jankowski,J., P. (2010). Confronting fascism in Egypt: dictatorship versus democracy in the 1930s. London: Stanford University Press. Lunnon, H. Et Al. (2011). Arab Spring - Chief Consequence? The Definition. Web. Odugbemi, S., and Lee, T. (2011). Accountability through Public Opinion: From Inertia to Public Action. New York: World Bank Publications. Partridge, M. (2011). How the eco nomic policies of corrupt elite caused the Arab Spring. New statesman. Web. Press-Barnathan, G. (2009). The political economy of transitions to peace: a comparative perspective. New York: University of Pittsburgh Press. Sakbani, M. (2011). The revolutions of the Arab Spring: are democracy, development and modernity at the gates? Contemporary Arab Affairs. 4(2). Web. Shemesh, M. (2008). Arab politics, Palestinian nationalism and the Six Day War: the crystallization of Arab strategy and Nasirs descent to war, 1957-1967. London: Sussex Academic Press. Tejel, J. (2009). Syrias Kurds: history, politics and society. Volume 16 of Routledge advances in Middle East and Islamic studies. New York: Taylor Francis.

How Developmental Editing Can Help Your First Draft

How Developmental Editing Can Help Your First Draft Stuck on your first draft? Call a developmental editor... or a ghostwriter So, you’ve got an original idea for a book. Maybe it’s the memoir you’ve meant to write for years, or a stunning business book designed to shake up the status quo in Silicon Valley. Once you have this idea, how do you turn it into an actual manuscript?Writing a book is no simple task, which is why published authors often work with an editor to develop their ideas before they even type ‘Chapter One’ on the top of a blank page. But for you -   the independent author who doesn’t have a book deal, let alone a dedicated editor at a publishing house -   who can you turn to for help with your first draft?You’re spoiled for choice with the quality of publishing professionals you can find on the web (*cough* Reedsy *cough*), but who’s your first call? We spoke to editors and ghostwriters on our network who were happy to shed some light on the professional help available to authors at the start of their creative journey.If you’r e truly not sure how to approach your first draft, but you’re passionate about the seed of an idea for a fiction or nonfiction book, the person you may want to contact is a developmental editor.What is developmental editing?Sometimes, this is called â€Å"structural editing† or even â€Å"substantive editing.† No matter what terms you use to describe this type of work, know that it involves developing the big ideas in your book (hence the popular term, â€Å"developmental editing†). In the broadest sense, a developmental editor will not be correcting your misplaced commas. Instead, you’ll be collaborating with someone who specializes in the fine art of idea generation and concept clarification. A developmental editor specializes in the fine art of idea generation and concept clarification. With fiction, developmental work might involve high-level discussions on character arcs, themes, plotting, and pacing. By getting all these elements in place before a first draft, you could potentially save a lot of time and money in rewrites. Fiction editors will often work with authors at any point of the writing process, whether you have 50 pages written or nothing more than an idea. Developmental editing can also be useful if you’ve completed the first draft and don’t know how to move forward with revisions.Non-fiction developmental editingIf you’re looking at an autobiography, business manual, or any book in the realm of non-fiction, specialist developmental editors will take a goal-oriented approach to develop your plan or book proposal.â€Å"I've worked with authors at the initial idea stage to help them hone the scope of the book and audience," said Claire Ruston, a UK-based development professional. "I'll discuss with the author what they're aiming to a chieve with the book (is it to promote their business, for example) and who they're aiming at.†Unlike fiction, Claire suggests that early stage developmental editing in non-fiction will often involve a lot of structural work.â€Å"Sometimes I may work closely with an author to develop a full table of contents right down to Level 2 headings, giving them a detailed structure to write to. If an author is struggling to map out their book, early-stage developmental work can be incredibly valuable and save a lot of time further down the road.†Okay. Now that you’ve worked with a developmental editor to put all your pieces in place for your book (fiction or non-fiction), all that’s left is to write the damn thing.Still not sure you want to write your book? Keep reading.What if I want to work with a ghostwriter?Ghostwriters are a dime-a-dozen in the world of non-fiction, where authors often come from a non-writing background. The chances are good that you’ve read a ghostwritten book or two without knowing it.â€Å"So many authors find themselves in this position -   having the basis for a great book, but lacking the time to turn it into a fully rounded book,† said Jeremy Blachman, a New York-based author and ghostwriter. "The more business-oriented work I've done tends to start with at least some articles that the client has written (or helped write) that they want to expand into a book.† "So many authors have the basis for a great book, but lack the time to work on it" @jeremyblachman on ghostwriting You can approach a ghostwriter with little more than an idea, then work with him or her to shape the book. If you’ve already worked up a book proposal with a developmental editor, your ghost can use that document as a launch pad.While it’s certainly a ghostwriter’s job to create the content for your book, you will often be deeply involved in the creative process. Almost all collaborations start with a conversation that allows the ghost to determine the author’s â€Å"voice.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Talking to them, hearing how they express ideas, starting to get a sense of how they think,† said Blachman. â€Å"Reading what they've written. Asking what they like to read. Seeing their reactions to different versions of what I create. I've written a few different versions of an opening and asked a client: which one is closest to the tone of the book you're envisioning?†Should I get a ghostwriter for my novel?Bear in mind that the vast majority of ghostwrite rs work in non-fiction. Ghostwritten fiction does exist, but it’s incredibly rare. Writing fiction is supposed to be creatively fulfilling. Hiring a ghost to write your novel is like buying a sports car and then paying someone else to drive it for you: it happens, but it doesn’t make much sense.Do I have to credit my ghostwriter?As for the question of authorship, experienced ghostwriters will have made peace with their anonymity and are broadly comfortable with you taking full credit for the book.â€Å"Speaking from a non-fiction perspective, the book is grounded in the author's ideas and expertise,† said Claire Ruston. â€Å"They may have had help getting the words on the page, but it's wholly and unquestionably the author's book.†If you want to find out more about choosing the right ghostwriter, check out this great post from Reedsy’s Andrew Crofts  - perhaps the world's most successful ghost.Ghostwriting and Developmental Editing: Where the l ines blurAs we’ve discovered recently, many ghostwriters have experience as editors and will sometimes work with non-fiction authors to plan a book and even write a proposal. Authors who go down this route have the option to either write the first draft themselves or hire the same ghostwriter to complete the job.Many editors would warn against this approach, pointing out that editing and writing are different disciplines. While many ghostwriters will provide developmental assistance, not all will have a truly editorial mindset.Don’t give up. Assemble your A-Team.The point we want to stress is this: writing doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit. Whether you work with an editor to develop your book or hand over the reins to a ghostwriter, there's nothing wrong with collaborating to bring your ideas to life. Publishing a successful book is a team sport, and half the game is knowing who you want on your side. So if you’re not sure how best to approach your fi rst book, ask for help.If you have any questions about your developmental editing and ghostwriting options, drop us a question in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to answer it.

Proposal assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Proposal assignment - Essay Example Audience: The audience of this study is government officials and policy makers. The study will help policy makers while making decisions regarding climate change, global warming and Law of the Sea. The decisions taken by the government officials regarding the future of arctic will have implications for humanity. If they decide to protect the arctic environment, that would be sustainable. If they decide to exploit arctic by using ice breakers etc, the consequences are unpredictable. Contents Introduction 4 Statement of the Problem 7 Research Questions 7 Hypothesis 8 Objectives 8 Audience 8 Introduction Climate change has brought global focus on arctic. The ice in the arctic is melting. If the present trend continues, Arctic Ocean would be ice-free by 2050. The arctic is the region around earth’s North Pole, opposite of Antarctica. The arctic circle includes arctic ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland (a territory of Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Among these eight countries in the Arctic Circle, five are arctic coastal states- United States (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Norway and Denmark (Greenland). The Arctic Ocean is covered with ice and is surrounded by treeless permafrost. The sea ice in the arctic has declined very much in recent years. ` The recording of extent of ice in arctic began in 1953. Since then, the extent of the summer sea ice has been declining. The extent of ice was the lowest in 2007, the second lowest in 2008, and the third lowest in 2010. . Currently, the snow cover in the Arctic is present for about 200 days per year. A decrease in the duration of the snow season results in increased warming. Between 1970 and 2000, there was a decrease in duration of the snow season by approximately 2.5 days per decade. From the commercial point of view, it is a new opportunity as exploration of the arctic has become easy now. Estimates show that Arctic can contain about 20 per cent of world's reserve s of hydrocarbons. Most of these resources happen to be in the Russian part of the arctic. New trade routes linking the Atlantic and the Pacific via arctic instead of Panama Canal has become a possibility now. So, there began a geopolitical competition in the region to gain control over transport routes and natural resources. All these have increased the strategic importance of arctic region. Countries bordering arctic are also in the process of preparing territorial claims for submission to the Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf. Russia claims a large portion of arctic. The Arctic is highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming. There is greater warming in the Arctic than global average. Because of this, there are concerns that the melting of ice in Arctic could result in rise in sea levels. The current Arctic ice melt might also lead to Arctic methane release. Large amount of methane is stored in the permafrost. Methane is a greenhouse gas and is more dangerous th an carbon dioxide. Scientists are not sure whether this is natural cycle or manmade. Apart from concerns regarding the negative impact of warming in the Arctic, some potential opportunities have come up. Since the middle ages, world’s maritime powers looked for a shorter route between Atlantic and Asia. The melting of ice opens up the possibility of two trans arctic routes- The Northern Sea route and the Northwest passage. The new routes will reduce distances between Europe and Asia. It will also provide

Do cultural differences influence HRM practices Essay

Do cultural differences influence HRM practices - Essay Example The same extends to the human resource management practices as they were presumed free from external factors and constraints. Earlier research had revolved around one geographical area leaving many gaps in case an organisation went globally. This brought the need for extensive research, which indeed proved that cultural difference influenced human resource practices (Moran, Harris and Moran, 2011). Adapting an organisation’s customary ways of operation is crucial when setting up new institutions in different environments, as it enables the transfer of efficiency and rules into another geographical position. It is also vital to observe the cultural practices carried out in the new place of establishment. With the world increasingly moving towards being a global village, expansion of businesses across borders has been prioritised to ensure maximum profits. They have also realised that the human resource management practices have to be adapted in the cultural settings suitable to the relevant socio-cultural environments rather than imposing their own (Muratbekova-Touron, 2008). What are these cultural practices and how do they influence human resource management practices? Cultural practices are notions, values and premises in a society, established through conditioning throughout people’s lives and help to mark them out from others in a different society (Milikic, 2009). These notions and beliefs play a key role in an individual’s life; therefore, an organisation should be keen on ensuring that they are not overstepped. With the introduction of new members in a group, a culture may undergo some alterations, but some invisible and unconscious components that lie within may not change. Cultural practices differ from one society to another as human resource management practices differ from one organisation to the other (Muratbekova-Touron, 2008). Human resource management practices are described as the activities and decisions, which relate to t he act of managing employees at all tiers in the business enterprise. They are also concerned with the elaborate execution of strategies and schemes aimed towards achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage (Stone and Romero, 2008). As a result, it is essential for organisations to formulate a culture that promotes of appropriate work practices. A few of the human resource management practices include, remuneration systems, recruitment exercises, staff-appraisal systems, and work flexibility arrangements among others (Milikic, 2009). Employees perceive human resource management practices differently due to the separate cultural values and identities. Some employees react differently towards certain practices and the degree to which they commit to their jobs and the organisation relies on the familiarity with the ongoing activities. The training and recruitment of people with diverse cultural interests, backgrounds and nationalities, would be a difficult task especially when lo oking into their cultural differences. However, studies have led to discovery of theories that enable easier analysis (Stone and Romero, 2008). Managers are likely to encounter cultural differences that might hinder effective management frequently, especially in this multicultural worldwide business environment. Studies indicate that successful comparisons between different cultures can be made by testing Hofstede’

Male and Female Roles in Society Essay Example for Free

Male and Female Roles in Society Essay Mozart Beethoven Within the classical style of music stand two well-known, well-versed composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Both men were crucial, influential figures in the Classical era of music and composed works that are still held with great praise and dignity over 200 years later. To passive listeners, Mozart and Beethoven are very similar in their style and compositions. Although similarities do exist, their music and personal lives differed, most appropriately due to the periods in which they became famous. Mozart, considered the best and most successful composer of the Classical era, began his work at a time when classical music was prominent. Beethoven, meanwhile, was successful during the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras. Although hes considered an influential figure of the Classical era, he is also credited with developing a new style and pushing the boundaries of classical music. Because Beethoven was born when Mozart began composing his early successful works he was able to take advantage of learning and studying classical music when it was at its best. Both composers were born into highly-musical families. Their fathers were their first teachers who considered their sons musical prodigies. Sonically, their works were quite different. Its often said that Beethoven stands out more than Mozart in classical music, that his compositions are more complex are more in touch with personality and emotion. At the same time, it could be said that Mozart was ahead of his time. Beethoven borrowed many ideas from numerous composers before him, including Mozart; in adding his own touch he made his works loved then and now

The Destruction of Female Possession in The English Patient Essay

In Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient we see a world completely ravaged by war. The land itself is damaged, sometimes beyond recognition as it is torn apart by bombs. Just as these human-made structures have faced the damage of imperialism, so have female bodies in the novel. Ondaatje creates several parallels between man’s attempt to â€Å"own† the land around him and his â€Å"ownership† of the female body. As we see in the novel, this attempt at ownership almost always ends in destruction, â€Å"war,† and often, death. What I believe Ondaatje is trying to present to us is the impossibility of â€Å"owning† something that should ultimately be free, such as the female body (or any body, for that matter.) Though some feminist theorists such as Lilijana Burcar have claimed Ondaatje’s novel perpetuates the idea of male ownership of female bodies, I believe we see several examples of female empowerment hidden throughout th e novel; examples of females outwardly rejecting such â€Å"ownership,† as Hanna refuses to be seen as a sexual object by Carravagio, and even changes her appearance to â€Å"defeminize† herself. We even see gender-roles reverse. The â€Å"male gaze† seems to apply not only to males, but to females as well as Hanna views the sapper, Kip, in a â€Å"feminized† and often â€Å"sexual† way. Most striking of all, however, is Ondaatje’s representation of the character Katharine as an almost voiceless physical body which is undoubtedly â€Å"owned† and consumed by Almasy’s desire. As we see, this â€Å"ownership† leads to what is arguably the biggest destruction in the novel: the destruction of both Katharine and Almasy altogether. Before focusing on the most extreme example of male ownership that is Almasy’s ownership of Katharine, I want to first exa... ...vere gender-divide that is only normally present in same-sex relationships. This along with Hana’s appreciation for her own body and sexuality show readers a new type of relationship. In this way, I feel Ondaatje’s novel is progressive and reflects several feminist values and ideals, though they are often hidden just below the surface. Works Cited Burcar, Lilijana. â€Å"Mapping the Woman’s Body in Ondaatje’s The English Patient† Postcolonialweb.org Bordo, S. 1993. "Feminism, Foucault, and the Politics of the Body." In C. Ramazanoglu, (Ed.): Up Against Foucault. Explorations of some Tensions between Foucault and Feminism. London and New York: Routledge.181 -202. Butler, J. 1990. Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London and New York: Routledge. Suleri, Sara. The Rhetoric of English India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Chinese architecture

Ancient Chinese architecture is an important component of the world architectural system. Through the years it formed into a style that combined stone carving, rammed earth construction, bucket arch buildings and many other techniques. Chinese laboring people created many architectural miracles like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the mausoleum of the First Kin Emperor. The most significant characteristic Is the use of timber framework. Painting and carving were added to make the work more beautiful and attractive.The ancient buildings have a long history that can be tracked back all the way to the Shank Dynasty. The houses are built in a very nice way with the roofs colored, windows with exquisite applique © design and beautiful flower patterns. The layout of a courtyard is unique to China. The main structure is on the central axis of a court while less important structures are to the left and right. Houses of China were similar, the way of laying out a house was similar am ong rich and poor. Chinese people build one floor of a building everyday.Some examples of beautiful buildings are the Lieu Pagoda of Hangout, (it was build during the Song Dynasty); the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, (it was build during the Tang Dynasty); the Hall of Supreme Harmony within the Palace museum, (it was built during the Mining Dynasty). The Coughing Garden in Ouzos, it's one of the most finest gardens in China. Now the architecture in China became modern, there are still ancient architectural building and houses, but lots of buildings and houses have been taking down to put the new modern buildings.

How the Characters React Towards the Shooting of Candy’s Og Essay

The way the characters react towards the shooting of Candy’s dog reveals a lot abut the characters that we might not have expected. Carlson offers to shoot the old dog, complaining many times of the smell. The shooting of Candy’s dog shows the callousness of Carlson and the reality of old age and infirmity. Carlson typifies the men George describes as â€Å"the loneliest guys in the world†. He is outwardly friendly, but essentially selfish. He finds the smell of an old dog offensive so the dog must be shot. He shows very little regard to the dog’s owner, Candy. He relentlessly pursues the dog’s death, more for his own comfort than to put the dog out of its misery. However, Steinbeck does show some sympathy in Carlson, when he suggests â€Å"he won’t even feel it†, referring to Candy’s dogs death. This is contrasted to Candy’s procrastination to put this event off when he says â€Å"maybe tomorra, Le’s wait till to morra† Steinbeck displays that Candy is trying to delay the put down of his dog and his reluctance to end his dogs life shows how much he loves the animal. â€Å"Carlson had refused to be drawn in† this suggest that Carlson is determined and not to be put off. When Carlson brutally keeps after candy, candy’s reaction is described in the adverbs Steinbeck has used: â€Å"uneasily,† â€Å"hopefully,† â€Å"hopelessly,† and the way candy reacts: â€Å"Candy looked for help from face to face.† When he reaches out to Slim for help, even Slim says it would be better to put the dog down. Slim is portrayed as serene and a good listener/observer in this novel, and when Steinbeck suggests â€Å"the skinner had been studying the old dog with his calm eyes† – referring to Slim, it suggests that he had been very thoughtful about the whole incident and even showed his understanding and considerateness when he reminded Carlson to take a shovel, so Candy will be spared the glimpse of the corpse. â€Å"I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I get an’ a cripple† are the words Slim uses that Candy later echoes when he considers his own future. This perceptibly puts Candy in deep thought, it shows Candy’s realisation of his own mortality when Slim states this. The dog, in this case tells us something of the owner. When Steinbeck shows the dog nearing the end of its days it could show that candy was too. Also Steinbeck employs irony by saying that he wanted someone to ‘shoot’ him when he got ‘old’ and ‘crippled’ which he almost is. Slim also reassures Candy when he says â€Å"you can have a pup if you want to†. When Candy finally gives in and allows Carlson to shoot his dog, it shows the reader that candy wants to be over and done with and wants his dog a swift and painless death. There is some empathy shown when Carlson says â€Å"come on boy† to soften the blow for the dog and more so Candy. Once Carlson has taken the dog to shoot, Steinbeck builds the tension within the characters just before the dog is killed. â€Å"George followed to the door and shut the door† – this proposes George’s kind nature and sympathy towards Candy and his dog- this could be one reason as to why George did not give an opinion on whether Candy’s dog should be shot. When George offers â€Å"anybody like to play a little euchre† it is evidently shown that George is trying to change the topic and he doesn’t want to worry Candy about the dog, this makes the reader see George taking people’s emotions into account before his own, we also saw this earlier in the book when George stands up for Lennie. We see this again when George â€Å"ripple the edge of the deck nervously† this shows that he is also concerned about the whole situation. It is evident that whit also showed concern indirectly when he says â€Å"what the hell is taking him so long†. When Steinbeck repeats â€Å"a minute passed, and another minute† he purposely extends the sentence which is a reflection as it prolongs the moment. And then when Steinbeck says â€Å"the silence came into the room. And the silence lasted.† Steinbeck employs short length sentences which make the moment seem longer and intensify the significance of that specific time. After â€Å"the shot sound in the distance† we are told that Candy â€Å"slowly rolled over and faced the wall and lay silent†, this reaction suggests that candy tried to bravely take in what just happened by turning his back to it and attempting to keep unruffled. The use of short sentence shows us that initially after the shot, there were no comments by anyone which implied that it left them in shock and the realisation of what just happened was slowly sinking in everyone’s head. Steinbeck’s employment of repetition of conjunctions with ‘and’ lengthens the sentence at the end, expanding the climax of the scene, as the audience wants to know what happened to Candy, after his most beloved companion has gone. Carlson even cleans his gun in front of Candy after the deed is done, this reinforces his brutal character. While it may be true that killing the dog put it out of its misery, little concern is shown for Candy’s feelings after a lifetime of caring for the dog. Now Candy is like the rest of them — alone.

Contact and goodman brown essays

Contact and goodman brown essays A question asked throughout human history is: Is humanity inherently good or evil? This question is a theme in the story Young Goodman Brown, and the movie Contact. Both the story and the movie had themes of good and evil. In the story Young Goodman Brown, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, a metaphor for him literally leaving his faith. (try to combine these two sentences, it is too simple) He goes into the woods where he meets the devil and finds all the people he knows and is close to in his life doing unholy things. He (overuse of he) leaves his faith and gains knowledge of evil. At the end of the story, he (ooh) cant even look at the faces of the people he (ooh) comes across that he (ooh) saw in his dream. He cant even face his wife Faith because he saw her in his dream about the devil. The movie Contact is about a woman named Elle Arroway. Her dad died when she was little and shes spent her life looking to the stars for life beyond earth. She received a radio signal from deep in space that gave all the prime numbers, and a series of data showing how to build a spacecraft to go to that planet. Throughout the movie, we find out that she doesnt really believe in a God. After she (overuse of she) goes into the spacecraft and encounters the aliens, some dont even believe her when she gets back because the spacecraft physically never left the planet. At the end of the movie, she (oos) does believe in God. Her faith grows throughout the movie. The theme of good and evil can be seen throughout the movie. When the human race learns that weve made contact, a lot of questions come up about humanities place in the universe. At first, Elle wasnt elected to go to the distant planet because of her faith at first. ( first, reword with one first, and this is not good for and e nding sentence, use in beginn...

Get Over a Bad Break Up With These Lost Love Quotes

Get Over a Bad Break Up With These Lost Love Quotes Coping with a bad breakup? Has your boyfriend dumped you for greener pastures? Sure, love hurts. You knew that even before you got into the relationship. Love is not a garden of roses. Sometimes there are thorns too. Love is good; love is bad. You have to accept the whole package. Are you asking yourself right now: why me? You did not deserve this cold shoulder treatment, but you got it. You did everything possible to make the relationship work. Yet, you were dropped like a hot potato. Instead of beating yourself up, take a deep breath and calm down. Maybe, this was not meant to be. Everything happens for a good reason. Now, pull yourself together. You will come out of this mess unscathed. You will emerge stronger and wiser, after you have swallowed lifes bitter pills. So what now? Do you go back to your boyfriend, begging him to take you back? If that works for you, do it. However, ask yourself whether you would be happy to reconcile with your ex, after having lost your self-esteem during the process. If your boyfriend has dumped you, you should not be the needy, desperate lover who is willing to sign on a blank sheet of paper. The desperation to get back together should be mutual, if a healthy reconciliation has to occur. Instead, spend some time in quiet contemplation. Use this occasion to learn a few things about yourself. Reinvent yourself, not because you want your lost love to come back, but because you want to improve. Here are some lost love quotes for him. They work like a soothing balm on an aching heart. Release the venom inside you, and rebuild your life. As Alfred Lord Tennyson famously said, Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. Henry Ward Beecher What the heart has once owned and had, it shall never lose. Anais Nin Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we dont know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of withering, of tarnishing. My Best Friends Wedding If you love someone, you say it, you say it right then, out loud, or the moment just passes you by. Mignon McLaughlin In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing. Dorothy Parker Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away. Kahlil Gibran Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. Ian McEwan When its gone, youll know what a gift love was. youll suffer like this. So go back and fight to keep it. La Bruyere We perceive when love begins and when it declines by our embarrassment when alone together. William Shakespeare So dear I love him that with him,All deaths I could endure.Without him, live no life. David Grayson Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so. Anonymous You will never know true happiness until you have truly loved, and you will never understand what pain really is until you have lost it. John Greenleaf Whittier For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are those It might have been. G. K. Chesterton The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost. Barbara DeAngelis You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back. Alfred, Lord Tennyson Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Edgar Allan Poe We loved with a love that was more than love. Michel de Montaigne If a man should importune me to give a reason why I loved him, I find it could no otherwise be expressed, than by making answer: because it was he, because it was I. William Thackeray It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all. The Beatles Who knows how long Ive loved you,You know I love you still.Will I wait a lonely lifetime?If you want me to I will. Gretchen Kemp Theres this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. Its the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me.

The Increasing Importance of Complexity in International Relations Essay

The Increasing Importance of Complexity in International Relations - Essay Example Thus, the environment for each state is no longer limited to its internal and neighboring environment. The increasing number of factors makes it quite challenging to analyze the international environment for any country. Traditional analytical models that are based on linear relationships are no longer sufficient to explain the complex phenomena of international relations. The twentieth century approaches focused on managing order are giving way to fresher approaches (Rengger, 212) . Hence, complexity has become an increasingly important aspect of research on international relations. It offers an opportunity to apply a general systems theory to the analysis of international events. The international environment today is more complex and open than a decade ago. Factors such as globalization, climate change and terrorism have contributed much to integrate the world along several dimensions. This paper explains the increasing importance of complexity in international relations by identi fying the components of complexity theory and explaining their relevance to contemporary international events as well as past events that have significantly impacted on the present state of affairs. Concepts such as interdependence, fitness, and coevolution are discussed along with other essential concepts. The paper concludes with an overall assessment of the value can understanding of complexity can provide to the study of international relations.... Complexity theory offers an explanation for identifying and acknowledging such relationships. Its concepts and principles can be applied to analyze relationships between individual actors and the areas where mutual benefits and risks lie. The rapid pace of globalization is one of the major stimuli that have made complexity theory increasingly relevant to the study of international relations. Under the WTO agreements, the economies of individual countries have become increasingly dependent on one another. In addition, regional alliances such as ASEAN and the EU have made the economic and political systems of nation states dependent on one another. The most recent examples of such interdependence can be observed in the 2008 global financial crisis and the more recent Euro debt crisis. Events such as a sub-prime crisis in the US have affected economies around the world, mainly because the US is today the centre of the global economic system. Similarly, a debt crisis originating in Greec e has raised issues for the well-being of the German economy. Complexity theory can increase our understanding of such contemporary issues by supporting existing theories and concepts. Fitness and International Relations Complexity theory aims to explain the fitness between an actor and its environment. The concept of fitness is an integral component of complexity theory and treats an actor as a member that can affect and is also affected by changes taking place in the environment (Clemens, 13). Thus, in complexity theory individual actors are assumed to act in a complex environment. A complex environment is characterized by a large number of