Are Shakespeare’s Sonnets Autobiographical? Essay

Are the Sonnets, wholly or in part, autobiographical, or are they merely â€Å"poetical exercises† dealing with imaginary persons and experiences? This is the question to which all others relating to the poems are secondary and subordinate. For myself, I firmly believe that the great majority of the Sonnets, to quote what Wordsworth says of them, â€Å"express Shakespeare’s own feelings in his own person;† or, as he says in his sonnet on the sonnet, â€Å"with this same key Shakespeare unlocked his heart.† Browning, quoting this, asks: â€Å"Did Shakespeare? If so, the less Shakespeare he!† to which Swinburne replies, â€Å"No whit the less like Shakespeare, but undoubtedly the less like Browning.† The theory that the Sonnets are mere exercises of fancy, â€Å"the free outcome of a poetic imagination,† as Delius phrases it, is easy and specious at first, but lands us at last among worse perplexities than it evades. That Shakespeare, for example, should write seventeen sonnets urging a young man to marry and perpetuate his family is strange enough, but that he should select such a theme as the fictitious basis for seventeen sonnets is stranger yet; and the same may be said of the story or stories apparently underlying other of the poems. Some critics, indeed, who take them to be thus artificially inspired, have been compelled to regard them as â€Å"satirical† intended to ridicule the sonneteers of the time, especially Drayton and Sir John Davies of Hereford. Others, like Professor Minto, who believe the first 126 to be personal, regard the rest as â€Å"exercises of skill, undertaken in a spirit of wanton defiance and derision of commonplace.† The poems, to quote Dowden, â€Å"are in the taste of the time; less extravagant and less full of conceits than many other Elizabethan collections, more distinguished by exquisite imagination and all that betokens genuine feeling. . . . All that is quaint or contorted or ‘conceited’ in them can be paralleled from passages of early plays of Shakespeare, such as Romeo and Juliet, and the Two Gentlemen of Verona, where assuredly no satirical intention is discoverable.† If the Sonnets were mostly written before 1598 when Meres refers to them, or 1599 when Jaggard printed two of them, or in 1593 and 1594, as Sidney Lee assumes, and if most of them, as the same critic believes, were â€Å"little more than professional trials of skill, often of superlative merit, to which the poet deemed himself challenged by the efforts of contemporary practitioners,† it is passing strange that Shakespeare should not have published them ten or fifteen years before they were brought out by the pirate Thorpe. He must have written them for publication if that was their character, and the extraordinary popularity of his earlier poems would have assured them a favourable reception with the public. His fellow-townsman and friend, Richard Field, who had published the Venus and Adonis in 1593 and the Lucrece in 1594, and who must have known of the circulation of the sonnets in manuscript, would have urged him to publish them; or, if the author had declined to have them printed, some pirate, like Jaggard or Thorpe, would have done it long before 1609. Mr. Lee tells us that Sidney, Watson, Daniel, and Constable circulated their sonnets for a time in manuscript, but he tells us also that the pirates generally got hold of them and published them within a few years if the authors did not do it. But the history of The Passionate Pilgrim shows that it was not so easy to obtain copies of Shakespeare’s sonnets for publication. It was the success of Venus and Adonis and Lucrece (the fourth edition of the former being issued in 1599, and the second of the latter in 1598) which prompted Jaggard to compile The Passionate Pilgrim in 1599; and it is a significant fact that he was able to rake together only ten poems which can possibly be Shakespeare’s, and three of these were from Love’s Labour’s Lost, which had been published in 1598. To these ten pieces he added ten others (eleven, as ordinarily printed) which he impudently called Shakespeare’s, though we know that most of them were stolen and can trace some of them to the authors. His book bears evidence in its very make-up that he was hard pushed to fill the pages and give the purchaser a tolerable sixpence-worth. The matter is printed on but one side of the leaf, and is further spun out by putting a head-piece and tail-piece on every page, so that a dozen lines of text sandwiched between these convenient pictorial devices make as fair a show as double the quantity would ordinarily present. Note, however, that, with all his pickings and stealings, Jaggard managed to secure but two of the sonnets, though a considerable number of them were probably in existence among the author’s â€Å"private friends,† as Meres expressed it a year before. The pirate Newman, in 1591, was able to print one hundred and eight sonnets by Sidney which had been circulated in manuscript, and to add to them twenty-eight by Daniel without the author’s knowledge ; and sonnets by Watson and Constable, as Mr. Lee tells us, were similarly circulated and pirated. How, then, are we to explain the fact that Jaggard could obtain only two of Shakespeare’s sonnets, five years or more after they had been circulating among his friends ? Is it not evident that the poems must have been carefully guarded by these friends on account of their personal and private character? A dozen more of those sonnets would have filled out Jaggard’s â€Å"larcenous bundle of verse,† and have obviated the necessity of pilfering from Barnfield, Griffin, Marlowe, and the rest; but at the time they were in such close confidential keeping that he could get no copies of them. In the course of years they were shown to a larger and larger number of â€Å"private friends,† and with the multiplication of copies the chances of their getting outside of that confidential circle were proportionally increased. We need not be surprised, then, that a decade later somebody had succeeded in obtaining copies of them all, and sold the collection to Thorpe. Even if we suppose that the Sonnets had been impersonal, and that Shakespeare for some reason that we cannot guess had wished to withhold them from the press, we may be sure that he could not have done it in that day of imperfect copyright restrictions. Nothing could have kept a hundred and fifty poems by so popular an author out of print if there had not been strong personal reasons for maintaining their privacy. At least seven editions of the Venus and Adonis and four of the Lucrece appeared before Thorpe was able to secure â€Å"copy† for his edition of the Sonnets. If, as Mr. Lee asserts, Southampton was the patron to whom twenty that may be called â€Å"dedicatory† sonnets (23, 26, 32, 37, 38, 69, 77-86, 100, 101, 103, and 106) are addressed, it is all the more remarkable that Shakespeare should not have published them, or, if he hesitated to do it, that his noble patron should not have urged it. He had already dedicated both the Venus and Adonis and the Lucrece to Southampton; and Mr. Lee says that â€Å"three of the twenty dedicatory sonnets [26, 32, 38] merely translate into the language of poetry the expressions of devotion which had already done duty in the dedicatory epistle in verse that precedes Lucrece.† Other sonnet-sequences of the time (including the four mentioned by Mr. Lee as pirated while circulated in manuscript, except Sidney’s, which were not thus published until after his death) were brought out by their authors, with dedications to noble lords or ladies. Shakespeare’s Sonnets, so far as I am awa re, are the only exception to the rule. Mr. Lee himself admits that â€Å"at a first glance a far larger proportion of Shakespeare’s sonnets give the reader the illusion of personal confessions than those of any contemporary;† and elsewhere he recognizes in them more â€Å"intensity† than appears in the earlier poems except in â€Å"occasional utterances† of Lucrece; but, for all that, he would have us believe that they are not personal, and that their â€Å"superior and more evenly sustained energy is to be attributed, not to the accession of power that comes with increase of years, but to the innate principles of the poetic form, and to metrical exigencies which impelled the sonneteer to aim at a uniform condensation of thought and language.† I cannot help agreeing with those who regard their personal character as no â€Å"illusion,† and who believe that they clearly show the increase of power which comes with years, their true date probably being 1597-98 rather than 1593-94. For myself, I could as soon believe the penitential psalms of David to be purely rhetorical and fictitious as the 129th Sonnet, than which no more remorseful utterance was ever wrung from a soul that had tasted the ashes to which the Sodom-apples of illicit love are turned in the end. Have we there nothing but the â€Å"admirable fooling† of the actor masquerading in the garb of the penitent, or the satirist mimicking the conceits and affectations of the sonneteers of the time? If this is supposed to be the counterfeit of feeling, I can only exclaim with Leonato in Much Ado, â€Å"O God! Counterfeit! There was never counterfeit of passion came so near the life of passion!†

A Long Way Gone Research Paper Essay

When people imagine soldiers they think of strong men. However, some soldiers today are child soldiers. At a young age child soldiers witnessing and committing horrible acts of violence, which makes them at a higher risk for mental health issues like Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Most child soldiers are between the ages of 15 and 18 years, but some are as young as 7 years old. At that young age children should not witness murder, rape, or even be able to be allowed to kill. According to Klasen, Oettingen, Daniels, and Adam,â€Å"Child soldiers refer to any person who is below the age of 18† (574). At that age it is a high risk that, that kid could be traumatized. Child soldiers are some of the most troubled populations of children and adolescents. According to Klasen, Oettingen, Daniel, and Adam,â€Å"The experiences the children the children are inflicted on are beatings, torture, witness of killing, and sexual abuse† (573). Also, according to Klasen, Oettingen, Daniels, and Adam, children who have traumatic experiences are more likely to have mental health issues (574). One of these problems is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to Bayer et. Al and Vinck et, al, â€Å"child soldiers with more posttraumatic symptoms are less open to reconciliation, have higher feelings of revenge, and favor violent forms of behavior to resolve conflicts (Klasen, Oettingen, Daniels, and Adam 580). Therefore, because of the violence the children are witnessing, they are developing mental health issues. These mental issues are affecting these innocent kids at very young ages. The reason why is because child soldiers are witnessing murder, r ape, and committing murder. There should be an urgent stop to this so call Child Soldiers.

Chinese Philosophy Essay

Human being is by nature a dynamic being, whose tendency to evolve is manifest in history, archeology and other disciplines that have put human development and progress in focus in the course of evolution and so does the society / community in which he resides. Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, once stated; â€Å"As they step into the same rivers, different and still different waters flow upon them† (qtd. in Snooks 1). In line with this saying, we may say that change is something that is part of nature. Many of the activities of communities can address, embrace or resist change. In order to manage the various incidents and conditions that are experienced by man and his society, various instruments and frameworks are devised. In the case of the Chinese society, a number of philosophical standpoints were developed in a bid to confront the challenges facing China. This paper endeavors to examine Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism as the instruments put in place by the Chinese in response to the wars that China was experiencing, especially in regard to leadership in a society. Confucianism Confucianism puts quality on the ability of the human being to achieve, through self introspective processes, a state of inner harmony and moral uprightness, which can elevate the individual from the stables of a common person to a noble person. Confucias (541 – 479 BCE) was China’s first moral philosopher who linked moral behavior to traditional roles and hierarchies. He linked the Zhou order that was deteriorating and believed that all should understand and accept their role in the society. This system of thought is good in so far as it has faith in the human being as being capable of managing his own destiny, and being able to change for the better. Confucianism gives an individual member of the society a chance to take responsibility for creating and maintaining harmony in the society, by having it entrenched in the individual countenance that recognizes nobility as a state that can be achieved by an individual, without anybody being able to gain it through ascription or inheritance and this is not closely attached to the exercise of political power per se (Barry et al. 24) In China where many communities were vying for political dominance, Confucianism offered a window for the restoration of order through self cultivation, oriented toward achieving a noble state, in spite of the person’s social extraction. This, as a philosophy that sought to bring harmony in the warring Chinese society, worked toward the establishment of personal moral uprightness, which in turn would affect the way people related to one another, especially in their relation to leadership. If the society regarded nobility highly, then the noble people, having cultivated themselves effectively; would have their influence in the society to steer clear of war, or to effectively lead the people in better battle campaigns against their adversaries. If on the other hand, the Chinese society was to transform itself into a nation of noble people according to Confucian principles, then everybody would maintain the peace, because people would look at each other with more humility and kindness. The Confucian noble is thus, one who is able to provide leadership without really reigning or ruling. Confucianism can also be seen as a direct response to insensitive leadership during the war period, and thus, a system to try and impress the virtue of good leadership amongst the rulers of the time (86). This was done in such a way that it did not threaten as much, the social structures prevalent then, hence the Confucian recognition of the social hierarchies, and insistence on the citizenry to uphold respect for the superiors. Of course, war is a period when it matters to positively receive instruction and commands from the superiors. Daoism While Confucianism promotes the practice of self improvement in line with the argument based on natural evolution of the human species, Daoism on the other hand places all human effort in the search for knowledge and purposeful transformation in the realm of vanity. Daoists wanted the governments not to override their lives and were interested in the spiritual aspect of human existence. The temptation to dismiss this school of thought prima facie is quite high. This is due to the natural orientation of man to take responsibility of his destiny and the natural tendency to seek a better life, to marvel at nature and to try to influence it so as to satisfy personal needs. In that respect, one would expect that a working formula has to emphasize man’s rationality and his wants and needs, as the central pillars of his push toward creating his own history and having dominion over his environment. On the other hand, Daoism offers a situation where, as a country at war, the Chinese had an opportunity to re-examine their value systems and act accordingly. The Daoist concept of being in harmony with nature and not struggling to bring about change could be looked at as a peace strategy. This is because wars are naturally fanned by human desire to achieve something that humans feel is of ultimate importance to them. Wars also spring out of humans’ questioning of things and hence inventions of valuable things (which they desire so much). Humans would also like to either wrest from people who wouldn’t like them to possess the valuable items, or fervently protect the items from the people who would covet them. The need for man to change, to improve on things and to have an influence over his environment is a tendency that puts man in contention with the Daoist principle. If people followed Daoism, then they wouldn’t engage in a lot of questioning, which would bring about the escalation or perpetuation of the war. Their social relationships would be smooth, for all of them would be in harmony with nature, which would naturally take its course and not support of war. Daoist leadership would therefore be a laid back kind of leadership, with nature ‘taking care of itself’. The kind of transformation to come out of the society would therefore be premised on the Daoist fact that nature is capable of transforming itself, and man doesn’t have to take steps to interfere with occurrence of events. This however, would be criticized on the premise that change is something to be managed by the human being, by use of his intellect. Daoism as a leadership style would be an aloof kind of leadership, and during the war period, something deliberate had to be done, the solutions to the problems then were not just left to ‘fall from heaven’. To best illustrate this, Barry calls Daoists â€Å"†¦those who wandered off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (48) Legalism This school of thought argued that strong government depended upon effective institutional structures not just the moral quality of the leaders. This could be described as the application of law for the benefit of the majority. Legalism thus becomes a system of reinforcement, with an emphasis on both positive and negative reinforcement meted out to the members of the society in order to discourage certain socially undesirable behavior according to the majority of people paying allegiance to the society in question (Ebrey & Buckley 23). According to legalism school of thought, society is shaped through its reward system, with socially unacceptable behavior being punished for, with blessings from the social framework that awards certain individuals the power to dish out these rewards, without necessarily being seen to deny one or infringe upon their rights. This may help galvanize a society or community, which will in turn have a more prominent sense of identity and solidarity. Such a stand in a war situation is good for the purpose of gaining victory over the enemy. Legalism is quite an ideal system for bringing the society together in the face of a common enemy. This also gives the ruler the chance to act with speed, since legalism is a system that is responsive to the times; changing with circumstances and accordingly responding to the dictates of the time. War times need an atmosphere where there is quick action and response, and with the foundation that gives legality to what the rulers are deciding on behalf of their subjects. Legalism was therefore, an ideal philosophical grounding for individual Chinese communities during the time of war, for it is a system that can well serve the expedients of war. This comes in the light of the fact that the Chinese had developed government structures bequeath to them by the Chin dynasty, and which lasted for more than two centuries (Barry et al. 145). The structures brought about by the Chin dynasty were important in the realization of the dictates of the legalistic system, which was organized around reward and punishment, and had to have a basis in the common will of the people. Thus, there had to be a person vested with the power to mete out punishment to errant members of the society, while at the same time hand down rewards to those who performed and behaved in accordance with the needs and aspirations of the society. This person also derived mandate from the same common will that requires the people to obey and take reward, both positive and negative, with understanding; since it is for the common good that this is done. It can be argued that legalism is something close to Confucianism, because it comes out of man’s free will. It is a product of social engineering, with a view to bringing about an ideal society; something totally distanced from Daoism, which emphasizes the need to let life just flow, without taking any action to influence one’s environment. Mohism This is a system of universal brotherhood, where everyone on the face of the earth is related to each other, with an obligation to look after one’s kin (Ebrey & Buckley 35). Taken from this very standpoint, this is a perfect doctrine for humanity at any one time, and in this case, for China during the warring times. This is because, as we have noted above, human conflict springs out of differences. These differences, when not solved amicably, lead to war. The inclination to keep some things away from others and to take what is owned by others is a perfect recipe for war. If, in the light of Mohism, all of humanity was to lay a claim on brotherhood, and maintain that doctrine of being each other’s keeper, then the incidence of war would be remote. This is because brotherhood entails harmony and amity. It also presupposes the ability to communicate with each other without necessarily taking to arms. Mohists might not have been comprehensive in their brotherhood matrix. Even though all men are supposed to be brothers, the Mohists’ view of the world is quite hierarchical, with the junior members of the society bearing a social responsibility to be subservient to those who are perceived to be on an elevated social platform. This is a system that would have borne fruit if only the small people accepted it. If however, the common people are not agreeable to this arrangement, then Mohism would be just but another plank of wood in the fire, for they would revolt as a response to this flawed brotherhood arrangement. From a different perspective, Mohism could be taken to be the answer to the perceived social injustices prevalent in China then. Much as one could be the other’s brother, this system sought to cultivate an environment where an individual, after striving for, and accumulating enough superior residues; would acquire a higher status and would lead people. War needs strong willed people, since it carries a lot in terms of collateral damage, both in terms of human life and material possessions. War time also needs utmost sacrifice, so that as brothers, some members of the society do not just sit back and wait for the other people to work out way-through for them. If one is in a lower position, then he has to be obedient and provide for that one who is up. In this way, Mohism comes out as a system that influenced the social set up such that it recognized the need to love each other, and to be ready to stand by each other; while at the same time, not losing the individual. If they were to be juxtaposed, Mohism and Confucianism would relate up to a certain extent. One would easily say that in terms of hierarchy, both Confucianism and Mohism teach about the society in light of inequalities and the need for these to be maintained through proper social decorum. Confucius goes deeper to analyze, at a finer level, the social relations and how they should be handled for the sake of peace and tranquility. Mohists may differ on some of these because of the pedant stand they regard the social hierarchies and how they observe and maintain them. However, it provides a framework for the legitimization of rulership, for a ruler is someone who occupies a place in a hierarchical set up. Legitimacy of a ruler springs out of the acceptance the ruler enjoys from the society. War times need strong leaders who derive legitimacy from their people. In times of war too, a ruler could impose himself on the people, but for as long as he serves to protect them or unite them against the enemy, then his legitimacy may not be much of a problem, since it is in the people’s name that the ruler reigns. This solidarity is best achieved by communities that recognize hierarchy as a natural phenomenon in life, and which Mohists and Confucians upheld in their thought. Conclusion In conclusion, based on personal point of view, the various ideological developments in China which brought about the four schools of thought which have been examined in this paper are a response to certain conditions in the society at the time of their emergence, and that these are mechanism that were crafted so as to manage change. The difference only lies in the points that were stressed. Mohism, for instance, is a system that was conservative to a certain extent, reacting to the possibility of occurrence of a development that could challenge the existing hierarchical status quo. At the same time, it endeavored to foster change in the way people regarded one another, with the small people (the serfs and commoners) fully recognizing and venerating their lords. Confucianism on the other hand, much as it strove for change on the individual level which would later on seep into the entire social fabric of the Chinese, was also a fairly conservative system. Just like Mohism, it posed no threat to the existing powers. It was a system that would be used to bring the people together in times of war, for this was not a time for people to start questioning their authorities. By defending the hierarchical system existent then, the Confucians thought of an alternative leadership style where noble people would get to influence the rulers through their self cultivation. This system almost totally absolved the ruler from responsibility, since the leader had the social privilege of lording it over his subjects without being obliged to observe certain tenets of leadership. It was however incumbent upon the subject to go through the process of self improvement. What would happen if all the subjects had transformed themselves yet the leadership was not together with them? What avenues would they have to really exercise power? Daoism was one way of running away from the human responsibility to respond to change. By letting all systems go, the society would be at a greater risk of falling prey to the dictates of a bad ruler, a coward or one who would sell them to the enemy during this war period, since the Daoist doctrine was all about living and letting live. After considering everything, legalism seems to be the system that would have best defended the particular communities, and even a collection of the communities, for it is a system of action and reciprocation. The common person reacts, and then the system responds by awarding a deserving reward; whether positive or negative.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

English - Essay Example Also, they should have responsibility towards the laws of the state. So, this paper will analyze these two responsibilities as well as the relationship of the laws to the state using the text, Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato. That is, the paper will answer the questions about the responsibilities and the relationships using Socrates’ heroic speech, featured in the second part of the work In the work, Socrates was indicted for being a ‘hyper curious’ person and also for being a ‘corrupting influence’ on the Youth. So, in the speech, Socrates counters both these charges in two different ways. As created by Plato, Socrates shows his humbler side in the first part of the work, while in the second part of the work; Socrates presents himself as a heroic figure. In that part, Socrates’ speech is filled with a lot of heroic touches as he fearlessly fights the injustice meted out to him in the court and importantly gives his views on how the individuals should be responsible to the state. Socrates one of the profound intellectuals, the world has seen, earned the wrath of the Anytus, Meletus and Lycon, who accuse him of two civil crimes. Firstly, he was accused of spreading misinformation and also he was accused of intentionally ‘seeding’ unwanted and blasphemous thoughts among the youths against the gods, recognized by the State. So, Socrates while refuting both the charges expresses his views about individual’s responsibility to the state. Socrates expresses it, when he speaks about his role of a well-wisher for the people of Athens. In a highly inflammatory tone, Socrates first claims that nothing good has been happening to Athenians because of the callous attitude and the misrule of the rulers. So, he wants the people not to sit idle, but rise up to take on the responsibility on their own. That is, as states are structural things which cannot function on its own, it has to be the people who govern it, who should take the responsibility.

What constitutes a prudent strategic planning process(In public Essay

What constitutes a prudent strategic planning process(In public service) - Essay Example In the process of establishing a strategy, the first measure has to be establishing a foundation for the process. This entails planning how to instigate the process of strategy making. This ascertains that no hitches are experienced in the planning process. According to Norman Flynn, this procedure is known as planning how to plan (Norman 184). This procedure further ensures that guidelines for the process are clearly articulated beforehand. The goal for setting out strategies entails achieving the mission and vision of the respective public organ. As such, it is imperative that these be spelled out clearly in the strategic planning process. This is hinged on the fact that, this ensures that the strategies are formulated in line with the respective vision and mission of the public organ. This assertion is further cited by other researchers (Bryson 266). When this is not adhered to, the public organ runs the risk of formulating redundant strategies thus impeding its overall benefit to the public. Often, there are intrinsic factors that prevent a firm from total effectiveness in its mandated task. It is only in the event where such factors, if indeed they exist, are addressed will the organization realize its mission and vision. As such, an important element in a strategic management process identification of these factors. These intrinsic factors fashion a core rationale behind the failure of public endeavors (Steiner, 325). A variety of different strategies are normally proposed during the strategic planning process. However, it takes significant deliberation to arrive at the most beneficial avenue. The team tasked with this mandate has to weight the impact of all the proposed strategies and recommend the most appropriate one. The team must seek to answer preset questions on the best avenue to employ (Sukumar 134). The best strategy should be the one that positively answers these preset questions. At its climax, the planning process

Exploring an Organization - International Student and Scholar Office Essay

Exploring an Organization - International Student and Scholar Office - Essay Example The ISSO is the home for some global understudies and researchers on account of it gives administrations and an inviting domain. This interesting association comprises the chief of the ISSO and three cordial guides. ISSO is considered as a go-to office for all students and researchers, and in addition workforce and staff regarding the matter of issues or inquiries identified with worldwide training. ISSO is pleased with its abnormal state of client administration. The office is pleased with its learned staff, a couple of whom are broadly perceived in the universal learning field. The guides of the office are accessible for 15 minutes stroll in counsels or scholars could achieve them by booking an arrangement for more examinations. They give students fundamental diverse learning. Other than that, the ISSO pioneers have gone miles in ensuring the welfare of students is taken care of. They have recruited International Student Advisers (ISA). The ISAs basically aid all those on studies w ith the support of their financial, culture, migration status, personal concerns and occupation regulations. Advisers are mostly consulted when there are urgent or serious concerns that may affect the students learning. Students acquire financial support such as loans and scholarships from ISSO. Additionally, the association supports numerous projects for newcomers act upon. For instance, the International Students Council, the friendship international and the I-Lead. The International Leadership Education Academy for Development (I-LEAD) project is composed of the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) to help those who study in succeeding as well as in developing leadership skills. There is a motivational grant for international students who engage themselves in the program and complete it successfully. The scholars to participate and the cash was given out can be used well to clear school fees and cater for any personal effects.   Additionally, there are leadership skills that are acquired besides the scholarship they get.

Business Policy - British Airways Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Business Policy - British Airways - Case Study Example According to the International Air Transport Association, the industry lost up to $8 billion in 2008 which is even greater than what was forecasted previously. The report uses a PESTEL analysis (See PESTEL Analysis: Appendix D) to scan the external environmental structure of the company. The business cycle of British Airways includes several parameters. This is due to the fact that airline industry is characterized by longer business cycle resulting from the lower profitability and for the lower shareholder returns. (Liehr, Nd, page 1). The marketing environment is constantly changing and with every change in the last few years airlines industry is being affected. The demand for the airline industry is highly income elastic. (â€Å"An analysis of British Airways Marketing Environment†, 2008) Thus the rise in the fuel prices last year and recent economic turmoil has affected the airlines industry in huge way as the passengers are avoiding more expensive air travels. According t o a report by Air Transport association of America, the revenue generated from passenger travels for all airlines fell by 19 % during the month of February, 2009 when compared to February 2008. This is the forth consecutive month where loss is being recorded. The business sector, hit badly by the economic crisis are cutting back on their airline trips. British airways having ten flights operating daily between London and New York is among the worst hit. (â€Å"Lucrative Business class air travel hit by crisis†, 2009) The company saw a decline in 8.6 percent in premium traffic and 4.1 percent in non premium. (â€Å"Lucrative Business class air travel hit by crisis†, 2009)   Also there are other factors which are directly affecting the industry. The events like terrorist attacks in the recent past closely linked with the airplanes may be considered as an external factor affecting air traveling. This assumption is based on the fact that these events lead to the introduc tion of strict security norms and regulation from the EU and US, affecting from summer 2006 resulting in a fall of customer traveling confidence.(â€Å"An analysis of British Airways Marketing Environment†, 2008). The intervention of Government rules and regulation were present in the areas of controlling the place of flight, the pricing policy etc. Also there are restrictions in the number and types of baggage that they carry, which ultimately is becoming the restriction on the part of the customers.

Letter to C.S.Lewis - A Grief Observed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter to C.S.Lewis - A Grief Observed - Essay Example I would like to raise significant insights after reading your apologetic writing â€Å"A Grief Observed† some weeks ago (Lewis 1). This is because the descriptions of incidents in the text inspired strong reactions in me. Furthermore, the writing stimulated my thinking consequently motivating me to have a conversation with you. This is because I admit that grieving after the demise of a friend or a loved one is a horrible experience for persons universally. I also admit that love causes peoples behavior to transform for better and occasionally to their detriment than any aspect of peoples life (Parrish & Parrish 61). However, my response to the text concerns offering information about people’s reaction to bereavement and their faith during such situations in my culture. Furthermore, I would like to offer information basing on how love currently adapts while faced with various challenges in the historical moments. Descriptions offered in the text â€Å"A Grief Observedà ¢â‚¬  regarding love presents some similarities and inconsistencies in my culture (Lewis 3). The bereavement as observed by the text is a challenge to love and loved ones. The demise of a loved one currently makes people in my culture feel worse off because life becomes uninteresting after such a scenario. In the present time, people can remarry after losing partners (Eldredge 117). As the author of this text, you did not consider remarrying to minimize your suffering caused by the demise of your partner. Furthermore, remaining unmarried is socially dangerous as depicted by how people treated you thereafter. It is commendable that even though you already assumed a confirmed bachelor title then at fifty six years you opted to marry a divorcee. Furthermore, you married someone you knew suffered from bone cancer a clearly risky decision. These happened because of the love that you had for Helen. Although, you attempted to assume the absence of Helen arguing that â€Å"love is not the whole of a man’s life† realities hit and your memories sprung back to her (Cassidy & Shaver 49). This shows that true love is extremely strong that it becomes exceedingly hard to forget a love one even after the demise. Presently, love adapts to such horrific incidents through remarriage and overwhelming love that people around victims offer. While applauding your courage to venture into marriage at that later date, I have to question your motive for doing so (Lewis 6). This is because I have never seen anyone marry at that age in my culture. Persons tend to find partners in much earlier ages. The love that God offers man remains unquestionable though you initially discredited this during your bereavement. The love for the welfare of other people, which God indeed has for persons he calls his children existed in you (Howell 54). The demise of Helen does not connote the absence of God’s love upon you. This is because God does not only show the love that he has ov er people by making them live continuously. Persons in my culture presently comprehend that the demise of their close partners is only a way that God fulfils his promises. The descriptions offered in the text regarding the availability of God necessarily emerge from the bereavement and the feeling that God neglects you. The text argues that seeking God in happiness with appreciation and commendation then he gladly

War and Peace international relations since 1914 Essay

War and Peace international relations since 1914 - Essay Example It was done so on 23rd July. The last part of July saw attack of Austria over Serbia. 28th July marked the day when Austria unleashed on Serbia. 31st July marked Germany’s attack on Russia on Eastern front. 3rd August marked attack of Germany on France. 4th August marked attack of Great Britain on Germany. Between 15th to 18th August, three major events took place. Russia took over parts of Prussia, and U.S.A reaffirmed its neutrality (Tuchman). The issues that came forth around the second and later stage of W.W.2 were pertinent to the post war settlements, say and influence and sharing of the spoils of war. Great Britain and U.S.A had soft corner for one another, Russia on other hand wanted maximum shares. It claimed those shares on account of the sacrifices and number of troops and other civilian casualties suffered by Russia. The case of Poland was another area of interest between these two. Russia wanted major say and influence in the affairs of European countries that had been unseated, while United States of America wanted to break the shackles and come out of the old custom of isolation. Great Britain on other side wanted to maintain its influence and presence through economic strengthening and importance of seas. The case of Germany and the influence maintaining was another area of conflict that came up in the later part of the Second World War (Keylor, 85). Iron Curtain was an important speech that is still remembe red as a hall mark of those days. The conflict gave rise to Cold war which lasted for over five decades after the end of Second World War. The relationship between these two groups had fragmented the continent of Europe into two distinct blocs. Both were drawn by the spirit of hatred, ill will, suspicion towards one another. Each aimed at outsmarting one another through military might and counter maneuvers. The Triple Entente was driven by historic relationship and strong ties. The central powers had come together

Martin Luther King as a Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Martin Luther King as a Leader - Essay Example It was through bold and inspirational speeches that King established a reputation as a great orator. However, this also painted him a radical and subject to federal surveillance for the rest of his life. In addition, King is recognized for his phlegmatic way of approaching crisis as he advocated for the rights of all. Martin Luther King Jr represented the African-American community, but in essence, this translates to all minority communities who lived an oppressed life. This oppression came about following colonization and the slave trade where the rights of those perceived to a weak community were subjected to a wide range of discrimination. Segregation and discrimination with regard to race, gender and education were outlawed following advocacy for civil rights. This marks a critical step towards generating independence among communities. This clearly illustrates that even as King fought for the rights of African-Americans, the benefits would be felt across different communities both regionally and nationally. King mounted a challenge to oppression by defying the status quo, which eventually got support from other members of the community other than African-Americans. However, there still exist a wide disparity based on ethnicity, race, religion and gender in modern America. This creates the need for more activism and effective leadership to bridge the gap, eliminating existing disparities. In order to take up leadership and advocate for change, one must consider every possible angle relevant to the vision he has. This way, his vision should illustrates the benefits of the intended changes and how best to effect it. In this regard, one should develop a vision in which he firmly believes in before making it a mission. Consequently, a leader seeking to transform the beliefs held by many must establish a vivid vision of

Lay-Off due to Economic Difficulties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lay-Off due to Economic Difficulties - Essay Example In this regard, as a human resource professional tasked to evaluate and propose recommendations for the situation, the following discourse would initially present a description of the facts, the relevant law, application of the law, and suggestions of handling the issue. Recommendations would be proposed in the form of a memo addressed to the supervisor. Description of Facts 1. Advance Notice of 60 calendar days Company ABC employs 100 employees and is therefore covered by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) in cases where lay-offs are being reflected on at least 33% of their work force. Supposedly, ABC must provide a 60-day notice to the employees being laid-off. But since ABC plans to lay-off only 25% and that the reason for laying off is economic difficulties, the 60-day required notice is thereby not required. In one of the frequently asked questions posted in the US Department of Labor, the exception to giving a 60-day notice is hereby addressed: â€Å" if an employer believes their situation is the result an economic crisis, it may apply the unforeseen business circumstance exception; however, there could be a burden on the employer to prove why it could not plan 90 days in advance† (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010). During the termination meeting, the only time period indicated was that the benefits of the employees would be terminated at the end of the month. Therefore, there was no stipulated number of days from the time the employees were informed up to the time their services would be terminated. This does not violate any labor law because as the Department of Labor disclosed, â€Å"the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has no requirements for notice to an employee prior to termination or lay-off. In certain cases, employers must give the workers advanced notice of mass layoffs or plant closure. The Warn Act provides specific information on advance notice, employer responsibility and workers rights during mass layoffs or plant closure† (U.S. Department of Labor, N.D.). 2. Severance Pay Company ABC will offer a severance package that depends on gender and members of the union. As indicated: â€Å"because men generally are the heads of households and support dependents, ABC is going to offer them more severance pay than women.   Some employees are union members and their CBA provides less severance than the Company plans to offer, so management is going to be nice and give them the higher severance amount† (Case Facts, N.D., par. 1). According to Employee Issues (2011), under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state equivalents, â€Å"severance pay is generally considered to be a matter of agreement between employers and workers or employers and unions† (Employee Issues.com, 2011). 3. Age of Employees being Laid-Off By suggesting the inverse seniority policy, ABC could face violations of wrongful termination due to Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission revealed that â€Å"the law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment† (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, N.D. ). Application of the Law Since ABC is planning to lay-off a lesser percentage of employees than the prescribed 33% threshold, it is not covered by the 60-calendar days notice for the employees due to be laid-off. However, their

The Triumph of Science Over Religion In the West Essay Example for Free

The Triumph of Science Over Religion In the West Essay By the sixteenth century, the Western experience with religion had turned bitter. The Catholic Reformation, also referred to as a Counter Reformation, was a response to the great Protestant Reformation in Europe during this period of time. There were two elements of the Catholic Reformation. First of all, Catholics were being called for a renewal of piety and of virtue in the form of renewed commitments to prayer as well as mysticism. This component of the Reformation was particularly evident in the clerical orders. The ordinary folks had nothing whatsoever to do with this component of the Reformation, seeing that even the clerical orders were not looked upon as worthy guides. Secondly, the Church was being asked to reform in order to deal with unparalleled as well as swift changes in society, and abuses that accompanied those changes. There was turbulence witnessed in the societal structure, and one of the reasons why it was necessary to initiate the Catholic Reformation was that the humanists had revived classical pagan philosophy in the fifteenth century, using the new miracle of printing to shift the attention of society from the after life to the present. At the same time as the classical pagan philosophy was being circulated, the Church was going through a period of decline with a desiccation of scholastic thinking. Internal abuses at the Church were also well-known, and these involved simony, the sale of indulges, multiple benefices, and much more. The Church could not be trusted as much as it was meant to be. As a matter of fact, the condition of religion in the sixteenth century was characterized by turmoil. King Henry VIII of England created the Church of England in the year 1533 A.D. by splitting from the Roman Catholic Church. Around the same time, the French Wars of Religion were waged between the Catholics and the Huguenots in France. How much confusion such chaos would have given birth to in the minds of Western Christians with respect to their religion could only be imagined. Christianity was, after all, supposed to be a religion of peace and unconditional love. The Western religion around 1500 A.D. was chiefly Christian, and the sixteenth century has been described as â€Å"probably the most intolerant period in Christian history.† It was not the scientists that were killed during this time because they came up with new ideas. Rather, in the sixteenth century, there were thousands of people that were killed because they were called heretics. Michael Servetus was only one such individual. He was burned in 1553 A.D., alive, on the order of John Calvin in addition to the city authorities, because he had made theological speculations that Calvin was sure were falsehoods. To put it another way, the religious authorities of the time would not allow people even to deviate in their thinking with respect to religion. Christians of the West were required to think of Christianity in the way that the religious authorities felt was appropriate. Critical thinking or questioning was not allowed by any means. What is more, the religious authorities themselves were known to be corrupt enough for places of worship to be closed down. Lindsay Clarke reports: In January, 1535, the newly appointed Vicar-General of the English Church, Thomas Cromwell, sent out his agents to conduct a commission of enquiry into the character and value of all ecclesiastical property in the kingdom. Overtly, they were reformers, exercising the new powers accorded to the Crown by the Act of Supremacy: from time to time to visit, repress, redress, reform, order, correct, restrain and amend all such errors, heresies, abuses, offences, contempts and enormities . . . which ought or may be lawfully reformed. But Dr. Richard Layton, Dr. Thomas Legh, Dr. John London, and the other tough-minded and venal officials chosen for the job had no doubt what the Crown expected of them. It took them only six months to submit for Cromwells scrutiny an accurate and detailed tax-book, the Valor Ecclesiasticus. Along with it came evidence of corruption and scandalous immorality in Englands monasteries. Such evidence was not hard to find, for by the 16th century many of the religious houses had long since lost their sense of purpose. The religious turbulence of the sixteenth century was continued into the seventeenth century. The government of England had become known for its harassment of Catholics as well as Jesuits. On 20 May 1604, certain religious men began to plot the destruction of the government after having heard Mass. A priest knew of this plotting, and was made to pay the price of this knowledge later on. And yet, the religious authorities of the Near and Far East were not facing religious turmoil around this time. Nor were the people of the advanced civilizations of the Near and Far East being confronted with religious confusion. Furthermore, scientists of the Near East were especially involved with their work during the sixteenth century, as for a number of centuries before. The Ottoman astronomer, Taqi al-Din, created astronomical tables in the sixteenth century. These tables were considered as accurate as the ones made by Tycho Brahe in Denmark during the same period of time. All the same, the Ottomans are known to have ceased their support for scientific innovations and research a century later, as their priorities took a shift. The West, however, continued scientific explorations even after the sixteenth century. The East had maintained its religions. It was only the West that had showed immense intolerance toward different religious beliefs and practices, even with respect to its own faith. Whereas religious authorities stopped Westerners from thinking and reasoning, science opened up a new world to the ordinary people. They were not called heretics because of their new scientific ideas. Rather, people who came up with new scientific ideas were in the company of many others who came up with great new ideas in the scientific arena. Giordano Bruno, Girolamo Cardano, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, William Gilbert, Johannes Kepler, Paracelsus, John Napier, and Andreas Vesalius are only few of the important Western scientists of the sixteenth century. Besides, this century saw the birthing of Copernicus’ theory, the import of new plant species from the Americas into Europe, and new inventions that revolutionized manufacturing and other features of living. The wheel-lock musket, the helicopter, the spinning wheel, the pocket watch, the diving bell, the seed drill, the camera obscura, the knitting machine, the compound microscope, the Gregorian Calendar, and the enameling of pottery were all brought into the world in the sixteenth century. So, while religion disappointed people, science brought renewed hope of existence through new products and discoveries. No scientist could be killed in the name of science. Hence, science was safely meant to stay on in the West despite the good or bad luck of religion. Bibliography 1. Clark, Lindsay. â€Å"The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th Century.† Available from http://www.historynet.com/. Internet; accessed 31 March 2007. 2. Hogge, Alice. God’s Secret Agents: Queen Elizabeth’s Forbidden Priests and the Hatching of the Gunpowder Plot. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005. 3. MacroHistory. â€Å"How the Idea of Religious Tolerance Came to the West.† Available from http://www.fsmitha.com/review/index.html. Internet; accessed 31 March 2007. 4. Lewis, Jone Johnson. Women Saints: Doctors of the Church. London: Penguin, 1998. 5. Magic Dragon Multimedia. â€Å"Timeline 16th Century.† Available from http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/timeline16.html. Internet; accessed 31 March 2007. 6. Olin, John. Catholic Reformation: From Cardinal Ximenes to the Council of Trent, 1495-1563. New York: Fordham University Press, 1990. 7. Pollen, J. H. â€Å"The Counter Reformation.† The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: K. Knight, 2004.

Tourism And Regional Development In Romania Tourism Essay

Tourism And Regional Development In Romania Tourism Essay 1. Introduction Considering its largely acknowledged economic and social effects, tourism represents a sector of great interest to many countries development strategies (Zanina, 2011), (Egan 2003). The positive impact of tourism development is usually addressed in connection with the balance of payments, regional development, diversification of the economy, income levels, state revenue, employment opportunities (Pearce, 1991). The tourist life cycle, the local tourist strategies and policies, the use of information and communication technologies in promotion campaigns, etc. have an important influence in this context (Quian, 2010), (Hu, 1996). As far as regional development is concerned, tourism is seen as a driver able to turn to good account the less developed regions potential and, thus, to contribute to a more balanced distribution of economic activities over time and space as well as to the co-ordination of various policies in an inter-sectorial perspective (Nijkamp, 1999), (Constantin and Mitrut, 2008). It can also bring about encouraging responses to the question of regional competitiveness, based on the positive influence on regional employment and income. As a result of the indirect and induced effects, tourism generates jobs not only in its own sector, but also in connected sectors such as financial services, retailing, telecommunications, etc. However, the regional multipliers record significant variations, depending on the characteristics of each region, locality, project, etc. so that careful analyses are recommended in order to promote those projects able to generate the most important benefits to the region. Highly beneficial are the coastal, mountainous, urban and historic regions as well as those with exquisite natural resources. On the other hand, regions with different profile such as rural regions promoting green tourism, leisure and nature activities, the remote ones or undergoing industrial restructuring can also benefit from tourism growth (OECD, 1999) A focus on the factors that influence tourism development is also required in this respect, considering that, depending on the regional profile in terms of tourist attractions and economic situation, they might have a different significance within the corresponding strategies (Aghdaie and Momeni, 2011; Fletcher and Cooper, 1996). Thus, Crutch and Ritchie (2005) quoted by Koufodontis et al. (2007) place a special emphasis on the physical, economic and social factors embedded in the so-called regions image. Among them, the supporting factors and resources such as infrastructure, accessibility, facilitating resources (human, knowledge and financial capital), hospitality, and factors political will seem to play a special role. Only infrastructure alone, to mention one of them, is a multifaceted factor, with manifold implications. It is considered a component of the regional tourist product, comprising basic devices, buildings and service institutions of a major importance for economy and society. The main defining elements relating to a certain destination refer to accommodation facilities, gastronomy facilities, transport to destination, services for active leisure (e.g. ski resorts, sailing schools, golf clubs, etc.), retail network, other services (e.g. information, equipment rental companies, etc.) (Panasiuk, 2007). From a broader perspective, the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report prepared by the World Economic Forum (2011) has developed a complex, overall competitiveness index made of three main subindexes, namely regulatory framework, business environment and infrastructure and human, cultural and natural resources. Again, if reference is made to the business environment and infrastructure component, the corresponding subindex takes into consideration the following pillars: air transport infrastructure, ground transport infrastructure, tourism infrastructure, information and communication technical infrastructure, price competitiveness in travel and tourism industry. Consequently, the regional policy measures meant to improve the frame conditions for tourism development at regional and local level play a key role: they should constitute a coherent package, including economic, legal, institutional, infrastructure, cultural and social elements. The aim of the package must be the definition of a regional profile, stressing and taking advantage of specific feature of each local area (Funck and Kowalski, 1997). Based on these overall considerations our paper aims to discuss the tourism development factors proposing Romania as a relevant case study from two complementary perspectives: on the one hand, it displays an uneven regional development, which requires appropriate solutions in terms of regional strategies and policies; on the other hand the less developed regions have an important tourist potential, which might and should be turned to good account in order to reduce the gap separating them from the developed ones. Though, despite this potential the results are far behind the expectations, so that the study of the factors that still need a special consideration is highly required. In line with the results provided by the World Tourism Organization via the country ranking in terms of Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (Blanke and Chiesa, 2011), which indicate the weak infrastructure as one of the major obstacles for the development of the tourism in Romania, we have proposed and tested a model able to quantify and shed light on the regional disparities in this respect. Accordingly, the paper is organized as follows. First, a review on the tourism development in Romania is provided, emphasizing the disparities between its eight NUTS 2 regions. Second, a couple of econometric models are elaborated and tested in order to evaluate the impact of infrastructure on tourism activity, revealing the specific bottlenecks at regional level. Third, various solutions for tourism support, focusing on those able to surmount the infrastructure hurdle are discussed. 2. General discussion on tourism development in Romania The evaluation of Romanias tourist patrimony relies on a comprehensive activity of tourist zoning that was first developed in 1975-1977 and then periodically updated. Considering tourism as a system at national scale it has aimed at establishing a model for evaluating, constructing a hierarchy and proposing the most suitable ways of turning the tourist patrimony to good account. Multiple criteria have been used in order to delimit the tourist zones and to propose the priority actions in each specific case. As a result, a wide range of tourist zones have been identified, some of them of a particular importance to the European and worlds natural and cultural heritage. Thus, the natural patrimony includes the Delta of Danube as biosphere reservation, the Romanian shore of the Black Sea, the Romanian Carpathians, North Oltenia, Banat area, the Danube Valley, and so on. The most representative areas for the cultural heritage are North Moldova (with monasteries and churches declared worlds heritage by UNESCO), the medieval core of Brasov and Sibiu cities in Transylvania, the medieval fortress of Sighisoara also in Transylvania (the only one still inhabited in Europe), Bucharest and its surroundings, the Greek, Dacian and Roman archaeological sites in Dobrogea and Transylvania, the Neolithic archaeological sites in Moldova most of them located in extremely attractive areas from natural beauty viewpoint as well. More recently, the Spatial Planning of the National Territory has structured the zones of a major tourist potential into two categories, namely: (1) zones of a highly valuable and complex tourist potential (24% of the national territory), which includes national parks and biosphere reservations, protected national areas, cultural patrimony of national and international interest, museums and memorial houses, spa resources  [i]  ; (2) zones of a high tourist potential (34% of the national territory), with natural and cultural patrimony resources of especially national interest. An important characteristic of Romanias natural and cultural-historic patrimony is its relatively well-balanced territorial distribution that has a particular significance especially for the lagging regions, with other economic activities less developed. Based on its potential contribution to the general economic recovery, competitiveness and reduction of interregional disparities tourism is approached by all significant actors population included as one of the priority sectors of the Romanian economy. All governments after 1990 have included tourism development in their strategies, this interest being reflected by its privatization prior to other sectors  [ii]  . Though, the results recorded in the last fifteen years are far below the expectations: the rate of tourism growth is under the economic growth rate and the contribution of tourism to GDP is pretty low (2.3% in 2005 and approx. 2.0% in 2009 according to the methodology of the National Institute of Statistics  [iii]  .). According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index launched by the World Economic Forum in March 2007 Romania was ranked the 76th among 124 countries in 2006, with a score of 3.91 on a scale from 1 to 7. In 2011 the overall rank of Romania is 63, with a score of 4.17. With its three pillars referring to travel and tourism regulatory framework, business environment and infrastructure and human, cultural and natural resources, the index reveals relatively good results in terms of policy rules and regulations, price competitiveness in travel and tourism industry, human resources (education and training, workforce wellness), natural and cultural resources and quite poor results in terms of environmental regulation, air transport infrastructure, ICT infrastructure, availability of qualified labour. As a result, about Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index Romania is behind almost all former or current EU candidate countries such as Estonia (score 4.88 and rank 28), Czech Republic (4.77 and 35) , Slovakia (4.68 and 37), Hungary (4.54 and 40), Slovenia (4.64 and 44), Bulgaria (4.39 and 54), Poland 4.38 and 63), etc. and, respectively, Croatia (4.61 and 38), Turkey (4.37 and 52) (Source: The Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011, World Economic Forum, Geneva, 2011). 3. Some comments on the number of departures and arrivals of international tourists in Romania Romanian tourism has seen important changes during the transition from planned economy to market economy. Table 1 presents a series of indicators calculated in order to characterize arrivals and departures of tourists in Romania during the period 1990 to 2010, and also during the political cycles in this period. Statistical indicators are computed on the total number of tourists and transport categories. Table 1. The dynamic of the arrivals and departures of tourists for Romania (%) Indicator Index/rhythm Time period for the indicator 1990-2010 1990-1992 1993-1996 1997-2000 2001-2004 2005-2010 Arrivals of tourists in Romania Total Index change 114.8 98.0 90.0 102.2 133.7 128.4 The average annual rate of change 0.7 -1.0 -3.5 0.7 10.2 5.1 Road transport Index change 161.0 131.5 94.5 98.9 149.1 133.4 The average annual rate of change 2.4 14.7 -1.9 -0.4 14.2 5.9 Railway transport Index change 9.5 48.0 49.0 110.6 64.7 72.8 The average annual rate of change -11.1 -30.7 -21.2 3.4 -13.5 -6.2 Air transport Index change 448.0 113.7 147.2 122.9 100.0 132.1 The average annual rate of change 7.8 6.6 13.8 7.1 0.0 5.7 Ship transport Index change 63.6 57.4 110.3 82.5 137.8 82.4 The average annual rate of change -2.2 -24.2 3.3 -6.2 11.3 -3.8 Tourists departures from Romania Total Index change 96.7 96.7 53.4 102.3 108.8 152.7 The average annual rate of change -0.2 -1.7 -18.9 0.8 2.9 8.8 Road transport Index change 98.6 114.4 46.5 107.6 118.2 137.9 The average annual rate of change -0.1 6.9 -22.5 2.5 5.7 6.6 Railway transport Index change 7.8 44.1 74.3 69.0 34.6 87.8 The average annual rate of change -12.0 -33.6 -9.4 -11.6 -29.8 -2.6 Air transport Index change 911.3 57.4 184.1 132.1 127.0 274.1 The average annual rate of change 11.7 -24.3 22.6 9.7 8.3 22.3 Ship transport Index change 16.8 24.8 144.0 82.7 38.3 51.4 The average annual rate of change -8.5 -50.2 12.9 -6.1 -27.3 -12.5 Figure 1. The ratio between the number of arrivals and departures of tourists in Romania during 1990 2010 During the period 1990 2010 the two indicators, departures and arrivals of tourists have evolved quite different. Over the period 1990 2010 the number of arrivals of tourists in Romania recorded an increase of 14.8% with an average annual rate of 0.7%. For the same period, departures of tourists fell by 3.3% with an average annual rate of -0.2%. Figure 1 shows the evolution of ration between the annual number of arrivals and departures of tourists for Romania in the period 1990 to 2010. The values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹of this ratio for the entire period are subunit which shows that throughout the analyzed period, the annual number of tourist arrivals in Romania was lower than the number of tourists departures from Romania. During the analyzed period, the data series of the number of departures and arrivals of foreign tourists in Romania are non-stationary, and they are integrated of order 1. Table 2 presents the results of applying the ADF (Dickey and Fuller, 1979) and Philips-Peron (Philips and Peron, 1988) tests used to determine the properties of stationarity and to determine the order of integration of the two data sets. Table 2. Unit root tests Variables Dickey-Fuller Philips-Perron L trend trend 1 Yes Yes 0 No No 3 Yes Yes 2 Yes Yes The null hypothesis H0 is non-stationarity of the variable. For each case the statistics value is specified and statistical probability of a type I error in given between brackets. Here, N_DEP_T means the number of departures during a time period and N_ARRIV_T designates the number of tourist arrivals during the same period. The two tests indicate non-stationarity of the data series of the number of departures and arrivals of foreign tourists in Romania. These series are non-stationary in levels but are stationary in first difference which shows that the two series are I(1). Furthermore, arrivals are stationary around a deterministic trend, while departures dont have this property. These properties are confirmed by applying two statistical tests: ADF and PP. In the following we mention some of the most plausible explanation of these evolutions. Firstly, political changes in 1989 caused an increase in the number of Romanian tourists who went abroad in the first years that followed. Secondly, the accession to the European Union caused a considerable increase in the number of Romanian tourists who went abroad, this being an immediate consequence of the free movement within the European Union. The largest growth of Romanian tourists who went abroad occurred in the 2005-2010 period of time. During this period the average annual growth rate was 8.8%, this growth being the immediate result of the accession to EU starting on January 1, 2007. The number of Romanian tourists who went abroad in the first three years of accession was 23.8%, 46.78% and 31.6% higher compared with 2006. Thirdly, the evolution of the number of Romanian tourists went abroad was caused by an increase in the average wage in the economy. During the period 1990 2010 the average annual growth rate of the average wage in the economy was 0.82%. The most significant increase occurred in the periods 2001 2004 and 2005 2010 for which the annual average increases were 7.85% and 11.37%. Table 3 presents the results of the Granger test applied to determine if there is a Granger causal relationship between the number of departures and the evolution of the average wage in the economy (N_NAW). The results confirm that the evolution of the average wage in the economy Granger causally determined the number of Romanian tourists who went abroad. By applying this statistical test we also established that there is no Granger causality between the number of tourists departures and arrivals. Table 3. Granger causality analysis between the number of departures, number of arrivals, and average net wage in the economy. Hypothesis F statistics Decision N_DEP_T does not Granger Cause N_NAW 0.09994 N_NAW does not Granger Cause N_DEP_T 5.68426 N_DEP_T does not Granger Cause N_ARRIV_T 0.32140 There is no causal relationship between variables N_ARRIV_T does not Granger Cause N_DEP_T 0.57462 4. Features of regional tourism development One of the main reasons of this unsatisfactory overall image is the insufficiency and bad state of both general and tourism-specific infrastructure, unable to meet the requirements of a modern, internationally competitive tourism. Other disfavouring factors in the last fifteen years have envisaged the rigidity of tourism administrative structures, the social instability, the poverty which the majority of population is confronted with, the deficient supply of food, fuel and other goods absolutely necessary to a proper tourism, the low managerial competence and tourism personnels behaviour, the image of Romania abroad, various environmental damages. Some of these drawbacks have been partially alleviated as a result of including tourism development as one of the priorities of the National Development Plan since 1999 (when the first plan was launched) and, consequently, of supporting it via national budget as well as EU pre-accession instruments (e.g. Phare). The investment and management efforts in tourism made it possible to stop the decrease in the total activity volume of this sector recorded between 1990 and 2000 and an upward trend has been recorded starting from 2001. Table 4 shows the average annual rates of three important economic indicators used to characterize the tourism activity at national level and each of the eight development regions: accommodation capacity (AC), staying over night (SON) and arrivals (A). The annual average rates are calculated for 1990 2010 period of time, and the electoral cycles of this period: 1990-1996, 1997 2000, 2001 2004 and 2005 to 2010. Table 4. The evolution of the main indicators of tourism between 1990 and 2010 Region Accommodation Capacity (AC) (number of beds) 2010 Staying over night (SON) 2009 Arrivals (A) 2009 Indicator Average annual growth rate 1990-2010 1990-1996 1997-2000 2001-2004 2005-2010 North-East 21279 1509550 1509550 AC -0.80 -4.62 -2.42 0.41 2.60 SON -4.45 -10.88 -6.43 4.96 1.38 A -4.77 -11.05 -3.15 1.94 1.26 South-East 13687 4423728 4423728 AC -0.86 -3.13 0.20 -0.30 0.58 SON -3.65 -9.43 -4.59 4.45 1.09 A -5.92 -10.79 -3.66 -1.23 -3.68 South 22625 1674366 1674366 AC -0.86 -2.13 -1.88 1.80 0.30 SON -4.32 -9.95 -6.08 1.79 0.76 A -4.73 -10.19 -6.59 0.44 -1.89 South-West 16410 1441604 1441604 AC -2.34 -7.05 -3.68 -3.12 2.26 SON -5.27 -11.09 -8.98 2.24 2.31 A -5.29 -12.69 -1.84 -1.90 -2.60 West 23257 1676496 1676496 AC -0.56 -2.73 -0.85 -1.88 1.78 SON -4.48 -12.46 3.32 -0.33 1.82 A -4.58 -12.05 3.13 0.10 -2.24 North-West 26103 2098589 2098589 AC -0.54 -1.55 -1.18 -0.83 0.06 SON -3.72 -10.36 -3.32 5.40 -0.03 A -4.38 -12.56 0.16 1.61 -2.16 Centre 42029 2665298 2665298 AC -0.26 -3.15 -1.61 -0.27 3.45 SON -3.23 -7.74 -3.97 5.64 0.11 A -4.46 -10.14 -5.36 0.94 -1.07 Bucharest-Ilfov 23120 1835779 1835779 AC 2.99 -5.35 -3.84 7.49 15.55 SON -0.65 -8.67 -10.23 14.37 4.46 A -2.59 -11.97 -10.67 12.00 5.51 Romania 188510 17325410 17325410 AC -0.61 -3.20 -0.83 -0.30 1.92 SON -3.59 -9.86 -4.94 4.97 1.42 A -4.85 -11.20 -3.46 0.69 -1.46 Data source: NIS TEMPO 2011 and the authors processing of data; for SON and A the rhythms are calculated for the period 1990 to 2009. We highlighted the following aspects of the evolution of the considered indicators on national level and for the eight development regions on the 1990-201 period: the average annual growth rate of the accommodation capacity of 2.99%, was recorded only in the Bucharest Ilfov region, in all other regions it have declined between -0.26% annual average in the Central region and -2.34% in the South West region; at national level the decline was -0.61% on average each year; in all developing regions there has been an annual average decrease in the number of overnight stays over the whole period 1990 2009. The annual average decrease of this index value among regions ranged between -5.27% in South-West and -0.65% in the Bucharest-Ilfov region. Nationally there was a decrease in the annual average number of overnight stays of -3.59%; the number of arrivals over the 1990-2010 period decreased every year with an average of -4.85%. The annual average rate for the eight regions ranged from -5.92% in the South East region to 2.59% in the Bucharest Ilfov region; the most significant decrease for the three indicators in most regions were recorded during the first two election cycles between 1990 to 2000. Since the period 2001 2004 there is a noticeable stabilization and a relative increase of values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹for the three indicators both at national and regional level. This tendency is correlated with the overall evolution of the Romanian economy, which has recorded an important economic growth during 2000-2008 period (annual growth rates were above 5%). During the 2001 2004 period the annual average GDP growth was 6.0% and for the period 2005 to 2010 it was 3.9%. The economic growth rate during 2005 2010 has been reduced significantly due to economic crisis that affected the Romanian economy in 2009 and 2010. In the period following the political changes of 1989 a reduction of the values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹of above mentioned three indicators has been recorded at both national and regional levels because of the following reasons: the number of employees in the economy has significantly decreased and thus the number of employees who requested a ticket for rest and treatment by union decreased. In the planned economy era unions distributed a considerable number of tickets for rest and treatment to its members. Many times the employees right to such a ticket turns into an obligation to accept it. Under these conditions a large number of spa resorts have completely closed their accommodation capacities; a significant number of Romanians have preferred spending the holiday in other countries, mostly in Greece and Turkey; public road infrastructure and railways has not developed to the level required by Romanian and foreign tourists. The average annual increase in length of public roads during 1990 2010 was only 0.62%, and the length of railways was reduced on average by -0.25% annually. The accommodation capacity in use increased by 8.39% at national level as a result of the major increase in Bucharest-Ilfov region. Most of the other regions recorded smaller or bigger increases and only in the South region the accommodation capacity in use decreased. This is a result of the restructuring and modernization of the tourism capacity inherited from the communist period. The progress is visible in term of increase in the share of higher quality standard capacities (3-5 star capacities), especially after 2000 (Baleanu et. al., 2008) (Olteanu, 2011). As far as the distribution by region of the accommodation capacity is concerned, an important disequilibrium can be easily noticed between the South-East region and the rest of the country, which is explained by the high concentration in the Black Sea area (Secara, 2010). However, the use of the accommodation capacity in this area is characterized by a big seasonality. The number of arrivals and staying over night has recorded different evolutions: the number of arrivals increased whereas the number of staying over night decreased, especially in the seashore area. These figures not only reflect the increase of the weekend tourism but also the increase in the number of tourists who chose as seashore destinations other countries such as Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece (Olteanu, 2011). The index of using the accommodation capacity has a slightly increasing overall trend, as a result of combining important decreases (especially in the Black Sea area and Bucharest), but it has a relatively low overall level: only approximately one third of the accommodation capacity is used (Table 5). Table 5. The index of using the accommodation capacity in function in 2007 compared with 2000 (percentage) Region 2000 2008 North-East 31.7 29.3 South-East 44.8 42.5 South 28.9 32.8 South-West 42.6 41.2 West 36.3 35.1 North-West 29.9 32.7 Centre 28.0 30.0 Bucharest-Ilfov 36.3 24.6 Romania 35.2 36.0 Source: Territorial Statistical Yearbook of Romania, 2009 Romanian tourism in general is still confronted with the outdated and insufficient infrastructure, unable to offer proper access to architecture monuments, archaeological sites, to meet the demand of parking lots, information points for cultural sites, belvedere points for defence walls, medieval fortresses, churches, monasteries, camping lots for pilgrims, etc. Also the connected facilities hotels, motels, restaurants, gas stations, car rental firms are still behind the demand. The transportation infrastructure is particularly weak in all its forms road, rail, naval and air, with an emphasis on road infrastructure: the highways are almost inexistent while the modernized roads are insufficient and concentrated especially around the Capital city (Table 6). Table 6. The density of public roads and modernized public roads (Km/100sq Km) in 2008 Region PR/100kmp MPR /100kmp North-East 36.6 9.34 South-East 30.7 6.64 South 36.5 11.79 South-West 36.5 12.56 West 32.1 9.17 North-West 35.4 8.39 Centre 31.4 8.17 Bucharest-Ilfov 48.9 36.37 Source: Territorial Statistical Yearbook of Romania, 2010 In almost all regions the public roads have a low density, whereas the modernized public roads represent less than one third out of total. The exception is the Bucharest-Ilfov region, where the density is higher than in the rest of Romania and the modernized public roads represent approximately 60% of the total length at country level. For comparison, in 1998, the density of public roads was 165.45 in Denmark, 64.75 in Germany, 51.29 in Sweden (referinta). The importance of public roads is explained by the fact that a big share of tourist activity in Romania is supported by road transportation. Thus, according to NIS da

birth order and its efects on personality Essay -- essays research pap

Birth order Have you ever wondered why you and your siblings never get along, or why you are so different? I wondered the same thing until I read an article about birth orders effects on personality. This had to be why she had never spent an hour away from my parents and I haven’t willingly been within thirty feet of them since I was six, Why I love to read well above my grade level and my sister, a sixth grader, reads mainly Captain Underpants books when not glued to the T.V. and why we are a similar as oil and water. Before I start explaining what birth order does I want clarify exactly what it is. When I said birth order I know at least one person, probably more thought of something similar to astrology. In some ways they are similar. They both group personalities and have a basis in science, but that’s where the similarity stops. Birth order does not predict the future. Also, while birth orders facts are almost identical anywhere you look, I have found horoscopes where the methods used are so different that one source can say today’s you lucky day while another source for that same day may say that you will be brutally murdered by a dark stranger. For those of you who are only children you often have to deal with the presumption that you are spoiled and self centered, this is shown to be true in many cases, but remember every birth order group has its share of annoying traits. On the good side only children tend to be very confident, have a good eye for detail, and are v... birth order and its efects on personality Essay -- essays research pap Birth order Have you ever wondered why you and your siblings never get along, or why you are so different? I wondered the same thing until I read an article about birth orders effects on personality. This had to be why she had never spent an hour away from my parents and I haven’t willingly been within thirty feet of them since I was six, Why I love to read well above my grade level and my sister, a sixth grader, reads mainly Captain Underpants books when not glued to the T.V. and why we are a similar as oil and water. Before I start explaining what birth order does I want clarify exactly what it is. When I said birth order I know at least one person, probably more thought of something similar to astrology. In some ways they are similar. They both group personalities and have a basis in science, but that’s where the similarity stops. Birth order does not predict the future. Also, while birth orders facts are almost identical anywhere you look, I have found horoscopes where the methods used are so different that one source can say today’s you lucky day while another source for that same day may say that you will be brutally murdered by a dark stranger. For those of you who are only children you often have to deal with the presumption that you are spoiled and self centered, this is shown to be true in many cases, but remember every birth order group has its share of annoying traits. On the good side only children tend to be very confident, have a good eye for detail, and are v...

Adolf Hitler :: essays research papers

Adolf Hitler was a German political and government leader. And he is one of the 20th century’s most powerful dictators, when he ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945.He turned Germany into a powerful war machine and provoked World War II in 1939,when he invaded Poland. He built the Nazi party into a mass movement. For sometime he dominated most of Europe and North Africa. He caused the slaughter of millions of Jews and others whom he considered inferior. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20,1889 in Branau am Inn, Austria. Adolf’s father, Alois Hitler was a minor customs official. He died in 1903.Adolf’s mother, Klara Hitler was a peasant girl. She died in 1907.Hitler did not do well in school and he dropped out of high school. He was eager to become an artist, so he applied to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1907 and 1908 but he was rejected both times. During his spare time he read alot, developing anti-Jewish and antidemocratic views. When World War I started Hitler was rejected by the Austrian Army, but accepted by the German Army. He served as a messenger on the Western Front for most of the war, taking part in some of the bloodiest battles. He was wounded and received the Iron Cross for bravery. But he was never promoted higher than lance corporal. But after the war he found himself unable to find a job. After Germany’s defeat in 1918 he returned to Munich, remaining in the army until 1920.In September 1919 he joined the nationalist German Workers’ Party. In April 1920 he went to work full time for the party, now renamed the National Socialist German Workers’ Party or the Nazi party. In 1921 he was elected party chairman with dictatorial powers. He now became known as Der Fuhrer. The Nazis aim was to organize all Germans into one nation. And to rid the Jews of German citizenship and eliminate them completely. He organized meetings with his personal bodyguard force, the Storm Troopers. In November 1923,at a time of political and economic chaos, he led an uprising or Putsch in Munich against the postwar Weimar Republic, the German government. This was known as the Beer Hall Putsch. However the Putsch collapsed. Hitler was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. He only spent nine months in prison. During this time he spent writing his autobiography, Mein Kampf which means My Struggle. In it was a plan to conquer Europe and much of the world. The failure of the Beer Hall Putsch taught Hitler that the Nazi Party must use legal means to assume power. Adolf Hitler :: essays research papers Adolf Hitler was a German political and government leader. And he is one of the 20th century’s most powerful dictators, when he ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945.He turned Germany into a powerful war machine and provoked World War II in 1939,when he invaded Poland. He built the Nazi party into a mass movement. For sometime he dominated most of Europe and North Africa. He caused the slaughter of millions of Jews and others whom he considered inferior. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20,1889 in Branau am Inn, Austria. Adolf’s father, Alois Hitler was a minor customs official. He died in 1903.Adolf’s mother, Klara Hitler was a peasant girl. She died in 1907.Hitler did not do well in school and he dropped out of high school. He was eager to become an artist, so he applied to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1907 and 1908 but he was rejected both times. During his spare time he read alot, developing anti-Jewish and antidemocratic views. When World War I started Hitler was rejected by the Austrian Army, but accepted by the German Army. He served as a messenger on the Western Front for most of the war, taking part in some of the bloodiest battles. He was wounded and received the Iron Cross for bravery. But he was never promoted higher than lance corporal. But after the war he found himself unable to find a job. After Germany’s defeat in 1918 he returned to Munich, remaining in the army until 1920.In September 1919 he joined the nationalist German Workers’ Party. In April 1920 he went to work full time for the party, now renamed the National Socialist German Workers’ Party or the Nazi party. In 1921 he was elected party chairman with dictatorial powers. He now became known as Der Fuhrer. The Nazis aim was to organize all Germans into one nation. And to rid the Jews of German citizenship and eliminate them completely. He organized meetings with his personal bodyguard force, the Storm Troopers. In November 1923,at a time of political and economic chaos, he led an uprising or Putsch in Munich against the postwar Weimar Republic, the German government. This was known as the Beer Hall Putsch. However the Putsch collapsed. Hitler was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. He only spent nine months in prison. During this time he spent writing his autobiography, Mein Kampf which means My Struggle. In it was a plan to conquer Europe and much of the world. The failure of the Beer Hall Putsch taught Hitler that the Nazi Party must use legal means to assume power.

A Tougher Death Penalty Will Reduce Crime Essay -- Expository Cause Ef

We Need a Tougher Death Penalty      Ã‚   Many people, in general, are trying to abolish the death penalty. Why? Why try to abolish something that is in need in our corrupt world? Like for instance, in the case of the monster named Westley Dodd. The death penalty is doing the world of crime some good. If the people could see the right in their negative outlook.       Westley Dodd had been imprisoned for child molesting in many occasions and in 1989 committed a crime that of horrific nature that made even the detectives cry. Westley Dodd preyed on children, one of the many, stuck out in everyone's minds. Dodd caught the attention of five-year old boy named Lee Islei, knocked him unconscious, then dragged him to his apartment. Dodd then tortured him and molested him repeatedly for several hours, and then had the obscurity to capture it all on videotape. Dodd ended up strangling the beat-up child to death and keeping his underwear as "a souvenir" (Lerch). In Dodd's trial, he explained that he could never restrain from committing brutal sex-homicide crimes. Thankfully, the jury sentenced him to death. He requested to be executed by hanging, and was, on January 5, 1993 (Lerch). This is a perfect situation that was in definite need of the death penalty. Believe it or not, many of these sick, perverted men get out of jail. Dodd did before he murdered Le e Iseli. That's why the death penalty comes in real handy in instances like these.       There are also many points that can be proven and objects that can be expressed concerning the death penalty. The one that is going to be the main topic of this paper is, Is the death penalty an effective deterrent in the outlook of the growing crime of murder? There is a tremendou... .... DiIulio Jr., John J. "The Death Penalty Is an Effective Deterrent." The Death Penalty; Opposing Viewpoints .California:Greenhaven Press, 1997.   "Friends For Life." "Friends For Life"--the organization. [On-Line]. Available: http://www.friends-for-life.demon.co.uk/. Search: Internet. Lerch , Randy. "The Pro Death Penalty Pages." [On-line] Available: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/8169/. Search: Internet. January 31, 1997. Lewin, Tamar. "Punishable By Death: Who Decides Who Will Die?" New York Times . New York: SIRS 1995 Corrections. 1995. Sowell, Thomas. "The Death Penalty Is an Effective Deterrent." The Death Penalty; Opposing Viewpoints .California:Greenhaven Press, 1997. Steamer, Robert J. "Furman vs. Georgia." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1995. Appendix A. New York: SIRS 1995 Corrections. 1995. A Tougher Death Penalty Will Reduce Crime Essay -- Expository Cause Ef We Need a Tougher Death Penalty      Ã‚   Many people, in general, are trying to abolish the death penalty. Why? Why try to abolish something that is in need in our corrupt world? Like for instance, in the case of the monster named Westley Dodd. The death penalty is doing the world of crime some good. If the people could see the right in their negative outlook.       Westley Dodd had been imprisoned for child molesting in many occasions and in 1989 committed a crime that of horrific nature that made even the detectives cry. Westley Dodd preyed on children, one of the many, stuck out in everyone's minds. Dodd caught the attention of five-year old boy named Lee Islei, knocked him unconscious, then dragged him to his apartment. Dodd then tortured him and molested him repeatedly for several hours, and then had the obscurity to capture it all on videotape. Dodd ended up strangling the beat-up child to death and keeping his underwear as "a souvenir" (Lerch). In Dodd's trial, he explained that he could never restrain from committing brutal sex-homicide crimes. Thankfully, the jury sentenced him to death. He requested to be executed by hanging, and was, on January 5, 1993 (Lerch). This is a perfect situation that was in definite need of the death penalty. Believe it or not, many of these sick, perverted men get out of jail. Dodd did before he murdered Le e Iseli. That's why the death penalty comes in real handy in instances like these.       There are also many points that can be proven and objects that can be expressed concerning the death penalty. The one that is going to be the main topic of this paper is, Is the death penalty an effective deterrent in the outlook of the growing crime of murder? There is a tremendou... .... DiIulio Jr., John J. "The Death Penalty Is an Effective Deterrent." The Death Penalty; Opposing Viewpoints .California:Greenhaven Press, 1997.   "Friends For Life." "Friends For Life"--the organization. [On-Line]. Available: http://www.friends-for-life.demon.co.uk/. Search: Internet. Lerch , Randy. "The Pro Death Penalty Pages." [On-line] Available: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/8169/. Search: Internet. January 31, 1997. Lewin, Tamar. "Punishable By Death: Who Decides Who Will Die?" New York Times . New York: SIRS 1995 Corrections. 1995. Sowell, Thomas. "The Death Penalty Is an Effective Deterrent." The Death Penalty; Opposing Viewpoints .California:Greenhaven Press, 1997. Steamer, Robert J. "Furman vs. Georgia." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1995. Appendix A. New York: SIRS 1995 Corrections. 1995.

An essay on dwarfism, telling the causes, symptoms, and treatments Essay

Dwarfism is a genetic abnormality, that results in short stature. Most people consider dwarfism to be an adult height of four feet ten inches and under. Someone can develop dwarfism from different genetic, and other conditions. It is estimated that between one in every 14,000, and one in every 27,00 people are born with dwarfism each year. There are many different conditions that cause dwarfism. Some of these conditions are a bone disorder called skeletal dysplasias. The skeletal dysplasias are separated into two different groups, Short-trunk, and Short-limbed. More than 500 different skeletal dysplasias have been discovered. The most common skeletal dysplasia is called achondroplasia, and occurs in one in every 20,000 births in the us, and affects about 80% of all people with dwarfism. Dwarfism occurs in all ethnic group. Any two average size parents can have a child with dwarfism. Most causes are genetic, resulting from a spontaneous mutation, or can be inherited from the parents. In a mutation a single normal gene in a chromosome suddenly mutates, which results in the specific condition. The mutations occur during pregnancy, and is the most common reason that two parents of average size can have a child with dwarfism. When dwarfism is inherited both parents have a recessive gene that produces a dwarfism causing condition, and both pass it on to the child, the child will have that condition. Symptoms that occur in most types of dwarfism are short stature, and shorter limbs, like arms, legs and fingers. These are the most recognizable. Others may include an increased risk of ear infection, and hearing loss, increased head size, a prominent forehead, apnea, which is a stop in breathing, while asleep, small ribcage, a curved and twisted spine, difficulty bending, and straightening elbows, being double jointed, and a delay in motor skills, such as sitting upright, crawling, walking, standing, a crowded jaw, and waddling when walking. The curving, and twisting of the spine, along with the loint problems may result in early arthritis. These symptoms occur in most types of dwarfism, but in some cases it does not. Although dwarfism may be detected with prenatal testing, most cases are not identified until after birth, by X-rays, and the child’s appearance. The is  no known way to correct the results of dwarfism, but some examples of treatments are joint, and hip-replacement surgery, which relieve the pain in joints by reducing the pressure, of the unbalanced weight. Another treatment is limb lengthening. In this process bones are cut, and pins are inserted between them, making them longer. Limb lengthening is a very long painful, and complicated surgery, that may take more than two years to complete. The different conditions, caused by dwarfism vary from person to person, and most people with dwarfism carry out normal lives.

English As Official Language In United States Essay

Introduction The f only in States of the States is the melting pot of complaisantisations and values permeated to its the Statesn way of life. Along this line, this cultures and values work issue with them its lectures so unique with each an an other(a)(prenominal)(prenominal)wise culture that as such ethnic stack grew oer times the phraseology too conquers the different corners of the great American Dream. Now, face quarrel is in a precarious situation whether or non it is still viable to allow it to await as US prescribed words. And since a significant number of US body politicals quality comfortable emiting a address other than localize, the subject ex officio g all overnment should see incline as the formalized terminology of the United States.This topic will dig into the evolution of position as an American oral communication. Also, it will explore the dimension of the incline that try (EOM) and the break up prat Theory in relation to si de as an official American language. position style In 2001, Harrop lineed that from the deep concluded 2002 U.S. census revea lead that 49 part of Latinos in America argon not fluent in side. As the meteoric growing United States nonage, the Hispanic macrocosm represents 12.5 percent of the population. Harrop also revealed that the Hispanics legal picture is astonishing as EEOC data revealed that the complaints lodge before it beat much than doubled in 5 years and nail downments deem risen to over $50 million (Harrop, 2001).The United States inhabitants have never had any official language to speak of. Over 6 % of United States primary school children were instructed in German until the World War I and flat over 45 million American dry landals still state that their forefathers spoke German. The commodious scale immigration of the 20th snow led to the inhabitance of multilingual people wrong the US, thus, around 336 different languages are in brief talk which comp rise 176 endemic dialects. Also, more than 47 million American nationals wasting disease a language other than English within their homes including 30 million Spanish speakers. When the US Senate voted to select English as the official language and prohibited the drop of other languages for federal government orders and operate with a vote of 63-34, the US Senate it self-importance was placed in a quandary as the equity of nature barred efficaciously other languages is the US documents. Thus, Oklahoma republican Senator James Inhofe offered an amendment to remedy this problem because it go against the Senate along largely party lines, with except nine of the 44 Democrats take for it, and only genius Republican voting against (Cornwell 2006). On the part of former Democratic nonage (now Majority) leader Harry Reid, he place this amendment as racist whereas Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat of Hispanic origin, set forth it as divisive and anti-American (Cornwell, 2006).The principle for these two statements issued by US Senates distinguished members hinges on the fact that law passed neglects any provisions for services in languages other than English. This would be a rugged situation for those Americans who cannot speak English fluently. Also, the law in effect would also exponent new immigrants to have considerable friendship of English language before they pull in US nationality. On the historical hindsight, English language was voted out German by a difference of just one vote when it was selected as the official language of the US by Congressmen in the year 1795 (Cornwell 2006). In protecting the minoritys reclaim on education, the Majority (through the US Congress) passed into law the bilingual Education work of 1968. This act protects the immigrants who were limited English unspoilt and at the same time come upon their needs as they realize to the American hostelry.Crawford revealed the law was enacted when the US was the apex of th e enceinte Society and was signed into law by President Johnson without a single join elevated in dissent. In malevolence of this landmark legislations solemn aims, the Americans public has spent the past 30 years debating what the law wants to accomplish.Thus, future(a) questions were raised was this 1968 law intended primarily to assimilate limited-English-proficient (LEP) children more efficiently? to teach them English as rapidly as practical? to pull ahead bilingualism and biliteracy? to remedy academic underachievement and mellowed dropout rates? to raise the self-esteem of minority students? to promote tender equality? or to chase all of these goals simultaneously? These questions were never answered in the Congress journals of its proceedings (50).English altogether lawsuitThe English Only Movement (EOM), a movement initiated in the 1980s, is a sequel of the procedure of municipal colonialism which leads to other languages which are spoken by minorities demolit ion.In 1979, a Carnegie Corporations report pointed out that bilingual education was the leading(prenominal) civil rights issue within Hispanic communities (Penna & Shepherd p. 147). Thus, the bilingual education became a key issue that create woe in the Mexican community inner the United States according to different researches carried out by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission ( 1967- 1975).The researches also reveled that the US academic system was notion of as being against the cultural traditions of the Mexican population resulting to a negative cause on the Mexicans including inferiority complexes. It is in this lesson that the community traditions and customs eradication is no doubt, an abuse of the basic civil rights of these people in adherence to communitys linguistic and cultural survival.On the domestic front, the English Only Movements amendment in the state of California was a triumph for those who support the use of English as an official language. It gave legal berth to an issue that goes against biculturalism and bilingualism.The between 1986 and 1989, voters and legislators in ixl states took into account plans analogous to that of Californian amendment. This led to the appearance of 17 states with English as the official language. The English Only Movement is successful in bringing bilingual education policy to the leading position of national debate that includes questions, the approach of scientific teachings of bilingual education and a federal resolution that could shed light as to wherefore English should be the official language of the United States.Melting destiny TheoryThe current discussion over the bilingualism is hinges on the theory that the United States is an assimilationist night club or a form of society embracing many minority groups and culture traditions. And this theory is very old. Though this was the case, thither were some exchanging of views forcefully stating that United States is a melting pot, which theori zes that people of various nations settle in America and forced to resemble which means to become an American completely.Lawmakers publicize authorized English reported in the working capital Post revealed that the March 14 to 16 poll of 1,007, with a strand of error of three percentage points showed that 63 percent of Americans would like to have their ballots and voting materials only in English as compared to those 35 percent who wanted them printed in English and other languages (Lawmakers Push authoritative English, A06).The results in this opinion poll adheres to the results of the Myths of the Melting Pots study which, though noble as it is, spread all throughout a wrong ideas or so languages which are mostly not challenged nor back up by historical records. In fact, US language policys score on the subject or lack of one both work at lower consequences than the logical basis for official English language and provide a warning lesson about any actions to trim down languages which are rarely in use. The following are points to ponder in this regardUnfavorable to the myth, the United States has never been a basic speaking and/or utilize only one language country. By the boundary of time, one from eight of ageless inhabitants reported a languages background other than English in 1976, this is variety of cryptograph new but some competent persons in languages or study of languages moot that the United States has been the habitant of more persons able to speak two languages than any other nation in the history of the creative activity. As former(a) as 1664, when the colony of the New Netherlands came into self-possession of British, eighteen different languages were spoken on Manhattan Island, not including the language spoken by the local inhabitants of America which were numbered more than volt hundred in North America at the time.Considering the US history, the prevailing federal policy on languages has only well-kept tolerance and ad justments. In spite of the language variety in 1787, the famous took no interest to protect or encourage English United States constituents. Because discussion were held in private and we must depend on James Madisons cosy notes, it is not clear, if any language issues came up during the federal agreement on social behavior in Philadelphia (Farrand 1913). But useable facts strongly suggest that our early leaders regarded language laws of any type as a cause of harm to civil freedom from captivity.Recognizing about rarely spoken languages reflected bilingual and non-English language schools which were ordinary in many districts until the long time period of World War I. In 1710, British missionaries were invited to maintain schools among the Iroquois League of Ally States, with the solicit that students should be informed or taught with their national languages. Parts of bible which were translated in mohawk haircut language were included in the texts used. In 1802, Congress began a yearly homage of ($15,000) to encourage civilization among the old inhabitants (before the arriver of colonists). This money was devoted to religious schools in which many schools were bilingual.The liberation policy on languages was the best and ideal policy for this country, but it is no upheld especially among people conquered and livid for supposed un-justice people living in colonies and some racial people. Attitudes of the 19th centuries towards their right of language were considerably less extensive than say towards speakers of German, French or Scandinavian languagesConclusionLanguage is another exercising of making sure that the classs position in society prevails. This paper has shown the many shipway that minority languages are saved from oblivion in the US. For this reason, it is grievous to known by the baffling ways in which this is happening.Official English/English Onlys websites revealed that english as the nations dominant language is no more threatened at the daily round of the 21st century than it was at the charm of the 20th. To the contrary, it is all the other languages that are peril and would soon die out, if not for the replenishing effects of immigration (Official English/English Only, n.p.).English as an official US language has been an issue for decades by which some influential groups/people have been trying to restrict other languages and promote English Language. On the other hand, this policy has not been veritable nor approved by the majority of Americans as it is discriminatory to other equal language. This idea is not hidden. Making English as the US official language is the schedule of whiteness Americans it also unveils the approach of White American as they dont want more immigrants from the third world countries. It will be discriminatory to other language and this moved, if ever, is contrary to the hope and aspirations why this country was founded and continued to be strong. whole caboodle CitedCornwel l, Rupert. May 20, 2006. At last, America has an official language (and yes, its English) Independent, The (London)James Crawford. Language Politics in the U.S.A. The Paradox of Bilingual Education. Journal Social Justice. Volume 25. publish 3. Year 1998. knave physique 50Maureen E. Harrop. Managing a Non-English-Speaking Workforce Hispanic Americans drawing Article Statistical Data Included. in advance(p) Machine Shop, Nov, 2001 http//findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3101/is_6_74/ai_79900955 Accessed, April 21, 2007Lawmakers Push Official English Bills Tied to Immigration Reform. The Washington Times. Publication Date April 3, 2006. Page Number A06.Official English/English Only . n.d. http//www.elladvocates.org/englishonly.html Accessed, April 21, 2007David Penna and George W. Shepherd Jr. Racism and the lower class State Policy and Discrimination against Minorities.Publisher Greenwood Press. say of Publication New York. Year 1991. Page Number 145.