A Night of Suspense

I walked on briskly, trying not to look back. Somebody was following me. I could feel it. I continued to walk, counting my steps, making sure I didn’t step on any cracks; believe me, I'm not the superstitious kind, but, yet, I felt wary. Splat. A raindrop landed right on my nose and it dripped down my face. I hated the rain, every drop on your head feels like an egg that is being smashed on your face. I wiped the rain of my glasses with my gloves. One step, two steps, three steps. I stopped for a red light. Did I hear a fourth step?I must be imagining things. The image of a walking man turned green and I crossed the road and went into Adeline Street, where a huge wind hit me. It was such a cold wind, it gave me the shivers and for a second I gasped. I zipped up my leather jacket even higher, buried myself under my scarf, and continued walking. Though the scarf covered my whole face now, I was aware of a faint scent, smelling like rotten eggs, rotting bodies – frankly, a nything rotten. I looked around to see what it could be coming from.Surely the mailbox on the left couldn’t be the cause. It looked as it had just been painted and when I sniffed it, it was obvious it smelled the same as every other mailbox. What about the flowers on the right? I was just about to bend down to investigate this, when I saw something move from the right corner of my eye. About a tenth of a second later, something threw itself against my leg. I screamed and I would’ve kept screaming if I wouldn’t have seen the cat that looked up at me with shining eyes, looking as if it was sorry to have scared me.It was just a cat- I laughed nervously. I bent down and patted it on the head. I kept on walking through the endless street. 15 steps, 16 steps, 17 steps. I stopped. I heard a 18th step, and swivelled my head around; the curiosity was too much. A sudden gust threw my scarf up and into my face just as a shadow darted past me. I whirled trying to discern a solid shape but finding nothing but darkness. The night was cold†¦ colder than usual. I squinted as I looked about myself again, the icy mist stinging my eyes.I continued walking forwards, focusing on the rhythmic tap of my shoes of the concrete slabs that make up the pavement and was care to match my stride to width of each tile as to avoid the crakes that threatened to trip me. I glanced back again, my rhythm faltering as I looked out into the haze that made the world shimmer and warp. ‘I'm being paranoid' I told myself, working it into my steps like a mantra. Tap, tap, and tap. Not the the sound of my shoes by the sound of rain just as the fog had finally begun to lift. I groaned as the disjointed clatter of the sudden down pour disrupted my steps. Stop being paranoid† I said aloud to myself, frustrated by my own foolishness, huffing. â€Å"I don't think you’re paranoid,† someone whispered in my ear. Heart racing, I swivelled my whole body and whipp ed out my umbrella as defence. â€Å"Are you alright, mate? † the silhouette asked, placing a hand on my tense shoulder. â€Å"Yeah,† I muttered, relaxing a little, â€Å"thanks. † I walked on briskly home, not looking back once. *** As soon as I walked into my front door, I knew something was wrong. My wife, Melissa, had her head in her hands, blonde curls falling out of her usually-neat bun. â€Å"Hello, darling†¦! I chirruped, nervously. â€Å"What’s wrong? † I pulled a chair, and sat down next to her. I slowly took the envelope from underneath her elbow and opened it, wearily. What was written inside, still makes me shudder to think about it. It read â€Å"Roses are red, violets are blue, there is no escaping, I am going to get you. † â€Å"It’s a death threat. † Melissa whispered. â€Å"I’ve been getting them at work, and the children are getting similar messages on their MooshMonsters and Facebook profile. à ¢â‚¬Å"No, they must be hoaxes. You know from kids.. April fools? † I stammered, not sure what to do. Yeah,† Melissa whipped her nose on her sleeve and got up, â€Å"Do you want some tea? † I nodded, and folded up the message, written in a familiar handwriting, in red. This went on for weeks; Melissa and I kept getting similar messages and the kids online profiles were filled with the like. One night, after I put the children to bed, I heard a knock on the door. I called out to Melissa to open the door. The door kept on knocking. â€Å"alright, I’m coming, I’m coming! † I shouted, rushing down the stairs. As I opened the door, I saw a quick flash of red, and a big red parcel on the doorstep.I picked it up and glanced at the tag- it read ‘I am coming for you, there is no escape. A man who never embraces the thorn, does not deserve the rose. ’ I stepped outside and saw some children running, laughing. â€Å"Stupid, kids. Think this is funny, do you? † I slammed the door shut and sat down. I threw away the parcel, not even opening to see the contents. The following night, I was in bed, when I got a text from an unknown number. ‘I’m coming for you. Just you wait, you shall pay- in blood. ’ A sudden rage filled me with anger, as I stabbed at the keys to reply. â€Å"Who are you? What are you

Race and intelligence

Essay 1 An individual’s work achievement can be best predicted by measuring their intelligence. Discuss. In modern life, the motive to success in career has been researched in order to benefit both individual and organization. The term â€Å"intelligence† has been acknowledged over the world as a common way to compare between individual people. Majority believe that succeed of every people can be best measured in that way. However, after many year of using that, some people argue intelligence is not the best way to show how good in work people are.They figure out other ways of measuring success of worker. So does intelligence measurement method make the best prediction for work achievement? This essay is going to discuss about methods for determining an individual’s work outcome for every body clear about that. Before discussing about career success and measurement, there is some knowledge that people should know. As everyone knows ‘intelligence’ is used all over the world but in fact, what intelligence is?As it was mentioned in Principle of Organisation Behaviour (2005), â€Å"intelligence† can be classified as: Pure speed which is the speed of process for simple information, choice speed which is an ability to make a choice, speed of lexical access is the time taken for retrieving information from long-term memory, speed of reasoning processes is speed at higher order information processing. Career is a general course of action or conduct in life, or in a particular part or calling in life, or in some special undertaking; usually applied to course or conduct which is of a public character (1913 Webster).Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. The other meaning of that is the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status (Oxford dictionary 1998). So, career success could be defined as achieving the goal of work. For an individual, goal of works are difference for example some people want to do their normal jo bs, some want to do better than others in order to be premoted. In general, the work achievement that managers want to define can be understood as how good the work could be done.The measurement of intelligence is the way they get score to compare between people. Nevertheless, how they calculate the score of one thing that cannot be seen. Charles Spearman explores the â€Å"G† number which is the score related to intelligent. Many psychologists broke out the â€Å"G† into many parts such as Schmidt and Hunter (1998), Sir Cyril Burt and Thurstone (1938). These primary factors were identified which we would nowadays known as: Spatial ability, verbal reasoning, perceptual speed, numerical ability, memory, verbal fluency, inductive reasoning.The basis education in the UK during 1944 to 1971, the found that school education could be determined at the age of 11 by seeing intelligence test score. Actually, it is usually argued that intelligence is the best single predictor of scholastic achievement (Gottfredson, 2002; Kuncel, Hezlett, & Ones, 2004). Commonly, many organizations believe an ability of individual can be forecasted from an intelligence test score. Moreover, occupational status that is foundation form of achievement can be predicted by individual’s intelligence. Individuals are different.The same work might have difference result due to difference of method. As being describe in definition, intelligence has been known as the speed of dealing with problem. People who work faster and more efficiency can be more successful at work so that intelligence is an important part of working-achieve judgement. Beside that, intelligent people have more advantage of learning new thing than others. For example, they can find the new way of getting thing done rather than work under supervisor’s order. Intelligence has impacts on education, job performance and income.Because the more intelligences people have, the better they can achieve in edu cation. That also gives them a chance to have better reference to support their job and income. Jensen (1980) summarizes several causes underlying the later fact. Taking samples with high educational levels attenuate the correlation with intelligence scores (producing values between . 30 and . 40), whereas samples from elementary and high school produce the largest correlations (from . 50 to . 70) because of the greater restriction in range of ability at higher educational levels.The greater intelligent people can have the better capable abilities they have to achieve higher level of education. With higher IQ results, people can be success in studying at school by faster processing information, solving problem and so on. That way, those people get more information and better understanding about their work. Consequently, they can achieve better grade than the others do. Hence, the effects of intelligent continue with job performance such as people with higher IQ score can do work mor e accelerative because can process information faster.They have high pure speed for processing simple information combining with choice speed for retrieving information from long-term memory. Speed of reasoning processes is speed at higher order information processing can makes the work rapidly. Moreover, those people also have the backup from all information, knowledge they gain from work, training and education. They can connect the information that they received and knowledge that they gain for an outcome. Intelligence seems to do a set of barrier to entry into higher-status of occupation for people with low score.Vvariety of research found that the median scores of accountants was 128 with a range between 94 and 154 while the median for labourers was 88 with range from 94 to 145 (Harrell and Harrell, 1945). That caused by intellectual work require people working more rapidly and accurately with information. That gives people with high faculty of understanding, intellect (the abi lities of knowing and reasoning), quickness or superiority of understanding, sagacity, the action or fact of understanding something, knowledge, comprehension better job performance.Furthermore, higher IQ score more likely be seen as higher education so that those people have better reference, education and training than others do. â€Å"The proper aim of higher education in a democratic is to prepare the individual to make wise decision†. (Principle of Organisational Behaviour) As the measurement of intelligence, intelligence can be broken down to many parts. Spatial reasoning is the imagine abilities from perspectives. That copes with flat two dimension diagrams. That is necessary abilities for working as engineering, designer and so on.Verbal reasoning is the abilities to figure out the relationship. That helps people with job roles where prompt and accurate understanding of written material is important. Perceptual speed shows the speed of decision making. Numerical abili ty is the abilities of dealing with numbers. That has an effects on job performance because, higher intelligence mean they can have better abilities to deal with special parts of work. According to the results, high scorers are capable of contributing effectively in management and Besides that, Lynn, R. , & Vanhanen, T. 2002) research show that the estimated of national IQ. The results of comparison between GDP and national IQ score, Lynn and Vanhanen coincluded that there was a sthrong relation between intelligence and national wealth. They further argued that the relation was causal, and that it reflected essentially intractable differences in mental competence across countries. On the other hand, in The Mismeasure of Man (1981), Professor Stephen Jay Gcould argues that intelligence tests are based on faulty assumptions and shows their history of being used as the basis for scientific racism.Although, intelligence measurement is a good method to expect work successive but not all, it does not actually figure out the true value of workers, it misses out many important part that effect to measuring successful. There are many type of intelligences has been identified through history of biology. They are ‘linguistic, logical mathematical, musical, bodily, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic’. As can be seen, many kinds of intelligence are not easy to measure such as intelligent of art. Furthermore, as Halsey (Halsey et al. 1980) said the relationship between intelligence and occupational status occurs as indirect relation and subtly. This is caused by some of the impact of intelligence comes from the powerful shared cultural assumptions. That problem was figure out as being smart is more importance than having experience and understanding the market place. That is not true; because people cannot invest money on the market, they do not know and understand. In addition, some of the affect of intelligence on work exist indirectly bec ause of education, culture, environment, personality, emotion, communication, oopportunity and so on.For instant, the company cannot judge who is better just by seeing employees’ intelligences between people has IQ 180, diploma and 5 years of experience and the other with the same IQ score has degree and 1-year experience. Education gives people more power from reference, information, knowledge and training. From these points, people can develop further their knowledge, skills better than the others can who do not have as much education as them. Their personality such as hard working is important. In fact, to compare two people with the same range of intelligence their work hardworking must be taken in account.Because the more he or she does, the more experience he or she get from that. More over, when people practise their skills also improve further and they get more chance of promotion than other does. Besides that, even if people work hard and intelligent, they still have mistake. As long as, they ignore the mistake they made, the errors might increase and their works become worst. Self-monitoring is the ability and willingness to identify the problem and develop self-presentation and the sensitivity to expressive behaviors of others (Hamid, 1994; Lennox and Wolfe, 1984).Moreover, locus of work can makes the difference at work. People with high level of focusing at work they can reduce their errors that lead to an increasing in working process and performance (Andrisani and Nestel, 1976; Rotter, 1966; Ryckman, 1997). Those people can achieve high performance in disadvantage environment. Communication is also necessary for everyone at work or study because people can gain their knowledge simply by communicate with others. Information, experiences and skills can be transferred from one to another.That skill not only gives people whom good at a chance to improve ability to adjust to any situation but also helps them to reduce stress level. People need to be extraversion, open to experience in communication because they can have more contacts and oopportunity to learn from others with these personalities. Although good environment can makes people develop better, without suitable personalities and skills they might face difficulties. Emotion cannot be excluded, because every person has different character, emotion so that his or her work might not be measure correctly at one particular period.A principal emotion is self-esteem refers to how favourably individuals evaluate themselves (Brockner, 1988; Turban and Dougherty, 1994). High level of self-esteem mearns they feel more positive and believe they are more capable to cope with different situations and tasks (Brockner, 1988; Turban and Dougherty, 1994). Those people also have high self-confidence level at work that gives them more capable to do their work successful. With high confident people can have more power to control their work and increase higher chance of work premote.N evertheless, optimism also is an importance factor of negative affeactivity. It is a relatively stable dimension of individual differences characterised by a tendency to experience positive emotional states (Levin and Stokes, 1989; Turban and Dougherty, 1994; Watson and Clark, 1984). Moreover, the situation in life might change their successful such as people in poor family cannot have enough condition to pay up the tuition fee. In consequence, they lose their chance to get into higher education lead to an unsuccessful career.In addition, their work might achieve better or worst due to a difference of support received at work. Besides that, there are many factors effect the success of individual’s career such as family background, gender, marital status, number of children and so on. That is an implication of several major factor effects on individual’s career success. As far as this essay concern, it can be seen that intelligence is a good way to predict the advantage for education, meanwhile using intelligence term only to measure work achievement might be bias and lead to an incorrect results.

Answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Answers - Assignment Example There are religious people, the seminarian and the priest. There are also his children: the son Hubert, the oldest daughter Genevieve, and Marie, the youngest daughter who died. He mentions his nephew Luc, and his sister in law Marinette who is Luc’s mother. Genevieve is married to Alfred, and they have a child, Janine who is married to Phili. Hubert is married to Olympe. Louis also has an illegitimate son called Robert. 2. Louis is the main character of this novel. What are the significant events of his life? Who is involved in the events of his life? Would you be able to fill out a timeline of Louis' life – Louis as a child and young man; Louis as an adult; Louis as he's dying? In the first phase of his life Louis has a lot of good fortune, despite his humble origins. He has a fine education and marries Isa, who is socially in a higher class than he is. He describes having children with her, but becoming distant with his wife in mid life , and leaving the church. He h as a lot of success in his job as a lawyer, but as he grows older he is unfaithful and bitter. As an older man he is sick, and wants revenge on his ungrateful children, but a part of him is conscious of his own faults in this life story so far. 3. What kind of man is Louis? How would you describe him? Does Louis change at all over the course of the novel? If you say 'yes,' why does he change? I would describe Louis as eloquent but somewhat self-absorbed. He analyzes everything in great detail, and holds a grudge for decades if something does not please him. He was undoubtedly a very unpleasant man in mid-life and as an older man, acting like a tyrant in his family and being very irritable. As death approaches, however, he does undergo some change, because he reflects on the whole of his life and looks behind superficial actions, both his own actions and those of others. I think this makes him more generous and accepting of human weakness than before, and so he does undergo some kind of transformation at the end. 4. What is the nature of Louis' relationship with his wife, Isa, at the time that Louis is writing this letter? How does Louis feel toward Isa? Why? Do we get any sense of how Isa feels about Louis? The best way to describe Louis’ feelings towards Isa is â€Å"mixed†. 5. Was Louis and Isa's relationship always as it is at this point in time? What was the effect on Louis of falling in love with Isa? Louis obviously loved her when he married her, and was jealous of the man she loved before she knew him. He had money and she had social status, and so in practical terms it was a good marriage. He thought he had attained the kind of wife he deserved, and she made him happy at first. 6. How does their relationship change and evolve over time? Why does it change? The relationship deteriorates because Louis cannot forgive a relationship she had with another man before her marriage to Louis. She continues to be a good mother to their children, but she withdraws from Louis, and he withdraws from her. Enmity creeps in, and he regards her as a hypocrite because she is very religious, and yet cold towards him. Louis thinks Isa does not properly recognize and value his work achievements (Part VI, p 77 â€Å"you were the only person who remained deaf to the universal applause of my gifts as a pleader†). 7. What is Louis' relationship to each of his children? How does he think of them? What does he feel about them? Louis is very fond of his youngest daughter Marie, who died. He is not friendly towards Hubert and Genevieve,

Managing Finance & Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Finance & Decision Making - Essay Example The retail sector is expected to show growth in all the categories and sub-divisions: electrical, groceries, clothing and footwear, cosmetics, home-ware, floor coverings and furniture, gardening as well as e-retail, in the coming years. (Tesco, 2010) The grocery and the e-retail will be the most important divisions in the coming years. According to British Retail Consortium, the sector sales in the country amounted to GBP 293 billion in 2010. The retail companies based in the United Kingdom provides services to millions of people around the globe leading in grocery, clothing, and home-ware. This sector supplies employment to 11 percent of the total workforce in the country: employing around 3 million people. It contributes 8 percent to the country’s GDP and accounts to be a major part of the country’s exchequer. (Invest in UK, 2010) The retail sector in the United Kingdom is oversaturated with the a small number of big players controlling the market. According to Britis h Retail Consortium, there were 286,680 retail outlets in the country as of 2010. According to a research performed by the TNS Kantar Worldpanel, the three major players of the retail industry in the United Kingdom, with respect to market share, are: Tesco with 30.5 percent Sainsbury with 16.6 percent ASDA with 16.5 percent 1 Despite the setbacks in the economy: rising prices, fuel costs, spending cuts, the investors look forward to strong growth and positive sales growth in the retailing. They expect the economy to heal itself in the coming months and realize its true potential. Tesco A global merchandising and grocery store based in the United Kingdom leads the ‘Big Four’ supermarkets group. The brand is the largest within the boundaries of the country with a market share of 31 percent and the third largest in the global market with respect to sales revenue. The company operates in 14 different countries through 4,811 different types of stores. It provides everything under one roof: from grocery to appliances, clothing to shoes, tires to gardening tools as well as home wares. (Tesco, 2010) Tesco plans to invest GBP 27 million to reduce its carbon footprint by 2020. â€Å"At Tesco, we care about the environment and want to lead the way in preparing for a low carbon future. We are now ready to unveil the scale of our plans to use Combined Heat and Power to cut our carbon footprint2.† The brand is ranked as the second largest in the world with respect to profits. The brand in the fiscal year 2010 showed strong growth: sales showed an increase by 6.8 percent whereas it’s pre-tax profit increased by 10 percent. Therefore, the financial gurus believe that the company has now transformed itself into a fully globally diversified business and is en route to strong future growth. (Tesco, 2010) Sainsbury J Sainsbury, with a market share of 16.6 percent, is ranked as the second largest retailer in the United Kingdom. The company provides an en ormous assortment of goods and services under one roof to its 19 million customers through the 872 stores spread across the country. The products range from grocery to appliances, tires to gardening, clothing to cosmetics as well as furniture. (Sainsbury, 2010) Sainsbury has become one of the pioneers of dedication. It has planned to invest GBP 40 million into the sustainable farming over the period of next three years that will allow the farmers to augment their productivity and

Women's Rights Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women's Rights Movement - Research Paper Example The call for feminist rights movement for inclusion into more legal and social rights was largely as a result of the abolitionist movement that occurred prior to the Civil War. This was in itself due to the women’s realization that their slave rescue efforts were being hindered by lack of their own freedom. Several literatures have suggested that there existed a close relationship between these two occurrences. Within these developments, two organizations were subsequently initiated so that they look into issues of expanded women’s rights. Of historical significance was the â€Å"National Organization for Women† which was formed around1966 with statement of purpose to â€Å"Fight for equal rights with men† (National Organization for Women) In effect many women found solace in joining feminist organizations. There were widespread public lecture, newspaper articles, billboards, women parades and other variety of tactic that were used by these organizations i n attempt to communicate the message of equality. Other authors suggest that during this 70year struggle individual campaigns and petitions were carried out in attempts to elucidate the women’s state of affairs at every level. The feminist movement draws from a series of historical, political and public campaigns and advocacy undertaken by many women suffragists to deliver the modern day American woman. The background and the Beginning: Around 1800s women’s life was characteristically quite hard. Earlier works by Lucy Stone, the founder of â€Å"American Woman Suffrage Association† asserting that most of the women during this period worked in unbearable cotton mills and associated poor living conditions with peanut pay. Women oppression was so widespread that women were never allowed opportunities to testify in court cases nor speak before a gathering. (Friedan)Within these developments, Lucy goes ahead to say that marital rights of women were limited with women being regarded as property that were owned by their husbands, and therefore, â€Å"Out of indignation at the condition of women, the suffrage movement was born. For 70years it played a leading role in great struggle to raise womankind to equality with men† with suffrage becoming the main focus of these movements. (National Organization for Women) With the first Women Convention Conference held in 1848 in New York, several declarations by the participant at the Convention called for women to be given equal opportunities and rights in issues that included education, property and right to vote. While drawing from the United States’ independence declaration, this Convention thus declared that, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men and women are created equal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (National Organization for Women) though it did not escape without saying that these movements faced strong opposition from their male counterparts who still believed that women we re better if they were represented by men. The Opposition Within this paradigm of increased interest to deliberate the womankind, several other opposing forces opposed the women’s quest for equality. In this situation were a mixture of complexities and personalities drawn from various societal spheres. Religion for instance was opposed to this movement arguing that the Bible recognized women’s position under a man. Strong family moralists also expressed fears that equality cause

Financial Concepts and Their Applications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial Concepts and Their Applications - Essay Example Good financial decision making can make or break an organization. Hence, the role of a financial manager is vital to any firm and they are the heart of an organization. Market prices are great indicators for a financial manager. They are usually signals that help the financial managers in planning and controlling, mergers and acquisitions, deciding on financial policy and a lot of other things. A good financial manager does not make decisions based on intuition. Instead, a good decision is only made after a careful examination of the markets and a lot of other external influences. Market prices are one of the external influences that have to be dealt with. Market prices guide the financial managers to set their financial policies and where to invest their funds. If a price of a commodity or an investment is rising, it is better that the financial manager move his funds or resources to that investment and make capital gains by selling those investments when the market has peaked or th e investment prices start falling. Similarly, market prices are also very useful in mergers and acquisitions.... This principle guides the financial managers to determine the accurate price of these investments and hence preventing them to pay in excess of the fair price of an investment. This helps in keeping the profitability of a business high. This is important because most of the business investment is made in portfolio and if one of these investments is made in a venture that is not profitable or less profitable than the previous investments, then the entire portfolio’s profitability would decrease. Therefore, valuation principle is very important to an organization and financial managers. Net present value is calculated by discounting the future net cash flows and then subtracting the investment price of an equipment, plant or machinery. The positive result indicates that the investment is worth undertaking and negative result indicates that the investment in hand is inferior and should not be undertaken. This is similar to cost benefit analysis. Cost benefit analysis calculate th e costs and benefits of an action. It states that only those actions should be undertaken that give more benefits than costs. In the very same way, Net Present value approach suggests that only those investments should be undertaken that give positive result. Positive result indicates that future net cash inflow’s present value is greater than the investment price and hence the investment yields good results. This is an important tool to evaluate and assess the profitability of an investment and helps the financial managers into making shrewd investment decisions. Interest rate is the cost of borrowing money. It is what an investor pays over and above the borrowed amount. Interest rate is the price at which the

Application of Microscopy in Biomedical Sciences Lab Report - 1

Application of Microscopy in Biomedical Sciences - Lab Report Example New applications are used to find the path of the unexpected discoveries (Suhling, French and Pillips 2004). Atomic Force Microscopy is the most important technique used in the biomedical applications, but it cannot compete with the traditional electron microscopy and confocal microscopy because of speeds at which later techniques capture the images (Haupt, Pelling and Horton, 2006). Some other scholars also emphasized on the importance of confocal microscopy used for the observation of living cells. Use of the confocal microscopy is now common as non-ionizing radiations are employed, which are also used for the tissue preparation and study of the living cells. TGFÃŽ ² stands for the transforming growth factor ÃŽ ², a family of the secreted factors, which are involved in the growth regulation, migration, differentiation, apoptosis, adhesion in the multistep processes for the wound healing, and angiogenesis. For the epithelial cells, the most important factor of family TGFÃŽ ² is the TGFÃŽ ² 1. It also acts as the growth inhibitor and expresses the early gene JunB. TGFÃŽ ² 1 also plays an important role for the morphology and transcriptional programme of cells. Endothelial cells differ from the epithelial cells, and show the additional features in order to achieve the specific functions. In these cells, the TGFÃŽ ² 1 also controls the process of angiogenesis (Var on et al., 2008). TGFÃŽ ² performs the dual role as metastasis promoter and tumour suppressor and keeps the balance between Smad3 and Smad2. Smad2 is found to be deleted or mutated in human cancers. ROCK Inhibitor such as Y27632 is used for inhibition of the GFP expression (Stuelten et al., 2007). Anti-Endo180 and B3/25 used as the anti-transferring receptor were taken from the Medical College in New York. American Diagnostic Inc. provided the Mouse anti-human LDLR and Mouse anti Human Upar. The wild type known as the Endo 180 was

Latin American Literature (Marquez) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Latin American Literature (Marquez) - Essay Example When he enters the kitchen on the morning the Bishop is expected, both the cook, Victoria Guzman, and her daughter, Divina Flora, know what Santiago Nasar will not learn for some time--that two men are waiting outside the house to kill him. (Marquez, p.15-19) They, like many others Santiago will cross in the short time before his death, do not warn him. When the narrator's mother hears the news of what is to happen to Santiago, she immediately sets out to warn Placida Linero that her son is in danger, but is stopped in the street and told that "they've already killed him." The twins even reveal their plans to a policeman who passes on the information to the mayor, yet even that does not stop the murder. On her wedding night, Angela furious husband returns Angela to her family. This is seen as violence to her family, especially in the conventions of the time where such an act brings shame to both Angela and her family. As one might expect, she is now put under a lot of pressure to tel l her family who it was that took her virginity.

Human Trafficking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Trafficking - Research Paper Example According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), human trafficking is defined according to the nature and purpose of trafficking human beings. Hence, TVPA defines sex trafficking as an act where â€Å"a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age† (Department of States.., 2007, p.7). The TVPA defines other kinds of trafficking as â€Å"the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use offorce, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery†. In simple words, the victims of trafficking are forced to work by keeping them captive (Hart, 2009, p. 4). Forced labor is called trafficking even when a person is forced to work against his will in his own country. According to International Labor Organization (ILO), at a given time, around 12.3 million to 27 million people are the victim of "forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude" in different parts of the world. This shows that the racket of human trafficking is not only strong but is also widespread. The statistics also suggest that traffickers are not restricted to certain areas or countries. In fact, traffickers increase the vulnerability of the victims by trafficking them to the countries at the vast distance, where the victims feel alien due to a large barrier in language and culture.... In simple words, the victims of trafficking are forced to work by keeping them captive (Hart, 2009, p. 4). Forced labor is called trafficking even when a person is forced to work against his will in his own country. According to International Labor Organization (ILO), at a given time, around 12.3 million to 27 million people are victim of â€Å"forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude† in different parts of the world (Department of States.., 2007, p.8). This shows that the racket of human trafficking is not only strong, but is also wide spread. The statistics also suggest that traffickers are not restricted to certain areas or countries. In fact, traffickers increase the vulnerability of the victims by trafficking them to the countries at vast distance, where the victims feel alien due to a large barrier in language and culture (Department of States.., 2007, p.7). This further removes the chances of victims asking for help or support from people aro und them. In this way, traffickers use different methods to weaken the victims and make them feel vulnerable, bonded and slave at the hands of the traffickers and customers. Types Of Human Trafficking There are different types of human trafficking like bonded labor, involuntary servitude, domestic servitude, prostitution etc (Hart, 2009, p. 6). People who are victim of human trafficking are forced to work in various fields and farms to plant and harvest the crop (Hart, 2009, p. 6). Some are made to work in restaurants to do cleanup jobs (Hart, 2009, p. 6). Women and children are forced to work hard as domestic servant, either by torturing them physically and emotionally, or by promising them good pay and schooling (Hart, 2009, p. 6). They are made to

Team Creation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team Creation - Essay Example The selection of the project team members will be done on the basis of this vital information. Next, a pool of candidates should be prepared from whom the project team members are to be selected. The selection process must consist of personal interview, group discussion, and if necessary, written or objective type assessment based on the project requirements. The project team should have some specialist members, supporting staff, and multi tasking experts. (Chapman and Ward, 2003) Team Building Strategies Effective team building can be critically helpful so that the project team leader may not have to face the problem of incompetence that may lead to total deadlock and unrecoverable down time. According to Chapman and Ward (2003), a project has a project life cycle, which is divided into the stages of conceptualization, planning, execution, and administration. During team building, it should properly be defined that what the team members are expected to do through each stage of the p roject life cycle. In the team, decisions must be based on consensus, team values must be specified, goals must be shared, and evaluation must constantly be done right from the time of team building to ensure better coherence and productivity. The team size should neither be too large or too small. (McGregor et al, 1966) Potential Areas of Conflict The cultural issues can particularly be important while managing a culturally diverse project team. Technical issues can create problems when the project team is diverse in the sense that specialists from different fields of profession and academia are taking part. Besides cultural and technical conflicts, conflict of opinion too can lead to serious problems. Racial barriers, personal ego, and lack of respect for each other are common in a diverse project team. The situation may become more complicated in the case expectations are unreasonably high and goals are not properly set. Techniques of Reducing the Probability of Dysfunctional Con flicts Some ethical values like respect for each other, dedicated participation, and mutual trust must be ushered in the project team (McGregor et al, 1966). Project life cycle provides the project team members with a framework that can be helpful in dividing responsibilities, setting priorities, etc. The way of doing things in the course of the project should be sequenced according to the project life cycle in order to avoid risk of confusion and dysfunction (Chapman and Ward, 2003). The basic questions like â€Å"what is management?† and â€Å"what is business?† must be answered in relation to the project with support from practical case studies. Tools and techniques like inventory control and networks of critical path can help in better decision making to avoid dysfunction and hence dysfunctional conflicts (Payne at al, 2004). Conflict Resolution Techniques Conflict resolution techniques should be available right from the beginning of the project work. Consensus bas ed decision making, proper goal setting, goal sharing, and integration of team values are the basic conflict resolution techniques. Mutualism, dedication, and respect add more emotional intelligences to the project team and hence conflict resolution techniques can effectively be based on the ethical grounds (McGregor et al,

Graffiti Art Essay Example for Free

Graffiti Art Essay In the late 1960s’s, another art genre was recognized and developed although its lack of form and other basic aesthetic elements has been once a topic of debates as regard its acceptance in the artistic world. Obviously, it differs from the works of art found in museums and galleries and its kind are not found in those elite locations because its location is specific. The location of graffiti art has been actually a subject of oppositions as well as its bold, unexpected and unconventional presentation. Although still, its location, may it be illegal, does not disqualify it as art. Thus, graffiti art is a form of art despite criticisms on its legality, coherence and presentation. It is also argued that graffiti art is a form of vandalism, but this is true only if they appeared on private or public property without permission. Graffiti art is indeed another genre of visual masterpiece. Graffiti comes from â€Å"grafficar†, an Italian word for drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles, or messages that are painted, written, or carved on a wall or surface. Graffiti is the plural of grafficar. Grafficar also signifies a process meaning to scratch. Examples of which are different wall writings ranging from cave paintings, bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. In the ancient Egypt and Rome, in particular, graffiti has been visible in monuments and building walls which are now being explored. It is originally used to term inscriptions, figure drawings, and other carvings found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins. Examples are the Catacombs, or those found at Pompeii. (Whitford, 1992. pp. 137) In the modern era, present day graffiti is also associated to any unsolicited markings on a private or public property, usually considered to be vandalism. In the early 1970s young New Yorkers has started to adopt tags, signatures and signs using aerosol sprays and markers in public places. The youngsters, belonging to the black and Puerto Rican communities have initiated the tagging which eventually developed and soon covered the citys walls, buses and obviously in subway trains. Tags even cover the entire train. Some may contain screen names or reflections of the writer, comes in subtle and often cryptic messages. Taki, an artist of Greek-American descent, was the first modern identified tagger in New York. He signed himself Taki 183, the number probably derived from the number in his apartment block. Some names also made their appearances in some real urban murals painted with spray-paint. Tags such as Futura 2000, Dust and Pink gained fame and recognition in the world of hip-hops. There were also Basquiat and Haring who also started to work in the street and the subway but their works swiftly spread beyond the works of graffiti. Their works attracted the attention of influential dealers which put them in great demand although their works were considered one of the rare forms of graffiti art. (Graffiti†¦ 2007, p. 1) Tagging and graffiti differs from each other although arguments about this difference still arise. Tagging is associated negatively as gang-motivated and illegal because it is usually meant as vandalism. It is also viewed as too vulgar or controversial to have public value. On the other hand, graffiti can be viewed as creative expression, not to mention its usual link to politics. Main Types of Graffiti Art The main types of graffiti fall into different categories and have their own names which are recognized in cities all over the world. First is â€Å"Hip Hop Graffiti†. This is characterized by ‘pieces’ which hip hop graffitists create by aerosol spray paints. They are large and colorful works, usually including either a complex mix of letters or a cartoon-style picture. This type of graffiti often lacks much thought and planning in design and usually takes an extended period of time. Second is the â€Å"Opportunistic Graffiti† which location is selected impulsively, on the basis of low risk and low natural surveillance. Graffitists of this type usually use tags or scrawling to mark their territory. Third type is the â€Å"Gang Graffiti†. Gang graffiti is not art work but a sophisticated communication to publicize gang power, status, and territory. This type is somehow related to opportunistic graffitists because they also use tags or scrawling to mark territory. But in addition to this, gangs use graffiti to create notoriety or show off their defiance of the law and society, and as a mode of marking their presence. The fourth, the â€Å"Political Social Graffiti† is obviously of racial or political motivation. This is uncommonly regarded as part of the graffiti subculture, although it is recognized as damaging to property. The last type is the â€Å"Commercial Graffiti† which is an emerging civic problem. This involves huge compensations paid by private organizations to graffitists to spray advertising logos onto walkways and buildings for promotions of their products. This type is an illegal form of advertising that avoids normal planning laws. (Stowers 1997, pp. 1-2) Gang Graffiti: The Most Dangerous Graffiti The gang graffiti is the most controversial not just because of the characters of its writings but because of its social impact in the neighborhood. Gang graffiti is an indication of gang presence in the community. Gangs use graffiti as their newspapers, thus they usually call it â€Å"newspaper in the wall† as gangs use them to send messages. This is their way of marking boundaries and warning rival gangs. Graffiti may also be an instrument to advertise drug market or, as a memorial to a killed gang member. Symbols and cryptic writing style is exclusive in each gang. Death warrants and beat downs are known to be posted in graffiti. Upside down or crossed out graffiti generally means a put down or threat to a rival gang or person. (Bland and Read 2000) According to Michael Carlie (2002), graffiti is the most common method of gang communication and a major symbolism of their gang affiliation. Jonathan Kellerman (1994) as cited by Carlie referred to graffiti as â€Å"the hieroglyphics of rage† because of the violence associated with it. On the surface, a person who is not familiar with it might think of graffiti as a simple nonsense painting on the wall or in poles or elsewhere, or just a plain vandal. Carlie adds that among other things, graffiti communicates the â€Å"role call† or the roster of gang members, or the hierarchy of gang members. It also implies whos around, whos with who, whos disrespecting who, which gangs are claiming what territory and which areas are in dispute. It may be an announcement of current gang activities and whos getting ready to attack who, or whos already been killed. A familiar language, for example, is the â€Å"X† which if marked on a member’s name means he is the likely target for an attack or murder. (Carlie 2002, pp. 2) An important not on gang graffiti is, in many ways, it is a code and codes in general are subjects to analysis. Deciphering gang graffiti requires the understanding of the symbols, abbreviations, structure, that composes the gang language. In the United States, gang graffiti is usually based on two dominant styles the L. A. and Chicago styles which vary greatly and influence to some degree across the country. Some gangs use an exclusive style while others use a combination. For example, the Gangster Disciples originated in south-side of Chicago might combine L. A. style gang lettering with Chicago Folks Nation symbols. In New York, Latin Kings might use Chicago Latin King symbols but with New York tagger style graffiti lettering. (Graffiti 2010) These styles and some of the variations are seen throughout the country and a person who understands both styles is more likely to understand most, if not all, gang graffiti. Characters of gang related graffiti has sharp, angular stick letters, or mostly contains religious, even â€Å"satanic† imagery, or is done in one color of paint. Most of the times they are very simple and flat-out which make them easy to figure out. But no matter how simple they appear, it still requires some basic code-breaking skills. (Deciphering Gang†¦2010. p. 1) Figure 1: WS 18 St, HGS West Side Eighteenth Street (gang), Hoover Gangsters (a clique of 18th Street) Two-digit numbers, especially â€Å"13? , â€Å"14? , or â€Å"18? , signifies graffiti for a hispanic gang while three digits, especially if they are the area code of your neighborhood, it’s almost certainly not a hispanic gang, but a typical prison or street sort. Exception to this is numbers followed by â€Å"K† which means a threat from a rival gang. â€Å"WS18? (figure 1) is a tag for the (hispanic) West Side 18th Street gang out of California. â€Å"WS18K† means a threat towards 18th Street by a local gang. Note that â€Å"K† is short for â€Å"Kill†. If there are two digits, see if they’re prefixed by â€Å"N†, â€Å"S†, â€Å"E†, or â€Å"W† (or â€Å"NS†, â€Å"SS†, â€Å"ES†, or â€Å"WS†) which relate to the cardinal directions, and form part of the gang’s identity. Hispanic gangs more often use 13 and 14 the 13th letter of the alphabet is â€Å"M†, which generally stands for â€Å"Mexico† or â€Å"La Eme†, the Mexican Mafia and the 14th letter â€Å"N† generally means â€Å"North† that symbolizes which end of California the gang originated from. It is a division as gangstas from the north and south parts of California frequently clash. Figure 2: Lil Capone WS VSLC, crossed out BK, Crossed out PBGK Lil Capone (name of gang member) West Side Venice Shoreline Crips, Blood Killer, Playboy Gangster Killer (disrespect to rival gangs) Certain patterns appear without the numbers. As always, â€Å"K† is a threat to â€Å"(K)ill†, as are any crossed-out letters. â€Å"A† as in â€Å"Almighty† â€Å"N†, that virtually stands for â€Å"Nation† can be safely ignored. When seen together, which usually occurs, it show up that the gangs used to calling themselves the Almighty Whatever Nation. Figure 3: GD around Star of David with number six inside the star, pitchfork extending from the D Gangsters Disciples with six point star representing GDs and Folks. Pitchford represents GDs and Folks Gangs which are known in the country carry a finite code which makes them easy to identify. â€Å"GD† is the Gangster Disciples and â€Å"VL† are the Vice Lords. â€Å"LK† are the Latin Kings, and â€Å"LQ† the Latin Queens; sometimes when they’re getting along, they’re the LKQ Latin Kings and Queens. Crossed-out letters in gang graffiti usually mean a threat. Letters â€Å"B†, â€Å"C†, â€Å"F†, â€Å"P†, or â€Å"S† crossed-out in a piece of gang graffiti, it signifies a threat towards a gang whose name, â€Å"nation†, or nickname begins with that crossed out letter. In the Vice Lord tag, the letter â€Å"C† is not crossed out which tells you the local Vice Lords don’t have complaints with the (C)rips. Gangs should write very carefully because all too often, little slights in graffiti like crossing out letters, or painting over rival gangs’ tags, are a sure warning sign of impending gang war. Figure 4: CVLN Conservative Vice Lords Nation. Cane extending from the L is a CVL symbol. Upside down pitchfork shows disrespect towards Fold Nation gangs. Knowledge in deciphering gang graffiti introduced you to a neighborhood of gangs. In (figure 4) the â€Å"C† is short for â€Å"Conservative†. The â€Å"Conservative Vice Lords† are one of several dozen larger Vice Lord â€Å"sets† around United States. Some communities have taken a massive campaign against graffiti and also intensifies gang reduction. In Florida, the Florida Department of Corrections website posts information to help educate the public in reducing gang activities, which imposes threat to the community. Some gangs, the website says, even use graffiti as Death warrants to authorities specifically to police officers. Community awareness program in most part of America uses the 4 Rs of graffiti to intensify campaign against gangs and gang graffiti. The slogan says, â€Å"READ IT, RECORD IT, REPORT IT REMOVE IT†. (Deciphering Gang†¦2010, p. 1) Thus, citizens should read it and report it to police, and police will record it and then remove it. These steps are important but the removal of the graffiti is the most risky. Removal of graffiti manifests the neighborhoods refusal to be dominated or intimidated by gangs which is a language most gang members understand. Neighborhood residents who ignore graffiti and bother not to remove them are viewed as frightened and weak by the gangs who made them. At the worst, there are instances that gang members attack people who attempt to remove or cover their graffiti. Gang graffiti is the most dangerous of all graffiti and can usually be found around community rail stations. It marks territory and rival gangs usually challenge for territory by crossing out another gangs graffiti. It imposes real and great danger to the residents. Messages in graffiti are taken seriously by gangsters and the longer graffiti is, the greater the risk that the threats will be acted on. Graffiti is a gateway crime and membership in gangs certainly guarantees a criminal record. Since juvenile of minor age receives more lenience when it comes to punishment, the minors are the usual target of recruitment and the doer of crimes. Residents Against Graffiti Everywhere (RAGE) is a community group that looks at social issues and works with local councils and Governments towards promoting a zero tolerance policy on graffiti. (Bland and Read 2000, p. 179) By legal definition, graffiti is vandalism. It is the unauthorized application of markings on someone else’s property, especially without permission. Therefore, legality wise it is a crime. The manner that graffiti is regularly produced as illegal detracts it from the concept to be considered an art form. Very unfortunately that graffiti is responded with outrage over the abuse of someone’s property. This negative connotation may take away the value or impact of the artist’s original message. Perhaps, it would be better to get permission from the owner of the â€Å"canvas† to display the art. Yet, graffiti still elicits emotional response even in its illegal state. Furthermore, it is composed of lines, shapes, color, tones, and forms in a display that conveys a certain message and elicits an emotion. Therefore, it is safe to say that graffiti is indeed an art. As George Stowers (1997) presented four criteria as basis that some forms of graffiti become a work of art. First, the artists intention to produce a work of art separates graffiti art from everyday graffiti markings. Second, graffiti art established a history of development in style and technique. Third, the art world has already recognized graffiti as an art form. Fourth is the public response to graffiti art indicates that it is art. Regardless of the message it conveys, the fact that graffiti carry the aesthetic and creative symbolism and expression, public agrees that graffiti is a form of art. Like other art forms, graffiti art is a definite art when both the artist and the audience agree on the works ability to provide maximal aesthetic satisfaction. Graffiti is presently known as spray can art which is a form indeed recognized as art. It has form, color, and other base properties as any other art pieces. It also has as an arrangement of these elements into structures that qualify it aesthetically as being art. However, something that is done with spray paint might make it graffiti, but not necessarily qualify as art or graffiti art. Location and presentation still are the factors that hinder the general acceptance of graffiti art. However, the instances that the art world’s acceptance of graffiti art shows that conventional methods of presentation are not all that matters in determining graffiti as an art. Graffiti in the form of spray can art is art like any other work that might be found in a gallery or a museum. References Bland, N. Read, T. (2000). Policing Anti-social Behaviour. Police Research Series 123, Policing and Reducing Crime, British Home Office, London, UK. Carlie, Michael. (2002) Graffiti and Other Gang Identifiers. (Into the Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs) Retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://faculty. missouristate. edu/m/MichaelCarlie/what_I_learned_about/GANGS/graffiti _and_other_identifiers. htm. Deciphering Gang Graffiti (2008). The Slugsite. com. Retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://www. slugsite. com/archives/825. Graffiti. (2007) The Huntfor. com retrieved 23 May 2010 from http://www. huntfor. com/arthistory/C20th/graffiti. htm.

Athens Vs Rome And Western Civilization History Essay

Athens Vs Rome And Western Civilization History Essay The United States political process is well developed and advanced, yet sometimes overlooked. However, we have the power to pick our own leaders and to vote on our own laws, a power some societies do not have. The founding fathers used ideas from the Greek and Roman Governments and incorporated them into the United States Constitution. In this paper, after giving a brief history of the Athenian and Roman governments, I will compare and contrast them with each other and the United States Government. In the 5th Century BC, the Athenians experimented with a form of democracy in which people had the opportunity to propose, vote on, and pass their own laws. This was called a Direct Democracy. For their democracy to be successful, two conditions needed to exist. First, the population needed to be small enough so that people could participate in politics. Second, people needed to have enough free time so that they may participate in government. The first condition was met by allowing only white, males of Athenian descent that were over the age of 18 to vote. This group totaled about 50,000 people or about 20% of the countrys population. The Athenians solved the second condition by using slaves to do the work, while the townspeople participated in the political process (http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac42). The Athenian political system of government was formed in the words of the first Athenian constitution, which was written by Aristotle in 350 BC. The constitution outlined how the checks? and balances system worked, and described the different positions in the government. One of the major differences between the Athenian Government and the United States Government was that the Athenians did not elect politicians, but rather proposed, debated, and passed or rejected laws (http://www.greektexts.com/library/Aristotle/The_Athenian_Constitution/eng/index.html). The first political pioneer of Athens was Solon, a dictator chosen by the people when Athens was in chaos (http://languages.siuc.edu/classics/Johnson/HTML/L10.html). Solon immediately erased all personal debts, freed prisoners, and brought back Athenians who had been sold into slavery from overseas, because they had not repaid their debts. He also started Athenian Agriculture by teaching the people how to grow wheat and grapes, which later became their staple crops (http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/ATHENS.HTM). Solon also reformed government by dividing Athenian society into four classes based on wealth. The wealthiest classes could serve on the Aeropagus. The Aeropagus consisted of the citys nobles, and was named for the hill on which they met. The Aeropagus controlled the city and dictated its laws and customs, just like the dictators that would appear a few thousand years later (http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/ATHENS.HTM). The third class served on a council of 400 people. This council was made up of the four Athenian tribes; each tribe could elect 100 representatives to participate in this class. This council served as the Aeropaguss system of checks and balances. The fourth class participated in an assembly, which voted on laws brought to it by the council of 400. This class also participated in a new court, which took cases from the Aeropagus (http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/ATHENS.HTM). Solon seemed to be a good leader who held the city together because, during his lifetime, Athens prospered. After Solon died, Athens was plunged into chaos again. However, Peisistratus took over and tried once again to restore order to the city. He rebuilt Athens up from the inside out, by bringing in poets and artists to make it a more vibrant city. He also increased the assemblys power so that it could better serve the needs of the poor. He also made sure elections were held and that Solons reforms were followed. In addition, Peisistratus reformed the government by doing away with the Aeropagus and adding three new government bodies (http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/ATHENS.HTM). All of these bodies existed together in the Athenian polis or city-state. The first of these was the assembly, which was made up of the first 5000 citizens to get to the hillside where they held their meetings. They congregated about 40 times a year, and made the laws. The heart of the Assembly was the Council or boule. The council was consisted of 50 white males who did the bulk of the work, a new set of 50 were chosen every year (http://campus.queens.edu/depts/core/Core110/athenian_social_and_political_st.htm). The second group was the Council of 500, this group consisted of 500 citizens chosen at random for one-year terms. You could only be chosen for this council twice in your lifetime. This council helped prepare the agenda for the assembly meetings. Each month 50 different members of this council were called upon to prepare the agenda (http://campus.queens.edu/depts/core/Core110/athenian_social_and_political_st.htm). The third group was the jury courts.   The courts enforced the assemblys laws.   There were 6000 jurors, picked at random from volunteers, and a judge and jury were picked from these volunteers when a case came up. Their decisions were final as the accused had no appeals. (http://campus.queens.edu/depts/core/Core110/athenian_social_and_political_st.htm). In addition, Magistrates were chosen at random for a one-year term. They collected port taxes, organized tragedy and comedy performances, and festivals. There were 1400 magistrates, half-serving Athens and half serving overseas. In addition, every year 10 admirals were elected to oversee the safety of the city (http://campus.queens.edu/depts/core/Core110/athenian_social_and_political_st.htm). Every Athenian held a position in the government because there were thousands of positions available. Most of these positions were not full time, and did not involve passing laws but by doing it this way, it allowed both rich and poor to participate in the government. People were chosen randomly for these positions; this ensured that everyone had a chance for every job (http://languages.siuc.edu/classics/Johnson/HTML/L10.html). Even the word democracy is Greek; it comes from the words demos (people) and kratos (power), forming demokratos (people with power). Every Athenian was required to know the laws, and worldly happenings. In addition, anyone could attend the assembly, and speak, or introduce a new law (http://campus.queens.edu/depts/core/Core110/athenian_social_and_political_st.htm). We learned a lot politically from the Greeks. We learned the concept of democracy, that people could vote on laws and who is elected to public officeAssembly, that people could come together and voice the opinions on laws that were being passed. The Assembly in Athens was the model for the town hall meetings here in the United States. In the Athenian Assembly, the people were the law making body. In American Assemblies, the people just discuss laws and candidates. Tle the Greeks built the basis for the modern democracy, the Romans built the base for the modern republic. A republic is a government ruled by a body of people (the Roman Senate), rather than a king. The Roman Republic was also a Representative Democracy, which differs from a Direct Democracy in that the people elect leaders who will hopefully work in their best interests when voting (http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch15.htm). It all started in 509 BC, when Roman nobles drove out the Etruscan king Tarquin, thus ending the Etruscans control over the Romans. When the King was forced out his power was shifted to the Roman Senate (http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch15.htm). The Roman Senate was part of the much larger Roman political structure. This structure included the senate and the many magistrates positions. The first of these positions were the two consuls or chief magistrates, who convened and presided over the Senate, and served as generals. When their term of office ended, they usually governed a province as a proconsul (http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romangvt.html). Next, there were eight praetors, who served as judges. When their term ended, they often governed provinces as propraetors. Next, there were three censors, who were elected every 5 years for one and a half years; they counted citizens, senators, and property for tax collection and granted contracts. Next, there were the four aediles who managed public games, and the grain supply in Rome; two were plebeians, and the others, who were called curule aediles, could be from any class (http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romangvt.html). There were also 10 tribunes, whose job was to protect plebeians from judges, thus they could annul any judges ruling. They were sacrosanct, meaning that anyone who attacked them could be killed. Next, were the 20 quaestors, who served other provincial jobs (http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romangvt.html). The Roman Senate or the council of Elders was the chief Roman political authority. The Senate as a whole was made up of 600 roman men from wealthy families, ages 25 years or older. Senators were chosen by birth and rank or elected by consuls. They usually had served in politics before. Senators could not own anything, except land. The Senate was the most powerful force in Rome, and imposed laws until 300 AD (http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php). The Senate welcomed ambassadors to Rome, and sent ambassadors to other cities on behalf of Rome. It also elected town governors, and authorized going to war, peace. The Senate also appointed legates and controlled religious practices in Rome. It could also impose martial law, which made the two consuls dictators in times of crisis. (http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php). Two elected consuls who served as directors ran the Senate. One of the consuls was the Princeps Senatus. He was elected for a five-year term and controlled everything about the Senate from the agendas of the meetings to the speaking order. The other Consul was the Princeps Senatuss assistant (http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php). The Roman Senate put no limit on speaking terms, but they did have an order for who could speak first. They also pioneered the filibuster, which is when one person speaks for a long time in order to delay passage of a bill. (http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php). The last branch of the Roman political system was the Roman Assemblies places where people could discuss the laws that were brought up. There were four main assemblies. The first was the comitia curiata, which acted as the peoples assembly. It was made up of representatives of the three tribes of the city of Rome. Its role was to confirm magistrates, after the senate had confirmed them; it did not have any political power. It also served as an appeals court for death sentences, when a case was given to them. The minimum age for the representative for a curia was fifty years and his term was until his death (http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php). The second was the comitia centuriata. The comitia centuriata elected the consuls, praetors, and censors. It also officially declared war, and peace, as the United States Congress does today. It also was the court of appeals for executions. The third was the comitia tributa or the tribal assembly. It elected curule aediles, quaestors and other officials (http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php). The last assembly was the Plebeian Assembly or concilium plebis. The Tribune of the People or tribuni plebis could call it to session. It was the same as the comitia tributa; however, the nobles could not participate. Before 287 BC, the laws passed by the assembly could only affect Plebians. However, after 287 BC, the laws affected everyone (http://www.unrv.com/empire/struggle-of-the-orders.php). We adopted the idea for our United States Senate and many of the terms and positions within it, such as senate President, and filibuster. We also adpoted the representative democracy or the electing of politicians that will vote according to the beliefs of the people, which is the basis for United States Politics today. One major difference between the Roman and Greek political systems and the United States System is the role of women. In Greece and Rome, Women were never allowed to engage, or advise in any type of politics. Women were not allowed to vote in the US until 1920 (http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/). I believe that there were many similarities and differences between the Greek and Roman Systems of Government. One of the similarities was that everyone received a say in the government weather it was directly through the Greek assembly, or indirectly through the representatives of the Roman Senate. This gave people a chance to voice their opinions and gave them the idea that their opinions mattered. Thus, these governments were not dictatorships or monarchies. Another similarity was that both these governments controlled everything in their respective areas; no laws were given to separate states. The Athenian Assembly and the Roman Senate controlled religious practices, what people could and could not do, and how people should act. There were differences, however. One of the major differences was the way that people participated in the political process. The Greeks actually were the government, by participating in the assembly as they proposed, voted on and accepted new laws. The Roman method, which the United States later adopted, was to elect politicians to propose and vote on laws. These politicians would carry the views and opinions of the townspeople when they voted, thus laws would be passed that would hopefully reflect the sentiment of the people Another difference between these two systems is how politicians are elected, in Greece they are chosen at random, in Rome, they are usually former politicians who are the best at their position, and are usually chosen buy their follow politicians with help from the people on the committees. In the United States, politicians are elected randomly, however their party nominates them, and the party usually consists of former politicians. The Roman and Greek systems of Governments were the most advanced of their time. They were giants of political power, and although they had many similarities and differences, their ideas eventually helped form the system of government we enjoy in the United States today.

Adult And Community Care Case Study Social Work Essay

Adult And Community Care Case Study Social Work Essay This assignment focuses on Adults and community care case study. The work highlights the main issues that need immediate attention and attempts to provide an account on how to address them. An improvement of the quality of life for Jan and Magda may be realized so that they could live a fulfilling life in old age. On the other hand investigating the main issues, demands a discussion the importance of interdisciplinary and multi-agency working. It is also possible to explore the policies and legislative mandates and frameworks that inform both the assessment and intervention. This exploration provides guidance as to what is acceptable under law and policies. At the same time, the importance of incorporating theories and approaches will be discussed and analysed. Then l will draw attention to the importance of incorporating theories into practice, guides what a social worker may need to look out for; and enables one to account for the values and situation in society of day to day work of social workers. The last part shall analyse the importance of interventions in an anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive way. This essay draws reference from the code of practice and other relevant professional guidelines under the law. The work being a course assignment may not explore all the needs due to limit of words, but major topics discussed in this assignment are interlinked; therefore it is not going to possible to discuss one issue alone without refereeing to the other. A summary is given at the end. Assessments of significant issues The key issues highlighted in the case study may be categorised as medical, financial, mobility and social needs. In-order to address the issues highlighted, an assessment for Magda is required. Consultation with interdisciplinary and multi-agency bodies should be carried out as observed by Macka(1990). Information can be gathered through meetings, in Magdas case key attendees would be the general practitioner, the community nurse and the community mental health team and a social worker. The multi-agency meetings facilitate sharing of information between all organisations in a safe and secure manner. (Surrey Council) Information collected will help the assessor to make an informed assessment and risk assessment. However the consent of service user to sharing of information should be sought as suggested by Milner and OByrne(1998) It is important for Magda and Jan to attend such meeting however it is possible for professionals to hold meeting without service users. When using single assessment process, it is important to acknowledge that there are 4 types that fall under the SAP; these are contact, overview, specialist and comprehensive. More than one assessment can be carried out at once. Different local governments authorities may implement SAP using slightly different assessment tools and the threshold of eligibility may also differ from one local authority to the other. Under the NHSCCA 1990 Section 47 (1) (a) Magda has the right to an assessment, and within the same act; S 47 (1) (b) will help the assessor to determine the eligibility criteria known as the Fair Access to Care DH 2010. Here the assessor will be working in accordance GSCC code of practice which states that Social workers should promote the independence of service users and promote them as far as possible from danger and harm. GSCC (2002) Eligibility is graded on four bands, the low, moderate, substantial critical (Surrey Council, 2011). The White paper caring for people (DOH 1989) aims to enable people to live a normal life as much as possible in their homes or in a homely environment in the community. Assessments should help Magda and Jan to identify not only their needs but also their strengths and abilities under this paper. The wishes of service users should be kept on the forefront of the care planning and service delivery. This upholds the GSCC code of practice ref. 4.1. GSCC (2002). Hence the interventions led to promoting good health and quality of life in the community. The (DOH 1989) also states that the right amount of care and support provided helps people achieve independence by maintaining basic living skills to achieve attainment of daily living activities Johns (2005) p.79. The Carers (Recognition and services) Act 1995, extended the duty of assessment to rights of carers to have their needs assessed alongside those of the person whom they are caring Referring to the case study Jan appears not coping well as Magdas carer. Here probably with adequate and appropriate support package Jan will be able to carry out his caring duties if Magda was to stay in the community. The task for social workers in this case involves helping Magda to overcome the structural, institutional, cultural, professional and personal barriers that may contribute to physical disability, in line with views of Adams et al (2002). It appears that Magda is unable to communicate her personal wishes due to a language barrier; she may need an option of having an independent advocate who can represent her. There are issues around the use of relatives as interpreters as relatives may be biased towards their personal wish that may be contrary to wishes of the service user. The amendment to the Race Relations Act 2001, states that no one that uses public services should be disadvantaged because of their race, colour or faith as advocated in Br J Soc Work (2010). In Victoria Climbers case, where interpretation was done mainly through an aunt, stands as an example where vital information was missed despite being seen up to 40 times by social services, the police and the NHS. It is most likely to be true that the use of professional interpreter could have led to changes and outcomes for Victoria Climbers case. Thus in Magdas case it is only right to gather information in regards to Magda through a professional interpreter. In line here Magda has capacity and has the right to make decisions about her care plan. The key legislation essential in this assessment is The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (NHSCCA) which addresses the provision of information about services, assessment and service delivery principles. Section 47 of this act requires a local authority to assess all those who may be in need of community care services, and having regard to the results, decide whether the needs call for provision according to Johns (2005). An initiation of an assessment for Magda may be done through the powers of this Act. The first piece of legislation to materialise that would involve Jan is the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995. This Act is an important step towards recognising carers and the supporting role they play in looking after their family members, and the difficulties they face. This Act gives carers like Jan the right to an assessment both physical and mental. This would be carried out annually. However if the person being cared for refuse an assessment, then the carers would not be entitled to an assessment. The department of Healths publication Building Bridges (1998) also provides the legislative framework recognising the carers role. The Carers and Disabled Children Act (2000) strengthened the rights of carers to an assessment of their needs. This is irrespective of whether the person they are caring for receives the service or not. The help ranges from driving lessons, counselling and or even money to replace a broken machine. After all the considerations of the laws and boundaries the needs and resources, a care plan is formulated. The social worker should promote the right of Magda to self- determination to where she should live. If on the assessment Magda is found to have capacity and is adamant to stay in her home, in such a case weighing the risks available to Magda if she remains in her own accommodation. If there are no majooor risks her wish should be respected. Even though self-determination is a basic principle in social work practice, all practitioners know that there are situations in which the client should not be given the right to self-determination. Part of the community Care Act (1990), highlights choice, Kemshall (2002, p76) states how this can be conflicted with ones own personal view, choice, a central principle of community care, can be significantly undermined by professional desires to prevent risk. Magdas has had her leg amputated due to gangrene, which causes mobility difficulties. Her poor sight due to diabetes adds on to mobility needs. The aim is to prevent disability where Disability is defined under the DDA1995 as physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a persons ability to carry out normal day to day activities(Mandelstam 2005) p 490. Magda is already known to the mental health services; however she appears to being violent to Jan. It is important for Magda to have a specialist mental health assessment. Ulasand Connor (2000) Through the mental health route, Magda may be eligible for services through the Mental Health Act 2007 which has introduced the supervised treatment in the community. This Act modifies the 1983 Act and amends the 2005 Act. If Magda lacks capacity a named person can make a decision on Magdas best interests under the Mental Capacity Act 1 (5). Under this acts the social worker would be able to promote healthy, safety and personal wellbeing of both Magda and Jan. It may be suggested that in situation where risk is low Magda may also be entitled under section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948 to a mandatory grant for essential adaptations that will enable her to move around her home more easily Brayne, et al (2001). Examples of the type of adaptations that may be carried out are: Installing a stair lift, providing a toilet and shower downstairs, installing a ramp. Bornat, J. (1994). Magda may get funding for adaptations through Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act (1996), disabled facilities. Magdas diabetes and schizophrenia and amputation places a duty on the local council to assess needs provide services through the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (1970). Under this act, the Local Authority has a duty to assist a service user with practical help in and around the home. This includes the personal care, transport services and meal facilities for the service user, sharky (2000). A home carer may be arranged for Magda under section 2 of the CSDPA 1970 to provide personal care, such as assistance with bathing and dressing, help with getting in and out of bed, and help with medicines. It also includes practical assistance in the home to improve safety, comfort, and convenience and manage with daily tasks more easily and independently as suggested in Maczka, K .(1990). The 1968 HSPHA (section 45 DHSS Circular 19/71) instructs the Social Services to cater for the delivery of hot meals to Magda at her home by a meals-on-wheels service. However a charge is usually made for each meal. Section 21 Sch. 8 of the 1977 National Health Service Act provides a laundry service for people who are incontinent or who for some reason cannot do their own laundry in line with Vernon, S. ( 1997). If the risk is high for Magda to live in her house and does not want to go into residential homes, supported housing may be an option. The National Assistance Act 1948 Sec 20 facilitates provision of appropriate accommodation. This Act may be used if Magda is voluntarily moving, however her condition should satisfy two requirements and one should be medical. Supported housing offers a wide range of support tailored needs. Service users in supported housing can live as independent and as private. There is an option of companionship from staff if one needs it. Most services offered in Magdas home are available if she chooses to go in supported housing in Heywood et al. (2002). It is probably possible that, after the assessment Magda had been seen as unfit to live in the community even with support, and has to go to residential home against her wishes. The National Assistance Act gives compulsory powers to put Magda in a care home. This decision may be made in her best interest of Magda. The General Social Care Council codes of practice that call for attention towards empowerment and choice. The guidelines are aimed at employers and employees to maintain to a reasonable standard of practice within the social work field. The General Social Care Council, codes of practice expects social care workers to, Supporting service users rights to control their lives and make informed choices about the services they receive; (G.S.C.C. 2002 p1). The other issue is that the couple are experiencing financial issues; Jan is accumulating debt in the local shop. There is need to investigate the reason why Jan is accumulating debt. There is need explore whether the accumulation of debt is not due to alcohol, drug abuse and or gambling. There is a possibility of Jan being vulnerable and experiencing financial abuse from a member(s) of the community. In order to get the true picture of what is taking place, it is important to discuss the debt problems with Jan. It is equally important to check if Jan and Magda are getting all the benefits that they are entitled to. The assessment of peoples needs is a local authoritys responsibility part of the section 47, NHSCCA 1990. The assessment of needs guides whether service provision by community care is required. Needs led assessments are being highlighted in order to move away from resource led assessments. This act allows professionals to fit a person into an existing service rather than getting the service to fit the persons needs. Limited resource eliminates availability of choice. An example would be, a home carer being sent to an elderly person home to provide caring duties. Due to lack of resource and money the carer has to provide home care at an early time of 7pm. This is considered too early for the client who wishes to go to bed after 8pm. But as there may be no other services the client could settle for what is provided, this is a violation of the clients choice. These issues can be magnified as forms of discrimination and oppression. The principles of consumerism underpin many of the objec tives from community care provisions, this is what is in line to Thompson (2003): Station 1998. The Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 and the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 established statutory intervention in the caring field. Direct Payment scheme does allow users to obtain cash instead of services from local authority. Direct Payment scheme promotes a caring service, which revolves around contracts and employment law, Crawford and Walker (2006). Personalisation of service promotes independence, enabling individuals to have a greater choice and gives clients the responsibility for meeting their housing related support needs The local authority still has an overall say, local authority has discretion over whether to offer someone direct payments and can decide whether they are appropriate and whether the disabled person can manage them (DOH 1998a in Sharkey, 2000). The White paper Caring for people (DOH, 1989), aims hope to enable people to live a normal life as much as possible in their own homes or in a homely environment in the community. It also states that the right amount of care and support should be provided to help people achieve independence by maintaining basic living skills to achieve daily living activities. The main aim, which highlights empowerment, is the prevention of gate keeping allowing individuals to have a greater say towards how they live their lives and the service provision. Kemshall and Littlechild (2000). Ungerson and Kember further state how feminist research looks at the significance of women in informal care and the effect this has in differences between male and female participation in the labour market. Feminists such as Mc Laughlin and Glendinning (1994), Lewis (1992), Ungerson and Kember (1997) etc. have recognised that gender relations in the welfare state are not as simple as mainstream theorists such as Esping-Anderson would have us believe. On the same line, the other feminists such as Barnes (1997) have also looked into gender differences in the welfare state by studying informal care, and the gendered imbalances surrounding it. Barnes claims that women have the main responsibility for informal care. (1997:13). It can be assumed that many policies of the welfare state are at the present, not geared towards Mclaughlin and Glendinnings de-feminisation. According to Henwood 1998, 1in 8 persons is an informal carer to either a relative or a family member, which has led this group of people to become more recognised for the support they give to clients. Supporting carers not surprisingly has proved increasingly popular with the government, because it helps to reduce the demand of local authority funded service, reasserting the responsibility onto families and individuals. However as straightforward as this may seem, the government cuts has added to the difficult task of translating the support into actual rights and benefits in my view. Finch and Groves (1977) argue that policies for community care were, within a context of public expenditure cuts, and were fundamentally incompatible with policies for equal opportunities for women. They claimed that in practice community care equals care by the family, and in practice care by the family equals care by women. (Ungerson, 1987: 494) Because of feminist contributions and increased knowledge of community care the Equal Opportunities Commission commissioned a study of carers and for the first time a serious effort had been made to plot the incidence of caring and to discover the sex ratio. The results found, Out of the 116 carers, 87 (75%) were women and 29 (25%) were men. (Equal Opportunities Commission, 1982b, 3) The Equal Opportunities Commission then published a set of recommendations for the support of carers, in terms of services, financial benefits and employment rights, (The Equal Opportunities Commission). The carers visible to government statistics are married men aged less than 64 years old caring for their disabled wives and single people caring for infirm parents. Carers are only visible to policy makers when they receive some kind of state benefit, yet many welfare benefits exclude married womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.(Equal Opportunities Commission, 1982b: 3) Further to this councils have adopted a top down model in which local disability organisations are not closely enough involved within. Social workers need to work in partnership with service users and not make assumptions about what they feel is the best for them, even if it appears obvious and the wishes of the service user must be respected. It requires skill and professional judgement on behalf of the social worker to balance the wishes of the adult with the need to protect them. There are no specific laws relating primarily to old people like there is for children under the Children Act 1989 therefore social workers must draw on legislation from different areas in order to provide the best outcome. The training and specialist knowledge the social worker has, the more positive the outcome is likely to be. Also the available resources within the local authority have a significant impact on the care and support that an old person receive and varies widely in different regions. This lack of resources inhibits the proper application of the law, Crawford and Walker (2006). As a social worker it is important to be aware that people are different and where there is difference there is the potential of unfair discrimination. Stanton, (1998). Anti-discriminatory practice is a complex area with many and diverse dimensions such as disability, race, gender, age and sexuality. Much of the discrimination inherent in social work can be seen to be unintentional, due to lack of awareness rather than deliberate attempts to oppress. Thompson (2001). It is important to intervene in a non-discriminatory and non oppressive manner when working with older people. Thompson, (2001) p 88, explained that social work with older people has a considerable discriminatory potential. Society has a tendency of marginalising issues relating particularly to problems of old age. This behaviour can be referred as ageism, and ageism behaviour is in itself discriminatory. Hughes and Mtezuka (1992) describe ageism as the social process through which negative of and attitudes towards older people based solely on the characteristic of old age itself, resulting in discrimination. There is a lot of reference to empowerment and choice in social work settings when in actual fact, one wonders if this is fully promoted. Given that the majority of disabled people are on low incomes or are reliant on welfare payments, their choice is effectively limited to services chosen for them by the local authority social services department. Barnes et al (1999) cited in Kemshall and Littlechild (2000) p 218 On the same subject, Hugman (1998) cited in Kemshall , stresses that these services are made possible through the tax payers money and the same people paying into the taxes are the professionals that control the budgets which poses are a question to the idea of choice made by the consumer. The government cost cutting scheme has negatively affected welfare services, making reference to empowerment and choice meaningless. The power I hold as a social worker, could be used constructively as a useful tool for empowering this family in order to take steps to combat the imbalances that exist between us, and, if used appropriately can enhance their lives, whereas abuse of this power would reinforce the power imbalance and oppression. These power issues can be used to inform my practice and as Stein (1976) in Williams, F. (1989:172) suggests, the relationship between races, social classes and between helping professionals and their clients are all variations of unequal power relations in society. The power imbalance between white social workers supporting ethnic minority clients, places the professional on a privileged position, this may contribute to discrimination and oppression. Thompson (2003). It is possible then to address these imbalances of power, discrimination and oppression? By developing an understanding of the concept of race and cultural differences and identities and oppression. Race and oppression cannot be fully understood without also understanding the notion of power and as Thompson distinguishes the social worker may not be sufficiently sensitive to issues of power/powerlessness and oppression. Thompson 2001: 139. As it has been argued by Thompson (2003:p49,80) that a sophisticated understanding of the presentations of power and its significance within social work are crucial in order to challenge inequality, discrimination and oppression. (Total of 3660 words) CONCLUSION please get the current Copy

The Root Causes of Deforestation :: Environment Evironmental Essays

The Root Causes of Deforestation In the second chapter of his book, Tropical Deforestation: Small Farmers and Land Clearing in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Thomas K. Rudel hypothesizes that the cause of rainforest destruction goes beyond the traditional immiserization model. The immiserization model holds that there are two groups of people separately causing deforestation: powerful businesses such as the plantation owners and extractive enterprises; and landless peasants. Instead, he contends that these groups of people, along with the local and international governments, banks and markets all cause deforestation by their mutual interactions. His idea is supported by the pattern of deforestation. Instead of rising steadily as the population grows, it goes in spurts. Peasants seize the opportunity to develop new land when it is opened up by penetration roads built by the government or large extractive corporations. Owning land along a road is the best way to ensure that they profit from their labor. That way peasants have direct links to transportation for their products and don't have to deal with middlemen who take a large share of the profits. He cites resources indicating that deforestation rates increased when international banks loaned money to countries for frontier development projects. Similar results were achieved by development of extractive industries. Rudel refers to both the government and these industries as lead institutions because of their role in opening transportation routes that are used by peasant farmers who settle along them, clearing the land. Many nations also sponsor colonization programs, wealthy patrons hire peasant laborers, or groups of peasants band together to mutually profit from the land that they help clear together. These examples of growth coalitions are similarly responsible, in conjunction with the agencies that clear the transportation routes, for the destruction of the tropical forests. This leads him to the conclusion that the most important link in thi s system of destroying tropical forests is the creation of new transportation routes penetrating the forested land. At the end of the chapter, Rudel addresses the issue of indigenous communities' involvement in the deforestation. He states that "the argument [for the growth coalition -- lead institution hypothesis] assumes that rural inhabitants have a strong market orientation despite the presence of indigenous peoples throughout the tropics who have only partial commitments to participation in market economies. If the case studies demonstrate a close association between growth coalitions and deforestation among indigenous peoples as well as peasants, the explanatory potential of the argument increases" (Rudel 40).

The Exploitation of Little People :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Exploitation of Little People Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful maiden Pallid Powder amidst seven dwarfs.There was a dwarf who worked in a sideshow display at the local circus, a dwarf who was frequently cast by Galactic Studios for the dancing baby parts, and all the other dwarfs locked themselves in their isolated cabin in the woods so that the nearby villagers wouldn’t laugh.These snippets—both fictional and real—are all most people know about the lives of dwarfs, or little people as they prefer to be called.But Ursula Hegi’s novel Stones from the River suggests that dwarfs were stereotyped, and although the information I found was limited, I found enough to satisfy myself that many dwarfs in the past—and even today—have been exploited or treated unjustly by others. In order to understand why dwarfs are exploited, one must understand the genetic disorder itself.Dwarfism, according to the Little People of America Research Fund, â€Å"is the result of the disproportionate growth of the skeleton,† a condition mostly predetermined by the genetic code.Some symptoms, according to WebMD, include short stature, the appearance of a larger head, abnormally shaped hands, a waddling walk, along with â€Å"increased inward curve of [the] lower back making the buttocks appear more prominent (lordosis), and increased outward curve of [the] upper back making [the] back appear slightly hunched (kyphosis)† Clearly, dwarfs have physical differences that make everyday life more difficult for them—even without exploitation by others.The simplest aspects of life are often difficult for dwarfs.They have difficulties finding furniture to fit their small bodies, and household chores such as washing dishes become almost impossible without the use of a stool.Other things, such as finding clothing to fit or just being able to drive a car, are also difficult for them. But beyond the inevitable difficulties presented by their size, there are other ways that dwarfs—because of their size—are intentionally exploited by others.One way they are exploited is being used to make money for others.A researcher on the topic, Laurence Bathurst wrote in his reply to Judith Irving, a dwarf, about such mistreatment: There are some really gross and demeaning ways in which short statured people are exploited such as dwarf throwing contests, dwarf wrestling, and generally, the portrayal of short statured people in movies and television that endows them with ‘special’ characteristics (either evil or good). Circuses and sideshows use dwarfs as exhibits and often claim ownership of them as well.