Saturday, August 31, 2019

Barack Obama’s Final Campaign Rally Essay

The final speech Barrack Obama made the night before the election. The artifact examined in this paper is the final speech of then-presidential candidate Barrack Obama in the state of Virginia at the night before the election. It is his last chance to address and persuade the people to vote for him in the coming election. †¢ The search model used: The Neo-Aristotelian approach of rhetorical criticism was used to analyze the artifact. The Neo-Aristotelian approach was used to analyze Barrack Obama’s speech in this paper. This approach covers all significant areas to determine the genre of the speech. This leads to the understanding of the presidential made by Barrack Obama in the campaign period. †¢ The thesis: â€Å"The speech Obama is analyzed to provide an understanding of the rhetorical style that successfully helped him be elected as the president of the U. S. † The thesis of the speech analysis on Barrack Obama’s last address to the public aims to understand its significance to his whole campaign as it made a conclusion on the series of speeches he made during the campaign period. Summary of Analysis: †¢ Rhetorical situation: The last speech Obama made before the election in Virginia, Republican state, is very significant to analyze the whole period of his campaign. This speech is said to have win him the election. It is evident that the analysis of this speech will make way to understanding of what is the approach the Obama did in his long campaign for it is the conclusion of all his speeches and it is the night before the election. †¢ How the search model was applied to analysis of the artifact: The speech analysis makes use of canons of rhetoric presented by Aristotle. The speech analysis makes use of the five canon of rhetoric in the Neo-Aristotelian approach to analyze the detail of the speech. The speech was analyzed using the canons like invention, arrangement, elocution, memory and delivery. And the speech was found to be outstanding in the five canons. Conclusion: †¢ Usefulness of the search model: The Neo-Aristotelian Approach gave way to a detail analysis of the speech that made Obama the 44th president of the United States. The approach use in this analysis clearly covers all components the speech has to measure its effectiveness to the public. It is found that Obama is very good oratorical speaker that awarded him an advantage in the election. †¢ Value of doing the paper: The analysis gave way to the understanding that the Obama I definitely won the public in his speeches. This analysis prove the claim that Obama touch the hearts on the American people by delivering such effective speeches that presented what he is and what he wanted to do in the future when he become president. His speeches instill such great impact to the public it probably influences the people to strive for the change. Supporting Material: †¢ Visual aid: The sign of a major event held by officers in roads covered in the rally. The Obama party uses sign boards that says a major event happening and that they have to expect heavy traffic somewhat affected people stuck in traffic to attend in the rally. †¢ Audio: The Stevie Wonder’s song Signed, Sealed, Delivered is a major factor which conveys meaning from the speech. The Stevie Wonder song at the end of the speech made a great impact to the listeners of the speech for it gives a message that Obama will do what he promise and that he mean what he said. †¢ Other: The â€Å"yes, we can† tagline and the â€Å"fired up, ready to go† chant. The meaning involve his tagline ensures the American that they can change anything if they want to. And the chant is use to make the people in the rally to remember what they just heard.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Original Sin: A Cultural History Essay

â€Å"Original Sin: A Cultural History† has been written by Alan Jacobs. What makes this book distinctive is that it is a â€Å"cultural history† of original sin, not a work of theology or spirituality though, it does engage with some theological work, predominantly with Augustine. It is an exemplary history not because it represents excellence that other historians would do well to emulate, but because it makes its case through examples. It highlights narratives about people, people who engage in a serious and considerate way with the idea of original sin, whether by accepting it, refusing it, or brawling with the possibility of it. It is an appealing book though it doesn’t answer all the questions about the doctrine but it is more or less not fair to criticize it for that as it was not Jacob’s intention to write a work of theological history. What makes it so useful is its assessment of how the doctrine has inclined literature, philosophy, politics or in short, how it has influenced Western culture. An indispensable question through the time has been whether human nature is basically good or basically evil. If it is good, general human development may be assumed; if it is intrinsically faulty, then the American Founders were right in proclaiming that nature has to be constrained by justice. Though some people have suggested that original sin is the only empirically provable Christian doctrine, however, views vary on what original sin is. In this deep, original, and witty book, Professor Alan Jacobs displays wide learning worn lightly as he scrutinizes the views of writers like Benjamin Franklin and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jonathan Edwards and C. S. Lewis, and Sigmund Freud and J.  R. R. Tolkien. The concept of original sin predates Christianity, Jacobs points out, citing not only Genesis 3, in which Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are expelled from Paradise, but also Psalm 51, which declares that humans are conceived in sin and born in iniquity. â€Å"The universality of sin,† Jacobs concludes, â€Å"is certainly a Jewish belief. † He explains that the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity, though changeable in their details, have that God created human nature intrinsically good. The writer is of the view that goodness must require freedom if it is not to be robotic, and that Adam and Eve freely chose their own will over that of God, thus consigning original  ¬sin. All humans take part in original sin, whether it is passed on from generation to generation through time, or whether the whole human race decides in one everlasting moment to disobey  ¬God. In the book, Jacobs efficiently defends Augustine against the many attacks against him, demonstrating that doctrines of original sin similar to Augustine’s headed him by at least two centuries in both the East and the West. Jacobs quickly neglects the belief that original sin was  ¬sexual.  ¬Adam and Eve practiced free sex in Eden before their expulsion. Original sin is the initial declaration of human pride against God. Augustine did maintain that original sin, once it existed, was inherited through generations, in the same way that today we understand genetic flaws are passed on. Contrary to another common misconception about Augustine, he was obdurate that the source of sin does not lie in the body but rather in the corruption of the will. Writer’s most unique and thought provoking argument is that original sin has strong self-governing impli ¬ca ¬tions. Refutation of original sin leads to elitism. For instance, the Duchess simply refuses to believe that she shares a common nature with the  ¬self–righteous people who trust that they can make themselves good by stacking up a higher pile of good deeds than of bad ones. Another point that the writers emphasizes is that no one receives the full brunt of his rage as much as Rousseau and the myth of the noble savage. Writing of the â€Å"Wordsworthian fluff† about the innocence and wholesomeness of children,† he argues, â€Å"certainly I have always wondered whether those who talk about ‘childlike innocence’ have had children of their own or even spent much time around them. † When he narrates the sad outcome of the child of an intellectual who was sent to Rousseau to be raised according to the philosopher’s indulging theories in Emile, he notes that the boy never afterwards took well to education of any kind. He became a sailor and ultimately immigrated to America, dying in North Carolina at the age of thirty-two. † At least Jacobs is honest in not repressing his Schadenfreude over the underdeveloped moral growth of the young man. This of course raises a perfectly valid question that how profitable is this book for a nonbeliever? Jacobs, as prominent, never hides his positions, and he certainly lays out a historically informed defense of what many have considered a most destructive doctrine that grew out of the particular self-loathing anti-humanism of Paul and Augustine. If I see myself on such position on the doctrine of original sin, I personally agree with the concept of the original sin as discussed by the writer in this book. It illuminates that original sin has strong independent impli ¬ca ¬tions. It also illustrates that the basis of sin does not lie in the body but relatively in the dishonesty of the will. On the other hand it obscures or doesn’t explain the answer to the vital question that whether the human nature is good or evil. If it is good, general human progress can be understood; if it is intrinsically faulty, then it can be concluded that nature has to be constrained by justice.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Chariots of Fire

In marriages, family units and even friendships, falling-out is a common circumstance. It is apparent that there are oppressive forces that manipulate us. While some filmmakers offer the public entertainment as remedies to this dissatisfaction, others reinforce the sense that individual worth is being assaulted from several areas. Chariots of Fire is a film that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Two very different approaches to religion and sport are at the heart of this movie. The film is based on the true story of two British sprinters in the 1924 Paris Olympics; one Christian and one Jewish. Neither runner is out for personal or national glory. These two men are competing for the same reason; a matter of a higher calling but in very different ways. For Harold Abrahams, a proud English Jew from a well-to-do family, running is a weapon against anti-Semitism; a way of validating his worth, and by extension his Jewishness, to his Anglo society and to himself. There is something to be said for this approach: After shattering a long-standing speed barrier at Cambridge’s Trinity College, the master says â€Å"Perhaps they’re the chosen people after all. † In a way, he is right. As an athlete, Abrahams is driven by rebellious anger and shame endangered by the legacy of anti-Semitic prejudice that has gone hand in hand with the Jew’s divine determination. For Eric Liddell, a devout Scot with missionary aspirations, running is something he can do to give glory to God, the same way the grass glorifies him by growing and the sun by shining. In one part of the movie, Liddell tries explaining the value of running to his sister, who doesn’t see the value of it at all by saying â€Å"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure. † The difference between their motivations is highlighted in a number of ways. Each runner’s commitment goes well beyond whatever obligation either feels to the expectations of their society. Where Abrahams’ commitment leads him to dispense himself from unwritten rules about amateur athletes not receiving professional coaching, Liddell brings his own additional unwritten rules to participation. For Abrahams, the chief crisis he faces is whether he can win after losing a race to Liddell and for Liddell; the crisis is whether he can even qualify when en route to the Olympics discovers the qualifying heat for his event is on the â€Å"Sabbath. While Abrahams must swallow his pride and find the courage to run in the Olympics, Liddell must swallow his hopes and find the courage not to run. Chariots of Fire is an aesthetically well realized work of art. The authentic drama deals directly with issues such as athletic competition, the nature of winning and losing and the central place of beliefs in sports. It touches sensitively and strongly on the longi ng for perfection, the search for meaning and the struggle for acceptance.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Mutation as a Diversity Enhancing Mechanism in Genetic Programming Essay

Mutation as a Diversity Enhancing Mechanism in Genetic Programming - Essay Example Genetic programming (GP) has emerged as a promising instrument in research on machine learning and artificial intelligence. According to Koza and Poli (2005), GP is a "systematic" method of "getting computers to automatically solve a problem" (p. 127). The temptation of creating artificial intelligence and enabling machines to "automatically" perform problem solving has led to the exploration of biologically inspired methods of programming, such as crossovers and mutations. The process of GP involves alterations in computer programs analogous to biological genetic processes. The genetic code in biological science is analogous to syntax trees in computer science, and these trees are altered in a similar fashion as that of gene mutation, deletion, crossover, duplication, etc. performed by nature. The aim of genetic programming is to create a novel and complex program without taking the trouble of predefining its structure. Background In the process of biological evolution, organisms underwent alterations in their genetic makeup, which led to an increase in their structural as well as genetic diversity. Only those who were genetically "fit" were able to survive during the dynamic changes in environmental conditions. Those who lacked the capacity to adapt to these changes went extinct. Thus, according to Charles Darwin, evolution of organisms occurred via natural selection in which nature selected the organisms that were most fit to survive, also known as survival of the fittest. Mutations are the most effective genetic alterations, which enabled the generation of diversity among organisms and ultimately led to their natural selection in the process of evolution. Mutations occur randomly in the genes, and may be natural or induced. These are sudden and heritable changes, and occur at a very small frequency. They, however, lead to beneficial or even harmful changes in an organism. Mutation is nature's way of genera ting diversity among living organisms. The fact that random mutations have led to the generation of successful species is enough to inspire the exploration of similar mechanisms in computer science, in a metaphorical sense. With the help of "mutations" in programming, it may be possible to create novel and successful genetic algorithms or programs with a higher fitness value, which have a high probability of arriving at the solution to a given problem. These may form an integral part of machine learning and help in the synthesis of artificial intelligence. Objective Many studies have explored the role of mutations in genetic programming for the induction of diversity in computer programs. It is hoped that through such a process, it would be possible to create programs with increased fitness and with more efficient problem solving capacities. This paper attempts at analyzing the importance of diversity in genetic programming and the efficiency of mutations in achieving the same. The paper, Mutation as a Diversity Enhancing Mechanism in Genetic Programming (Jackson 2011) is also reviewed and evaluated. II.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Adult Lifelong Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Adult Lifelong Learning - Essay Example The stages can serve the adult educators by finding out the vital link between their development and how useful it will be for them in the long-range scheme of things. It will tell them exactly how their nuances would be handled and what needs to be discerned as far as the future domains are concerned. The adult educators have a good enough idea as to how their success graph would be measured and what they need to learn over a period of time. It will them exactly where they are lacking and what they need to adapt with the passage of time. 3. If you were to take a course, in which stage from above would you be? How would it influence your choice? If I was allowed to choose a course from the different development stages, I will go for early adulthood as this is the age that I am looking forward to having currently. It will tell me exactly how the transition within my life will come about and what I must adopt in order to move forward with the different undertakings of my own life. Exer cise 2: Based on the following document, titled Focus on Basics, define Informational vs. Transformational Teaching. In your journal, comment on which one applies to your own teaching philosophy and why? Informational teaching is comprised of providing information towards the educators’ domains whereby he reads the instructions beforehand and then goes about implementing the same. The aspect of transformational teaching is a bit different where the transformation takes place on a natural level. There is the acquisition of skill with proper knowledge not being present; however, the knowledge and information are gained with the passage of time through actual learning regimes that are employed. Informational teaching makes use of the proper guidelines which are already in place and that need to be studied out loud in order to reap success for the educators.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Enterprise in action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enterprise in action - Essay Example Effectual logic takes advantage of unexpected events in the market. On the other hand, causal logic entrepreneurs engage actively in exploring existing opportunities and are capable of building their future upon them. These investors are able to correlate between one variable and the other and interpret the future depending on the consequence that one variable has over the other. When it comes to basis for taking action, effectual logic investors do not make goals at the beginning but the goals tend to emerge in the course of action. In contrast, causal logic is goal oriented, their means of achievement is determined by a set of goals, and objectives that they strive to satisfy. Causal logic entrepreneurs are driven into investment by the fact of maximizing on risk adjusted to the returns. Effectual logic entrepreneurs will limit their investment to a certain level of their acceptance in order to give them a chance to participate again next time. Effectual logic is more flexible but less secure while causal logic is not flexible but secure to some extent (Stuart Reed,

Jacksonian era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Jacksonian era - Essay Example Worldwide, this time was a fairly peaceful one, taking into account various national movements and smaller wars; however, in 1848 there were mass revolutions of the lower classes in Europe. This key event had global implications which were played out over the next few decades, and vastly changed the nature of history after the Jacksonian era. What historical evidence was used by the author, Robert Remini, to write this book, and was the historical evidence accurate? The historical evidence on which this book is based is a large collection of secondary source material. Remini used a large number of texts in researching for this book – forty-three, to be precise – but it is difficult to ignore the fact that none of these appear to be primary sources. History is a field where interpretation of sources is key, and it is slightly worrying that the author would have only focused his interpretation on other interpretations rather than on any original source material. Any perso nal flaws and biases have been magnified in Remini's analysis of purely secondary sources. That said, the wide range of sources is somewhat reassuring, and without reading all forty-three books, it can only be hoped that his biases allowed him to take an accurate and fairly un-prejudiced view. How did slavery and Indian removal affect the United States during the Jacksonian era? Before Jackson's ascent to the presidency, slavery in the United States had started to come to its end. In 1822 a small group of black slaves revolted, causing the deaths and banishment of at least 72 slaves. Throughout the Jacksonian era, slave-owners â€Å"dreaded† (Remini, 59) the eventual uprising of their slaves, and an 1831 rebellion fuelled these flames. The Nat Turner Rebellion involved the murder of roughly sixty white people, but, Remini argues, had less of an influence on abolition than the example of other countries and states at the same time. The slow emancipation of the slaves caused mu ch cultural discourse, some of it constructive, some of it less so – â€Å"race riots became a regular occurrence in Jacksonian America† (61), even reaching Washington D.C. in 1835. It was feared that the abolition of slavery would shatter the Union, and indeed there was almost civil war over a slavery-related issue in the early 1830s, with threats of secession coming from several states. Ultimately the slavery issue did cause civil war, creating a stronger and more equal United States. Although the book calls it 'Indian removal', a less racist and euphemistic term would be Native American banishment or deportation. Like slavery, the banishment of Native Americans from their homes was a way in which the white leaders of society prioritized their own desires above the needs of others, to the detriment of North American society. Jackson â€Å"demanded† (46) that Native Americans concede their land to him. In 1830, a Removal Act was passed, in which Native American s were guaranteed land in the west, and transportation thereto, if they would give up their land in the east; the Cherokee tribe refused and took the matter to the Supreme Court, arguing that they were not subject to state laws. The ruling, that they were neither subject to state laws nor independent, set a dangerous precedent as Native Americans as â€Å"domestic dependents† (47). Again, like slavery, states and races were divided along fault-lines, with radicals on each side respectively supporting Native American protection or

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Relationships in the health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Relationships in the health care - Essay Example If leadership and management are defined by the ability or the position to implement change, then in this case, leadership and management become a role appropriated to the health care providers-more specifically in this paper, to the nurses. The roles that nurse's play in patient care is as critical as that of any other health care professional because they are considered the "frontliners" of health care (Consumer Health Care Products Association 2002). They are usually the ones who are directly involved and are aware of every minute circumstance that happens to the patient. Nurses provide the patients and families a favorable environment for healing which must be both humane and caring. They serve as the clinicians, educators and researchers. Nurses are the initial assessors of the patients' health status. Part of their roles is to identify and intervene with clinical problems, appraise the risks, manage those problems and be able to lead effective change. They interpret diagnostic tests, plan and sometimes prescribe both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment of health conditions and also monitor the patients' treatment and health status (Ed4nurses 2006; Quan 2006). Being a nurse requires much decision-making in relation to the very complex and inconsistent patient care problems in the health care setti... Only by using these skills well will nurses become excellent in their profession. Leadership and management entail skills like delegation, appraisal, staff development, disciplinary handling, employee relations, negotiations, and chairing and conduct in meetings. It is a requisite for managers to be able to identify general as well as specific objectives, and diagnose and gain full understanding of problems to be able to take effective actions. Leadership and management involve actions that have people guide, direct and influence others to a certain objective (Van Wagner 2006). In the context of health care, leadership and management skills are requisites in health care professionals particularly those in the nursing profession who must directly interact with the patients, their colleagues and even themselves. The nurses have to guide, direct and influence their patients to recover from their conditions. They have to guide, direct and influence their colleagues to set high work standards especially in terms of caring efficiency and work quality. In the same way, those in the nursing profession also have to guide, direct and influence even themselves to maintain their high work standards. As with any other career, skills in leadership and management are necessary if one needs to advance in the nursing profession. It is not a question of choice on whether or not a nurse wants to become a leader and manager because these are given roles that are already attached to the nurses' long list of responsibilities. The only choice for registered nurses is whether or not they want to lead and manage well (Ed4nurses 2006). Nurses who have developed skills in leadership and management are said to have improved patient

Saturday, August 24, 2019

How does adult movies affect our lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How does adult movies affect our lives - Essay Example But interestingly, such reactions are not pronounced in response to violence and profanity, although these are equally harmful influences. Nevertheless, while people hesitate to talk about indulgence in pornography in the public space, it continues to be a part of their private lives. (Nutt, 2010, p.91) This is not a universal rule, of course, but applies to a majority of adult male population. The degree of patronage of adult women is lesser compared to that of men. Also, adolescents of both genders watch pornography on a regular basis. Uncontested as these facts may be, they are not openly acknowledged or discussed. This essay will argue that despite muted mention of adult movies in public lives of people, it does affect them deeply in many aspects. One of the problems thrown open by the Internet is the increased chances of inadvertent exposure to pornography. Peer-to-peer networking software, which facilitates easy and quick transfer of movie files among Internet users, is proving to be the chief mode of pornography consumption among adolescents and adults alike. But the issue arises when pre-teens get accidental exposure to advertisements and landing sites for pornographic material. Considering that pornography accounts for a majority of Internet traffic, it is near impossible for a regular user of the Internet to evade this deluge. In unfortunate cases where children get exposed to it, they can become adversely affected both psychologically and physiologically, leading to problems in their family, social and academic lives. (Nutt, 2010, p.91) Psychologist Patricia Greenfield has done extensive research on the influence of adult movies on the behavior and attitudes of children and adolescents. Her findings are consistent with the stated thesis of this essay, as there is hardly anything benign about this influence. For example, in her testimony to the Congressional Committee on Government Reform, she notes that inadvertent exposure to pornography when childr en and adolescents utilize peer-to-peer file sharing networks on the Internet, can lead to a range of adverse consequences. In her assessment, pornography and related sexual media such as music videos and R-rated movies available in the Internet does influence "sexual violence, sexual attitudes, moral values, and sexual activity of children and youth." (Greenfield, 2004, p.743) For example, "A number of surveys, from junior high to college, indicate that exposure to MTV (MTV-style music video files are very common on peer-to-peer networks) and R-rated films are correlated with premarital sexual permissiveness. Experimental studies confirm that exposure to music videos such as those seen on MTV can actually liberalize attitudes toward premarital sex, and this is particularly true for girls." (Greenfield, 2004, p.743) Further, a field experiment study revealed that those adolescents (males) who viewed adult movies that hinted at positive effects of sexual aggression such as the sexual arousal of the woman, made them more accepting of aggression in sexual and non-sexual contexts. Similarly, video depictions of "sexual relations between unmarried partners - in all-pervasive characteristic of pornography—affected 13- and 14-year-olds’ moral judgments concerning premarital and extramarital sex: Their judgments became more

Friday, August 23, 2019

Friction, Work, And Kinetic Energy Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Friction, Work, And Kinetic Energy - Lab Report Example Static friction is denoted as Fstatic. An inequality has been modified; Fstatic ≠¤ ms N where i ms is the coefficient of static friction and N is the normal force exerted by a surface on the object. The normal force is defined as the perpendicular component of the force exerted by the surface. In this experiment, the normal force is equal to the weight of the object because it’s on a horizontal surface Exertion of enough force to move the box requires that the same or more force be applied to keep the box moving to the desired direction to prevent loss of equilibrium which will cause it to stop moving. The friction acting on the box while it is moving is called kinetic friction (Hugh and Roger 2008). In order to slide the box with a constant velocity, a force equivalent to the force of kinetic friction must be applied. Static and kinetic friction depends on the surfaces of the box and the floor and on how hard the box and floor is pressed together. Kinetic friction is modeled with Fkinetic =  µk N where  µk is the coefficient of kinetic friction. In general, this coefficient is less than that for static friction. The mass of the container was measured and recorded. Motion detector was connected to the PC with a USB cable. Kinetic friction icon on the desktop was double clicked to open the program for data collection and analysis A plastic ball was placed on the track and the track leveled by adjusting the track’s feet for the ball to stay in rest. The Motion Detector was placed on the track and positioned so that it could detect the motion of the block as it was sliding towards the detector. No, the kinetic friction does not depend on speed. It only depends on the surfaces in contact. From the data collected during the experiment, it is evident that the speed/velocity of the sliding block does not affect the coefficient of the kinetic

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Blinds to Go Company Essay Example for Free

Blinds to Go Company Essay Executive Summary: The case, based on the company Blinds to Go, emphasizes the importance of staffing in stores as they expand to meet their growth objectives. Being a manufacturer and retailer, with a unique sales model 100% commission based and focus on customer service gave the company an advantage over its competitors. According to the senior management Quality of staff was paramount and hence their original compensation system motivated best performance and fostered a high energy, sales hungry culture at BTG. To attract more recruits for its expansion phase, the management changed the compensation system from full commission to salary on the recommendation of a newly hired vice president. Sales declined and the overall staff turnover increased. Seeing this the company brought back the old culture and experienced a sales turnaround. This shift also caused another huge turnover in stores. A large percentage of voluntary turnover occurred in the first four months. The higher turnover after eight months was partly due to termination because of sales performance. The biggest challenge the company now faced was understaffing. The need for additional staff was further aggravated due to its continued push for growth and the tight US and Canadian labour markets. Another concern to be addressed was that the company had planned for 80 per cent of its expansion in US where the employees preferred the fixed pay than the company’s commission based pay structure. During this period BTG had tried several recruiting methods with varying degrees of success. With an IPO in the pipeline and plans to add on average 50 stores per year for the next five years, it was critical for the company to come up with a staffing strategy with focus on Quality of the staff and low employee turnover. The Company: Blinds To Go (BTG) was a retail fabricator of window dressings. It was started by David Shiller in 1954 in the Cote-des-Neiges district in Montreal, Canada. From the mid 1970s, BTG focussed on the sale of blinds. It was able to create a production system that reduced the delivery time frame of custom blinds from six to eight weeks to 48 hours. The reduced delivery time led to overwhelming customer response and the business flourished. The firm, realising their unique advantage of being a manufacturer and retailer simultaneously, began expansion by opening stores throughout Canada and US. By June 2000, BTG operated 120 corporate owned stores in North America. BTG expected to add 50 stores per year for the next 5 years, 80 percent of which targeted to US expansion stores. BTG’s business philosophy was that quality of staff was cardinal than the store location, customer demographics or advertising. The firm established this by experimenting with a store that was locationally disadvantaged and had declining sales. BTG was able to triple the sales of the said store in one month by deploying their ‘A’ management team and trained staff there. The four staff roles in BTG stores were 1. Sales associate 2. Selling Supervisor 3. Assistant Store manager 4. Store Manager. Sales associates were the junior most employees and their job was to follow a set plan to help walk in customers to make a purchase. Consistent sales performers among them were promoted to selling supervisors, who were assistant store managers in training, or assistant store managers. Assistant store Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion Case Analysis SECTION E: Group #5 managers were in charge of the stores in the absence of store managers. The store manager was responsible for overall store operations. The BTG selling process involved a high level of customer interaction, which set a very high level of service expectation. Their emphasis on customer satisfaction and sale closure led to higher volume of orders relative to their retail competition Original Compensation of Retail Staff: The compensation structure at Blinds To Go incentives performance based on number of sales deal closed. The commission based structure fosters the high energy, sales hungry culture at BTG. This structure was believed to be a motivating factor to boost performance. High performers at BTG actually made more money than comparable retail outlet salesman. For Sales Associate the salary structure was a mix of fixed pay and variable pay with $3 $5 comprising of fixed and 3% of sales as variable component. For Managers/Assistants the salary structure was $10,000 $15,000/yr as fixed pay with 1.5% to 3% of overall sales as variable pay. Changes in Compensation Structure – 1996: As per the recommendations from a newly hired Vice President of store operations the compensation structure for the store staff was changed from being fully commission based to salaried. Under the new structure, the sales associated were paid Cdn $8 per hour as a fixed component. For the store managers a higher base salary component as compared to the commissions was set. The main focus of the move was to make the compensation more attractive to the prospective hires. Another change being brought was to limit the involvement of store managers in the sale process. All these changes had an adverse effect on the sales figures which showed a decrease of 10 to 30% from 1996 to 1997. The staff turnover increased to 40% from the earlier 15%. Even thought the new pay structure helped in recruiting more hires, it led to the hiring of lower calibre people. The existing good performers did not appreciate the changes, thus affecting their morale and hence their commitment to sales. To counter this adverse effect, the management introduced a variation of the commission based compensation plan in May 1998. The effect of the change could be seen in the 10 to 30% increase in store sales from the previous year. Still the BTG stores experienced a high employee turnover that year. It was probably because of the employees accustomed to fixed pay were leaving the organisation, being dissatisfied from the commission based structure. Analysis of the employee turnover reflected that the highest no of employees left the firm in the first 4 months from their hiring. Most of the new expansion plans were in US. But the people of US were uncomfortable with the 100% commission based pay structure. Thus there was a requirement in the change to the structure to adapt to the US market. Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion Case Analysis SECTION E: Group #5 Channels of Recruitment To be able to attract and recruit people who had certain sales driven qualities, several channels of recruitment were harnessed to fill in the job positions. Since BTG was already understaffed and with massive growth plans (50 stores per year ) lined up, we need to analyse the various pros and cons of the channels of recruitment. Employee Referral: Current staffs refer friends and family to BTG which helped company attract candidates already briefed on the company’s ideology. This channel was very effective which is evident by its highest ratio of leads to hire. The success of the ER scheme was partially due to the fact that referrals generally continued employment excited by the opportunity that the friend or family member who is a BTG employee recounted. Though maximum hiring was effected through this channel yet this alone did not currently satisfy BTG’s hiring needs. Internet Sourcing: This is one of the non-store recruitment channels which BTG used in two ways. First, BTG solicited resumes at its blindstogo.com site. Second, DSM’s and recruiters actively searched online jobs sites like Monster.com to contact potential candidates. Currently 12 out of 143 recruits were through this channel. DSM Compensation Readjustment: DSM’s were mainly responsible for store source of recruitment mainly walk-ins and employee referrals. They had to hire 10 new sales associate every month. Their importance in recruitment process is highlighted by the fact that their salary was based on number of new staff selected rather than on sales targets. Currently 16 out of 143 sales associate were recruited through this channel in past two months. BTG Retail Recruiters: They were professional recruiters who were paid @20000/year with a bonus of $150 -$500 for each successful hire. They generate leads through cold calls, networking referrals, colleges, job fairs, Internet and employment centres. Though they had performed sub- optimally in terms of number of number of new recruits, their training had increased to enable to get in at least 4 new recruits per week. Newspaper Advertising: Newspaper channel generated the maximum number of leads but the senior management believed that this medium did not generate the quality of candidates that BTG needed. This channel attracted more of the people who did not meet the desired skills standard and core values expected by BTG in potential candidates. To be able to meet our desired staff requirements, we believe this channel needs to be harnessed to its full potential and complemented by necessary training to new recruits to enable them to meet company’s performance standards. Store Generated Leads: BTG believed in direct store walk-in mode of recruitment as well. It had put â€Å"help wanted† signs on its windows to attract potential candidates to meet its recruitment needs. But this policy was successful only in densely populated areas with high footfall. HR Strategy: Udofia, Vice Chairman BTG, is looking for a strategy that solves all the major issues currently faced by the company, which would include unstaffed stores, staffing for future expansion and high employee turnover. Following are the steps that could be taken by him to achieve its growth objectives: ï‚ · A Robust Training Module: As mentioned, the quality of staff is extremely important in the retailing business. The crunch in the labor market doesn’t give the company a flexibility to choose Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion employees on a strict criterion. A training module would help BTG to relax the criterion and increase the number of selected employees by recruiting people who are trainable. In order to keep a check on the quality of the employees, the company can recruit the employees at a trainee level with a fixed pay. The training would be mostly on the Job led by experienced Store Managers. A review system would help these selected candidates to get promoted as Sales Associate. The initial pay as a trainee would be low. But the incentive to get promoted as Sales Associate would drive them to work and learn quickly. Currently we can see that there are large numbers of people who are attracted by the Newspaper Channel and Internet. But the problem is with this medium is that it didn’t generate quality employee. By a robust training module the company would be able to hire trainable people and give them opportunities on the basis of their performance. The Promotion Structure: A scheduled review and internal promotion structure could be followed which attracts the current employees and increases the retention rate. The review can be conducted on at 2 levels, Sales Performance and Soft skills. A feedback mechanism would help the employees to work on the areas they lag. The review can be scheduled every 8 months and every employee can be given an opportunity to get promoted. The internal promotion structure could be leveraged as a tool to advertise. This would attract people who currently don’t want to join at Sales Associate Level. The promotion structure would also help in filling up the vacancies of Supervisors and Managers. Pay Structure: The pay structure for Sales Associate could be revised in a manner as explained below: According to the current pay structure, a Sales Associate is paid $6-$8 per hour or 6% of sales, whichever higher. Clearly it can be seen that the Marginal and the Poor performers are the once who are enjoying the fixed compensation system. In order to motivate them, fixed + variable compensation could be followed for these below par performers. This structure would demotivate the top performers as there will be a reduction in their salaries. So it would not be the best idea to implement this structure for top performers. A benchmark of $10000/sale/week could be set. This would not only motivate them to perform but the company also would overcome the problem of social loafing. The structure is explained below: Marginal-Poor Performers ($10000-/sales/ week) $3 per hour + 3 % of sales Leadership Program: The highly experiences set of Store Managers could be given an option to join the leadership program. Under this program the Senior Employees would take up the responsibility of the training module and help the company attain the level of quality it requires in its workforce. Their compensation could be based on the rate of conversion of trainees to Sales Associate instead of Sales. Increased Stock Options to senior and experienced Store Managers would give them a feel of ownership in the firm which is what an employee needs after serving an organisation for years.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Video Games Cause and Effects on Children Essay Example for Free

Video Games Cause and Effects on Children Essay Video games have come a long way since they were introduced to the mainstream Audience. Video games are increasingly using advanced technology, they have come closer to reality than ever before. They are creating the idea that video games cause violence. When these realistic violent video games are become popular, these games have caused children and teenagers to become addicted to playing it. These are the causes of video game addictions on children and teenagers. The high score, because the high score is one of the most easily recognizable books. Trying to beat the high score, even if the player trying to beat his own score can keep them playing for hours. Beating the game found in nearly every gaming system. The desire to beat the game is keeping the player to level up, or find the next hidden clue. Role playing, allowing players to do more than just play. They get to actually create the characters in the game that matching on an adventure, and the story makes it much harder to stop playing. Discovery, The exploration or discovery tactic is most often used in role playing games. And relationships, this is the primarily an online hook. Online role playing games allow people to build relationships with other online players. There are the effects of video games on children and teenagers. Tend to be more aggressive, kids spending too much time playing video games may exhibit impulsive and attention problems. Failing grades, too much video game playing makes your kid socially isolated. Also, he may spend less time in other activities such as doing homework, reading, sports, and interacting with the family and friends. Violent behavior, some video games teach kids the wrong values. Violent behavior, vengeance and aggression are rewarded. Negotiating and other nonviolent solutions are often not. And also bad health effects, video games may also have bad effects on some children health, including obesity, and postural, muscular and skeletal disorders.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Lisbon Treaty and EU Constitution

Lisbon Treaty and EU Constitution To what extent do the reforms enshrined by the Lisbon Treaty enhance the legitimacy of the European Union? The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the Van Gend en Loos- case pointed out that he European Union (EU) is and remains a ‘new legal order of international law.[1] Therefore we cannot achieve legitimacy in the same way as nation states, where concepts such as a collective identity and a constitution are present. The EU is sui generis of its own kind, peculiar and unique in the world, fundamentals like supremacy, direct and indirect effect, and state liability are present so neither the way in which other international organisations derive their legitimacy is suitable in the case of the EU.[2] Throughout my readings I found out that there are many theories, and difference of opinions of what legitimacy in the context of the EU would involve because of its complex internal structure and way of functioning. I shall aim to explore why legitimacy in the context of the EU is so sufficient and how, from a legal perspective, this is been reached by the Lisbon Treaty. The integration of the EU from the beginning of the 1950s when the Treaty of Paris was signed, especially the increasing of EU competence since 1992, till the current Treaty of Nice, has been developed so far that the member states share its decision-making powers with the EU as well as accept policies coming from the EU. When a system has decision-making powers in a wide range of policy competence it is important that it possess legitimacy.[3]The failed Constitutional Treaty referenda in France and the Netherlands in 2005 were an unexpected event that had damaging effect to the plans of the EU for its integration and prior to this the citizens for instance of Denmark (Treaty of Maastricht 1992), Ireland (2001Treaty of Nice) and Sweden (EMU 2003) had also voted negatively which had the effect that developments for EU citizens gave the image that the EU institutions are inefficient, not transparent and unaccountable.[4] This and the fact that the EU keeps reforming its Treaties, espec ially since 1986 Single European Act, presumes a legitimacy crisis.[5] Amongst scientists many theories developed to attempt to justify the ‘legitimacy of the EU.[6] There has been a tendency to combine the concepts of ‘democratic deficit and ‘legitimacy crisis.[7] Democratic deficit is that where decisions are moved from national Parliaments and the citizens; where decisions are taken by civil servants behind closed doors and laws are made via agreements between all member states whereby it is impossible for an individual country, acting alone, to make or change an EU law; where citizens vote and influence at national level has no guaranteed effect upon what occurs at EU level.[8] Its remarkable that most scientists could not agree on the existence of a democratic deficit despite the concern of EU officials and national politicians. In 2001 the Commission published its seminal White Paper on European Governance in which it based its sweeping proposals for EU institutional reform on â€Å"principles of good governance,† includin g openness, participation and accountability. [9] These principles were described as the underpinning of democracy, not only for the Member States, but also for the Union. Also in this year the Laeken Declaration on the future of the EU was adopted which noted that the EU â€Å"derives its legitimacy from the democratic values it projects, the aims it pursues and the powers and instruments it possesses† as well as from its â€Å"democratic, transparent and efficient institutions.†[10] Nevertheless, the document set forth a lengthy list of questions illustrating the need to â€Å"increase the democratic legitimacy† of the EUs institutions.[11] The Member States recognized ‘the need to improve and to monitor the democratic legitimacy and transparency of the Union and its institutions, in order to bring them closer to the citizens of the Member States.[12] They agreed to convene a new intergovernmental conference (IGC) in 2004 in order to agree the necessary changes in the Treaties.[13] According to Sharpf, a political scientist who is basically in the for front of European studies and whos concepts are often used in literature when legitimacy is discussed, legitimacy is the relation between the ruler and the ruled. ‘Citizens values must be reflected and incorporated in the decision-making system.[14] Political systems can only reach legitimacy when they have the competence or the power to decide how it will be governed, which guarantees that the government is of the people, by the people and for the people.[15] Sharpf thus has identified three important types of legitimisation with regard to the EU. ‘Output legitimacy refers to government for the people where support is granted on the basis of improved efficiency in provision of goods and services, as well as an increased European problem-solving capacity and where the legitimacy is derived from interest of the people.[16] ‘Input legitimacy refers to government by the people with main features lik e direct legitimation through the elected European Parliament; citizens participation and consultation; and better transparency in taking decisions so where policies and choices must be a reflection of the will of people.[17] ‘Borrowed legitimacy refers to government of the people where indirect legitimation through the member states and their democratic representatives operating at different levels.[18] The ‘borrowed and the ‘output theories are difficult to justify legitimacy in the light of the EU though there are scientist who disagree, as we will see later on.[19] And from the above mentioned we can draw among others a conclusion that more emphasis to decrease ‘democratic deficit will increase the legitimacy of the EU. Therefore a need for a greater ‘input legitimacy which is related to increased citizen participation, better representation, improved accountability and efficient and transparent decision-making procedures has been viewed as one poss ible solution. The EU can be divided into two parts. An intergovernmental structure[20] which includes the European Council and the Council of Ministers and the regulatory structure[21] which includes the European Parliament, European Central Bank (ECB) and the ECJ. Moravcsik and Majone emphasizing that effectiveness is one of the proper means to legitimise the EU, so the ‘output legitimacy is the best way to do this.[22] An intergovernmental component, where international features dominate (European Council, Council of Ministers, and the second and third ‘pillars of the TEU), and a communitarian component where supranational features are most evident (European Parliament and Courts, Commission, and the policies and activities included in the first ‘pillar of the TEU). Now, even if it is true that the democratic character of the Member States is According to Moravcsik the EU does not deal with democratic deficit in the intergovernmental part[23] simply because of its distinctive objectives where the preferences and the power of the states are important, where the policies are the result of states bargaining and where supranational elements are of less importance to policy outcomes. The EU is either a state nor a federation or a confederation and it avoids any risk of becoming a ‘technocratic superstate.[24] That makes the outlook and requirement of legitimacy different. The legitimacy of the EU system is derived from ‘indirect accountability of the nation state where ‘indirect democracy is enforced through the ratification from the treaties by democratically accountable governments.[25] ‘Constitutional checks and balances, indirect democratic control by national governments, and the increasing powers of the European Parliame nt are sufficient to ensure that the EU policymaking is, in nearly all cases, clean, transparent, effective and politically responsive to demands of European citizens.[26] Moreover because of its simple and limited organisation, EU does not need the ‘input legitimacy to become legitimate. ‘The EU, broadly speaking, does not tax, spend, implement, coerce or, in most areas, monopolistic public authority. It has no army, police, and intelligence capacity, and a miniscule tax base.[27] Yet the EU enjoys sufficient democratic support. The institutions are supported by either direct or indirect accountability. The European Parliament is comprised by directly elected representatives and it is increasingly taking over powers from the Commission. Moreover it can control the legislative proposals from the Commission, by rejecting or proposing amendments to the Council. The Council of Ministers, which is more powerful, also enjoys democratic accountability and responsibility for policy outputs. Commissioners and the judges of the European Court of Justice are chosen by directly elected national governments. The power is also vertically divided between the Commission, Council, Parliament and Court, and then horizontally between local, national and transnational levels. Thereby a concurrent majority is necessary for any action to be initialised. The ability of the EU to operate within the areas of its competence is also constrained. The powers of the executive, legislative and judiciary are separate in order to prevent abuse of power. The multi-level construction of decision-making and the plurality of executives all constitute checks and balances established to prevent arbitrary actions. The democratic deficit discussion has only emerged because of applying idealistic views of input dimensions of democracy on the EU. The legitimacy is sufficient in the current situation because of member states democratic legitimacy and the numerous procedures installed to prevent the EU from bolting away to become a technocracy. There are however elements that are not supported by indirect democracy. The regulatory element of the EU refers to these institutions. According to Majone the regulatory element achieves legitimacy by non-majoritarian forms of democracy. This model has to do with protecting minorities from the majority by distributing the powers between institutions instead of placing it in the hands of the majority. The European regulators neither seek nor take instructions from any Government. They are independent from direct democratic control simply because they are not elected and have little or no direct accountability. Although this implies a democratic deficit it still can be legitimate. National governments, which has power for a specific period, focus on short term problems which usually do not bring long term effect. The energy to produce the best policies lacks because of the time aspect. This causes credibility problems within the member states, hence it was better that decision-making powers have been delegated to independent institutions of the EU. The areas where the powers have been delegated to these institutions, are the same areas as on national level. At the same time, acts of government can be perceived as legitimate for what they achieve which is called the ‘substantive legitimacy. ‘Independent agencies can produce legitimate decisions as long as they create welfare for all, whilst only elected officials can make legitimate decisions where welfare is re-distributed. F. Scharpf, Governing in Europe Effective and Democratic? (Oxford 1999) IN LIBRARY Adam Smith Library Politics F100 SCHAR A. Arnull, Introduction: the EUs Accountability and Legitimacy Deficit in A. Arnull D. Winscott, Accountability and Legitimacy in the EU (Oxford, 2002), D. Chalmers et al., European Union Law: Text and Materials (Cambridge, 2006), D. Chalmers G. Monti, European Union Law: Updating Supplement (Cambridge, 2008), P. Craig G. de Burca, EU Law: Text, Cases and Materials 4th edn. (Oxford, 2007), A. Moravcsik, ‘In Defence of the ‘Democratic Deficit: Reassessing Legitimacy in the EU (2002) 40 Journal of Common Market Studies 603. Majone, G. (1998) ‘Europes Democratic Deficit. European Law Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 5-28. Scharpf, Fritz (1994) â€Å"Community and Autonomy: Multilevel Policy-Making in the European Union†, Journal of European Public Policy 1(2): 219-42 Scharpf, Fritz (1997) â€Å"Economic Integration, Democracy and the Welfare State†, Journal of European Public Policy, 4(1): 18-36 Obradovic, Daniela (1996) â€Å"Policy Legitimacy and the European Union†, Journal of Common Market Studies 34(2): 191-221 Roles in the legislative and executive processes need to be clearer; Eu institutions and all those involved in developing and implementing EU policy at whatever level must explain and take responsibility for what it does in Europe; it implies that institutional and decision-making structures should be kept as simple as possible: see A. Arnull, Introduction: the EUs Accountability and Legitimacy Deficit in A. Arnull D. Winscott, Accountability and Legitimacy in the EU (Oxford, 2002), 2-3. Efficiency (institutions): Easier decision-making Use of qualified majority voting (QMV) is extended to new areas, and becomes the general rule which means an increasing decision-making of the Union.[28] Redefined as 55% of member states, comprising at least fifteen of them, representing 65% of the population and a blocking minority must include four Member States.[29] This new QMV will not become effective before 2014, and Member States may continue to have recourse to the Nice voting rules until 2017.[30] However, the ‘Ioannina compromise applies, and ‘emergency brakes are made available in selected areas.[31] This means member states right of veto despite the application of the co-decision procedure, for instance in relation to the coordination of national social security systems: a Member State may refer the matter to the European Council where important aspects of its social security system would be affected by a legislative draft.[32] One Union The Lisbon Treaty confers legal personality expressly on the EU, giving it the capacity to enter into legal relationships with other parties in its own right. But the European Community (in relation to the first pillar) has always had express legal personality and the EU implicitly has had legal personality to the extent that it has the power to enter into international agreements under articles 24 and 38 of the current TEU. Conferring legal personality expressly on the Union will have the effect that the other attributes such status, such as the ability to join international organisations or to take, or be subject to, proceedings in international tribunals, will apply to the EU in the areas currently covered by the second and third pillar.[33] Enhanced cooperation Already exists under the current Treaties were it is possible for a group of Member States to harmonise law and integrate further than all of the member states as a collective group.[34] The most important changes in the Lisbon Treaty which are reflections of changes already made in other contexts, namely the fact that the rules on enhanced cooperation are consolidated in the TFEU (instead of having a specific set of rules for enhanced cooperation in each pillar), is due to the fact that the pillars are absorbed into the EU.[35] Regarding the role of the institutions in the procedure for enhanced cooperation, it can be said that the Commission and the European Parliament gain powers, especially in the field of PJCCM (consent of the EP instead of mere consultation). However, a separate procedure remains in place for the CFSP. [36] A truly new element is the ‘emergency exit procedure in the area of PJCCM.[37] European Council Is a newcomer in the list of formal EU institutions.[38] The President of the Council is elected for 2.5 years (renewable once) by the European Council on QMV.[39] The President chairs the European Council, ‘drive(s) forward and ensures the preparation and continuity of its work.[40] ‘At his level and in that capacity, s/he ensures the external representation of the Union on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy, without prejudice to the powers of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.[41] Commission Ensures the Unions external representation, ‘with the exception of the common foreign and security policy, and other cases provided for in the Treaties.[42] President is elected by European Parliament, and nominated by the European Council by QMV taking account of the result of parliamentary elections.[43] The number of Commissioners will be reduced to two-thirds of the number of Member States after 2014, unless the European Council decides otherwise.[44] The college includes the New High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR CFSP) as one of Commission Vice President (VP).[45] The HR CFSP/ VP of the Commission is double-hatted. It combines functions of current HR for CFSP and Commissioner for External Relations, though his/her exact portfolio remains to be clarified, both within the Commission and the Council, and in relation to the presidents of the Commission and the European Council, respectively.[46] HR is head of the new European External Action Servic e whose activities remain to be determined by a specific Council decision.[47] Parliaments: National Parliaments Become ‘guardians of the subsidiarity principle. It may force the Commission to reconsider a legislative proposal on the grounds of a breach of subsidiarity (‘yellow card).[48] The matter may end up being referred to the Council and Parliament (‘orange card), and may even lead to proceedings before the Court of Justice[49] Involved in the scrutiny of Europols activities and the evaluation of Eurojusts activities[50] European Parliament Expanded legislative powers thanks to the extension of the co-decision procedure and through enhanced influence in a renewed budgetary procedure.[51] It has a decisive role in electing the President of the European Commission and also installs the whole Commission, including the HR CFSP/ VP.[52] Its composition is 750 members maximum + 1 president. Revised distribution of seats which entails a degressive proportionality, minimum threshold of six MEPs per Member State, and maximum of ninety-six seats.[53] Exact distribution to be decided by the European Council[54] Accountability: Clarification of competences The Lisbon Treaty is much more explicit in attributing competences. Arts. 4(1) and 5 TEU state the fundamental principles relating to competences. In addition, it is stated (twice!) that competences not given to the EU remain with the Member States. The TFEU contains a special title on ‘Categories and areas of Union Competence.[55] This title mentions, and defines, different types of competences and it lists the (most) relevant areas. Like the present Treaties, the Lisbon Treaty does not provide a list of negative competences, i.e. of areas where EU law can never have any influence.[56] Simplification of the Unions instrument The main changes provided for in the Lisbon Treaty are on the one hand, the various legal instruments that are used in the present 2nd and 3rd pillars are abolished, while on the other hand, a distinction is made between legislative and non legislative acts.[57] The instruments are listed in Art. 288 TFEU ‘regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and opinions were only the definition of ‘decision is amended. Citizen values: Citizens rights in elections The only change made to Art. 19 EC consists of the fact that the words ‘acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission are replaced by ‘acting unanimously in accordance with a special legislative procedure.[58] Citizens initiative The following picture emerges from a comparison between the current article 21 EC and its equivalent in the TEU and TFEU: Art. 21 EC: ‘Every citizen of the Union shall have the right to petition the European Parliament in accordance with Article 194. Every citizen of the Union may apply to the Ombudsman established in accordance with Article 195. Every citizen of the Union may write to any of the institutions or bodies referred to in this Article or in Article 7 in one of the languages mentioned in Article 314 and have an answer in the same language. Art. 11(4) TEU: ‘No less than one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States may take the initiative of inviting the European Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Treaties. Art. 24 TFEU: ‘The European Parliament and the Council, acting by means of regulations in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, shall adopt the provisions for the procedures and conditions required for a citizens initiative within the meaning of Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union, including the minimum number of Member States from which such citizens must come. Every citizen of the Union shall have the right to petition the European Parliament in accordance with Article 227 TFEU. Every citizen of the Union may apply to the Ombudsman established in accordance with Article 228 TFEU. Every citizen of the Union may write to any of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies referred to in this Article or in Article 13 of the Treaty of European Union in one of the languages mentioned in Article 55(1) of the Treaty on European Union and have an answer in the same language. Transparency: A new Title II of the TEU concerns democratic principles.[59] It requires the EU institutions to give ‘citizens and representative associations the opportunity to make known and publicly exchange their views regarding ‘all areas of EU action.[60] It expressly requires an ‘open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society.[61]It requires also, among other things, that the Commission shall carry out consultations with parties in order to ensure that EU actions are ‘transparent.[62] As for the institutions, it requires the Council to ‘meet in public when it deliberates and votes on a draft legislative act, with no exceptions provided for.[63] Article 15 of the TFEU which replace Article 255 of the current EC Treaty, would deal in more detail with the issue of openness. First of all, all of the ‘institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the EU has to ‘conduct their work as openly as possible, ‘in order to promote good governance and ensure the participation of civil society.[64] The European Parliament has to meet in public, as well as the Council when considering and voting on legislative acts.[65] The rules concerning the adoption of legislation on access to documents will now apply to all EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, instead of just the Council, Commission and European Parliament.[66] The current article 286 EC Treaty which requires the European Parliament and the Council to adopt data protection legislation applying to the EU institutions within the scope of the ‘first pillar only applies now to the current ‘third pillar as well, along with the public authorities of M ember States.[67] However, the new Treaty Article does not apply to the adoption of legislation governing the private sector. The new Article 298 TFEU would provide first of all that EU ‘institutions, offices, bodies and agencies shall have the support of an open, efficient and independent European administration. Next, there is a new legal power to adopt regulations to that end. This could be a legal base to adopt rules on access to EU information as distinct from access to EU documents, and to adopt rules relating to other aspects of the EUs current ‘Transparency Initiative, including rules on the regulation of lobbyists and on consultations. Some of these issues are addressed in the European Ombudsmans proposed Code of Conduct on good administration, which has been approved in some form by some EU bodies and institutions already. Finally, the Treaty of Lisbon would specify that the EUs Charter of Rights will have the same legal value as the Treaties (Article 6 TEU). The Charter includes the right of access to documents, the right to good administration (which arguably encompasses the right to open administration, including access to information) and the right of data protection. This could possibly enhance the enforceability of those rights within the EU legal system. C-26/62 Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen (1963) ECR1. D. Chalmers et al., European Union Law: Text and Materials (Cambridge, 2006), 52 Obradovic, Daniela (1996) â€Å"Policy Legitimacy and the European Union†, Journal of Common Market Studies 34(2): 193 Obradovic, Daniela (1996) â€Å"Policy Legitimacy and the European Union†, Journal of Common Market Studies 34(2): 192-193 1951/52 Paris, 1957/58 Rome, 1986/87 SEA, 1992/93 Maastricht, 1997/99 Amsterdam, 2001/03 Nice, 2007/09 Lisbon D. Chalmers et al., European Union Law: Text and Materials (Cambridge, 2006), bekijk dit ff Obradovic, Daniela (1996) â€Å"Policy Legitimacy and the European Union†, Journal of Common Market Studies 34(2): 191-221 Een van de boeken dat uitlegd wat democratic deficit is (majone 14/15) European Commission (2001a) European Governance: a White Paper, COM (2001) 428 final Laeken Declaration (2001) â€Å"Laeken Declaration on the Future of the European Union†, 15 December 2001, SN 300/01 ADD1 ibid P 9 of accountability sharp sharp sharp sharp sharp expert agencies that are independent of direct political control where international features dominate (European Council, Council of Ministers, and the second and third ‘pillars of the TEU), P 605 Moravcik Article 16(3) TEU, Article 294 TFEU D. Chalmers and G. Monti, European Union Law: Updating Supplement (Cambridge University Press, 2008) 27. Article 16 TEU, Protocol No 36 on transitional provisions, Articles 3 and 4. Declaration No 7 on Article 48 TFEU. Article 48 TFEU. By Great Britain: European Union Committee, The Treaty of Lisbon: an impact assessment (10th report 2007-08 Volume 1: Report), 33. See above n. 31, p 6 Article 20 TEU referring to Articles 326-334 TFEU. Articles 82(3), 83(3), 86(1), 87(3) TFEU. Article 15 TEU, Articles 235 and 236 TFEU. Article 27(3) TEU. Article 15(6) TEU. ibid (Art. 17(1) TEU) Article 17(7) TEU, Declarations No 6 and 11. (Art 17(5) TEU, Declaration No 10) ibid Article 18 TEU, Declarations No 6 and 12 Article 27(3) TEU. Art. 12(b) TEU): Art. 8 of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. Articles 88(2) and 85(1) TFEU respectively. (Art. 314 TFEU); TEU; Declarations No 6 and 11 See above n. 31, p 28 14(2) TEU; Declaration No 4 (Arts. 2-6). TFEU Articles 288, 289 and 290 TFEU. Art. 22 TFEU See above 31, p6 Article 11(1)TEU Article 11(2) TEU Article 11(3) TEU Article 16(8) TEU Article 15(1) TFEU Article 15(2) TFEU, Article 16(8) TEU Article 15(3) TFEU Article 16 of the TFEU

Monday, August 19, 2019

Business Ethics Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Business Ethics The statement has been made that "ethics has no place in business" and the implications of this statement and its inferring characteristics provide a complex issue in the operation of national and multinational corporations. Because ethical decision making is often not as profitable as choices that do not embrace ethical elements, the perspective has emerged that the nature of an effective business mindset inherently brings about unethical behavior. In order to consider this statement and its implications, it is necessary to recognize the ethical decision-making processes of a number of companies, and reflect upon the fiscal, organizational and operational implications of ethical choices and then relate this process to the perceived outcomes if the opposite choices were made. As an element of this evaluation, it is also necessary to consider the nature of morality and the progression of moral underpinnings for business operations and the implications as companies expand into multinational arenas. Ethics can be described as: "the activity of examining one's moral standards or the moral standards of a society, and asking how these standards apply to our lives" (11). The application of ethics in business is generally perceived as the evaluation of individual and collective moral standards, a reflection of societal morality, and then the determination of business decisions that are not only based on the efficacy of business operations, but also on these moral standards. The problem that many corporations perceive when pursuing the application of ethics in business is that ethical choices are not always the most sound business decisions. For example, when the pharmaceutical corporatio... ...issue as a whole. Individuals have a moral responsibility to take ethical action, and there is no way of denying that corporations are made up of individuals attempting to make both business and ethical determinations. Business ethics, then, must focus not only on the issues related to preventing harm to others, but also taking action that negates the passive process of allowing harm to happen. In the example of Merck, the company pursued their ethical choice not because they would be causing harm if they did not make this determination, but because if they did not take this action, they would be allowing harm to occur (48). Though it cannot be expected that every company will take this kind of action, at the very least, corporations, both national and multinational, have to determine operational ethics that prevent them from causing harm to others.

Summary of KES :: essays research papers

KES Kes is a story of knowledge, of love and not just about a boy and his hawk, It shows the life of a boy from a poor family, and his struggle to get through his teenage years, a story of a boys life which was planned before he was even born. It all starts with a boy named Billy Casper, Billy is the central character in the play and some may say that he is no angel but is he really a villain? He may have nearly knocked Mr Porter of his ladder and he hits Jud when he’s drunk but all of his wrongdoings are never unprovoked, like when Jud steals Billy’s food and pushes him out the way whenever he’s in a hurry. Billy is bullied in school because of his size, as he is a lot smaller than all the other children, he is mistreated by his mother by his fellow peers and by his teachers, but not all his teachers, Mr Farthing is probably the only person that Billy trusts to be around Kes because, he understands, he understands that Billy isn’t the sharpest tool in the box and that his bird is the only thing that set’s him apart from all the other children in his school. Where many would have just given up trying to tame the bird, Billy has exceeded he is now confident enough to give a speech in front of the whole class because in his mind he is one thing that all the other boys aren’t, he is unique. The story is set in a run down Yorkshire mining town where the best job you can get is ending up down dingy old, dark shaft mining. Billy’s family is broken. Jud, mum and Billy constantly bicker and bully each other. Billy realises that most of his problems come from home and the fact that no one supports him, everything started to go wrong for Billy when his dad left and all we hear about him is that â€Å" He ere a wrong en †. There is no one to provide support for Billy –the only person who does is Mr Farthing. Billy loves Kes and she becomes part of his family. It is doubly cruel that Kes is killed by Jud, who should know how much the bird meant to Billy. Family life then is not always happy, but it’s possible to survive, yet it affects people’s behaviour and attitudes.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Revisions of Off-Balance Sheet Financing Essay -- Business Finance

During the 1990s, the United States had one of the most successful economic periods in history. The GDP of the country increased substantially and unemployment was at a historically low level. With the success of the U.S. economy during this period spilling over into the next decade, revelations of corporate scandal and corporate governance oversight came to light. The Enron scandal of 2001 and the Wall Street Meltdown of 2008 are two noteworthy events of inadequate accounting policies that led to economic catastrophe during the past decade. The Enron Corporation‘s flawed accounting practices were perpetuated through the utilization of fraudulent special interest entities that were used to hide losses and rising debt sustained by the company during previous fiscal periods. The Wall Street Meltdown can be highly attributed to the use of mortgage backed securities and other creative investment vehicles that were distributed throughout the world as safe investments with rewarding returns. Both of these events were a product of the improper use and abuse of off-balance sheet accounting methods. The government’s reactions included the creation and revision of new and existing laws and governing bodies. As a direct result of the current corporate scandals, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was created. At the time, SOX was the first and most influential financial system overhaul in response to the current wave of corporate corruption. A provision of SOX established the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). The intent of SOX and its provisions were â€Å"to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities laws, and for other purposes† (Sarbanes-Oxley Ac... ....R. Res. 3763, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. 107th Cong., 107-204 Public Law 116 STAT. 745 (2002) (enacted). Kermis, George F. and Marguerite D. Kermis. â€Å"Model for the Transition from Ethical Deficit to a Transparent Corporate Culture: A Response to the Financial Meltdown.† Journal of Academic and Business Ethics, Fall, 2009. Weissman, Robert, and James Donahue. "Wall Street's Best Investment: 10 Deregulatory Steps to Financial Meltdown." Multinational Monitor January/February (2009): 10-31. Jeffrey, Peter. "International Harmonization of Accounting Standards, and the Question of Off-Balance Sheet Treatment." Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law 12.341 (2002): 341-51. Feng, Mei, Gramlich, Jeffrey D. and Gupta, Sanjay, â€Å"Special Purpose Entities: Empirical Evidence on Determinants and Earnings Management.† The Accounting Review (January 9, 2006). 1-55.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

ASSIGNMENTQ WHY DID I CHOOSE DM

Well teaching profession Is something that I have choose for my career and I have been dreaming of becoming a well known professor or teacher who can help out his students to bringing the best within them . People think teaching profession as some kind of Job which we can apply for when we don't have anything better to do or as an last option , even many of my friends who without undergoing any training they are teaching in high school and college alike.But according to me teaching profession is one of the most and I admire every teachers n respect each of them for their effort to educate the students. Well enough of going round now let me come to the point , Like said before teaching profession is not an last option for me and know myself that without any training I won't be able to give my best , so to gear up my with the teaching technique's and to know about the students I told myself that have to undergo this B.De. Course and for that I apply to this prestigious DMS College Of Teachers Education since It Is the only college where not only Ideas ND lecture's are taught but many non curriculum starting from games and sports , quizzes and many other competition are held to bring about the all round development of the students which is very important to improve our personality . If we inquire in other college this things are very rarely held in this busy scheduled of today's routine .And so getting admission here is a one more step nearer to my goal and I praise almighty that it is with his grace that I got admission here and I would do my best in the coming days so that when I leave I could step out of this college with a usage to carry for the society and leave many sweet memories alike during my stay here .

Friday, August 16, 2019

IPT Marketing Analysis

According to the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association’s What’s in Store report, 93% of Americans snack, with 50% of them doing so two or three times a day; 40% at least four times a day; and 13% five or more times a day (â€Å"Industry News: Snacks and Sweets Statistics†, 1998). Everybody snacks. In a culture bored by potato chips and peanuts, there is a golden opportunity for IPT to infiltrate the national snack market, both sweet and salty, by offering something unique, which will appeal to all ages and ethnic groups.Initially, target markets will consist of three categories based on price structure and volume: corporate accounts, retail customers, and wholesalers. In order to reach these target markets, a number of means will be used. For corporate accounts, including incentive companies, sales managers will participate in a sales blitz of local companies and both print and online e-zine advertising will be placed with trade publications. To reach whole sale accounts, sales managers will participate in trade shows and banner advertising will be placed on commercial distributors’ websites.Retail customers, IPT’s strongest market, will be tapped through the development of a catalog, a website with point of sale software, and radio advertising on a local and national level. Currently, a strong market exists for retail consumers who are health conscious but don’t want to give up snack foods, or what is labeled â€Å"compromisers† (Kuhn, 1996) and this will be a key segment for IPT.In the future, expansion of target markets will include foreign consumers, bulk buyers, and ethnic groups (with offerings of flavor coatings reflective of culture). After expansion regionally and nationally, the next market to logically to acquire is a global one. As IPT expands its operations, it is essential to fine-tune production in order to attract customer who will order in bulk, such as Wal-Mart. With IPT’s patented c oatings process, it will be easy to offer additional exotic flavorings to attract various ethnic groups.Market segments are divided geographically, psychographically and by price point. Geographic areas will be segmented according to local, country-wide and Canada and sales managers assigned to each markets. The psychographic segments are categorized according to those who are health-conscious, families, and baby boomers as well as senior citizens who have fond memories of popcorn and pretzels as treats while growing up. In addition, segmenting by price points will give IPT the categories of retail, wholesale, and corporate accounts.Pricing to the various segments will reflect high-end cost with retail consumers paying full mark-up, wholesalers receiving a 40% discount off retail pricing and corporate accounts capable of realizing a 25% to 35% discount based on annual sales volume. Retail customers will bring in the most profit per sale, however, sales from the retail sector will ce rtainly be lower than that of those at the wholesale and corporate levels.Positioning of IPT in the marketplace will be first and foremost focused on its products’ quality, uniqueness and variety (snack foods, floral arrangements and gift baskets). The products, many with their origination in Pennsylvania Dutch country, and the patented popcorn coating process are unique and consumers will see them as exotic. Stressing the variety of products offered will capture further shares in the market. Brand management based on this positioning strategy will employ the use of memorable tag lines geared at the various segments such as â€Å"Dutch treat† and â€Å"Healthy indulgence†. To coincide with this brand management philosophy, marketing materials will be consistent in packaging and liberally employ the use of IPT’s newly created, distinctive logo.IPT is differentiated by other, larger, snack food suppliers by offering a more personal touch in customer service . Customers will have several ways of ordering products (phone, catalog, website, retail store) as well as the availability of a dedicated customer service line for any problems that might arise, day or night. IPT’s snack foods are different than other manufacturers, such as Frito Lay, because of their Pennsylvania Dutch origins. This, along with IPT’s unique coating process, allows the company to offer very unique products unavailable at the local grocery store. The modern trends in snack foods are to be organic and healthy while a heavy Asian and Hispanic influence demand that spicier flavors be added to snack foods (â€Å"Snack Food Trends in the United States†, 2006).With the company strengths of local recognition, the patented coating process, the long-term contracts and the addition of other products to its offering, IPT is poised to become a major player in the snack food and retail product market. Only through effective marketing, however, will this be a chieved.Referencesâ€Å"Industry News: Snacks and Sweets Statistics†. Retrieved February 4, 2008 from Fiery Food Website: http://www.fieryfoodscentral.com/zine-industry/sweetstats.html.Kuhn, Mary Ellen (February, 1996). â€Å"The charge of the light brigade†. Food Processing. Retrieved February 4, 2008 from the All Business Website: http://www.allbusiness.com/manufacturing/food-manufacturing/544503-1.html.â€Å"Snack Food Trends in the United States† (2006). American Taste Magazine. Summer edition. Retrieved February 4, 2008 from the American Taste Website: http://www.american-taste.com/AP%20Sm06%20Snack.htm.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Compare the ways in which the closing of each text presents the ideas of justice and retribution in The Wife of Bath and Volpone Essay

In Jonson’s ‘Volpone’ and Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’, both justice and retribution are an important feature throughout the texts as whole but especially so at the end of the texts. In each of the texts it is presented in a variety of different ways. In both texts the presentation of justice is very much dependant on the society in which the text is set and when the text is written. The two texts are both set and written in highly patriarchal societies and this is apparent in the texts themselves. In the ‘Wife of Bath’s Tale’ the person punishing the knight of his crime, is the queen. She does not punish him to death straight away as would have been the norm for a rape at this time (capital punishment was not seen as harsh or morally wrong in Chaucerian times and would not have been in the Arthurian times in which the tale is set), but instead gives him a chance of freedom, going against the societal norms, suggesting that maybe justice is not necessarily dependant on the society but the individual crime and prosecution. This could be a comment from Chaucer on how he feels about women in power, and considering the fact he is a male author writing for a male audience this would have been preferable to the views at the time. However the fact a woman has an opportunity to do this contradicts this. Differing from Chaucer, and in fact, his himself and his other plays Jonson, punishes the criminals in his play. This could be for comic effect as the as the punishments are ironic presentations of the crime or it could be the fact that around the time the play was published Jonson was implicated in the gun powder plot and it could be his conformation to the law and abiding by it. Both texts are set away from the place in which the audience is, whether by time or place.’Volpone’ is set in Venice, a town, at the time of writing, well known for being corrupt and ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ is set in Arthurian England, allowing the authors of the texts license to portray the message they wish to their audience without having the text set to close to home. Both Jonson and Chaucer also have a heavy use of ironic justice in the ending of their texts. Jonson’s ‘Volpone’ implements this in the punishments/endings he gives his the characters, for example, through the entirety of the play, Celia is constantly concerned with how she is  objectified and how value is placed upon her, and after the trial, her marriage is ended and her dowry tripled, completely contradicting the view she has of herself. This example is linked with the patriarchal society as previously mentioned as at this time a woman was property of her father and then when she got married, property of her husband. Similarly the rest of the players in ‘Volpone’ are punished according to their crimes, Mosca’s status as a servant is reinforced, Corvino is publicly humiliated, like he threatened to with Celia and Corbaccio’s estates are given to his son Bonario despite Corbaccio’s wish to disinherit him throughout the entire p lay. Chaucer presents a slightly different type of ironic justice however, as the knight who is being charged is actually let off by the official courts as he manages to tell the queen what women want. However he is forced to marry the old hag whom told him the answer as he made a promise to her that he would. The knight himself says ‘ Allas,and weilaway! I woot right wel that swich was my biheste. For Goddes love, as chese a new request’. This is a use of hyperbole, emphasising the fact he does not wish to marry someone who is not of his choosing. This can be seen as ironic justice as he raped a maiden, taking away her choice, and now his own choice is being taken away. Saying this, by the end of the poem, the hag he is forced to marry turns into a beautiful woman, essentially negating his punishment and justifies his crime rather than punishing him and getting retribution for his victim. This is however, the woman’s choice, but it is possible that this is because she is given power, in the tale, which is what women want most, shown in the knights trial when he says ‘ â€Å"my lige lady, generally,† quod he, â€Å"wommen desiren to have sovereynet ee ,As wel over his housbond as hir love, And for too been in maistrie hym above†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, this can be seen as the knight once again over powering , although this time with what he has learnt rather than physical force, and getting what he wants , another way justice is not served Another way in which justice is distributed in the texts is the idea of justice and punishments due to the status of the ‘criminal’. This is shown in ‘Volpone’ when Mosca is punished for trying to over step his mark as a servant and elevate himself into the upper classes, by being punished forced to serve for the rest of his life. This is also mirrored slightly earlier in  the play, also with Mosca, as when the ‘Avvocato’ think Mosca is of high class they are more than happy to allow him to go free and even offer their daughters hand in marriage to him, whereas just moments later when he is revealed to be a servant he is grouped with the rest of the criminals, suggesting corruption in the justice system, which links back with the fact that it is set in Venice, which money is a vital part of. Similarly in the ‘Wife of Bath’ the knight’s status is used against him but in a slightly different way. In this case, his knighthood is called into question by his wife, the hag ,as he is not following the knightly code by ignoring her whilst in bed. ‘Taak fyr, and ber it in the derkeste hous Bitwix this and the mount of kaukasous, And lat men shette the dores and go thenne; Yet wole the fyr as faire lye and brenne As twenty thousand men myghte it biholde; His office natureel ay wol it holde, Up peril of my lyf, til that it dye.’ The use of the metaphor of the fire is the knights wife saying a fire will always behave like a fire, in any situation and he is expected to do the same. Both plays also have a justice system largely based on the punishment of ego and emotions rather than physical pain. The Knight is forced to be with someone that if he is seen in public with he will be judged and mocked and many of the crimes in Volpone are fitting of the crimes. However the rape in the tale is not put forward by the victim but instead is punished by society who takes responsibility for the nameless victim, whereas in Volpone this is not the case. Overall justice and retribution are not really portrayed as things that are set in stone or that should be followed exactly; instead in both texts the punishments are somewhat lax for the crimes that are committed. It is clear that in each text that a comment is being made on the justice system of the time, and although both texts are set away from their writing place, obvious, especially with the heavy use of irony. Also there is a lot of hyperbole in both texts adding to the fact that the authors a commenting on the imperfections in the justice systems.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Adderall – Essay

Police use Taser on 10-year-old at school career day, lawsuit alleges By  Ron Recinto  |  The Lookout  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  11 hrs ago An Albuquerque, N. M. , police officer stunned a 10-year-old boy with a Taser after he refused to wash the officer's car. Officer Christopher Webb was visiting the boy's elementary school for a career day on May 4 when the incident occurred. During the presentation, Webb asked a group of students if they wanted to wash his patrol car. When the boy, identified as R. D. jokingly refused, Webb pointed the stun gun at him and said, â€Å"Let me show you what happens to people who do not listen to the police. † Then R.D. , who weighs about 100 pounds, was hit in the chest with two barbs and 50,000 volts of electricity. Webb  told the Albuquerque Journal  the Taser was accidentally discharged. The boy blacked out. The officer removed the barbs, which left marks that â€Å"looked like cigarette burns† on R. D. ‘s chest, the lawsuit all eges. The lawsuit claims Webb acted in a â€Å"reckless manner. † R. D. , who now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has â€Å"woken up in the middle of the night holding his chest, afraid he is never going to wake up again. Webb was suspended for three days without pay, the Albuquerque Journal reports.He did not return calls from the newspaper seeking a comment. * My personal opinion on this is that this cop, however the situation he might have found himself, had no right to tell that little boy that. He might have been just joking but after that little incident kids are going to be afraid of cops. Which is a growing issue since everyone puts a bad image on cops. For example a little kid does something wrong and his mother tells him I’m going to tell the cops to come and get you. They grow up thinking cops are bad when in reality they’re there to help us. How are those kids going to feel about cops now?These types of reckless people are the ones who affect the image of a good organization. * This is world related in that these types of incidents†¦well I suppose I already answered that in my first answer and this has really been all over the world people are scared of the police when they shouldn’t be. * This relates to me because I remember how my parents would tell me things that if I was bad the police would take me to jail. Obviously this was never true but I thought for the longest time that cops were bad but I grew out of it. The man who sued his wife for birthing an ugly baby By  The Week's Editorial Staff  |  The Week  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  16 hrs agoApparently in  China, bad genes are grounds for divorce — and six-figure fines The story starts out conventionally enough:  Feng, a resident of  northern China, met and married a beautiful woman, and they had a baby girl. Feng was â€Å"so sure of his own good looks, so crushed by the wrinkly ugly mess that was handed to him in a swaddle, that he deci ded to sue his wife because the awful looking baby was totally her fault, He won. the wife came clean on her little secret: Before they had met, she had undergone about $100,000 worth of cosmetic surgery in South Korea. â€Å"Our daughter was incredibly ugly, to the point where it horrified me. A judge agreed, and ordered the wife to fork over $120,000. The wife obviously has to pay a huge amount of money, and got publicly humiliated in the process, but at least she's free of an obviously odious husband. * My personal opinion about this article is that if looks is all he cared about then be glad that you are getting a divorce. But it’s too bad that she had to go through all of this to find out what a total self-absorbed jerk her husband is. * This relates to the world in the sense that it’s been proved that beauty all over the world has been taken a bit too far.People go to extremes to look beautiful or what is now a day’s considered beautiful. They put high st andards and expectations on beauty and end up disappointed on the reality. All the magazines and posters and any propaganda shows a fake image of what the people look like. * This relates to me because well not to me but I knew a couple who broke up because the girl really let go of herself and the guy broke up with her. Sad but true, if someone likes you they’re going to like you the way you are. http://news. yahoo. com/man-sued-wife-birthing-ugly-baby-110500995. htmlSCIENTISTS IN WALES HAVE BEEN SEWING KITTENS' EYES SHUT By  Matt Shea It seems that Cardiff University have been going to extreme lengths to rebuff the old stereotype that the Welsh love  animals more than the Scottish love violence. Their tactic? Conducting a series of experiments in which they sew kitten's eyes shut from birth. It turns out that they weren't just doing it for a bit of horribly sadistic fun (who knew? ). Instead,  the research is being used to develop a cure for amblyopic—or lazy e ye—which impairs the vision of the world’s population and is really distracting when you're trying to have a conversation with someone who has it. Hello, you monster. What exactly is the goal of this gruesome experiment? Lazy eye affects two to four percent of all children and leads to extremely poor vision, or even clinical blindness in one eye. To date, no treatment is available to restore normal vision in an amblyopic eye after the age of around eight years old, which is the end of the critical period of visual brain development. * Is there not a way to deprive their sight without sewing their eyes shut? No.The research was done under anesthetic without causing undue distress or discomfort, to the same standard as it would be done by vets, who frequently carry out the same procedure as therapy for eye conditions in cats and dogs. * What happens to the kittens afterwards? As required by the terms of the Home Office license, the cats were humanely killed at the end of the experiment. By  Matt Shea 15 hours agoTags:  Kittens,  cats,  Cardiff University,  eyes,  eyes sewn shut,  Amblyopia http://www. vice. com/read/scientists-at-cardiff-university-have-been-sewing-kittens-eyes-shut? utm_source=vicefbus