Moods of Poetry Essay

Poetry is a way of expression a speaker’s feelings and emotions into a literary work. All poems have unique tones and moods which show what the speaker feels when writing the poem, and what the reader feels when reading it. For example, â€Å"The Rhodora† by Ralph Waldo Emerson, â€Å"Sonnet XVII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?† by William Shakespeare, and â€Å"Song of Myself† by Walt Whitman, all have the similar mood of happiness and vitality. In â€Å"The Rhodora† by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the speaker finds a flower that is unique in beauty compared to the rest of nature. This poem is written loosely in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of aabbcdcdeeffghgh. In line twelve the speaker states â€Å"Then beauty is its own excuse for Being;† meaning that the purpose of the flower is to show beauty, and nothing more. â€Å"The Rhodora† provides the reader with a mood that is happy and uplifting and gives the reader a more respectful view of nature. â€Å"Sonnet XVII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?† by William Shakespeare, is a sonnet which consists of 14 lines and is in one stanza. In line two the speaker writes â€Å"Thou art more lovely and more temperate†. The speaker is saying that she is more beautiful and gentle than anything he has ever seen. The speaker states that he loves her more than a summers day. The mood of this poem is uplifting and loving, making the reader happier.

Child Abuse and Neglect

This paper will discuss child abuse and neglect and the lasting effects left on a child. The main types of abuse and neglect explained are emotional abuse, psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, medical neglect, educational neglect, emotional neglect, and physical neglect. Included are some warning signs of these different types of abuse and neglect and the legal definitions of each. It is important to understand that all of these forms of abuse and neglect are different and contain varying symptoms, signs, and effects.In addition, the paper discusses uggestions on how to mediate some of these forms of abuse and neglect, including better reporting programs and better parental education. With each different form of abuse and neglect children are left with a multitude of problems and obstacles to face in the future. Throughout the paper and use of statistics, it is evident that child abuse and neglect is a much more serious problem than most of the public is aware.Child Abu se and Neglect A Review of the Literature Between 1,460 and 2,555 children die every year due to child abuse and neglect; meaning that on average, between four and seven children die daily. In a classroom of 20 children, 13 will have been abused or neglected (Childhelp, 2013). These statistics should be shocking to anyone. Child abuse and neglect is an extremely understated problem in American society.The federal definition of child abuse and neglect is â€Å"any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation† or â€Å"an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm† (Gosselin, 2009, p. 93). Although this is the set definition, there can be different variations of t depending on specific state laws. Child abuse and neglect occur in many varying forms and do not always appear in the same manner.Some types of abuse and neglect include emotio nal abuse, psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, educational neglect, medical neglect, emotional neglect, and physical neglect. This paper will discuss the signs of these various forms of child abuse and neglect as well as provide insight to the effects on children. Emotional Abuse Emotional and psychological abuse of children is one of the most commonly overlooked forms of abuse (American Humane Association, 2013).This may be due to the fact that there is no physical abuse occurring for people to notice. Also, not as many people know that emotional and psychological child abuse is happening. One of the biggest problems with forms of emotional and psychological abuse it that it is almost impossible to detect while it is occurring. Often times, it is not noticed until much later in a child's life. Emotional abuse is something that most people have experienced in their lifetime, but not to an extreme extent.Some examples of emotional abuse include â€Å"constant belittli ng, shaming, and humiliating a child, name alling, making negative comparisons to others, frequent yelling, threatening, or bullying, ignoring or rejecting a child as a punishment, and limited physical contact (hugs or kisses)† (Smith, 2013). Parents discipline their children in different ways and have varying methods of punishment, but to constantly belittle or threaten one's child is something much different. This type of abuse is a very painful one for children to experience because they often blame themselves and wonder why their parents are treating them this way.Emotional abuse can lead to impairments in hildren's emotional development and their sense of well-being. Psychological Abuse Along with emotional abuse, psychological abuse can be Just as harmful. Psychological abuse is more of a game of power, where parents control their children and make them believe, for example, that they are worthless. This leads to serious psychological problems and can cause many disorder s such as â€Å"anxiety, depression, withdrawal, or aggressive behavior† (Gosselin, 2009, p. 96).To some parents, using the old saying, â€Å"sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me† is ustification enough for this type of abuse. Most parents do not understand that their children are not able to handle ridicule and harassment as well as adults. To children, having their parents make comments to them can affect their psyche for the rest of their lives. In at least one study, â€Å"about 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder† (Childhelp, 2013).Many parents who do abuse their children emotionally or psychologically believe that it is not abuse because they are making them stronger and preparing them for eople who will be mean and hurtful to them in the future. However, these parents are leaving their children with damaged mental health and social development problems that can l eave lifelong scars on their children. Physical Abuse Physical and sexual abuse of a child can leave these same psychological scars, but are also accompanied by physical scars as well. It is estimated that â€Å"more than 90% of Juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way' (Childhelp, 2013).Children are vulnerable to this type of abuse because they trust the people ho are supposed to take care of them and look after them, making it extremely easy for their caretakers to take advantage of them. Physical abuse is generally defined as â€Å"any non-accidental physical injury to the child and can include striking, stabbing, kicking, burning, or biting the child, or any action that results in a physical impairment or death of a child such as shaking or throwing† (Gosselin, 2009, p. 100). Regarding physical abuse, many parents defend their abuse and claim that it is a form of discipline for the child.These parents do not understand the difference etween discip line and abuse, which can often indicate that they were disciplined the same way. Some signs of physical abuse in children are: â€Å"frequent injuries or unexplained bruises, welts, or cuts; injuries that have a pattern, such as a belt or hand; shies away from touch; seems afraid to go home; flinches at sudden movements; and a child who is always on alert for something bad to happen† (Smith, 2013). Physical abuse can go unnoticed for long periods of time because children can cover up their scars or hide their injuries, but most of the time, it is bound to be discovered.Sexual Abuse Sexual abuse, however, is not as noticeable as physical abuse. Sexual abuse can be defined as â€Å"the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual deception of such conduct† (Gosselin, 2009, p. 101). This type of abuse is not as much about love and intimacy, but more about power and control.Children who are sexually abused are often under the control of their attacker and have trouble finding way out of the abusive situation. Some signs to look for in children who are sexually abused are: â€Å"trouble walking or sitting; displaying knowledge or interest in sexual acts inappropriate to his/her age, or even seductive behavior; making strong efforts to avoid a specific person; not wanting to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical activities; having an STD or being pregnant; or a child running away from home† (Smith, 2013).Most children who are sexual abused are abused by someone they know and love and often times, they do not know that this type of buse is wrong. The abusers in the situation will brainwash the children and make the abuse seem normal, or they will threaten the child into submission and make them keep the abuse a secret. Sexual abuse in child ren can lead to significant psychological and physical problems for them later in life, and these children often suffer from guilt and shame throughout their life as a result of this abuse.Educational Neglect Cases of child neglect differ from cases of abuse, but only in their execution, not their outcome for the child. According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System â€Å"of the approximately 899,000 children in the United States who were victims of abuse and neglect in 2005, 62. 8 percent (564,765 children) suffered from neglect alone, including medical neglect† (American Humane Association, 2013). A fact that many people do not know it that educational neglect is one of the fastest growing types of child neglect and is punishable by law.This neglect is not referring to parents who cannot get their children to go to school because they run away or lies about going, this neglect is referring to the parents who do not make any effort to nroll their children in s chool or give them the mean to stay in school. This neglect can include â€Å"permitted chronic truancy, failure to enroll or other truancy, and inattention to special education need† (Gosselin, 2009, p. 98).One important aspect of this type ot neglect are the parents who tail to accept that their chil d nas an educational special need and should be placed in alternative classrooms or children who have learning disabilities. Education is important for children in their growth and development, and it is required by law that they must attend school until the age f 16 (public, private, homeschooled, or otherwise). Those parents who do not make education a part of their children lives are hurting them Just as much as if they were physically abusing or neglecting them.Education can predict the outcome of children's lives. Medical Neglect Another common form of neglect is medical neglect which can be characterized as â€Å"failing to provide any special medical treatment or mental health care need by the child† or â€Å"the withholding of medical treatment or nutrition from disabled infants with life-threatening conditions† (Gosselin, 2013, p. 99). This is a very serious form of eglect and is often seen in parents who do not take their children to the hospital or doctors when they are feeling ill or have broken bones.Some parents believe that time will heal wounds, or they think that herbal medicines can cure diseases Just as well as other medicines. There are, however, cases of parents who do not take their children to receive medical attention because they are the ones who inflicted the pain on their children. That case would turn into a form of abuse and neglect and is often seen together. Concerning medical neglect, it is important to understand that hildren need to receive yearly check-ups by doctors to get immunizations and tests done to ensure that the child is healthy.Parents who refuse to, or think they do not have the means to take the ir children to the doctors, hospital or urgent care facility are at risk for possibly killing their own children. It is seen more often in medical neglect cases that parents who did not take their children to these facilities were afraid of going to Jail because they causes the injuries to the child. Emotional Neglect Others forms of neglect include emotional and physical neglect.Emotional neglect can be categorized under circumstances including: â€Å"exposure to chronic or extreme intimate partner violence, permitting drug or alcohol use, or having a delay in psychological care† (Gosselin, 2009, p. 98). Emotional neglect to a child is one of the most painful aspects of neglect. When a parent ignores and terrorizes a child or does not want him or her anymore, they are neglecting the child and leaving him or her with emotional walls. It is not easy for children to understand why their parents are doing this, or what they did to deserve this type of punishment.If parents canno t provide their children with adequate care such as psychological help or counseling and instead are encouraging them to drink alcohol and smoke illegal substances, then these people should not be parents. Regarding emotional neglect, it is important to understand that not emotionally supporting children can make them unable to form proper relationships later in life. Physical Neglect In addition to emotional neglect, children face a great deal of physical neglect from their parents.Physical neglect accounts for the majority of cases of maltreatment Healy, 2013). Maltreatment occurs when children injure themselves or are faced with severe malnutrition as a result of a parent or caretaker. Physical neglect involves: â€Å"the failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, protection, or supervision† (Gosselin, 2009, p. 99). It can also include â€Å"child abandonment, inadequate supervision, rejection of a child leading to expulsion from the home and tailure to adequately provide tor the child's satety and physical and emotional needs† (Healy, 2013).Physical neglect is different from physical abuse because nstead of people inflicting pain on children, they are causing pain by ignoring them or not giving them everything they need to survive. These forms of neglect can harm children Just as much as the forms of abuse can, and all of them leave lasting scars. With physical neglect, parents often do not provide their children with their basic needs. Children not only need love and support, they also need food, clothing, and shelter. The main aspect lacking in child care regarding all of these forms of abuse and neglect are reporting programs and parental education.If there were more nhanced programs for people to report these forms of abuse and neglect, the statistics would most likely decrease significantly. Children do not know how to report abuse or neglect can often Just keep quiet, and the people they do report to do not always kno w the correct measures to take. It is important to educate not only our children, teachers, and the general public, but also parents. If parents were more educated in how to care for a child, or what is acceptable and not acceptable to do, these forms of abuse and neglect would also decrease.Parents who exhibit abuse or eglect on their children often claim that they did not know what they were doing was wrong and they did not think there was a problem with their forms of discipline. Everyone needs to be more educated on this topic and it is important to catch this abuse and neglect at the earliest stage possible to decrease the lasting effects on the child. Child Abuse and Neglect Child abuse is any act that endangers a child’s physical or emotional health and development. Child abuse and neglect can take place anywhere. The child often knows the abuser well a parent, relative, babysitter, or friend of the family. Child abuse and neglect crosses all ethnic, racial, social, and economic lines This book talks and expresses the examinations of child neglect in families and its relevance to research, policy and practice in the field of services to children and their families. The authors chose to explore this subject because child neglect is an over looked area of child welfare practice. Families neglect their children almost twice as frequently as they abuse their children. The four major types of maltreatment are physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Some states also specify substance abuse or abandonment by the caretaker as an element of abuse or neglect. Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found separately, they often occur in combination. The most recent statements and research indicate that 860,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the year 2006. The consequences of neglect to children are at least as serious as the consequences of abuse. Referring back to the article statement â€Å"In 2003 1,200 children died of abuse and neglect†. These fatalities were most often the result of neglect only. According to the article 685 of child fatalities due to maltreatment involved child neglect, as compared to 50% that involved. The focus of those working in the field like Child Protective Services, affiliated agencies that can take full custody and etc. In addition because of lack of information and investigations children are maltreatment have been on abuse, due to neglected children and their families and even fatal. It is the intention of the authors to present a comprehensive view of the current state regarding child neglect issues and to offer a rationale for directing focus to this overlooked and disregarded aspect of family relationships. It is time to refocus on these families, both to assist in healing these families and given the relationship between neglect and poverty. Author Cynthia Crosson-Tower, Ph. D My Thoughts I think child abuse is worst thing a child can experience because it scars them for life. Children should be protected and loved. Sadly, this is not lways the case, millions of children are abused every year thousands will die from the abuse. The various types of abuse and neglect are never ceasing, only growing. Just like in the article families are neglecting their children twice as much as the abuse. This very shocking and shameless. Many end up being abusers themselves, or try to kill the pain with drugs and alcohol. How many kids need to commit suicide before this count ry finally stands up and says enough. The number of children sexually abused physically abused neglected or murdered is astounding. I read couple of more articles about child abuse and online sexual predators. Whether it is physical or mental, abuse is wrong. Parents who abuse children should stop and take the time to get help because the child will suffer in the end. Many children in this world die or become emotionally unstable because of abuse in the home. Only half of the victims report the abuse to authorities or family members. After all, who will stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves? We should all report any case of child abuse that we witness this way we can be saving lives. It is our responsibility to put an end to child abuse because child abuse is simply wrong, unethical, and should not be done.

The Man With the Scar Analysis

The story â€Å"The Man with the Scar† I would like to speak about is written by W. Somerset Maugham who is one of the most popular and widely read English writers. He wrote novels, short stories, plays and most of them had a great commercial success. W. Somerset Maugham traveled a lot during his life, he met different people, saw their lives so he gained a lot from his trips. Sometimes Maugham’s stories were thinly disguised episodes involving his host or others he had met on his travels-circumstances that occasionally resulted in threats and lawsuits.The text for analysis is a short story. The main character is the storyteller who speaks about events from the first person. The secondary character is a friend of the storyteller, we know nothing about him: his name, age, his prof, etc. He’s just a companion which answers the author’s questions but he also plays a particular role in the story, because the author reproduces the life of the man with the scar with the help of his companion.The story takes place in The Palace Hotel at Guatemala city in Central America. Author uses the Spanish language â€Å"Que tal, general†, â€Å"Gracias†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ for underlining the local coloring of the place and the nationality of the men which speak this language. The narration begins with the description of the scar on the man’s face. Author uses epithets like â€Å"broad and red, a great crescent† that’s why storyteller notices this man, because of his scar, and immediately he tries to understand why this scar appeared on his face.Author gives us a man’s appearance and characteristic features using epithets â€Å"undistinguished features, artless expression† what about man’s appearance â€Å"He wears a very shabby grey suit, a khaki shirt and a battered sombrero†. From this description given by storyteller we can suppose that the man with the scar could be a military man, maybe Spaniard but a poor man. His work consists of selling lottery tickets. Than the author introduces a little dialogue between author’s companion and the man with the scar.The tone of their conversation shows us affably mood. Companion is interested in the life of the man with the scar, his business, calls him general and treats him, offers a brandy. The next passage tells us a sad story about the Man with the Scar. We get to know he was a general, he was able to upset the government but he was tried by court-martial and was sentenced to be shot ay dawn. Author gives us two descriptions. The first shows us the night before the execution. The men were playing poker and the author underlines that† he general, he’d never had such a run of bad luck in his life† speaking about poker. This phrase tells us about true character of the man, because he was condemned to death at the dawn, what could be worst? But no for him not be winner in poker is important. I think he accepted his destiny and he lived one day one night. Then storyteller describes the day after the night. The day of the execution. The men were led into the patio of the goal and placed against the wall, the five of them aide by side.The men were waiting for the general’s arrival, and â€Å"the man with the scar † as an optimist said that than he had the time to smoke another cigarette and added that the general was always unpunctual. This phrase tells us that our character knows the general very well. The general arrived and asked men their last wish. Four of the five shook their heads but our friend accepted. The author introduces the little dialogue between the general and the man.From this dialogue we get to know about the last wish of the man with the scar, he desired to see his wife, which was waiting for him at the prison door, for saying to her good bye. The general accepted. While our friend was smoking his last cigarette the four men were executed. The storyteller gi ve us the description of the wife â€Å"she was in black, with a veil over her hair, and her face was dead white†. It was clear she was shaking with a fear. The author shows us her beauty, loveliness which was very attractive but which had short life.The man killed his wife, but so quickly that nobody could understand how this had occurred. The author shows us the reaction of the other men and the A. D. C means general. Everybody was shaken but nothing could be done. â€Å"She‘s dead† the general concluded. â€Å"Why did you do it? † asked the general. â€Å"I loved her† answered man. The general said at last â€Å"It was a noble gesture† and refused to execute him. So the death of the woman was the culmination point of the story. The wife dead for the sake of her husband.In conclusion I have to say this story begins with author’s worrying about the scar on the face of the man and ends with the same question â€Å"But how then did he get the scar?† the narrator asked his companion â€Å"Oh that was the due to a bottle that I burst when I was opening it .. a bottle of ginger ale† And the author’s answer â€Å"I never liked it† this shows us the frustration, the author’s frustration of the cause of that scar why the scar appeared on his face†¦So the scar had not been caused by a sabre or by a fragment of shell, no it had been caused by a bottle of ginger ale.

Gun control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Gun control - Essay Example They insist that strict regulations on gun ownership are not the solution to high crime rates. They point out that, since the 1997 ban on handguns in England, crime rates have more than doubled (Malcolm, 2003 as cited in Mackey & Levan, 2011). What has triggered this flurry of activity geared towards permitting people to carry guns in public places? Bruce & Wilcox (1998), note that in the U.S, when citizens learn of death occasioned by a gun attack, many believe that they stand a chance to survive such an incidence if they have a firearm. Pro-gun forces counter any criticism to gun-friendly legislation by pointing out that the government needs not worry about law abiding citizens who voluntarily go to have their backgrounds checked so as to acquire a gun license, but rather, the criminals who have no business in abiding by the law. Gun rights activists argue that law-abiding citizens carrying concealed guns may be able to save lives due to the history of mass shootings in the U.S. According to the Wall Street Journal (2012), in December 2007, there were 7000 people inside the new life church in Colorado Springs when an armed man stormed: He killed two people and wounded many others. What prevented him from killing and wounding more was a congregant who had permission to carry her licensed concealed gun in church property. On the other hand, advocates of gun control argue that even law-abiding citizens with authorization to carry weapons can lose their temper, with fatal results. Such a scenario is portrayed in a teen ager succumbed to gunshot wounds after a dispute over loud music (The New York Times, 2014). In an attempt to neutralize the strength of the pro-gun forces, advocates of gun control have been developing initiatives to make the battle in the legislature more vicious. In April 2014, billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced plans to inject $50

Short paper on Mill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short paper on Mill - Essay Example Additionally, it is a consequentialist form that states that means get justified by the end. The view can be combined or contrasted with virtues, intentions and compliance with rules as significant to ethics (Rachels & Rachels (2012). The main philosophical position of Mill’s word is that the action’s merits depend on the reference of the consequence (Soifer, 2009). Thus, the theory requires people to have certain knowledge about the future. Hence, the theory can be interpreted as a moral reform manifesto that advocates for a better, enlightened ways of settling ethical issues. Additionally, the theory can act as an analytic doctrine that aims at making explicit the sound moral canons of thinking followed by a good moral reflection. Is it possible to identify the actions that may lead to a great amount of happiness to many people without referring to future knowledge? According to Mill, it is a fact that individuals who are equally capable and acquainted to appreciate and enjoy, give the expectation of happiness in their manner of existence. A few people would consent on changing into any of bad behaviors for the fullest pleasures allowance. Thus, no intelligent person may choose to be a fool in order to attain happiness. People with higher faculties tend to need more to be happy and are capable of having more suffering compared to inferior people (Rachels & Rachels (2012). Therefore, some actions can determine the amount of happiness without referring to the future knowledge as Mill suggests. Utilitarianism suggests that an event or act is right and good when it is beneficial to many people. Hence, a righteous act will fully maximize the greatest utility (Soifer, 2009). Therefore, the case of enslavement of a small group for the happiness of a larger group will be considered as moral. According to James Mill, the ruled, along with the rulers are the perfect example

Ethics in sports administration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethics in sports administration - Assignment Example The application of ethical practices has broader impacts in sports. Players adopting ethical practices would directly serve the cause of competitive environment within the sporting activities. The related members such as referees would be better equipped to make proper sporting and judgmental decisions; the fans would enjoy the true competition among and between different players; and the coach will see its efforts bearing true fruit. The paper provides a research question that what are ethical responsibilities of players? The main reason for selecting this research question is that on a ground, all other members play their respective role due to players sporting activities. The paper proposes that ethical practices promote sporting competence and improve performance of players. Here, an independent variable is sporting competence and sporting performance is a dependent variable. There is no significant difference between whether a player is coming at the middle order level or lower middle level is an example of null hypothesis. And, ranking and performance are independent and dependent variables respectively of null

How Has the Internet Influenced the Nature of Community Involvement in Assignment

How Has the Internet Influenced the Nature of Community Involvement in Development Decisions in Urban Planning - Assignment Example According to the International Association of Public Participation IAP2, any method which involves the public in making decisions or solving problems is known as a stakeholder engagement. The Internet has contributed significantly in increasing stakeholder engagement in the urban planning process. This paper attempts to investigate how far the Internet has been successful in doing so. Urban Development Planning The Planning Authorities formulate development plans for the urban, semi-urban and rural sectors. The entire development planning process involves the services of a wide range of professionals. They include civil engineers, architects, environmental engineers, geographers, real estate and property managers, surveyors, cartographers, community association managers, surveying technicians and also market and survey researchers (U.S Department of Labor, 2008, p. 222). The Role of the Internet The Internet has primarily been used to computerize the existing processes of communicati on between the Government and the community people. Citizens have used the e-mail to exchange information with the Government officials instead of writing hard copies of letters. The Community people have accessed information regarding urban development activities, on specific websites instead of reading pamphlets and reports. They could download this information from the Internet as a digital copy if they required it. Many urban planning bodies have posted an extensive amount of information regarding their plans and programmes on these websites. Earlier there used to be newspaper notices and official records regarding the same. The citizens can access a wide variety of planning related documents on the internet which sometimes also includes the agendas of urban planning board. Many planning agencies have adopted Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on their websites which have allowed the citizens to access GIS data and design their own maps. In 2004, a survey was conducted on the websites of 582 cities of the U.S.A which had recorded a population of 50,000 or more in the 2000 Census. It was found that 55% of the websites posted the urban plans of the Civic Authorities and 35% of them provided an e-mail address for the citizens to communicate. 37% of the websites also enumerated the major points of discussion of planned meetings with the community people. (Goodspeed 2008 p29; Conroy & Cowley, 2004) Brody, Godschalk and Burby have identified five areas where the Internet has played a significant role in facilitating community participation in urban planning and development. Some of these areas still offer considerable scope for the Internet to function as a significant medium of communication (Goodspeed, 2008). 1) Providing Information to the Community and Providing them with Opportunities to influence Planning Decisions: There are urban planning websites that have a provision for the citizens to write their views in an open forum where the planning authoritie s can clarify these opinions following a process of exchange of views. The website of PlanNYC (a student run site concerning urban planning) has allowed website visitors to post their comments. Similarly, blogs have been launched on the internet by some communities that have the provision for the residents to post their opinion on a variety of topics relating to urban development planning. A group called E-Democracy.org has launched a forum which facilitates

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Final - Essay Example As a final requirement of the course, the current essay hereby aims to present a narrative synthesis of one’s personal reflection on the academic progress in terms of achieving the defined course objectives. Enhancing Rhetorical Knowledge Through the first writing assignment that requires writing an observation essay, one’s rhetorical knowledge was aptly developed through analyzing a particular advertisement that was specifically designed to create audience appeal and to entice the target market to purchase the advertised product. The advertisement used was Nissan Dualis as the company promoted its 360Â ° view. One thereby recognized that to effectively use rhetorical elements of logos, pathos, and ethos, the advertiser (or literary writer) should first determine the target audience and subsequently design strategies that would cater to the audience’s specific needs. Likewise, one recognized that the credibility of the writer was needed to be firmly established to ensure that the arguments promoted are validly supported, in conjunction with other ingredients which would assist in convincing the audience of the veracity of the assertions. Skills In Critical Thinking The skills in critical thinking was recognized to have been amply improved through the second writing project which was an argumentative essay about the letter of Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) while he was incarcerated in Birmingham jail. It was actually a challenging experience since reading the letter was tedious, not only because of it being lengthy; but also due to the style of writing of MLK. Further, the requirement of the writing project, to argue about a topic which was not evidently obvious was also a trying experience that necessitated looking at various perspectives and thinking outside the box to come up with a most plausible written discourse. Appreciating Writing as a Process, Developing Knowledge of Writing Conventions, and Composing in Electronic Environments By the time that the third essay was assigned, which focused on a political rhetorical essay through an analysis of Mitt Romney’s speech, one has already gained enough confidence to practice skills in critical thinking, as well as using the knowledge of rhetorical elements. Also since the speech had to be searched through the electronic medium, one’s research skills were also enhanced. Practicing how one would effectively write the thesis statement still stirs reflective thinking in terms of using appropriate words to establish the personal contentions or objectives of the essay. Using this writing experience, the rhetorical strategies used were evaluated, identified, and appropriately supported through citing relevant portions of the speech. Aside from knowledge of rhetorical elements and strategies, the concepts surrounding presence of propaganda framework and presence of double speak were also required to be addressed. The process was challenging in terms of the need t o differentiate between these two political frameworks and be able to support one’s arguments based on linking the concepts with applications shown within the speech. A lot of critical thinking, preparation of the draft, revising, paraphrasing, adherence to grammatical rules, conformity to rules of citations and referencing, as well as adherence to the prescribed

Brand Evaluation of Starbucks Coffee Assignment

Brand Evaluation of Starbucks Coffee - Assignment Example The major parts of coffee conceived a barricade to application, constraining get access to circulation passages for the use of exclusive agreements with food shop shops, but it was not so in the commerce specialty coffee, where the circulation was made mainly in retail shops belongs to by manufacturers of specialty coffee. These application obstacles more clear offer high or reduced obstacles to application into the specialty coffee commerce and force us to analyze the obstacles to application less transparent. Many cost benefits can be unaligned of scale and can be got by conceiving a place in the commerce at the beginning. They can be passed as first mover advantage. Some of these advantages arrive with a patented, so straightforward get access to raw components, favourable positions and the bend of teaching or experience. Introduction Today we are seeing a new era of coffee, one of Caffe Latte, macchiatos espresso, cappuccino and Frappuccinos. Specialty Coffee is here to stay, and no longer desire to notify you that what Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, the market and conceive a brand synonymous with commitment, honesty and longevity. Main body Starbucks Brand Value The aim of Starbucks' should be established as the most identified and highly regarded in the world. To accomplish this aim, first Starbucks will extend to augment, grow, and grab market opportunities. The major assets of the business are, of course, espresso coffee, which encompasses beverages, tea, nourishment and beverages. Their goods are coffee does not aim on traditional-style coffee, but mostly freezing blended, baked coffee beans, coffee and liqueurs. They furthermore offer a kind of coffee combines in a kind of flavour and style. In supplement, beverages, Starbucks boasts a kind of nourishment for example sandwiches, salads, pastries and ice creams (Venkatraman Nelson 2008). Other choices offer Starbucks the farther use of earnings are accessories and gear for coffee lovers. Novelty pie ces for example cups, crystal, cyclic and vacation goods to supply buyers with Starbucks "a sense of brand loyalty. For those who desire to make the Starbucks know-how at dwelling, there are coffee appliances and grinders for sale. Part of the Starbucks know-how is befitting to depict and resting air with music. This melody is furthermore accessible for sale in its stores. Detail that they took such a gigantic capacity of procedures emphasizes this issue farther with the likelihood to purchase little enterprises and augment their enterprises at negligible cost. The biggest of their undertakings augment more leverage they have with the trading of their goods and services. Starbucks employees are employed to smaller incomes and share earnings for the barista as comparable to the industry. While Starbucks as its competitors on earnings and earnings, they did not capitalize on their workers, premier to inefficiency (Adamy 2008). These outcomes inefficiencies decreased clientele service and approval that Starbucks prides itself. Dissatisfied clients will finally halt buying Starbucks goods next the decrease of the company. When Starbucks started, personalized service is a priority. The reason was to buy a coffee an exclusive experience. However, in latest years with the fast expansion of outlets in latest years this concept has been lost.  

Which two sites give you the best tips on how to negotiate Essay

Which two sites give you the best tips on how to negotiate - Essay Example It is obligatory that there are at least two participants whose interests are partially common and partially different. Negotiation are the fact of our everyday life, the main means of getting what you want. Though we negotiate every day, it is not easy. Usually people are confronted with the dilemma – to be complaisant or to be strict. The other way of negotiating is a middle approach between complaisant and strict, it includes the attempt to reach agreement between goal striving and being on good terms with people. The world negotiating experience knows much about how to come to the successful agreement and that is why many tips that are usually performed in books and internet are avaliable. Speaking about the tips on how to negotiate we can divide them into some groups: psychological tips, ethical and aesthetic tips, these groups are general for any field of negotiations, and the third group includes professional tips which are different for every field. We investigated four suggestions of tips on how to negotiate made by different authors. Most of the tips given are of psychological character. The analysis of these suggestions will help us to define the best tips which can be used for having successful negotiations. The first suggestion of tips gives such pieces of advice (Braham B.): know thyself; learn the partner you are negotiating with before you start; think on what you want, what your partner wants and on your supposition about what he thinks you want; try to build trust; listen attentively, begin with stating your positions; be confident; know what options you have; know what a win is and the last point is to enjoy the negotiations process.(Braham B.) The number of tips suggested is very good and can be helpfull during the process of negotiations. To my mind stating the positions at the beginning is a very important thing which helps to built trust, in case if person sounds confidently.

Mobile Phones Essay Example for Free

Mobile Phones Essay Mobile phones have had such a large impact in our modern twenty-first century societies, that they have become part and parcel of our daily lives. Nowadays, it has become the norm in our towns and villages to see people who are busy tapping on their cell phones. Mobile phones have changed the way people communicate. These devices are carried anywhere people go because they are light and easy to carry around, such that everyone is constantly in touch with others. This is very different from when home and work telephones were the only means of communication. Nowadays, people can call each other using their mobile phones wherever they are as long as there is reception, regardless of the country they are in. This can be life-saving when emergency calls are needed, while also very useful to communicate with work colleagues, family and friends. Furthermore, mobile phones have also given birth to text messages, which are found to be more convenient than phone calls, because they can be answered at the receiver’s convenience without being disturbed. Read more:Â  Essay on Use of Mobile Phones by Students Smart phones are the latest kind of mobile devices, which have been available for only a couple of years. These phones continue to enhance our communication, mainly by using the internet for third party services, such as chatting and social networking sites. Moreover, these phones can be used for a multitude of other things, such that they are able to have the function of a computer, a music player, a camera, a video camera, a gaming console and a diary, among other uses. Mobile phones have also been of a disadvantage to their users. People in modern societies are often found to be addicted to their cell phones. They check if they have any new message over and over again, even when they are out with their friends or when they are on a date. Firstly, this obsession shows lack of manners because mobile phones are given more importance than the person in front of them. Secondly, this lack of priorities can often be dangerous, for example while driving. The latest smart phones could be very expensive. Even though there are a variety of affordable cell phones and smart phones, some people, most often youths, spend hundreds of Euros every year to buy the latest smart phone, although having only a small improvement over the previous one. Generally, this is a result of persuasive and costly advertising made by giant manufacturers. Furthermore, this has also been a common subject for bullying in schools. Mobile phones have obviously made people’s work and personal life much easier. As long as these are used with caution and moderation, cell phones do not have any particular negative impact on people’s lifestyle and health.

Plato’s “Myth of Metals” and Aristotle’s Analysis of Happiness Essay Example for Free

Plato’s â€Å"Myth of Metals† and Aristotle’s Analysis of Happiness Essay According to The Oxford American College Dictionary, the term happiness is defined as â€Å"[the state of] being satisfied† or â€Å"[the state of] having a sense of confidence in or satisfaction with a†¦situation† (Lindberg 609). In their treatises on politics and the governance of man, Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato address the correlation between the concept of happiness, the establishment and management of a society, and the genetic predisposition of man. This paper will compare the following concepts discussed in Aristotle’s Ethics and Plato’s â€Å"The Myth of The Metals† from The Republic: 1. ) Man’s abilities and vocation are based on/determined by biology (genetic predisposition), and those predispositions form natural divisions or â€Å"classes,† which help to organize a community/society/nation; 2. ) Man can achieve happiness if he or she fulfills/performs his/her pre-determined role – the role for which he or she is naturally suited and that others should encourage and nurture; 3. ) Man must serve his community/society/nation, which prepares him for his â€Å"natural† role, and that service will also provide man with happiness or a â€Å"sense of satisfaction. † Plato and Aristotle describe biology as a factor in man’s choice of profession. Both philosophers note that vocation is determined by ability, and that ability is the result of genetics. This includes those who govern or rule others. In â€Å"The Myth of The Metals† chapter of The Republic, Plato states that each man (woman and child) receives a particular metal mixture at birth, and that the metal received determines a person’s skill set and station in life. Plato says, â€Å"†¦in fashioning those among you who are competent to rule, mixed gold into them at their birth, whereby they are the most precious, and silver into the auxiliaries; and iron and bronze into the farmers and the other craftsmen (107). In other words, the traits or characteristics of any person determine what that person will do with his or her life. Additionally, the person who governs or leads others has unique, unusual qualities that most other people don’t have – qualities that are innate to that person. In Ethics, Aristotle too discusses man’s biological traits as a determinant of his or her profession and classification in society. Aristotle says, â€Å"†¦from natural causes that some beings command and others obey; for a being who is endowed with a mind capable of reflection and forethought is by nature the superior and governor, whereas he whose excellence is merely corporeal is formed to be a slave (1252). Thus, like Plato, Aristotle believes that each man is â€Å"born† to perform certain roles, roles for which each person has a genetic predisposition or natural ability. That ability automatically separates a person from others based on the job or way that person earns his or her living. For example, educators and physicians will associate with other professionals; while custodians and other blue collar workers will form other associations. Plato also discusses the need to nurture a person’s natural talents, regardless of family background or origin – because those talents will bring a person the highest level of satisfaction and happiness. He states, â€Å"†¦you will mostly beget children like yourselves, but it is possible that a silver child should be born of gold, or a golden child born of silver, and so all the rest from one another†¦If their own offspring are born alloyed with bronze or iron, they will assign it the grade appropriate to its nature and thrust it out among craftsmen and farmers without pity† (107). Thus, parents, teachers, other community stakeholders and society in general must nurture the innate abilities of others, especially youth. Aristotle too describes the necessity of accepting the natural differences that exists between people and safeguarding the skills of each person. By developing individual talents, not only does the individual benefit, but society does as well. Aristotle notes, â€Å"Why is it also necessary that, without exception, the one should govern, the other always be governed? it is evident then that both parties ought to be virtuous; but there is a difference between them, as there is between those who by nature command and who by nature obey, and this originates in the soul; for in this nature has planted the governing and submitting principle;†¦and that those who enjoy the best government will live the most happily according to their circumstances† (1260). Another commonality in the messages of Plato and Aristotle is discussion of man’s need to provide service to his fellow man. Plato speaks of the responsibility that a person has not only to himself/herself, but to family and the community-at-large. He also notes that importance of â€Å"giving back† for the nurturing and kindness that others in society provide. Plato states, â€Å"†¦we reared and educated them, being formed and nurtured [within the earth]†¦they must now take counsel for the defense of their country as a mother and nurse, if anyone comes against it, and consider the rest of their fellow citizens as brothers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (107). Man’s service to others is service to a community/nation, and the provision of that service is a form of happiness. Aristotle also describes how service to others, and that includes participation in the governance of others, is a source of happiness. He states, â€Å"†¦It follows that happiness consists of virtuous activity, and that both with respect to the community as well as the individual an active life is the happiest;†¦for virtuous activity has an end, therefore is something practical; nay, those who contrive the plan which others follow are more particularly said to act† (1360). In other words, positive behavior acts provide happiness to the person that commits them and to other members of the community. Service also provides a foundation for government. In conclusion, Plato’s and Aristotle’s works address the relationship between genetics, profession and individual happiness. Both writers express that each person has innate talents and characteristics. Those talents should be nurtured and encouraged by others. Those talents help to determine a person’s career choices and provide a natural classification system in society. Those characteristics also affect whether a person will participate in the governance of others and the type of government that is established. Ultimately, if a person utilizes his or her talents and gives back to the community, that person will locate â€Å"true† happiness – a happiness that others can share. ?

History of Gout Research

History of Gout Research Hyperuricemia is a biochemical defect distinguished by Serum uric acid (sUA) level greater than 6.8mg/dl (Sunkureddi et al. 2006). In majority of cases (90%), hyperuricemia arise due to reduced excretion of uric acid by kidneys, whereas in residual cases (10%), there is enlarged production of uric acid (Canella et al. 2005). . Gout is an illness that is correlated to overload synthesis, and deposition of uric acid crystals. These crystals form secondary to hyperuricemia that is a serum urate concentration greater than 0.42 mmol/L (Eggebeen et al. 2007; Chen et al. 2008). Hyperuricemia and gout are significantly high risks for kidney or bladder stones (urolithiasis).The prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia among US adults in 2007–2008 was 3.9% (Zhu et al. 2011) while 18% observed in the German population (Mikuls et al. 2007). They are highly prevalent and have treatment preposition beyond the care of inflamed joints. Gouty arthritis were amongst the initial disease to be documented in clinical entity, Identified by the Egyptians in 2640 BC (Nuki et al. 2006), podagra (acute gout stirring in the first metatarsophalangeal joint) was later on recognized by Hippocrates in the fifth century BC, who termed as ‘the unwalkable disease’. Some of Hippocrates’ outstanding clinical perception in relation to gout are potted in aphorisms, which are as accurate today as they were 2500 years ago (Hippocrates et al. 1886). Hippocrates also distinguished the connection between the disease and an unbalanced lifestyle referring to podagra as ‘arthritis of the rich’, as contrasting to rheumatism, an arthritis of the deprived people There are the four differents stages that medical professionals use to classify for the gout. The Asymptomatic gout, The Acute gout ,The Chronic goutand The Interval or intercritical goutIn asymptomatic goutthere is increase in the level of uric acid with the complaint of increase in the pain in the joints and there is no more symptoms. In acute gout this patients have too much pain in their joints and there is a swelling and assiated with the redness of joints.90% of patients have attack on their big toe. Other joints involved are ankle,midfoot heel and knee but any joints can be involved. The attack with gout can be resolved within one or two days. In the interval gout stage there is acute gouty flares and the patients has no symptoms.there is increase in the number of gouty attack if the uric acid level below 6 mg/dl .the most of patients have attack but they have never exprinced another attack of gout, Chornic gout develops because of high level of uric acid in their body for man y years.firm nodular swelling is called tophi.the tophi can occurs anywhere the most common location are antihelix and helix of ear,digits of feet and hands. (Hench et al.1936; Nakayama et al. 1984). It is estimated that the incidence and prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia in the USA are over 6 and 42 million, respectively, with a progressively increasing pattern and affecting mainly men over the age of 40 years (Lawrence et al. 2008). The rate of gout in African living in America is generally about 13% of the US population, and is double in comparison with Caucasians to develop gout. In a prospective cohort study, young men 571 Caucasian and 352 African living in America were followed for a mean duration of 29 years. The growing incidence of gout in these 2 cohorts was 5.8% and 10.9%, correspondingly. Yet, African living in America represent only 10% of the patients treated for gout.(Alvin et al2012) All the way through history gout has been linked with rich foods and extreme alcohol consumption. Because it is evidently connected with a way of life that, at least in the past, could only be afforded bythe rich, gout has been referred to as the ‘disease of kings’. In some eras gout was apparent as publicly desirable because of its occurrence among the politically and socially influential people. In his typical monograph on the history of gout (Copeman et al. 1964), Copeman refers to a comment in the London Timesin 1900, â€Å"The common cold is well named, but the gout seems right away to lift up the patient’s social status†, and to another in Punch in 1964, â€Å"In observance with the spirit of moredemocratic times, gout is becoming less upper-class and is now open to all. It is preposterous that a man should be barred from enjoying gout because he went to the wrong school.† In history, gout has been well thought-out to be primarily a male disease, But actuality that women can also develop gout was first documented through the reign of Nero (AD 54–68) by Seneca, who observed, in this age, women competitor men in every kind of lasciviousness. Why require we then be astonished at considering so many of the female sex afflicted with the gout (Froster et al 1979). In the current era, although gout remains first and foremost a disease of men in middle age, it has turn out to be more and more frequent in women, predominantly after the menopause.( Hench et al.1936; Nakayama et al. 1984). The ancestral connection of gout was documented hundreds of years ago but important the exact genetic mechanisms weren’t achievable until the arrival of modern genetic tools. Gout was incorporated as an inherited disorder in the seminal work of Archibald E. Garrod in his 1931 publication on inborn errors in metabolism. Garrod well thought-out gout to be a dominantly inherited trait.(Gray et al 2012) In earlier times, attacks of gout were also seen as a prophylactic against more serious diseases. According to the writer Horace Walpole gout â€Å"prevents other illnesses and prolongs life might I treat that gout, should not I have a fever, palsy (Lewis et al. 1873),. In recent decades, however, the diet and lifestyle that predispose persons to hyperuricemia and gout have become all the time more common. The role of excess nutritional purines (derived from meat, seafood, and beer) in the progress of gout is illustrated by the difference between the incidence of gout in Asia and Europe. Traditional Asian diets, based on rice and vegetables, are small in dietary purines, and gout has been moderately rare in these cultures. In contrast, European and American diets, which are high in meat and definite sea foods, are linked with hyperuricemia and gout (Choi et al. 200; Zollner et al. 1973). Rising affluence has also led to an increase in the figure of people following a westernized diet and lifestyle, and this has been paralleled by an increase in the occurrence and incidence of gout throughout the world. Purines are machinery of nucleosides, the structure blocks of DNA and RNA. Purine nucleosides are used in the formation of other metabolically significant factors as well, such asadensosinetriphosphate, S-adeneosylmethione, and nicotineadeninedinucleotide. Given the significance of purine-containing molecules for continued existence, vertebrates, including humans, have developed robust mechanism for producing enough purine nucleosides for their metabolism using willingly available materials (such as glucose, glycine, and glutamine), as well as recycling purine nucleosides from all through the body or from the diet (Richette et al; Wilson et al. 2010). Purines can be divided into two types Endogenouspurines are manufactured within human cells. And exogenouspurines are obtained from foods. In mammals, surplus purine nucleosides are detached from the body by collapse in the liver and excretion from the kidneys. For most mammals, the purines are first transformed into the transitional uric acid, which is then metabolized by the enzymeuricaseinto the compound allantoin. Allantoin is a very soluble compound that can without difficulty pass through the bloodstream, become clean by the kidneys, and be excreted from the body. In dissimilarity to other mammals, humans and other primates lack a serviceable uricase enzyme, and can only break purines down into uric acid. The procedure of breaking down purines results in the configuration of uric acid in the humans body is not as easy to detached, because human body lack uricase, and that can build up in body tissues. The levels of uric acid in the blood depend on 2 factors. The first is the rate of uric acid synthesis in the liver. While uric acid consequences from purine degradation, its levels are influenced by both the amount of purines synthesized in the body, as well as the amounts of purines absorbed from the diet The second determinant of blood uric acid levels is the rate of uric acid excretion from the kidneys. The residual uric acid travels all the way through the intestines, where bacteria help break it down (Richette et al. 2010). Excretion has the maximum effect on blood uric acid levels, with about 90% of hyperuricemia cases attributed to impaired renal excretion (Choi et al. 2005). Impaired excretion is most often due to abnormality in the kidney urate carrier or organic ion transporter, both of which control the movement of uric acid out of proximal kidney tubules and into urine (Enomoto A et al. 2002). The treatment of gout consists of controlling the pain, Reducing the serum urate levels, changing unhealthy life styles, preventing the complications of chronic gout. (Schumacher et al 2008) By changing the life style because unhealthy life style will result increase hypertension,hyperlipidemia and obesity,by controlling diet of purine consumption causes significant decrease in the serum urate level but the greater decrease is seen in those patients who have stop the alcohol consumption in their diet (choi et al 2005) There are number of ways to reduced the sUA level.the best way is too control the diet,but sometime along with the drugs.sometime these drug are very effective and reduced the sUA very quickly. (choi hk et al 2008) Following drugs are also used to lower sUA level urate levels: Uricosuric agents (ii) Allopurinol and Febuxostat: Uricosuric agents:  Two drugs that belong to this group are benzbromane and probencid.these two are weal organic acid and lower the sUA level,by inhibition of tublar rebsorptionof urate in the renal tubular system and increasing uric acid in the urine. These agents are indicated when the renal execration of urate are decreased.it is contraindicated in patient with renal calculi(Alvin et al 2012). Two drugs that belong to xanthine oxidiase inhibitor are Allopurinol and Febuxostat. Xanthine oxidase inhibitor along with uricosuric agent are used to increase the urinary execration of urate .The two drugs Febuxostat and Allopurinolare used to lower the sUA level and their Xanthine oxidase xanthine oxidase is the only enzyme that break down the purine bases and catalyze the conservation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and the xanthine to uric acid .then uric acid normally excerated .this enzyme deficiency is may be due to the gentic factor, sometime more consumtion of purine food and less production of enzyme.If any drug that is metabolized by xanthine oxidased,its action is increased by Allopurinol drug llike mercaptopurine FEBUXOSTAT: Febuxostatis a urate decreasing drug and inhibitor of xanthine oxidase so that is used in the treatment of hyperuricemia and chronic gout (Grosser T et al. 2011). Febuxostat was approved by the European Medicines Agency on April 21, 2008and after one year it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on February 16, 2009 Febuxostat lowers sUA concentrations by acting on the purine catabolism, the mechanism of action is oxidation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and xanthine to uric acid(Becker et al. 2005). . it is structurally quite different from Allopurinol, has an different mechanism of action on enzyme inhibition, and is more potent.Unlike Allopurinol, that undergoes oxidation to the active metabolite oxypurinol and interacts chemically with the molybdenum center of xanthine oxidase, Febuxostat remains unchanged and inhibits xanthine oxidase by binding in a narrow channel leading to the molybdenum center of the enzyme. By this mechanism, Febuxostat is able to inhibit both the reduced and oxidized form of xanthine oxidase to produce sustained reductions in sUA levels. (Beckar et al 2010) The capability of humans and primates to protect blood levels of uric acid (due to slow kidney filtration and lack of a uricase enzyme) was probably useful to our evolution, by increasing antioxidant capacity of the blood (Alvarez-Lario et al. 2011). Vitamin.C Humans and primates are one of the few mammals that cannot produce their own vitamin c( vit.c), and may have evolve the capability to protect uric acid to reimburse for this (Hediger MA et al. 2002). For example, blood uric acid levels in humans are in general about 6 times that of vit.c, and about ten times the levels in other mammals (Roch-Ramel F et al. 1999). Like vit.c, uric acid has a principle role in shielding high-oxygen tissues (like the brain) from spoil, and low blood uric acid levels have been linked with the succession or greater than before risk of more than a few neurological disorders, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Keizmann D et al. 2009), Multiple sclerosis (Rentzos M et al. 2006), and Huntingtons (Auinger P et al. 2010), Parkinsons (Andreadou E et al. 2009), and Alzheimers diseases (Kim TS et al. 2006).

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Essay examples -- Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two contrasting terms that are displayed by different people all over the world. Simply put, ethnocentrism is defined as â€Å"judging other groups from the perspective of one’s own cultural point of view.† Cultural relativism, on the other hand, is defined as â€Å"the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual.† Each of these ideas has found its way into the minds of people worldwide. The difficult part is attempting to understand why an individual portrays one or the other. It is a question that anthropologists have been asking themselves for years. Ethnocentrism, as stated above, means the belief that one’s own culture is above and beyond all other cultures. Although this is somewhat of a shallow definition, it still provides an adequate explanation of a very complex issue. We see ethnocentrism every single day, in all aspects of life. The United States of America is a prime example of ethnocentrism is action. The people of this country have a tendency to disregard other cultures, instead believing that American culture is the only way to go. This is not to say that this is how everyone thinks, although most people, at one time or another, have had thoughts along these lines. After the terrorist attack of 9/11, there was an immediate shift into almost hatred of any person of Arabic descent...

Eastern Gray Kangaroo Management Plan :: essays research papers

The Macropus giganteus, otherwise known as the Eastern Gray Kangaroo, the Giant Gray Kangaroo, or the Tasmanian Forester, is found in the eastern parts of Australia and in Tasmania. A management plan for this species can prove to be difficult, as one has to take in to account the fact that having high kangaroo populations may have undesirable influences on ecological processes in response to habitat destruction or other environmental change that may pose a threat to biological diversity or other environmental values. Nonetheless, in this plan, I shall try to cover any concerns in an effort to show how to further benefit the Macropus giganteus. My first concern is the kangaroo’s habitat. Kangaroos can survive in very dense packs, called mobs, as has been shown by studies recording as many as 357 kangaroos per square kilometer living in a single nature reserve. However, they prefer to have more land available to them for grazing, as they feed primarily on shrubs and grasses that grow in the open fields. To address this, I would propose a solution that has proven effective in raising the populations in the past; deforestation. Kangaroos do not utilize the densely wooded areas in any way that would make them beneficial to keep. They have been known to live in the open woodlands, though. When heavily wooded areas are thinned or completely destroyed, this provides more grazing area for the kangaroo, allowing for a higher population carrying capacity. However, it must be stressed that some shade trees must be kept, as the kangaroos like to rest under them to cool off from the intense Australian sun. Another major concern is the killing of the kangaroo population by farmers. Farmers hunt the kangaroos because they feel that the kangaroo grazes on too much of its land, therefore being detrimental to the farm. A simple solution to this that benefits the kangaroo is to simply buy out the farms and convert the farmland into grasslands that the kangaroos can graze in freely. The farmer benefits from the buyout, and the kangaroo population can continue to increase. Another problem the Gray Kangaroo faces is being struck by cars. Roads often cut through the bush lands in Australian, often without any king of fence or barrier to keep wildlife from wandering onto the highway and being killed. Thousands of kangaroos are killed each year because of this. One solution is to fence off the highways that cut through kangaroo habitat.

New Deal Essay -- essays research papers

The most active First Hundred Days was under president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first term. In a desperate attempt to solving the woes of the American population, FDR and his Congress passed more bills than any other president-congressional combination as ever done in their first impression time period. FDR’s domestic policy, known more widely as the New Deal, was intended to be a group of innovative measures to counteract the effects of the Great Depression. Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress, trying to reduce unemployment, restore prosperity and return a sense of morale to American citizens, endorsed a wide variety of bills creating new federal programs and agencies. These agencies were known as alphabet agencies due to their titles that included many different letters (i.e., WPA, FERA, TVA).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although the New Deal was initiated to return prosperity to the American economy, in the long run, the New Deal was probably the worst policy ever started. Though providing quick relief to some areas of depression, the New Deal was overall a very socialist, perhaps even communist plan. Controlling prices, giving out jobs, commanding water flow, were just some of the many practices engaged in by the government tat went against capitalistic American point of views.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some agencies did do good, however. The New Deal’s dealing with the banks was performed very well. It returned trust in leaving money in the banks with the Fed...

Siddhartha: Journey Towards Self Discovery

A Journey Towards Self-discovery By: Gabrielle Revelo Behind all the endeavors of Siddhartha are prompts that steer him to a different path. Thus, he experiences many different faces of the world throughout his journey of discovering the truth within himself. In attaining truth, it is essential for Siddhartha to discover the unity of the world. One cannot find the reality in ones being if the world itself is disintegrated; a vital parcel of self-discovery is unity of the world.It is in the unity of the physical world where Siddhartha discovers the key concept of finding truth in his own persona. Therefore, finding unity with the world can co-exist with profound personal satisfaction in life. Everything that happens to Siddhartha piles up to realizations, because through his experiences he gains adequate understanding, which eventually leads him to the ultimate knowledge, which satisfies all his worldly desires. In the end, Siddhartha’s encounter with Vasudeva really matters th e greatest in his quest of finding truth.It is the ferryman who served as the catalyst for his self-discovery. Finding the unity of the mortal world is a constituent in achieving self-discovery; Siddhartha only attains the truth within him through discovering the unity of the world. When Siddhartha exposes himself in a disunited world of materialism with Kamala and Kamaswami, which Siddhartha denotes as the game of Samsara, he ends up with a vital realization; â€Å"Then Siddhartha knew that the game was finished, that he could play it no longer. A shudder passed through his body; he felt as if something had died† (85).As Siddhartha recognizes the disunity of the world, he feels nauseated with himself, and shares a mutual perspective on how he perceives the world. Through Siddhartha’s perception of a disunited world, he is unable to find the unity in himself. But as Siddhartha escapes the world of spirituality, in being a Brahmin, or a Samana and when he flees his life of materialism with Kamala and Kamaswami, Siddhartha ventures in the first representation of the unity of nature, the river; this is when Siddhartha reaches to a the ultimate discovery; â€Å"From that hour ceased to fight against his destiny.There shone in his face the serenity of knowledge, of one who is no longer confronted with conflict of desires, who has found salvation, who is in harmony with the stream of events, with the stream of life, full of sympathy and compassion, surrendering himself to the stream belonging to the unity of all things. † (136). Through the unity of nature, Siddhartha hears the sound of perfection or the sound of contentment within him. It is when he witnesses transcendence of the world where he discovers his being.Govinda wanders in the riverbanks to hear for himself the words of a pious ferryman who has been the talk of the town. He then discovers that the ferryman is no other than his childhood friend Siddhartha; as their conversation conclud es Govinda notices in his friends appearance; â€Å"He no longer saw the face of his friend Siddhartha. Instead, he saw other faces, many faces, a long series, a continuous stream of faces– hundreds, thousands, which all came and disappeared and yet all seemed to be there at the same time, which all continually changed and renewed themselves and which were yet all Siddhartha† (150).Through Govinda’s divine impression of Siddhartha’s physique, it ascertains Siddhartha’s achievement of peace. He is the sole witness of Siddhartha’s self-discovery. Siddhartha’s life from being a clever Brahmin, a patient Samana, a lavish businessman, and as a ferryman are all essential towards his self-discovery for they have indicated directions to Siddartha and eventually those prompts leads him towards self-discovery.As Siddhartha departs his life with his parents, the Brahmins, he follows the way of the Ascetics; after so many years of living the life of an Ascetic, Siddhartha moves further to seek enlightenment from the Gotama, the Buddha; â€Å"This fruit, for which we are already indebted to Gotama, consists of the fact that he has enticed us away from the Samanas. Whether there are still other and better fruits, let us patiently wait and see† (23). As Siddhartha absorbs the knowledge that the Samanas once imparted to him, it directs him to a different path.Through his constant longing for discovering truth, Siddhartha acquires more understanding that was essential to decode the puzzle towards truth. By the time Siddhartha absorbs the teachings of his previous spiritual life as a Brahmin and a Samana, and as he parts ways with the promise of Buddha’s enlightenment he goes to the town and experiences the domain of materialism; it took many years for Siddhartha to crash upon another realization; â€Å"I have had to experience so much stupidity, so many vices, so much error, so much nausea, disillusionment and sor row, just in order to become a child again and begin anew.But it was right that it should be so; my eyes and heart acclaim it† (96-7). Through experiencing another perspective of life, Siddhartha finally grasps the notion that truth is not defined by materialism. It is another milestone in his life, which forces him to reevaluate his life. Finally as Siddhartha encounters nature, represented by the river he finally locates the final parcel of his realization; â€Å"Within Siddhartha there slowly grew and ripened the knowledge of what wisdom really was and the goal of his long seeking.It was nothing but a preparation of his soul, a capacity, a secret art of thinking, feeling and breathing thoughts of unity at every moment of life† (131). In the terminal phase of Siddhartha’s realization, wisdom is reflected on his journey. Various directions prompt Siddartha to take up different lifestyles. Siddhartha’s encounter with the ferryman, Vasudeva impacts him the most in his journey towards self-unity; it is the ferryman who introduces the vast knowledge of nature to Siddhartha, whom Siddhartha eventually perceives, and ultimately attains peace.After Siddhartha awakens from his long unconsciousness to reality, he approaches a ferryman whom he adores his capabilities; â€Å" I also thank you, Vasudeva, for listening so well. There are few people who know how to listen and I have not met anybody who can do so like you. I will also learn from you from this respect† (105). Siddhartha’s appreciation of the ferryman’s listening capacity, the very first time they decide to venture together, directly highlights the ferryman’s importance to Siddhartha’s search. The peace that Siddhartha observes from Vasudeva’s image becomes his goal.When Sidhartha recognizes the ultimate power of the nature, in the moment of self-discovery, he remembers an essential person; â€Å"This knowledge matured in him slowly, and it was reflected in Vasudeva’s old childlike face: harmony, knowledge of the eternal perfection of the world and unity† (131). Through Siddhartha’s comparison of perfection to Vasudeva, demonstrates Siddhartha’s recognition of his predecessor’s great contribution to his realization. Moreover, Siddhartha exhibits his owed learning to the ferryman through recollecting his image to his experience of peace.Siddhartha explains to Govinda the great realization that Vasudeva came about; â€Å"When this holy man went off into the woods, he new everything; he knew more than you and I, without teachers, without books, just because he believed in the river† (147). Siddhartha illustrates the greatness of Vasudeva through explaining to his friend the realization that the ferryman once imparted to him. Through Sidhartha’s demonstration of his shared understanding with Vasudeva to Govinda, ascertains the vitality of Vasudeva in his search for truth.

Sue Rodriguez

Sue Rodriguez- Assisted Suicide By: Monique Sue Rodriguez, once a woman who was lively and healthy women much like the rest of us was given the horrible news that she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in early 1991 changing her life tremendously. Little did she know her fight for equality of life would create a milestone in Canadian Law. Sue Rodriguez fought long and hard to demand the right to assisted suicide, which at the time was illegal under the Criminal Code of Canada, being a punishable act for up to a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Ms.Rodriguez argued that Section 241 (b) of the Criminal Code (which prohibits assisted suicide) violated her constitutional right to life, liberty and security of the person under S. 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Unfortunately both the British Columbia Supreme Court and the British Columbia Court of Appeal dismissed her application. Sue Rodriguez at her final attempt of trying to grant herself the right to assisted su icide appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, the verdict resulting in a five to four decision with the Supreme Court of Canada dismissing her appeal.In 1994, Ms. Rodriguez decided to take matters into her own hands, with the help of an anonymous physician Sue Rodriguez ended her life. Assisted Suicide is something I will never be able to give an honest opinion about, unless you personally have had a loved with a terminal illness asking for assisted suicide I don’t think anyone can voice if this practice is fair or not. Any case dealing with a terminally ill victim grasps compassion from people looking at the case, so I think no matter what most people put pity on Sue Rodriguez and jump to her side. Ms.Rodriguez under the Charter Section 7 deserves to be entitled to: ‘Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. ’ This statement from th e Charter of Rights in this particular section is open to diverse interpretation, so in Sue’s case she views her ‘right to life’ as the right to end it in any given time if it is under her wish. I too believe that although suicide is illegal and punishable act under these circumstances (terminally ill patient) the right to choosing when to end our life should be granted. I do not believe that the correct verdict was rendered in this case. Although I can see where the Court is coming from, striking down the Criminal Code must involve something that is detrimental however when someone is undergoing tremendous amounts of pain I think that they should be given the right to Choose how they die. If an individual's quality of life is terrible, they should have the right to stop suffering. The Supreme Court may have dismissed Sue Rodrgiuez’s appeal; however the fight for euthanasia is far from over, there will be hundreds of thousands of cases similar to the Rodri guez case.In a few years the Court will see that this isn’t a matter that should be taken lightly, the laws must be changed to allow individuals the right to euthanasia /assisted suicide. Everyone and anyone should be entitled to die in dignity, although people like Ms. Rodriguez had to undergo assisted suicide behind closed doors I hope that someday people that are terminally ill will be able to walk into a clinic and choose to end their life if they feel so. I think this practice is legal in some countries in the world, but not in Canada because Canada is a country that embodies all aspects of law we are liberal, republican and conservative.The legal rights set out in the charter are there to protect you, and to ensure that justice is served in a just and fair manner, as we know Canada is a place all about making sure the law is served in a just manner so by letting people break the law stating suicide is a punishable act would go against the Criminal Code of Canada. Canada takes pride in the fact that we try to make laws as humane as possible, however there is just no way in ensuring that every citizen in Canada is pleased with all the laws.To reduce controversy amongst our country we have made assisted suicide an illegal act; however some countries have made the act legal under their borders. Countries like Belgium and the Netherlands have a more liberal aspect to them, so euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal. The main risk involved in legalizing assisted suicide is the uproar that would come from the public, if we think changing a law regarding a speed on a highway is going to cause chaos think about the affect a law enabling killing terminally ill victims would create.Like I said before, Canada prides itself in the fact that are accommodating and try to fit the needs of every Canadian citizen so by allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia we would be upsetting a lot of individual’s that view this practice in a negative way. Another con that would result from legalizing assisted suicide would be that people would take advantage of the practice, people with depression and other mental illnesses may feel that they have the right to undergo this practice. This should not be allowed to be a factor in a human's choice to die seeing as they are fully.Legalizing assisted suicide would be the start of a slippery slope that would lead to anyone, whatever their condition, being helped into opting for death. There is a fine line when differentiating between euthanasia and assisted suicide; both relieve a terminally ill victim of their pain and suffering however the only difference being the way the act is performed. Euthanasia is the deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending the life of another person in order to relieve that person’s suffering.Assisted suicide on the other hand is when the victim completes the act themselves with the help of a doctor or other individual. I believe that both euthanasia and assisted suicide should be legalized in Canada. We have made so many advances in Canadian law; it is long overdue for these legal issues to be allowed. Your body is your body and I feel that you may do whatever you want with it, especially under the circumstances where a person is under a vast amount of pain. A doctor or the government shouldn’t be the judge of whether you are allowed to end your suffering or not.What Jack Kevorkian did was something that will go down in Canadian Law history, it is amazing knowing that there are still people in this world that will look past societal norms and do the noble thing. We are given the right to work, have a family and choose our religion however when it comes to something as personal as our lives we aren’t given the decision. Above we looked at legalizing these issues for an emotional sense however there are economic reasons why euthanasia and assisted suicide should be legalized.These two issues should be le galized because all of the money being spent on trying to cure the patient could be going to use for something else. All of the money that is being spent trying to find a treatment for the patient and all of the medicine and machines being used to keep them alive could be being put to use for something else. Everyone should be entitled to quality of life, and if they are not enjoying the life they are in they should make the final decision of whether to end it or not. The kind of quality of life is defined by the patient, not the doctor or government.

Broadcasting of the BBC Documentary ‘The Secret Policeman’ Essay

On Tuesday 21st October 2003, the BBC’s documentary The Secret Policeman was broadcast to approximately 5 million viewers in Britain. Mark Daly, an undercover reporter had spent seven months posing as a fellow trainee at the Bruche National Training Centre in Cheshire to film an exposà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ on racism among police recruits. The film not only provided evidence of police racism but also highlighted the stereotypical representations of Black identity within Western ideology. In this essay I propose to investigate how the British media’s representation of Blacks has, rather than reflecting reality, constructed it. My research predominantly focuses on evidence gathered from racial reports and theories of the 1980’s until the present day and examines the development, if any, within race representation in the media. Pre-1980’s case studies are generally omitted because of the rapid development of discussion of racial issues as a reaction to the brutal riots of that decade. Additionally, the institutional and individual stereotyping revealed within The Secret Policeman can be directly related to prevalent issues specifically within the media of the previous two decades. Controversially, I ultimately aim to depict The Secret Policeman as a symbol of advancement in Black representation within Britain. â€Å"The use of the term ‘Black bastard’ and ‘Nigger’†¦ isn’t racist† The Secret Policeman’s inclusion of a clip of racist remarks by the Police Federation’s Representative in 1983 is an accurate reflection of the racial turmoil that Britain’s Institutions and communities were in. Black lawlessness was an image that dominated the Press reporting on riots from 1980 – 85. A predominantly Black riot against at Bristol’s police force in 1980 was followed by further confrontational outbreaks in 1981. The first two years of riots gained Britain’s (particularly young) West Indian community the reputation for being â€Å"notorious for muggings, assaults and murders†2 but nonetheless presented a slight initial interest into the awareness of the underlying causes. The scale of Britain’s urban unrest between these years varied considerably but the sequence of violence after 1980 forced the political agenda to include an examination of the origins of the protests. The Press employed Brixton (1981) to highligh t the need for enhanced Government economic policies; â€Å"As we condemn the senseless terror†¦ we also condemn the deep seated social problems†¦which spawned them.† From 1983 to 1985 Britain’s poor and predominantly West Indian and Asian neighbourhoods experienced social disturbances, as was the case in 1981. Once more, the media endorsed the riots as the criminal acts of black, inner-city youths but this time they were not linked to ethnic inequality, oppression or socio-economic frustration but only to the Blacks’ position in society and their undermining of the law and cultural traditions of the minority communities themselves. The British press’s reaction to the prominence of riots particularly during 1985 was to decline both generally to examine the reasons for them and specifically to consider ethnical inequality as a cause. Subjects of immigration, housing, employment, social facilities and race relations within the civic authorities that were central to the causes of the urban violence, were abandoned for crude simplifications that represented Blacks as the sole initiators of the violence. The criminal identity with which the media had labelled Blacks was not wholly fictitious. Anecdotal evidence of provocative quotes and repetition of unreliable stories would always ‘operate within a dominant regime of truth’4. Crimes involving Blacks were given disproportionate coverage that suggested a behavioural generalisation that would never be suggested of Whites. Stereotyping was not the only form of racism; more covertly the press would exclude or misconstrue statistics such as those that showed Blacks to be twice as likely to be out of work as their counterparts. The coverage of Tottenham’s 1985 riot gave less publicity to the death of a lack woman than the ensuing disturbances in which a police constable was murdered. The policeman’s role as a victim totally overshadowed the mourning of the aggressor that the Black fatality was consigned to. ‘The perspective within which coloured people are presented as ordinary members of society has become increasingly overshadowed by a news perspective in which they are presented as a problem.’ Teun. A. Van Dijk was highly influenced by Hartmann and Husband’s early study of racism in the press which concluded the above labelling of Blacks. According to Van Dijk the riots were topicalized in a style recognisable across the entire media front; the event, the causes and the consequences. Contrary to using these journalistic traits to investigate all areas of the riots, Britain’s media manipulated it as a means of reporting on selective data. The event was described as the attacks of ‘mobs’ of black youths; in order to maintain the stimulus once the disturbance was over the primary definition of the cause of the riots was in terms of Black criminality in preference to the inner city conditions. Finally, the exoneration of Institutional Britain was enabled through the report’s focus into future containment, policing and inquiries. The report pattern of Black mob, Black crime and Black prevention was typical of a whole generation’s instinc tive approach to Black Britain. The media’s response to the 1980’s riots created and regurgitated images of Black male criminals. Blacks in non-race stories were not considered newsworthy. Encouragingly by the 1980’s Black was on the political agenda; however by 1985 it had been relegated from the social issue some commentators had perceived, via a social problem to a social evil. If the media’s hegemonic reports and editorials in the 1980’s were classed as a barely disguised belief in White supremacy, The Secret Policeman strangely that that attitude to Blacks is as strong today as ever it was then. â€Å"I’m a firm believer that Paki’s create racism.† â€Å"Most Asians carry knives.† â€Å"The thing in London is, the majority of street robbery is Black† In 1982 the Commission for Racial Equality published the first code of practice on eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities, which was speedily identified by a Daily Telegraph editorial as ‘bossy nonsense’. Arguably the code of practice was counter-productive. Attacks on anti-racist and equal rights movements were at their height during the period of 1983 to 1986, when Black became Britain’s pretext for social disturbances. Resistance towards such movements was accused of stirring racial tension through excessive political correctness. For much of the press, racism was a manufactured problem of the anti-racist left, found in social science research programmes, anti-racist projects and multi-cultural education. The anti-racist social learning process created accusations of ‘anti-English’ indoctrination thus posing a threat to White elitism, dominance and control. Thatcher’s Institutionally right-wing Britain defined itself as a protagonist of the attacks from the left that they believed favoured special treatment of multicultural Britain. Significantly, the immediate Government response to The Secret Policeman undercover investigation was given by the home secretary David Blunkett, who criticised the BBC for their â€Å"intent to create, not report, a story†¦as a covert stunt to get attention† According to the Guardian’s most recent statistics, ethnic minorities make up 9% of the UK’s population. In more urban areas such as Greater Manchester where The Secret Policeman was filmed, this percentage is believed to reach figures as high as 30%. However, the documentary showed Warrington police training base to consist of 118 white and one Asian recruit. Notably, Black people in are massively under-represented in Parliament. New Western societies still show many forms of institutional and everyday discrimination that David Blunkett arguably hoped to dismiss with a similar response to the 1980’s critical analysis of racist exposs. Over a month before The Secret Policeman was broadcast, John Gieve, the permanent Secretary at the Home Office wrote to the BBC a letter that they described as ‘unprecedented’ pressure to bully them into withdrawing the programme. The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police also intimidated the BBC with the threat of a ‘Hutton-style’ inquiry that â€Å"could destroy the BBC’s relationship with the police†. Mark Daly’s work within the police force was cut short when arrested on suspicion of deception and damaging police property; charges were dropped when embarrassingly for the police, the public were informed of the institutional racism. The Observer newspaper considered the Whitehall and police resistance worthy of its front-page headline ‘Home Office ‘tried to axe’ BBC police race expos’. Headlines are carefully devised as a pithy synopsis of the story. They quickly impart knowledge in a way which facilitates both understanding and recall. The headlines of news reports about ethnic affairs summarize events that the media’s white academics, teachers, writers and political activists define as relevant to white and black readers’ interests. The media’s manipulation of headlines dramatized the 1980’s anti-racism only to emphasise the Western ideology of Black negativity. For example the Telegraph’s conspicuous headline ‘bossy nonsense’ clearly established the tedium felt by the author towards the issue of tackling racism. The Observer’s recent negative portrayal of institutional antagonists of anti-racism reveals a positive shift from the media’s earlier resentment towards the anti-racist movements. So what is the ideological implication of the shift from 1980’s resentment to the Observer’s stance? How is the exposure of racism in today’s society a sign of improved race-relations? Who is to blame for today’s existing racism? â€Å"Is it the BBC’s fault this has happened?† BBC Radio One questioned both the responsibility of the police and the media in the revelation of The Secret Policeman. Radio One criticised the constable of North Wales for his reference to the hysteria related to terrorism, extremist Muslims and asylum as the rationale for increased racist views. Blaming society, it commented, was no option for police professionals who should â€Å"concentrate on training†¦ and challenge prejudice†15. Is the BBC’s accusation equitable or is pardoning society a means of pardoning the media to ultimately pardon itself? ‘How we are seen determines in part how we are treated; how we treat others is based on how we see them; such seeing comes from representation.’16 Traditionally founded on Reithian ideas of independence, access and expression, the BBC aimed to inform, educate and entertain the masses. The BBC devised itself an identity as the national cultural institution that would represent Britain’s public through Britain’s voice. In a statement following the arrest of Mark Daly, the BBC reflected the all-purpose mission they were founded upon: ‘We believe this to be a matter of significant public interest’17. The BBC, in essence, the media, is a powerful realm of social whiteness that manipulates the patterns of inter-elite communication. The ethnic minorities in Britain even today remain concentrated in relatively few areas. As a result huge numbers of the White majority rely almost exclusively on the media for knowledge of issues concerning their Black counterparts. The formations and continuance of White attitudes are therefore highly reliant upon the media’s portrayal of race-relations; most frequently found in the news. The news is an everyday routine structure, and in literal terms can be defined as a ‘classical realist text’. However, Nichols recognises that ‘the reality of news takes precedence over the news of reality’18, thus enabling it to empower, or dis-empower its subject. In these terms the subject is Black and the empowerment is integral to the serious issue of Black nationhood and identity. When reality is represented, its former unequivocal status becomes ambiguous; news is static but its context is not. For example, patterns of race reporting can attach themselves to the wider subjects of Black British existence, a procedure that Sarita Malik terms leitmotif. During the 1980’s riots, the Black identity was frequently referred to in terms of former race-related violence. Leitmotifs thus manipulated the reality to familiarise the White-eye with often-unrelated parables of Black anger that consequently created a distorted mis-informatio n about the original conflict. In contrast, representing reality can be equally deceitful through a negation of context. The news according to Malik is best at representing ‘what’ and ‘why’ but regularly fails to recognise the socio-political reasoning behind it. In terms of race relations of the last two decades Britain’s media tends to focus excessively on the wider context of Black struggle yet too seldom on the social context that fuels this struggle. The BBC’s decision to resist Governmental and Federal pressures and broadcast The Secret Policeman implied a positive shift in its allegiance to the White ruling classes. Although this documentary was yet another portrayal of the problem-orientated Black, uniquely the ‘revolting’19 and ‘Appalling, racist revelations’20 were more optimistically acknowledged as White. The television documentary is based on questions of identity that engage with the construction of relationships between subject, audience and the camera or narrator. The cinematography is used as a tool of authority in which the spectator is lured into believing they are a observing a record of untouched and immediate reality. But reality, as clarified previously, can be more ambiguous than anticipated. In fact, the illusion that a documentary allows the subject to speak for itself without moralising or judging is, like the news, a powerful status to possess. Documentaries are the most likely genre to directly address socio-political affairs and on the rare occasion of the media’s attention to multicultural development it is most probable they will be used. Unfortunately, documentaries of the 1950’s were emotive, sentimental and practically vague and similarly. The 1960’s gave little hope for a genre increasingly lacking in sensitivity and awareness towards the Black subject. In contrast to the pathos of the 1950’s White pity toward Blacks, the 1960’s employed tones of hostility, fear and conflict. Thus, the erratic history of the socialist documentary was influential and manipulative towards the enhancement of Governmental attacks that ran adjacent to the anti-racist campaigns of the 1980’s. The development of light and cheap video recording equipment has made the ‘video diary’ an accessible and extremely popular style of documentary since the late 1990’s; a development that enabled the BBC to produce The Secret Policeman. Improved camera technology initiated independent film-making and in effect greater social analysis during the 1990’s, but this was not the only continuity in television’s ‘social eye’. Governmental, cultural and economic forces were evolving towar ds today’s individualistic, consumerist and multicultural society; television had to keep pace. The documentary shifted from social generalisations to pluralism and for the first time society was eclipsed by individualism and lifestyle. Although the 1990’s showed much resistance to an increasingly cross-cultural and mixed-race Britain, the definition of society and ‘Britishness’ undoubtedly required re-examination. â€Å"Isn’t it good how memories don’t fade? He [Steven Lawrence] fucking deserved it and his mum and dad are a fucking pair of spongers.† PC Rob Pulling’s acclamation of the murderers and derision of the family of black student Steven Lawrence shocked viewers of The Secret Policeman. Lawrence’s mother was particularly disheartened, stating, â€Å"that, after all this time, people still held those views.†22 The stereotyping of Black people as spongers or scroungers is one that was upheld and confirmed during the rioting period of the 1980’s. The Diasporas posed a threat to Britain as a consequence of its deficiency in resources and increasing immigration numbers. In 1968 Enoch Powell suggested a much favoured but conclusively rejected topic relatable to Thatcher’s new 1980’s, right wing government; that of repatriation. Repatriation essentially warned Blacks to behave or ‘go home’. Powell returned to his theme in the wake of the 1985 Handsworth riots to create a climate of racist opinion. Immigration had become among the most prominent Press subjects, during which, one tabloid claimed that immigrants cost the taxpayer billions of pounds. Black people were constituted as the welfare state’s problem that added to taxation through an exploitation of the ‘White supremacist’ welfare state. In 1984, the News of the World printed the headline ‘à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½476 a week for waiter Abdul’. The Daily Mail picked up on this story, printing a day later; ‘Jobless Abdul†¦life of luxury in hotels†¦at the taxpayers’ expense.’24 The actuality of this story is that the 476 payment that was referred to was an inclusive sum covering the cost of housing Abdul, his wife and his six children. More interestingly, Abdul Bari was a British citizen. In 1999, six years after the Lawrence incident, Sir William Macpherson undertook a high profile investigation into the racism and discrimination in the Metropolitan Police Force.His Report coined the phrase ‘institutional racism’. This triggered discussions of discrimination within Britain’s leading institutions: the police, the media, the education system and the government. Following the Lawrence enquiry huge numbers of police were forced to undertake intensive training in racial equality and similar, revised programmes are ongoing today. One police force in Britain sent 40 000 employees on race training days within the last year, but Pulling’s overt racism raises questions of the efficacy of the Home Office’s current strategy of challenging prejudice. In the concluding chapter of her book Representing Black in Britain, Sarita Malik makes a discouragingly negative, albeit honest assertion that the accepted sentiment that ‘racist Britain’ is in decline is somewhat false. By this, she suggests that racism in the media, as in other public sectors, has merely been concealed. Malik proposed that truthful representations could emerge only through more diverse, aesthetically innovative and accurate portrayals of Blacks. More relevantly to The Secret Policeman, Malik highlighted the need for a rethink of the constituent parts that compose Britain’s media: resources, employment and ultimately its national heritage. Whilst the number of Blacks and ethnic minorities on British television has increased dramatically – particularly in urban based soaps such as Holby City and Eastenders – the production teams and editors continue to favour Whites. My premise that The Secret Policemen established an interesting re lationship with the development of British media was formed whilst listening to a Radio Four news programme. It suggested that The Secret Policeman provided hard evidence that racism had gone underground. The programme concluded that although the police understood the ‘should’s and shouldn’t’s’ of racial procedures, impartiality was never entrenched in their hearts and minds. Consistently with my research, the social learning process of the media has potentially played a huge role in PC Pulling’s racist prejudices and discrimination. Racism is not innate after all; it is learned. So how is it that I feel confident to propose The Secret Policeman as evidence of enhanced race-relations within the media? The role of the media is not isolated, but connected in numerous ways to the elites in general; this time it stood alone. The BBC assumed the role of the anti-racist and confronted the majority. The Secret Policeman exposed to huge public numbers, the long-standing stereotypes of the ‘ruling-race’ and gave scope for investigating the origins of such beliefs. More positively the documentary received instant and drastic responses from both the public and the institutions. The Home Office immediately introduced plans for new police integrity tests and understood the need for societal change. The media’s willingness to scrutinise and criticise the racism revealed in The Secret Policeman marked a complete reversal from the attacks on anti-racism evident in the 1980’s. The Secret Policeman has served a distinctive purpose. It has illustrated what has long been apparent but too rarely admitted; White power is dangerously flawed. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ferguson, Robert. Representing ‘Race’, 1998. Arnold: London Gordon, Paul & Rosenberg, David. The Press and black people in Britain, 1989. Runnymede Trust: Nottingham Malik, Sarita. Representing Black in Britain, 2002. Sage: London Solomos, John. Race and Racism in Contemporary Britain, 1989. Macmillan: London Troyna, Barry. Public awareness and the media, 1981. Commission for Racial Equality: London Van Dijk, Tuen A. Racism and the Press, 1991. Routledge: London and New York