Importance of Values in a Religious Pluralist World

Introduction There are certain values that are esteemed universally. Moreover the different religions of the world are deemed to be in support of these values. These human values are several and comprise of such attributes such as peace, respect of human life and dignity, freedom of worship and speech and tolerance.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Importance of Values in a Religious Pluralist World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A human being is valued in the world and should have the right to justice and peace. All people have the right to security and legal recognition. Human rights ensure that the people are protected from arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. As time has passed, there has been an increase in the different religions making it a religious pluralistic world. How do the different religions practice and adhere to these values? Are there times there are contradictions in the way people p ractice these values? Family Values There are times when religious pluralism in a country causes disagreements in the area of family life. In Australia, there have been Muslims who have desired a sharia court so that they can be granted divorce according to their religion. The national courts are able to give them divorce however they feel they are not adhering to their faith when they do not go to their own court. Recently, human rights have touched on the freedom of one choosing who they will marry and giving birth. Previously the State had focused on the freedom of speech and expression but there has been conflict in the issue of same sex marriages and abortion especially when it comes to the teenage pregnancies and health risks in abortion. There has been a shift or a change in the values esteemed in various states especially when it comes to the family values. Traditionally there was a long process to be followed when one wanted a divorce especially in the Christian set up howe ver the State made it possible for the people to be able to get divorce quickly. There are other contentious issues such as abortion and same sex marriages where the church and the people in other religions have not been in agreement as the clergy perceive the acts to be going against the Christian values (Lupu and Tuttle, 480). In the traditional Christian set up especially the Catholic churches there has been the expectation that the people will value life and that is why there had been so many debates on abortion before certain countries legalised the process. There was concern that legalising same sex marriages would be a threat to the usual family set up where there is a female male relationship. As time has progressed, the pluralist religious views have caused many to greatly analyse and even question their beliefs when it comes to marriage, divorce and abortion. It is therefore a tough call for the State to manoeuvre through all these viewpoints.Advertising Looking for r esearch paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are religious people who will not agree to oversee or coordinate same sex marriages or have anything to do it. However at the same time, there can be no discrimination or insensitivity towards these people of different beliefs as it would be going against the universal values of equality and freedom of expression. It is therefore important for all the people to ensure that they practice the universal values otherwise they will find themselves arrested and paying damages. Even as most people agree that peace is a great value, there are times that religious pluralism causes a lot of conflict in the world (Gopin, 15). There have been disagreements and even serious civil wars and conflicts between the Christians and Muslims in African countries such as Nigeria and Sudan. As much as different governments respect human rights there is also an increase in ethnic an d religious conflict. When it comes to issues of religion it touches the core of the person and it gets highly sensitive. The people at times refuse to observe the universal views of human rights and freedom of expression all in the name of defending their religion. The question that remains however is what is more important, defending one’s religion or obeying the rules of the religion which advocate for peace and love with one’s neighbours? Universal Values In Islam, there is emphasis on the community and when the religious people teach the people the law, they emphasize that Allah looks at the community and expects the society to be just. The individual’s rights are protected under the society’s collective responsibility. In Christianity especially the protestant faith, an individual is responsible for his actions and is expected to be fair and just. In the traditional Confucianism religion, the ruler is expected to take care of his subject and manage property matters. If he mistreats his subjects he loses the mandate to rule them which was given to him from heaven. What about the freedom of worship and speech? In most religions there are certain dressings or ornaments that the individuals wear. It is not a matter of choice but it is an act of religious duty and obedience. The Catholics have the crucifix while the Muslim women have the hijab. In Eastern Europe especially France the wearing of religious symbols in public schools has been prohibited.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Importance of Values in a Religious Pluralist World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lately, there has been intolerance, xenophobia and great fear towards Muslims. When they wear their religious clothes it is perceived to increase the risk of violence and threats that go against the democratic values and institutions of the State (Danchin, 6). There have been arguments again st this view. When a woman or man wears their hijab it does not mean they are extremists or fundamentalists or they are against the liberal institutions and processes of the state. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, there arose great debate on the issue of racial profiling in the United States as the people felt that the Muslims were being discriminated against and their privacy was being invaded. The truth is that the people were afraid of their lives and they were concerned that the Muslims did not respect the universal human values of peace and harmony between the people. If anyone had the highest probability to be a terrorist, he would be an individual of Middle Eastern origin who was a practicing Muslim. There were employers who were hesitant to employ people of Middle Eastern descent. Choosing to act on these feelings however would be wrong since one is not allowed to discriminate against others on the basis of their religion. One of the universal values in the world is equality when it comes to opportunities. No one should be discriminated when it comes to what they desire to achieve in terms of their work and family because of their religion. Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 9/11, the Muslim women’s dressing in Australia has come to be perceived as a form of women’s subjugation instead of the expression of their faith. The French government has the view that wearing religious symbols may infringe upon the rights of others. The freedom of others to worship and express them would be adversely affected. The religious symbols may work to pressure people towards a certain religion. It may also be a channel for propaganda and provocation. The government is also concerned about the women in the nation. It does not want the occurrence of any event where women and girls are discriminated against. The question however is whether wearing the hijab causes any harm to the girls or the society. They wear the hijab for their own priv ate reasons.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Political Values There are values that deal with man’s relationship with others. For leaders, more is expected as they are expected to carry out their responsibility well in the society. They are expected to be accountable and have integrity. These are values that are agreed on by all the people even in the face of increasing religious pluralism. The people are expected to live in peace and harmony respecting each other’s belongings and property (Spickard., 8) There are people who view democracy as a value that should be upheld. In the countries where there are fundamental Muslims, they may perceive concepts such as democracy as a Western influence which they do not want to be associated with (Esposito and James, 428). There are those values such as democracy which may actually take time to take root in some cultures or religions. There are countries which do not want to be under cultural imperialism. Even the most repressive cultures however realize the importance of human rights. However they do not want to practice the values under the Western human rights notion. They have chosen to use alternative philosophies of socialism and community development. When it comes to ensuring that there is harmony and peace, the different governments have been trying to separate religion and the state. Religion should be regarded as someone’s private affair. This is what is known as secularism. It is liberal democracy that is regarded to be the optimal environment where equality can be observed (Norris and Inglehart, 40). However when religion is used as an excuse to attack other people or other countries, it is wrong. In the 2001 terrorist attacks, President Bush spoke of the fight between good and evil and the way good has to triumph (Aly and Green, 5). There will be no tolerance for the fundamentalists, extremists and radicals who use Islam as an excuse to terrorize the nationals of a different country. The people of America whether Christian, Hindu or Buddhist stood to defend the sanctity of life. The nationalistic unity came to the front to ensure that human lives are respected. Conclusion With the rise in religious pluralism, there is increasing growth in secularism where the family values in the religious setting will not be practiced in the country by all the people. There will be a shift towards the universal and political values with a great emphasis on human rights as stipulated by the United Nations. Those religions that encourage contrary beliefs will have a hard time interacting with other countries. Works Cited Aly, Ann and Lelia Green. â€Å"Less than Equal Secularism, Religious Pluralism and Privilege† Media and Culture Journal, 11.2 (2008), 1-16. Print. Danchin, Peter. â€Å"Suspect Symbols: Value Pluralism as a Theory of Religious Freedom in International Law† The Yale Journal of International Law, 33: (2008)1: 2-61. Print. Esposito, John and James Piscatori â€Å"Democratization and Islam† . Middle East  Journal, 45.3 (1991) :427-440. Print. Gopin, Marc. â€Å"Religion, Violence and Conflict Resolution† Peace and Change, 22.1(1997):1-31. Print. Lupu, Ira and Robert Tuttle â€Å"Same-Sex Family Equality and Religious Freedom†. Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, 5(2010): 275-305. Print. Norris, Pippa and Ronald Inglehart. â€Å"Uneven Secularization in the United States and Western Europe† Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism. Ed Thomas. Banchoff. UK: Oxford Publishers. 2006. 31-58. Print. Spickard, James. â€Å"Human Rights, Religious Conflict, and Globalization – Ultimate Values in a New World Order†. International Journal on Multicultural Societies, 1.1(1999): 2-19. Print. This research paper on Importance of Values in a Religious Pluralist World was written and submitted by user N1k0las to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Argumentative Essay Sample on Video Games Effects on People

Argumentative Essay Sample on Video Games Effects on People Imagine your daughter in a dark, tight-spaced, labyrinth, so narrow that there is barely enough room to strafe left or right by one foot; with her broken radio in one hand and her assault rifle in the other. She’s cut off from all communication, and since she has found no other crewmate alive in this alien labyrinth, they could all possibly be dead. As she navigates through endless passages, she hears a hoarse growl. She turns right on a blind corner, not knowing what lies ahead. Little does she know that a massive behemoth of a creature awaits the next turn, waiting to quickly catch her defenseless and rip her apart before devouring her. She sees the monster right in front of her, swinging its arm towards her as the first act of instinct. Alarmed, she raises her rifle and drills the monster full of bullets. The creature falls smoking down at her feet, and she lets out a cocky grin as 500 points are added to her score on the top of the television screen. Before running off to kill another alien creature, she pressed the pause button and walks to the kitchen for a quick snack. This is video gaming. Controversy continues to escalate on games such as one described above between parents and gamers, regarding the psychological effect of simulated, realistic, 3D violence on the minds of young children and growing teenagers. Yet recent research shows that videogames contribute very little to today’s everyday violence, despite complaints and concerns that games influence a child’s normal behavior. Technology is a way of life in today’s world, computers are used by toddlers, adolescents, and adults alike; no matter what career path a person chooses, the computer plays an essential role in the job. The more our technology progresses and as our industry grows stronger, computers and electronic entertainment will grow to be found everywhere around the world. And this includes videogames. Although gaming became popular in the 1980s, it has been alive since the 1970s. In May of 1972, Magnavox Odyssey was released as the first gaming console. A few built-in games came with it, and the graphics were as simple as white blocks over a black background. At this point, game violence wasn’t even an issue since the graphics were just simple, moving patterns on a screen. Magnavox Odyssey did not sell well despite being a public release gaming console. This may have been a result of the sales practice; the gaming console was only available in Magnavox stores, where crooked salespeople assured customers that it would only be compatible with Magnavox televisions (â€Å"Console launches† 68). In October 1977, the Atari Video Computer System was released, along with it the classic game â€Å"Pong†, giving the system a place in the history books. However, the turning point in gaming came with the release of the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (Adorably called NES), in fall 1985. Although Nintendo marketed the system as a toy, the technological aspect of it sparked interest in people of all ages, especially when it was released in the United States. The market was opened to daring game developers who made games that marked the birth of interactive media that we know today. But perhaps too daring though. Macintosh developed and released Mac Playmate on PC in 1987 (and another version in 1995); stimulating an animated woman with sex toys after undressing her was the object of the game, and the orgasm was the goal. Another highly controversial issue was an underground game set in World War II, but what sets this game apart from other World War II titled is the goal of the game and the core gameplay itself. Set in Europe, the player takes charge of a Nazi concentration camp; rewards varied depending on how many and how brutal were the deaths of Jews. Enraged parents raised protest when Mortal Kombat was released in 1991, which gave the player choices on how to â€Å"finish off† their opponent, sporting the most graphic (and not to mention bloody, VERY bloody) â€Å"fatalities† ever seen in any videogame of its time (Choi 2). Since then, games like Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil became targets for anti-violence protestors a reason to push for or even completely ban violent videogames. The Columbine shooting incident in Colorado have given angry parents an obvious reason to try and strangle the video gaming industry. According to the media, the game Doom presumably help the young murderers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, learn shooting tactics. However, of all the bullets (approximately 300 bullets in the library alone) that were shot in Columbine High School, 13 were killed out of a possible 1,800 students (Alastor 2). This connotes that the game may NOT have help them out at all. In fact, weapons on the television screen do not work at all as they do in real life; controllers aren’t as heavy as real guns, there is no recoil from a blast, it usually takes several shots to the torso for a normal enemy to go down, and many other major errors (Wynar 5). A videogame is strictly made up of polygons and pixels, and there are no available controllers to even remotely simulate the feel of a real gun. Many gamers believe that videogame violence holds little to no influence in children. Television, movies, and books are more widespread, less expensive; and less censored than videogames yet still containts the same themes. Themes of aliens invading earth, villains seeking to conquer or destroy the world, and normal people becoming superheroes are so common in children’s movies nowadays that movies which are more graphic than videogames threaten a child’s psychological development. But they are  merely tagged as â€Å"just kids’ movies.† Because of this, nobody ever looks at the hero. The movie hero could just be as much of a criminal as the villain. For example: In order to save one innocent civilian that happens to be the hero’s live interest, the hero has to kill every bad guy in his way to save the woman. These themes are worse in more mature movies. A lot of â€Å"heroes† kill the â€Å"underlings† of the villains or anyone oppo sing him; in â€Å"real life† the prosecuted and imprisoned for the illegal abuses of the firearms and authority (Wynar 4). What kind of hero is that? No one can say that television has not influenced society. Novice shooters in firearms classes start out by imitating the incorrect techniques they see on television, martial arts schools boomed after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and sales of S6W .44 magnums skyrocketed after the release of Dirty Harry (Wynar 4). Studies show that many frequent game players also engage in more violent sports and watch high amounts of television every week (Ask 2). And yet, the blaming finger still points to videogames as being the core risk for negative behavior changes in children. When anti-gamers accused the games industries of producing more mature games than fun and educational ones, game enthusiasts pointed out the fact that 42% of gamers are over age 18 (Choi 2). In 1997, 43% of games reviewed by the ESRB were rated inappropriate for the under 13 age group. Many gamers believe that the people arguing against them are merely ignorant of many of the studies and facts presented by researchers that favor the neutral or positive effects of games on children. An independent study conducted by Alexander Ask showed that high-frequency players playing a violent yet easy game became less angry and calmer, while low-frequency players were on the flipside; also, more frequent gamers experienced and expressed more anger, but felt they could control it better. A different study by the American Psychological Association (APA) sampled twenty-five boys and girls between the ages of eight and twelve. The children were asked questions about violent behavior or empathy, and then were given one of two games to play (violent, non-violent) for fifteen minutes. Afterward, researchers gave their subjects a set of hypothetical situations designed to trigger either a compassionate or an aggressive response. No connection between gameplay and the responses to the situations was discovered (McDowell 2). Yet the demand to ban still ran strong among anti-violence supporters. After viewing several violent videogames, including Mortal Kombat and Night Trap, Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT) created the ESRB, Entertainment Software Ratings Board (McDowell 1). The ESRB is an organization in which representatives from all of the major software companies rate every video or computer game before it goes out on the market. Ratings vary: E for everyone, T for teen 13+, M for mature 17+, AO for adults only, and others. Other ratings companies followed, such as the Amusement Machine Operators Association (AMOA), which puts warning/rating stickers on arcade machines (Choi 2). The effort to protect children from violent games stretched across the world. In Australia, the State Attorney General declared that all videogames would go through a screening test. Violent games would be restricted to adults and excessively violent games would be banned all together (Ask 1). So why hasn’t the violence stopped? With the ESRB and other organizations striving to protect children from the gore and guns of games, and the results of numerous studies showing that there is no connection between games and violence by kids, you’d think that the shootings and violent play would stop. However, aggression research suggests that poor parenting is the cause of much of the erratic behavior by children. The limiting of playtime and the supervision of the types of games that are played are just as important as monitoring the television programs and movies that children watch. Despite the common belief, there are benefits of gaming. An important plus to gaming is being able to vent anger non-aggressively. What could be better than blowing away that non-existent monster after a long day of school/work or other stress? If this method of venting were taken away, hyper-aggressive people would be forced to find some other way to purge their anger and frustration. This could lead to real people being hurt. Another advantage to gaming is that it opens up a social opportunity for kids; a certain game might cause some common interest between children and create more friendships and interactivity. People also seem to forget that educational games do exist, and can teach kids things that do not involve guns and killing. Games that are helpful, educational, and fun would be more popular if more people tried to encourage the acceptance, popularity, and availability of them (â€Å"Violence† 3). Controversy is not anything new to society; there were arguments about television and rock and roll. Now videogames joins the pack. With the industry booming and the ESRB running full force to warn of mature games, it is doubtful that videogames will lose their place in the electronics empire and our everyday lives. So next time your son is gleefully gunning down monsters in dark tool sheds with his Playstation controller, just remember that if anyone objects, proof of protection is on the package of the game on the ESRB tag. It is the parent who chooses to be aware of and follow it, and lay down the law to their kids’ gaming and other media habits that might spark the violence and arguments in the lives of both gamers and non-gamers. You can also order a custom term paper, research paper, thesis, dissertation or essay on video games from our professional custom essay writing company which provides students with high-quality custom written papers at an affordable cost.

The Palace of Minos at Knossos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Palace of Minos at Knossos - Essay Example There are indications of proper systems of obtainment of natural light during the day. There are signs of proper systems of drainage and water supply. As far as heat is concerned, the palace gives no signs of proper systems for the control of cool and chilled winds in winter seasons (Benton and DiYanni, 1998). Because of the facilitation of natural light, the constructors of the palace had to provide a lot of openings for the incoming light and these facilitations of light appear to be problematic in winter seasons. In night, there were employment of ceramic lamps and candles with olive oil (Dempsey, 2007). The palace of Minos at Knossos served for many purposes according to the archaeologists. It served as an administrative center for the people of Crete. It also served as a religious center for the people of Crete. It also worked as storage of food so; it also served as a food storage center for the people of Crete (Bourbon, 1998). The palace is not like those palaces that provide residential facilities but as a place that provided working facilities as the archaeologists found no furniture or objects that can be called as beds or other residential features (Dempsey, 2007). The palace of Minos at Knossos is regarded as the major site for the analysis of Bronze Age buildings prevalent till this time. It is archeologically the largest building found related to Bronze Age (Bourbon, 1998). It is located at Crete. It gives a clear overview of Minoan culture and civilization. Tourists from all over the world visit the palace in order to judge the features of Bronze Age still found in the world today. The palace of Minos at Knossos is named after the discoverer, Minos Kalokairinos (Benton and DiYanni, 1998). The discovery can be traced back in 1878. The palace can also be named on the King Minos of Crete for whom; it was constructed according to the mythology. With the discovery of the palace, it

Who Are The Innocents The Psychology Of Confessions Essay

Who Are The Innocents The Psychology Of Confessions - Essay Example A recent article (Kassin 2005) on the psychology of confessions, for example, suggests that video taping should be mandatory, but this proposal will focus on who innocents are, avoiding similar modalities. Therefore we will define innocence as a legal state and, remembering the legal maxim "innocent until proven guilty," innocents as those who are not guilty (Blackstone 1765). An study to measure why innocents confess that we will propose will be empirical, following an experiment closely resembling that carried out by Kassin and Kiechel (Kassin and Kiechel 1996), using participants testimony. The participants will carry out an experiment that contravenes the maxim "innocent until proven guilty" because we can show that the application of psychology to innocence is not relevant if innocent people can think themselves guilty as a result of Kassin and Kiechel's experiment. These psychologists' results are expected to be repeated. Kassin and Kiechel interestingly define features of innocents' false confessions as 'confabulated' and 'internalised' - interesting because these same words are used by memory research into false memory. Kopelman describes the varieties of false memory as "spontaneous confabulation in brain disease, false recognition cases, delusional memories and other delusions in psychosis, "confabulations" in schizophrenia, "internalised" false confessions for crime, apparently false or distorted memories for child abuse, pseudologia fantastica, the acquisition of new identities or "scripts" following fugue or in multiple personality, and momentary confabulation in healthy subjects."1 The academic psychology over confessions is mistaken when it presumes that establishing innocence is the purpose of law. Rather, trials happen because a crime has been committed and the law seeks to establish guilt, to punish the guilty. Psychology does not punish, as shown by Kassin and Gudjonnson, instead it designs confessional experiments. (Kassin and Gudjonnson 2004) Many experiments have inbuilt tricks to deceive, replicating experimenters' expectations, in much the same way that many pupils in the classroom replicate teachers' expectations. (Rosenthal and Jacobson 1968) An example of a study devised by psychologists includes a reaction time experiment. After warning participants not to hit a key that caused the machine to crash, experimenters deliberately crashed the machine, reasoning that participants could be made to confess. In many cases the participants did falsely confess, guiltily participating in the psychologists' study, whilst they believed the experiment was about reaction time. Legal cases abound where innocents have been convicted. In 2005, prosecutors forced a confession from a fourteen year-old boy, who confessed to murder in Illinois. The victim found an intruder in his parked car and was shot in the chest. The boy described to prosecutors how he broke into the car, struggled with the man and then shot him, after two weeks in detention and suggestions that he would go to prison for ten to fifteen years and that he would receive legal help. Moreover, the boy was encouraged to plead self-defence, in spite of the fact that the murderer had broken into the victim's car with a gun, firing it lethally. Another example comes from Escondido, California, where Michael Crowe, 14, confessed to the murder of his sister. He was falsely told by prosecutors that his hair was found in his dead sister's hand, that her blood was in his bedroom and that he failed a polygraph. He came to believe that he had an alter ego and confessed after hours of questioning with neither a

The effectiveness of Facebook advertising in Hong Kong Research Proposal - 1

The effectiveness of Facebook advertising in Hong Kong - Research Proposal Example This essay "The effectiveness of Facebook advertising in Hong Kong" outlines whether social media marketing is really effective and it provides the required ROI in Hong Kong and explores the true customer perception and customer behaviour about Facebook advertising. Many marketers forget the difference between social media marketing and traditional means of marketing leading to massive failure of their social media campaign (Tuten, 2008). Usage of proper interestitials, and superstitials is a must while advertising in social media. Determining whether a pop-up which comes in front of the reading page or a pop-under which can be viewed after closing the page is to be designed will also make a significant impact on the campaign. Most users tend to simply close the pop-ups without having the patience to read them. But, if they see an interesting page after they have closed the page they were working on, they are tempted to spend a few more minutes viewing it. A major advantage in using Social media sites for advertising is that consumer-generated contents can also influence the sale of a product substantially. As we could see most of the graphical images and witty comments passed on the Facebook regarding the merits and de-merits of the products are created by consumers themselves. Social media transforms consumers into free advertisers for products. Usually huge companies in developing countries like South Africa spend much on advertising while small companies usually rely on the very creative and cost effective advertising methods.

Impact Of Economic Recession on Wet Bulk Shipping

Impact Of Economic Recession on Wet Bulk Shipping Abstract Global economic integration and the world economy is closely linked with the world shipping market, 2009 world economic recession caused a negative impact on the economy of each countries, the shipping industry has been seriously affected. This article assesses the economic recession affecting the wet bulk shipping sector from four parts. Key words: economic recession; freight rates; wet bulk shipping; excess capacity. The Impact of the Economic Recession on Wet Bulk Shipping Introduction Shipping is a global industry, which is the lifeline of the world economy. The global bulk shipping markets consist of two main sectors dry bulk and wet bulk (Stopford, 2003). The carrier of wet bulk is tanker. It can transport oil or oil-based products liquid petroleum gas (LPG), vegetable oil etc., liquid chemicals or liquid natural gas (LNG) (House, 2007). However, crude oil carried in Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) is the biggest wet bulk shipping market. The world financial crisis has brought a great impact to the international economy, which created the economic recession deeply and widely in 2009, especially in transport sector (European Commission, 2009). The crisis has triggered a slowdown in global economic growth that is manifesting itself in a demand-driven fall in international trade exacerbated by the deficit of credit and trade finance; falling commodity prices; declining remittances; contracting foreign direct investment (FDI); and the potential of declining offi cial development assistance (ODA) (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). This has given rise to the most significant challenges for wet bulk shipping (tanker) that involved volume, freight rates, operational productivity and job cuts. Effects on Tanker Freight Rates Transport market usually makes a direct reflection to a downturn in demand. The price of chartering tanker ships indicates the demand-supply balance for different wet bulk. The demand of tanker can be measured in tonne-miles. Table 1 describes the tonne-mile demand of most tanker sectors. There is a downward trend which dropped nearly 1.6% in 1H09 comparing with 1H08 (TANKEROperator, 2009a). The reason was that the demand of crude oil declined since last year. Different indices can present different market, i.e. The Baltic Exchange Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI) represents the crude oil market, which in major trading routes includes VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax and Panamaxes. Moreover, the Baltic Exchange Clean Tanker Index (BCTI) makes up of clean Panamax, Handymax and Handysize tankers (TANKEROperator, 2009b). Table 2 illustrates that comparing with the same period of 2008, freight rates of tanker vessels in the middle of 2009 were down. The deppening ecomomic crisis cause oil demand decline. BDTI shows an upward trend, which fell from 849 points in January 2009 to 482 in June 2009. It nearly fell half. BCTI also showed an downward trend, from highs of 623 in January 2009 to lows of 479 in June 2009 (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). Table 3 shows average freight rates, which is a unified measure for establishing spot rates. The areas of the table indicated including Persian Gulf, West Africa, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Singapore, East Asia, South Africa, North-West Europe and the East Coast of Norh America. Comparing feight indices of tanker market between the first half of 2008 and 2009, it can be seen that the freight rates on all routes declined. Though the feight rates in some routes in June of 2009 had a little increased than previous months, but overall trend was downward. Among them, there was a dramatic declines in freight rates for VLCC and ultra-large crude carrir (ULCC). The routes which they serviced were the Persian Gulf to Easern Asiam Europe, the Americas and South Africa. Table 3 clearly shows that the freight rates for VLCCs in April and May of 2009 on the Persian Gulf to Japan and the Persian Gulf to Republic of Korea routes decreased by nearly 50 percentage, from WS51 to WS27 and WS53 t o WS27 separately. The reason can be attributed to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members cutting the oil production thus, the volume of cargo which transport from Persian Gulf to other areas was reduced (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). In addition, LNG shipping reached in record-low freight rates in the spot and short-term LNG trades in spring 2009. The LNG industry has been closely tied to gas demand in Japan and Korea, because the two Asian nations account for nearly one-half of the global trade in LNG (Corkhill, 2009a). The Arab countries exports to Japan and Korea went down in July 2009 by 4.7% or 88 thousand tons to 1.801 million tons a share of 27.5% of total Japanese and Korean LNG imports (OAPEC, 2009). Effects on Voulme OPEC which provides about 40% of the worlds oil supply try to stabilise oil prices therefore, it decided to recuce daily production from 4.2m barrels per day to 24.9m bpd (Calderas-Mendez, 2010). Tanker shipping has been dealt with the delayed impact of declining demand. This cutting supply decision caused decline in the amount of oil carried by VLCCs (Calderas-Mendez, 2010). From the international oil market situation in recent years, the oil supply disruption is not happened, the oil market focus mainly on oil prices. In the downturn, table 4 shows that there was a large demand declines from the fourth quarter of 2008 to the second quarter of 2009, whcih attributs to the developed countries economics, particularly the United State (economic crisis). The demand of oil decline, the freight rates decline. Therefore, OPEC carried out a series of production cuts to support prices in order to faced with the demand weakness (International Monetary Fund, 2009). Effects on Operational Productivity Decline in demand for shipping, plus the financial crisis led to banks tightening credit on shipping finance, many shipping companies have been cancelled shipbuilding orders and have a wave of defaults began to appear. According to UNCTAD secretariat (2009) analysis, the share of liquefied gas carriers (of LNG and LPG) has stood at 10.8 per cent on 1st April 2009. As the volume of cargo per carrying capacity and freight rates decreased, the productivity in terms of tons carried per deadweight ton (dwt) of oil tankers were seriously surplus. There was 4.0 per cent of the world tanker fleet overcapacity in April 2009 (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009b). The market always showing that when cargoes fall away and the demand for ships drops. The fundamental reason for the decline in average productivity in recent years is the oversupply of tonnage available, which contrasts with the reduced growth in world seaborne trade (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). Although taking longer time, some of the shippin g companies chose routes that cost less. Some ships are being laid off to reduce the tons carried per dwt because of the reduced seaborne trade. Figure 1 shows the productivity of the world fleet has a significantly decline in 2009 and the values between 27,000 and 28,000 ton-miles (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). In addition, after some shipping companies and shipping agencies re-scheduled cargo routes, due to the pressure of freight rate, which is not enough to make up the cost, lay off ships was thought more cost-effective way. Effects on Job Cuts Affected by the depressed market, the ship owner started a large number of labour layoffs. Inevitably, some shipping companies wanted to cut additional cost; therefore, they closed overseas offices in the rescue plans in the current depressed market. During this hard time, shipping industry faced up to the challenges of over-tonnage, ship owner try to streamline their fleets in order to ease the increasing cost and manpower burdens. In addition, another reason for job cuts was the rising price of crude oil, other raw materials which had driven up the costs of ship maintenance, repairs and bunkers (Corkhill, 2009b). Conclusion With the process of global economic integration, international trade becomes a chain of countries in the world market, while the shipping industry as the main carrier of world trade that has become an important part of the economy. Every time of the fluctuations in the global economy will obviously reflect in the shipping market. In the global context of economic slowdown, both of the volume of trade and demand has a decline in different degrees, and at the same time it leads to the consumer and investor lack of confidence, which has brought great impact on the shipping industry. There hasnt been a major bankruptcy in the shipping market, which is an economic miracle in 2009 economic recession (BIMCO, 2009). The growth of the total carrying capacity greatly exceeded the growth of the economy and shipments, thus capacity has become surplus. When supply exceeds demand, the freight rates under the pressure or even have declined, the profit of shipping company dealt a heavy blow in the hard time. Since the outbreak of the financial crisis, the credit system has been practiced in a crisis, some banks refused to provide credit guarantees, which leads traders to pay shipping difficulties. Additionally, the operation of the shipping industry to make matters worse.

Struggle between Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth Essay

Struggle between Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth It is said that â€Å"all conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle between good and evil.† Indeed, the fundamental conflict of human nature is that of darkness and light; and as a mirror to life, the conflicts in literature is not different from those in human nature. The struggle of good and evil is shown in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, which portrays the spiritual battle between and evil man and a sinned minister, as well as the minister’s internal turmoil. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, similarly describes a man’s moral decay and the vengeance of the wronged good people. Both authors use various literary elements and techniques such as symbolism, metaphor, theme, and characterization to illustrate the struggle between good and evil in their works. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of damnation and redemption. Roger Chillingsworth, finding out his wife’s adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale upon his returning from Indian captivity vows to take revenge on the minister. In the process, however, he transforms himself into the minion of devil on earth. Through the mouth of Pearl (the fruit if the illegitimate union), the author metaphorically calls Chillingsworth â€Å"the Black Man.† Comparing Chillingsworth to the Devil, Pearl warns Dimmesdale â€Å"the Black man wants thy soul.† Indeed, Chillingsworth sets out to poison his rival – both physically and mentally. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is waging a war within himself. His good nature craves to confess his secret affair with Hester Prynne, yet his darker side – cowardice perhaps- stubbornly refuses. In ... ...ts stem from this eternal struggle. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes The Scarlet Letter to question sin, and Shakespeare’s Macbeth gives an alarming example of moral decay. The moods of both masterpieces are gloomy, dissecting and examining the powerful darkness of human psyche. In the end, however, goodness endures and shines through the dark clouds, offering hope and testimonies for the complexity and ambivalence of humankind. Works Cited and Consulted: Brooks, Cleanth. Blame in Macbeth. London: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1987. Chase, Richard (1996). "The Lessons of the Scarlet Letter." Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne (pp. 145-152). San Diego: Greenhaven. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: St. Martins, 1991. Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.

Cult of Domesticity Essay

Women faced many restrictions during the 1800’s based solely on their gender. The Cult of Domesticity served as a basic guide that explained the appropriate ways women of this time period were expected to act. It essentially laid out four proper characteristics women had to portray: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. Many authors captured the difficulties in a woman’s life with having to deal with such strict expectations in their writing. These included Emily Dickinson with her poems â€Å"I felt a funeral in my brain†, â€Å"This is my letter to the World†, and â€Å"These are the days when the Birds come back†, Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†. These pieces of literature proved women’s struggle to live with the pressures of the Cult of Domesticity, and society itself. Emily Dickinson herself was a very odd, secluded woman and that expressed her thoughts through her poems. In â€Å"I felt a funeral in my brain†, Dickinson writes â€Å"And I and silence some strange race/ wrecked, solitary, here† (15-16). This is a prime example of the solidarity that held her captive and caused her descent into madness. Her poem is a cry out for help, but being the submissive woman she was supposed to be, she hid away her feelings while still acting weak and inferior. Another example of submissiveness can be taken from her poem â€Å"This is my letter to the World†. It starts off â€Å"This is my letter to the world/ That never wrote to Me† (Dickinson 1-2). She is again crying out against the unfairness that the â€Å"world† never wrote to her, or acknowledged her because of her sex. As a woman she was constantly in the shadow of a man and therefore did not matter. From â€Å"These are the days when the Birds come back†, Dickinson wrote â€Å"Thy consecrated bread to take/ and thine immortal wine! † (17-18). Her allusion to the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist enforces piety. Women needed to always act as the â€Å"handmaidens of God†, to repent for the sins of Eve in the Old Testament. Religion was a big enforcer of a woman’s quiet way of life and acted as something to occupy their time at home with. Emily Dickinson’s struggle with society’s expectations is greatly shown through her poetry. Dickinson’s many poems were great in number, but creates only one part of the perspective from a woman about the Cult of Domesticity. In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Story of an Hour†, young Mrs. Brently Mallard discovers the news of her husband’s death. Once the shock and grief wear off, she comes to an important realization. â€Å"’Free! Body and soul free! ’†(Chopin 2). Louise finally is free, without her husband’s name bearing down on her and out of the clutches of domesticity. She no longer needs to act like the perfect wife at home, constantly taking care of the house and looking after her husband’s every need. She can live for herself like she always wanted. â€Å"There would be no powerful will bending hers† (Chopin 2), and she would no longer be the victim of submissiveness. Her husband no longer had the superior power, which all men were granted at the time of birth, to control and dictate her every move to the point where she was just like a small child that needed guidance and direction. But, in the end her joy is all for naught. Brently is not dead. And Mrs. Mallard, when receiving the news of his return, â€Å"die[s] of heart disease† (Chopin 2). The thought of being pushed into that submissive state of being that she had just escaped from ultimately caused her premature death. Chopin’s character Louise was a lot like the narrator of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† in regards to their relationship with overpowering husbands. â€Å"John laughs at me of course, but one expects that in a marriage† (Gilman 1). The narrator acts with submissiveness as she accepts that she is inferior to her husband, he is always right, and she is just the silly woman. She feels she must take his lead and constantly follow because that is how society wants her to feel. Her opinion does not matter at all, and she even states outright â€Å"I don’t like our room a bit† (Gilman 2). She detests the room, with its ugly, yellow wallpaper and barred windows, but since her husband says it is the best place for her she just, once again, accepts it and does not say another word on the subject. The room she would like to sleep in was prettier and airier. But John said that â€Å"there was only one window and not room for two beds† (Gilman 2). This not only reinforces her submissiveness, but also her purity as a woman. The narrator, though married and a mother, sleeps in a different bed from her husband. This is not to keep her â€Å"gift† safe anymore, but to keep from tempting him and to guarantee the rest she needs to recover from her anxiety. Emily Dickinson, Kate Chopin, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were all talented writers and advocates in their own ways for the struggles of women with the Cult of Domesticity in the 1800’s. Each accomplished a way to present a light into the minds of the women who were being suffocated by the men’s superiority. Emily Dickinson created poems full of solemn and even remorseful moods that mirrored depression and repression that women felt because of society’s expectations. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman created characters that not only used the same suffocating repression, but empowered their women by taking the men out of the equation. Only then were their characters given a chance; Louise without Brently and a small taste of freedom, and the narrator’s ability to finally â€Å"creep† along the room in peace when John faints. The Cult of Domesticity was a cause for women’s repression but also their strength and growing stand to the unfairness of the treatment they were being dealt for so long.

Teen Influences to Use Marijuana †Health Essay

Teen Influences to Use Marijuana – Health Essay Free Online Research Papers Among all illicit drugs marijuana is the most commonly used drug by teenagers. Its effects give the user a â€Å"lifted† feeling. The long-term effects of marijuana are ten times worse than tobacco. Marijuana is the most highly illegal used drug by teenagers because of its feel good effects and how easy it is to obtain. Most teens use marijuana out of curiosity. They hear about it in school and wonder how it will make them feel. Peer pressure, the influence of other family members, and disagreements with parents is some other major reasons teens use it. The influence of peers and family members is a major reason why teens decide to smoke marijuana. When pressure is put on most teens, they have a major desire to become accepted, or fill some type space where they think they need to be at, and they really don’t need to. Some teens will do anything to fill that space, and they will fall into drugs, sex, crime, etc. Other influences include anxiety, anger, depression, boredom, and a number of other things. The rate of marijuana use does not differentiate among race; the use percentage among all races is about the same. (Marijuana) Marijuana is used in many different ways. The most popular and longest used method is the joint. A joint is a hand rolled cigarette with marijuana inside. Blunts are also becoming more popular. A blunt is a cigar in which the tobacco is replaced with marijuana. Other methods include using glass tubes, also known as bongs, pipes, and eating. An example is mixing marijuana with brownie mix and baking it. Other bizarre ways to use marijuana include using an apple as pipe, and using other objects such as milk cartons, or soda bottles. Marijuana is also used in many combinations with other drugs. Joints are sometimes dipped into PCP and smoked. Mixing marijuana with other drugs may increase the intoxicating effects, depending on the type of drug it is mixed with and the type of marijuana it is. Obtaining marijuana is very easy. Most teenagers obtain marijuana for free by being share it with their friends. Females are more likely to share than males. Most males buy their marijuana. Marijuana is easily purchased at school or in local neighborhoods. It can be obtained from friends or from the â€Å"neighborhood dope man†. It can also be grown. In most schools across the United States there is at least one drug dealer. It’s very easy to obtain and buy.(method) A number of different things can happen to marijuana users. They become may overly interested in ordinary, everyday things. They forget about other important things and focus on silly things. For example, the user might find his/ her shoe very interesting to look at. They may focus on it for long periods of time. Also, time seems to pass very slowly. To someone that is high, minutes feel like hours. This makes the effects of marijuana feel even longer than the three or four hours they really last. The user feels relaxed and his/her blood pressure drops below normal. This happens because marijuana makes the blood vessels expand. Along with these effects there is a loss of balance and disorientation. The user becomes very sleepy and feels loose, causing a tired feeling while under the influence of marijuana. The user might become very hungry and has a sudden urge to eat a lot of food. This effect is called having the â€Å"munchies†. While using marijuana, the user’s mout h may also become very dry. This effect is called having â€Å"cottonmouth†. Depending on what type of marijuana there may be hallucinations. (Neuroscience) The effects of marijuana are determined by several different things. The first is what type of marijuana that is taken. A type of marijuana called chronic causes you to have different types of hallucinations. Second, what other drugs marijuana is mixed with. Third is the way it is taken. The effects of smoking come quicker but last shorter when it is smoked. When it is eaten the effects come slower and last much longer. The fourth thing is the user’s anticipation. This means what the user thinks is going to happen. Finally the effects are determined by where the drug is taken. (Marijuana) Is marijuana addictive? It’s definitely not as addicting as alcohol or cocaine. But, marijuana does show addictive properties. Humans do show signs of withdrawal when away from regular use of a drug. In spite of this statement the drug is still very controllable. Because of the ability to control use of the drug is another reason why teens choose to turn to marijuana. Some teens may be chronic users and truly are addicted to the drug. The addiction part is much more mental than it is physical. The person thinks that they have to have the drug. They think that they have to get it. But really, it’s just because they like the effects of it and they desire more of it. (Marijuana What) Marijuana goes by many different names. In fact there are over 1000 different aliases for this one drug. The most popular include, â€Å"pot,† â€Å"weed,† â€Å"Mary Jane,† â€Å"refer,† and â€Å"bud†. Others include â€Å"boom,† â€Å"grass,† â€Å"green,† â€Å"stank,† â€Å"dat stuff,† â€Å"skunk,† â€Å"kush,† and â€Å"dank.† Marijuana can also be named after the dealer that gives it to you. Other influences to use marijuana come from mass media. For example, in music, Three 6 Mafia has a song called â€Å"Bin Laden†. In the first verse DJ Paul, a member of the rap group, says, â€Å"I swear sometimes I got to get high to hang around my h, Sometimes I feel I got to get high to hang round n I know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Three 6 Mafia) Three 6 Mafia is a rap group known for their catchy beats and hard lyrics. They are role models and people, especially teens, look up to them. If they talk about smoking marijuana in their songs then that’s what their listeners are going to be influenced to do. Another way from the media is through movies. The movie â€Å"Friday† is about two friends, Smokey (Chris Tucker) and Craig (Ice Cube), which live in the hood in Los Angeles, CA. Smokey gets some weed from the neighborhood dope dealer Big Worm (Faizon Love) and volunteers to sell it for him. Instead Smokey lives up to his name and smokes up all the weed, and he gets Crai g started on it too. But Big Worm says he needs his money by ten o’clock that night, so they go through a number of tasks to try to get the money.(Friday) I’ve seen the movie, it’s hilarious, and when you make smoking marijuana funny it tells teens that if they smoke marijuana they will be funny also. Others include television shows, jewelry, and clothing. As you can see, there are many different reasons why marijuana is turned to. These influences are just going to keep growing. The more teens are influenced the more they are going to influence. That’s with everything, not just marijuana. But because of the influences listed above, marijuana is the most illegally used drug by teens. Research Papers on Teen Influences to Use Marijuana - Health EssayUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UsePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenStandardized TestingIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesHip-Hop is Art

Playing World of Warcraft VS Content and Language Integrated Learning Essays

Playing World of Warcraft VS Content and Language Integrated Learning Essays Playing World of Warcraft VS Content and Language Integrated Learning Essay Playing World of Warcraft VS Content and Language Integrated Learning Essay Based on the three studies conducted by Syleven 2004/2010, Sunqvist 2009, and the joint study aimed at young learners and their extramural English habits, the underlying similarities between playing World of Warcraft (WoW) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) are established. The studies tend to examine the potential impact on the learners oral proficiency and vocabulary, establish the relationship between what the students do in English when they are free and the learning outcomes in school, and focus on the CLIL and non-CLIL students on the effects of CLIL on their acquisition of vocabulary. The fundamental L2 learning determinants of immersion, authenticity, and motivation all are interconnected in one way or the other. Immersion is used in both computer game theory and in the L2 acquisition theorem. With regard to the computer games theorem, it encompasses the successful nature of computer games in creating experiences of escapism for the gamer. These games provide a content rich immersive environment as the gamer needs to comprehend and be able to communicate in the English language, which is the default language in WoW (Walters, 2007), in order to make significant progress in the games. CLIL involves the introduction of the French language to English L1 children who want to learn French. Authenticity is the core for both CLIL and WoW to L2 acquisition and is intended to create a language situation in the classroom, which is considered dependable by all the students (Nikula, 2007). This fundamental principle ensures that the amount of TL (Target Language) exposure is significantly increased. The students, therefore, are recipients to maximum input and they make progress in their communicative abilities. Motivation is considerably important for successful L2 language learning (Dornyei, 2001). The teachers, students, and the gamers are motivated to achieve good grades and have good results so as to boost their moral in doing so. They are motivated to understand the basic rules of practice with the significant aim of achieving better results. The students need motivation in order to acquire the TL in passing while teaching the specific subject (Dalton, 2007). The similarities between playing WoW and CLIL include: i. Active, Critical Learning Principle. This elaborates how the computer games make the gamers active and be able to critically and creatively think about how to solve different puzzles during the game. The WoW gamers become more active on the uses of authentic materials. The CLIL instructions promotes critical thinking to all the learners and strives to make them more active. The active and critical engagement heightens the level of the required authenticity and would motivate the learners and the gamers to achieve higher performance levels. ii. Psychosocial Moratorium Principle. The learners and the gamers are unlimited to their thinking capacity and can, therefore, try out different ways to solve puzzles and give better and alternative ways of solving issues. They have the sole responsibility in taking the risks and are even able to guess the next procedures or steps to take or make. The WoW players acquire the important skill of guessing, a significant L2 language learning strategy. This facilitates the process of learning to the students and the gamers (Naiman et al, 1996). iii. Identity Principle- in WoW, the players have the abilities to create their own virtual game personas and be able to play different roles as individuals or groups. In CLIL, students are able to come up with the desirable atmosphere in the classroom where every stakeholder in the classroom feels safe. This is a common identity to both CLIL and WoW. The learners and the students, therefore, have the ability to a create personalities that differ from their real-life personalities in order to have a peaceful co-existence with others. They, therefore, have the ability to hide their real identities based on the powerful juxtaposition of their real-world identities. The students thus have an alternative way of expressing their feelings and points of view on a given topic or subject of discussion. iv. Practice Principle- the gamers and the students have the ability to put into practice what they have learned in the virtual environment. They spent a significant time on the tasks to achieve the objects that may be required during the gaming process. These on tasks and activities in immersion school motivate the students to use TL. Since both WoW and CLIL have high degrees of authenticities as they involve the use of authentic materials, they make the contents to the learners very simple and easy to understand effectively. They make games and studies be more practical in nature and applicable in different areas (Broner Tedick, 2011). v. The regime of Competence Principle- this principle encourages every learner and gamer that no task or challenge is deemed undoable. The gamer, therefore, has the ability to critically think and come up with numerous ways to solve a particular problem as there is always a solution to every problem as long as the right resources and the energy are channeled in the right direction. The learners, therefore, have strong convictions to solve puzzles. However, this principle necessitates that the learners and gamers are given some motivation as this encourages them to look for the ways to counter the given problem. These developments are very significant in explaining the L2 developments in the students and gamers. vi. Subset Principle- it expresses that from the earliest starting point learning happens in a (streamlined) subset of the genuine space For instance, amateur players in WoW begin taking in the game mechanics in rather straightforward missions in an obliged domain, by and large all alone utilizing an experimentation approach, before proceeding onward to coordinated effort with others in additionally difficult attempts. There is an incremental configuration as far as game mechanics, which accordingly helps players who need past PC diversion experience to progress in the game. So also, CLIL instructors will give their learners a chance to begin from the level they are at and bit by bit present errands that are more troublesome. In a gaming environment, once began, interest expands on the inspiration to gain ground. So as to do as such, it is important for gamers to work together, mingle, and get to be individuals from societies. Players are relied upon to perform different errands, whi ch are fundamental for the society to progress. vii. Transfer Principle recommends that gamers and learners are given numerous odds to work on exchanging what they gain from the game-related issues to take care of new issues that emerge in the diversion or somewhere else, for example, in a CLIL classroom. The Transfer Principle is exceedingly pertinent additionally to CLIL (Darn 2006), since what is found out as far as the TL in the CLIL classroom are concerned ought to be conceivable to use in extramural and true connections. viii. Affinity Group Principle. Concentrates on the social and subjective sides of gaming. WoW offers a virtual reality specifically every last bit of it to any player entering WoW; i.e., while the game mechanics are presented incrementally, the social world is instantly made accessible in its entirety, personal correspondence). The tight relationship that develops among players sharing common objectives in WoW is underlined. Stenberg truth be told properties a great part of the prominence of WoW to the Affinity Group Principle (Stenberg, 2011). The underlying principles show the similarities between WoW and CLIL. These principles are co-relative and are exhaustive in their applications.

Living Longer than Expected Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Living Longer than Expected - Essay Example The main reason life expectancy has increased is the improvement in medicine in general, with particular emphasis on the development of brand-new drugs during the 20th Century, namely antibiotics. The influence of these remarkable drugs can be summed up in a single fact: more people are saved in a single year from antibiotics than the c.100,000,000 who were killed in wars during the whole of the Twentieth Century (Cooter, 2002). Ironically, the final push towards the development of antibiotics occurred because of the mortality rates from infections within soldiers during the worst of those wars, WWII (Cooter, 2002). Together with the development of antibiotics to treat infections, another whole class of drugs - vaccinations, were developed and perfected during the century. One of the worst killers of previous centuries had been tuberculosis, By the middle of the century it was virtually a fading memory in much of the developed world because of the invention and perfection of a simple, safe vaccine (Bloom, 2002. Together with other vaccinations a whole host of deadly diseases were virtually wiped out, ensuring far more children survived into the relatively healthy adult years. Improved sanitation and nutrition also helped to increase life expectancy in the first half of the century. In the last decades of the Twentieth Century the increased efficacy of medicine treating serious diseases from cancer to heart disease has enabled older people to live through conditions that would have previously killed them. Operations such as bypass surgery, transplantation and a whole array of new drugs have increased life-expectancy. While the current "obesity epidemic" (nih, 2006) may slow the increase in life expectancy, it is clear that babies being born today may well have a lifespan approach an average of ninety. This is an extraordinary situation: the doubling of life expectancy over a single century. Present Effects of Increased Longevity The present effects of increased vary from those that are fairly obvious, such as more old people, to those a little more intangible, such as changes in marriage patterns. The effects of increased lifespan on the health industry are profound. While advances in medicine are largely accountable for longevity, the healthcare industry also bears the brunt of the pressures that are created by the changing demographics of its patients. Old people tend to become sick more often, and the nature of their care is also different: Population aging can have an important impact on health expenditures (both public and private) as well as on the optimal design of health care systems. The technologies associated with diseases of the old tend to be more expensive than the technologies associated with diseases of the young. (James, 1999) Also, about 30 of healthcare costs now stem from treatment in the last six months of life (nih, 2006). These were people (often old) who would normally have died in earlier times. Ethical questions regarding

Panopticism by Foucault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Panopticism by Foucault - Essay Example The main similarity between prisons and schools, hospitals, and working places is their functions and structure. The main resemblance is that the role and aim of the administration include the responsibility and control exercised by the state and by the nation. The relationship existing among levels of hierarchical administration, and the methods employed by each, constitute the major issues of policy. The fundamental criterion of efficiency in the administration of schools is to be found in the provision of educational opportunities for children and youth. The main function of prisons is a reformative function aimed to improve behavior patterns of criminals and their attitudes towards the society. The arrangements which make for high efficiency include freedom from partisan political control, the services of a competent professional staff, adequate support, satisfactory buildings and equipment, and programs adapted to the needs of individuals and to the society which the particular institution (a hospital or prison) are organized to serve. In this case, "prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals" (Foucault 1995) based on universal and general principles applied to every organization. The approach suggests that organizations can be viewed as essentially the same and that there are few differences between organizations that cannot be overcome by the application of general principles. For instance, similar to regormative functions of prisons, "educational psychology is supposed to correct the rigours of the school, just as the medical or psychiatric interview is supposed to rectify" (Foucault 1995). It is not surprising that "prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals" because bureaucratic hierarchical structure is a result of historical development of social institutions and control functions of the state. All institutions mentioned above are 'systems'. In this case, they are affected by its environment and have a structure which has both formal and informal elements. The structure covers how activities are grouped together, the number of levels in the hierarchy, the extent to which authority is decentralized to divisions and units, and the relationships that exist between different units and functions. All organizations have some form of more or less formalized structure which has been defined as comprising 'all the tangible and regularly occurring features which help to shape their members' behavior'. Structures incorporate a network of roles and relationships and are there to help in the process of ensuring that collective effort is explicitly organized to achi eve specified ends. The basic characteristic of prisons as a system is that it transforms inputs into outputs within its environment. The components of the system include the Importation of energy and throughput. Following Foucault "Panopticism of every day may well be below the level of emergence of the great apparatuses and the great political struggles". Similar to hospitals and schools, factories and barracks, prisons include key organizational processes - the major information gathering, communication, decision-making, matter/energy transporting and matter/energy converting actions of the organization's individuals and