Feminism in South Park

Introduction South Park has been around for a while now. Since it was aired for the first time on 13th August 1997, the show has constantly pushed the boundaries taking on everything, leaving out nothing. The reception among the wider population and the media had a wide range from â€Å"shocking† to â€Å"excellent†. One of the aspects of this success story is that, because of its provocative tone the show has managed to stay in the limelight.Public debate was evolving around certain episodes, bringing more and more attention to the show. As it was constantly picking up contemporary themes, topics or events, expectations were growing and â€Å"‘How will South Park deal with x' has become a common catch phrase† Oohnson-Woods 257). Another reason why South Park is so appealing is its humour which is absolutely unrestricted and irreverent Oohnson-Woods 257). Seemingly, the creators of the show do not set any boundaries for themselves, taking on everything and everybody.Even public fgures and celebrities are not spared. The viewer witnesses events like Barbara Streisand mutating into a giant, destructive monster, Martha Stewart taking a turkey up her ectum, or Ben Affleck having a sexual affair with a nine-year old boy. People apparently enjoy the stylistic, humorous and critical social approach of the show, making it the most successful satire so far. Being full of toilet humour and foul language, South Park is pushing â€Å"the boundaries of good taste. Few shows have dared to go where South Park goes† Oohnson-Woods 244). It is also full of introspect and unbiased social commentary' (Khodasevich 2) and is characterized by its libertarian attitude, which is granting freedom to everyone and especially to itself. As it is a satirical approach to social conventions. South Park tries to make a point on various discourses within our society by â€Å"filtering these problems through children† Oohnson-Woods 163, 164). These childr en are a group of elementary school boys, namely Stan Marsh, the normal kid, Kyle Broflovski, a Jew, Eric Cartman, the fat and selfish kid and Kenny McCormick, who is the timid kid dying in every episode without further recognition.There's also several other characters that get developed throughout the seasons. However, it is interesting to point out that it is mostly male characters that grow. Female characters in the show are prevalently portrayed â€Å"as he boys mothers, classmates, and authority fgures†, and do â€Å"rarely develop past a specific role† (Khodasevich 2). This very fact, among others, â€Å"raises many red flags† among feminists (Miller 177). Furthermore feminist criticism is extended to the vulgar language and the derogatory words that are used in labelling females.Also the prevalent sexual inequality between men and women, namely the sexual objectification that is supposedly depicted makes the show a target for feminist criticism. So seemin gly, feminists rarely do belong to the wide fan-base of the show. However, the show is actually, despite the hateful, vulgar, and derogatory language which is often misinterpreted and misunderstood and therefore labeled misogynist, incorporating feminist standpoints and theories like the objectification of women, patriarchal views and stereotypical gender roles, and strongly supporting them.As sometimes† (177). 2. South Park and Feminism â€Å"South Park is a show that can either be considered as â€Å"cruelly funny and hysterically satirical [†¦ that] took animation one step backwards and five steps forward intellectually,† or as â€Å"degrading toilet humour, depending on your point of iew' Oohnson-Woods X'). This description by Johnson-Woods is perfectly serving as a transition to the main part of this paper. Is it â€Å"intellectually' challenging or is it simply â€Å"degrading† nonsense that feminists and feminist critics can not endorse? . 1 Use of Language Many feminist critics are focused on the derogatory and vulgar language in South Park. The choice of words is, for the most part of the series, bound to swearing and oaths which are mainly used by the male charactersl . Words like â€Å"bitch†, â€Å"whore† â€Å"chicks† or â€Å"cunt† are seen as generalizing terms for women, used to degrade their tatus within in the series and thereof for women in real life. This assumption might be conceivable, as most women in the TV-show are far from using comparable phrases to describe men.There are simply less words which would have the same descriptive and generalizing effect as the above-mentioned terms used for women. However, women in South Park are not expelled from using derogatory and vulgar language. Robin Lakoffwrote in his book Language and Woman's Place that little girls should not use rough language like boys because this would not enhance their status and prestige among men within the patriar chal system. In fact it would expose females to ridicule and ostracising (5).Within this scope South Park makes a feminist stand in â€Å"Tom's Rhinoplasty' (episode 11 of the first season). When Wendy Testaburger is, driven by Jealousy to the new class teacher Ms Ellen approaching her after class to have a word with her, she Just explodes with furious swearing and threatening. Wendy: Miss Ellen, can I talk to you Ms. Ellen: Of course Wendy. Wendy: I couldn't help but notice that you taking a liking in my boyfriend Stan Ms. Ellen: Well IVe taken a liking in all of you. You're all so young and cute and full of life.

British Airways And Iberia Airlines Merger Accounting Essay

There used to be a clip when British air passages ( BA ) could asseverate to be â€Å" the universe ‘s favorite air hose † , as its streamers conceitedly confirmed. However, taking the present economic scenario BA is undergoing a figure of jobs in the industry. British air passages are still fighting with the bequest of province ownership even after it has been privatised for last twenty old ages. Even recession has hard-hit the air hose industry and to get the better of the losingss that British air hoses had faced during recession ; it had decided to cut down on its cost by cut downing cabin crew and by detering an addition in the wage. However this acted as a accelerator in the industrial differences and the consequence of which is still really much felt in the day-to-day concern of BA ; there have been a figure of dead ends and work stoppages within the air hoses which have left riders to make up one's mind on for other air hoses. ( ECONOMIST, 2009 ) Due to economic crisis concern coming from North American paths was hard-hit due to a autumn in the business-class travel. However, this could be recovered with the recovery of American economic system every bit good as resuscitating the long-haul travel which makes a major portion of BA net incomes. One of BA ‘s major jobs is â€Å" Pension Deficit † . BA has besides been confronting tough competition from low-cost air hoses that have been supplying clients with cheaper menus on short-haul travel. So, the lone remedy to get the better of such losingss is seen in making or teaming up with a low cost spouse. ( ECONOMIST, 2009 ) Iberian air hoses have been enduring from lower air cost travel demand every bit good. It has reported a thrashing of 16.4 million euro in the 3rd one-fourth compared to gross of 30.4 million euro earned in the earlier one-fourth. The standard menus of this air hose have declined by 14 % and even the burden factor i.e. how filled the air-crafts are, declined to e very bit much as 1.1 % points to 82.1 % . To get by up with the recognition crunch it has decided to stop dead the rewards for 2010 and 2011 therefore heightening one-year nest eggs up to 37 million euro by 2011. It besides plans to make new air hose to provide to the demands of the traffic of Madrid Hub.( MENAFN, 2009 ) British air passages decided to fall in custodies with Iberian air hoses as a consequence of recognition crunch. By coming together they would come in the conference of large European air hoses. The amalgamation with the Spain based air hoses was looked upon as an appealing blend a twelvemonth ago. However, taking the present province of personal businesss it seems to be worth a joint deliverance procedure. This is so because both of their air hoses economic systems are still under the influence of fiscal crisis ; fighting with costs higher than the income. Iberia is still non moved by Mr. Willie Walsh ‘s, main executive of BA, dissensions with the brotherhood . It still holds optimistic position towards BA ‘s major job of â€Å" Pension Deficit † . However if we consider the articles or the memoranda of the amalgamation which was signed in November '09 between the two companies, Iberia has the right to name of the contract if BA is unable to run into up to the demands of the legal guardians refering the two pension financess. As recalculated on December 14th '09 by the legal guardians, the deficit of the two financess was declared to be at & A ; lb ; 3.7 billion, based on March 31st '09 rating. Presently BA is seting in hard currency worth & A ; lb ; 131m a twelvemonth. The Pension Regulator is assisting to reason whether the rating performed by the legal guardians is satisfactory or non and what farther actions are required to get the better of the recognition crunch. In this context, Iberian air hoses say that it can make up one's mind to name of the trade if BA lands up paying more hard currency.( ECONOMIST, 2009 ) Airlines amalgamations and acquisitions are based upon schemes which involves several conditions. Airlines M & A ; A is good for both travelers and air hose employees. The issues which are considered while air power M & A ; A are â€Å" clip, blessings, efficiency, competition, rider benefits, and struggles. † Amalgamations and acquisition in air hose industry is an emerging development across the universe. But such M & A ; A are highly planned and several of import factors are considered. Such of import factors are: The BA and Iberia treaty will make a bearer of $ 25 billion, for case. This trade makes a batch of sense and will cement the taking places of the large three European web participants. The amalgamation seems to take topographic point when the air hose sector is severely hit by the lessening in figure of riders and lading traffic. Apart of that the amalgamation became the demand of the hr, British air passages reported a 20 % diminution in grosss to 4.1 billion lbs ensuing in an operating loss of 111 million lbs in the six month period stoping at September 2009. Harmonizing to analyst Tony Shepard at the British securities firm house Charles Stanley, the company is likely to describe a 400 million lb loss for its full financial twelvemonth stoping in April 2010. British air pas sages of import North American paths and concern have been difficult hit by the prostration in business-class travel. This could resile back rapidly with economic recovery in America and, provided that cost additions from environmental steps are non excessively burdensome ; the long-haul travel on which BA ‘s profitableness depends should resuscitate in clip. But, like all former national bearers in Europe, it is confronting lay waste toing competition on its short-haul flights from low-priced air hoses. .On the other manus the amalgamation is decidedly in demand by Iberia besides as the air hoses faces adversities because air hose sector in Spain is confronting â€Å" exceptionally hard † conditions amid the economic crisis and competition from high-velocity rail. Iberian air hoses fiscal place is rather weak as the company had plunged into the ruddy in the 2nd one-fourth of 2009, entering a immense net loss of 72.8 million Euros. Afterwards the company declared its 3r d one-fourth consequences where it reported a loss of 16.4 million Euros ( 24.4 milliondollars ) ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/159895/british-airways-iberia-agree-to-merge ) Due to such utmost losingss and no marks of recovery in the market, the amalgamation was seen as a best strategic move by Iberia. The planned amalgamation with Iberia, the Spanish air hose, looked as if it would be a victorious combination a twelvemonth ago when it was foremost mooted. Today it seems more like a common deliverance operation. Both air hoses ‘ national economic systems are still in the stagnation ; both houses are fighting with costs greater than their grosss. It is besides moderately sanguine about BA ‘s other large job: its tremendous pension shortage. But harmonizing to the amalgamation memoranda signed in November, Iberia can name off the nuptials if BA can non make a satisfactory understanding with the legal guardians of its two pension fin ancess. As on 9th November 2009 there was an official proclamation that both of them ( British air passages and Iberian air hoses ) reached an initial understanding for a amalgamation which is planned to be completed by late 2010.As per the market this amalgamation, which will necessitate the European Commission ‘s seal of blessing, will take to the creative activity of the universe ‘s 3rd biggest air hose. The trade would see the new company being split with Iberia being allocated a 45 % interest and BA the staying 55 % . The new concern would hold 419 aircraft and over 200 finishs. In their last fiscal old ages, their joint grosss are about ˆ15 billion. The air hoses believe there is a compelling strategic principle for the dealing, which is expected to bring forth one-year synergisms of about ˆ400 million, and profit both companies ‘ stockholders, clients and employees. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8356780.stm ) The new group will unite the two companies ‘ taking places in the UK and Spain and heighten their strong presence in the international long draw markets, while retaining the single trade names and current operations of each air hose. In July 2008 there was intelligence of brace being in negotiations for an all-share amalgamation. But, because of issues such as the balance of control and the size of BA ‘s pension-fund shortage the treatments were put at a halt. As per the current market scenario rider traffic appears to hold stabilized, and air hoses have been able to convert their work forces that the industry is in crisis, forcing through some labour grants and cut downing capacity. BA is doing â€Å" echt advancement † in take downing costs, says analyst Nick Cunningham of Evolution Securities. As per the British air passages ongoing activities it seems the state of affairs of the company has started bettering after proclamation of the amalgamation, the company h as recapitalized ; following a exchangeable bond offering over the summer last twelvemonth and now has a hard currency balance of 1.5 billion lbs. In add-on the company has seen an addition in long draw flights which is one of the major countries where air hose companies make most of the net income. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.smartmoney.com/investing/stocks/market-update-friday-nov-13-2009-20162/ ) Rivals in the market have a really assorted reaction towards the amalgamation of both the air hose. Virgin Atlantic which as per the market position faces the biggest competition from this amalgamation its functionary said in a statement that the amalgamation will â€Å" increase BA ‘s laterality at Heathrow with 44 % of takeoff and set downing slots this winter, † and added its â€Å" impossible for any other air hose to retroflex their graduated table. † Other air hose companies have the position that the trade could really assist them win concern. Michael O'Leary, CEO of price reduction Irish bearer Ryanair, told CNBC that the trade was like â€Å" two rummies keeping each other up on the manner place. All you get when you put two high-fare, loss-making air hoses together is even higher menus and even bigger losingss. Mr. Leary operates a regional bearer and does n't vie on long-haul flights against bearers like BA. Though these statement can be said as guess in one sense as the true consequence of this amalgamation is still to be seen. But as per in a public proclamation by BA main executive Willie Walsh â€Å" The amalgamation will make a strong European air hose good able to vie in the twenty-first century † . The trade would make Europe ‘s 2nd biggest air hose by stock market capitalization, and 3rd biggest by income, with around 60 million riders per twelvemonth, As per market experts. The Times quoted assorted intelligence on different day of the months sing occupation cuts which were probably at bing caput offices in London and Madrid, in care installations and the incorporate gross revenues forces.In reappraisal of intelligence Mr. Walsh will be main executive, and Iberia air hoses president Mr. Antonio Vazquez will be president of the new company to be based in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange. MR.Vazquez hailed the understanding, stating they were â€Å" puting the foundations of what will be one of the most of import air hoses in the universe, a existent planetary air hose. † ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.smartmoney.com/investing/stocks/market-update-friday-nov-13-2009-20162/ ) It is said that if the amalgamation consequences fruitful and the economic system begins its recovery in 2010 or possibly 2011 so it will be a major encouragement to both of them. One thing can be predicted that If the trade gets successfully executed the clients are traveling to hold a broad assortment of finishs as BA clients would derive entree to up to 59 new finishs, of which 13 will be in Latin America, while Iberia ‘s clients would derive up to 98 new finishs across the BA web. In add-on to it the effects of amalgamation will ensue in combined stock market capitalization of some 4.9 billion Euros ( 4.3 billion lbs, 7.2 billion dollars ) . Different Approaches To Covering With The ProblemHarmonizing to the current state of affairs at that place appears to be merely one job which is doing the trade hard to put to death. British Airways the UK flag-carrier pension shortage was revealed and it was found that the shortage was more than double amounting to 3.7 billion lbs at the terminal of March, which was higher than analysts expected but it is non a bug adequate to be a ground for stoping up of the amalgamation with Spanish air hose Iberia. As told to Reuters by a beginning in Iberia air hoses â€Å" We ‘re non surprised by this figure. It falls within the expected scope, † As it is already implied before, BA ‘s pension shortage is the important country in the dialogue of amalgamation and Iberia has the right to draw of the amalgamation if the payment of this shortage turns to be excessively large. Furthermore, there are opportunities that the shortage figure could originate till the clip the rating procedure is completed in following twelvemonth in June because as per Britain ‘s Pensions Regulator the premise which is used to cipher the shortage are excessively optimistic. I n position of this BA said in a statement â€Å" The regulator ‘s probationary position is that the proficient commissariats may be materially below a degree it feels appropriate, † As per the job the British air passages direction is seeking to calculate out different ways to work out the job. As per in one of the proclamations BA said that the company and the pension legal guardians will work together to develop a recovery program, a procedure through which the company will confer with its employees and their trade brotherhoods and will seek to take out a determination from it by the terminal of June 30, 2010. The scheme which is employed now is to alter the nature of any pension ‘s trade BA can strike with its staff and ciphering the proportion of spread which can be covered by the company. As said by Deutsche Bank â€Å" The Company may be forced to renegociate pension benefits with employees if it is to avoid utilizing more stockholders hard currency, † Academic Studies Supporting The ArticleThe world that merely 20 per cent of the acquisitions really win and the remainder erodes stockholder wealth ( Grubb and Lamb, 2000 ) can extremely conflict with illustrations of successful coup d'etats like Swiss by Lufthansa in 2005.Talking about amalgamations, they create stockholder value with most of it accruing to the attendant company. One of the of import grounds behind unifying a company is that it helps in increasing stockholder ‘s value much above the sum sum of the two companies.( Watson and Head,2007 ) The optimistic impact of amalgamations extends to and involves economic systems of graduated table or synergisms, helps to derive power in the markets by making monopolies, manages bureau costs and manages hazard for undiversified directors( Gregor Anrade, Mark Mitchell, Erik Stafford, 2001 ) . Amalgamations create synergisms, cut down operational costs and enhance market portion. On the other manus it consequences in the generation of bureau jobs as the directors can do amalgamations for their ain benefit. It besides consequences in decentralization of power that reduces duty and answerability. Merger which can be defined as when two ( or perchance more ) concern combine. In other words one can state that ‘merger ‘ is defined as a state of affairs when two companies/firms decide by common understanding to unite the concerns. The term ‘takeover ‘ holds a different significance in comparing to ‘merger ‘ . It means when a larger concern takes over control of a smaller concern and the smaller concern gets immersed by the larger concern. But in today ‘s epoch it is non cleared that whether the concern has been merged or it has been taken over. Harmonizing to the relationship between the concerns being merged, amalgamations and coup d'etats can be divided into three parts and they are:Horizontal amalgamationoccurs when two concerns in the similar industry, and at the Same point in the production procedure decides to unite.Vertical amalgamationoccurs when two concerns in the similar industry, but at different points in the same production procedure decide to unite.Conglomerate amalgamationoccurs when two concerns in unrelated industries decide to unite.As it can be implied from the academic surveies back uping the article the amalgamation between British air passages and Iberia air hoses is Horizontal type of amalgamation as both the companies are from the air hoses sector taking to same production procedure and they have got high presence at international degree. Application of Data to ModelHarmonizing to research, the last few old ages were n't an acceptable period for the air line industry as a consequence of quickly increasing fuel costs and due to economic downswing. Airline amalgamations and acquisitions have clustered and most of the air hose bosses exclaimed â€Å" consolidation is ineluctable † . The outstanding illustrations of amalgamation and acquisition in the industry are Air France – KLM in 2003, Swiss- Lufthansa in 2005, US Airways-America West in 2005 and Delta- Northwest in 2008. The Europeans lead the manner in set uping mega-carriers. By gross Air France-KLM is the universe leader with $ 34 billion, followed by the Lufthansa Group at $ 30 billion. ( The Mating Game.Airline Business, 02687615, Jan2009, Vol. 25, Issue 1 ) . At the same clip, US Airways and America West amalgamation drained their disbursals by over $ 250 million a twelvemonth and created a company better able to endure $ 100-a-barrel oil. USAirwa ys, the state ‘s fifth-largest bearer — earned $ 427 million on gross of $ 11.7 billion. ( A Cautionary Tale for Airline Mergers, Palmeri, Christopher, Business Week ; 3/17/2008 ) Therefore it can be determined that amalgamations and acquisitions had sustained air hose industry during the economic downswing accomplishing important synergisms and economic systems of graduated table. Although the amalgamations and acquisitions prevented air lines from settlement, inauspicious impacts can besides be emphasized. Even US Airways exists bankruptcy ; the expanded company still face the internal battle of consorting two separate air hoses. The chief obstructions are employee dissatisfaction and client ailments ( A Cautionary Tale for Airline Mergers, Palmeri, Christopher, Business Week ; 3/17/2008 ) However the universe ‘s air hoses are organizing themselves into immense confederations. Does this affair? Yes: the hazard is that the air hose industry is traveling from one extreme and it ‘s clip to worry about the competition. What Has Been LearntHarmonizing to our surveies and research it can be seen the air hose industry has been hit by the economic downswing. They struggled with the cost hikes higher than their incomes. Both the air hoses have been faced by the jobs of industrialisation and globalisation, the competition of other air hoses such as low cost air hoses and inveigh services like Euro Star. Most of the air hoses restructured and merged and gave them a competition every bit good. Pension black hole is one of the chief current jobs happening in the British air passages and some of the analysts say that they need more clip to retrieve from the shortage than their estimated clip of 2016. ( in pattern ) Longer clip is required for the closing of the shortage harmonizing to some analysts. But in the state of affairss of hard currency in Rhine wine the company can see doing non-cash parts such as non-monetary inducements alternatively of hard currency. If the company utilizes its assets for pension financess it might stultify the company with the same forces cut downing its cyberspace worth. The faultless size of the shortage is non known by the BA and at the same clip they have released before denoting the recovery program the size of the shortage efficaciously. However, air hose and legal guardians are now working together to develop a recovery program to negociate with employees and trade brotherhoods. Unless and until BA manages come up with a solution to find the pension shortage the amalgamation will stay unsettled. MentionsA Cautionary Tale for Airline Mergers, Palmeri, Christopher, Business Week ; 3/17/2008, Isuue 4075, p066-066, 1p Airline Amalgamations: Ready for Takeoff? By: Bachman, Justin, BusinessWeek Online, 12/22/2006 Corporate Finance ; Principles and Practice ; 4th Edition, Denzil Watson & A ; Antony Head, Pearson Education ECONOMIST, 2009 Fiscal Management for Decision Makers,5TH Edition, Peter Atrill, Pearson Education hypertext transfer protocol: //finance.mapsofworld.com/merger-acquisition/airline.html hypertext transfer protocol: //news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8356780.stm hypertext transfer protocol: //grupo.iberia.es/portal/site/grupoiberia/menuitem.84584da99e6d0dada0d4a195d21061ca/ . hypertext transfer protocol: //readingft.blogspot.com/2009/11/ba-and-iberia-blue-sky-marriage.htmlhttp: //www.britishairways.com/travel/about-british-airways/public/en_gb hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/159895/british-airways-iberia-agree-to-merge hypertext transfer protocol: //www.smartmoney.com/investing/stocks/market-update-friday-nov-13-2009-20162/ MENAFN, 2009 One universe, few airlines.Economist, 00130613, 09/26/98, Vol. 349, Issue 8087 The Mating Game.Airline Business, 02687615, Jan2009, Vol. 25, Issue 1 V V

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Legal Questions - Essay Example In analysis of the information the enactment of the FTDA, courts have struggled for applying the customary for trademark dilution for the reason that of the expansive language used in the law. (Koo, 2004) Under these laws, initially the Home Specialists should consider talking to the individuals responsible for TechEquip and Homer.com. The fact to ponder upon is when Tech equips registered as Homer. Com, the office did not object them on the name. It is very natural for people at Home Specialists to feel that the Tec equip is using their goodwill somehow. But, it does not really fall into a court case category. Both of the parties should meet up in friendly terms and try and convince and inform each other of any apprehensions if they feel exist. If in the case that Home Specialists drag the latter party to court. Then they would have to prove Tech Equip.'s deliberate attempt to use their goodwill. This would not be of any use. Because if the whole issue would have been objectionable the people at the registrars office would have discussed the same with Tec Equip. The whole case can be deemed as just mere confusion under the FTDA Act. Ans 2) By Trade dress is actua... But the fact is, that, there can be an instance of confusion or just mere a mistake. The trade dress infringement act entails a provision and space that these acts be taken into consideration. Damages should only be awarded in case of the occurrence that Levec Inc, can prove a deliberate attempt by Tarvainen to use their goodwill. Only if they are proven right in their claim should they receive damages. It is very well possible that in the case of Levec Inc not being able to prove any thing; it might just be considered a fault or a mistake. The Protection in relation of any specific trade dress is comparable as the protection and safeguard of trademarks. Trade Dress Infringement Violation can occur unintentionally also. (Wiemelt, 2003-2006) Ans 3) the Law 'Act on the Protection of Personal Information' is where this should be categorized. Article 1, the rationale behind this Act is the safeguard and protection of the civil rights as well as their interests of individuals considering the fact that the personal information can be useful to other parties. Proper handling of this personal information is an essential. Basically all the articles in this act entail the following idea, that the personal information of individuals that are being used by certain business entities, by permission is being used for business purposes. The government has the responsibility of making sure that the business entity in particular should safeguard that data. The state rather is also responsible for safeguarding this information.According to this act, if the business entity plans to alter the entity handling this personal information, their must be public notifications of such an act. Meaning all should be informed. With

Diversity in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diversity in the Workplace - Essay Example Capitalizing and maximizing on diversity in the workplace has become a very critical management issue today (Thiederman, 2008). The leadership and management teams in organizations need to recognize that workplace environment is diversifying, evolving, and changing. Management and employees must be equipped to value multicultural differences in both customers and associates in order for everyone to be handled with dignity. Considering that managing diversity remains an important organizational challenge, leaders and managers should learn the skills required in a multicultural and diverse environment (Devoe, 1999). This paper will discuss various aspects of diversity in the workplace. Generally, diversity is defined as understanding, valuing, celebrating, accepting, and acknowledging differences among people with regard to ethnicity, race, gender, spiritual practice, age, public assistance status, class, sexual orientation, and mental and physical ability (Shakhray, 2009). In the wake of globalization, diversity issues are considered fundamental and are projected to become even more critical in the coming years because if increasing differences in the populations around the world. As such, organizations are required to focus on diversity particularly within the work setting and to look for ways of becoming completely inclusive organizations since diversity has the potential of resulting to greater competitive advantages and productivity. Diversity especially in the workplace is believed to be an invaluable competitive asset that any organization cannot afford to ignore (Devoe, 1999). Valuing and managing diversity is an important component of effective people management that can go a long way in improving productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. Demographic changes such as the organizational restructurings, equal opportunity legislation, and women in the workplace will need organizations to assess and review their practices of management, as well as to de velop creative and new approaches to manage people. Such changes will increase customer service and work performance (Harvey and Allard, 2005). There is no doubt that diversity in the workplace is a reality around the world. this is not only reflected in the organizational demographic trends, but also in how issues are being addressed in the workplace including the issues of disability accommodation, flexible work arrangements, elder care and child care among others (Thiederman, 2008). Diversity is beneficial in many ways to the organizational as a whole and also to the management and employees. Even though employees are interdependent in the work environment, respecting differences of individuals can significantly increase productivity. Workplace diversity can increase marketing opportunities, business image and creativity. In the modern era when creativity and flexibility are critical to competitiveness, workplace diversity is important for the success of any organization (Lewis, 2000). Proper management of diversity in the workplace can provide a distinct advantage in this era of enhanced competitiveness. Various studies have shown that heterogeneity promotes productivity and creativity. In addition, heterogeneous groups have demonstrated to produce better solutions to challenges within a workplace

What I learned in this Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

What I learned in this Class - Essay Example Inflation is the persistent increase in prices of goods and services, it decreases the purchasing power of currency. Inflation normally drags productivity as companies are forced to shift resources away from products and services to focus on losses and profits received from currency inflation (Ohanian 2010). Monetary policy is the process the government through its monetary authority tries to control the supply of money and the rate of interest. Monetary decisions are affected by various factors such as long term interests, exchange rates, bonds and equities (Woodford 2010). IS curve is the investment-saving curve where total private investment equals total saving. The equilibrium between savings and investment is portrayed by each point on the curve. Stabilization policy are measures introduced to stabilize a financial or economy crisis (Romer 2000). They are discretionary policy which are business cycle stabilization and crisis. The great recession was observed in world markets at the end of first decade of 21st century. It was caused by widespread failures in financial regulations. The labor market is where employees and workers interact with each other, labor demand is the firm’s demand for labor and labor supply is worker’s supply of labor (Davis 2006). Unemployment applies when people are without work and are actively seeking work. Unemployment highly occurs when an economy is under recession (Elsby 2010). They are different types of unemployment such as structural, classical, cyclical and long-term unemployment. Taxation is the imposition of levies or financial charges on taxpayers in order to finance public expenditures. The tax is collected by a government agency, they are various kinds of taxes such as income, capital gains, value added tax and sales tax (Mankiw 2009). International trade is the exchange of goods, services and capital across international territories (exports and imports). It gives

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics Research Paper - 1

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example So, perfect work ethics mainly initiated and managed by the leaders and management will only ensure smooth functioning for the organization and elevate its image. A foolproof and effective ethical program should be given top most priority and should be incorporated in every aspect of organizational functioning, without exception. So, this article will evaluate the ethical program in the one of the largest corporations of the world, Shell Oil Company In 1833, Marcus Samuel, a London Shopkeeper, decided to introduce oriental shells as fashion in interior design. Till 1886, the demand for oil was restricted to lighting and lubricants. With the invention of internal combustion engine and the first automobiles, the demand for gasoline arrived. By then the business was taken over by Marcus Samuel Junior and Sam Samuel. In the 1880’s, oil was being exported from Russia to other countries from the ports at Black Sea. Oil was transported in barrels and it consumed a lot of space in the hold of the ship. The Samuel brothers commissioned a fleet of bulk oil tankers for transporting oil. The Samuel brothers achieved a revolution in oil transporting with the maiden voyage of the first tanker the â€Å"Murex† through the Suez Canal in 1892. The brothers initially called their company the Tank Syndicate but later renamed it to Shell Transport and Trading Company in 1897. Petroleum was also being produced in the East Indies, whic h was a Dutch colony, by the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company. With stiff competition from Standard Oil, the two companies joined together to form Asiatic petroleum Company in 1903. The full merger of the two companies into Royal Dutch Shell Group came in 1907. Today, Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. As per Forbes report (2009), in the year 2009, the Royal Dutch Shell was ranked 2nd largest company in the world, with assets worth US $ 278.44

Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Germany - Essay Example To begin with, Germany has well matured culture of Music, in the past, it successful ride since it has produced the best classical music composers of the world who among them; Beethoven and Bach Mozart (Bernstein, 2004).These two musicians played a very important role during the transition face in music when the world was moving from classical music to romantic music especially in the western countries (Bernstein, 2004). It is because of this successful history of music in Germany, that has seen Germany establish the fifth largest music market in the world and this simply means that Germany is still interested in preserving its culture in music industry .The culture of Germany in terms of music, has been identified with originality unlike in America where the culture of music has been influence by people moving from the Diaspora and settling in the country. Germanys have maintained the use of traditional foods. Most restaurant in Germany, prefer preparing traditional foods, although the food differ from one region to the other. For example, people who stay in the northern part of Germany, like eating fish that has been prepared in their traditional ways while those who stay in the Rhine region prefer taking their original beer as compared to wines that are being introduced in the country. Generally, Germania’s have maintained their traditional foods and they have resisted any assimilation into taking other foods unlike in the United States, where dishes that are prepared in the various regions vary with the kind of immigrants who have settled in those areas Germany has been known for its great contribution in the field of science, this has been made possible by the fact that Germany has maintained a strong historical back ground in research and adventure. Some of the fields that Germany has been credited for having played a key role include; invention and engineering (Bernstein, 2004).For example, Johannes Gutenberg was credited for the

Architecture - Avant Garde Architectural Theory Essay

Architecture - Avant Garde Architectural Theory - Essay Example In the beginning of 1922, the Viennese Hungarian Activists were gaining victory. After banishing from Hungary they got together in Vienna. Earlier this year, some of them started to get cut off from Kassak and Ma, making their own groups. In impact of Russian Avant garde was the main cause for the Hungarian Activists to break from Dada and join International Constructivism. The Activist "artists and writers" were the main groups forming the Hungarian Avant garde during that time (Botar, 1993). Brutalism was a movement in architecture which flourished in the 1960s and 1970s. Pioneered in continental Europe by Le Corbusier, its main protagonists in Britain were the husband and wife team of Peter and Alison Smithson. The Smithsons were determined to preserve the best aspects of the heroic Modernism of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and other early pioneers, and to save British Modernism from what they considered creeping whimsies. The term itself (often credited to the critic Reynar Banham) is perhaps unfortunate- suggesting as it does a type of building which is ugly and unfriendly, and its association with much of Britain's welfare state architecture has not helped the movement's reputation, at least in the eyes of the public (The New Architecture, 1955). Also in the research paper, one building and one piece of text will be analysed. The building to be analysed is the Hunstanton school, by Alison and Peter Smithson in Norfolk, Britain and the piece of text to be analysed is "Banham, Peter Rayner 1955-'The New Brutalism' from architecture review." After the Second World War, British Modernists were increasingly sought after by the authorities who wanted to rebuild a physically shattered country and enact social change through the construction of a cradle-to-grave welfare state. But the architecture of the early welfare state avoided the stringent Modernism advocated by the pre-war pioneers in CIAM, opting instead to ape the gentle style of Sweden's long established social architecture. The apotheosis of this 'humanist' Modernism came in 1951, with the Festival of Britain, centred on the South Bank in London. (The New Architecture, 1955) For Peter and Alison Smithson, modernism was not just that. They demanded a return to a more rigid, formal architecture and put their ideas to work with their Secondary School in Hunstanton, Norfolk, completed in 1954. At Hunstanton, the Smithsons made a virtue of the construction process of the building: structural and service elements were left exposed and the austere steel and glass frame gave the building a skeletal appearance. This "truth to materials" approach was anti-aesthetic, but, the Smithsons believed, more honest and true to Modernism's basic principles. Reynar Banham dubbed the school 'the New Brutalism', a movement which aimed, in his words, to "make the whole conception of the building plain and comprehensible. No mystery, no romanticism, no obscurities about function and circulation." In France, Le Corbusier was also experimenting with new ways of using the Modernists' favourite material, concrete. His "breton brut" (literally, "raw concrete") technique characterised his Unite d'Habitation in Marseilles: a giant housing block with shops and other

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Essay Example for Free

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Essay On April 20, 2010 a catastrophic explosion on the Deepwater Horizon off shore drilling platform caused the largest single release to the environment due to oil drilling. This explosion killed 11 workers and injured 17. This oil spill is very controversial because it can be questioned if this spill could have been prevented and what exactly went wrong. There is much debate on who is to blame, what could have been done to prevent it and who is going to pay for all the damage. Many are not happy with the settlement BP is signing that will keep them from further criminal prosecution if they agree to pay the settlement amount. Paying retribution is fine, but what about the future damaging effects that we have no way of even knowing about now. Who will take care of that? These are some of the basic questions people are asking about this case and my responses. What can this accident teach us? This accident should teach us all that there is a great responsibility taken on when you go into the earth and try to harvest chemical products that have potential for negative effects on human welfare and health. The government needs to be in charge of regulating these activities to preserve the future of our environment. Had you been in charge of granting permit for this, what measures would you have prescribed to prevent or mitigate the impacts of such an accident? Policies need to be in place that ensures that properly trained personnel are on site at all times to ensure the safety of the drilling process. Only experienced personnel could properly react to an emergency and possibly be able to mitigate further damage. Knowledge and experience are required to recognize potential hazards in time and prevent even bigger negative effects. BP engineers were supposedly aware of variations in the pressure prior to the explosion. These engineers probably did not have the authority to request work be stopped so further inspections could be made. Politics involved with the money at stake sometimes lead to dangerous decisions. If someone with the knowledge and authority to make an executive decision was there, this tragedy could possibly have been avoided. If you were in a policy making forum, what national or international policy measures would you recommend for reducing long term risk from off-shore drilling. I think the policies on long term risk from off-shore drilling accidents could be addressed by building some kind of boundary wall to contain the drill site, even if there was not a spill. Just the act of drilling is releasing some form of contamination and if that contamination could be contained before it gets incorporated into the entire different city/ country’s water supply it would be a great benefit to prevent long term effects of oil contamination. International policies need to be in effect that maintain the same standards across the board. If one country has low standards and takes in the contaminated water†¦ they will then be releasing it into the environment and the contamination will still affect neighboring countries/cities that may have stricter standards. If I was involved in any type of policymaking forum, I would try to get policy passed that had strict policies regarding quality control practices regarding the technology being used to drill for the oil and the equipment maintenance. Increased testing of drilling equipment during and between drilling process, not just at the start stage. Sometimes equipment fails during use and quality measures need to be in place to make frequent inspections. What changes would you require in terms of ethical conduct by regulators? Regulators need to not be financially involved with projects the are legislating. This is a huge ethical problem because kickbacks and donations often lead to favorable legislations in favor of the party standing to gain and not for the best interest of the public. To what degree may politics have clouded judgment and influenced decisions that where made? Relaxed government regulation was probably made because the government in efforts to promote business, made acquisitions that were dangerous and costly to the environment in the long run.

Julio Cortazar Casa Tomada Analysis

Julio Cortazar Casa Tomada Analysis Analyse the treatment of the â€Å"outsider† or â€Å"outsiders† in one of the texts studied on the course. What role does this tension play in the socio-political vision of the author? Julio Cortazar was one of most influential Argentine writers of all time. He was one of the great masters of short stories and was compared to the likes of Jorge Luis Borges. Cortazars literature is closely linked to social and cultural realities of Latin America and in particular Argentina. This essay will begin with the history of Julio Cortazar including his background influences and the style of his texts with focus on the short story ‘La Casa Tomada. Then this shall lead on to the analysis of the treatment of characters that are considered as â€Å"outsiders† in the story focusing on the different interpretations of the main characters and the unknown invaders that take over the house. Furthermore, the role of these â€Å"outsiders† will be discussed relating to the socio-political vision of Cortazar and the influence of politics on his writing, incorporating the socio-political situation in Buenos Aires, Argentina at that time. In 1914, Julio Cortazar was born in Brussels, Belgium of Argentine parents, after World War 1 his family returned to Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was where he grew up and became educated, then later moved to Paris in 1951, after obtaining a French scholarship, where he died in 1984 at the age of 70. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked as a teacher and then as a translator. (Prego Cortazar, 1997) Cortazar is known as one of the Latin American writers of the â€Å"boom† that exploded onto the world literary scene. The literary boom was during the middle of the 20th century when Latin American writers work became published in Europe and the rest of the world. The stories were known to associate with magical realism which is where ‘unreal things are treated as if realistic and mundane, and mundane things as if unreal. The plots of these stories usually combined real and fantastic elements in a way that makes them difficult to separate. (www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Latin-American-Boom) Stories that have been written by Julio Cortazar normally mix fantasy with Latin American reality. The story being focused on, ‘La Casa Tomada by Julio Cortazar, was initially published in the 1946 review ‘Los Anales de Buenos Aires which was directed by Jorge Luis Borges. It then appeared his in his first volume of short stories ‘Bestario in 1951. (www.juliocortazar.com.ar/hislife.htm) In the story, a middle-aged brother and sister live together in an old large family house, situated in the North district of Buenos Aires. They spend their days doing routine tasks with little variation. The sister, Irene, knits and the brother reads and collects stamps. They both clean the house and cook meals together. One day they hear mysterious noises within the house, but they do not worry. Without much explication, they abandon parts of the house because of this invading noise. When eventually the unknown noises take over the whole house, they leave the house with nothing and throw the key away. It is written in the first person with the narrator being the protagonist in the story. This means the protagonist is the centre of attention and this allows the reader to participate in all the events. The reader can see all the thoughts and ideas of the protagonist so they can easily identify with the protagonist. This adds realism to the story in contrast with the ‘unknown characters that bring an element of the surrealism that ‘boom writers are known for. The northern district of Buenos Aires where the protagonist and his sister live is the rich and privileged area and from the start of the story, it sets out to the reader that the siblings are from privileged backgrounds. â€Å"Nos gustaba la casa porque aparte de espaciosa y antigua (hoy que las casas antiguas sucumben a la mas ventajosa liquidacià ³n de sus materiales) [†¦]† (Cortazar, page 1). The house has eight bedrooms so previously their family would have occupied all the rooms and they would have had maids to work for them. The large house was previously owned by their ancestors and they are the last of a long line of family. â€Å"[†¦] guardaba los recuerdos de nuestros bisabuelos, el abuelo paterno, nuestros padres y toda la infancia.† (Cortazar, page 1). It seems they can afford to live without working.Instead they spend their days doing little more than cleaning, reading and knitting with rare communication with the outside world. From this, the theme of â€Å"outsiders† comes into play, which plays a strong role throughout the story. From analyzing the story, the unknown invaders are immediately seen as the â€Å"outsiders† that come in and take over. However, the siblings could also be â€Å"outsiders† giving that they are so cut off from the rest of society. Cortazar portrays the siblings as very unusual and lonely characters that do little to prevent themselves from being outsiders in society. The siblings seem to be obsessed by routine and keeping the house clean. We find out little about the narrator except that he like French literature. He portrays the sister Irene as a very passive female who is happy to just spend her time knitting. They share the cleaning and cooking chores between themselves. The narrator says how they never use the back part of the house except entering to clean. Therefore, there is already a barrier created between them and the â€Å"outsiders† with the large oak door. There is a reference to how much dust collects on the furniture. â€Å"Buenos Aires sera una ciudad limpia, pero eso se lo debe a sus habitantes y no a otra cosa.† The narrator seems to imply that the middle-class citizens keep the city clean. He also says â€Å"Hay demasiada tierra en el aire† which is ironic seeing as the city is called â€Å"Buenos Aires†. (Holmes:2004, pg254) There is an incestuous aspect between the brother and sister as they have reached middle age and the only time they spend is with each other, uninterested in others outside the house. â€Å"Simple y silencioso matrimonio de hermanos[†¦]† (Cortazar) This shows they had no plans to marry anybody else and have children to pass on the house to. This incestuous theme is something Cortazar said may have been related to his own life; â€Å"Yo empecà © a pensar y a descubrir que efectivamentea traves de mis sereà ±os yo tengo una problema incestuoso con una hermana mia† (Cortazar por Cortazar, pg 43) The brother and sister can be seen as outsiders at the end of the story aswell because they are the ones that end up on the outside of the house with nowhere to go. They have numerous possessions at the start of their story and bit by bit, it is taken away from them until they are left outside with nothing. â€Å" ¿Tuviste tiempo de traer alguna cosa? le preguntà © inà ºtilmente. No, nada.† The other â€Å"outsiders† are the invaders that are seen as unknown enemies. They are referred to as plural during the story for example when they take over the first part of the house; â€Å"-Tuve que cerrar la puerta del pasillo. Han tomado parte del fondo.† (Cortazar) so the reader automatically presumes it is more than one unknown character. The unknown outsiders are treated as very unwelcome and they can be seen as threatening. Throughout the story, Cortazar leaves no clues to whom or what these noises are and it seems as if the brother and sister are not necessarily that scared or shocked by them. An example is after the part where the brother says to Irene that they had taken over the back part: â€Å"Dejà ³ caer el tejido y me mirà ³ con sus graves ojos cansados. - ¿Estas seguro? Asenti. -Entonces -dijo recogiendo las agujas- tendremos que vivir en este lado.† She does not show any fear and just carries on knitting. They seem to have knowledge of whom or what has invaded the house and act alone in defending themselves against this invasion. At the end of the story, the outsiders are still left as unidentifiable and mysterious characters to the reader and leaves them guessing. It is up to the reader to come to their own conclusion about whom or what they think these strange noises are. The beginning of the story starts as very realistic with a description of their lives then once the outsiders that invade take over the first part of the house, it becomes surreal. Cortazar puts a lot of emphasis on the description of the house; the house seems unwelcoming as it lacks the comfort and security of a home. The characters feel unsafe in their home and ready to flee at any point and it loses any feeling of safety when the others take over. Cortazar explores the connection between identity and the home. The house shows everything about the siblings such as their wealth, their background and their hobbies and once they no longer have the house, they lose their identity. The house is personified in the story; â€Å"a veces llegamos a pensar que era ella que no nos dejà ³ casar.† This shows it has some sort of control over the brother and sister living within and creates a barrier between them and the real world. The only time that the brother visits outside is when he goes to get his French literature or wool for Irene to knit and Irene never leaves the house. Also, note that the street name Rodriguez Peà ±a was the name of Cortazars street when he lived in Buenos Aires. (Maquiera: 2004, pg.10) Therefore, this shows how the story relates to his own personal experience. It seems the treatment of these outsiders seems to play a strong role in the vision of Cortazar as the story is related to his life. There are numerous interpretations for the meaning behind La Casa Tomada but the one that stands out seems to be that Cortazar uses the relation between the characters, the outsiders and the home as a way to respond to social and political tensions that were occurring in Buenos Aires during that time. Cortazar wrote the story post-war when Juan Pà ©ron had recently come into power over Argentina. Initially Pà ©ron had worked his way up by taking a position that nobody else was interested in as the head of the Labour department. From there he appealed to the workers. Pà ©ron aimed for an independent Argentina, free from foreign economical influence. Pà ©ron promised a â€Å"New Argentina† founded on â€Å"social justice, political sovereignty, and economic independence†. He showed support for the workers that he called the â€Å"masas descamisadas† by increasing wage earners income and building a large number of low cost homes. (Rock: 1987 pg.262-263) Cortazar was anti-peronist and demonstrated against his regime. He saw Pà ©ron as a dictator and felt threatened by the control. â€Å"Si bien Cortazar no comulgaba aun con el socialismo, su postura hacia la politica del nuevo gobierno era abiertamente critica† (Maquiera: 2004, pg.19.) Pà ©ron aimed to integrate the population and bring about social reforms. Many, including Cortazar saw him and his wife Evita as a political and economical threat and â€Å"a threat to good taste†. They saw him â€Å"encouraging the invasion of Buenos Aires by riffraff from the provinces†. The racist term â€Å"cabecitas negras† was used against the immigrant workers. (Standish: 2001 pg.4) For the opponents of Pà ©ron his promises were myths and had caused a divided society with a bankrupt economy and a nation controlled by a dictatorship. â€Å"El Peronismo significà ³ la llega a la capital de la clase obrera del interior del pais y la entrada de esa poblacià ³n en la vida social y cultural de la ciudad† (Maquiera: 2004, pg. 20). Although Cortazar does not link them directly, the ‘outsiders in the story can be seen as a satire in showing the socio-political vision of Cortazar against Pà ©ronism and the arrival of the working class during that period. The story could be portrayed as showing the anxieties of the upper and middle classes of Buenos Aires during the nine-year administration of Juan Pà ©ron. By showing how they felt marginalised because of the increasing number of rural immigrants that were coming into the city for work. Just like the protagonists in the story, their way of life had changed and these invaders into the house may symbolise the workers coming into the city. Therefore, the role of these outsiders could be an allegory of the migrant workers that moved into Buenos Aires and took over a lot of the jobs and the brother and sister could symbolise the Argentineans that felt like these migrants invaded them. â€Å"Bien podria representar todos mis miedos, o quiza, todas mis aversiones; en ese caso la interpretacià ³n antiperonista me parece bastante posible, emergiendo incluso inconscientemente†. Julio Cortazar (www.abretelibro.com) The story is most commonly seen as an anti-peronist allegory and expresses the fear that Cortazar may have felt about outsiders in Argentina. The feeling of fear felt that was caused by Perons military government and by the invasion of industrialisation. However, the story has also been seen as similar to that of Adam and Eve; they are expelled from their small and closed paradise into an unknown world. html.rincondelvago.com/casa-tomada_julio-cortazar_2.html When asked, Cortazar says that ‘La Casa Tomada was inspired from a nightmare that he had and that when he woke from this nightmare he immediately started writing the story. The house described in the story is the same as in his nightmare. â€Å"La à ºnica diferencia entre lo soà ±ado y el cuento es que en la pesadilla yo estaba solo.† (Prego: 1990, pg79) When he woke up, he immediately started writing the story. Therefore, he says that it is his dream that should be analyzed not the story. â€Å"Es un cuento que para mi no tiene absolutamente ningà ºn contexto de ninguna naturaleza salvo la pesadilla.† (Garfield:1978 pg 89) The architecture of the house plays an important role in the link between the present and the past in Buenos Aires. The house symbolizes the citys aristocratic past, after Independence, Buenos Aires chose European instead of colonial architecture. Architects were brought over by the Government from Europe to design buildings. (Holmes: 2003 pg254) Again, this shows the fear that the characters have of change from the past, as they prefer their traditional style European house. During the time, that a large amount of immigrants from overseas and migrants from the countryside came there was a demand for more housing. So new housing projects were created for the middle-class resulting in higher value for houses like theirs as the narrator points out at the beginning of the story (Holmes: 2004), â€Å"las casas antiguas sucumben a la mas ventajosa liquidacià ³n de sus materiales† (Cortazar). The brother and sister prefer the European style spacious house and enclose themselves in what represents the urban past. They seclude themselves from the city and in turn make themselves outsiders from the modern Argentina. Therefore, the invaders could be the city making them leave their home. Throughout the text there are numerous historical references such as the French literature which the brother enjoys reading. This seems to be one of the few ‘outside things that are accepted into the house. He also finds that â€Å"Desde 1939 no llegaba  nada valioso a la Argentina† which refers to the lack of European culture in Argentina because of the war. The brother only seems to find value in French literature and has to re-read what French literature he has. Once again, this also shows the link with their fear of change. The relationship between the characters and the house shows their lack of interest in modernity and change. They seem to want to stay within a routine and show little interest towards changes outside of their house in Argentina. This story may represent Peronist Buenos Aires but can also represent the role of Europe in post-colonial space. It seems that Cortazar rejects how Argentina has become post-European influence. The story may also portray the modern Buenos Aires conflicting with the past city. After looking in depth at the story and the history related to the story, I can conclude that the different â€Å"outsiders† in the story play a strong role in the socio-political vision of Julio Cortazar. La Casa Tomada has numerous interpretations about its hidden meaning. Although when questioned, he does not specifically relate it to a particular opinion but to a nightmare he had. This showed his underlying preoccupations with the events in Buenos Aires during that time. The theme of outsiders is continued throughout the story and each character shows an aspect of being an outsider. The invaders that take over the house from the siblings are seen both as the workers that moved into Buenos Aires invading the space of the middle-class or as the city making the protagonists leave their safe past and as face the changing Buenos Aires. The protagonists show a stereotype example of the middle-class people of Argentina during that time that feared any sort of change, though in the original nightmare it is Cortazar himself. It is Cortazar that it seems had this fear of invasion from â€Å"outsiders† and was concerned about the changes occurring. The role of the outsiders is very effective in demonstrating his feelings about Pà ©ron and the changes within Argentina.

Analysing Levels Of European Integration In The 1970s Politics Essay

Analysing Levels Of European Integration In The 1970s Politics Essay How much, and for what reasons did the process of European integration slow down in the 1970s? The decade of 1970s is very often considered as the time of stagnation or slowing down in the process of European integration. Some analysts like Caporaso and Keeler call this period doldrums era of the Dark Ages for the Community,  [1]  or like Dinan characterises it a harmonization in European integration.  [2]  However, can we say that the phrase harmonization equals stagnation? The more adequate appears to be Andrew Moravcsik claiming, that the particular era can be considered twofold, from the federalist point of view it was the time of stagnation, but on the other hand, it was also a decade of both consolidation and innovation.  [3]  For the reason of such diverse outlooks towards that certain time of European integration, in order to testify and assess how much process of integration in European Community slowed down, important is to explore and explain the achievements a nd innovations that were implemented during the whole 1970s. Nevertheless, in order to obtain more objective picture crucial is to include in that considerations also all failures of the decade. Furthermore, with the intention to determine a reason for the lack of significant progress in 1970s, the domestic situation of member states and events that took place inside the Community will be studied in this essay, but also for the enhancement of the general conclusion, an overall condition of Europe and the world in that specific period of time. 1970s seems to be a phase of changes in directions of integration in Europe, therefore it is vital to found out why states are considered to act more separately than collectively in that time, and began to be, to a greater extent than in previous decades, concerned with their national interests. Next, another fundamental question emerges, i.e. why consensus and unanimity in decision-making became so difficult to achieve. In addition, it is esse ntial to mention, that the starting point for the decade was Hague summit, held in 1969, which prepared the ground for further advances,  [4]  in other words, during that summit aims were established to be attained during next few years. Consequently, it will be analysed whether and to what extent such goals has been realised during the decade. In order to make this essay clearer, in the first part will be analysed how much the process of European integration slowed down, and in the second will be provided reasons for such occurrence. In the conclusions the main points of the essay will be summarised and there will be created an overall picture of the decade. The attempt of assessing how much did the process of European integration slow down in the 1970s appears to be problematic, because this particular decade, as well as all previous periods beginning from the end of the Second World War, differ substantially in many scopes, consequently it is hard to compare them. All the most meaningful agreements and treaties for the establishment the European Community, and then finally European Union have been inaugurated in 1950s, namely Treaty of Paris launching ECSC, then establishment of WEU, as well as Treaty of Rome founding EEC and EURATOM. Also 1960s is important time, when EEC and Custom Unions were instituted, the European Community was formed, and the Hague summit took place determining strands and goals for the next decade. It can be argued that in that context 1970s are seen as quite poor period, because of the lack of any significant treaties or innovations, which would be meaningful from our perspective, over 30 years later. Neverthe less, during 1970s numerous important improvements were introduced, but in order to obtain more insightful and comprehensive image of the overall decade it is essential to revise not only all the most principal achievements of that time, but also all attempts and efforts that have been undertaken, even if they ended up unsuccessfully. After the Hague summit first meeting aiming to determine necessary task to fulfil in order to make a progress in functioning European Community was Paris summit, where has been agreed by the participants, to modify the present Community into more official form of political cooperation, namely European Union. Although Paris summit can be regarded as an attempt to develop European collaboration, its contribution into genuine integration is rather slight, some find it as the summit defining intention for further integration rather than producing any vital advancement. Nevertheless, Paris summit had an impact on few important innovations that have been achieved later. For instance, during that summit has been made significant effort to initiate collective environmental policy, Dinan claims Paris summit was the genesis of the ECs first Environmental Action Program.  [5]  Another successful outcome of Paris summit was the implementation of the European Social Fund in 1974 to improve th e quality of life of its citizens.  [6]   Next noteworthy achievement of the 1970s was the signing of the Lomà © Convention in 1975, the trade agreement between the EC and group of 46 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. That enhanced the meaning of the EC in the international arena. In the result, for the first time in history of the European Community, European Political Cooperation has been launched, granting the EC official significance as the unity in foreign policy. From that moment during numerous international meetings of states or institutions, the EC was capable to perform and participate as the single body of cohesive states, acting as a representation of all member states of the European Community. Furthermore, the Treaty of Luxembourg in 1970 extended the European Parliaments role in budgetary dispositions and regulations.  [7]  It was not, however, the only improvement affecting the functioning of the European Parliament during that certain decade. At the decay of the 1970s, after long lasting struggles, mainly because of the long process of legislative amendments in British Parliament,  [8]  in 1979 for the first time direct elections to European Parliament were held in all member states, which consolidated the EC democratically, and granted the EC more legitimate power. Nonetheless, European Parliaments innovation was not the only progress in context of institutional improvements that have been reached during 1970s. Even more important than Parliamentary elections emerges to be the creation of the European Council in 1974, as the body for the regular meetings of heads of all the member states to determine the direction for further progress. Some analysts call the decade of 1970s an era of summitry.  [9]  Nevertheless, the European Council was first authorised body of the EC, where political leaders of the member states were formally able to meet and discuss the future of the Community and the collective interests. Moreover, 1970s was a time of significant progress towards Monetary Union, which was not established eventually in that decade, and it is very often regarded as the main failure of that decade, but the reasons for that will be explained later in that essay. However, negotiations in that field have been inaugurated. The most successive achievements towards future European Monetary Union was in 1978 the decision to implement of the European Monetary System.  [10]   All the above programs and creations were of the significant importance primarily because they are concerned as the policy of deepening of integration. In spite of that, 1970s was the period of the first enlargement of the European Community, subsequently first step of the policy of widening. In 1973 three states, namely United Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland joined to the six states that founded the community in 1957. Even if we say that all endeavours during the whole decade of 1970s aiming to deepen European integration was not very successful, we definitely cannot deny the significance of the first enlargements of the Community. Therefore, at least from that perspective, 1970s appears to be crucial period of time for the EUs future. Above examples prove that 1970s is not accurately regarded as the total stagnation in European integration, both in the scope of deepening as well as widening. Notwithstanding, the process of integration certainly slowed down to a significant exchange in that particular decade. In 1970s vital is the fact that the character of the European integration has diametrically changed in a comparison to previous periods. In further part of that essay the reasons for that phenomenon will be clarified, and the motives for difficulties with launching certain innovations, for instance European Monetary Union, will be explained. One of the arising questions whilst studying this period of time is why negotiations did last so long, and therefore impede implementation of any modernising treaties and resolutions. Crucial factor whilst considering the reasons for such slowing down is a historical context. Important here is the fact, that Europe, but also the whole world, was, we might say, in the middle of the Cold War. Started process of dà ©tente, literary divided Europe, and two ideological camps in the struggle for the influence in the world politics, also lasting Vietnam War, all of that factors had a significant impact on the domestic politics of the European Community. During Hague summit has been agreed to introduce European Monetary System, however the EC was already divided into two camps of opinions and perceptions about the future reforms. On the one side stand economists, namely group created by Germany, Netherlands and to a certain extent Italy; they opted for harmonisation of the economic policies in Europe in the first line. On the other side were situated France, backed by Belgium and Luxembourg, namely monetarist camp proposing the monetary cooperation first, and then economic collaboration. In the result Werner Report has been created calling for simultaneous and gradual implementation of both strategies in near future.  [11]  Subsequently, common currency and Central Bank as the controlling organ coordinating the financial and currency policy of the EC was decided to be introduced. However, future events of the decade undermined the whole process. One might ask why, for instance, Vietnam War had any impact on the domestic situation of the EC, but that together with another important event during that certain decade resulted in the economic instability, and in a consequence, major changes in world economic policies. More precisely, in 1971 Europe has been hit by the international monetary crisis, which began in US, country involved in ideological and military Cold War struggle for hegemonic power, and greatly weakened by military operations in Vietnam. Here can be seen how worldwide events directly affect the ECs domestic situation. Monetary crisis was furthermore enhanced by the huge American payment deficit, which also prominently destabilised European financial difficulties. The European Communitys member states struggled to find a suitable resolution of the monetary crisis; however the opinions how to face the problem were diverse. On the one hand, Germany proposed to join the ECs floating system; however, France opposed that solution and opted, on the other hand, for devaluation of dollar. In Council meet ing no agreement has been achieved, and finally Germany and Netherlands floated their currencies. In 1972 during Paris summit an agreement to a certain extent has been reached, and plan for the implementation of the European Monetary cooperation Fund was set up. Moreover, the EC states obliged themselves to reduce fluctuation and eventually launched the resolution called snake, in order to consolidate currency system among the ECs member states. Notwithstanding, snake failed later on as the result of the oil crisis, which occurred as the consequence of Yom Kippur war between Arab states and Israel in 1973. Oil crisis led to an occurrence called stagflation, and that affected the interior stability of the whole EC. The national bargaining between monetarists and economists demonstrates changes in the character of the process of European integration. The importance of effect in changing leading ideology of the integration was proclaimed in 2000 by Joschka Fischer, who said In the past, European integration was based on the Monnet method with its communitarization approach in European institutions and policy.  [12]  Founding fathers of the Community, Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet, advocated the communitarian vision of European unity, they believed in the possibility of creation of federation of European states, and supranational institutions as the leading and joining organs of the community. It is apparent in 1960s the existence in French foreign policy of the resistance to the supranationalism and federalism. It was particularly evident in de Gaulles vision of an intergovernmental Europe,  [13]  resulted in long opposition of an enlargement of the EC and protagonist policy protecting n ational interests. Changes of the leading figures of the member states lessened a little these national bargaining, and subsequently when Pompidou became the president of France, British membership was no longer resisted. Nevertheless, after final enlargement in 1973 there aroused another problem, namely Euroscepticism, mainly in UK and Denmark, what became another issue in decision-making process. The outcome of the intergovernmental atmosphere and changed attitudes of the member states, enhanced additionally by the economic crisis, were predominantly evident in the work of the European Council. Some analysts even claim that the European Council in 1970s was symbolic of a profoundly intergovernmental era in the history of the EU.  [14]  All of the above factors extremely weakened and undermined the decision-making process. Further aspect that caused the difficulty in the reaching an agreement was the 1973s enlargements. It was not only, as has been said above, due to the less pro-European policy in new members than among other ECs states, but mainly because the effect it had on the European institutions. It was the first enlargements in the history of EU, and institutions such as, for example, the Commission, faced the problem of the growing number of diplomats and bureaucrats. Another problem of the European Community, beside the insufficiency of the European institutions weakened by the enlargement, was the lack of the leadership. As Jean Monnet claimed in 1974: What is lacking more than anything in European affairs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is authority. Discussion is organised: decision is not. By themselves the existing Community institutions are not strong enough.  [15]   Moreover, substantial impact on the process of European integration in 1970s to a great extent had a domestic situation of the member states, in particular of Germany, France, and UK. The Western Europe in 1970s had to face numerous problems of the various natures, economic, social as well as political. Rising unemployment, high inflation, and decline of the domestic growth forced the members of the EC to secure their national interests rather than prioritise greater integration. As Urwin argued In the 1960s the average annual growth rate within the OECD countries had been 4.8 per cent; in the 1970s it sank to 3.4 per cent.  [16]  Another issue was the spread of the terrorist threat, as the outcome of movements of 1968 in Germany, namely RAF organisation, and in France as well. However, also the importance of the feminist notion cannot be omitted, as it has a great impact on the economic situation, mainly because larger amount of women were seeking for work. As long as feminist h as usually positive effect on the social progress of states, in that situation it exacerbated the scale of unemployment. Additionally, strikes in UK, and rising opposition in the political arena in Italy and Denmark, caused that member states governments focused more on the problems stroking their countries and autonomous solutions, rather than integration. Many of those problems aroused because of the financial crisis of 1970s, and affected the decision-making process in European institutions, what subsequently slowed down the negotiations, reaching of agreements, and finally integration per se. To summarise, the whole period since the 1969 Hague summit until, we may say 1979 wise mens report had been very unsuccessful period for the European integration. Three appointed experts characterised in their report in 1979 bad condition of the Community and had blamed for that substantive problems stemming from economic and political constraints.  [17]  On the one hand, there have been some substantive improvements achieved during 1970s, such as first enlargement, EPC, or implementation of the European Council, nevertheless although the long struggles and negotiations the European Monetary System has not been launched, and member states acted more separately than collectively, securing their national interests. Derek Urwin argues that the EC failed to develop a concerted economic or political response to the crisis, indicating perhaps how easily narrower national interests could uproot the common structure.  [18]  The main reasons for the slowing down in the integration app ear to be monetary and economic crisis, exacerbated by war in the Middle East; domestic problems of the member states, which enhanced the intergovernmental character of the European cooperation; and first enlargement, even if also seen as an achievement in a context of the widening, it had a great impact of the stability of the European institutions and decision-making process. We certainly can admit that to a significant extend process of European integration did slow down in 1970s, nevertheless that stagnation was a motivation for actions that have been undertaken in 1980s and further decades to recover a condition of the EC and improve the integration, which finally led to the signing of the Maastrich Treaty in 1992, establishing European Union. Bibiography: Bache I., S. George and S. Bulmer, Politics in the European Union, Third Edition, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011), chapters: 10-11 Dinan D., Europe Recast, A History of European Union,(Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), chapters: 4 5 European NAvigator, The authoritative multimedia reference on the History of Europe, Historical Events: 1969-1979 Crises and revival, http://www.ena.lu/? EUROPA, The EU at a glance > The history of the European Union > 1970-1979 A growing community, http://europa.eu/abc/history/1970-1979/index_en.htm modified 08 June 2010 Milward A.S., The European Rescue of the Nation-State, Second Edition, (London: Routledge, 2000), chapter 1 Moravcsik A., The Choice for Europe, Social Purpose State power from Messina to Maastricht, (Oxon: Routledge, 1999), chapters: 4 7 Nelsen B.R. and A.Stubb (eds.), The European Union, Readings on the Theory and Practice of European Integration, Third Edition, (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), chapters: 6, 9 12 Urwin D.W., A political History of Western Europe since 1945, Fifth Edition, (London: Longman, 1997), chapters: 15-20 Urwin, D.W., The European Community: From 1945 to 1985, in M. Cini and N. Pà ©rez-Solà ³rzano Borragà ¡n (eds.), European Union Politics, Third Edition, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), pp. 15-31 Urwin D.W., The Community of Europe: A History of European Integration since 1945, Second Edition, (London: Longman, 1995), chapters: 10-15

Rhetorical Analysis of McKibben’s Article, Power Play Endangers Hawaii

Rhetorical Analysis of McKibben’s Article, Power Play Endangers Hawaii's Rain Forest Protecting Hawaii’s rain forest from the invasion of Corporate America is Bill McKibben’s intention as an environmentalist. His 28-paragraph article, â€Å"Power Play Endangers Hawaii’s Rain Forest,† appeared in Rolling Stone, a popular culture magazine, on May 31, 1990. He argues that producing power through geothermal drilling harms the Wao Kele o Puna rain forest, the environment, and the people that live nearby. He also presents alternative methods for power, hoping that people will consider these, such as solar-water heating systems and energy efficient gadgets. Unfortunately, his elevated, subjective stance and attempt to convince his audience through emotion distracts the reader from considering the other side of the argument because he appears to be a reliable, educated author. McKibben’s writing style makes it difficult for readers to truly understand the argument he presents; therefore, they are gullible to accepting his opinions. McKibben embarks on a rampage in this article, seeming to continuously ramble on with concepts that fly over the average person’s head. He uses words such as â€Å"Class C forest,† â€Å"A-2 forest,† â€Å"peak-load electricity,† â€Å"geothermal drilling,† and â€Å"hydrogen sulfide emissions.† McKibben must not be thinking of his audience because for the audience to grasp his argument thoroughly he needs to define these concepts well. If he were writing for a science magazine in which his audience would be well educated in environmental issues, his writing style would be accepted. But this article appeared in Rolling Stone where the audience is not educated on these issues. His bitter and intense voice makes the reader feel as if th... ...and often sits in the dark when the sun is not out to express his dissatisfaction with exploiting the resources of the rain forest. McKibben inserts this example because it makes the reader feel that he has an obligation to save the rain forest at the expense of their comfort. Therefore, McKibben’s tactics aim to move the reader into an emotional ride of responsibility to the rain forest versus living life normally. In conclusion, McKibben’s writing style and use of pathos sway the reader to accept his argument as truth even though his arguments may not be valid. Since McKibben portrays himself as a credible author, the audience believes him especially because he is writing to the general public through a pop culture magazine. The issue of preserving the rain forest versus using the resources that it provides will continue to be in debate in the years to come.

Anti-traditional Conception of Sex in Pounds Coitus Essay -- Pound Co

Anti-traditional Conception of Sex in Pound's "Coitus" Â   Critics have been fascinated and often baffled by Ezra Pound's shifting poetic style, which ranges from the profound simplicity of "In a Station of the Metro" to the complex intertextuality of the "Cantos." Pound's significance derives largely from his constant resolve to break traditional form and ideology, both literary and poetic. What is particularly unique about Pound, however, is that as he continually establishes precedence, he rarely abandons his thorough knowledge and appreciation of classical literature, drawing heavily from his literary and historical education in even his most groundbreaking works. "Coitus," one of Pound's early short works, exemplifies both his interest in the simple, efficient techniques of vorticism and his homage to the classics, interrelating them to create a statement that is unique and anti-traditional. Â   COITUS The gilded phaloi of the crocuses are thrusting at the spring air. Here is there naught of dead gods But a procession of festival, Â   A procession, O Giulio Romano, Fit for your spirit to dwell in. Dione, your nights are upon us. The dew is upon the leaf. The night about us is restless. Â   Although classical allusions and imagist influences are an essential part of "Coitus," it is the disturbingly stark sexual force that dominates its tone. However bluntly carnal the poem seems, it does not at any point explicitly mention sex, except in the unmistakable directness of the title. Pound renders his tone through a montage of classical allusions and phallic imagery which resemble the vorticistic Japanese haiku; the beginning and ending two lines share similarities with Pound's... ...ion, yoking allusive fragments of western culture with elements of modern life. By combining the ancient with the new, Pound produces disturbing and sexually centered anachronisms that capitalize on the previous history of literature but also revolutionary modern theories; psychological, sexual and literary. As a whole, "Coitus" is an atom of knowledge, capable of splitting and exploding into far reaches of historical and literary realms, yet instantly and intriguingly disturbing for its modern sexual tone. Â   Â   The following poems are borrowed from page 109 of Personae: The Collected Shorter Poems of Ezra Pound, 1926. Â   Â   IN A STATION OF THE METRO The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough. Â   ALBA As cool as the pale wet leaves of lily-of-the-valley She lay beside me in the dawn. Â  

No Mo Accidents :: essays research papers

No More Accidents Bike helmet safety is a big problem in our society. People do not realize that a bike helmet to a biker is the same as a seat belt to a motorist. We as bikers need all the protection that we can get since we don’t have the tank-like protection of a ’88 Ford Tempo. So now I am going to tell you a story of a personal experience, the basics to a helmet and some statistics Even though bike helmets are designed to lessen the impact in one particular spot and disperse the force throughout the helmet. The helmet however is not the most safest thing to but in our society. Most manufactures today tend to make helmets that have a lot of holes and are made for fashion instead of for being a good helmet. The plastic coating on most helmets is there to prevent less friction when you are sliding down on your head. The air holes on the helmet provide better air flow and a fresh new style but they lessen the fact of the force upon impact will have less of a space to disperse the force into. Do not get me wrong all the bicycle helmets on the market pass at least the minimum of the standard. In Austrailia the market had to lower the standard of their helmets because they were soo expensive, so that people would buy their helmets. Being in a bike accident is a very tramatizing thing to go through. I went through several accidents, but one accident in particular knocked some sense into me about helmet safety. One summer morning I woke up like every other day. I did all the normal things one would do in the morning like taking a shower, eating breakfast and getting dressed. After I got myself all set up to go out for the day, I called up one of my friends to go do something. It was another one of San Francisco’s beautiful weather days so we decided to go bicycle riding and to play some basketball. So, then I start to head out of my house to get my bicycle ready for departure about 10am. Now I am on my way to my friends’ house. The first half of my ride was pretty basic, all it was just a nice cruise down hill. The second part however was not so much difficult as I just had to keep my eyes on the path. No Mo Accidents :: essays research papers No More Accidents Bike helmet safety is a big problem in our society. People do not realize that a bike helmet to a biker is the same as a seat belt to a motorist. We as bikers need all the protection that we can get since we don’t have the tank-like protection of a ’88 Ford Tempo. So now I am going to tell you a story of a personal experience, the basics to a helmet and some statistics Even though bike helmets are designed to lessen the impact in one particular spot and disperse the force throughout the helmet. The helmet however is not the most safest thing to but in our society. Most manufactures today tend to make helmets that have a lot of holes and are made for fashion instead of for being a good helmet. The plastic coating on most helmets is there to prevent less friction when you are sliding down on your head. The air holes on the helmet provide better air flow and a fresh new style but they lessen the fact of the force upon impact will have less of a space to disperse the force into. Do not get me wrong all the bicycle helmets on the market pass at least the minimum of the standard. In Austrailia the market had to lower the standard of their helmets because they were soo expensive, so that people would buy their helmets. Being in a bike accident is a very tramatizing thing to go through. I went through several accidents, but one accident in particular knocked some sense into me about helmet safety. One summer morning I woke up like every other day. I did all the normal things one would do in the morning like taking a shower, eating breakfast and getting dressed. After I got myself all set up to go out for the day, I called up one of my friends to go do something. It was another one of San Francisco’s beautiful weather days so we decided to go bicycle riding and to play some basketball. So, then I start to head out of my house to get my bicycle ready for departure about 10am. Now I am on my way to my friends’ house. The first half of my ride was pretty basic, all it was just a nice cruise down hill. The second part however was not so much difficult as I just had to keep my eyes on the path.