Foucault s Theory Of Power - 1498 Words

Foucault begins his ideas on power through the hypothesis that institutions create power that people in their positions posses. Power recognition s difficult because to the naked eye power is seen to be held by the people, but Foucault shows that in truth, power is created by the institutions and transferred to those people within their respective positions. It s hard to recognize the power in institutions due to the lack of knowledge in society and this mistake is based on the idea that whoever is holding a position of power actually created that power, but in reality the power has always existed just transferred from one position holder to the next. It s a sobering thought that Foucault had over the idea that power transfers. In his†¦show more content†¦Truly the recognition that Foucault has for power in a modern society is remarkable and how the power dynamic is so seemingly undetectable is an amazing feat on how blinded most people can be when it comes to true power a nd freedom. Another great philosophical mind is Karl Marx. He attempted to prove the constructions that shape consciousness. Marx was a German philosopher and a writer born in 1818 in Prussia Germany. His father was a Jewish lawyer and Marx grew up in a stable economic state. He got his doctorate in 1841 but soon angered the German government with his critical analysis so he was asked to step down as a professor in 1843. That when he decided to move to France to join forces with another great philosophical mind Friedrich Engels. Engels grew up in Manchester, England and he worked as a barman at his father s industrial factory. He saw all the negatives of the hard, harsh labor and wrote The Conditions of the Working Class in England, which showed the reality of how harsh the industrial labor was because of the near boom of factories to soon begin rising. Marx and Engels met up in France to really prove thatShow MoreRelatedFoucault s Theory Of Individual Power And Knowledge1596 Words   |  7 PagesFoucault’s Theory â€Å"The Burning Bed† Foucault’s Theory of Individual Power and Knowledge have allowed one to see the other side of arguments with more posing questions. Domestic Violence is now resulting in a spouse being labeled with the brand of â€Å"battered woman’s syndrome† and it opens the door for a many unanswered questions, and is debatable at best. In the case of Francine Hughes Wilson, â€Å"The Burning Bed† shed new light on the ever growing problems within a domestic abusive relationship andRead MoreA Brief Note On Foucault s Theory Of Power Essay1328 Words   |  6 PagesFor Foucault (1975), a Panopticon is a building with a tower at the center from which it is possible to see each cell in which a prisoner or schoolboy is incarcerated. The tower is positioned in a manner that allows the guard sitting therein to view all of the prisoners within the surrounding cells without obstruction. Visibility is a trap. Each individual is seen by the guard but cannot communicate with th em. The panopticon induces a sense of permanent visibility that ensures the functioning ofRead MoreChaucer s Pandarus And Foucault s Theory Of Power2905 Words   |  12 Pages M Chaucer’s Pandarus and Foucault’s Theory of Power 2319 Words 10 Pages If Geoffrey Chaucer for some unforeseen reason was unable to published The Canterbury Tales, then perhaps, his version of Troilus and Criseyde would be widely acknowledged as one of his most epic tragic poems. However, Chaucer’s poem, though adapted widely into various modern translations, for the sake of this paper the translation by Barry Windeatt will be used, the tale’s influential go-between is still a character tropeRead MoreComparison Of James Scott s And Michel Foucault s Theories Of Power And Resistance1592 Words   |  7 Pagescontrast James Scott’s and Michel Foucault’s theories of power and resistance. In this essay I shall compare James Scott’s theory of power and resistance with Michel Foucault’s, as in what similarities do they share in their structure of theories; and contrast the difference as in their understanding of power, position they take to look for/into power, exercise of power and resistance in response. By contrasting the two approaches on the subject of power and resistance, I shall argue, if one wishRead MoreThe Ethics Of Foucault And Today1166 Words   |  5 PagesKarlton Ruf Professor General Philosophy 28 June 2015 The Ethics of Foucault and Today Ethics has been studied from different spectrums throughout time whether political or moral based, a collective or individual effort, philosophers have studied theses values based on what is right and wrong. One thinker who is not commonly seen as a philosopher but referred to in countless works is Michel Foucault. Michel Foucault was a French historian and Philosopher and is known more for his works of â€Å"historiesRead MoreEvaluation of the Usefulness of Selected Examples of Foucaults Theory951 Words   |  4 PagesWithin this paper, I shall evaluate the usefulness of selected examples of Foucault’s theories from a feminist perspective. To begin, a short introduction will outline the era in which Foucault wrote, as this has been seen as influential to his work, inspiring him to move away from the former ideological ways of thinking about the world (Taylor and Vintges 2004, Mills 1997). I shall then go on to consider the changing nature of feminism, which has moved on fro m viewing patriarchy and men as the oppressorsRead MoreCompare and Contrast Two Social Science Views about the Odering of Social Life1279 Words   |  6 Pages However, two theories stand out when looking at the making of social order, that of Erving Goffman and Michel Foucault. Both of these theories are concerned with how society is produced and, more specifically, how social order is made and remade. While the two theories aim to understand a broad picture of understanding society, they do so in very different ways. They both split the big questions down into smaller ones, Goffman looks at how an individual creates order, and Foucault looks at how discourseRead MoreGramscis And Foucaults Notions of Power1471 Words   |  6 PagesPower is a concept that is at the core of issues regarding social stratification (Scott Marshall, 2009). Therefore there have been many debates regarding what this concept of power actually means. For Gramsci, power needs to be considered legitimate by those who are subject to it, and the legitimacy of power is gained through the manipulation of social norms (Scott Marshall, 2009). This manipulation of social norms, links to Gramsci’s notion of ideological hegemony. Gramsci uses hegemony to showRead MoreIs Foucault s Panopticism?930 Words   |  4 PagesTo start, is Foucault s Panopticism. Panopticism uses the idea of Bentham’s Panopticon to elaborate the disciplinary ideas that he is trying to explain. The Panopticon is an â€Å"all seeing† structure that makes observations without the people ever knowing when they were being watched, even though it is clearly visible (Foucault, 204). Its gaze can be upon anyone, from a â€Å"madman, a patient, a condemned man† (Foucault, 200). These features allow Panopticism to be a passive power, rather than an activeRead MoreFoucault’s Panopticism and Its Application Within Modern Education Systems1697 Words   |  7 PagesPanopticism, a social theory b ased on Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon and developed by Michel Foucault describes a disciplinary mechanism used in various aspects of society. Foucault’s Discipline and Punish discusses the development of discipline in Western society, looks in particularly at Bentham’s Panopticon and how it is a working example of how the theory is employed effectively. Foucault explains, in Discipline and Punish that ‘this book is intended as a correlative history of the modern soul and

The Glaze Storms of 1998 Free Essays

string(37) " forest ecosystems in North America\." Ice storms, also referred to as glaze storms, cause considerable damage every year to trees in urban and natural areas. They vary considerably in their severity and frequency. Ice storms are result of the ice formation process, which is influenced by general weather patterns. We will write a custom essay sample on The Glaze Storms of 1998 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ice accumulates when super cooled rain freezes on contact with surfaces, such as tree branches, that are at or below the freezing point (0’C). This generally occurs when a winter warm front passes through an area after the ground-level temperature reaches or falls below freezing. Rain falls through layers of cooler air without freezing, becoming super cooled. Periodically, other climatic events, including stationary, occluded, and cold fronts, also result in ice storms. The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the1998 ice storm. This paper features three main section: An introduction, the main body (damage to woodland), and finally, a conclusion. In the main body of this paper, the effect of fire and pest/disease is discussed in detail. In the conclusion, comparison is made between fire and pests/disease versus ice storm. By the end of this paper, one should gain a better understanding of the severity of the 1998 ice storm as well as other damaging agents that affect the woodland in eastern North America Ice storms are often winter’s worst hazard. More slippery than snow, freezing rain or glaze is tough and tenacious, clinging to every object it touches. A little can be dangerous, a lot can be catastrophic. Ice storm in Northeastern America has been common but the 1998 ice storm was exceptional. Ice storms are a major hazard in all parts of Canada except the North, but are especially common from Ontario to Newfoundland. The severity of ice storms depends largely on the accumulation of ice, the duration of the event, and the location and extent of the area affected. Based on these criteria, Ice Storm’98 was the worst ever to hit Canada in recent memory. From January 5-10, 1998 the total water equivalent of precipitation, comprising mostly freezing rain and ice pellets and a bit of snow, exceeded 85 mm in Ottawa, 73 mm in Kingston, 108 in Cornwall and 100 mm in Montreal (Environmental Canada, Jan 12/1998). Previous major ice storms in the region, notably December 1986 in Ottawa and February 1961 in Montreal, deposited between 30 and 40 mm of ice – about half the thickness from the 1998 storm event! (Environmental Canada, Jan 12/1998). The extent of the area affected by the ice was enormous. Freezing precipitation is often described as â€Å"a line of† or â€Å"spotty occurrences of†. At the peak of the storm, the area of freezing precipitation extended from Muskoka and Kitchener in Ontario through eastern Ontario, western Quebec and the Eastern Townships to the Fundy coasts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. What made the ice storm so unusual, though, was that it went on for so long. On average, Ottawa and Montreal receive freezing precipitation on 12 to 17 days a year. Each episode generally lasts for only a few hours at a time, for an annual average total between 45 to 65 hours. During Ice Storm’98, it did not rain continuously, however, the number of hours of freezing rain and drizzle was in excess of 80 – again nearly double the normal annual total. One of the most appealing features of Eastern Ontario is the extensive forest cover. This is made up of woodlands of varying structure. These woodlands, as well as natural fencerows, windbreaks, and plantations of pine and poplar, dominate the landscape. Icing impacts may best be understood by treating spatially larger scales, starting with individual trees, proceeding to stands, and finally to forest landscapes. Ice damage to trees can range from mere breakage of a few twigs, to bending stems to the ground, to moderate crown loss, to outright breakage of the trunk. In the 1998 Northeastern ice storm, icing lasted long enough that many trees which were bent over had their crowns glued to the snow surface by the ice in many instances for as long as 3 weeks. Some of those trees actually erect posture after release from the snow, while many others remain bent over after 2 years. The severity of damage is generally believed to be closely related to the severity of winds following the heaviest ice accumulations. Damage varies across a range of severity and subtlety: minor branch breakage; major branch loss; bending over of crowns; root damages; breakage of trunks and in some hardwoods, trunks can be split. Depending on the stand composition, the amount of ice accumulation, and the stand history, damage to stands can range from light and patchy to the total breakage of all mature stems. Complete flattening of stands occurred locally in the Northeaster 1998 storm. In response to more moderate damage, effects on stands could include: shifts in over story composition in favor of the most resistant trees; loss of stand growth until leaf area is restored; and loss of value of the growth due to staining or damage to stem form. The term landscape refers to a ‘group† or a ‘family† of trees. I use the term vaguely because the size and composition of landscapes differ from region to region. The degree of damage is typically highly skewed by area. For example, in the January 1998 Northeaster storm, 1,800,000 ha of damage in Quebec was assessed by the Ministry of Natural Resource: very severe 4.2%, severe 32.0%, moderate 29.9%, and slight/trace 33.9% (The Science of the Total Environment, Volume: 262, Issue: 3, November 15, 2000, pp. 231-242 ). The effects on entire forest landscapes are highly patchy and variable. They also depend significantly on how landowners respond to the damage. Disturbance caused by diseases, by themselves or in conjunction with disturbance by insects, abiotic factors such as drought, fire and wind, and, increasingly, human activities, has played a critical role in the dynamics of many forest ecosystems in North America. You read "The Glaze Storms of 1998" in category "Essay examples" In the predominantly coniferous forests in western North America there are considerable areas undisturbed directly by human activities. In these areas, diseases kill trees or predispose them to other agents of disturbance, resulting in gradual change in stand composition and structure. In areas disturbed by forest management practices of harvesting or exclusion of fire, increased disease incidence and severity has increased the damage caused by disease, and consequently, the rate of change. In the absence of introduced diseases in the predominantly deciduous forests of the Appalachian region of eastern North America, forests are relatively healthy. Here, forests are disturbed significantly by disease only after they are disturbed or stressed by other agents, predominantly defoliating insects and drought. In the eastern montane coniferous forest, chronic wind damage is a major predisposing factor to disease. Past harvesting practices, introduced diseases and insects, and fire exclusion have in some instances resulted in large areas of similar species and relatively similar ages that exacerbate the magnitude and severity of disturbance by disease. Fire is predominantly a natural phenomenon that burns the forest vegetation, polluting the ozone and wiping out the biodiversity. One major distinction between ice storm and forest fire is the way disaster are caused. The majority of forest fire could arguably be a result of human action and ice storm as an ‘act of god,† an act that is out of human control. Foresters usually distinguish three types of forest fires: ground fires, which burn the humus layer of the forest floor but do not burn appreciably above the surface; surface fires, which burn forest undergrowth and surface litter; and crown fires, which advance through the tops of trees or shrubs. It is not uncommon for two or three types of fires to occur simultaneously. Forest management has been able to reduce the occurrence of this event but many forest fires are out of arm†s length. Humans cause the majority of forest fires. Campers that do not put out their bond fire or campers littering lit cigarette bud are responsible for such an action. Natural occurrence such as lightning could spark a forest fire but the probability is small compared to human action. The convention way of putting out or reducing the spread of forest fire has been airliners. These airliners are filled with gallons and galloons of water. With limited capacity, these airliners fly above the flame and deposit galloons of water. For the purpose of this paper, deforestation simply means the lost of trees where the lost of trees exceeds the level of sustainable development. One of the major effects of forest fire is the burning of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. This eventually creates a greenhouse affect and global warming. The effect damages our ecosystem as well as reduces one of Canada†s precious natural resource. Many projects, both from government funding and corporate sponsors, have done a good job increasing the awareness and risk related to deforestation. Pests directly affect the quantity and quality of forest nursery seedlings and can indirectly cause losses by disrupting reforestation plans or reducing survival of out planted stock. The movement of infested stock can disseminate pests to new areas. Since control of nursery pests may be based on pesticide usage, pest outbreaks may lead to environmental contamination. Woodland damage caused by livestock is a well-documented, yet persistent, forest health problem. Soil compaction, root disturbance and trunk/root collar damage caused by livestock reduce the vigor of trees. This paves the way for armillaria root rot, borers and other opportunistic organisms. Livestock also destroy the forest under story (reproduction), which hastens soil erosion and limits the future productivity of the site. The resulting forest decline reduces the quality, value and longevity of current and future trees on the site. Eliminating livestock from woodlands is the first step toward a healthier, more productive forest. As mentioned earlier in this paper, ice storm is a natural phenomenon caused by nature whereas forest fire are a result of human actions and preventable. One of the major differences between fire and ice storm is the rate of damage. Forest fire has a direct impact on the woodlands by changing the diversity of the landscape. Forest fire wipes out an entire landscape of trees causing a release of carbon dioxide. This ‘in lieu† effect results in global warming as well as greenhouse effect. The release of carbon dioxide has a long-term effect to our ecosystem. Carbon dioxide is trapped in our ozone layer making airways less preamble. This trapping effect eventually radiates heat causing global warming. The long-term effect is hazardous and changes our biodiversity. Ice storm has very little affect to our ozone layer. Damage to woodlands as a result of ice storm is concentrated within that area. Ice storm does not spread like fire does so areas that have been hit by an ice sto rm affect woodlands Pests and disease slowly eroded the quantity as well as quality of woodland. Infected woodland slows the development of growth by eroding the soil limiting the production of trees. Pest control and good forest management could improve the quality and well as productivity in these areas. Pests and diseases cause a slow change in biodiversity. As the woodland become infested, animals feeding from leafs and branch find it less desirable, eventually leaving the area in search of more suitable woodland. Similarly, forest fire, pests and disease spread but at a much slower rate. These agents infect the trees, eventually penetrating the roots and moving on to the next host. As mentioned previous, ice storm does not spread, rather the effect stays within the area. To conclude, fire and pests/disease are similar in the way these agents spread and infect their host. The preceding sentence can be best thought of as a virus infected it†s host as an analogy. Fire spreads at a much faster rate than pests/disease and the impact are instant. Both of these agents have long-term effect, which does not work in our favor. Ice storm affects the area it hits and will not spread. Furthermore, ice storms are predictable whereas fire is not since the cause of fire is human mistake and is hard to predict. Ice storms are not preventable but human actions can be prevented. The potential of damage from fire is far more severe than that of ice storm. We must increase the awareness to ensure that our woodland remains healthy and protect our ecosystem. How to cite The Glaze Storms of 1998, Essay examples

Services Marketing Financial Services

Question: Discuss about theServices Marketingfor Financial Services. Answer: Quick response (QR) codes help the consumers in gathering desired information regarding the products and services before purchasing those. Hence, these codes may have high level of influence on consumer decision making process. Moreover, QR codes may have huge relevance with the stages of information search and evaluation of alternatives in the consumer decision making process (Wirtz and Lovelock 2016). In information search stage, consumers are more likely to search various information regarding the products or services, which they want to purchase. Hence, QR codes will be highly beneficial for the consumers towards gathering desired information regarding the product or services. On the other hand, in this stage, consumers also try to find out the risks associated with the products and services before purchasing. In this extent, QR codes provide detail information of the products including product ingredients, health related issues and many more. Hence, consumers can effective ident ify the risk related information of the products and service and quickly take purchasing decision. QR codes have also huge relevance with stage of evaluation of alternatives in consumer decision making process. Apart from getting the product features and ingredients, the customers can also get information about the price, discounts and special offerings of the products through QR codes (Lovelock and Patterson 2015). Hence, it becomes easy for the customers to evaluate the alternative products offered by different organizations. The information gathered from these codes helps the consumers towards evaluating the alternative products in terms of price, quality, discounts and special offerings. In this way, quick response code persuades the consumers towards purchasing the products after evaluating the alternatives. The quick response codes can be used to enhance the move towards digitalization policies, which will initiate and users to use less of real cash and virtually convert the whole phenomenon. While considering the financial sector, QR codes can be effectively used by financial organization towards providing most relevant and useful information to the customers. The mobile optimized information and relevant video offered by the organization persuades the customers towards making an interest with the financial services. While considering the health care sector, it can be said that health organization can better demonstrate their service quality to the customers through QR codes. The informational videos residing in QR codes can provide the quality of services towards attracting the customers. On the hand, the health care sectors can also reach to massive audiences of healthcare professional through QR codes (Berry and Berry 2016). In this way, QR codes provide huge marketing opportunities to the healthcare sectors. While considering the public sector utilize in terms of transport, it can be seen that the transport sector can provide authentic information regarding the travelling routes to their customers. Moreover, the sector can also offer some beneficial offering of travelling to the customers for promoting the organizations. In this way, transportation sectors can utilize the QR codes towards marketing their travelling opportunities to the customers (Lovelock and Patterson 2015). The purpose and advantages of Quick Response codes is indispensable to the business operations and the marketing strategies that are adopted by the specific organization. The goals and objective of quick response can be met by following the system, which have been adopted by many organizations as McDonalds in regards to product related information in Japan. Quick Response codes have been very productive and useful strategy for the establishment of a customer base who has to be provided with the best of the service within a very short period. The advantages involve the unnecessary use of the monotonous process of social media shares or the issues of out of stock in case of online marketing. Therefore, in order to cater to this customer base or quick service reply the codes can be very useful regarding the marketing procedures of the service industry (Chitty, Hughes and D'Alessandro 2012). The contribution of the Quick Response codes can be accessed from the success numbers of Gallerie, Woollaston that has efficiently made relevant use while providing its services. The retail industry can make effective use of it by availing a number of discounts and special concessions during festive season and in fact creating a different zone for providing specific services to a certain type of customer base. The quick response code is an efficient option for digital marketing, as it will allow a number of quick facilitation, which possesses great quality. The models that are involved within the specific quick response code are its diversification from the mainstream of the URL and websites, which often leads to the commotion and detrimental impacts of the website traffic, and irrelevant web surfing rather than reaching to the destination site. The strategic options of the following criteria is involved in supporting or developing a specific line of product which can be used for pro moting the QR code as the businesses can streamline their marketing strategies through this phenomenon rather than huge investment in creating social media campaigns or web designing and other trendy investment ( Berry and Berry 2016). In case of service sector, the organizations are most often influenced by the perceived risk of the consumers. Moreover, perceived risks are determines by the uncertainty level of the customers, while they take initiatives towards availing some services. In case of service sector, these perceived risks of consumers are mostly associated with functional risks, financial risks, physical risks and time risks (Chitty, Hughes and D'Alessandro 2012). In case of functional risk, the QR codes provided by the service sectors can help the consumers towards evaluating the services as per their intended perception of intended functions. In case of financial risk, the QR codes can influence the consumers in terms of evaluating the service prices with the functions. QR codes cal also provide the exact delivery times of the services for ensuring the time effectiveness of the services. Hence, it can also influence the perceived time risks of the consumers. Apart from that, consumers can also get to know about any hidden or security risks of the services through using quick response services. Moreover, quick response codes are quite helpful for the consumers for getting detailed information regarding the services prior to their purchasing. In this way, the QR codes help to minimize the perceived risks of the customers about the services. The significance of the quick response code can be used in a variety of resources and products that can enable and efficiently be used for meeting the purpose of the product or service based industry. Quick Response code has immense opportunities in the field of both the services and the relative industry. In future various other forms of interactive content can be developed for supporting the service operation and enhancing the customer service. The visually interactive infographics can helps better engagement of the customers with the organization. Moreover, the interactive content is also helpful for the service sector towards their kinetic learning and boosting their service operations. On the other hand, service sectors can also develop interactive calculators, which can help the customers towards calculating and evaluating their ROI (Return on Investment) on the services. It can be helpful for both the customers as well as the organizations towards recognizing their profit level. Furthermore, the service sector should also develop more interactive videos towards attracting the customers for observing their product features. It can satisfy the customers through having much better communicating tools with the organizations and boosting the service operations of the sectors. Some forms of interactive E-books can also be developed by the service sectors towards enhanced customer satisfaction and boosting service operations. The interactive experience shared within the E-books can give more information and knowledge about the services to the customers. On the other hand, organization can also gain the genuine experience regarding their services. Moreover, the service sector can also know about the dynamic needs of the customers through these E-books. Hence, the sectors can be able to provide customized services to the customers for their enhanced satisfaction. Moreover, service marketing entails in a type of various amenities that are employed by different organization and product services, which is essential for its sound development in its specific utilization for various purposes (Wirtz and Lovelock 2016). Reference Berry, L.L. and Berry, L.L., 2016. Revisiting big ideas in services marketing 30 years later.Journal of Services Marketing,30(1), pp.3-6. Berry, L.L. and Parasuraman, A., 2004.Marketing services: Competing through quality. Simon and Schuster. Chitty, W., Hughes, A. and D'Alessandro, S., 2012. Services marketing. Ennew, C., Waite, N. and Waite, R., 2013.Financial services marketing: An international guide to principles and practice. Routledge. Gummesson, E., 2012. Exit services marketing-enter service marketing.Journal of Customer Behaviour,6(2), pp.113-141. Lovelock, C. and Patterson, P., 2015.Services marketing. Pearson Australia. Rao, C.P. and Rosenberg, L.J., 2015. Service Provider and Receiver Perceptual Gap Analysis For Effective and Specialist Services Marketing. InProceedings of the 1989 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 583-587). Springer International Publishing. Wirtz, J. and Lovelock, C., 2016. APPLYING THE 4 Ps OF MARKETING TO SERVICES. InSERVICES MARKETING: People Technology Strategy(pp. 120-121). Wirtz, J. and Lovelock, C., 2016.Services marketing: people, technology, strategy. World Scientific Publishing Co Inc. Wirtz, J., 2012.Essentials of services marketing. FT Press.

Media Affects of the Vietnam War free essay sample

War is truly a horrific event that unfortunately occurs in our world frequently. There are a variety of ethical questions surrounding war, such as how much should citizens know about the fighting? When it comes to reporting the news, it is the goal of the network to report the news first. The benefit to this is people will turn to them first when it comes to breaking stories. However if the news is delivered based on speed and not accuracy this can be harmful to society. War is a very serious event and should not be taken lightly. Therefore, reporters must make sure facts are correct and unbiased. In both the Vietnam War and our current war we see reporters going to extreme measures to be the first to report information that may have been inaccurate. There was certainly not a lack Of information to report when it came to the Vietnam War. We will write a custom essay sample on Media Affects of the Vietnam War or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Unfortunately some of this information was highly inaccurate. Such as the event that started the war. The battle of Tontine was proved to have been false as reported by a Japanese Newswire in July 1984.In the bay it was reported outside Vietnam that the North Vietnamese had sunk a US ship killing just soldiers. The American people heard this and became outraged, and the congress gave President Lyndon B. Johnson a blank check to run the war. It was later discovered the tragedy never even occurred. The news networks reported this event and the American Government confirmed the false event and the war began, as the newswire reports. If this lie was never reported chances are the war would have never started.An Asian news source reported the Gulf of Tontine as an illusion from the start (Japanese Newswire, Lexis Nexus), this proved to be true but what Americans at the time period would believe the Asian News Networks. This can easily be related to he current war in Iraq. In order to get the war underway the administration made claims of weapons of mass destruction that could potentially harm us. If American media was not allowed into these war situations the government could simply make up another lie and point out old weapons found in Iraq and there would be no proof of proving these weapons old.Lies and corruption capture people. Therefore people will always pay attention to the stories about our government lying to us. These weapons have still not been found and this is extremely similar to how the ship may not have ever been hot down in Tontine. Despite numerous inaccurate reports there were attempts of trying to report the war accurately. However whenever a news channel would report Americans getting killed in Vietnam the government would work quickly to cover it up. President Nixon is quoted as saying the press is our biggest enemy. This one phrase sums up the war. The press would try to report fairly to the American people, but the government would squash it and make the press look bad (Media Beat Vietnam War, Solomon and Cohen). Therefore the press would only report good things so that the government loud look highly upon them and give them better seating in white house briefings. This highly affected the people working in Vietnam. They were forced to be there, and the stories they were trying to report were not even reported. There are certainly a lot of examples of war reporting being inaccurate. When we read John Seekers letters to his mother we realized what Kerry was telling his mother and what his mother was hearing on TV were novo totally different stories. Kerry wrote to his mother about bloodshed, continuous fighting, and Americans losing their lives daily (Brinkley, 3). While his mother attached the television and was learning how America was easily winning the war. Certainly the American Government wanted the news from Vietnam to be good. This would help their efforts in convincing Americans that the unpopular war was beneficial and worth while to fight.The American Government would set up propaganda that the North Vietnamese were being pushed back and they were not getting any further and that the Americans were taking many captives. However it was the Americans being pushed back and our soldiers like John McCain being captured, Americans were completely unaware of these events occurring. When it came time the 1964 and 1 968 elections believe Americans voted for politicians who favored the war thinking it was a great cause. Come to find out the cause was not worth it.What if a news circuit had reported that Americans where getting murdered everyday. Would the war of ended any earlier? I do believe so. When we look at the current war in Iraq, often reports are given by embedded reporters. They are reporters following and working directly with the certain unit they are with. At the beginning of the war we saw a lot of approval by the American people because we watched on our television the tanks race into Baghdad. However now that we see dozens of Americans killed every week, questions about the benefits of the war are being raised.If Americans were allowed to see directly what was happening in Vietnam would the war be supported as long as it was? There is no doubt the War may have ended earlier if Americans knew exactly what was going on. Reporting propaganda is beneficial to media circuits. If a major story is broken many people rush to their televisions to hear about it. Usually people flip through the channels to see the best coverage. When reporters are told in Vietnam that America has captured 300 North Vietnamese soldiers, every ingle American reporter will rush to the nearest telephone.In order to have there story be heard and to stand out on the news they have to make it sound interesting. This is where news stations may report that the number is higher than 300, just so more people pay attention to them thinking that they are getting the news faster than anyone else. Filling citizens with this false information is both wrong and unethical. American citizens based on the good news may begin to support the war. The same war that is killing thousands of troops a day and is not worth fight for, just so a news station an get a higher viewing rate.The higher a viewing rating on news channels the better the chances they have of receiving more commercial advertisement, and the more money they do receive. It is a very business like atmosphere. The news stations just tell the people what they want to hear so they continue to listen. Reading through various news reports during the war and various others after the war It is obvious news sources spiced up stories for attention. Reporting news is a serious business. Of course people only want to hear great news; however the world is not perfect. News must be reported accurately and fairly.News delivered quickly and incorrectly can be harmful to society and allow things such as the Vietnam War to continue and spawn out of control. News delivered correctly and over time may keep people informed and help them make better decisions when electing officials. An American mother like John Seekers should not hear on the television that the war is going great, but read first hand that many soldiers feel they are losing the war and its not worth continuing. If one can not trust the news media or the government who should they believe? News reporters are obligated to port the news timely and accurately.News Circuits should not be concerned about money and potential advertisement purchases, they should be concerned about the safety and interests of the American people.

Battle of Petersburg in the Civil War

Battle of Petersburg in the Civil War The Battle of Petersburg was part of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and was fought between June 9, 1864 and April 2, 1865. In the wake of his defeat at the Battle of Cold Harbor in early June 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant continued pressing south towards the Confederate capital at Richmond. Departing Cold Harbor on June 12, his men stole a march on General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia and crossed the James River on a large pontoon bridge. This maneuver led Lee to become concerned that he might be forced into a siege at Richmond. This was not Grants intention, as the Union leader sought to capture the vital city of Petersburg. Located south of Richmond, Petersburg was a strategic crossroads and railroad hub which supplied the capital and Lees army. Its loss would make would Richmond indefensible (Map). Armies Commanders Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. GrantMajor General George G. Meade67,000 increasing to 125,000 men Confederate General Robert E. Leeapprox. 52,000 men Smith and Butler Move Aware of Petersburgs importance, Major General Benjamin Butler, commanding Union forces at Bermuda Hundred, attempted an attack on the city on June 9. Crossing the Appomattox River, his men assault the citys outermost defenses known as the Dimmock Line. These attacks were halted by Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard and Butler withdrew. On June 14, with the Army of the Potomac nearing Petersburg, Grant instructed Butler to dispatch Major General William F. Baldy Smiths XVIII Corps to attack the city. Crossing the river, Smiths advance was delayed through the day on the 15th, though he finally moved to attack the Dimmock Line that evening. Possessing 16,500 men, Smith was able to overwhelm Brigadier General Henry Wises Confederates along the northeastern portion of the Dimmock Line. Falling back, Wises men occupied a weaker line along Harrisons Creek. With night setting in, Smith halted with intention of resuming his attack at dawn. First Assaults That evening, Beauregard, whose call for reinforcements had been ignored by Lee, stripped his defenses at Bermuda Hundred to reinforce Petersburg, increasing his forces there to around 14,000. Unaware of this, Butler remained idle rather than threatening Richmond. Despite this, Beauregard remained badly outnumbered as Grants columns began arriving on the field increasing Union strength to over 50,000. Attacking late in the day with the XVIII, II, and IX Corps, Grants men slowly pushed the Confederates back. Fighting continued on 17th with the Confederates defending tenaciously and preventing a Union breakthrough. As the fighting raged, Beauregards engineers began building a new line of fortifications closer the city and Lee began marching to the fighting. Attacks on June 18 gained some ground but were halted at the new line with heavy losses. Unable to advance, the commander of the Army of the Potomac, Major General George G. Meade, ordered his troops to dig in opposite the Confederates. In four days of fighting, Union losses totaled 1,688 killed, 8,513 wounded, 1,185 missing or captured, while the Confederates lost around 200 killed, 2,900 wounded, 900 missing or captured Moving Against the Railroads Having been stopped by the Confederate defenses, Grant began making plans for severing the three open railroads leading into Petersburg. While one ran north to Richmond, the other two, the Weldon Petersburg and Southside, were open to attack. The closest, the Weldon, ran south to North Carolina and provided a connection to the open port of Wilmington. As a first step, Grant planned a large cavalry raid to attack both railroads, while ordering the II and VI Corps to march on the Weldon. Advancing with their men, Major Generals David Birney and Horatio Wright encountered Confederate troops on June 21. The next two days saw them fight the Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road which resulted in over 2,900 Union casualties and around 572 Confederate. An inconclusive engagement, it saw the Confederates retain possession of the railroad, but Union forces extend their siege lines. As Lees army was significantly smaller, any need lengthen his lines correspondingly weakened the whole. Wilson-Kautz Raid As Union forces were failing in their efforts to seize the Weldon Railroad, a cavalry force led by Brigadier Generals James H. Wilson and August Kautz circled south of Petersburg to strike at the railroads. Burning stock and tearing up around 60 miles of track, the raiders fought battles at Staunton River Bridge, Sappony Church, and Reams Station. In the wake of this last fight, they found themselves unable to breakthrough to return to the Union lines. As a result, the Wilson-Kautz raiders were forced to burn their wagons and destroy their guns before fleeing north. Returning to the Union lines on July 1, the raiders lost 1,445 men (approx. 25% of the command). A New Plan As Union forces operated against the railroads, efforts of a different sort were underway to break the deadlock in front of Petersburg. Among the units in the Union trenches was the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry of Major General Ambrose Burnsides IX Corps. Composed largely of former coal miners, the men of the 48th devised a plan for breaking through the Confederate lines. Observing that the closest Confederate fortification, Elliotts Salient, was a mere 400 feet from their position, the men of the 48th believed that a mine could be run from their lines under the enemy earthworks. Once complete, this mine could be packed with enough explosives to open a hole in the Confederate lines. The Battle of the Crater This idea was seized upon by their commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pleasants. A mining engineer by trade, Pleasants approached Burnside with the plan arguing that the explosion would take the Confederates by surprise and would allow Union troops to rush in to take the city. Approved by Grant and Burnside, planning moved forward and construction of the mine began. Anticipating the attack to occur on July 30, Grant ordered Major General Winfield S. Hancocks II Corps and two divisions of Major General Philip Sheridans Cavalry Corps north across the James to the Union position at Deep Bottom. From this position, they were to advance against Richmond with the goal of drawing Confederate troops away from Petersburg. If this was not practicable, then Hancock was to pin the Confederates while Sheridan raided around the city. Attacking on July 27 and 28, Hancock and Sheridan fought an inconclusive action but one which succeeded in pulling Confederate troops from Petersburg. Having achieved his objective, Grant suspended operations on the evening of July 28. At 4:45 AM on July 30, the charge in the mine was detonated killing at least 278 Confederate soldiers and creating a crater 170 feet long, 60-80 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. Advancing, the Union attack soon bogged down as last-minute changes to the plan and a rapid Confederate response doomed it to failure. By 1:00 PM the fighting in the area ended and Union forces suffered 3,793 killed, wounded, and captured, while the Confederates incurred around 1,500. For his part in the attacks failure, Burnside was sacked by Grant and command of IX Corps passed to Major General John G. Parke. The Fighting Continues While the two sides were fighting in the vicinity of Petersburg, Confederate forces under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early were successfully campaigning in the Shenandoah Valley. Advancing from the valley, he won the Battle of Monocacy on July 9 and menaced Washington on July 11-12. Retreating, he burned Chambersburg, PA on July 30. Earlys actions forced Grant to send VI Corps to Washington to bolster its defenses. Concerned that Grant might move to crush Early, Lee shifted two divisions to Culpeper, VA where they would be in position to support either front. Mistakenly believing that this movement had greatly weakened the Richmond defenses, Grant ordered II and X Corps to attack again at Deep Bottom on August 14. In six days of fighting, little was achieved other than forcing Lee to further strengthen the Richmond defenses. To end the threat posed by Early, Sheridan was dispatched to the valley to head up Union operations. Closing the Weldon Railroad While the fighting was raging at Deep Bottom, Grant ordered Major General Gouverneur K. Warrens V Corps to advance against the Weldon Railroad. Moving out on August 18, they reached the railroad at Globe Tavern around 9:00 AM. Attacked by Confederate forces, Warrens men fought a back and forth battle for three days. When it ended, Warren had succeeded in holding a position astride the railroad and had linked his fortifications with the main Union line near the Jerusalem Plank Road. The Union victory forced Lees men to offload supplies from the railroad at Stony Creek and bring them to Petersburg by wagon via the Boydton Plank Road. Wishing to permanently damage the Weldon Railroad, Grant ordered Hancocks tired II Corps to Reams Station to destroy the tracks. Arriving on August 22 and 23, they effectively destroyed the railroad to within two miles of Reams Station. Seeing the Union presence as a threat to his line of retreat, Lee ordered Major General A.P. Hill south to defeat Hancock. Attacking on August 25, Hills men succeeded in forcing Hancock to retreat after a protracted fight. Through a tactical reverse, Grant was pleased with the operation as the railroad had been put out of commission leaving the Southside as the only track running into Petersburg. (Map). Fighting in the Fall On September 16, while Grant was absent meeting with Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, Major General Wade Hampton led the Confederate cavalry on a successful raid against the Union rear. Dubbed the Beefsteak Raid, his men escaped with 2,486 head of cattle. Returning, Grant mounted another operation in later September intending to strike at both ends of Lees position. The first part saw Butlers Army of the James attack north of the James at Chaffins Farm on September 29-30. Though he had some initial success, he was soon contained by the Confederates. South of Petersburg, elements of V and IX Corps, supported by cavalry, successfully extended the Union line to the area of Peebles and Pegrams Farms by October 2. In an effort to relieve pressure north of the James, Lee attacked the Union positions there on October 7. The resulting Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads saw his men repulsed forcing him to fall back. Continuing his trend of striking both flanks simultaneously, Grant sent Butler forward again on October 27-28. Fighting the Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Butler faired no better than Lee earlier in the month. At the other end of the line, Hancock moved west with a mixed force in an attempt to cut the Boydton Plank Road. Though his men gained the road on October 27, subsequent Confederate counterattacks forced him to fall back. As a result, the road remained open for Lee throughout the winter (Map). The End Nears With the setback at Boydton Plank Road, fighting began to quiet as winter approached. The re-election of President Abraham Lincoln in November ensured that the war would be prosecuted to the end. On February 5, 1865, offensive operations resumed with Brigadier General David Greggs cavalry division moving out to strike Confederate supply trains on the Boydton Plank Road. To protect the raid, Warrens corps crossed Hatchers Run and established a blocking position on the Vaughan Road with elements of II Corps in support. Here they repulsed a Confederate attack late in the day. Following Greggs return the following day, Warren pushed up the road and was assaulted near Dabneys Mill. Though his advance was halted, Warren succeeded in further extending the Union line to Hatchers Run. Lees Last Gamble By early March 1865, over eight months in the trenches around Petersburg had begun to wreck Lees army. Plagued by disease, desertion, and a chronic lack of supplies, his force had dropped to around 50,000. Already outnumbered 2.5-to-1, he faced the daunting prospect of another 50,000 Union troops arriving as Sheridan concluded operations in the valley. Desperately needing to change the equation before Grant assaulted his lines, Lee asked Major General John B. Gordon to plan an attack on the Union lines with the goal of reaching Grants headquarters area at City Point. Gordon began preparations and at 4:15 AM on March 25, the lead elements began moving against Fort Stedman in the northern part of the Union line. Striking hard, they overwhelmed the defenders and soon had taken Fort Stedman as well as several nearby batteries opening a 1000-foot breach in the Union position. Responding to the crisis, Parke ordered Brigadier General John F. Hartranfts division to seal the gap. In tight fighting, Hartranfts men succeeded in isolating Gordons attack by 7:30 AM. Supported by a vast number of Union guns, they counterattacked and drove the Confederates back to their own lines. Suffering around 4,000 casualties, the failure of the Confederate effort at Fort Stedman effectively doomed Lees ability to hold the city. Five Forks Sensing Lee was weak, Grant ordered the newly returned Sheridan to attempt a move around the Confederate right flank to the west of Petersburg. To counter this move, Lee dispatched 9,200 men under Major General George Pickett to defend the vital crossroads of Five Forks and the Southside Railroad, with orders to hold them at all hazards. On March 31, Sheridans force encountered Picketts lines and moved to attack. After some initial confusion, Sheridans men routed the Confederates at the Battle of Five Forks, inflicting 2,950 casualties. Pickett, who was away at a shad bake when the fighting started, was relieved of his command by Lee. With the Southside Railroad cut, Lee lost his best line of retreat. The following morning, seeing no other options, Lee informed President Jefferson Davis that both Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated (Map). The Fall of Petersburg This coincided with Grant ordering a massive offensive against the majority of the Confederate lines. Moving forward early on April 2, Parkes IX Corps struck Fort Mahone and the lines around the Jerusalem Plank Road. In bitter fighting, they overwhelmed the defenders and held on against strong counterattacks by Gordons men. To the south, Wrights VI Corps shattered the Boydton Line allowing Major General John Gibbons XXIV Corps to exploit the breach. Advancing, Gibbons men fought a protracted battle for Forts Gregg and Whitworth. Though they captured both, the delay allowed Lieutenant General James Longstreet to bring troops down from Richmond. To the west, Major General Andrew Humphreys, now commanding II Corps, broke through the Hatchers Run Line and pushed back Confederate forces under Major General Henry Heth. Though he was having success, he was ordered to advance on the city by Meade. Doing so, he left a division to deal with Heth. By late afternoon, Union forces had forced the Confederates into Petersburgs inner defenses but had worn themselves out in the process. That evening, as Grant planned a final assault for the following day, Lee began evacuating the city (Map). Aftermath Retreating west, Lee hoped to resupply and join with General Joseph Johnstons forces in North Carolina. As Confederate forces departed, Union troops entered both Petersburg and Richmond on April 3. Closely pursued by Grants forces, Lees army began to disintegrate. After a week of retreating, Lee finally met with Grant at Appomattox Court House and surrendered his army on April 9, 1865. Lees surrender effectively ended the Civil War in the East.

Cmo emigrar legalmente a los Estados Unidos

Cmo emigrar legalmente a los Estados Unidos   Obtener una tarjeta de residencia permanente es el requisito imprescindible para emigrar legalmente a los Estados Unidos. Esa tarjeta tambià ©n se conoce como permiso de residencia o como green card.   Es cierto que se puede permanecer legalmente en Estados Unidos sin esa tarjeta, pero en otro estatus y siempre se tratarà ­a de una estancia temporal, aunque puede ser ms o menos larga. La tarjeta de residencia permite permanecer y trabajar de forma permanente en los Estados Unidos y puede ser, adems, un puente hacia la adquisicià ³n de la ciudadanà ­a americana por naturalizacià ³n. En este artà ­culo se explican las formas de obtener la tarjeta de residencia y trmites especiales, cules son los requisitos de que debe cumplir el solicitante, los tiempos de tramitacià ³n y, finalmente, cules son los errores que pueden causar el problema de que la green card no sea aprobada. Cà ³mo se adquiere la tarjeta de residencia permanente Aproximadamente, cada aà ±o fiscal 1 millà ³n de personas extranjeras obtienen la tarjeta de residencia por uno de los numerosos caminos creados por la ley para sacar la green card. La mayorà ­a, aproximadamente 6 de cada 10, la obtienen por ser familiar de un ciudadano o de un residente permanente.   Las estadà ­sticas acreditan que en la mayorà ­a de los casos se necesita un patrocinador, es decir, un familiar o una empresa, esto à ºltimo para el caso de trabajadores. Sà ³lo en casos especiales no se necesita patrocinador. Por ejemplo, ciertos casos de trabajadores excepcionales con reconocimiento internacional por su trabajo, asilo, loterà ­a de visas de diversidad o visas de inmigrante de inversià ³n EB-5, cancelacià ³n de la orden de deportacià ³n dictada por un juez, etc. Lo importante de este apartado es entender que no es suficiente querer emigrar. Es necesario reunir los requisitos para poder iniciar uno de los caminos creado por las leyes migratorias.   Trmites para la tarjeta de residencia Los trmites son diferentes segà ºn el tipo de camino que cada persona sigue para obtener la green card. Por ejemplo, en las peticiones de familia el patrocinador debe enviar la peticià ³n, probar parentesco, acreditar medios econà ³micos para el sostenimiento de la persona patrocinada, etc. Por el contrario, si se trata de una peticià ³n por empresa se va a necesitar una aprobacià ³n previa por parte del Departamento de Trabajo. En el caso de que se trate de asilo, se necesita una decisià ³n afirmativa parte del Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) o de una corte migratorio.   Si se trata de la visa de diversidad, hay que aplicar en octubre por internet en la pgina del Departamento de Estado y ganar una loterà ­a que se celebra en mayo del aà ±o siguiente, etc. Es decir, los trmites son distintos segà ºn el camino que se emplee para la residencia. Requisitos que debe reunir el potencial migrante En la fase final de la tramitacià ³n de la green card el proceso puede pararse y la peticià ³n negarse si se considera que la persona es inadmisible.   Es cierto que dependiendo del camino para la green card, algunas de esas causas no se tienen en cuenta, por ejemplo, estancia ilegal en casos de green card por razones humanitarias como la visa U. Pero la regla general es que hay que mirar con lupa esas circunstancias, ver cundo no aplican, cundo es posible pedir un perdà ³n, cundo hay que simplemente esperar o cundo no se puede hacer nada. En otras palabras, hay que asesorarse con un abogado de inmigracià ³n. Adems, en los casos en los que el problema surge por estancia ilegal en los Estados Unidos y se est en el paà ­s es conveniente entender cundo se puede ajustar el estatus a pesar de esa circunstancia y cundo no es posible y necesariamente hay que salir de USA para completar el proceso mediante un procedimiento consular. Esto es importante porque en el momento en que se sale de los Estados Unidos salta lo que se conoce como el castigo o penalidad de los 3 à ³Ã‚  10 aà ±os, que complica y mucho la obtencià ³n de la tarjeta. En otras palabras, si se tiene al menos una causa que convierte a la persona en inadmisible hay que asesorarse para ver cà ³mo aplica a las circunstancias personales de cada caso.   Duracià ³n de la tramitacià ³n Los tiempos de espera desde que se inicia el proceso de la peticià ³n al momento en que se aprueba y se obtiene la green card puede variar desde apenas 4 meses a ms de 20 aà ±os. En estos momentos los trmites ms rpidos son para los familiares inmediatos de ciudadanos, es decir, cà ³nyuges, padre, madre e hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os. Por otro lado, los mexicanos que son hijos casados de ciudadanos estn teniendo una demora superior a los 22 aà ±os. Las demoras, particularmente en peticiones de familia, hay que tenerlas en cuenta, porque pueden ser mucho ms largas de lo que se cree. Errores que perjudican el proceso de obtencià ³n de la green card Entre todos los errores destacan los siguientes: - Mentir a un oficial migratorio o del consulado. Y lo cierto es que es frecuente que la mentira sea sobre cosas que no afectarà ­an a la obtencià ³n de la green card. Sin embargo, el mentir es considerado un fraude de ley que es causa de denegacià ³n de la residencia. - Quedarse ilegalmente en Estados Unidos cerrando el paso a muchas de las formas de obtencià ³n de la residencia (aunque no todas ya que en algunos casos sigue siendo posible). - Casarse como turista inmediatamente despuà ©s de ingresar a los Estados Unidos - Casarse con un novio distinto al que patrocinà ³ la visa K-1 Conclusià ³n Hay muchas formas de obtener la green card. Pero como dice el dicho, hay las que hay y no se puede inventar lo que no hay. Adems, es importante entender los trmites, todo lo que se pide, dà ³nde surgen los problemas y cules son los tiempos de demora para la forma especà ­fica que se utiliza para sacar la green card. Para finalizar, es de interà ©s tomar este test de respuesta mà ºltiples sobre cà ³mo sacar la green card y cà ³mo conservarla, ya que en asuntos migratorio el mejor consejo es estar informado para evitar los problemas. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

An Overview of the Economy of Bermuda Research Paper

An Overview of the Economy of Bermuda - Research Paper Example The country has enjoyed steady economic superiority since the end of the Second World War, although it has been affected by recession since 2007 following the global recession. The country enjoys the fourth highest per capita income, which is 50 percent higher than that of the US. The industrial sector mainly focuses on construction, and there is little agriculture since only 20 percent of the island is arable. Bermuda has a robust financial regulatory system making it an important regional and global offshore financial center. International business is the major foreign exchange generating industry in the country (Anderson, 2011). Bermuda is a reinsurance center and an insurance region with firms writing significant business from USA and U.K. In 2010, 15,078 international companies were registered in the island, many of which are U.S owned (Reinsurance Association of America, 2011). These companies spent approximately $2 billion in the country in 2009, making them an important sourc e of foreign exchange. This sector provided $1.5 billion in its total output corresponding to 26.1 percent of the total GDP. International business is also the third largest employer in the country. The sector had 4,287 jobs in 2010, a reduction from 4,431 in 2009. This reduction has made tourism the largest employer in Bermuda. ... Other countries involved in the import chain are the UK, Canada, and Caribbean countries. Bermuda’s exports are mainly re-exports of pharmaceuticals. These exports are valued at $783 million and export partners include Spain, Germany, Denmark, and the UK. Duty on imports and exports is a major source of revenue for the government (Fabian, 2011). Duty rates in the country are high and are reflected in the consumer retail prices. High prices are countered by high wages that keep up with the cost of living and poverty is practically nonexistent. The government generates approximately 24 percent of its revenue base equivalent to $225.4 million from import and export duty. The government does not impose income, sales, or profit taxes, but levies real estate tax (Fabian, 2011). Bermuda’s tourism industry is the second largest employer with over 4,349 jobs in hotels and restaurants. The industry has been experiencing declining numbers of visitors, which currently stands at 585 ,266 visitors (Ministry of Finance, 2011). The decline can be attributed to the declining travel industry particularly the airline sector. The tourism industry generated approximately $383.9 million in 2011. The cruise and yacht front have reduced the gap created by the failing airline sector. The number of visitors arriving by air grew to 236,038 in 2011 and cruise visitors were 415,711. Three quarters of visitors to Bermuda are from the US, and the slowdown experienced in the country has significantly affected tourism (Government of Bermuda, 2011). Tourism sponsored events such as the Bermuda International Invitational Race Week increased the number of visitors to the island. Hotel occupancy rates have increased with large hotels enjoying the highest occupancy rates. The 2010 census

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Essay Example The people will be recruited and given jobs according to their strengths and skills in particular field. This report illustrates the estimated financial needs and total forecasted net cash flow in the first operating year. The venture will differentiate their products and services by innovative promotional activities to attract customer and increase their customer base. Part A Description of the Venture The venture is to open a clothing store that will provide people variety of clothes and accessories. It will offer most inclusive selection of clothes in stores as well as in online shopping. By offering a complete selection of fashionable items, the new venture will quickly gain good response among customers and also increase the sales. The new venture will certainly fulfil the need of customers by providing most inclusive selection and by having good educated employee force. The business venture will constantly monitor the competitive business condition to ensure innovation and diff erentiation in their products. The clothing venture will adhere to maintain strict control in financial activities. The major creativity which will distinguish the products of the new venture will be to provide multi-sport wear to match the lifestyle of customer, tailored customer service and variety of sizes to choose which can fit the potential customer. Major Issues of the Venture One of the chief issues for new clothing venture is the recent decline of apparel manufacturing industry. The chief reason for this demur is that the retailers are relocating their production offshore. Due to low cost advantage in other countries, several clothing brands relocated their production offshore that resulted in job cuts of employees in the UK. The new clothing venture will outsource their products from British manufacturing companies because the demand of British products is at present increasing. The outsourcing from British manufacturing company will help to boost the confidence of the app arel industry and determine the problems of producing apparel goods in the UK. The new clothing venture can create job opportunity for several people in the UK (Freitag, 2011). Feasibility Study of the Venture The fashion sector of the UK is active compared to many of the markets. The fashion market is influenced by international market and it is dominated by seasonal style, disparity and desire of people. Therefore, businesses related to clothing and fashion need to consider the diversity of people’s opinion and thoughts towards brand and fashion. The fashion sector of the UK provides complete view of customer’s purchasing behaviour (Experian Information Solutions, 2010). The clothing market of the UK has shown excellent growth. In between 2004–2008, the expenditure on clothing items in the UK had increased by 10%. The supermarket such as ASDA and Tesco had accounted for increasing in sales of clothing products than other outlets. In the year 2008, the supermar kets’ share had raised to 23% compared to 10% in the year 2000. It is expected that this expansion will continue because of increase in customer expenditure on non-food products. The clothing mar

The Non-universality and “Culturality” of Literature Essay Example for Free

The Non-universality and â€Å"Culturality† of Literature Essay Features that Makes Literature Uniquely Cultural and Not Universal By romance novels alone that are judged as trashy and unhelpful to the critical thinking growth of women and yet hundreds of such books are still hoarded, it is already quite evident that literature is one discourse in a person’s life that is deemed as necessary and important—if such romance novels can be considered as literature that is. Romance novels are known to contain sexual innuendos, hot coital sessions, shallow plots and character developments and other literary elements which can be regarded as being unliterary and even mortifying in the conservative circles. For centuries, romance novels in all forms and genres have been created, edited, published, banned, exalted, and burned. Whether those banned and burned novels end up with such fate because they are considered to be too much for the general public for the taboo subjects they depict or because the books does not have any literary value, this could just mean that there are certain subjects that stirs scandals and controversies in particular settings and culture. But a taboo subject in one particular culture does not mean that it is a taboo subject in other cultural settings—it could be something like the Theory of Relativity wherein something is applicable in one setting while it cannot be the same circumstance for other settings. It is because of this aspect that certain genres and forms of literature be regarded as unique only to particular setups. Thus, literature is not something which is seen as universal that involves the entire human race—literature is something which can be judged as a discourse or subject that is cultural and universal the same way that it is only women who are majorly magnetized by romance novels compared to men and the same way that sex is something which is considered as taboo in Asian countries while the West nonchalantly discuss about it. Literature therefore is not universal for if this is true, then why is it that some novels, poetry or plays are majorly disliked by a group of people while another group of people greatly admire it? If literature supposedly connects human beings and links everyone together with a â€Å"universal thread†, then why is it that people still have great conflict on themes, plots, dialogues and characters presented in books? Literature therefore is cultural and particular in a way that it embodies the language of a nation, the history of society, a society of a group, a culture of a country, the customs, traditions and practices of state. Thus, what is literature but something which is uniquely distinct to a culture? Before a discussion on whether literature is universal or not, it should first be explained on what is literature. Literature is often defined as a produce from one’s imagination that has ascetic creativity and which reflects humanity in that one single product of humanity or ascetic creativity: â€Å"Stories from myth and legend persist in our culture because they evoke deep emotional responses from us, shaped as we are by those stories, often from a very young age† (Trupe 164). Then, a written work that is fictional can be considered as literature but this definition is actually wrong and misleading. Going back to the subject of romance novels, can these books be regarded as literature when they so obviously do not contain any ascetic creativity at all? Just because something is ictional or imagined, it does not mean that it is literature. But at the same time, not all literature is fictional—are there not biographies, autobiographies, speeches and essays that are wholly true but are still seen as literature? Maybe, literature is such a broad subject that it is indefinable—even John Spriggs who wrote on literary discourse and criticism wrote that literature should not be defined at all because it would restrict literature to a particular aspect (Easthope 168). But if literature cannot be defined at all, then it means that it is something which can cause confusion among people—academic and common alike. Eagleton though has a different idea on what can be regarded as literature. According to Eagleton, literature is defined by the particular language it utilizes. He asserts that literature â€Å"transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech† (2). Thus, any work can be regarded as literature if it uses a special language unique only to literature and very different form â€Å"everyday speech†. Going back to the thesis of the paper, if what Eagleton says is true, then it just means that literature is not universal since there would be people who would fail to understand this special literary language used in literature. If the language in literature is uncommon and unique only to literature, then it uses a particular language which would distinguish it from other words that people use. However, there is a counterargument to this claim presented by Leech and Short (as cited by Simpson). According to Leech and Short, although literature uses a particular set of language and linguistics unique to it, it still manages to use the ordinary language in a way that it is just creatively expressed (as cited by Simpson 6). In fact, what makes the literalists the same as other people is that they follow a particular set of rules the same way that a lawyer or journalist or doctor would be using particular vocabulary and sentence construction that is unique to their profession. Thus, literature is unique in the sense that it uses creative language but it is not unique in the aspect that it is the only discourse that is unique in using a different set of codes or syntax. It is Horace, who first came up with the idea that literature serves two purposes: utile et dulce. That is, literature can educate people and be utilized by the masses (utile) and literature can be appreciated for its sheer ascetic creativity that brings out the beauty in the things around human beings—nature and human nature. Horace concludes that there are two purposes, literature is not something which can only serve one master—to either teach people something or to showcase its literary beauty—instead, it should be a balance of what literature is trying to aim for. However, modern literary critics and academicians believe otherwise: Literature should just either be a utile or be a dulce. L. Insana on â€Å"Redefining Dulce et Utile: Boccacio’s Organization of Literature on Economic Terms† uses this argument on utile and dulce in trying to find out what Boccaccio is trying to express in his controversial Decameron that both teaches the public something and at the same time, it reveals a literary beauty that only Boccaccio can create (n. p. ). Thus, while the concept of dulce and utile may be something that has long been created hundreds of years ago, it can be applied even to economic settings as what Insana has done in the critique of Boccaccio’s Decameron. Nowadays, the argument that literature is either a utile or dulce is not true anymore since literature not serves many other purposes outside utile and dulce. For example, literature can be a means to unite the world through form and content—serving as a means for people to unite in a single universal thread—something which is opposite to the thesis of this paper and something which this paper is trying to disprove of. There are conclusions that literature is connects people because it has the ability to link each culture and group not just by the means of language but also through experiences. People are united because of literature exists to have the â€Å"same universal thread† with other literature. All in all, this is what literature is believed to be used for: â€Å"to give us a better understanding of who we are, and a greater ability to know others and thereby help us to understand others, not destroy them†. This universal thread opinion on the objective and form of literature is truthful in some way since the experiences of societies are almost the same as everyone else: Works of literature consist of ‘human experience’ and so contrast with the texts of mass or popular culture; created by individual authors literature can evoke a ‘genuine personal response’ in the reader—as Leavis explains elsewhere (see Leavis and Thompson 1933), popular culture, collectively and commercially produced, is stereotyped, formulaic, anonymous and deficient in ‘human experience’. (Easthope 4) Each individual, no matter where they come from or what they do experiences the same needs, desires and wants to the person next to him/her. People all suffer, people all feel happiness, people all have the capability to love and be loved and people will die one day. Thus, all the collation of hopes, dreams and fears are true no matter where you may go. However, the experiences of a society are still different from another. Though they do experience the same economic or political problem like the other societies and countries, their own experience is unique only to themselves. Literature, particularly fiction, conspires to human freedom: in this way it has a political effect. But the vision projected by literature, its implicit philosophy, sits opposite the political understanding of the world. (Rolin 40) Thus, though a person in Japan feels the same heart ache as that of a person in Wales and writes the same kind of poem or prose that centers on their grief, it would still be different because of the certain cultural aspects that envelopes them. All in all, this is what is being pointed out why literature can never be the same for all the people in the world—because each group of people contains certain cultural influences and characteristics that are only unique to them. Aside from language which clearly differentiates one culture or country to another, there is also the history to consider, the traditions and even the practices of a particular culture. Zipes clearly gives an example in how fairy tales of a country is used to determine the differences of the locale’s color and beliefs: Each village and community in Europe and in North America developed various modes of storytelling and different types of tales that were closely connected to their customs, laws, morals, and beliefs. (xvi) The same way that a man tends to sway more towards the non-fictional forms of literature or the comic books and sci-fi, women tends to gravitate more to the romantic and whimsical forms of literature, there are also differences in how the literature of a village or community in a particular country in a very specific time would be different from another country in a altogether different time span. Though human experience is the same for everyone, there are still great and tremendous differences in human experiences that would make literature very non-universal and would instead be concluded as being very cultural. A very specific example would be the language of a culture or a nation; Eagleton explains that literature contains a unique language to be identified with just literature, that such â€Å"literary discourse estranges or alienates ordinary speech† (2). However, he also points out that though ordinary speech is alienated, the said literary discourse also â€Å"brings us into a fuller, more intimate possession of experience† (Eagleton 2). Literature through the means of language becomes more complex and yet meaningful—something that each culture can relate to as they have their own distinctive features. Another example would be in how a famous literary figure, Defoe has written fictional works that â€Å"are admired today†¦[and] can be found in the material of journalism he practiced in an age when the boundaries between journalism and fiction, fact and fancy, were less distinguishable than they are today† (Underwood 45). This example illustrates how any form of literature can imitate the life and time of the author making the literature one of its kind when compared to other literary works that also imitates the life and times of their particular authors. But most credible as an evidence and sample to thesis is perhaps the case of how William Shakespeare embodies his play, Henry V as something that reflects the early English life, according to Schwyzer: Henry V is traditionally regarded as the most English of the histories, and hence of all Shakespeare’s works. The words ‘‘England’’ and ‘‘English’’ resound through the play, occurring more than one hundred times. Henry is constantly reminding his men of what they are or should be capable of on the basis of their Englishness, and he is himself referred to by the French king as ‘‘Harry England. ’’ (Schwyzer 126) What Schwyzer presents is not that the play was inspired by England or the life of England, but that it the play itself evokes or contains themes of what it remains to be seemed as English. This â€Å"englishness† as what Schwyzer calls it is another term for the existence of a national literature that aims to mirror what it means for a particular nation to be a nation. In conclusion, there is no universal thread the links human being together even of literature shows the same human experience for everyone. Literature is not universal; it is cultural because of the many distinct features that are embodied in a literary work like language, way of life, background, etc. However, though literature is no universal, it is still an ongoing process of development and improvement that hopefully one day, does indeed bridge the world together and be called universal. Works Cited Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: an Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1996. Print. Easthope, Antony. Literary into Cultural Studies. New York: Routledge, 1991. Print. Insana, L. â€Å"Redefining Dulce et Utile: Boccacio’s Organization of Literature on Economic Terms†. Heliotropia 2. 1 (2004). Web. Heliotropia. org. 17 May 2010. Rolin, Olivier. â€Å"The Subtle Genius of the Novel†. The Review of Contemporary Fiction 28. 3 (2008): 40. Web. Literature Resource Center. 16 May 2010. Schwyzer, Philip. Literature, Nationalism, and Memory in Early Modern England and Wales. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print. Simpson, Paul. Language Through Literature: an Introduction. New York: Routledge, 1997. Print. Trupe, Alice. Thematic Guide to Young Adult Literature. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2006. Print. Underwood, Doug. Journalism and the Novel: Truth and Fiction, 1700-2000. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print. Zipes, Jack (ed). The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

The Archetypical Low-Cost Air Carrier: Southwest Airlines :: Aviation Southwest Airlines Flying Essays

Abstract The seventh largest major domestic airline in the United States (US), Southwest Airlines, is commonly known or referred to as a low-cost carrier. Southwest Airlines is the only major airline that provides short-haul, point-to-point service in the United States. In fact it was the first airline of its type ever started; it has become the archetypical low-cost airline. The idea has proven itself so well, that other start-up airlines have based their company strategies upon the basics of Southwest. Today, there are two other low-cost air carriers (the other two airlines are considered national airlines and not major airlines) that are actively and aggressively competing with Southwest Airlines for business and profit turning. The three American low-cost air carriers are currently posting profits even in light of the US economy’s current state of affairs, with Southwest Airlines first, JetBlue second, and Air Tran third, in profits. How is this possible when the major six airlines are reporting losses of millions and millions of dollars each quarter? The answer to this question begins about 30 years ago. The Archetypical Low-Cost Air Carrier: Southwest Airlines The product one airline can offer is the same exact product the next airline can offer, a single available seat mile (ASM) for sale. The difference between the airlines lies in the marketing, routing, pricing, executive decision-making, and the operating strategies that each airline chooses to espouse regarding that one product. It is through these strategies that an airline must find productivity in total revenue passenger miles (RPM) flown to be profitable. When the ASM is filled with a fare-paying passenger, sales or income is recognized, and it converts to an RPM. The relationship between the ASM and RPM are directly related and is expressed in percentages known as Load Factors (LF). This LF is a management tool used to determine the efficiency and health of the airline. It is necessary to keep these two variables in balance of each other. Southwest Airlines load factors are represented in Figure 1 and 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   RPM LF = ASM Many airlines choose to use the hub network, which induces costly effects in all areas of the airline. It is the point-to-point; short haul airline that is capable of keeping costs low and turn profits, Southwest Airlines has proven just that. Southwest Airlines survived the initial years of deregulation, years of cyclical business cycles that may have led to recessionary and or inflationary periods, and its 25-year

No definition of a miracle is adequate Essay

Many philosophers have attempted to define what exactly constitutes a miracle in a number of ways outlining definitions which contain the criteria for what phenomena can be counted as miraculous. Whether a definition is adequate seems highly subjective but will likely be one that is acceptable by non-Christians as well as Christians who in all probability will want a definition that accepts many of the miracle in the Bible to indeed be miraculous. Mackie’s definition of miracles describing them as events that occur when the world is not left alone and is intruded by something that is not part of the natural order necessitates that miracles are caused by a supernatural entity which may be considered to be God. This appears to suggest that his definition would indeed be adequate for some Christians given that it sets apart miracles from coincidences turning them into occurrences which could provide evidence for their faith. Moreover it allows a more specific idea of what constitutes a miracles disallowing events with an entirely naturalistic explanation maintaining them as unique events. However, Hick likely would criticise Mackie’s arguments for not be adequate given the ambiguity of what the natural order and the laws that govern it are. Hick suggested that laws were generalisations that are formed after events have happened, suggesting that that the natural order couldn’t be intruded upon. Also it may be that what is perceived to be an intrusion by something outside of the natural order is actually just a lack of understanding of the natural order on our part. This means that though an event such as the Moon Landing would have been defined as inadequate centuries ago, today it would not. This undermines the adequacy of the definition given that what it encompasses will change with time. A further issue with the adequacy of Mackie’s definition is that it could be argued to not be sufficiently specific given that it makes no attempt to define what exactly constitutes something distinct from the natural order, and it may in fact not be God. This would undermine its adequacy for Christians who believe that God is responsible for causing miracles and may not accept they are caused by other beings. Swinburne’s definition of a miracle appears to resolve this issue defining miracles as a violation of a law of nature by a god (a very powerful rational being who is not a material object). That said, the requirement for God to intervene in the world poses a number of challenges to Swinburne’s’ definition especially given that God’s need to intervene in his creation contradicts the idea that he is an all powerful being if the world requires changes. Additionally philosophers like Wiles would argue that if God has the ability to intervene in the world in order to perform miracles in certain instances then his failure to prevent evil and suffering in the world undermines his characteristic of omni-benevolence. For this reason a definition that requires God’s intervention to cause miracles may be inadequate given the contradictions that would occur if such an event happened. On the other hand, many Christians do accept that God intervenes in the world and if so this definition of miracles may indeed be adequate also determining whether God is responsible for an event may be impossible as it may just be due to limited understanding of events. Additionally, Swinburne’s definition is undermined by Hick’s challenge arguably even more so than Mackie’s given his explicit use of the term ‘natural laws’ and also would likely be subject to change as understanding changes. Holland’s definition of miracles appears to avoid the contractions associated with Swinburne and Mackie’s explanations not requiring the physical intervention of God suggesting from the outset that it may be more adequate. This is because Holland only requires miracles to be an extraordinary coincidence of a beneficial nature interpreted religiously. The emphasis on interpretation also removes the difficulties associated with determining the cause of the miracle while still encompassing Biblical miracles. However it would likely be criticised for being too subjective given that different people would differ on whether the same event is miraculous. Additionally the Catholic church which usually requires a person to have performed at least two miracles in order to be Canonized as a saint would likely not accept miracles as defined by Holland as they only accept events without naturalistic explanation suggesting the definition is inadequate for how the term miracle is used by some Christian denominations. In conclusion, it seems probable that no definition of miracles is adequate given that although Swinburne and Mackie’s definition of miracles may encompass many of the instances of how miracles are used, they are undermined by the difficulty in determining natural laws and also whether God physically intervened. Likewise while Holland goes some way to avoiding these contradictions in his definition it remains highly subjective and also doesn’t reflect how miracles are used in Christianity. Additionally it will likely also lead to significant differences between what people consider miracles. Moreover, the existence of so many contrasting definitions of miracles suggests that there isn’t a single definition that is adequate given that there is no consensus on what makes an event miraculous so any definition will be subject to significant disagreement. For this reason the statement that no definition of miracle is adequate can be considered to be true.

Wal-Mart Market Analysis

Wal-Mart Market Analysis Wal-Mart is the second largest company in the world. Its focus is on mass merchandising as opposed to specialty merchandising. The idea behind mass merchandising is to offer products and services in one convenient store to better manage a consumer’s time. An example of how Wal-Mart mass merchandisers is by offering a multitude of products and services within one convenient store. They sell sporting goods, electronics, housing needs, clothing, groceries, consumables, and toiletries all in one convenient location. Similar to a mall, Wal-Mart meets all of its customers’ needs in one location. This is a very valuable ability because it allows the customer to have more control over his or her time. (Research and Markets, 2010) The company operates under three main operation segments. Its most common segment will be its Wal-Mart. The second common segment found in the United States is Sam’s Club. Sam’s club is similar to Wal-Mart except that it is larger in size and puts more emphasis on wholesale retail. They are more popular with businesses and large families. The company’s last segment consists of International stores. Though Wal-Mart has few locations outside the United States its name is widely known. (Research and Markets, 2010) Within the United States, Wal-Mart has a variety of mass merchandising locations. Wal-Mart’s products and services within each location are based on demographics and surrounding stores. Superstores, discount stores, and neighborhood markets are the three types of stores Wal-Mart might open, given a certain demographic. If a community is large and consists of multiple school districts and many families, Wal-Mart will consider opening a Superstore or neighborhood market. Within a neighborhood market, Wal-Mart offers lower pricing to compete with higher priced stores such as Targets, Kohls, ShopRites, ACMEs, and Super fresh. Even shopping malls competing with Wal-Mart. Discount stores are located in smaller communities, mostly consisting of elderly individuals or small families. (Research and Markets, 2010) Wal-Mart’s is a very powerful company due to its low pricing and high volume. It drives mom and pop shops and local small retail stores out of business due to the inability to compete with such a large chain. Although this is disappointing, Wal-Mart is one of the largest employers, providing jobs for over a million employees. So it does its share to contribute to employment. (Market Research, 2010) Everyday Wal-Mart is increasing its market share. Years back Wal-Mart was just another retailer, but due to massive expansion and lower prices, Wal-Mart now competes in almost every type of retail business. Wal-Mart is now opening grocery stores, gas stations, and supercenters that sell everything imaginable in order to maximize its market share. Everyday Wal-Mart is devising new ideas to keep a huge control over the market share. Ideas of incorporating a grocery store within a clothing store were farfetched 10 years ago, but now it is typical to buy dairy products and sporting goods all in one store. Now farfetched and even crazier ideas such as selling used cars, financial services, and home improvement needs can be realized within Wal-Mart’s ability to expand its products and services. (Market Research, 2010) Wal-Mart has the ability to continue growing to higher and even deeper depths. The goal for Wal-Mart is to not let its goals of expanding interfere with its normal and everyday operations. Low prices and convenience are a must for Wal-Mart to continue operating. Today Wal-Mart is a common name in retail just as Ford is common to automobiles. ? References Market Research, Initials. (2010). The Age of wal-mart. Retrieved fromhttp://www. marketresearch. com/map/prod/805195. html Research and Markets, Initials. (2010). Analysis of wal-mart stores. Retrieved from http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reportinfo. asp? report_id=552122

Ona

Ona "Ona" is as Much a Love Story as it is a Tale of Ritualized Beliefs and Cultural Behavior Patterns Often stories in a particular culture take into account, and capitalize on symbols of that particular culture for thematic effectiveness. Many indigenous stories thus contain generalized patterns of beliefs that serve as the backdrop which enables readers to relate to the stories and the content thereof. Buchi Emecheta's "Ona" is a powerful love story that centers around ritualized beliefs and cultural behavior patterns of one African tribe. The story is legendary in nature, alluding to its cultural import. It is about Abagdi, a very wealthy local chief, who is love with Ona, one of his mistresses. Agbadi is head over heals for Ona despite the fact that he has many wives. Agbadi is particularly crazy about Ona because, unlike the other women, she is not submissive as she was the daughter chief Obi Umunna.ONA WorkshopThe cultural theme in the story is that man enjoys hunting, taming and conquering even in matters of love; Agbadi finds a special thrill in trying to win the unconquerable love of Ona. Ona is a woman ahead of her time, unwilling to be controlled, even by the strong and powerful Agbadi, not only because of her individual desires, but because of her respect for the cultural norms of her society.From the onset of the story we learn that Agbadi proposes marriage to Ona. Since Ona's father, Chief Obi Umunna, had no sons, he raised Ona to be very assertive and assume what is considered boylike traits. Thus, like a man, her father raised her never "to stoop to any man" (629). Does this mean that women and men are not considered equals in this society? Evidently, it seems the only reason Ona was thought...

Biography of Spiro Agnew, Vice President Who Resigned

Biography of Spiro Agnew, Vice President Who Resigned Spiro T. Agnew was a little known Republican politician from Maryland whose unlikely ascent to the vice presidency prompted many Americans in the late 1960s to wonder Spiro who? Agnew  was an unremarkable figure known to speak in a deadening monotone who was nonetheless notorious for his combative relationship with the press and unwavering loyalty to his boss, President Richard M. Nixon. He once referred to journalists as a tiny, enclosed fraternity of privileged men elected by no one† and to Nixons critics as â€Å"nattering nabobs of negativism.†Ã‚   Agnew is perhaps most well-known for the end of his career. He was forced to resign from office after being charged with extortion, bribery and conspiracy and pleading no contest to income-tax evasion in 1973.   Early Years Spiro Theodore Agnew (also known as Ted)  was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on Nov. 9, 1918. His father, Theophrastos Anagnostopoulos, had immigrated to the U.S. from Greece in 1897 and changed his surname. The elder Agnew sold produce before entering the restaurant business. His mother was American, a native of Virginia.   Spiro Agnew attended the public schools in Baltimore and entered  Johns Hopkins University to study chemistry in 1937. He transferred out of the prestigious school after struggling academically and enrolled at the  University of Baltimore Law School. He earned his law degree, but only after being drafted into the Army during World War II.  He returned to law school after being discharged and received his law degree in 1947, then went on to practice law in Baltimore. Early Career in Politics Agnew was little known outside of his home state of Maryland before Nixon chose him as a running mate. His first foray into politics came in 1957 when he was appointed to  the Baltimore County zoning appeals board, on which he served three years. He ran and lost for a judgeship in 1960, then won the Baltimore County executive position two years later. (The position is similar to that of mayor of a city.) During Agnews tenure, the county enacted a law requiring restaurants and other establishments to be to be open to customers of all races, built new schools and increased teacher salaries. He was, in other words, a progressive Republican. After creating a name for himself in the populous Maryland County, Agnew sought and won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1966. He beat a Democratic candidate,  George Mahoney, who supported segregation and campaigned on the slogan  Your Home Is Your Castle- Protect It. Charging Mahoney with racial bigotry, Agnew captured the liberal suburbs around Washington and was elected governor, Agnews Senate biography reads. But he would serve as governor for fewer than two years before he caught to eye of his partys presidential hopeful, Nixon. Rise to the Vice Presidency Nixon chose Agnew as  a running mate in the campaign of 1968, a decision that was controversial and unpopular with the Republican Party. The GOP viewed the progressive urban politician with suspicion. Nixon responded by describing Agnew as  one of the most underrated political men in America,  an old fashioned patriot† who, having been raised and elected in Baltimore, was a master strategist on urban issues. â€Å"There can be a mystique about a man. You can look him in the eye and know hes got it. This guy has got it, Nixon said in defense of his choice for running mate. Agnew was elected vice president in 1968; he and Nixon were  re-elected to second term in 1972. In 1973, as the Watergate investigation was churning toward a denouement that would force the resignation of Nixon, Agnew ran into legal trouble. Criminal Charge and Resignation Agnew was facing possible impeachment or criminal charges in 1973 for allegedly accepting payoffs from contractors when he served as Baltimore County executive and vice president. But he remained defiant in the face of a grand jurys investigation.  I will not resign if indicted! I will not resign if indicted! he proclaimed. But evidence that he  evaded  paying his income taxes- he was accused of failing to report $29,500 in income- soon led to his downfall. He resigned from office on Oct. 10, 1973, under a plea deal that allowed him to avoid prison time. In a formal statement to  Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Agnew stated: I hereby resign the office of Vice President of the United States, effective immediately. A judge sentenced Agnew to  three years of probation and fined him $10,000. Nixon became the first president in U.S. history to use the  25th Amendment  to appoint a successor to the position of vice president,  House Minority Leader  Gerald  Ford. The amendment establishes the  orderly transfer of power  for replacing the president and vice president in the event they die in office, quit or are  impeached. The prosecution of the case removed Agnew from the presidential line of succession, which turned out to be a fateful decision. Nixon was forced to resign less than a year later, in August 1994, amid the Watergate scandal, and Ford took over the presidency. Agnews resignation was only the second by a vice president. (The first took place in 1832, when Vice President John C. Calhoun resigned the office to take a U.S. Senate seat.) Marriage and Personal Life Angew married  Elinor Isabel Judefind in 1942, whom he met while employed at an insurance company during his law-school years. The couple went to a movie and for chocolate milkshakes on their first date and discovered they had grown up four blocks apart. The Agnews had four children: Pamela, Susan, Kimberly, and James. Agnew died of leukemia in Berlin, Maryland, at the age of 77. Legacy Agnew will forever be know for his rapid ascent from obscurity to national prominence and his scathing attacks on the news media and polemics on society and culture. He was critical of efforts to lift Americas economically disadvantaged out of systemic poverty and of civil-rights protestors in the tumultuous late 1960s. He frequently used derogatory slurs, such as,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If youve seen one city slum, youve seen them all.† Agnew reserved much of his ire for members of the news media. He was among the first politicians to accuse journalists of bias.   Spiro Agnew Fast Facts Full Name: Spiro Theodore AgnewAlso Known As: TedKnown For: Serving as vice president under Richard M. Nixon and resigning for tax evasionBorn:  Nov. 9, 1918 in Baltimore, Maryland, USAParents Names:  Theophrastos Anagnostopoulos, who changed his surname to Agnew, and  Margaret Marian Pollard AgnewDied:  Sept. 17, 1996 in  Berlin, Maryland, USAEducation: Law degree from the University of Baltimore Law School, 1947Key Accomplishments: Enacted a law in Baltimore County requiring restaurants and other establishments to be to be open to customers of all races, built new schools and increased teacher salariesSpouse Name:  Elinor Isabel JudefindChildrens Names:  Pamela, Susan, Kimberly and JamesFamous Quote:  In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism.  They have formed their own 4-H club  -   the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history.   Sources Hatfield, Mark O.  Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789-1993. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1997.Naughton, James M. Agnew Quits Vice Presidency And Admits Tax Evasion In 67; Nixon Consults On Successor. The New York Times. 11 October 1973.  https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1010.htmlSpiro T. Agnew, Ex-Vice President, Dies at 77. The New York Times. 18 September, 1996.  https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/18/us/spiro-t-agnew-ex-vice-president-dies-at-77.html