The Language of War.An analysis of how understanding and sup essays

The Language of War.An analysis of how understanding and sup essays An analysis of how understanding and support of war is constructed through media texts specifically newspapers. In 1982 I was not old enough to fully understand what was happening when my country went to war with Argentina over a group of islands called The Falklands. However, I was old enough to understand the comments of my parents when they discussed the situation, as well as the headlines they had read in the papers. One such comment being something I have since heard repeated time and time again from various people; this being on the Sun newspapers headlines throughout the conflict. One of these headlines was GOTCHA, splashed over the front page when the first major incident happened the sinking of the Belgrano on May 2nd 1982 (Greenslade, 2002); an event that cost many Argentine lives. In this paper I am going to discuss the ways in which newspapers report on war and terrorism, using language such as the Suns example above, and the impact that they are able to achieve on their readers. I am going to argue that newspapers, along with other media, are a tool for constructing both support and understanding of any conflict, thus being a major propaganda machine, without this ever being fully noted by the mass audience. I will begin by making historic reference to propaganda in the First World War, as discussed by Noam Chomsky, going on to look at more recent conflicts that have seen the use of media propaganda specifically The Gulf War. I will draw together the information discussed by looking at the most recent examples of press propaganda on the war in Afghanistan, in the aftermath of the World Trade Centre attacks on 11th September 2001. The Dean of American Journalists, Walter Lippmann is quoted in Chomsky as saying, ...a... revolution in the art of democracy could be used to manufacture consent, i.e. gain public agreement on things...

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 1986

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 1986 At 1:23 a.m. on April 26th, 1986, reactor four at the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, releasing more than a hundred times the radiation of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thirty-one people died shortly after the explosion and thousands more are expected to die from the long-term effects of radiation. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster dramatically changed the worlds opinion about using nuclear reaction for power. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was built in the wooded marshlands of northern Ukraine, approximately 80 miles north of Kiev. Its first reactor went online in 1977, the second in 1978, third in 1981, and fourth in 1983; two more were planned for construction. A small town, Pripyat, was also built near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to house the workers and their families. Routine Maintenance and a Test on Reactor Four On April 25, 1986, reactor four was going to be shut down for some routine maintenance. During the shutdown, technicians were also going to run a test. The test was to determine whether, in case of a power outage, the turbines could produce enough energy to keep the cooling system running until the backup generators came online. The shutdown and test began at 1 a.m. on April 25th. To get accurate results from the test, the operators turned off several of the safety systems, which turned out to be a disastrous decision. In the middle of the test, the shutdown had to be delayed nine hours because of a high demand for power in Kiev. The shutdown and test continued again at 11:10 p.m. on the night of April 25th. A Major Problem Just after 1 a.m. on April 26th, 1986, the reactors power dropped suddenly, causing a potentially dangerous situation. The operators tried to compensate for the low power but the reactor went out of control. If the safety systems had remained on, they would have fixed the problem; however, they were not. The reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. The World Discovers the Meltdown The world discovered the accident two days later, on April 28th, when operators of the Swedish Forsmark nuclear power plant in Stockholm registered unusually high radiation levels near their plant. When other plants around Europe began to register similar high radiation readings, they contacted the Soviet Union to find out what had happened. The Soviets denied any knowledge about a nuclear disaster until 9 p.m. on April 28th, when they announced to the world that one of the reactors had been damaged. Attempts to Clean Up While trying to keep the nuclear disaster a secret, the Soviets were also trying to clean it up. At first they poured water on the many fires, then they tried to put them out with sand and lead and then nitrogen. It took nearly two weeks to put the fires out. Citizens in the nearby towns were told to stay indoors. Pripyat was evacuated on April 27th, the day after the disaster had begun; the town of Chernobyl wasnt evacuated until May 2, six days after the explosion. Physical clean-up of the area continued. Contaminated topsoil was placed into sealed barrels and radiated water contained. Soviet engineers also encased the remains of the fourth reactor in a large, concrete sarcophagus to prevent additional radiation leakage. The sarcophagus, constructed quickly and in dangerous conditions, had already begun to crumble by 1997. An international consortium has begun plans to create a containment unit that will be placed over the current sarcophagus. Death Toll From the Chernobyl Disaster Thirty-one people died shortly after the explosion; however, thousands of others who were exposed to high levels of radiation will suffer serious health effects, including cancers, cataracts, and cardiovascular disease.

Legalizing Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Legalizing Marijuana - Essay Example The first argument implies freedom of action, because those actions which do not harm others, should not be banned by the government. Use of marijuana as a means of relaxing is purely a personal choice, therefore, the prohibition of marijuana possession and control of the government should be abolished. Any democratic state can not legally prohibit the citizen to use these or other substances to manage their own health one way or another, so marijuana should be legalized. Everyone has the right to decide for himself whether he will use marijuana or not. The second argument implies misallocation of resources. Strengthening laws against marijuana is usually ineffective. Now the market for illicit substances is under complete and undivided control of organized crime, trafficking in extracting excess profits from illicit substances. Politics of prohibitionism not only revealed their inability to curb the process of drug use and reducing related victims, but on the contrary, contributed to enhancing the drug market. The fight against drug trafficking implies inefficient spending of billions of dollars. During the struggle the huge sums spent on paying the police, lawyers, courts, prisons, but the rate of use of the whole is not reduced, on the contrary, is growing steadily. I believe that the legalization of marijuana is the only one reasonable approach, the only approach that will bring the cannabis from illegal mafia economy sphere, completely indifferent to the health of their customers. Only in this way may lead radical fighting dru g trafficking, taking into account respect for civil liberties. Also I should mention that social tolerance has increased considerably over the last decade. The third argument is that marijuana has useful medicinal properties. Studies show that marijuana is less dangerous than tobacco, legalized drugs, and has a number of medicinal properties (for the treatment

Immigration Outside the Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Immigration Outside the Law - Assignment Example This paper tells that while this may be beneficial to the immigrant, it is not always so for every party involved and/or affected directly and indirectly by immigration. Immigration, though good, has to be controlled and managed adequately. The United States is one the world’s largest and wealthiest economy. This status places the United States as the ideal country of residence due to the abundance of opportunities within the market. This led to an influx of immigrants from neighboring countries, especially Mexico. This potential problem was further compounded by the influx of international immigrants from nations within the other continents. It is estimated that 8.7 million immigrants were in the United States as at the end of the 2000 FY. However, as at the end of 2013, there were approximately 11.7 million illegal immigrants in the United States (Chomsky, 2014). This points to an alarming increase in the number of illegal aliens in the country. There has been an increase of 117% in the number of children under the age of 5 between 2013 and 2014 (Motomura, 2014). This is an alarming statistic. The current status and number of illegal immigrants have a considerable strain on the nation’s resources. This is because the country’s national budget is made considering the legal population count. However, the number of illegal immigrants stretch the country’s health sector, while increasing the level of unemployment as these immigrants have little to no education. Furthermore, this increase leads to a decrease in the level of wages as immigrants offer cheap labor.

Managerial Communications Essay Example for Free

Managerial Communications Essay Hynes introduces a calculated approach to managerial communication by dissecting it into three separate, yet mutually dependent functions. Hynes believes that with these approaches, management and employees alike can learn to adapt to one another to create an effective work force. The first layer is based on the idea that an employer and his employees can create a positive work atmosphere with the communication climate they set with one another. If a manager and his employees have an open and trusting relationship, it makes communications much easier for the both of them, regardless of their status. By allowing employees to contribute their thoughts and opinions without the fear of backlash, managers will see better job performance within their workers. Employers can often create an open communication climate through regular team building meetings and workshops. Communication climate also challenges managers to do their part by listening to their employees’ feedback. In order for effective communication to occur, an employee should feel comfortable in their work atmosphere and fully believe that their manager will take their words into deep consideration. Founder and President of Pillar Consulting LLC , Joelle K. Jay, PhD states, â€Å"On a personal level, people feel acknowledged when others validate their feelings. Managers who ignore feelings can create distance between themselves and their employees, eroding the relationship and ultimately affecting the working environment (Jay, â€Å"Communicate Well: Five Strategies To Enhance Your Managerial Communication Skills†). † From that statement, managers must also learn the boundaries within successful communication. In Hynes’ text, he also states that, â€Å"a positive climate is fragile†¦after only one or two critical errors, a positive environment can quickly change to one of distrust and closed communication, making future communication more difficult† (28). Managers must also learn to face the challenges of workers who become too comfortable in their environment. For example, Manager A and his Employee B, may have a friendly and casual relationship—one in which they may feel so comfortable that they talk about their personal and/or family business with one another. This is good in the sense that Employee B learns to trust Manager A and feels he can chat comfortably about his feelings toward his job. Now, if Employee A begins to feel so comfortable that Manager A is finding consistent errors within Employee B’s work, it is only right for Manager A to step in and confront him about the matter. Depending upon the choice of words used by Manager A and how Employee B feels about the situation, it can change the communication climate. One bad meeting can leave Employee B feeling angry with Manager A. He may no longer wish to have such a friendly demeanor towards him in the future. This can cause a strain on their communication with each other in the future. Another way to open a communication climate is through organizational culture. In an age of such advanced technology, many businesses no longer feel the need to speak to a person directly, either face-to-face or over the phone. The use of email has become a strong tool in business as it allows users to speak to each other without having to schedule a set time for both parties to meet only to say a few words. From the previous example, Manager A may be in a business that is highly dependent on email to speak to his employees in order to give clear, direct orders. Employee B may have previously come from an organization where meeting face-to-face was the ideal way to speak to anyone—management or employees alike. If Manager A decided it would be easier to email Employee B of the mistakes that he’s been making, Employee B may take that as a sign of disrespect. Employee B may not understand the tone that Manager A is reflecting in the email, leaving Employee B with the notion that Manager A couldn’t take time out of his schedule to speak with him directly. Their different perspectives of organizational culture could cause their gap in communication to widen tremendously. Organizational culture can help managers to better understand Hynes’ second layer in his approach to strategic communication. As the sender, Manager A’s personal characteristics can greatly affect the way he communicates with his employees. Before speaking with Employee B about his mistakes, Manager A must first reflect on what he will say to Employee B and how he will say it to him. Efficient communication can be the determining factor for communications in the future. While an employee only has to adjust his communication for his manager, a manager will need to find a way to relay his message to each employee in the most comfortable and appropriate manner they deem fit. The manager must constantly adjust this speech for each person that he meets with to ensure a satisfactory outcome. Though employees must mainly focus on how to communicate with management, there are various factors they must also take into consideration. How an employee takes in what an authority figure is saying to them greatly depends on their closeness with management, how they feel about the subject, concern for the subject, their current mindset, and their differences in position. As a receiver, an employee can choose how to accept a message being given to them by their employer. In the previous example between Manager A and Employee B, it was said that Manager A would have to speak with Employee B about the mistakes he’s been making in his work. Since both parties already have a close relationship, Employee B will be more open to hearing what Manager A has to say. Employee B may have had a bad morning and doesn’t want to talk to anyone, let alone hear what Manager A has to say about his errors. By having a platonic relationship with his employee, Manager A is at an advantage because Employee B will respect him for their friendship. Employee B will be more willing to take Manager A’s words into consideration and change his future actions. Managers must also be mindful of the language they use when speaking with their employees. If they are knowingly using jargon that their employee will not understand, communicating properly will be a difficult task. Not all conversations between employers and employees are ones that criticize their work. Before speaking to their employees, whether in a group setting or a one-on-one conference, a manager must first carefully examine the topic. He must verify that the subject matter would be something that is beneficial to the work force, or something that is unnecessary to building the work morale. In Hynes’ third layer, it is learned that in order to measure how successful a communication approach is, managers must also consider how to get their message across to their employees. As stated before, Manager A may want to email Employee B on the subject of his work. Before doing so, Manager A must fully analyze the words he will be saying to Employee B and recognize if the matter is something that may be better said in person. Also, in Employee B’s organizational culture, he may not be acclimated to receiving the critique of his work in writing. By speaking to Employee B personally, Manager A has the chance to show him that he respects him by meeting him face-to-face. To ensure a message is clearly stated to employees, managers must also take the necessary steps to find a comfortable place and time for them to meet. If the place of employment is one that deals with much noise such as a construction site, managers should take his directed employees to a comfortable place away from many outside distractions. Managers must also consider the amount of time it may take to speak to his workers. On a construction site, more time wasted can also lead to more money wasted. Managers must carefully plan their speech in an amount of time that does not interfere with the actual workload. By using these tactics laid out by Geraldine E. Hynes, managers can begin to set up their own communication strategies to ensure future success. Managers can compare and use these strategies as a baseline to communicating efficiently.

Compulsive Disorder Essay -- essays research papers

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a lifelong disorder, which can cause a person to do things repeatedly. This disorder is identified by two general symptoms: obsessions and compulsions. An obsession can be defines as an unwelcome, distressing thought or mental image. (Schwartz, 1996) It is a thought that annoys you so much that it causes distress and anxiety. Compulsions are the behaviors that people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder perform in an attempt to get rid of the fears and anxieties caused by their obsessions. (Schwartz, 1996) The disorder which usually starts in adolescence or early childhood, is more common that asthma or diabetes. (Baer, 1991) It affects one in forty people, or more than five million Americans. (Baer, 1991)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is related to a biochemical imbalance in the brain that can be treated effectively without drugs. This starts with a biochemical problem in the brain called â€Å"Brain Lock†. (Schwartz, 1996) Four key structures of the brain become locked together and the brain sends false messages that the person cannot recognize as false. (Schwartz, 1996) One of the main signal-processing centers of the brain, made up of two structures called the caudate nucleus and the put amen, can be thought of like a gearshift in a car. (Schwartz, 1996) The caudate nucleus is like the automatic t...

Homosexuality Is Not a Psychological Disorder

In the past, homosexuality was considered to be a psychological disorder, up until the APA removed it from its list of mental illnesses. This was due to the fact that homosexuality causes no form of impairment on the individual’s judgment, stability, reliability, or general social and or vocational abilities. This decision made over 30 years ago, has caused a lot of criticism, many believe that the APA’s decision was made due to the amount of influence that the homosexual activism and not according to the scientific data that was collected. There are two possible sides to this assumption about whether or not homosexuality is and should be considered a psychological disorder. According to an article published in the Scientific Controversies: Case Studies in the Resolution and Closure of Disputes in Science and Technology, edited by H. Tristam Engelhardt Jr. , and Arthur Caplan, Cambridge U. Press, 1987. Dr. Irving Bieber, described the attempts for psychiatry to adopt a new perspective regarding sexual normality. During this time the psychiatric professions were moving from the established psychoanalytic theories based on unconscious motivations, in which they claimed that if you cannot visible see distress, dysfunction, and or disability among psychological conditions then it isn’t seen as being disordered. Dr. Bieber while attempting to describe the difficulty of classifying homosexuality concluded that homosexuality was not a normal sexual adaptation. When the APA adapted a new set of criteria for defining psychological disorders, Bieber argued that psychopathology, which could possible show signs of distress, social functioning, and the ability to work effectively could be present in psychopathology. Many others agree that homosexuality is indeed a psychological disorder, and argue that it actually stems from unhappiness in the family that leads to more unhappiness throughout their lives. Many individuals refer to it not being God’s will thus it is constituted as abnormal, thus it is a mental disorder. On the other hand, homosexuality is defined as being attracted to or aroused by individuals of the same sex. Homosexuality is considered not to be a mental disorder due to the fact that their actions don’t impair their ability to function either at work or in their personal lives. Homosexuality doesn’t have an effect on their ability to function or hinder their ability to handle their responsibilities at work, nor does it prevent them from being able to create and maintain long lasting and healthy personal relationships. Homosexuals are just as psychologically healthy as any heterosexual is. The infamous Sigmund Freud and Havelock Ellis adopted a more accepting stance regarding homosexuality. Ellis in 1901, argued that homosexuality was inborn thus it wasn’t immoral, that it wasn’t truly a disease, and many homosexuals had contributed outstandingly in society. Sigmund Freud had another stance about homosexuality, and that was that he felt that all human beings were innately bisexual, and those they actually become either homosexual or heterosexual as the result of their past experiences with their parents and others. Either way Freud agreed with Ellis that homosexuality shouldn’t be viewed as a form of pathology. In a very famous letter that Freud wrote to a mother back in 1935, he stated that homosexuality cannot be considered as an illness, and that he considered it to be a variation of sexual function produced by certain area of sexual development. He then went on to note that many highly respectable figures throughout both ancient and modern times have been homosexual including Plato and Leonardo Da Vinci. In 1957, psychologist Evelyn Hooker conducted a study in which she asked if homosexuals and heterosexuals differed in their psychological adjustments. She then recruited a group of homosexuals who were considered to be functioning normally in society. Then she employed a procedure asking experts to rate the adjustment among the men without previously knowing their sexual orientation. Her study concluded that homosexuality was in no way a clinical entity nor was it associated with psychopathology. In conclusion, Homosexuality is not a psychological disorder. The APA’s board of directors chose to remove it from the DSM- IV- TR, due to the great deal of data collected, along with the changing among social norms and the development of homosexual and gay activist organizations. We have to also take into consideration that by labeling homosexuality we quickly are exhibiting discrimination against those individuals. There is nothing in regards to homosexuality that would cause a great deal of distress and or cause them impairment in their ability to function normally. Their sexual preference shouldn’t be considered as a being a psychological disorder. The fact that an individual prefers the same gender doesn’t mean at all that they have a mental illness, it doesn’t affect their ability to be outstanding members in society, nor does it directly hinder their ability to unction. Psychological disorders are defined as the individuals behavior or thoughts that impacts their life altogether and as causing a significant amount of distress for the individual. Homosexuality does not mean distress for these individuals, it is merely preference. If homosexuality was considered to be a psychological disorder, we take away the right to privacy after a ll sexuality is private; we would also be taking away the right to happiness, the right for them to make their own choices, the right for them to be them. How can the choice that they choose to make in their private life that doesn’t have any effect on their ability to function nor does it cause distress to them be considered a psychological disorder? They are not seen as being harmful to themselves or others by living their life the way that they choose to. Their sexual preference has no effect on how their psychological functioning, thus homosexuality is not a psychological disorder. It doesn’t affect their ability to think, feel, act, and the ability for them to become functioning members of society. Reference www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06062008.html

Prospects of Democracy

Unfortunately, these moronic, ungrateful, stone-age Jerk-offs either refuse that generous gift out of arrogance or are too stupid to put it together correctly (It's not like It's an Kea dresser, folks). Is the developing world hopeless, or are the efforts of developed countries? Has democracy simply run its course among those who are capable of handling It? What developed countries could democracy work or not work In? Regardless of the answer to those questions, which I will address, the people of any given nation have to want democracy. The U.S has been a leader in trying to sit on the chest of developing countries trying to spoon-feed this lattice medication to them, but even when it goes in their mouth, the spit it back out the moment they stand back up. For the sake of humor though, I'll juxtapose the U. S as a successful democracy against that of other countries in its history for the first part of my essay. The second of potential and current democracies in the modern world, an d last, whether and how much democracy I believe there will be in the next 20 to 25 years and solutions to achieve it.Get ready to hop on the Magic School Bus not to the Prehistoric era or inside a human body, but†¦ To the land of democracy? Sorry, Ms. Frizzle got sent to rehab by some marc who found LSI under the driver's seat. Suffice to say this ride won't be as fun as past â€Å"adventures†, but I'm going to give It a damned good try. Now let's take a trip back to 1783 in the great land we've just come to know as the united States of America. For the first time, it appears as though democracy truly has a shot.The British actually surrendered to the American revolutionaries and those who remained in opposition exiled themselves! Talk about a clean break! As most now in modern times, this is not the usual case in revolutions. Even the supposedly peace-loving and wimpy French were chopping off heads in the name of democracy. There's always the Greeks right? Sadly, the e steemed Athenian democracy met its ends through the violence and civil war it had allowed to fester throughout it's reign.However, America Is deferent – not simply due to apple pale and barbecue – but like most great achievements, due to impeccable timing. Had what's now known as the united States been colonized centuries prior when Europe was still trudging through the Feudal Ages, democracy would almost certainly falter, especially In an emerging nation. And regardless of the ascribed poverty of our country's childhood, most of the influence, and at worst, they were of a middle-merchant class.In addition, they were also working with an Eden of resources and real estate. As the Proof. Said and I paraphrase, â€Å"they would have to be pretty stupid to mess this up. † Furthermore, this was post-renaissance and ideas like democracy and morally-rich thought had been being nurtured for a good portion of time. And one of the more important aspect was that while the colonists were poor, they had an entire ocean to separate their ‘oppressors'!. Back to the point of comparing the U. S with other countries past and present, the U.S has not yet proven either its ability to wield democracy successfully nor whether democracy is even a successful form of government. â€Å"Hell to the no, wiener-brain†, I can already hear you shouting, but I implore your to consider this quote from Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, â€Å"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dict atorship. † This was said in 1787 and while is hasn't come to fruition in the United States, it has certainly done so in many other upstart democracies. Hearkening upon my early statement about the U. S. ‘s success, I pose two questions to gauge the democracy's success. What is the best kind of democracy? The U.S has a representative democracy hat is actually more akin to a republic (the latter being an especially deft blow to its potential claim of success). How can a government's ability to conquer an entire form of policy be Judged on one particular? How much time must pass before a democracy is to be deemed a success or not? The U. S is going on 250 years, not much greater than Greece (in more strict democratic terms), well beneath the Roman Republic which peaked around 500 years, and vastly short of the longest-living globally successful civilizations in history.For the sake of argument however, let us assume that the U. S is indeed all that ND a bag of Chests (why would you choose plain chips when there are so many better options? ) and that it will survive until Jesus flies down and raptures all of its citizens up to heaven for being so loyal (except the gays and Democrats). Despite all of its political prowess and embodiment of benevolence, America cannot be a role model to most countries because its situation differs far too much from other countries.Two countries may have the same recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but if the U. S has butter and Ghana only has butter-substitute spread, guess what – you're not goanna end up with chocolate chip cookies. To start, as I said in the previous paragraph, America had what few countries have had or will ever have: a blank canvass and the brushes to paint onto it. When the pilgrims escaped the despotic rule of the English, despite their difference, they shared far more in common.As the American Revolution was waged and goals were made in the aftermath, common interest on the macro level was still abundant. In contrast, â€Å"The countries of the bottom billion are, for the most part, the opposite of America. Rapidly put together in nation†¦. The now-successful states were built through a painfully slow and circuitous recess of formation that turned them into nations with which their citizens identified. This enabled them to undertake the collective action that is vital for the provision of public goods.Most modern states were once ethnically diverse. The boundaries of a modern state generally emerged not out of deepening bonds forged out of a primordial ethnic solidarity but as the solution to the central security issue of what size of territory was best suited to the creation of a monopoly over the means of violence† (Collier, 2009). This lends a crucial similarity to the U. S and developing countries: violence. Not even a century into its lifespan, the United States was already destroying itself – not quite the idyllic picture modern citizens paint for it.Even the political process that had brought the U. S to that point relied on conflict: â€Å"The evolution of the modern state was, on this analysis, violence driven. Step by step, the predatory ruler of the mint-state had evolved into the desperate-to-please, service-promising, modern vote- seeking politician. † (Collier, 2009). Throughout the 19th century the U. S political system potentially gave a voice and ammunition to any self-centered megalomaniac ho may have planned to use the system to satisfy his and his friends' appetite for profit.The electoral process of the early U. S was rife with corruption with politicians bribing for vote and boxing out undesirables from the polling booths (e. G. Blacks, anyone who disagrees). This is hardly the system most would want to see implemented in developing countries even if the eventual outcome is a successful system like the U. S enjoys now. Kenya is currently considered by many to be the most successful democracy about developing nations. Sadly, this is like saying it is the prettiest turn in the toilet.Lash out if you will, but I say this to emphatically point out that Kenya is a part of a larger failing system and its successes are simply not great enough to warrant any sort of complacency. And when the U. S is considered hypothetically as a marker one needs to consider its current ten percent unemployment level and major election corruption as recent as 2000 in the Bush/Gore presidential race (or perhaps 2008 if one feels the need to consider the black panther incident to be on the same scale), it is quickly realized that the bar needs to be raised for all, not simply developing worlds.In order for democracy to truly take root in developing nations first-world intervention cannot be reduced to the parental platitude of â€Å"do as I say, not as I do†. Nations such as Kenya or Zambia are not stupid or naive children and don't want to be ordered to follow democratic dictations when their a dministrators renege on their promises and police themselves as they see fit (lending yet more credence to the 01†² Spider-man adage, â€Å"with great power comes great responsibility'). However, a nation such as Kenya is in role of leadership itself amidst the other African developing democracies and is thus expected to up its ante as well.Unfortunately the lack of democracy almost always brings with it the lack of accountability in the public and media arena too. Kenya was no exception given that â€Å"The structure of the Kenya media system appears to result in many media outlets turning in to direct political instruments in election campaigns, during which politicians use ethnicity to win votes. † (Hollander, 2010). How can the public make sound political choices when one, information from the television or literature?The situation doesn't look to be improving for developing countries elsewhere on the globe either. Further north – but not too distant in Afric a – another prime democratic hopeful Morocco shares its breather's woes. â€Å"Morocco has the longest record of multi-party elections – 1963 on. Yet whenever the king risked losing, the king dissolved the assembly and changed the rules. † and â€Å"Most of these countries have held elections at least occasionally, but all too often these have been fake elections orchestrated by the government in favor of one party. † (Étagà ¨re, 2003).This paints a rather bleak picture for democracy in developing countries given that Kenya is supposed to be a hallmark of hope: if they cannot achieve it, who can? It appears that a trend, rather a disease, has a Dearth Evader death-grip on the societies' political ambitions. Democracy is often spoken of the most ideal and viable alternative to warfare as the combatants can fight within the arena of politics rather than the battlefield, however most hopeful leaders have taken that maxim to the extreme. Rather than shou lder the burden of leadership for the greater good of Justice and their people's welfare, â€Å"†¦ N actual practice , in many developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the process of democracy is marked by bitter animosity and quarrel between the efferent political parties , giving an impression as if these countries are in constant turmoil all the time with one group trying to defeat another group to seize power. † (Sir Lankan Guardian, 2010). In turn, these elections become mere contests where politicians become intoxicated in the thrill of the fight and seek only to serve their or their family's needs in a twisted marriage of their own ego. Each political group in its anxiety to defeat the other often even go to the extent of maintaining thugs and rowdies in their groups to indulge in violence, settle scores with the opponents, indulge in malpractices in election including bribing the voters etc. Due to this approach, the law and order machinery virtual ly collapses. † (Sir Lankan Guardian, 2010) While this is true for many politicians in any country, it's especially devastating to a country like Sir Lankan, who don't even have a sound enough political system or successful economical infrastructure to absorb the shock of those mistakes.This kind of arrogance leads to a destitution where the populace is virtually selling itself into slavery to the government. The governments of developing countries or hat Paul Collier calls pejoratively â€Å"the bottom billion† are blind to the tremendous cost of their foolish attempt to shield themselves from cooperation with their neighbors. â€Å"The paradox is that despite having the most to gain from pooling their sovereignty, the societies of the bottom billion have pooled it the least. † (Collier, 2009).Many of these countries operate under a facade of democracy and subject their citizens to authoritarian rule such as despotism that â€Å"†¦ May take the form of a à ¢â‚¬Å"beggars' democracy,† where people talk at will, in groups even, but can never expect to change anything. † (Kaplan, 1996). In Latin America, one author tells how the authoritarian regimes had become so severe they should actually be viewed as a benchmark for necessary studies on democracy that scholars often ignore: â€Å"These lessons†¦ Were learned through the bitter experiences of democratic breakdown and repressive, bureaucratic-authoritarian rule (p. 2), a claim that echoes throughout the ramifications of the violence that birthed almost every major nation in the world that I spoke of earlier, and the cause of the violence itself: ethnic identity. The idea that ethnicity is both the cause of nationalistic violence and the obstacle tanning in the way of a successful democracy is something certainly doesn't sit well with most and may end up actually inciting violence! As I stated before, America had the advantage of being forced to deal with diversity wher eas most nations have a firmly rooted cultural society, complete with enemies and collective taboos.America's economy was also firmly tied to its cultural identity which is important because â€Å"When the pace of expansion gets sufficiently far ahead of the process of building a common identity, the resulting superstars face overwhelming problems in trying to establish a common identity. Instead of becoming nations, by default they become empires. † (Collier, 2009). A common identity was forged through the â€Å"state† part of the United States where the states could pursue their own interest to some degree, but were ultimately held up the to law and standard of a central government.Even China – commonly viewed as purely an authoritarian government – has only been successful politically and economically when they unified under the emperor Kin Shih Hunting and more recently under the communist party. This illustrates a very basic and click principle of â €Å"two are stronger than one†, but is one many developing entries refuse to accept due largely to self-serving interests. This conundrum is likely most prevalent in the Middle-East and Africa where basically the same cultural wars have been waged since ancient times.Given the relatively most economically severe nature of the latter coupled with the proportionally greatest amount of aid sent there, the stakes are the highest. â€Å"The evidence from recent surveys of attitudes across nine African countries by Aftermarket is not encouraging. It is found that if people are educated they are more likely to identify themselves through their ethnicity. â€Å"So development, with the attendant education, Jobs, and electoral competition, is increasing the salience of ethnic diversity rather than erasing it. † (Collier, 2009).So despite overall improvement of these developing countries, democracy still faces a disturbingly poor outlook. Despite any inclination so far to the c ontrary, capitalism is still necessary for a country to facilitate democracy regardless of any ethnic ties that will remain. It will lift the economic tide of the given country, and more importantly give collective identity through the society's pursuit of better financial welfare. As it stands, African evolving countries are far from self-sufficient let alone ripe for producing democracy. The resulting reduced need to tax has been reinforced by aid: in the typical country of the bottom billion the government gets around a third of its expenditure needs met by aid†¦ The current Uganda president Missives has deviated from his previous tyrannical leaders in that he realizes that in order to have a strong army one must must have a strong economy. † (Collier, 2009). Coupled with American's instant society, capitalism raised the income of the average citizen throughout the country's history and prevented any one entity from ruling the entry or forcing its hand political (with a few exceptions of course).When the economy is healthy enough to support a widespread computer access in developing countries,†The use of Sits (Information and Communication Technologies) can lead to accountability' in democratic elections. (Modern Democracy, 2010). However, neoclassical capitalism will not suit the country seeking democracy, especially given their ethnic circumstances; regulation is necessary to ensure that the market doesn't become corrupt or unstable as is the case with so many African countries (and notably the United States in the recent financial crisis).As for the argument that regulation stifles innovation, Stilling cited former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Blocker, who said: ‘it's hard to find any evidence from anybody who's not in the industry that can show any clear link between the so-called financial innovations and increased productivity in our economy. ‘†(CNN, 2010). Here the relationship between ethnic identity and capitalis m becomes even more important: the population of a developing country must not think simply for themselves, but for what they believe is the betterment of their country as a whole given that â€Å"†¦ Racket is not one individual; Robinson Crusoe does not make for much of an economy. † (Smith, 2010). So given capitalism and ethnic identity, we now have two strong ingredients for the recipe of democracy, but how do we make developing countries go by the recipe? Any tactful parent knows the best kind of method to get your kid to do what you want is through incentives or misleading rather than direct positive punishment. In this line of thinking I propose two solutions – one that I've up with myself and one I am borrowing from one of my sources.The first is a leader of a leader or group of adders coming together using the old adage of â€Å"an enemy of my enemy is my friend† in that larger groups paint each other as the devil and consolidate their political sov ereignty in Africa into two to three larger states. The leader(s) hopefully will understand this strategy is merely for political purposes and in turn practice enough restraint to prevent the whole from barring all contact with each other. The would eliminate much of the ethnic conflict by saying â€Å"look how much we have in common given that these people don't truly understand our collective struggles. This is no bout at least a mite idealistic as managing ethnic conflicts that have lasted for centuries through a one of the biggest escapades of charm the world has ever known would be a task not suited for the current political leaders of developing countries. The second strategy is one the author Paul Collier suggests is positive reinforcement in the form of international military intervention – not the kind that's most thought of though. In developing countries governments, especially newly formed ones, the first thing they fear is military upheaval or coups De teat so w hat is it that they'd want most – the prevention of them.Basically what he proposes is that the international community lay out a list of rules for democracy that a given country has to follow and in return they will protect them from any sort of military coup. To support his theory, Collier goes through a test â€Å"game tree† where all the possible scenarios that could occur in response to this proposal would all end up in at least one or some the countries agreeing to this proposal. The latter would take place because nobody wants to be the only ones on the chopping block by themselves.Furthermore, Collier suggests that â€Å"coups need to be harnessed, not eliminated† (Collier, 2009). The international community can then guide countries into democracies through protection and support of viable leaders who want to see the process through. Requires meticulous manipulation and time, while the latter basically is forcing democracy through non-democratic means. U nfortunately, response to this criticism comes down to saying, Mimi got a better idea? † Within a time frame of 20-25 years, I believe democracy is certainly achievable – through means such as the ones I suggest or variations of it otherwise.Following the end of the Cold War, the developed worlds made almost all the mistakes possible in the handling of evolving countries: they either intervened too much militarily or not enough (Rwanda). Another strategy, bridled with or instead of the former, would be centered around ramping up the amount of aid that developing countries are so heavily reliant on in exchange for a structured system on how it is spent. Further-along democracies such as Thailand or India could benefit from these programs as well.Plus, as these maturing democracies develop, they will be given more say and weight when dealing with international matters – a kind of recognition they likely feel is long overdue. Much of the Western world needs to stop treating these countries like they are simply children (or at least don't let them think that you are). The Democracy that Americans enjoy is an exception, not the standard. Many of the protections economic standards that Westerners employ need to be disbanded to support global financial growth and in turn, a more healthy domestic economy.Compassion and self-interest need not be enemies, however, helping developing countries make the feasible transition to democracy requires a genuine altruism that's not often seen in political endeavors. Being that I'm no economic or political expert, I almost feel that writing this paper is pointless outside of a grade because managing this subject successfully is something that requires an entire career, but in a message that needs to be transmitted to the entire developed world: we need to start somewhere.

Britpop as a representation of Britishness essays

Britpop as a representation of Britishness essays Nowadays, Britpop is known merely as a musical genre, represented especially by present-day groups such as Coldplay and Radiohead. However, it was started in the early 1990s and, similarly to most of popular art, it contains a wide range of elements of the culture in which it was born. Britpop is then, from this point of view, a representation of what is usually called Britishness. The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines Britpop as a type of popular music played by British groups in the 1990s, influenced by a variety of British musical traditions (2000). This concept can be enlarged by saying that the expression was originally created by the media around 1995 to describe the music and image style of new British bands such as Blur, Oasis and Pulp. To be exact, the birthplace of Britpop was Camden Town (North-West London), where members of those three bands had lived at the beginning of their musical careers. When Britpop came out, grunge, an US neo-punk style which had previously been to the fore, had declined and therefore Britain was able to re-establish its trend-setting role in the worlds popular music industry. Actually, many people regards Britpop as a marketing or even a political strategy, arguing that the bloodthirsty tabloid media turned niche-market indie-rock stars into mainstream celebrities (The Age Online Newspaper, 2003). In spite of that, its value as a way of representing Britishness, that is to say, the group of elements that characterises the British culture, can be unquestionably recovered. Throughout the changes that the different cultures suffer, especially nowadays with the current processes of globalisation, individuals belonging to each cultural background seek ways in which they can find identity. One of those ways is by means of music; in turn, the music of each culture tends to be a representation of the various aspects of that society. In order to inve...

The French-Indian War in America

The French-Indian War in America The French-Indian War was fought between Britain and  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹France, along with their respective colonists and allied Indian groups, for control of land in North America. Occurring from 1754 to 1763, it helped trigger – and then formed part of ​the Seven Years War. It has also been called the fourth French-Indian war, because of three other early struggles involving Britain, France, and Indians. Historian Fred Anderson has called it the â€Å"most important event in eighteenth-century North America†. (Anderson, ​​The Crucible of War, p. xv).​ Note Recent histories, such as Anderson and Marston, still refer to the native peoples as ‘Indians’ and this article has followed suit. No disrespect is intended. Origins The age of European overseas conquest had left Britain and France with ​territory in North America. Britain had the ‘Thirteen Colonies’, plus Nova Scotia, while France ruled a vast area named ‘New France’. Both had frontiers which pushed against each other. There had been several wars between the two empires in the years preceding the French-Indian war – King William’s War of 1689–97, Queen Anne’s War of 1702-13 and  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹King George’s War of 1744 – 48, all American aspects of European wars – and tensions remained. By 1754 Britain controlled nearly one and a half million colonists, France around only 75,000 and expansion was pushing the two closer together, increasing the stress. The essential argument behind the war was which nation would dominate the area? In the 1750s tensions rose, especially in the Ohio River Valley and Nova Scotia. In the latter, where both sides claimed large areas, the French had built what the British considered illegal forts and had worked to incite French-speaking colonists to insurrection against their British rulers. The Ohio River Valley The Ohio River Valley was considered a rich source for the colonists and strategically vital because the French needed it for effective communications between the two halves of their American empire. As Iroquois influence in the region declined, Britain tried to use it for trade, but France began building forts and evicting the British. In 1754 Britain decided to build a fort at the forks of the river Ohio, and they sent a 23-year-old Lieutenant Colonel of the Virginian militia with a force to protect it. He was George Washington. French forces seized the fort before Washington arrived, but he carried on, ambushing a French detachment, killing French Ensign Jumonville. After trying to fortify and receiving limited reinforcements, Washington was defeated by a French and Indian attack led by Jumonville’s brother and had to retreat out of the valley. Britain responded to this failure by sending regular troops to the thirteen colonies to supplement their own forces and, while a formal declaration didn’t happen until 1756, war had begun. British Reverses, British Victory Fighting took place around the Ohio River Valley and Pennsylvania, around New York and Lakes George and Champlain, and in Canada around Nova Scotia, Quebec and Cape Breton. (Marston, The French Indian War, p. 27). Both sides used regular troops from Europe, colonial forces, and Indians. Britain initially fared badly, despite having many more colonists on the ground. French forces showed a much better understanding of the type of warfare North America required, where the heavily forested regions favored irregular/light troops, although French commander Montcalm was skeptical of non-European methods, but used them out of necessity. Britain adapted as the war progressed, lessons from early defeats leading to reforms. Britain was helped by the leadership of William Pitt, who further prioritized the war in America when France began to focus resources on war in Europe, trying for targets in the Old World to use as bargaining chips in the New. Pitt also gave some autonomy back to the colonists and began to treat them on an equal footing, which increased their co-operation. The British could marshal superior resources against a France wracked with financial problems, and the British navy mounted successful blockades and, after the Battle of Quiberon Bay on November 20th, 1759, shattered France’s ability to operate in the Atlantic. Growing British success and a handful of canny negotiators, who managed to deal with the Indians on a neutral footing despite the prejudices of the British command, lead to Indians siding with the British. Victories were won, including the Battle of the Plains of Abraham where the commanders of both sides – the British Wolfe and the French Montcalm – were killed, and France defeated. The Treaty of Paris The French Indian War effectively ended with the surrender of Montreal in 1760, but warfare elsewhere in the world prevented a peace treaty being signed until 1763. This was the Treaty of Paris between Britain, France, and Spain. France handed over all its North American territory east of the Mississippi, including the Ohio River Valley, and Canada. Meanwhile, France also had to give the Louisiana territory and New Orleans to Spain, who gave Britain Florida, in return for getting Havana back. There was opposition to this treaty in Britain, with groups wanting the West Indies sugar trade from France rather than Canada. Meanwhile, Indian anger over British actions in post-war America led to an uprising called Pontiac’s Rebellion. Consequences Britain, by any count, won the French-Indian war. But in doing so it had altered and further pressurized its relationship with its colonists, with tensions arising from the numbers of troops Britain had tried to call upon during the war, as well as the reimbursement of war costs and the way Britain handled the whole affair. In addition, Britain had incurred greater yearly expenditure on garrisoning an enlarged area, and it tried to recoup some of these debts by greater taxes on the colonists. Within twelve years the Anglo-Colonist relationship had collapsed to the point where the colonists rebelled and, aided by a France eager to upset its great rival once more, fought the American War of Independence. The colonists, in particular, had gained great experience of fighting in America.

Management research project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management research project - Essay Example These strategies should take into consideration factors like outsourcing activities and the development of leadership skills. These steps can be incorporated in an organization in order to develop the training processes of the employees. The purpose of the research is to investigate the experiences and perceptions of the training department staffs in a multi service healthcare firm based in New York. The main objective of the research is to identify the leadership practices that are involved in the development of a positive work culture in a setting where the internal and outsourced employees work concurrently. The selected qualitative research work is done with the aim of identifying the different leadership factors that if cultivated would lead to the development of a positive work culture in a company with outsourcing arrangement. The paper identifies the leadership skills and culture existing in the training department of the chosen healthcare services company which has an established outsourcing arrangement. The name of the company is kept confidential by the researchers because of the sensitivity of the information related to children’s services provided by this healthcare organization. The rationale of the report is that there are many complex challenges associated with leadership within an organization in which outsourcing management is done. Since, there remains a factor of continuous introduction of innovative technologies in the outsourcing systems and solutions, the complexity of leadership challenges become more in these types of organizations. The increase in the multi-generational and multi-cultural composition of the employee base makes the training and leadership challenges more evident in a workplace. But if a company can navigate through these challenges in an efficient way and bring out the best of the outsourcing, it would ensure that a skilful and well trained workforce is established. The chosen company which is an

Jet Blue Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Jet Blue Airways - Essay Example The company’s shares performed well since the IPO due to JetBlue’s perceived successful business model and its strong financials results (JetBlue). Jet Blue has been a reputable company in the airline sector within USA since its launch in year 1998 due to being a low cost airline company; the company achieved low operating costs while offering customers a pleasant flying experience. Jet Blue has not only survived but also performed well during difficult industry period i.e. 2000-2003, this period can be deemed as a recession period for the airline sector due to the September 11, 2001 bombings. Jet Blue prepared a different response to these recessionary times in the airline industry to achieve its positive result (Rovenpor & Michel 2009) The company flew new airplanes and its flying experience included reliable on-time performance, comfortable and roomy leather seats, free 24-channel satellite TV service through TV screens installed in the back of each seat, pre-assigned seating, and friendly service by crew members. JetBlue generally chose to fly between densely populated cities and chose airports that were undeserved by existing airline carriers. The company’s markets tended to be large metropolitan areas with high average fares. Once it entered a new market, JetBlue’s comparatively low airfares stimulated new demand from passengers who may otherwise not have flown and often resulted in JetBlue capturing market share from the incumbent carrier (JetBlue, Newsweek 2001 & Rovenpor & Michel 2009) JetBlue aims on providing the customers the best possible service at a low cost. These services include point to point route to save the time of the consumers and a high quality consumer service. This high quality consumer service is maintained by their employees who are recruited only after passing tough tests. JetBlue makes sure that their service does not get affected even if they