Educational Sector in the Great Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Educational Sector in the Great Britain - Essay Example On the face of it, everything is fine in the educational sector in the UK especially in its schooling system but a deeper study of its curriculum raises questions about its efficacy and influence it would have on the future professionals of the Great Britain. The ever increasing gap between academic theories taught at schools and their applicability in practical and professional life poses a great question mark over their usefulness in making up the future citizens of the country. Already it has reached a threatening stage where the native British youth have been lagging behind in taking up professional careers when compared to their counterparts of Asian origin in the UK. Lucinda Platt of the University of Essex, using the data from the UK's Office for National Statistics, has recently disclosed that young people of ethnic minority families in Britain, particularly Indian working class families, have been claiming a larger cake in professional and managerial roles in the country. According to Platt, 56 percent of The theory and practice of education is directly linked to the growth of practical knowledge among the wealth of students. It would also have its impact on the effective or ineffective utilisation of youth power for the sake of the country and society. The design and development of curriculum, pupils and educational management, teaching methods, prioritising the subjects, inculcation of necessary creative and imaginary skills among the student community are all part and parcel of the theory and practice of education. Among these, curriculum and its related affairs play a major role in consolidating the pieces of knowledge gained by the students. When one deeply thinks of the ongoing schooling curriculum in the country, one tends to note that unfortunately it is not creative oriented but purely pro-academic. Most of the UK schools have been following the teaching of academic subjects colleted from various sources while no importance is being accorded to supplement the theoretical kno wledge with practical proficiency. Practical knowledge is used to find solutions to problems plaguing the society. In the absence of this end objective, there is no meaning to pursue any kind of education. Mary Warnock, acclaimed educationist and researcher, strongly feels that education and teaching should above all aim to stimulate and engage the imaginative skills of the students. As far back as 1973, 3 Warnock, in her research paper 'Towards a Definition of Quality in Education', had suggested that it would be better for students to leave their schools with a profound knowledge of one important subject rather than shallow knowledge of several topics (Mary Warnock, Para 6).What a visionary statement it was! The singular meaning of her statement, applicable even in present days, is not very difficult to understand. She was thoroughly of the view that students should not be subjected with formal acquaintance of several subjects as it would not give them

Physical effects of Mercosur & The Pacific Alliance Term Paper

Physical effects of Mercosur & The Pacific Alliance - Term Paper Example In a time of global business recession, many countries have entered into agreements to expand their business geographical coverage and to enhance business operations across their countries. The Pacific Alliance and Mercusor are examples of agreements that have been formed to liberalize the business market within the member nations. These agreements have gone way too far in defining the physical aspects of the global business. The Pacific Alliance is an agreement that was coined in 2012 to enhance the global business strategies of the member countries. When the Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica and Chile entered into this agreement, they had the intention to define an integrated business block that will allow them to overcome the pressures of the economic recession that they experienced during the 2008 and 2009 business recession period when America and European economies experienced a sluggish development (Dade and Meachan, 2013). The liberalization of trade in the business environm ent allows the member countries to make business operations easier and to enhance the physical aspects of the business. On the other hand, Mercusor was a political and economic agreement between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela that intended to create a cohesive common market between member countries (Pena, 2013). Although the two agreements have different business terms, they have played a key role in the development of global business. Both Mercusor and The Pacific Alliance have eliminated boundary barriers within the southern region to enhance business operability in this environment. The implication of this is that they have expanded the geographical business development as every country gain a new market to sell and buy goods. In essence, the member countries can export and import goods freely without any physical limitation. Consequently, the countries can be able to optimize their operation by increasing their export and import bulks and hence being able to increase their sales and reduce the cost of purchase. In addition, the treaties have considerably reduced the tax rates for the movement of goods to ensure that the countries can operate more freely in the new markets (Pena, 2013). This kind of business trend has had a great impact on the business operations in these economic blocks. The two agreements have also reduced the cost of transportation of goods and services across the borders of participating members. Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile and Mexico have strived to develop an effective transport and communication network to enhance the mechanics of the movement of goods in these geographically neighboring countries (Dade and Meachan, 2013). One fundamental element of the physical aspect of global business is the formation of the road networks. Countries that have efficient road networks connecting them considerably reduce the transportation cost and hence allow goods and services to reach their market at a cheaper price. Cons equently, it is feasible for the countries offer better market prices giving them a competitive advantage in the market. In turn, it becomes possible to increase the gross sales and the productivity of business within this synchronized region. In addition, the two treaties have had a great impact on the human movement across the boundaries of member countries. The Pacific Alliance eliminated the Visa requirement that previously was a prerequisite condition for the movement of persons from one region to the other (Dade and Meachan,

Carbon Footprint And Water Footprint Environmental Sciences Essay

Carbon Footprint And Water Footprint Environmental Sciences Essay The paper is written on Ecological Footprint and its two subsets: Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint. These different Footprints are accounting tools which are used to measure the impact of resource consumption on the environment. The tool helps in signifying that how deep human beings have penetrated to disturb the ecological balance. Ecological Footprint is a progress indicator which is used to achieve environmental sustainability. The paper starts with a small introduction on Ecological Footprint and is then followed by the relationship between Biocapacity (BC) and Ecological Footprint (EF). BC and EF share a supply and demand relationship. The BC and EF relationship is very important because it helps the analyst to determine a nations or regions natural capital and resource consumption in that bioproductive area. If the biocapacity of a bioproductive area is sufficient to satisfy the Ecological Footprint then its stated that the area has reserve resources. If the Biocapacity is not sufficient to fulfil the Ecological demand then there is deficit of resource. In this case, the nation or the region has to trade with others for natural resources. The deficit of resources states that the consumption rate is very fast than the Earths renewal rate. Carbon Footprint is another tool which is used to measure an individuals contribution towards green house gas emission (GHG).Carbon Footprint calculator helps an individual to find out his carbon footprint value. Higher the carbon Footprint the more contribution an individual is making towards Global Warming. Water Footprint is also a subset of Ecological Footprint and is a novel concept. Water Footprint is an accounting tool which helps in determining the volume of fresh water consumed by an individual, group or city. The paper suggests few ways by which Carbon and water Footprint can be reduced. The only purpose for reducing the footprint value is to progress towards sustainability and to gift a sufficient and liveable Earth to our future coming generations. CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION The Ecological Footprint is the measure to determine the extent to which human beings consume natures resources to the amount that can be regenerated by the earth. The Ecological Footprint (EF) is basically a young accounting tool for renewable resources that is used for determining the issues associated with sustainable consumption. Ecological Footprint represents the human demands for natures resources and how much bioproductive land and sea area is required to regenerate those resources to fulfil human demands under prevailing technology. The tool helps in determining how many Earths are required to support the current humanity practices and consumption. In 2006, it was stated by UN that the Humanitys Total Ecological Footprint was approximately 1.4 planet Earths; this estimate signifies that to humans consumes resources 1.4 times faster than the Earth to renew them. It takes nearly three years for UN to collect all the data from all the nations to estimate Humanitys total Ecologi cal Footprint. The Ecological Footprint tool is usually used in conjunction with Biocapacity (BC) and is expressed as EF/BC. Biocapacity refers to capacity of the area to provide natural resources and to accept or absorb waste. When the Ecological Footprint exceeds the Biocapacity mark it leads to un-sustainability. Thus the mathematical difference between EF and BC can be positive or negative, where positive means deficit and negative means surplus. The concept of EF/BC is a good analytical tool for creating awareness about resource consumption, depletion and regeneration. This tool is also very important for making the people realize the ability of Earth to regenerate consumed resources and to absorb the waste materials in a limited time frame. The Ecological Footprint value that is calculated at the end for assessment are categorized for goods, services, carbon emission, water usage, housing area, land used for work or any other purpose and also the number of earths that will be required to meet the worlds population and their levels of consumption. Ecological footprint is measured in terms of global hectares (gha). This accounting measure is very much similar to the life cycle analysis where the energy and resource consumption are converted into a normalized value which is the measure of land called the global hectares. HISTORY The concept of Ecological Footprint was first published in 1992 by William Rees. The concept was deeply explored by Mathis Wackernagel under Mr. Rees supervision at University of British Columbia in Canada from 1990-94. Originally the concept was named as Appropriate Carrying Capacity but was later changed to Ecological Footprint after getting inspired by a computer technician who appreciated the look of his new computer as a small footprint on the desk. A book was published in 1996 by Rees and Wackernagel called Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth. NEED FOR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT Ecological Footprint is an accounting tool which is used to measure the consumption of Earths resources by individuals, territory, states, nations and world to their corresponding capacity of Earth to regenerate those resources and absorb the wastes. The tool can be used for: Analysing the lifestyle of the people and their daily resource consumption. Examining the extent to which a nation is utilising its biocapacity and then comparing the results with that of the other nations. Educating the people to make them realize about the biocapacity and the over consumption of natures resources with an idea to change their personal habits and resource utilization. Determining the actions and current lifestyles of the people and the nation which are not sustainable. Motivating the Multinational Companies to compute their own Ecological Footprint and take required measures to reduce the computed value. This can be done by taking initiatives towards environmental sustainability and by formulating corporate social responsibility policies. CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT FUNDAMENTALS The Ecological Footprint (EF) is used to measure how much renewable resources of the biosphere are consumed by human and how fast the Earth is able to renew those resources. The renewable resources include croplands, animal products, wood and timber, fish, etc. The consumption of resources and the use of built up bioproductive area is measured in terms of global hectares (gha). It is a measure of how much bioproductive land and sea has been used by individuals, territories, states and nations to produce the consumable renewable resources and then to absorb the waste. The global yield factor by type of consumption is a measure which translates the product into an area that is required to produce that product. The product to be consumed can be crops, timber, fisheries, pasture, etc. The productivity of the product depends upon the time selection, product selection (animal products, crops, fish) and the type of land associated with the products; croplands for crop, dairy farms for animal products, fisheries for fishes. The equivalence factor translates the land type into global hectares (in gha/ha). This factor determines the worlds average productivity of a given type of productive area to the worlds average productivity of all the areas. In general there are six ecological bioproductive area: Crop land: The land used for growing grains, vegetables, fruits and for feeding the livestock. From ecological perspective it is the most productive area. Pasture: The land that is used for grazing the livestock, to build poultry farms, to produce dairy products like cheese and butter. Forest: The land that is used for growing trees or natural forest which can in turn yield timber. They serve other ecological purposes also like preventing soil erosion, ecological balance, protecting biodiversity, climate stability and maintaining the hydrological cycles. Sea, Rivers and Oceans: They maintain the marine life and provide fishing facilities. They also help in maintaining and balancing temperatures, land and sea breeze, capturing the solar energy, etc. The coastal area provides the seas ecological production. Energy land: The land used to sequester carbon dioxide and for accumulating equivalent amount of usable energy. Built up land: The land that is used by humans for their settlements, building houses, roads and constructing high end infrastructures. It is noticed that human settlement is mostly concentrated in the fertile areas of the region. It is very important for every individual to calculate their Ecological Footprint to know their stand. Human beings are the only ones responsible for the depletion of natural resources. They have started consuming so many resources and so rapidly that it is not possible for the Earth to cope up with its rate and thus renewal of resources is delayed. Globalization is the current market trend. Everything is turning global, developing countries are utilising this opportunity to gain competitive advantage and to strengthen their economy by investing in infrastructure. To set up a new infrastructure land, money and resources are required where land comes from the reserved forest lands and resources from the surplus quota. The forest lands are for the animals, its their natural habitat. Using the forest land disturbs the biodiversity and thus leads to extinction of many species. Forest lands are also major areas for preventing soil erosion and balancing ecological cycles. The usage of resources should be such that the coming generations can also have access to these resources without compromising. The future generation also have the rights to use natural resources and if the current trend is followed where the rapid resource utilization is taking place then the very soon these resources will deplete and there will be nothing to use. There are many Ecological Footprint calculators available these days to calculate individuals, nations and world Ecological Footprint. The calculators measure the difference between the Ecological resource usage and the biocapacity which is used to determine per capita resource amount. The next section will explain the EF and BC accounting which is a tool to measure whether the bioproductive area has surplus or deficit resources. ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AND BIOCAPACITY ACCOUNTING There is a steady rate at which the nature can restore the renewable resources which have been consumed. The idea behind Ecological Footprint is not to get a value for which resources are being used and how much resource consumption is done by an individual, territory, state or nation but instead how fast they being consumed. The current scenario states that the consumption rate is very high in comparison to the renewal rate of Earth. Ecological Footprint and biocapacity relationship is similar to the Demand-Supply relationship in economics. Ecological Footprint measures the bioproductive area (land or water) required by the population to consume renewable resources under the prevailing technology to produce waste which is to be absorbed. Biocapacity is the capacity of the area to produce renewable resources. Thus, Ecological Footprint is the demand for renewable resources and Biocapacity is the supply of renewable resources. When EF and BC are used together they are either referred to as EF/BC accounting or simply EF accounting. EF accounting is a tool to compare the supply with the demand. The difference between the EF and BC can either be positive or negative. The positive value refers to deficit of natures renewable resources and negative value refers to the surplus/reserve of natures renewable resources. EF-BC =Positive.. Deficit EF-BC =Negative.. Surplus Figure 1 A nations ecological deficit can be compensated by getting into trade agreements with other nations who have ecological reserves or by liquefying ecological assets. In case of global ecological deficit there is no compensation available and is thus equal to overshoot. The Ecological footprint can be decreased with: A small population per a given area Less consumption of resources per person High resource efficiency which can be quickly renewed. It is possible that the demand can exceed the biocapacity mark thereby leading to overshoot. This can occur when: The trees and crops are harvested faster than they can re-grow. Depletion in the fisheries before being restocked. Quick emission of CO2 into the atmosphere making it difficult for the ecosystem to sequester it. Overshoot is no longer a local phenomena but instead a global phenomena. It is not just that people have started using more resources but have also started invading natures principle. Some effects of overshoot are: Natural capital liquidation Accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere Deforestation Lack of biodiversity Scarcity of freshwater Figure 2 CALCULATING ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT The Ecological Footprint can be calculated by individually examining the amount of land used for: Crop cultivation Growing timber Grazing animals and livestock Fishing Transportation Building hi-tech infrastructure Energy production Electricity usage An individuals Ecological Footprint can be calculated by summing all these areas. The natural capital per person can be calculated by taking the total population and then dividing it by the number of hectares of bioproductive land. The current value for individual Ecological Footprint is 4.7 on the planet per person. The average productivity of different bioproductive area varies from other areas as they depend upon the weather conditions and the way the area is maintained. For example the average productivity of croplands is more than any other land types. Thus the areas productivity is converted into its corresponding equivalence factor so as to represent it in global hectares. The equivalence factor remains the same for all nations but it varies each year because of relative productivity and the land usage depending upon the environmental factors (weather). Figure 3 The average bioproductive area per person worldwide was 1.8 approximately in 2006. The World Wide Fund for Nature claims that the human ecological footprint has exceeded the planets biocapacity by 20%. Footprint per capita of: United States of America- 9.0 gha Switzerland- 5.6 gha China- 1.8 gha The average Ecological Shoe Size for different regions in global hectares can be seen below. North America leads the chart with the highest ecological footprint. Figure 4 Among the nations United States of America, India and China have the highest Ecological Footprint. While calculating the EF without knowing the population size of that country it cannot be stated what the population or each individual is demanding. Both India and China are highly populated countries but their resource usage is below the world average value. In case of US, the average footprint per person is five times that of the world average. Ecological Footprint of individuals residing in developing countries is less than the individuals residing in developed countries. Developed countries use advance technology and have modern infrastructure which require more resources for their working and maintenance thus making its individual Ecological Footprint above 4.7. In case of developing countries the value is low because of less industrialization and usually floats below 4.7. APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT The Ecological Footprint can be applied to organizations, individuals, territories, cities, states, nations and world as a whole. It helps in planning and to budget the natural capital. Thus the EF can be used in for different applications and it can be ensured that the EF remains as low as possible. This can be done by: Using resource efficient technologies that require minimal natural capital. Motivating people to maintain a clean environment by reducing the need of fossil fuel and by making the area pedestrian friendly. Encourage family planning and reduce family size so that per person consumption of resources is saved. SUBSETS OF ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT The Ecological Footprint can be further categorized into: Carbon Footprint Water Footprint Both the types of footprints are briefly taken up in following sections. CARBON FOOTPRINT The term Carbon Footprint refers to the total bunch of Green House Gases emissions caused by a person, product, community, organization or an activity. The Carbon Footprint is usually measured in terms of amount of carbon dioxide released; it can be either in percentage of carbon dioxide (gas) or in kilograms of carbon (solid particles). Carbon Footprint is a division of Ecological Footprint and Life Cycle Assessment. A Green House Gas Assessment can be taken up to calculate individuals, organizations and nations Carbon Footprint. Once the Carbon Footprint is known various strategies can be devised to reduce it. Few Strategies are: Adopting Cleaner Technology process Efficient product and process management Using green product; which are eco- friendly Using renewable sources of energy Procuring and using green raw materials Adopting waste management practices Practising Carbon offsetting programmes Carbon Offsetting is the reduction of Carbon footprint by the mitigation of Carbon Footprints through alternative project development like wind energy, solar energy, and reforestation. TWO PARTS OF CARBON FOOTPRINT A Carbon Footprint is made up of two parts: Primary footprint and Secondary footprint. Primary Footprint: Primary Footprint refers to the direct emission of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Direct emission can be by burning of fossil fuels, transportation, factory chimneys, burning of crops for crop rotation, etc. Secondary Footprint: Secondary Footprint refers to the indirect emission of Carbon Dioxide. Indirect emission refers to getting associated with the product or process which is directly emitting carbon dioxide. Example of Secondary Footprint is buying products wherein during the product lifecycle carbon dioxide emission had taken place. So the more you buy the more you will contribute towards secondary emission. The following questionnaire can be taken to check how much an individual contributes towards indirect carbon dioxide emission. Do you eat vegetarian food or non vegetarian food? Do you buy or grow organic food? Do you buy local food and goods? Do you buy new clothes or second hand clothes? Do you buy new appliances or second hand appliances? Do you use things that are recyclable? Do you try to use common vehicle while travelling? The chart below shows the amount of Carbon dioxide release in to the atmosphere: Primary Footprint Figure 5 WATER FOOTPRINT Water Footprint is an accounting tool to measure the total volume of fresh water used for goods and production manufacturing and consumed by individuals, groups or community. Water Footprint is measured in terms of volume consumed or water polluted per unit of time. Water Footprint can be calculated for consumers or producers. Consumers include an individual, community, family, society, village, province or a city. Producers include public or private organizations. Water Footprint is an indicator which not only measures the volume of water used or polluted but also the regions and locations. Water Footprint is a novel subset of Ecological Footprint and it does not provide any light on contribution of embedded water towards environmental impact or water stress. COMPONENTS OF WATER FOOTPRINT Water Footprint consists of 3 components: Blue Water Footprint: It accounts to the total volume of freshwater that has been used or evaporated from surface or ground water to produce products and services which are consumed by individual, groups or society. Green Water Footprint: It accounts to the total volume of water evaporated from the soil (moisture content of the soil because of rain water) Grey Water Footprint: It accounts to the volume of polluted water that is used for the production of goods and services for groups, society or individuals. It also refers to the amount of water required to dilute the pollutants such that the water remains above the acceptable standards for water quality. WATER FOOTPRINT OF INDIVIDUAL CONSUMERS Water Footprint for individual consumers refers to the total amount of fresh water consumed either directly or indirectly by the them. Direct consumption is the water used at home for drinking, washing, cleaning and other purposes. Indirect consumption is the total volume of fresh water used for producing goods and other services which are then consumed by the consumers. The average Water Footprint worldwide is 1240 m3 water/person/year. Chinese: 700 m3 water/person/year United States of America: 2480 m3 water/person/year Finnish: 1730 m3 water/person/year United Kingdom: 1695 m3 water/person/year WATER FOOTPRINT OF BUSINESSES The corporate water footprint is the total volume of freshwater that is either directly or indirectly used for carrying out business activities. The Water Footprint for corporate organization consists of two components: the direct use of water by the producer for supporting activities and the indirect use of water during the supply chain process. WATER FOOTPRINTS OF NATIONS Water Footprint of Nations depicts the usage of water for producing the products and services which are to be consumed by the citizen of that nation. This Water Footprint has two components: the Internal Water Footprint and the External Water Footprint. Internal Water Footprint refers to the requisition of domestic water resources and external Water Footprint refers to requisition of water resources in some other countries. In Japan, 65% of total Water Footprint comes from other country. CONCLUSION Ecological Footprint, Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint are very important accounting tool to measure bioproductive areas capacity, carbon dioxide emission and the usage of fresh water. The consequence of increased Carbon Footprint means more emission of Green House gases which leads to Global Warming and climatic changes. There have been noticeable changes in the environment and the weather in the past two decades. Human activities has badly hampered the chemical composition of the atmosphere by practising and using products that emit Green House Gases (GHG). The consequence of GHG accumulation is that the atmosphere blanket will deplete and a blanket of GHG will form around the earth. This will lead to extremely high temperature resulting into melting of icebergs and snow. The sea level will rise tremendously and will destruct everything. The high temperatures may also expand the deserts thereby altering the countryside permanently. The early symptoms are already been seen such as change in the local climate, crop yields, human health, growing number of diseases, and water supplies. All individuals must take the Carbon Footprint test which is called the Carbon Calculator. The test will help in determining an individual attachment with carbon. Whatever be an individuals score it is every human beings responsibility to save the planet and to minimise the release of Green House Gases. At individual level various activities can be taken to reduce an individuals Carbon Footprint. At Corporate level the organization must adopt a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy to which it will always abide. A corporate must practice and use such products or materials which are eco friendly. The corporate must ensure that all its employees participate in CSR activities and work together towards environmental sustainability. The Corporate must also measure its Water Footprint and must always replenish the water source from where it has taken fresh water for its production of goods and services. Multinational Companies who can afford should build up rain water harvesting plants and sheds for social welfare. The Companies can themselves take initiatives to educate the people and improve the society and set a path towards environmental sustainability.

Essay --

Roosevelt Roosevelt came into the Democratic convention in Chicago as the front runner. His main opposition was Alfred Smith. Roosevelt secured the nomination on the third ballot. Roosevelt ignored tradition by coming to Chicago to personally accept the nomination. The campaign took place against the background of great depression. Roosevelt campaigned vigorously to prove that despite his disability he could vigorously undertake the job of President. Hoover tried to depict Roosevelt as an extremist who would bring ruin to the country, but with 1/4 of work force unemployed, Roosevelt won an overwhelming victory. President Hoover carried several serious handicaps into the 1932 presidential elections. He was an incumbent presiding over the worst economic collapse in the nation's history. His political philosophy, while progressive, depended on voluntary actions to achieve his goals, and this voluntary approach failed to materialize during the trauma of the Depression. As a public pers onality, he was somewhat dour and he was uncomfortable with the business of campaigning. His notion of the role of the President was that of a facilitator who brought the parties together, encouraged partnerships, and supplied the expertise of the engineer to the social problems of a nation. The idea of the President as a powerful and inspirational leader (an idea that Franklin Roosevelt would come to embody) was foreign to him. Put it all together and a surer prescription for defeat could hardly have been assembled. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, by contrast, was everything Hoover was not. Roosevelt was ebullient and self-confident. He radiated charm and an almost haughty self-assurance. He was supremely optimistic and his big smile and obvious relish of ... ...ind a place in the curriculum of the 3R’s. Although Garvey can be viewed as a reactionary and was belittled by Dubois, the two of them are revolutionary in that they did create change in the black society’s movement to gain more acceptance. The decade of the 1920’s is certainly a challenging one with many mixtures of culture and the social revolution and reaction; and since the economic and former progressive drives were being turned away from the needed political and economic reform, while the technological revolution was creating a new conspicuous consumption. The decade left America stunned and unable to make a comeback throughout the decade of the 1930’s. References http://www.multied.com/elections/1932.html http://www.ssa.gov/history/32election.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/nf/teach/fdr/fdrfc.html http://www.chatham.edu/PTI/Twenties/Frank_01.htm

Nutrition and Fit Essay

In my composition, I am going to describe some advantages why, we should keep fit. In my opinion is that be fit has not got disadvantages. I am also going to describe what we should do when we want to keep fit and also what we should not do when we want to keep fit. To be fit has a many advantages. When you are fit you have better mood and we do not feel sleepily on the contrary we feel full of energy. You have not got many health problems like arteriosclerosis, heart attack, obesity, anemia etc. When we want to keep fit, like first we should change our eating habits. We should not eat many junk food, candy, sweetened beverages for example Sprite, Coca-Cola, Fanta etc. We have to try to eat a lot of vegetables, fruits and a lot of healthy food because this food comprises from lots of antioxidants, protein and vitamins. We also should try to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and also for snack and afternoon snack. When somebody wants to keep fit he/she should aim do a lot of exercises. I think we should try to run every morning and evening. Sometimes we should visit some gym and swimming pool. When we want to keep fit we should not smoke and drink a lot of alcohol. We should not eat a lot. We also must not laze. In my opinion is that be fit is better than be lazy person. I hope that my composition will can help someone to keep fit.

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Essay Essay

In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character, Maya, and her older brother, Bailey, have a very close relationship at the beginning of this novel. As children, they were each other’s best friends and they were inseparable. They did everything together and they even thought they had their own language that no one else knew. However, when they first moved in with Mother Vivian, their relationship starts to fall apart. â€Å"When spring came to St. Louis, I took out my first library card, and since Bailey and I seemed to be growing apart, I spent most of my days at the library†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Angelou 76). As the two of them become older, their relationship grows more distant because of their different genders and the different activities each of them enjoyed doing. In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character, Maya, and her father have a very estranged relationship. Whenever Maya sees her father, she thinks of him as more of a stranger. Towards the end of the book, Maya’s father invites Maya to come visit him for the summer. When she gets there, she is shocked to see that her father lives in a trailer with his girlfriend who is roughly Maya’s age. Maya’s father invites Maya to come to Mexico with him to go get groceries. Maya agrees to go, and her father ends up leaving her in a shabby bar by herself to run off with his other girl. This just proves he is an unfit parent. â€Å"How could he leave in that raunchy bar and go off with his woman? Did he care what happened to me? Not a damn, I decided, and opened the flood gates for hysteria† (Angelou 236). Maya realizes that her father doesn’t give two shoes about her and has no interest in trying to be a father to her. In the autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character, Maya, is moved from place to place and always has the feeling of displacement, or not belonging. I can relate to Maya’s feelings of displacement. Throughout my life, I too have moved to many different places and schools. I was used to being the new kid and having no friends. I used to be afraid to even make friends because I knew that I wouldn’t be in that school for too much longer after I did. After going to five different schools and living in seven different houses, I’ve felt the feeling of displacement many times and like Maya, had my issues with trying to connect to people. While reading this novel, I knew how Maya felt all those time she didn’t feel like she belonged and all the times she moved. Those parts are what go to me the most because I know how it feels to leave behind the  people you love.

Using Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Writing (Part 1)

Using Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Writing (Part 1) Consider these two sentences from Leonard Gardners novel Fat City: The stooped forms inched in an uneven line, like a wave, across the onion field.Occasionally there was a gust of wind, and he was engulfed by sudden rustling and flickering shadows as a high spiral of onion skins fluttered about him like a swarm of butterflies. Each of these sentences contains a simile: that is, a comparison (usually introduced by like or as) between two things that are generally not alikesuch as a line of migrant workers and a wave, or onion skins and a swarm of butterflies. Writers use similes to explain things, to express emotion, and to make their writing more vivid and entertaining. Discovering fresh similes to use in your own writing also means discovering new ways to look at your subjects. Metaphors also offer figurative comparisons, but these are implied rather than introduced by like or as. See if you can identify the implied comparisons in these two sentences: The farm was crouched on a bleak hillside, where its fields, fanged in flints, dropped steeply to the village of Howling a mile away.(Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm)Time rushes toward us with its hospital tray of infinitely varied narcotics, even while it is preparing us for its inevitably fatal operation.(Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo) The first sentence uses the metaphor of a beast crouched and fanged in flints to describe the farm and the fields. In the second sentence, time is compared to a doctor attending a doomed patient. Similes and metaphors are often used in descriptive writing to create vivid sight and sound images, as in these two sentences: Over my head the clouds thicken, then crack and split like a roar of cannonballs tumbling down a marble staircase; their bellies opentoo late to run now!and suddenly the rain comes down.(Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire)The seabirds glide down to the waterstub-winged cargo planesland awkwardly, taxi with fluttering wings and stamping paddle feet, then dive.(Franklin Russell, A Madness of Nature) The first sentence above contains both a simile (a roar like that of cannonballs) and a metaphor (their bellies open) in its dramatization of a thunderstorm. The second sentence uses the metaphor of stub-winged cargo planes to describe the movements of the seabirds. In both cases, the figurative comparisons offer the reader a fresh and interesting way of looking at the thing being described. As essayist Joseph Addison observed three centuries ago, A noble metaphor, when it is placed to an advantage, casts a kind of glory round it, and darts a luster through a whole sentence   (The Spectator, July 8, 1712).   NEXT: Using Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Our Writing (Part 2).

Perspectives On Public Policy Decisions Example

Perspectives On Public Policy Decisions Example Perspectives On Public Policy Decisions – Coursework Example Perspectives on Public Policy Decisions Lecturer This paper seeks to detail my perspective on the role of statistical analyses to support public policy decision-making as a future psychologist in the new era. Statistics, policy, and politics study the manner in which public policy decisions is driven by statistical analysis. There are various significant research publications on statistical ideas application to issues that relate to implementation of policy and decision making. The increasing complexity and amount of data is consistently creating new constraints for statistical thinking in policy problems. Although various academic statisticians share their latest models and methods among themselves, minimal attention has been accorded to the usefulness of those statistical models and methods to inform public policy decisions, as well as what the approaches of statistics may be the most effective in designing the procedure of policy implementation (Banks et al., 2010).In the sphere o f public policy, statistical methods and models are in most times received as given, with minimal attention to all the assumptions, variations, and effects of different statistical methods and models in various contexts. However, it is in the sphere of policy that statistical debates can indicate great impact and value, and the statistic intersection and public policy is a fertile ground for research and statistical analysis to address significant concerns and policy issues that may have massive ramifications (Banks et al., 2010). As a journal, Statistics, Politics, and Policy will apply a mix of approaches and voices in order to reach broad audience. This journal seeks to open up communication avenues between policy makers and statisticians on questions that intrigue the public interest. The journal appeals to policy analysts, statisticians, and other interested parties in a powerful and implicit way in which statistical thinking influences decision making which impact on many publ ic life aspects. The role of statistical analyses in supporting public policy decision-making is hence inevitable since statistical analysis explores the statistical methods and thinking that is often applied to issues of public policy. Statistical analysis also presents innovative policy ideas on daily public issues and hence supports public policy decision making.ReferencesBanks, David et al. (2010). Statistics, Politics, and Policy, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1; 1-81

Definition of the Disengagement Theory of Aging

Definition of the Disengagement Theory of Aging Disengagement theory outlines a process of disengagement from social life that people experience as they age and become elderly. The theory states that, over time, elderly people withdraw, or disengage from, the social roles and relationships that were central to their life in adulthood. As a functionalist theory, this framework casts the process of disengagement as necessary and beneficial to society, as it allows the social system to remain stable and ordered. Overview of Disengagement in Sociology Disengagement theory was created by social scientists  Elaine Cumming and William Earle Henry, and presented in the book  Growing Old, published in 1961. It is notable for being the first social science theory of aging, and in part, because it was controversially received, sparked further development of social science research, and theories about the elderly, their social relationships, and their roles in society. This theory presents a social systemic discussion of the aging process and the evolution of the social lives of elderly  and was inspired by functionalist theory. In fact, famed sociologist Talcott Parsons, who is regarded as a leading functionalist, wrote the foreword to the Cummings and Henrys book. With the theory, Cummings and Henry situate aging within the social system and offer a set of steps that outline how the process of disengagement occurs as one ages  and why this is important and beneficial to the social system as a whole. They based their theory on  data from the Kansas City Study of Adult Life, a  longitudinal study that tracked several hundred adults from middle to old age,  conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago. Postulates of the Theory of Disengagement Based on this data Cummings and Henry created the following nine postulates that comprise the theory of disengagement. People lose social ties to those around them because they expect death, and their abilities to engage with others deteriorate over time.As a person begins to disengage, they are increasingly freed from social norms which guide interaction. Losing touch with norms reinforces and fuels the process of disengagement.The disengagement process for men and women differs due to their different social roles.The process of disengaging is spurred by an individuals desire to not have their reputation damaged by losing skills and abilities while they are still fully engaged in their social roles. Simultaneously younger adults are trained to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to take over the roles played by those who disengage.Complete disengagement happens when both the individual and society are ready for this to occur. A disjunction between the two will occur when one is ready but not the other.People who have disengaged adopt new social roles so as not to suffer a crisis of identity o r become demoralized. A person is ready to disengage when they are aware of the short time remaining in their life and they no longer wish to fulfill their current social roles; and society allows for disengagement in order to provide jobs for those coming of age, to satisfy the social needs of a nuclear family, and because people die.Once disengaged, remaining relationships shift, rewards of them may change, and hierarchies may also shift.Disengagement occurs across all cultures but is shaped by the culture in which it occurs. Based on these postulates, Cummings and Henry suggested that the elderly are happiest when they accept and willingly go along with the process of disengagement. Critiques of the Theory of Disengagement The theory of disengagement caused controversy as soon as it was published. Some critics pointed out that this was a flawed social science theory because Cummings and Henry assume that the process is natural, innate, and inevitable, as well as universal. Evoking a fundamental conflict within sociology between functionalist and other theoretical perspectives, some pointed out that the theory completely  ignores the role of class in shaping the experience of aging, while others critiqued the assumption that the elderly have seemingly no agency in this process, but rather are compliant tools of the social system. Further, based on subsequent research, others asserted that the  theory of disengagement fails to capture the complex and rich social lives of the elderly, and the many forms of engagement that follow retirement (see The Social Connectedness of Older Adults: A National Profile by Cornwall et al., published in  American Sociological Review  in 2008). Noted contemporary sociologist Arlie Hochschild also published critiques of this theory. From her view, the theory is flawed because it has  an escape clause, wherein those who do not disengage are considered troubled outliers. She also critiqued Cummings and Henry for failing to provide evidence that disengagement is willingly done. While Cummings stuck to her theoretical position, Henry subsequently disavowed it in later publications and aligned himself with alternative theories that followed, including  activity theory and continuity theory. Recommended Reading Growing Old, by Cumming and Henry, 1961.Lives Through the Years: Styles of Life and Successful Aging, by Wiliams and Wirths, 1965.Disengagement Theory: A Critical Evaluation, by George L. Maddox, Jr.,  The Gerontologist,  1964.Disengagement Theory: A Critique and Proposal, by Arlie Hochschild,  American Sociological Review  40, no. 5 (1975): 553–569.Disengagement Theory: A Logical, Empirical, and Phenomenological Critique, by Arlie Hochshchild, in  Time, Roles, and Self in Old Age, 1976.Revisiting the Kansas City study of adult life: roots of the disengagement model in social gerontology, by J. Hendricks,  Getontologist, 1994. ​​Updated  by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Glial Derived Neurotrophic Factor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Glial Derived Neurotrophic Factor - Essay Example Glial Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) is a naturally occurring protein found in the brain and there is evidence that GDNF is necessary for normal neuromuscular development and survival. In 1994 Amgen Inc. acquired the patent for synthetic GDNF. After a series of animal trials and pre-clinical trials, Phase-I trials began in 2001-2002 in the UK and at the University of Kentucky. These trials showed significant improvement for the participants and researchers at Bristol UK remarked, "Within a couple of months, patients were noticing dramatic improvements in their ability to move". Similar results were reported from the Kentucky trials, which noted, "...there appeared to be bilateral improvements, including improved postural stability [...] evidence of improved affect and fine motor control and speed". GDNF appeared to be a promising breakthrough. Based on the previous favorable results, Amgen initiated Phase-II trials involving 34 patients in 2003. However, by 2004 GDNF had been shown to cause brain lesions in primate tests and Amgen immediately halted the testing. It was noted by researchers that the primates had been given a dose 10 times that of the human participants and there was overwhelming evidence that the lesions were caused by the sudden withdrawal of GDNF.

Sustainability at Millipore Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sustainability at Millipore - Case Study Example Due to the reduction of the emissions of GHG, the depletion of ozone layer minimised and the desertification of the agricultural lands also reduced significantly. Therefore, this strategy might act extremely effective for the organization of Millipore thereby amplifying its environment friendly sustainable business operation. The management of the organization of Millipore also needs to reduce its dependence over the petroleum based products. This can help them to reduce the amounts of solid wastes thereby decreasing its negative impacts over the climate and the globe. Reduction of solid waste is one of the important initiatives for reducing the rate of global warming that not only can save the human beings but also the whole ecosystem as well. Apart from the above mentioned strategies, the management should focus more on reduction of carbon emission and water usage which definitely can lead to decreasing major environment issues like global warming. However, in order to make these e nvironmental sustainability initiatives successful, the organization needs to use varied types of upgraded boilers, compressors and lightings. This helped the organization of Millipore to fulfil its sustainability mission. In this age of extreme global warming, the prime concentration of the organizations is reduction of green house gas emissions (GHG). Similarly, the director of Millipore, Mr. David Newman also decided to implement varied types of solar panels and solectria inverters in order to reduce over-dependence over non-renewable products. Along with this, he also instructed the use of upgraded boilers and machines in order to reduce the emissions of waste materials in the environment. Moreover, reverse osmosis procedure is also used in the manufacturing plants also proved effective for the organization in reducing its emissions. All these strategies are

Project management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project management - Coursework Example Several studies revealed that majority of traffic collision is caused by human factors related to intoxication or the use of cell phones while driving (Strayer & Drews, 2004; Strayer, Drews, & Johnston, 2003; Williamson, Feyer, Friswel, & Finlay-Brown, 2001). In some cases, other forms of visual or sound distraction such as the presence of billboard in highways or the use of loud radio could also promote road accidents (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2008). To prevent unnecessary deaths caused by traffic collision, this project initiation document will discuss the importance of joint training and exercises as a way to improve the multi-agency response to road traffic collision. Project Aim / Goal The aim of this project is to develop and implement a joint training and exercises programs that will improve the multi-agency response to road traffic collision. Project Objectives The following project objectives will be considered to ensure that the project goal is attainable: 1. To e ncourage the health care team (doctors, emergency care medical personnel, and nurses) to participate and work together with other related agencies like police department, traffic enforcement group, and the transport department in developing and implementing a joint training and exercise programs that will reduce the number of controllable traffic collision that happens each day; and 2. To educate the public about human factors that can contribute to controllable traffic collision and how to avoid vehicular accidents. Project Benefits This project will not only increase the public awareness concerning the public with regards to the primary causes of traffic collision, it will also serve as a means of reducing the number of deaths due to vehicular accidents. Since vehicular accidents related to traffic collision could create socio-economic and emotional problems on the part of the victims’ family and loved ones, the project benefits can be more than the cost of encouraging the health care team (doctors, emergency care medical personnel, and nurses) to participate and work together with other related agencies like police department, traffic enforcement group, and the transport department in developing and implementing a joint training and exercise programs that aims to reduce the number of controllable traffic collision. Project Costs Based on the work breakdown structure presented on page 4, the estimated cost of this project is ?2,330,000. (See Appendix I – Summary of Work Breakdown Structure on page 8) Business Case Based on the World Health Organization (2002) report, the global death associated with traffic collision is roughly 5 million each year whereas physical injuries caused these vehicular accidents can be as much as 12% of the total annual deaths (Peden, McGee, & Sharma, 2010). On top of the large number of road traffic injury cases, between 20 to 50 million people who becomes a victim of traffic collision has suffered from serious physi cal injuries (Geetha et al., 2010). Since the annual hospital cost of physical injuries related to traffic collision is between $65 billion to $100 billion (Geetha et al., 2010), implementing the proposed project with a budget of ?2,330,000 can be considered highly feasible. By implementing this project, the government will be able to save more people from going through the burden of paying large amount of money on hospital bills but also save the lives of thousands and

Leadership theories in a changing context Essay - 1

Leadership theories in a changing context - Essay Example Dorfman’s statement, ‘If we think of leadership research as flowing as a stream, it flows in a meandering, intertwining and constantly shifting manner’, creates the perfect example of how leadership works and in particular the hybrid nature of leadership styles which borrow from each other. I am a finance manager for a veterinary university in which I have to supervise and delegate to three or four staff. I also work with other veterinarians and hospital staff at another three animal hospital sites. Dealing with this large and diverse of a workforce in the healthcare system, it was imperative that I already have developed and used my existing leadership skills. â€Å"Leadership cannot exist without followership† (Conger 1990). This helps highlight the relationship that is shared between both leader and follower. We work together as a collective and without the followers; there is no need to lead. It is also important to distinguish between the two different types of leaders: the maximum man and the minimum man. The maximum man is the charismatic leader who inspires change and the minimum man is a manager interested in maintaining the status quo (Conger & Kanungo 1998). There are two leadership styles in particular that I utilize on a daily basis: transformationa l leadership and transactional leadership. Transformational leadership is a leadership style in which the leader works on transforming the individual by helping develop them. According to Sendjaya and Sarros (2002), transformational leadership can be described that, â€Å"it raises the level of human conduct and ethical aspiration of both leader and led†. This means that transformational leadership transcends to effect both the leader and the follower. It transcends the work environment to influence moral and personality development. In particular this comes into play when I teach a new topic or skill to those following me. It requires both patience as well as effective communication skills.

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Research proposal - Essay Example The results show that the status of those among 16 years of age remain unchanged from the NEET group while those in 17 year group showed an increase. But contrary to others, the number of 18 year old from NEET shows a decline (Maguire and Rennison, 2005). The studies undertaken among youth population to understand the issues faced by them and hence to evolve necessary support systems have yielded useful results. In one such exercise conducted in Scotland, the data was collected from the school leavers from three different colleges using the focused interviews with the purpose of identifying the reasons and insight about their lifestyles, attitudes and expectation from education and employment (Elliot, 2008). The study revealed the role of both emotional and financial support that would play in the personal growth of the students and the effective interventions by the educational institutions that could play a major role in this regard (Elliot, 2008). The critically examination of the current practice of relating the youth unemployment with NEET have yielded eye opening observations (Furlong, 2006). Competence based education programmes are considered as one of the most successful initiatives to have outcome oriented training sessions. An action oriented research programme undertaken to equip the health care workers in Australia proves this point (Glasgow, 2008). The increase in the chronic illness rate among the population and absence of effective support mechanism forced the authorities to plan competence based education programmes to supply the necessary health care workers. The proper planning followed by effective follow up helped the policy to become highly successful. Thus it is one of the successful cases of effective policy intervention which was appropriately tailored to meet the social demand. In the case of NEET the polices could be appropriately designed in similar ways to

Two Kinds and Everyday Use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Kinds and Everyday Use - Essay Example The mother sees being in America a tremendous opportunity to succeed in life, as when she said, â€Å"of course, you can be a prodigy too.† This is synonymous with her dreams of making it big in America and be a success in life through her own daughter. In fact, she believed anyone can be anything what one wanted in America (open a nice restaurant and be an entrepreneur or be self-employed, work in government and get a good salary and a good retirement package too, buy a house with little or no down payment at all, to get rich, or to become famous). In other words, the conflict between the mother and daughter in this story is that of the clash of cultural norms, attitudes, and values in which the mother saw the need to work hard to be successful while the daughter sees it differently. Her daughter wanted to be left alone, so to speak, to pursue her own desires and dreams, to be not dictated by anybody, not even her mother. Their personal conflict is intensified due to this cultural difference, in which the two of them are working on different paradigms (or mindset). In other words, the title â€Å"Two Kinds† could mean an entirely different thing, that of two worlds, China and the United States (Bloom, 2009, p. 2). In the case of Maggie, people would naturally be sympathetic to her because of what had happened to her. She got burn scars when their house burned down, which some readers had suspected to be set by Dee because she intensely disliked their old and run-down house of which she is ashamed to even invite her own friends over to their old house. Besides, the character of Maggie is that of a shy girl, introverted and demure to the extent she did not bother to attend the school in their area to get a proper education. In a sense, she is the epitome of what a good kind of daughter that every mother wants a daughter to be, one who is obedient and submissive. The character

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Research proposal - Essay Example The results show that the status of those among 16 years of age remain unchanged from the NEET group while those in 17 year group showed an increase. But contrary to others, the number of 18 year old from NEET shows a decline (Maguire and Rennison, 2005). The studies undertaken among youth population to understand the issues faced by them and hence to evolve necessary support systems have yielded useful results. In one such exercise conducted in Scotland, the data was collected from the school leavers from three different colleges using the focused interviews with the purpose of identifying the reasons and insight about their lifestyles, attitudes and expectation from education and employment (Elliot, 2008). The study revealed the role of both emotional and financial support that would play in the personal growth of the students and the effective interventions by the educational institutions that could play a major role in this regard (Elliot, 2008). The critically examination of the current practice of relating the youth unemployment with NEET have yielded eye opening observations (Furlong, 2006). Competence based education programmes are considered as one of the most successful initiatives to have outcome oriented training sessions. An action oriented research programme undertaken to equip the health care workers in Australia proves this point (Glasgow, 2008). The increase in the chronic illness rate among the population and absence of effective support mechanism forced the authorities to plan competence based education programmes to supply the necessary health care workers. The proper planning followed by effective follow up helped the policy to become highly successful. Thus it is one of the successful cases of effective policy intervention which was appropriately tailored to meet the social demand. In the case of NEET the polices could be appropriately designed in similar ways to

The TJX company Essay Example for Free

The TJX company Essay The company used Wired Equivalent Privacy encryption system to handle their client’s credit and debit card information. This system was very easy for any hacker to gain access to people’s information. It was completely out of date and did not encrypt anything within the company, which made it more vulnerable. They did not install firewall security correctly. TJX had purchased many other security programs that were not properly installed. They kept customer’s information in their system longer than what is required by law. TJX could have switched to WiFi Protected Access (WPA) to encrypt their client’s personal data information, but failed to do so. This system is much more sophisticated that the previous system and it encrypted everyone’s information, because it was more complex. Firewalls should have been installed correctly because it could have been prevented and would have saved the company the embarrassment of knowing that their system was not safe. This data should have been protected when transferring information over a wireless connection. The business effect of TJX’s data loss will cost them significantly. Because of their incompetence of not installing the proper software needed to ensure customer’s information, this will cost them $202 million to deal with the theft and the lawsuits brought on. They agreed to strengthen their system security and agreed to have third-party auditors to check their security features every 2 years, for the next 20 years. There was research conducted by a company called Forrester Research, which estimated that their business would cost them $1 billion for the next five years. This finding was based on the cost of additional marketing, security upgrades, consultants, and attorney fees. The moral dimension that may be applied is the fact that they need to ensure that the customer’s information is secure and encrypted. The next thing for the company is to take full responsibility for the data loss when they could have taken the simple measures of doing so.

History of the European Identity

History of the European Identity Introduction: Although the concept of collective identity is a post-colonial phenomenon, a few nations would describe themselves under a collective identity before the modern times of the 19th Century. In fact, Europe is historically unique in terms that it has been the people living in the continent of Europe who have persistently described themselves as Europeans since the 17th Century (Pagden, 2002). Indeed, European Union emerged as the most important attempt for creating a supranational entity in the Continent and the best example of a Pan-European common identity as even the words Europe and the European Union are being used as synonyms by millions of people every day. Nevertheless, an uncertainty of a common identity has always been the case for Europeans throughout history and the physical as well as social borders of Europe has never been distinctly known for centuries which are full of wars, tensions, competition and blood. Today, the same problem continues to exist and many believe that it is the major factor blocking the efforts for achieving a fully integrated Europe, as the definition and frontiers of a common European identity is still unknown. Indeed, one of the most important issues of the European integration from a socio-political perspective is the vague concept of a common European identity including prospects of European Union Citizenship. Although a common European identity had been long around for centuries, these are fairly new issues in relevance to the half a century long history of todays European Union. However, I believe how the common European identity is defined is very important for the future steps of the integration process, as nowadays the EU is undergoing transformation towards a political union with an aim to become a global actor in the international political arena. What shall be the elements of a common European identity, how shall it be formulized if it is to become a suc cessful construct which would define Europe correctly to end the efforts that lasted for such a long time? I believe a triumphant common European identity must include the concrete and symbolic realities and it must be rooted to the diversity of cultures which had been created by the long history of Europe (DAppollonia, 2002). Otherwise, if it remains as a form of thin identity suggested by Habermas (2006), the problems and uncertainties of European identity as well as the poorly functioning European Union citizenship is most likely to exist in the Unions foreseeable future. In fact, a common European identity can only be successfully constructed by taking into account all the ambiguities, contradictions and developments in form of a unity in diversity principle which can be applied to the reality of Europe rather than building a shallow and artificial construct as it seems to be today. Theoretically, a united Europe in political terms is made possible if a united Europe in cultural terms is established through formulating a collective common identity which may only be conceived as a coll ection of multiple and complex values created by complicated dynamics of Europes long history. Nevertheless, a united Europe in cultural terms shall not mean a homogenous and strictly ordered European society; rather the European identity shall celebrate Europes long tradition of diversity. Another important question is how should European Union citizenship be defined and what should be the frontiers of cultural implications of such a political formulation. Considering the wide cultural diversity and long history that the individual members of the European Union had share in the European continent, a collective identity may prove to be far too complex to construct, so one may argue that a common European identity is still an illusion. Although Europeans have a successfully formed a common economic and increasingly political union, they are still far away from the desired level of cultural unity and a common identity which seems to be an alarming factor for the next stages of the European integration. Nonetheless, European Union citizenship is an area open to developments and it might be used as a critically important tool by the European Union leaders to accumulate a common European identity, only if it is formulized correctly. The critical point on the debate of Europe an Union citizenship is that the dominant Classical Model of Citizenship is based on the structures of nation-state and that is why this model cannot be applied to the European Union, as it is a whole different level of organization. On the other hand, Post-National citizenship is a modern approach to the issue of European identity and it is suitable to Europe in order to reach its goals of unification and deepening through building a stronger common identity in the 21st Century. This paper is organized in several sections. European identity from a historical perspective is analyzed in the first part; the current status of European identity and the issue of national identities in contrast to the common European identity is discussed in the following part; a new European identity and suggestions for a new formulation is given in the third part; a brief history of European Union efforts and progress on building a common identity is examined in the fourth part; and finally the aspects of European Union Citizenship is discussed in the fifth part of this paper. After all, this paper argues that a common identity in form of a collective European identity is clearly necessary for the Union at this stage of integration, and it is a crucial element for the future of the European integration project especially as our world is getting smaller as well as more fragmented simultaneously due to the complex dynamics of international relations every day at the age of globalization. European Citizenship is very much connected to the issue of European identity and it is the key to achieving such a strong common European identity when it is formulized as a Post-National phenomenon. The Europeans must derive their power from the diversity of their cultures by building a thick identity for Europe rather than a thin identity which consists of merely political rights; yet the Europeans shall not overlook the uniqueness of the Continent and the similarities they share in comparison to the rest of the world emphasized by the Unity in Diversity principle. Today, it is time for the Europeans to unite under one roof in socio-political terms, complete the long standing task of defining the boundaries of the European civilization by establishing a common and collective European identity in order to carry on the progress of the European integration project in a globalized world. Nonetheless, the question of possibilities of the Europeans to achieve such a high level of cultural as well as political unity remains a question and it is subject to a whole different level of research. However, often seen as a regional product of globalization itself, I believe the European integration project cannot progress any further without achieving a common European identity which is more critical than ever today in order to overcome the challenges of globalization in the 21st Century. Identity has always been a problematic concept because it is uncertain, fluid and highly flexible. Identity is the way to define ones self and to differentiate from the others. If taken literally, identity means equal, identical. Identity is not static but dynamic, and it can be defined in different ways in different circumstances. Identity is construct, which cannot be constructed immediately but only in time. It is not a fixed, constant and pre-given entity; while identity formation is heavily dependent on how one is perceived by the others. Identification implies belonging or membership, in turn which implies the exclusion of non-members (Bretherton Vogler,1999: 236).In other words, the sole purpose of identity is to separate self from the others in a sense. Moreover, identities are multiple in nature, or even kaleidoscopic. A person may have a single identity, but it will be made up of many levels of loyalty and identification (Von Benda-Beckmann Verkuyten, 1995: 18). Meanwhile , identities change, because they are based on perceptions, which themselves change over time and environment; as it is possible to identify ones self with more than one thing at a time such as class and gender, or religion and age. Therefore there are various elements of ones identity and these various elements in an identity may well be contradictory (Von Benda-Beckmann Verkuyten, 1995: 12). On the other hand, a collective identity means the attitudes, which all members of that group have in common in their thoughts and behavior; which differentiates them from the other (Munch, 2001: 137). Collective identities can provide existential meaning for people, thus they are primary means of unity in a society which give additional stability especially during periods of upheaval. Collective identities can generate a degree of continuity between individuals and their social environment, and can confer social recognition and approval (Von Benda-Beckmann Verkuyten, 1995: 24). Therefore, collective identities are defined mainly by culture from a historical point of view rather than biological genes, ethnicity, nationalism or simple political rights. Finally, It they are used to construct community and feelings of cohesion and holism, a concept to give the impression that all individuals are equal in the imagined community (Strath, 2002: 387). From the perspective of political scie nce; there are two types of political identities: a civic identity and a cultural identity. The cultural definition of political identity entails a sense of belonging of an individual towards a particular group which can mostly defined by its uniform cultural or ethnic values. On the other hand, the civic definition of political identity involves with the identification of an individual mostly in form of citizenry with a political structure, which includes political institutions, rights, duties and rules (Bruter, 2004: 26). Therefore, a cultural European identity implies a reference to Europe as a continent, a civilization and a cultural entity whereas a civic European identity implies a reference to the political and institutional aspects of European Union identity largely in the form of EU citizenship. Europe has always been more of a mental construct than a geographical or social entity (Lowenthal, 2000: 314). Europe has no natural frontiers both in geographic and sociological terms. Therefore it had never been easy to acquire a singular definition of European identity because the borders of Europe had always been dynamic, and no one knew where Europe started and Europe ended (Pagden, 2002). A European identity is an abstraction and a fiction without essential proportions (Strath, 2002: 387). The concept of a European identity is an idea expressing artificial notions of unity rather than an identity of equality. In this sense, the concept of European identity is inscribed in a long history of political reflection on the concept of Europe. From the perspective of history, Europe has been united as a singular entity in various settings for a number of times in its past such as the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Napoleonic Empire, and arguably the Nazi Third Reich. Identity was only conceptualized as a macro-level collective phenomenon by the intellectual elites of Europe; on the other hand, for the rural masses of Europe, identity was a local term associated with the micro-level, rarely the nation and never an incident as large as the continent of Europe (Pagden, 2002). In different period of history, a common European identity had been defined on different basis. In the Middle Ages, Christianity was the main defining characteristic of European identity, whereas in modern times, the emergence of the nation state, periods of nationalism and afterwards democracy and secularism has been the common characteristic of the Europeans. Meanwhile, Christianity lost its dominance yet it arguably remained as one of the important components of European identity. Today, the European Union similar to the continent of Europe can be characterized by overlapping and unclear boundaries. From a geographical perspective, the EU has fuzzy boundaries due to the ongoing enlargement processes since the 1970s (Risse, 2003: 490). Although the geographical borders of Europe are not objectively defined particularly in the east, a state without a geographical relevance to the European continent cannot become a part of the European Union, even if it shares the EUs collective values and norms. Moreover what adds to the uncertainty of Europes borders is that boundaries of the EU may change according to different policy fields such as the Schengen includes the non EU member Norway but at the same time it does not include the EU member state the United Kingdom. Therefore, first of all the lack of solid geographical boundaries weakens efforts of the EU to be seen as a singular entity by its own people (Castano, 2004). On the contrary, diversity shall be the main c haracteristic of European identity from a cultural point of view. Religious and cultural heritages including Roman law, political democracy, parliamentary institutions, Renaissance humanism, rationalism, romanticism characterize the common identity of the Europeans (Smith, 1992). On the other hand, there are undeniable socioeconomic, cultural, national and ethnic differences among the member states of the European Union. Nevertheless, this reality is reflected in the motto of the Union which is unity in diversity from a positive point of view. A collective political culture is an important feature of the common European identity. The Greeks gave Europe the science and philosophy and the Romans gave it the idea of single continent and unity which created Europes strong cultural and political origins. The diverse and multiple cultures of the ancient Europe shared a single identity as they were brought together under a common system of Roman law. The people of Europe also shared a common language, Latin, and after Europe slowly converted to Christianity they acquired a common religion. Christianity has been a crucial part of the European identity and it played a key role to create its internal cohesion and to designate its relationship with the rest of the world. Further references are made to Europes identity besides its heritage of classical Graeco-Roman civilization and Christianity; such as the ideas of the Enlightenment, Science, Reason, Progress, Industrialization, Democracy and Individualization as the core elements of this claimed European legacy (Wintle, 1996: 13-16). Hellenism, Romanticism, welfare society and cross-fertilization of diversity can be added to this list (Garcias, 1993: 7-9), while one may argue that Europes core values include its commitments to an undivided continent, to individual freedom, and to the universalism of humanity (Havel, 1996). However, this unity never reached to the point of sharing a common European culture. A single body of citizenry or a common cultural identity could not be reached even in the peak of Europes history of unity. When the differences within Europe are emphasized, they are often in the form of unity in diversity; religious differences such as Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christianity, and linguistic differences including Romance, Germanic and Slavic languages are obvious; yet they are seen as correlated, Catholic–Romance, Protestant–Germanic, Orthodox–Slavic, and essentially are underlying the major ethnic cleavages and conflicts in the history of Europe. Anthony Smith is among the scholars who are skeptical of the possibility of a common European identity because they could not find a common culture across the European continent, and even more critically they claim that Europe lacks of a shared set of myths, experience and symbols; these elements which they find crucial to create post-national identity (Smith, 1992: 72-73). Furthermore, Europe lacks of a shared historical and cultural content as which is the largest source of division among Europeans. Other obstacles to a common European identity include linguistic diversity and its tripartite religious division. In fact, a major difference among EU countries is the persistence of linguistic diversity, even though in practical level English has become the dominant language in Europe. Language does not only have an instrumental but also an emotional dimension and peoples sense of nationality is often tied up with their mother tongue (Guibernau, 2001: 192). On the other side of the debate, scholars such as Michael Wintle are more optimistic on the possibility of creating a European identity. Indeed, the existence of the EU identity in the form of converging education standards, educational exchanges, and the organization of a European civil society is already established in most parts of Europe. Wintle argues that a European identity was previously already created during the high Middle Age (Wintle, 1996: 19-22), and it can be easily established today considering the forces of globalization. For now, the major success of the EU in fostering its identity has been limited with the increasing free movement of people across European borders, which has accelerated since the 1985 and formalized in 1990 Schengen accords parallelly correlated with the rising impact of globalization. Increased interaction among peoples of Europe would also encourage cultural exchanges and this could foster a stronger sense of a shared community. Education and hi gh culture shall play a key role in European Unions cultural policy, because these two factors have an important effect on the creation of the EU identity. Education is obviously one of the crucial dimensions in any attempt to develop the future identity of the EU or at least more understanding and convergence among Europeans; high culture unites Europeans against the low culture which separates them. After all, the development of the EU identity will be the outcome of a long process in which bottom-up as well as top-down initiatives are likely to be employed (Guibernau, 2001: 183-184). The idea of Europe as well as the identity of Europeans are constructed over time with processes of contention and bargaining. Gerard Delanty argues that a European Culture is not an entity with cohesion and fixed boundaries, but a floppy concept, with no clear borders and with internal opposition and contradictions, discursively shaped in contentious social bargaining processes (Delanty, 1995; 1999). In other words, the images of Europe do not exist as a natural phenomenon but are discursively shaped by internal as well as external forces (Strath, 2002). A basic step in the process of creating a collective identity is to defining itself in relation to the other. Central to ones identifications are images of others. Likewise any identity, European identity necessarily contains a demarcation from the non-European. This is natural to all distinctions, and they are both inclusive and exclusive. The boundaries of Europe can only be drawn and the identity of Europe can only be realized in the mirror of others. Indeed, Europe does not exist without non-Europe and that non-Europe does not exist without Europe. Many centuries ago, the Europeans defined people living in the north as uncivilized and people living in the south as oriental (Pagden, 2002). Furthermore, the Greeks labeled the non-Greek speaking people as barbarians, even if that word would surely have a different meaning by that time. In nearer times, although the Russians shared many features with a European society including the same religion, it could not reach the formal limits of a Romanized civilization thus perceived as a barbaric empire or the orient, depending on the time. Moreover, European belief of its superiority relied on the common features of European societies such as science and liberal arts. Thus the rest of the world could only be portrayed as actors in relation to Europe, in other words always remained as the other. According to Delanty, Europe has been always invented and reinvented on the basis of division and strategy for the construction of difference from the other starting from Christian identity against Islam in the Middle-Ages, after that in the colonial politics to the New World, and to the ethnic minorities in the contemporary European Union (Delanty, 1995). Therefore, historical experience suggests that the new European identity may be constructed on the other which may be the United States, the East, Islam or the European past itself. Samuel Huntington has argued that religion provides the best common means of historically distinguishing between Europeans and the other, especially in terms of the confrontation between the Judeo-Christian tradition and Islam (Huntington, 1996). However, at the same time, the separation between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Western variations of Christianity has, for a long time, been crucial in establishing a division between Western and Eastern E urope; partially reinforced in the Cold War, divisions between Catholicism and Protestantism and separation between North and South (Guibernau, 2001). Today, the European Union is frequently argued to be a fortress for the other and the EU is often referred to as a Christian Club, because historically all states on the continent of Europe had Christian societies. The Ottoman Empire was the greatest enemy of European states as well as Christianity in the Middle Ages; which made Islam the primary charactersitic of the other for Europeans from the perspective of history. Today, the accession dialogues of Turkey into the European Union raise wide public opposition in Europe while the European Union officials make constant efforts to prove their allegiance to non-religious, non-ethnic but solely liberal and non discriminatory Copenhagen Criteria independent from historical aspects of the other which has actually been extensively used to define the European identity. Finally, Europe is unique because it has possessed an identity as a cultural space which gave birth to political unions throughout its history. However, it has never succeed ed to constitute a single nation-state or a unified ethnic group. Although the European Union with its single currency and supranational political and legal institutions changed these historical facts to an extent, it is only possible with the means of a common European identity which will carry Europe to the next stage of integration which it always aimed but failed to achieve during its long history. Nevertheless, history has already proved that it will surely be hard to overcome uncertainties of a common European identity at the level of the masses. Over the past millennium, the advancements of European civilization gave rise to the elites living on the continent of Europe who feel increasingly attached to Europe as a whole and shared dreams of a united continent. However, Europe as a realm sharing a common history as well as a common destiny has been largely abandoned by fixed prejudices on often nationalistic and ethnic grounds. National interests and biases at local, national, and global levels have prevented the masses of European people from viewing themselves collectively (Lowenthal, 2000: 315). However, today, forces of globalization, advancements in communications technologies and media transmission of everyday popular culture now promotes the sense of being European among larger segments of society other than the European elites. Although a truly trans-European society is still in its infancy, many of its essential elements are already in place this time largely due to the forces of globalization. Most European states a re increasingly democratic in reality; their economies are for the most part market driven; their popular culture grows more homogeneous as communication technologies expand under the forces of globalization in the 21st Century (Waterman, 1999: 23). Therefore, Europe is at the stage of defining its identity today; however which criteria are being deployed to define Europe, Europeans, Europeanness and their respective boundaries is critically important. A common European identity must be constructed by defining and understanding the historical roots of outstanding features of the European society in relation to the notion of citizenship, which will be discussed in depth in the following parts; developed in the past over the land of Europe. For sure, Europe is being redefined as a result of a complex set of processes, but an important question is what sort of Europe is emerging from them? There is certainly a structured symmetry in the perception of the European Union as the coincidence of a homogenized socio-political space, a unified regulatory space of an EU super-state, a singular European civil society surpassing existing national and regional differences in culture and identity (Hudson, 2000). In some respects there has been progress towards such an ideal of European civil society. For example, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights have had an important role in defining acceptable standards across Europe. The issue of European identity and the criteria used to denote Europeans is clearly a critical one for the political and social integrity for the European Union. Europe will exist as an unquestionable political community only when European identity permeates peoples lives and daily existence (Demos 1998). Identity is a key issue which is continuously changing and thats the reason why it is so hard to define especially in a world of f ast changes in the 21st Centurys globalization. The member states of todays enlarged EU have become multi-ethnic and multi-cultural societies with various structural phenomenon ranging from the immigrant community of France to Post-Communist yet ethnic communities of the Central and Eastern European states. As the EU expanded eastwards in the last two rounds of enlargements, the issue of defining a European identity became even more critical for sake of integrity and stability of the Union. One conception of a singular European identity would see it constructed through a process similar to that involved in the creation of national identities in the 19th and the 20th Centuries. Ironically, while the aim was to create those national identities in the past, the challenge that Europeans face today would be to transcend them for the creation of Europeannes. However, the current trends at local European level are quite different from the interests of Europeanists at the supranational level. There are pressures from nation states and their citizens to resist any further transfer of national sovereignty as well as erosion of national identity (Hudson, 2000). In fact, the success of extreme right wing political parties in important European countries such as Austria and France may be seen as a sign of the reappearance of dangerous nationalist and racist ambitions which the peoples of Europe have most probably experienced more than any other continent in the world history. Eric Hobsbawm has proclaimed that nationalism is dead (Hobsbawm, 1990). On the contrary, Llobera argues that national identities are certainly not eternal, but the time of their demise has not yet arrived (Llobera, 2003). In fact, national identities are still dominant in Europe. Recent surveys show that, people in Europe prefer maintaining their national identity and sovereignty, but increasing number of people have accepted European identity in addition to their national identities. Therefore, European nationalism is another important component of a common European identity and it has been a major ideological tool for unifying nation states as well as the Europeans as a whole throughout Europes history. To start with, the European Union, with its both intergovernmental and supranational characteristics represents a far different type of state-organization than a classical nation state. The main distinguishing characteristics of the EU from the nation-state are the absence of a shar ed language, a uniform media, common education system and a central state structure (Shore, 2000: 64). Furthermore, the powers of the EU rely on the sharing of sovereignty of its member states. European unification is a progressive method of limiting individual nation states to practice any kind of harmful nationalism and this is makes up an important part of the European identity. At this point, nationalist Euroskeptics may argue that building a common Europe and an identity for it means destroying nations. However, a general feeling of Europeanness and loyalty to Europe in a cultural sense, does not need to conflict with national identities (Andreani, 1999). A successful construct of European identity must include the concrete and symbolic realities created within time. The European states have not always been nationalist through Europes long history. The definition of nationalism counts on the idea of nation and territory; while the definition of a European nationalism depends on the historical and ideological evolution of the European nation states and aspirations for a post-national Europe. In fact, the aspirations that underlie in the roots of the foundation of the European Union are parallel to European cosmopolitanism in the 18th and the 19th centuries. From the Enlightenment to the beginning of the ECSC after the Second World War; European nationalism found two separate meanings: one as an antinational Pan-European idea of a new united Europe that limits the sovereignty of the nation states, and the other as a pro-national ideology to create or legitimate new nation states (DAppollonia, 2002). Historically, cosmopolitanism reflected intentions for a European unity, and gave rise to anti-national European nationalism. European nationalism was characterized by the will to protect the European interests and its supremacy from non-Europeans as well as protecting Europe from itself by creating a federation. It can be argued that economic development, commercial prosperity, intellectual-supremacy and military power were the factors making Europe homogeneous and created a united European identity beyond national borders to an extent. Some intellectuals as well as economists believe that the nation state is an outdated political and economic entity, and nationalism is merely an expression of old prejudiced and narrow-minded ideas. European nationalism defined itself similar to the nation state through common identity and culture, territory, historical memory building, and economic and political objectives to defend self-interests. The defensive conception of European nationalism o n the other hand had always been a driving factor, yet the pro-nationalist ideologies had been the major cause underlying the wars of modern times. As Europe was divided into aggressive nation states, the idea of Europe had increasingly converged. Although the wars were dividing factors themselves, their interpretations by the Europeanists became powerful unifying factors for Europe. The irony of European nationalism is that it depends on the memory of events that divided rather than united the continent (DAppollonia, 2002). Although it used the same definitions of nation and Europe with the anti-national European nationalism from time to time, it remained limited to the strict logic of the national framework. Transnational solidarities were necessity to establish European unity under either a supranational or an intergovernmental structure. For some intellectuals, European nationalism was the only way to protect the autonomy of nations and the liberty of the individuals. Conceptualizing of the European Union citizenship and creation of the Committee of the Regions in the EU were seen as efforts of the Pro-national European nationalists. These forms of European nationalism rejected the form of narrow nationalism while it showed ambitions to reinforce the intermediary actions between state and individual, between the individual, the market the centralizati

Metamorphosis of the Letter A in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Metamorphosis of â€Å"A† in The Scarlet Letter Six Works Cited In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the meaning of the letter "A" changes throughout the novel. This change is significant as it indicates the personal growth of the characters as well as the enlightenment of the townspeople. When the novel begins, the letter "A" is a symbol of sin. As the story progresses the â€Å"A† slowly transforms to a symbol of Hester’s strength and ability. By the end of the novel, the letter â€Å"A† has undergone a complete metamorphisis and represents the respect that Hester has for herself. The letter "A," worn on Hester's bodice, is a symbol of her adultery against Roger Chillingworth. This letter is meant to be worn in shame, and to make Hester feel unwanted. "Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment . . ." Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she chooses not to show it. She committed this sin in the heat of passion, and fully admits it because, though she is ashamed, she also received her greatest treasure, Pearl, out of it. She is a very strong woman to be able to hold up so well, against what she must face. Many would have fled Boston, and sought a place where no one knew of her great sin. Hester chose to stay though, which showed a lot of strength and integrity. Any woman with enough nerve to hold up against a town which despised her very existence, and to stay in a place where her daughter is referred to as a "devil child† is a very tough woman. The second meaning that the letter "A" took was "able." The townspeople who once condemned her now believed her scarlet "A" to stand for her ability to create beautiful needlework and for her unselfish assistance to the poor and sick. "The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her- so much power to do and power to sympathize- that many people refused to interpret the scarlet 'A' by its original signification." At this point, many the townspeople realized what a godly character Hester possessed. "Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester- the town's own Hester- who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted!" The townspeople soon began to believe that the badge served to ward off evil, and Hester grew to be quite loved amongst the people of the town.