Tuesday, November 26, 2019

MetalDetectors arent answer essays

MetalDetectors aren't answer essays If you have not noticed, the arms race is heating up. But this is a different sort of arms race. It's a race to rid the schools of arms. And the weapon of choice is the metal detector. The tension accompanying a recent deadly shooting at a high school in Los Angeles has spread to all school boards in North America, where some schools have decided to use metal detectors. But are metal detectors the answer for every school in every country? The answer to this question for canadian high schools is, as a canadian In our country, the most common weapons found in school have been knives and baseball bats. Deaths on campus are rare and very few of the expulsions that take place are weapon related. Due to the moral of our country, the behaviour of our high school students are known as one of the safer ones comparing with many other countries. Canadian high schools have good record when it comes to the safety of the students. For this reason, canadian high schools need metal detectors like a baldhead needs a comb. An important question needs to be explored: Can canadian high schools ensure the future safety of students? I happpen to believe it can. Admittedly an occasional fight erupts. What high school doesn't have fight? But our country isn't dangerous enough to warrant the purchase of metal detector for every high school national wise. While a metal detector might cut down on weapons being brought on campus, we need to remember that running a metal detector up and down someon'es body may initiate "feelings" of anger and hostility-the exact "feelings" that may lead to fights and violence. Yet these are the activities that metal detectors are supposed to prevent. I happen to witness a fight recently at my night school. I have to admit that i was shocked by the fact of having such ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

How The Notebook Author Found Writing Success

How The Notebook Author Found Writing Success Nicholas Sparks is a bestselling author, screenwriter and producer. His fans have come to love his clean and sentimental romance novels and films such as, The Notebook. The stories often have Christian themes and sad twists, and he has had five New York Times bestsellers. Early Life Nicholas Sparks was born December 31, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska. His family moved around a lot while his father pursued graduate degrees. Sparks had lived in Minnesota, Nebraska and California. He has a sister, who died in 2000, and a brother. He was raised Roman Catholic and continues to practice that faith. Sparks excelled at running  and went to the University of Notre Dame on a track and field scholarship. He was a business major, and after an Achilles tendon injury, he spent the summer writing an unpublished novel. Family and Personal Life Sparks met his wife, Cathy Cote, on spring break in 1988, the year he graduated from Notre Dame with honors. They married in 1989 and moved to New Bern, North Carolina. They have five children: three boys and twin girls. The couple divorced in 2015. Writing Sparks wrote two novels that were never published. He worked in the orthopedic goods industry to make a living. His first published work was, Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding, written with Olympic medalist Billy Mills. Sparks third novel, The Notebook, was picked up by a literary agent and published in 1996. It enjoyed tremendous success and garnered a million dollar movie rights contract. But Sparks did not quit his day job just yet, he continued to sell pharmaceuticals and was transferred to Greenville, South Carolina. There, he wrote, Message in a Bottle, for which he sold the movie rights before it was published. Sparks continued to publish book after book, and he remains active as a writer. His novels often debut as bestsellers. They are noted for being stories with traditional values and lack of profanity, even as they are romances, and the characters face personal crises, often without a happy ending. See a list of Nicholas Sparks books. Nicholas Sparks Movies Most of  Nicholas Sparks books have been made into movies  or have been optioned to be made into movies. The first one released was, Message in a Bottle, in 1999, which earned the number one box office slot. The Notebook, in 2004 is well-remembered by Ryan Gosling fans. He has served as producer on several, including, Safe Haven, Deliverance Creek, The Best of Me, The Longest Ride and The Choice. Nicholas Sparks Trivia Nicholas Sparks donated a track to New Bern High School, where he was a volunteer coach.He supports the Notre Dame Creative Writing Program with an annual scholarship, internships and a fellowship.He has donated millions of dollars to build Christian International School.Sparks is a black belt in Tae Kwon DoSparks was named, Sexiest Author, by People Magazine.His family has endured several tragedies. His mother died following a horseback riding accident, and his father died in an automobile accident. His sister died young of cancer.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Many Faces of Affirmative Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Many Faces of Affirmative Action - Essay Example The concept of compensatory justice for wrongs that were committed against a race of people on a massive scale is a part of the American tradition. America has a long history of reparations regarding the Japanese in World War II, Native Americans, and General Sherman's promise of 40 acres to the freed slaves at the end of the Civil War (Burch, 2008, p.121). As moral agents, citizens not only have an obligation to compensate those that have been wronged by society, "it would be unjust to prevent [them] from living up to [their] responsibilities" (Radzik, 2003, p.328). In addition, it gives the African Americans a fast track to catch up to the society that had left them behind centuries earlier. Catching up in the free market of education or employment cannot be done when a person is severely disadvantaged, and Affirmative Action simply removes the disadvantage. By 1965, the white dominant class had a near monopoly on education, the professions, and upward mobility. Affirmative Action helped to break this stronghold and presented opportunities to the African Americans that were previously excluded due to unfair competition. Supreme Court briefs filed by executives and retired military officers argued that "the United States cannot compete in today's global economy, or maintain an effective military, without racially diverse business and military leaders" (Foner, 2003, p.5). By introducing these additional women and minorities into the marketplace for education, it has improved the quality of the educational system, the students, and our global status. Giving women and minorities an advantage in gaining an education has been instrumental in breaking the cycle of poverty and the destiny of culture. Young people, who had little or no cultural capital, and no family tradition of higher education, would be doomed to repeat the life of poverty and continue the struggle endured by their parents. Though there has been some progress made, there is still a significant gap in representation in the professions such as the legal field (Tatum, Nichols, and Ferguson, 2008, p.80). Still, Affirmative Action is the best, if not the only, hope that many of these people are given.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS - Essay Example Operational effectiveness happens when management shows that it recognizes the employees abilities and takes initiatives to support its employees through advancements, personal development programs or other actions in high-performance environment. To achieve operations and organizational effectiveness certain factors have to come into play like resources that are essential for the performance of production activities. The operations role is to enable managers to determine and schedule the resources needed to meet business targets. Matching these resource inputs and production targets helps to achieve organizational effectiveness. This is because you are able to regulate the speed, dependability, quality and flexibility of the operations. Focus on training gives managers time to control less and allow employees to manage themselves to create a sense of employee empowerment, this helps to evaluate and gauge the technical and production capacity of the organizations resources (Dressler, 2004). A successful management strategy requires putting in place an integrated planning process, including steps to take and should take a two-tiered approach where there is free flow of information. There are various organizational strategies that lead to an effective management and organization. These include understanding previous initiatives leaders and employees to learn what worked, what did not and what gaps need to be filled, involving top management helps to increase the employees drive where the employees may be asked to share their opinions with their superiors, Identifying people who might be potential stumbling blocks or champions helps individuals understand their strengths and weaknesses and managers identify how individual behaviors might affect group dynamic. Constructing an effective communications system is also an effective strategy which

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Terrorism Act in Canada Essay Example for Free

Terrorism Act in Canada Essay The impact of the Anti-Terrorism Act on the Muslims and Arabs in Canada The Anti-terrorism Act in Canada and its effects on the Muslim and Arabic communities September 11, 2001 marked a catastrophic change not only in American society but in every western state including Canada. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon have had a ripple effect, spreading to the entire world and terrifying thousands of people. Following these attacks, world populations were devastated and governments faced a never-before seen need to make laws governing this new form of terror. Countries like the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Canada have passed anti-terrorism legislations that define â€Å"terrorism† and how to respond and prevent such attacks. Generally speaking, some scholars and ordinary individuals argue that the new anti-terrorism Act in Canada may aim to combat terrorism but it also violates the rights of certain individuals. The new Act gave the authorities especially the police task forces the power to investigate suspect terrorist cases without worrying about the charter of rights and freedoms. This ends with the question of security of state versus the rights of individuals. They argue that the shock and the disbelief that infected the Canadian Government after the September attacks to take a fast and effective legislation to protect the country from a prospective threat, â€Å"pushed the government to implement the Bill C-36 that was turned to be the Anti-terrorism Act in four months only after the September Attacks without thinking about the consequences of this new law. † (Andreychuk) Firstly we should know what is the Bill C-36 or the Anti-Terrorism Act to examine whether or not it affected some minorities in Canada. As stated above, the Bill C-36 was a quick response to the September Attacks in the USA. Bill C-36 was first introduced in the House of Commons by Justice Minister Anne McLellan on 15 October 2001. The Bill defines â€Å"terrorist activity† as an act that is committed â€Å"in whole or in part for a political, religious, or ideological purpose, objective, or cause. † (Mazer). The new Act gave the investigative branch of the police and the CSIS more powers to investigate the very private details of the lives of the suspect terrorists. Also the act put more restrictions on the immigration policies as well as the security measurements in the airports and the borders as well as the seaports during the amending of existing Act like information security Act (Carter). In addition to these new restrictions, the accused person has no right to see or to know the evidence which the government has against him. Even when the Act was amended in 2008, the only person who can see a summary of the evidence is a lawyer who was appointed by the government and he can’t shoe this evidence to the accused. From the practical point of view, the most minorities in Canada to be affected by these new measurements are the Muslim minority in particular and the Arabic minority in general. The inclusion of religion as a motive for ‘terrorist activity’ within the Act may cast a pall over one’s faith. The Muslim and Arab communities of Canada have already expressed that many of their members consider that they have fallen victims to racial or cultural discrimination because of the Act. We can say that the bad luck has accompanied the Muslims in this issue. Currently and unfortunately all the terrorists are coming from an Islamic background like Afghanistan, Pakistan or Chechnya. This forced not only our government but also most of the government in the world to link terrorism to Islam as a religion. The government will not stay silent until a big disaster happens as in the case of September attacks, London attacks as well as Madrid attacks. If we look at the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we may find some sections that have been violated by the new Terrorism Act. Sections eight to fourteen have been extremely infringed after the attacks. Thousands of individuals have been seized in a way that violates the charter. Another shift that happened to our tolerant society is that the supreme court of Canada has shifted the nature of its rulings regarding the infringement of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. â€Å"There has been a clear change of mind, within the Court, regarding the authority of international human rights law, at least where highly sensitive security matters are involved, such as deportation of political refugees suspected of being linked with terrorist organisations. † (Coutu Giroux) The party that argues that the Muslims and Arabs have been affected negatively by the Anti-terrorism Act might prove their argument by comparing it with the American Patriot Act which was the American anti-terrorism act. In the American version of the anti-terrorism legislation it condemned any discrimination against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans and Americans from south Asia and affirmed that â€Å"the concept of individual responsibility for wrongdoing is sacrosanct in American society and applies equally to all religions, racial and ethnic groups†( Roach 72) . If we read our Anti-terrorism Act we won’t find such a clarification. But from a practical point of view, this clarification didn’t immune the Muslims in the USA from profiling but at least it affirmed the principle of equality. On the other hand there is another party that advocates that agrees with the anti-terrorism Act and denies that it is targeting the Muslim and Arabic minorities in Canada. On the other hand, we can’t blame the government for such actions, whether or not that the religion is the driving force to these kinds of attacks. The government is working hard to ensure that the Canadian nation live in a secure and stable climate so that we can maintain our economic supremacy. Also it is working hard to ensure that the history will not blame it for neglecting national security issues like terrorism. From this perspective the government had this kind of response to the September cowardly attacks. The other counter party argue that the Arabic and the Islamic communities are not under persecution or any kind of discrimination according to religion or origin. They argue that these new Anti-terrorism Act is applied on every Canadian citizen whether he is Muslim, Christian, Jewish or any religious background. It is applied on every citizen regardless of his ethnic background whether he is polish, Scottish, Arabic or French. In the airports the safeguards don’t ask the passengers about their religion or ethnic background if they are travelling from Canada but the passengers who are coming to Canada from suspicious countries, that help the terrorist organizations or have this kind of organizations on their lands such as: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the government tends to have more restrictive laws regarding them because they are the most likely individuals to be terrorists. It is important to mention that the government of Canada put three justifications to the new Act when it was introduced. Firstly, the Anti-terrorism act is in compliance with the charter of rights and freedoms. Secondly, the current criminal law is deficient in protecting the national security of Canada from similar attacks to those ones that happened in the US. Finally, the new act enhances the charter values. I’ll go over each one of them briefly. Firstly, the government argued that the criminal law was inefficient in keeping the Canadian territories safe from future terrorist attacks. They argued that the police forces don’t have the required tools to prevent Canada’s own September 11 so there was an urgent necessity to give the police force and the CSIS these tools to do their job to protect our country. Secondly the government argued that the new Act didn’t violate the human rights stated in the charter. The minister of justice stated that â€Å"the act was subject to a very thorough review on Charter ground and that its measures have been designed so they will respect the values of the charter, and, we expect, survive legal challenges† (Roach 75). Thirdly, the government argued that the new Act didn’t not only violate the charter rights but it did enhance these rights as well. The government argued that the new Act embodied new provisions regarding hate crime propaganda against any religious minority in Canada. The government officials were aware of the Tsunami of hate propaganda and crimes that will be resulted after the September attacks against Muslims and Arabic minorities that’s why the new Act was popular and it has been supported by a lot of people who were worried about the hate crimes. Also the Act allowed the deletion of any content on internet that might refer to be hate propaganda against Islam. In same time the government argued that the Act promoted the value of equality between the individuals because the law is applicable to everyone in the country. Finally it is clear that the Anti-terrorism Act or Bill c-36 has been criticized and debated from every level in the society from the ordinary individuals who are saying that the Act violated the rights and freedoms of Muslim and Arabic minorities in Canada, to our government which is defending the new Act. In my personal opinion, the government is free to pass laws and legislations to protect our national security because if any terrorist attack happened, every on in the country will blame the government from not preventing the great loss in lives and money. But it is important to say the government should try to balance those laws with our own freedoms and regulations as long as our national security is protected. In same time, I see that Muslim and Arabic minorities are not affected badly by this law because this law is applied to all Canadians not Muslims only.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

There has been much discussion about the welfare of animals ever since zoos were created. There are many people who support the fact that animals should be kept in zoos. It benefits the animals greatly, because in zoos, the animals have every need catered for. However, in some zoos, animals are ill-treated by their zoo keepers. Sometimes, they even deprive a natural habitat that zoos attempt but fail to re-create after the wild. Consequently, they develop physiological problems. Some zoos are no better than prison cells that cage up animals, causing these creatures to become greatly distressed. Because it is against Mother Nature, animals should not continue to be kept in zoos. For decades, animals have been kept in zoos and have received poor conditioned shelter and treatment. Since the 1970s, situation has gotten worse and the voice of animal activists spread. What I know about zoos is that they aren't really for the animals, but more for business, so we should ban keeping of animals in zoos. Animals should not be kept in zoos because it is against nature. First, zoos are artificial environments for wild animals. These creatures are unable to live freely and healthily according to their natural instincts after being locked up in cages. Big cats can no longer roam around the savannah and hunt for animals. Primates living in rainforests are not able to climb trees and gather fruit high up in the forest canopy. In this lonely and solitude environment, animals can easily slip into depression, and consequently, early death. Thus, there is a shorter life expectancy in animals that live in zoos. Another problem is that they have a limited choice when it co mes to habitat and the choosing of mates It has b... ...s not acceptable for animals to be kept in zoos. Think about it this way. For human, it's just like being in prison even though we didn't do anything wrong. Students, they go to school and stay there for 7 hours. They hate it even though they can do something productive like studying Animals, they are trapped all day and they don't even have free time. In conclusion, wild animals should not be kept in zoos as these creatures have their own rights. They were captured by man, and most of them compelled to live in terrible conditions, killing them physically and mentally. Neither should they be held captive by us human, whether it benefits them or not. Animals were never meant to exist for our amusement. They are a part of nature. Therefore, it is extremely important that the message spreads, that animals have rights, just like humans, and we have to respect that.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Social Media About Muslims

SoRef. No: H00144879 Short Essay Tutorial: Online Learning Teacher: Kristina Rajic Critical Writing & Analysis (C07CW) Impact of Social Media on Islam and Muslims Susan Ward defines Social media as a type of online media that expedites conversation as opposed to traditional media, which delivers content but doesn't allow readers/viewers/listeners to participate in the creation or development of the content. Some of the common examples of social media are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. There is a wide variety of social medias’ in the Internet. People get more attention to the things that are being shared from YouTube and Flickr nd posting them through Facebook or LinkedIn or MySpace. Social Networking sites spread news all over the globe very quickly and swiftly. According to Suzy Ismail â€Å"Social Media and networking sites must have and has definitely changed the spread of Islam and the perception of Muslims in the minds of many people around the world†, especiall y and mostly in the US and India. After the 9/11 bombings and destruction of the Twin Towers by Bin Laden, the growth of electronic and, in particular, social media has had an impact on the lives of Muslims around the world. According to Khurram T. Dara (2011) â€Å"every scandal, controversy, or violent errorist attack perpetrated by Muslims is put under the microscope.† He does not mean that the media has been trying to willingly to spread stories one way or another about Muslims in US and the world. â€Å"Of course, you have commentators and networks out there with agendas they want to push, but for the most part the impact the media has had comes in its evolution into a 24/7 industry. Everything is covered, regardless of whether it is quality journalism from reliable sources. † (Dara, 2011) Social Media played a crucial role in the way Muslims and Islam have been perceived over the years. Suzy Ismail continues, â€Å"It would be tough for nyone to say that they ha ve not ‘heard’ of Islam with the amount of coverage that our deen has received in the recent years through so many different media outlets†. Further on she adds that Muslims have been vilified and simultaneously victimized especially after 9/11 in America. â€Å"There seems to be two extreme reactions to the deen itself. One is which is sincere curiosity and interest that motivates education and the other is blind hatred and misunderstanding that leads to scapegoating and stereotyping. †(Suzy Ismail) Social media presents a big opportunity to reach out to people who may not even know about Islam or Muslims. Thousands f Americans have never met a Muslim but they have access through social media. In Texas, an event was set up where a Muslim woman is refused service in a bakery just because she has worn a headscarf. ABC News Hidden camera experiments THIS and the purpose is to see what people’s reaction would be, which was quite surprising. Recently in the last few weeks, a controversial American- ­? made trailer of an Anti- ­? Islam video called Innocence Of Muslims has ignited protests across the Muslim world and continues to grow. It is just a trailer for a supposed future- ­? length film that was uploaded in YouTube a few weeks back in America by a an named Nakula Basseley Nakoula a. k. a Sam Bacile who is thought to be the writer, producer and promoter of the video. The Social Media raises complex questions about the freedom of speech in America (Ruth Startman, 2012). Social Media has played a vital role in the rapid spread of this video around the world by sharing it through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.Many Muslim countries removed this video from their network, however the video still remains undeleted in America and other Non- ­? Muslim regions of the world. Twitter and Facebook have been undoubtedly the two networking sites with the most active Muslim users. These sites ave allowed us to connect with many imp ortant persons such as Imams and Sheiks, Political Leaders and so on†¦. Some people are also there to cast a negative vote on Islam and are online just to do so. It can be overwhelming to not care about it, but we need to remember that social media has also given us the strength and the platform to express ourselves. In other ways, we can increase the positive impact of Social Media on the portrayal of Islam and Muslims by being more active online and by having lot of faith on Islam. (Dara, 2011) Social media is a great tool, which can be well used to spread â€Å"Love†, or abused to spread â€Å"hatred†.Let us choose â€Å"love† as every religion of the world is themed to promote â€Å"love† among mankind. No matter what, â€Å"love† will always prevail as it is upon which everything in life is centered and without which there is no meaning in life. REFERENCES: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Ward, Susan; Social Media Definition [online]. Ava ilable from: http://sbinfocanada. about. com/od/socialmedia/g/soci almedia. htm   (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Salman, Javeria; Impact of Media and Social Media on Islam and Muslims [online]. Available at: http://islamicstudies. islammessage. com/Article. aspx? aid=678   (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Dara, T. Khurram (2011) The Crescent Drive: ANESSAY ON IMPROVING THE IMAGE OF ISLAM IN AMERICA, Tensile. (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) ABC News hidden camera experiments – Racism in America â€Å"What would you do? † (Online video) Available at: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=UtWuOvdLRX4 (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Innocence of Muslims, 2012 (online video) Available at: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=gORgR7UiXgY (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Starkman, Ruth (2012); It’s All the Rage: ‘The Innocence of Muslims,’ Social Media, and Free Speech† (online) Available At: http://www. huffingtonpost. com/ruth- ­? starkman/its- ­? all- ­? the- ­? rage- ­? the- ­? inno_b_1906050. html    (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) †¢ †¢

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Oedipus Trilogy Essay

It was Sophocles who wrote the Oedipus Trilogy. Although Oedipus Rex has always been a common oral story to the Greeks, Sophocles added different dimensions in his rendition of the tragic story of Oedipus. Antigone was the epilogue of the trilogy and the last part of the story but it was the first play to be produced. Oedipus the King was the beginning of the trilogy, where the fate of Oedipus was prophesied, and the rise and fall of Oedipus was chronicled. And Oedipus at Colonus is the middle of the trilogy where Oedipus dies and his sons murder each other thus continuing the eventuality of the prophecy. In Antigone, the final pieces of the tragedy unraveled, thus completing the prophecy of the oracle to Oedipus. In Antigone, the play focuses more on the battle between opposing primary views and concerns. Actually, it was more on opposing pride. Antigone was determined to give his brother an honorable burial despite the fact that the current king blatantly forbids it. She maintains that love is above law and hegemony. Creon, on the other hand, although Polynices is his nephew, forbids the burial on the grounds that it is the law to refuse honorable funerals to traitors. Although the central characters have opposing views, their attributes are very much similar to each other. Both are blinded by their own pride in their decisions. Antigone, when confronted by Creon, refuses to back down despite the fact that Creon threatened her that her sister will be penalized together with her. Antigone, sees her action as a form of â€Å"martydom†. In a way she sees glory in what she had done by â€Å"sacrificing† herself for the sake of his brother, which somewhat preposterous because of the fact that his brother is already dead. Creon, likewise, refuses to change his decision despite his son’s threat of suicide if he condemns Antigone. Although he perceives that his son’s words were not empty threats, he still refused to change his decision. This is because he distinguishes his action as strength of leadership. He mistakes pride for decisive command. Antigone represents moral ascendancy over political law. Creon, on the other hand, symbolizes the primacy of the rule of law above all else. The play attempts to stir the audience to struggle on which side should prevail. Athens, during the time of Sophocles was in its golden age. Democracy has been the highest point of the era. However, there are certain rules of law that exist to govern the democratic state. The play seeks to arouse questions from among the audience. Whether certain personal morals and filial duty should take over the rule of law when the situation calls for it. Or whether the rule of law should always prevail to maintain order in the society. However, Sophocles drives home the point that there are no extreme grounds. Moral ascendancy and the rule of law are invariably intertwined and should be taken into consideration in making a decision. In the play it was the comical messenger that best manifested the careful weighing of consequences of his actions when he pondered to and fro on what to tell Creon. It was him that provided a middle ground. His action was the very reflection of the thoughts of the audience. Towards the end of the play, both Creon and Antigone became so blind of their pride in their decision that they were no longer fighting for what they believe is right. Antigone sees her suicide as a form of sacrilegious immolation as if she was giving herself up for the good of her brother. Likewise, Creon perceives his decision to condemn Antigone as strength of leadership. He thinks that if he pardons Antigone, then he had let Antigone â€Å"win†, that Antigone will emerge to be â€Å"the man† in the battle. Creon’s and Antigone’s greatest folly is their tendency to oversimplify the situation. Antigone reduced the circumstance to moral ascendancy and Creon to the rule of law. Their pride made them blind that their decision will lead to conflict and deliberation. Like all characters of the play, Oedipus’ tragic flaw is his pride. In Oedipus the King, the rise and fall of Oedipus was accounted to his pride. His killing of his father was brought about by his pride, his desire to seek the truth of his identity was driven by pride, his edict of severe punishment to the murderer of Laius was brought about by pride and even is in his lowest moment when he eventually discovered the truth he still clung to the last pieces of his trappings as king. However, there is a great difference in Oedipus’ pride and that of Creon’s and Antigone’s. Antigone claims that it was for her love of her brother that she disobeyed Creon but in reality she puts herself in a pedestal with greater morals than Creon could understand. She masked her pride with proclamations of sacrifice and martyrdom for filial love. Creon, on the other hand, asserts that his actions are but mere implementation of law. However, in truth, Creon revels at the power that he holds upon the kingdom. This is evident even in the play Oedipus the King when Creon demonstrated his newfound power by curtly cutting off Oedipus while he was still mourning his fate. Oedipus pride, however, was disguised as his earnestness. This was exposed when he declared that he would seek all means to end the plague in his nation. He was so earnest in his demonstrations to the people of his intentions to save his kingdom that he himself cemented his doom. Furthermore, in seeking the murderer of Laius, in his earnestness to punish the criminal, he unknowingly condemned himself. More over, when the truth of his identity was slowly untangling, he was so earnest in wanting to discover the whole truth that he made a way for his ruination. In truth, Oedipus was earnest because he wanted to set himself apart from the rest. He wanted to be a great leader in his nation. His exaggerated demonstrations of his intentions to save his nation were masked pride. He clearly wanted to be the â€Å"savior† of his kingdom. He celebrates at the power that he holds upon the people. This is obvious that he dares insult the oracle when he came to his presence. Moreover, being royals, Jocasta and Oedipus had the tendency to invalidate the fate the gods have in store for them. They have countless times declared that the oracle is false. This is clearly a sign of their pride that they could not fathom that there are any other being that is above them. At the end of the play, Oedipus took responsibility of his actions. But even in his broken state he was still proud. It was him who commanded Creon to bury Jocasta as he sees fit and to banish him from his nation. Although he no longer has any real power, he still managed to hold on to his last bits of power as a former king. Oedipus the King ended with Oedipus as a broken man banished from his kingdom and disgraced from the society. In Oedipus at Colonus, we find just that, a broken man. However, his brokenness should not be interpreted as newfound humility. Contrariwise, his decent into brokenness left him embittered. In the play, he again questions his fate. He even questions his sons’ decision in remaining adamant in his exile. The initial scene of the play rightly sets the tone for the story. Antigone was describing their trespass on holy ground that must be corrected with prayers and libation. It is ironing that Oedipus and Antigone, with full knowledge of the wrongness of their action still proceed to commit the deed then proceed to rectify the iniquitous. This is the theme all throughout the play, the characters all seemingly commit an action that they are fully aware that is not correct but still proceed to do so nonetheless. Again all of which is because of pride. When Creon abducts Oedipus’ daughters, Theseus proceeds to rescue them. He pretends that he did so because of honor and duty. However, in reality, Theseus’ primary objective is to save his own kingdom. In this play, most of the characters have hidden agenda. In the first two plays that Sophocles wrote, the characters were forthright with their motives. Antigone and Creon were so brash and obvious in their thoughts and beliefs in Antigone. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus lack of blunt motives led to his destruction. But in the third installment, the characters were more masked in their intentions. Even Oedipus, when he refused to go back to his city, he maintained that it was on the basis of his newfound holiness but in truth it was his pride that kept him from coming back. Why would come back to a city that shunned him? Or to the people that eschewed themselves from him? Moreover, in a confrontation with Polynices, he begins to questions his sons actions on why they were apathetic of his exile. He failed to realize that it was him who commanded Creon to exile him in the first place. Just as he was physically blind, he was also blind from the truth. Even in his deprivation he still was not able to fully see the extent of his mistakes and his pride. In the end, Oedipus’ death was inconsequential. For a character such as him, it is but ironic that his death was portrayed as merely peripheral with only Theseus as witness. Even the lamentations of Ismene and Antigone were not impassionate enough. Sophocles merely pointed out that no matter how great Oedipus was in his former glory, like everyone else, his end is just merely death – a fate that no great man can escape from.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Reflections in the Times of Vietnam essays

Reflections in the Times of Vietnam essays The time is spring, the year is 1961 and president Kennedy has sent 400 special forces into South Vietnam. This was the start of a new era in United States history as well as the beginning of a literary revolution. A time when books had powerful views, and songs were of peace or of governmental corruption, and plays or movies were about gruesome wars in strange jungles. This was a time to express reality in words. Then came the press. All of the governments secrets and lies were exposed. Only a free and understanding press can effectively expose deception in government. [Justice Hugo L. Black 1] on the release of The Pentagon Papers. The people were torn. Some wanted to know, and some liked their own worlds of denial. Still even today there are people who say that we never entered into the Vietnamese conflict. Others are living proof, walking aftershocks in the form of P.O.Ws and victims of the chemical agent orange. All of these people were changed forever. People who wake up in fear due to flashbacks of seeing their friend shot and killed two feet away from them. This is Vietnam, and these are reflections of the times. One of the most influenced areas of literature is drama. Movies that show portrayals of the conflict in Vietnam flood the box offices. For instance 1995s Dead Presidents depicts the gruesome truths of the war. All the drugs and deaths are shown in raw, uncensored reality. This movie paints a picture of how people were turned into killers, boys fresh out of high school forced to kill or die. This is as dark as it gets in American history. Another look at Vietnam is Winston Grooms movie Forest Gump (1994). It illustrates how many people entered the army thinking that it was all fun and games. They come to realize that it is much more than that. The characters are shown spending their days cleaning out foxho ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Mettre les pieds dans le plat - French Expression

Mettre les pieds dans le plat - French Expression Expression: Mettre les pieds dans le plat Pronunciation: [ meh treu lay pyay da(n) leu pla] Meaning: To mess up, to speak with excessive candor, to discuss something inappropriate Literal translation: To put ones feet in the dish Register: Informal Notes You cant help but notice the similarity between the French expression mettre les pieds dans le plat and the English to put ones foot in ones mouth, but they dont mean quite the same thing. The French expression means to bring up a delicate subject without any delicacy at all, or to discuss a topic that everyone else is avoiding. This is probably not embarrassing to the speaker, who just wants to talk about that subject (even if that means unintentionally embarrassing everyone else in the room). The English expression, however, definitely implies embarrassment on the part of the speaker, since it means that youve just committed a social blunder by saying just about anything you shouldnt have, possibly about something that is- was- a secret (such as the person youre talking to getting fired, or you knowing about someones extra-marital affair). This would probably be translated by something generic like faire une gaffe. Examples   Ã‚  Ã‚  Je parle trà ¨s franchement- je mets souvent les pieds dans le plat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  I speak very frankly- often too frankly.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Oh l l, tu as bien mis les pieds dans le plat, l  !   Ã‚  Ã‚  Oh dear, you messed up there!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Foreign direct investment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foreign direct investment - Research Paper Example Lastly, the paper winds down with a thorough discussion of the political and economic reasons that inform governments’ need to intervene in the international trade. Foreign Direct Investment In every economy, the government of any given country defines the benchmark of political, social and economic leadership of that particular country. Government strategizes and sets legal mechanisms intended to drive the given country into ultimate prosperity. Economy is one of the most essential tools used by potential political contestants and prevailing governments to maintain and construct leadership by use of their individual economic policies. The direction of economic policies chosen by a government determines the nature of foreign relationships enjoyed with other nations to be affected by the set policies. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is one aspect of the economy that is capable of dictating the foreign relationship to be enjoyed between or among partnering nations. Foreign Direc t Investment occurs when a given business institution from a given country opens or transfers its operations to another foreign country (Kuepper, 2012). The main advantages of FDI are creation of new job opportunities for the host or receiving economy, and increase in tax margins received by the host government. FDI carries with it integrated technology and technical experts to the host country, which is usually in the class of developing countries. Despite its advantages, FDI being a form of investment from another country, tend to create a lot of discomfort on the recipient economy if not regulated. Kuepper (2012) indicates that one of the fears necessitate government’s intervention revolves around the fate of the domestic industries in the face of foreign direct investment. It is a normal practice in business that for any new entrant to survive in the foreign market, it has to offer its goods and services at relatively lower prices than the existing firms. The new entrant may also have to enhance the quality of its products and services to compete the existing ones to an extent of leading to closure of the local firms. These possible practices pose significant threats to the domestic firms, which justifies the role of government to set sustainable policies to foresee equitable sharing of the market and raw materials to the benefit of the entire economy. Technology, trademarks and patent rights are of great essential to the operation of any world class or highly innovative firm. Foreign firms lobbying for FDI may prove risky when it comes to technological leaks, breach of patent rights and misuse of established trademarks. To cushion the domestic firms from the negative effects of FDI, government’s involvement in the FDI will play a great role as it will help in protecting and defending the local firms. In addition, FDI are known by many governments as among the strategies to raise national income and government’s revenues. Governmentâ⠂¬â„¢s intervention is of great importance as it helps in the computation and determination of tax margins to impose on the arriving firms. It is noteworthy that every country has certain unique economic policies enforced on the local business institutions and organizations. Businesses investing in other foreign countries are likely to carry with them operational laws used in the original country. Some