Law and Legal Instrumentalism Essay

Law, a set of coherent rules and values within a society, is a human process. As such, it is crucial to approach its application within society in a pragmatic and realistic sense rather than a formal one, which views law as a set of mechanical and abstract principles. A legal realist approach on law takes into account extra-legal factors which help shape how law is used within a social context. This approach does not view the discipline of law as a literal set of principles to be formally detected and applied, but recognizes that the interpretation of law by legal actors is manipulated by situational factors. BrianTamanaha in Law as a Means to an End: Threat to the Rule of Law examines how law, originally understood as an â€Å"instrumental to serve the social good†, is now just a mere instrument to further the goals and agendas of those who have access in its use (Tamanaha, 4). In essence, the notion of a common â€Å"social good† is no longer a qualifiable condition of law. In a complex, multi-faceted society, it is optimistic to presume that there is a true identifiable social good. Thus, lawyers, legislatures, judges and other legal actors are capable of using law to further their personal or collective political, social and economic interests. Tamanaha examines the ways in which legal actors, specifically cause litigants and judges, instrumentally exercise law. Thus, the term instrumentalism, a form of legal realism, is a pragmatic method which stems away from a formal application of law by critically examining cause litigation and judicial activism. Although law may be used as a mechanism to achieve a certain outcome, it is not used lawlessly and without merit as lawyers are advocating for a broad social cause and judges use law based on the merits of the constitution, given the benefit of time and postulated reason of their decision making. Brown, a case regarding segregation within the United States emerged with lawyers stirring up lawsuits by informing African American citizens of their legal rights (Tamanaha 159). The process of instigating litigation was previously prohibited in common law practice; it was not professionally ethical for lawyers to set lawsuits in motion. However, it became increasingly common for lawyers to achieve change in public policy and legislation by fighting for a specific cause within the judicial arena. This ethod was forward-looking in that the courts became a battle field for interest groups seeking remedial change; the decision of the law was not necessarily to compensate for any harm inflicted in the past, but to change the policy in the future. This expansion from the traditional bilateral litigation no longer was to award the affected parties with compensation, but became a method to attain a reformative decree (Tamanaha 161). Eventually, cause litigation was an encouraged means to a dvance societal goals, in the sectors of environment protection, political reform and mental health, to name a few (Tamanaha 160). Although such issues of public policy appear to benefit society as a whole, the intent of the cause lawyers who instigate such legal actions is questionable to Tamanaha. The lawyers in these situations are no longer amoral technicians of law, but individuals who seek their own ideological implementation (Tamanaha 156). The cause which lawyers strive towards becomes the primary concern, whereas the clients themselves are secondary, fulfilling the standing requirement before the court (Tamanaha 156). This can be very detrimental to the clients because they may not be aware of the consequences of their legal actions. For instance, Baehr v. Lewin, 1993 was a successful lawsuit brought forth to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii. Although the litigants won, the ultimate consequence was detrimental; following it was a series of amendments nation-wide which prohibited same-sex marriage (Tamanaha 167). The battlefield within the court became not a place to determine legal rights, but a remedial catalyst in public policy. Such political battles focus on adversarial ideologies rather than legal rules and merit. However, the work of cause litigants cannot be narrowly categorized as one that is purely self-serving. More often than not, cause lawyers instigate lawsuits by informing the oppressed and disadvantaged of their rights. By doing so, they use law to encourage political change to the otherwise uninformed public. These causes often grow to become social movements as it â€Å"provides the basis for a sustained series of interactions between power holders and persons successfully claiming to speak on behalf of a constituency lacking formal representation (Austin 2)†. This formal epresentation demands change from the power holders with a strong backing of social support. Often, these groups lack the resources and skills which lawyers can provide, offering their advice to enlighten the marginalized group to â€Å"initiate and nurture political mobilization† (Austin 4). The instrumental use of law by judges is immensely threatening to the judicial system and to a democratic soc iety as a whole. Judges who use law to achieve a certain outcome undermines the rule of law. The legal system requires that judges be objective arbitrators of the law. As independent bodies, it is essential that they remain impartial in their decision making and delegate based on rule, and not personal preferences (Tamanaha 227). This is a crucial aspect of the rule of law, which binds the action of the state to pre-fixed rules, placing judges equal under and before the law, just as all other subjects of society. The rule of law ensures transparency and predictability which prevents the government from ruling coercively. It is an essential component to a democratic state. However, when judges decide a cases, they may be inclined to achieve a particular result. In essence, they are using laws to achieving another end, namely one that strengthens their own ideological beliefs and interests. Whether it is a certain political philosophy or a particular social policy which they seek, arbitrarily decided cases and manipulated law enforcement defeats the characteristics of the judicial branch of the state. Because there is no particular hierarchy of values, judges are able to promote some while extinguishing others. The general terms of legal rules allows judges to focus on the consequences of their decision. Their decisions will naturally be based on their political affiliations or ideological tendencies. Consequently, it is difficult to believe that judges are truly impartial in decision making. The result of judicial activism is that private attitudes become public law (Tamanaha 234). Furthermore, the procedural process of the case takes a backwards approach; the decision is made first, then it is justified by the legal rules which judges find applicable (Tamanaha 236) Nevertheless, there is a certain form of procedure which judges are bound to. Although values are not ranked hierarchically, there are two forms of rights obtained from the constitution: specified rights and secondary rights (Bork 17). The latter is of utmost importance as it addresses the values held by the constitution, such as the right to vote or procedures in criminal processing, all which the courts need to protect (Bork 17). The former alludes to the principled rules which the original framers of the text intended to convey (Bork 17). Because constitutional law does not have a concrete theoretical premise on which adjudicators are required to base their decision making processes on, they are founded on neutral principles. That is, issues are addressed based on general principles postulated on reason to ensure that conflicting values are not lawlessly chosen over one another (Bork 2). Granted, there are adversaries in the legal principles to which judges ascribe. Therefore, it is critical for the judges to recognize that in deciding cases, they are setting legal precedent, and therefore should have a firm belief that the values being applied are done so lawfully. These beliefs are in relation to the legal system as a whole, not their personal preferences (Bork 2). Ultimately, Bork’s concern lies not with the decisions made by judges but what makes their decisions legitimate. The courts essentially work as advocates for the minority who otherwise would have no say on the issue at hand. Helping the powerless realize their rights is a form of advocacy that judges take. It is not about undermining the rule of law, but giving opportunity to access the law (Bork 3). Nevertheless, it is crucial for judges to base their decisions off of neutral principles; just as principles and values cannot be applied lawlessly, they just the same cannot be defined lawlessly (Bork 8). The critical examination of judicial review goes beyond it’s obvious implications and expositions of undermining the rule of rule. It is unfair to presume that judges are completely unreasoned in their decision making. There is a level of predictability as judges are bound to legal precedent and cannot decide cases in an tyrannical manner. Although the courts are not elected officials who are granted the power to delegitimize legislation, they are in many ways better equipped in making such decisions. For instance, the courts are distanced from political or social pressure allows them to make sound decisions in a timely matter. Elected officials tend to act on expediency and pressure when it comes to making value-based decisions (Bickel 25). Essentially, they are inclined towards one side of the issue in order to appeal to the interest of the predominate voters, as opposed to abiding to the fundamental values of law (Bickel 25). Judges on the other hand make decisions far from societal pressures, with more leeway in terms of time. This gives the courts the ability to make more calculated decisions, taking into consideration not only the fundamental values of the state but also the unforeseen implications of a decision. (Bickel 26) In dealing with the pith and substance of a case, decisions are argued to be â€Å"sober second thoughts† (Bickel 26). Ultimately, the use of law within a judicial context by judges and lawyers is not an arbitrarily unfair process. Such legal actors are bound to the values of the laws within society. Such values are premised on the rule of law, the foundational concept of a democratic society. Cause litigants are often involved in social issues and advocate for those who require a formal delegate. These cause lawyers may use law in such a way to achieve a certain outcome, but this outcome results in change in public policy to those who are otherwise be unaware of their legal rights. Moreover, although judges may have their own social desires and political preferences, they cannot easily sway towards them. Their professional duty requires them to be consciously rule-bound and rely on the precedent. Further, the basis of their decision is on neutral principles. Such principles are not vague and abstract, but stem from the precedent of previous judges in common law. Instrumentalism is pragmatic in that it recognizes that law is not a math; there is not a formula which judges rely on. However, social movements and changes through the judiciary ensures that fresh insight is continuously brought about within society, giving room for social change and progress.

Human Existence Essay

1. The origins of the majority of human existence in North America began with migrations from Eurasia over the Bering Strait. 2. The first truly complex society in the Americas was that of the Olmec. 3. Cahokia was a large trading center located near what present-day city? St. Louis. 4. The agricultural practices of pre-Columbian tribes in the Northeast were characterized by a rapid exploitation of the land. 5. The preeminent European maritime power in the fifteenth century was Portugal. 6. Christopher Columbus  thought the world was much smaller than it was in reality. 7. Amerigo Vespucci  helped popularize the idea that the Americas were new continents. 8. What European explorer gave the Pacific Ocean its name? Ferdinand Magellan 9. Encomienda was  the right to exact tribute and labor from natives. 10. The first permanent Spanish settlement in what is now the United States was St. Augustine. 11. In what way did sixteenth-century Europeans benefit from trade between the Americas and Europe? A large number of new crops became available in Europe. 12. Which of the following was NOT introduced by Europeans to the New World?  Corn. 13. The portion of west Africa that provided the majority of slaves for the Spanish Empire of the sixteenth century had well-developed economies and political systems. 14. African and American Indian societies tended to be matrilineal, which means that people traced their heredity through their mothers. 15. In the fifteenth century, slavery in Africa  generally allowed certain legal protections to the enslaved. 16. The European countries that controlled the African slave trade did so in which chronological order, from earliest to latest? the Portuguese, the Dutch, the English 17. What condition in England in the sixteenth century provided an incentive for colonization? The availability of farmland was declining, while the population was growing. 18. In what way were Martin Luther and John Calvin important to English Puritans? Luther and Calvin advocated ideas of religious reform that influenced Puritan thought. 19. The teachings of John Calvin  produced a strong desire among his followers to lead lives that were virtuous. 20. The English Reformation resulted from  a political dispute between King Henry VIII and the Catholic Church. 21. The English concluded from their colonial experiences in Ireland that English colonists should maintain a rigid separation from the indigenous population.

Small Alex Saves the Big Boys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Small Alex Saves the Big Boys - Essay Example It was the tradition in that village that the boys had to get fruits from the forest for their families every week. However, the boys were warned never to go near the river as it was believed to be inhabited by giants. Despite his size, Alex would always go with his age mates to gather fruits, as tradition demanded. However, Alex dreaded those journeys with the big boys to the forest. Once in the forest, the big boys would easily reach for fruits on big trees and soon their baskets would be full. On the other hand, Alex always had to struggle to reach the trees and this made him much slower than the others in filling his basket. The big boys would take advantage and go to the river to swim. They would swim and play until they saw Alex coming with his basket and then they would join him in going home. Every time, the big boys would make Alex swear that he would not report them to their elders that they had swum. â€Å"Will you report us to the elders?† they would ask Alex. â₠¬Å"No, I will not! I will never report you† Alex would answer in fright. â€Å"Good, because if you do, we will feed you to the giants the next time we come to the forest! Ha! Ha! Ha!† the group leader would threaten sarcastically. â€Å"Ha! Ha! Ha!† the other boys would join in laughter. Alex really hated himself for being so small and for â€Å"looking like a girl† that he could not defend himself from the big boys. â€Å"God I really hate this body! My hands and feet are too tiny and I am too short!† Alex would always complain whenever he was alone. â€Å"Why can’t I be as big as boys my age? Why can’t I swim with them in the river? Why can’t I defend myself from them?† Alex would wonder to himself and tears would roll up in his beautiful blue eyes. One day, the boys were sent to gather fruits as was the custom. Just like they had done in the past, they quickly filled their baskets then ran to the river to swim, leavin g Alex behind. After Alex had filled his basket, he started strolling down the path leading to river, on the way home. Suddenly, there was a loud roar from behind him. â€Å"HA! HA! HA! HA! Today is my lucky day! I have one more boy to eat!† a loud voice thundered. Alex almost fainted when he turned around. The biggest giant anyone had ever seen was standing right behind him. The giant had one eye, a big mouth, four hands, and two feet. Upon looking closely, Alex saw one of the big boys in the hands of the giant. Alex dropped his basket and started running as fast as he could, calling the other boys. â€Å"I already swallowed all the others, you are next!† said the giant as it swallowed the boy it had been holding. Alex was terrified. As the giant reached out to grasp him, due to his small size, Alex was able to slip through the fingers of the giant and climb up a tree. Up on the tree, Alex remembered a story he had heard. It claimed that giants had one more eye at the back and that if someone hit that eye, the giant would drop dead. To his amazement, Alex realized that the giant had an additional eye at the back of its head. Alex reached out and grabbed a branch, pulled at it with all his strength then hit the giant’s eye. The giant fell with a thunderous sound and Alex climbed down the tree, ran home and informed the elders. Soon, the giant was slain and all the boys it had swallowed were taken out of its stomach. All the big boys thanked Alex for saving their lives and apologized for having mistreated him on previous occasions. That evening, a celebration was held in honor of Alex,

Critical Evaluation of Network Diversity and Benefits in Innovation Essay

Critical Evaluation of Network Diversity and Benefits in Innovation - Essay Example Network structure Woolcock and Narayan (2000) develop their considerations, considering social capital as a potential bridge among policymakers, practitioners and scholars. In case people generate a positive atmosphere of cooperation, they are able to continue their relations in a favorable atmosphere. Social capital is a social bond among different networks. The main goal for people in terms of any social network is to find and sustain the development and support of their social activities (Fukuyama, 1995). The concepts of socializing and economic performance are closely related and there is a need to anchor bounds between these two concepts. Under conditions of networks creation, people are able to develop different behavioral templates and be focused on their mutual cooperation and common goals succeeding (Lee, 2009). Social interaction can be considered from a different prospect, when closed networks are acting against other social groups. For example, activities of mafias and di fferent aspects of corruption can be positioned as negative outcomes of closed networks. Shumpeter- social capital and resource combinations Social capital for Shumpeter is activity of people, directed on innovations development. Moreover, the scientist was not focused on the goal of enrichment as a final goal of innovations implementation. The goal of commercialization may not always correlate with the goal of innovations (Fukuyama, 1995). . Different spheres of human activities are connected with innovations and it is hard to claim that the final goal for social capital activities is enrichment. Social capital combines its efforts in order to develop its knowledge, to develop and introduce more valuable and innovative policies in the field of activity (Fukuyama, 1995). He was also focused on â€Å"combinatory† activity, when the members of social groups acted like entrepreneurs, while performing â€Å"the entrepreneurial function†. In these terms Schumpeter considere d possible ways for innovations and long-term economic change. Schumpeter was focused on a dynamic approach for economic development, because only through innovations it was possible to reach success. Mutual interaction of entrepreneurs and the combination of their efforts in the field of innovations could result in creation of new opportunities (Schumpeter, 1970). At first, Schumpeter was focused on the individual role of the entrepreneur, which should be innovative and motivate the team of an entrepreneur to creation of new ideas. The main role of the entrepreneur was to correctly combine innovative practices and ideas of the members of his team. Further on, Schumpeter was focused on the important role of the team as the leading moving force of the company’s progress. The entrepreneur performed a function of a new combinations’ manager (Schumpeter, 1970). . Innovations of a social group are considered to be a routine practice, while the entrepreneur should constantly be focused on â€Å"new commodity or producing an old one in a new way, by opening up a new source of supply of materials or a new outlet for products, by reorganizing an industry and so on† (Schumpeter 1970, p. 132). A â€Å"large corporations† is working in the name of a common goal. Concept of social capital-diversity In the modern globalized world the limits of the society are blurred. Still, it is evident that the concept of social c

An analysis of HRM methods used in order to maintain low staff Essay

An analysis of HRM methods used in order to maintain low staff turnover at Burger king - Essay Example No matter what the size of an organization is or the amount of its resources, the organization survives and thrives because of abilities and capabilities of the people working there. The activities to maximize that ability and those capabilities are essential as to improve the performance of the workers. These activities are called human resource management and are the responsibility of all people in the organization (Heathfield, 2011). The organizational function, Human Resource Management (HRM) includes a range of activities that deals with issues related to employees such as; recruiting and training the best employees, dealing with performance issues, ensuring they are working efficiently and giving their best, deciding what staffing needs the company has and ensuring management practices conform to the regulations. The HRM function also includes organization development, employee motivation, communication, administration, wellness, safety, compensation and benefits. HRM is a comp rehensive and strategic approach to managing the workplace environment and culture, and the people. Effective Human Resource Management enables the workforce to contribute productively and efficiently to the overall organization direction and towards the achievement of the organization's objectives and goals. HRM is the strategic utilization of the employees through which the company expect to add value to its products (Heathfield, 2011). STAFF TURNOVER Staff turnover is the rate at which an employer or an organization loses or gains employees. Simple way to describe staff turnover is how long employees tend to stay at the company. If an organization is said to have a high turnover comparative to its competitors, that means that workers of that organization have a shorter average tenure than those of other organizations in the same industry. High turnover may be damaging to a company's  productivity  if the skilled employees are frequently leaving and the worker population consi sts of a high portion of trainee workers. There a lot of factors that affect staff turnover, some are within the organizations control while others are completely beyond the control of the organization. One of the most common reasons given for leaving a particular company is the availability of higher paying job in some other firm. Some low wage employees are reported to leave a job for another that pays only fifty cents more per hour. The performance of the company is another element that plays part in staff turnover. If the firm is not performing well and is perceived to be in economic difficulty, this will also raise the spectre of imminent layoffs. Employees believe that it is sensible to look for other employment. The organizational culture; the capability of the company to obtain a sense of commitment on the part of workforce, the power of management, and the firm’s development of a sense of shared goals influences indices of job satisfaction as turnover rate and turnov er intentions. Some jobs are inherently more attractive than others. A job's attractiveness is affected by many characteristics, challenge, repetitiveness, danger, capability to elicit a sense of achievement and perceived importance. The status of the job is also significant, so are many other factors. Another aspect that affect staff turnover is the general lack of knowledge and unrealistic expectations that job applicants may have about when they receive

Assess the possible explanation for enduring forms of discrimination Essay

Assess the possible explanation for enduring forms of discrimination at the workplace. Discuss the reasons why employers should - Essay Example Hence, employment defines one’s inclusion or exclusion in social groupings. Other than this, Robinson’s (2013) study also found workplace discrimination to be counterproductive because the bases of hiring, retention, or promotion are bias and tend to be unrelated to productivity. On the contrary on a broader perspective, Burchardt (2000) argues that the more inclusive employment hiring can be; the wider tax base the government can have; and the smaller out-of-work benefit expenditure and the lesser health and social services spending, the government has to give. Therefore, workplace discrimination works not only against employees and the company but the national economy as a whole. Various international and national laws illegalising discrimination at the workplace have been passed and updated to ensure the observance of equality and fairness in workplaces. However, enduring forms of discrimination at workplaces, like race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability, and sexual orientation – to which Robinson (2013) simply coined as REGARDS for easier remembering – are consistently confirmed by various studies like those of Pager and Shepherd (2008)

Resume Application Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Resume Application Letter - Assignment Example I possess good communication skills, necessary for financial reporting and making book keeping entries. I fully understand all the concepts involved in reconciling the general ledger accounts. I am also well versed in preparing and reconciling bank statements as well as filing and processing tax returns. I have proved my capability and efficiency in this area through acting as the assistant staff accountant during my internship, where I prepared all the necessary financial statements for the organization and filed all the returns. In reference to my resume, I am well equipped with strong computer skills, which are required in financial statements analysis. I have learnt the value of excellent customer service skills during my training and internship, which I will import to your organization. After reading the core values of your organization, I am pleased to understand that you value team work, which is the basic professional value that I

Midterm1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Midterm1 - Assignment Example These abiotic factors are broadly classified  into three categories climatic factors, edaphic factors and inorganic substances. Climatic factors include the climate regime and physical factors of the environment such as humidity, atmospheric temperature, wind and light among others. Edaphic factors are related to the structure and composition of soil including its chemical and physical properties such as soil profile, soil type, minerals, soil water, soil organisms and organic matter. The last category of inorganic and organic substances include; water, sulphur, phosphorous, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and human substances. Biotic factors comprise of the living part of the ecosystem. They include any living thing that affects another organism (eoearth.org). Biotic community is divided into heterotrophs, authotrophs and saprotrophs. Autotrophs also known as producers or convertors are photosynthetic plant, generally bearing chlorophyll, which produces high-energy complex organic compounds form inorganic raw materials. In terrestrial ecosystem, autotrophs are mainly rooted plants. Floating plants e.g. phytoplankton and shallow water rooted plants are the autotrophs in aquatic ecosystem. Heterotrophs are known as consumers, which are generally animals feeding on other organisms. They consist of mainly carnivores and herbivores. Lastly, saprotrophs break down complex organic compounds of dead matter. ... These roles are because of natural processes of a total ecological sub-system of that it is a part. In turn, this natural processes result to complex interactions among abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems through the general driving forces of energy and matter (Fisher al et, 648). Ecosystem has four basic functions; regulatory functions, habitat functions, production functions and information functions. Regulatory group of functions relates to the capacity of both natural and semi-natural ecosystems to regulate essential ecological processes by bio-geochemical cycles and other biosphere processes. Natural ecosystems provide habitat functions. Wild plants and animals take refuge in the natural ecosystem. Consequently, this contributes to conservation of genetic and biological diversity in the evolutional process. It also regulates change and stability of a region. Another function is the production function. Photosynthesis and nutrient uptake by autotrophs converts carbon diox ide, energy, nutrients and water into a wide variety of carbohydrate structure, which are later used by secondary producers to make an even bigger variety of living biomass. This diversity in structure of carbohydrate provides many ecosystems with goods for human consumption. Lastly natural ecosystem provide an essential ‘reference function’ and lead to maintenance of human health by providing opportunities for spiritual enrichment, reflection, aesthetic and recreation experience. The Diablo Range is a mountain range, located in the eastern San Franciso Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California. It is perceived as an intact ecosystem has it has both biotic and abiotic

Water first Essay Example for Free

Water first Essay The film captures the inspiring story of Charles Banda, a man who has dedicated his life to providing clean and safe water to the people of Malawi. It was this dedication that saw him turn down a political office offer from none other than the country’s president. If you were to ask anyone in Africa what a political appointment means in that side of the world then you would understand the depth of his commitment to provide water to the impoverished citizens of Malawi, a poor sub-Saharan nation of 12 million people with serious water deficiency. However, back to the film, and something one gets from the film is how grave the consequences of not having water are. The film avoids going in to those morbid details that have sometimes characterized films coming out of Africa and other third world countries. The film captures the green countryside showing a large water reservoir then moves on to show girls moving in a brownish environment (a symptom of dryness) carrying heavy loads in their heads- presumably water. Another scene shows a girl drawing water from a shallow well. The water she is drawing cannot be particularly termed as clean by any standards. It may not even qualify to wash utensils in a lower class neighborhood in Harlem. There are many other scenes of interest, but in the overall, the director does present a picture of the situation as it is in a majority of the African nations and other developing countries without taking away too much of their dignity. In addition, the film also presents some crucial numbers such as the number of people lacking clean water. Relationship between water and the millennium development goals (MDGs) The millennium development goals were arrived at in 2000 by a United Nations declaration and it is envisioned that its targets are to be reached by 2015. There are 8 goals in total, and watching the film, I have a clear picture of the central role to be played by water in the attainment of each of the eight goals. There are two women in the film who give us the common diseases in their communities and among them; cholera and dysentery emerge as some of the most common. You will hardly hear of these diseases in the developed world, and even when they happen they do not come in catastrophic proportions. They are mostly isolated. Yet, for African countries such as Malawi, cholera epidemics are not uncommon. Of importance however, is how the girl child is affected by lack of water. Goal three of the millennium development goals is to promote gender equality and empower women. This goal cannot be achieved if the girls are going to continue carrying the heavy loads for long distances as we saw in the film. Unfortunately, most of the countries that are yet to achieve the MDGs are mostly composed of patriarchal societies. These societies hardly value the place of the woman and for that reason; the women are treated as second class citizens. They are mostly confined to lowly duties such as fetching water, cooking, washing utensils and taking care of small children. Men, on the other hand, get to do more valuable jobs, most of which concern taking care of property. In fact, in such societies, women do not own property-they are properties themselves. Most of the roles listed for women will need water to perform and it is therefore incumbent upon them to ensure that they have enough water supplies. Given that scenario, we can then expect that water shortages will hardly affect men because they have no urgent need for it. As we have seen from the film, it is the girl child who is always out in the wild going to fetch water and one wonders whether she has the same chance of doing well in school in comparison with the boys. Long term empowerment of women cannot be achieved if the girls do not have equal access to education like their male counterparts. Of course, much more than the mere provision of water has to be done, but it has to be the starting point. After providing the water, civic education may then be done to get the society to appreciate the role education will play in the life of the girl child. An equally important area covered by the film is goal number two. This is the area of achieving universal primary education. By this declaration, it is hoped that by the year 2015, primary education will be a universal right for every child. For the girl child however, the right to education must go beyond the promulgation of such a policy. They have more specialized needs in terms of sanitation and without water then their school attendance cannot be guaranteed especially during menstruation periods. That means that their rights to education cannot be guaranteed because of water. Has the United Nations been successful? So far, the UN has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at easing the strain on the available water resources. It has even predicted that future wars will be fought over water resources as opposed to the current wars, most of which are based on territorial disputes. The issue of water shortage cannot be addressed wholly; it requires addressing the underlying issues that cause it. The range of factors may include global warming, desertification and rapid industrialization. Although the UN does not explicitly list water as a basic human right, it does include access to food as a basic human right. It is hard for food to exist without water and it can therefore be assumed that the UN considers water a basic human rights. It cannot however be said that the organization has been successful at addressing the issue of water accessibility in most of the developing countries. The film gives a figure of 1 billion people as being unable to access water because of their inability to afford it yet most governments are busy privatizing the provision of water. An important lesson from the film is that water provision should have a social approach. The waterman in the film has been largely successful in his efforts because his social approach has enabled him to mobilize substantial resources for use in the sinking of wells. The developing countries are clearly not prepared to commercialize the provision of water because a substantial part of its population still does not have access to it. To that end, the UN needs to do more to dissuade these countries from commercializing the provision of such a basic commodity. Would I recommend the film? The situation in Malawi is representative of how the general situation is in most of the developing countries and especially those in Africa. I would recommend the film to anyone interested in getting a feel of what the average person in a country without water is going through. Those of us in the developed countries take too many things for granted. Many cannot fathom life without the running water or electricity. Many of those in the developed world get to learn about the problems facing other citizens of the world from national geographic channels or Hollywood movies such as blood diamonds. Although they are made in Africa or whichever continent, their objectives are mainly commercial and may not therefore, have the patience or motivation to develop a wholesome picture of the situation. The film attempts to give a balanced view of the situation without having to apportion blame, either to the government or the communities. It simply calls our attention to the problems existing in these countries and leaves the rest to our own judgments. I therefore propose the film to anyone intent on understanding the development needs in these countries. Works Cited UNDP. Millennium Development Goals. 05 Apr 2010 http://www. undp. org/mdg/basics. shtml.

The Cause of WWI Essay Example for Free

The Cause of WWI Essay WWI started in 1914 and ended in 1918. WWI was known as the Great war before WW2 happened as it was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Also the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand has been blamed as the catalyst for WWI (Spielvogel Book). The major players in WWI were the Triple Entente- Britain, France, Russia and the Triple Alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy. The reason for the assassination was because of Nationalism, Militarism and the Alliance that played the biggest part. Learning about WWI helps us understand todays conflicts because for example the geographic lines that were drawn after WWI in the middle east is a huge driver of modern conflicts with the fall of the Ottoman empire and Persia, plus there is a lot of more facts that would help us understand more. Nationalism is a force that can be positive, together a nations people, or negative, from national pride resulting in negative conflicts (Norman 571). Sadly in this case, nationalism was a negative act that played a part in ass the assassination. National tensions had risen so high that even the slightest wrong doing of a nations rights by another might be considered a cause for war. Serbians wanted to expand the size of their country to include places outside Serbia that had ethnic Serbian populations living in them, what they want is a bigger country they will call Greater Serbia this will include places like Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and would mean taking chunks out of other neighboring countries like Romania. They want all the Serbian people to live together in one country, but they dont want these people to move to the current Serbia they want Serbia to take over the countries that these people live in. Now the way nationalism played a role in the assassination is because if the Serb terrorists had not killed Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, Austria would have never declared war on Serbia. The reason why the Serb terrorists killed Franz Ferdinand was because they did not like an Austrian ruler ruling a Serb country thus making an act of nationalism. So that gives you a better understanding of why nationalism played a huge role in the assassination. One other major factor that played a major role in the assassination was Militarism. Militarism is the belief in having a strong army force and navy (Joll 575). This belief led to an arms race in Europe, which was when the countries were making more deadlier weapons than their rival nations. 65 million men were mobilized during WW1, and 8. 5 million were killed, 21 million were wounded, and 7. 7 million were POWs. So just over 1 in 7 soldiers were killed a further 1 in 3 were wounded and 1 in 9 were captured. So over half of all soldiers that took part were killed, wounded or captured. Britain was an island nation and thus wanted to rule the waves. militarism leads to suspicion and thus it was one of the causes. Also Eight to Ten million soldiers swallowed each other up and when they did they eat up all Europe more bare than any swarm (Engels 153). So now as you can see how militarism had a big affect on everyone in the assassination. The last factor that took place in the cause of the assassination was the alliance. The Alliance was probably the second biggest factor in the assassination because militarism was directly because of industrial revolution, and everyone had nationalism but alliances made it a world war (McCutcheon 566). Alliances drew everyone into a big fight when it should have been a internal issue. Europes major powers had been divided into the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (Britain, France, and Russia). The alliance system did cause WWI to the extent of the size of the war by bringing and pulling countries in to the war. The triple alliance promised each country to provide military support in the case of war. When the Triple Entente was created, it did not ask for reciprocal arrangements for support, though it did allow a large variety of arrangements and negotiations to occur. One negotiation was the support in war though. Alliances pulled countries into the war because if they werent followed, a consequence of retaliation would be expected. The alliance system was a major cause of the assassination because it had produced preventable tensions, but was incapable to resolve long-term issues, and created unrealistic expectations among the countries involved. Nationalism, Militarism and Alliance were the major causes in the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Todays and WWI conflicts are similar in a way because back then there was a major revolution in military technology, but no change in tactics, and today we have adapted our tactics to our technology. Another way todays Conflicts and WWI have similarities is there was a lot of new Technology never seen before in world war 1 like tanks, machine guns and airplanes. Today there is new technology in the war against terrors. A difference between WWI and todays conflict is that back then we were fighting nations and alliances, today we are fighting for fanatic terrorists who take no regard towards any code of honor, Its all out kill. A nation will die when all the weapons are taken away (Zola 559). Learning about WWI does help us understand about todays conflicts in many ways.

Mineral Resource in Ecofriendly Invertebrate Powder

Mineral Resource in Ecofriendly Invertebrate Powder A SEARCH OF BIO MACRO AND MICRO MINERAL RESOURCE IN ECOFRIENDLY INVERTEBRATE POWDER: Eudrilus eugeniae J. Anitha, R. Selvakumar  and Indira A. Jayraaj Abstract Quantification of macro and micro nutrients from earthworm (Eudrilus eugeniae) was aimed and successfully elucidated in the present study. Macro minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, nitrogen and sodium and micro or trace elements like iron, selenium, zinc, copper, sulphur, Nickel, Chromium and molybdenum was assayed using colorimeter, Micro-Kjeldahl method, flame photometer, EDTA Titrimetric method and specifically atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). From the study, it is evident that the earthworm powder of E. eugeniae is a rich source of macrominerals (Calcium and Magnesium) and trace elements (Iron and selenium) together with notable quantities of other important elements, indicating that this earthworm contain potentially useful quantities of many nutrients that are critical to the health of the humans and animals who consume them. Keywords: AAS, Earthworm powder, Eudrilus eugeniae, Metals, Macro minerals. Introduction Metals are nutrients in soil are absorbed by plants, transferred to animals and men by food chains, and finally return to the soil. Earthworms are found virtually worldwide and live in almost any type of soil that contains the right amounts of moisture and organic particles and of various sizes and colors [1]. It has dense nutritional content because of their soil based origin [2]. The earthworm is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine [3]. Although Wallace [4;5] reported more than 100 years ago the inclusion of earthworms in diets of Amerindian tribal) populations little is known about the nutritive value of those edible invertebrates [6]. Extracting medicinal compounds from the earthworm has traditionally been practiced by indigenous people throughout the world, more particularly in Asia [7]. Previous earthworm studies have shown its antimicrobial [3] hepatoprotective [4], anticancer [8] and scar wound healing characteristics [9]. The anti-inflammatory activity together with antiox idant properties seems to be due to the high polyphenolic content in earthworm tissue [10]. Moreover, crude earthworm extract has a thrombolytic effect that could significantly promote blood circulation to remove stasis [11]. Minerals are the nutrients that exist in the body, and are as essential as our need for oxygen to sustain life. Minerals are also found in organic and inorganic combinations in food. It plays a vital role for all mental and physical processes including for total well being. They are most important factors in maintaining all physiological processes, are constituents of the teeth, bones, tissues, blood, muscle, and nerve cells [12]. Therefore, since the drive of animal farmers worldwide is to source for cheaper means of nutritive dietary supplement which may replace fishmeal wholly or partly in animal diet and also supply micro and macro-nutrients [13]. Considering the above facts the present study was aimed to quantify macro and micro or trace mineral profile of earthworm species Eudrilus eugeniae. Materials and methods Collection of earthworm The earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae was collected from Aarthi farms, Kondegoundanpalayam village, Pollachi Taluk, Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India. The collected species were cultured under optimal conditions in compost yard at Kongunadu Arts and Science College Premises, Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu, India, for further use. Processing of earthworm The earthworms were washed with running tap water to remove any dirt from body surface. The earthworms were kept in 0.5% NaCl at room temperature for 1-2h with few changes of solution until their digestive systems were clean. Cleaned earthworms are taken and dried at 65-800C in forced draught, stainless-steel lined ovens. Ground the samples completely to a particle size of less than 1mm, and mixed thoroughly before a sub sample of suitable size is stored for analysis. Store the samples in a clearly labelled, airtight, glass or polycarbonate containers to prevent samples from contamination. Storage at room temperature is sufficient, but long term storage of reference material requires freezing. Re-dry the samples at 650C for 12 hours prior to weighing for heavy metal analysis. Digestion of earthworm Weigh 0.5 1 g sample accurately into acid washed 250 ml digest tubes. Add 6 10 ml concentrated HNO3, swirl to mix sample and acid. Place tubes onto a Tecator 40 system, or similar set at 1000C for 2 hours. Reduce the total volume to 1 ml. The sample solution becomes thick slurry. Remove samples from digestion block; allow cooling and diluting to 10 or 20 ml with deionized water. Allow samples to settle (minimum 2 hours, preferably overnight), and filter through Whatman No. 40 filter paper or centrifuge at 6000 rpm for 15 minutes. Run at least two digest blanks with samples. The schematic representation of analytical procedure of minerals is given in figure1. Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the micro and macro nutrient analytical procedure Method of mineral analysis The processed earthworm powder was subjected to quantification of macro minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, nitrogen and sodium) and micro or trace elements (iron, selenium, zinc, copper, sulphur, nickel, chromium and molybdenum) using the methods of Jackson [14] for spectrophotometer (Perkin elmer Lamada EZ201), flame photometer (Cole-Parmer, 500731), EDTA Titrimetric and specifically atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Hitachi Z9000) [15;16]. Results The selected earthworm species, E. eugeniae was successfully converted into powdered and subjected to mineral analysis in that six macro minerals namely calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium and eight trace elements like iron selenium, zinc, copper, sulphur, nickel, chromium and molybdenum was noticed and are depicted in table 1 and 2. Table 1: Macrominerals content in EWP (E. eugeniae) Table 2: Microminerals or trace elements content in EWP (E. eugeniae) The trend observed in macrominerals of E. eugeniae contained a higher concentration of calcium (0.75%) which is followed by magnesium (0.66%), phosphorous (0.36%), potassium (0.33%), nitrogen (0.29%) and sodium (0.19%) respectively. Among the trace elements, iron (1.73%) was found to be maximum followed by selenium (0.96%). Apart from these two micro elements the traces of zinc (0.50%), copper (0.43%), sulphur (0.22%), nickel (0.14%), chromium (0.10%) and molybdenum (0.02%) was also noticed. Discussion Now a day’s importance of minerals is clinical known and these minerals are inorganic chemical elements not attached to a carbon atom.There is a distinction between minerals and trace minerals. If the body requires more than 100 milligrams then that substance is labelled as a mineral. If the cellular body requires less than this, it is labelled a trace mineral. Trace minerals are generally needed in quantities of only a few milligrams (mg) or micrograms ( µg) per day. The higher content of calcium in E. eugenia suggests that this species of earthworm probably has a higher capacity of storage of calcium in its tissues as suggested by the presence of calcium gland in it [17]. The earthworms also contain nutritionally significant amounts of calcium, which would be important for pregnant or lactating women, young children at risk of calcium-deficiency rickets and postmenopausal women in whom there might be concern about osteoporosis and fractures [6]. Earthworms require these minerals for their day to day physiological activities. It may be because they have to burrow or swallow their way through hard packed soil. For in order to perform these various physiological bioactivities, the earthworm must maintain a constant firing (electrical potential) of the nerve and muscle cells and needed for this is the higher calcium and magnesium concentration. Calcium and magnesium have been shown to be involved in regulating nervous excitability and muscular contraction i.e. maintaining the electrical potential in nerve and muscle cells [18]. Nitrogen occurs in all organisms, primarily in amino acids (and thus proteins) and also in the nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). The human body contains about 3% by weight of nitrogen, the fourth most abundant element in the body after oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen [19]. Phosphorous works with calcium to develop and maintain strong bones, teeth and enhances use of other nutrients. It plays a key role in cell membrane integrity, intercellular communication and for proper energy processing in the body. Potassium is important in DNA and protein synthesis, Apart from this potassium is important in cell volume regulation [20]. Sodium in EWP of E. eugeniae was found to be 0.19 ppm. Sodium is the major cation of the extracellular fluid which in conjunction with potassium forms the Na+-K+ pump which effectively maintains Na+ as an impairment extracellular solute [21]. Paloetti et al. [6] reported that all of the earthworm (kuru and motto) preparations were excellent sources of iron, having iron contents that ranged from 1050  µg-1 in kuru’s meat to 2990  µg-1 in motto’s meat. They compared the iron contents of these two earthworm preparations with those of some other meats. This means that, assuming good bioavailability of the iron in the earthworms, they could be a useful food source to mitigate the risk of iron-deficiency anaemia. Selenium is essential component of teeth, key antioxidant enzyme and necessary for normal growth and development. It has a function in detoxification of heavy metals such as mercury and plays an important role in the production of antibodies by the immune system. Zinc is an important antioxidant, which records 0.5% in the present study. It plays an essential part of more than 200 enzymes involved in digestion, metabolism, immune response and wound healing. Copper is an essential element for the formation of normal red blood cell and connective tissue formation. It acts as a catalyst to store and release iron to help form haemoglobin and also contributes to central nervous system function. Sulfur is involved in the formation of structural protein, including muscles and hair. It also severs critical role in liver detoxification. Its important function is to act as an antioxidant nutrient and oxygen handling role in growth. Nickel is found in all animal tissues and the highest concentration was noticed in nucleic acids, particularly RNA, and is involved in protein structure or function. It may activate certain enzymes related to the breakdown or utilization of glucose [22]. Chromium helps in glucose metabolism and aids to regulate blood sugar by potentiating insulin and serving as a component of glucose tolerance factor. Molybdenum contributes to normal growth and development. It is a key component in many enzyme systems involved in detoxification. In conclusion, the minerals in earthworm powder obtained from E. eugenaie are capable of satisfying a significant fraction in daily requirements of minerals which plays a significant role in human nutrition without any adverse side effects. References Ogbulie JN, Uwazuoke JC, Ogieho SI. Introductory Microbiology Practical. Springfield Publishers Nigeria. 1998; 70-120. Ansari AA, Sitaram K. An investigation into antimicrobial and antifungal properties of earthworm powder obtained from Eisenia fetida. American Journal of Food Technology 2011;6(4): 329-335. Balamurugan M, Parthasarathi K, Ranganathan LS, Cooper EL. Hypothetical mode of action of earthworm extract with hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties. Journal of Zhejiang University- Science B 2008;9(2):141–147. Cooper EL. CAM eCAM, bioprospecting: The 21st century pyramid. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2005;2(2):125–127. Wallace AR. On the insects used for food in the Indians of the Amazon. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 1853;2:241–244. Wallace AR. A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 1889. Paoletti MG, Buscardo DJ, Vander Jagt A, Pastuszyn Pizzoferrato L, Huang YS, Chuang LTM, Millson H, Cerda Torres F, Glew RH. Proceedings: The Royal Society of Biological Sciences, London. 2011;249-257. Ranganathan LS. Vermibiotechnology – from soil health to human health. Agrobios. 2006. Cooper EL, Ru B, Weng N. Earthworms: sources of antimicrobial and anticancer molecules. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 2004;546: 359–389. Zhang M, Li X, Liu Y, Ye F, Qiu G. Effects of extract of Dilong (Pheretima) on the scalded skin in rats. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2006;26(1): 68–71. Cooper EL, Balamurugan M, Parthasarathi K, Ranganathan LS. Earthworm paste (Lampito mauritii, Kinberg) alters inflammatory, oxidative, haematological and serum biochemical indices of inflamed rat. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2007;11(2): 77– 90. Zhang ZX, Wang FF. Effects of crude extract of earthworm on promoting blood circulation to removing stasis. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi 1992;12(12): 741–710. Alvarez S. The Magnesium: Importance of Minerals and Trace Minerals in Human Nutrition. 2002;Pp 22. Dedeke GA, Owa SO, Olurin KB. Amino acid profile of four earthworms species from Nigeria. Agric. Biol. J. N. Am 2010;1(2): 97-102. Jackson ML. Soil chemical analysis. Prentice hall. Indian private limited. India.1973;498-516. AOAC. Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Official Methods of Analysis (20th Ed.) USA. 1995. Lindsay WL, Norvell WA. Development of a DTPA soil test for zinc, iron, manganese, and copper. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J 1978;42: 421-428. Owa SO. Taxonomy and Distribution of Nigerian earthworms of the family Eudrilidae and their use as possible indicators of soil properties. Ph.D thesis Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria. 1992. Ganong WF. A review of Medical Physiology (7th Ed). Prentice Hall New Jersey USA. 1995. Murray R, Harry K. Nitrogen Purfication: Pilot Plant Removal of Oxygen. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 1957;49(5): 869–873. Bray JJ, Cragg PA, Maknight ADC, Mills RG. Lecture notes on human physiology, Blackwell science Ltd, UK. 1999;542. Maier RJ, Stephane L, Benoit, Seshadri S. Nickel-binding and accessory proteins facilitating Ni-enzyme maturation in Helicobacter pylori. Biometals 2007;20(3-4): 655–664.

blacks in civil war Essay -- essays research papers

Slavery was abolished in this country over a hundred years ago but the consequences of this dark page in America's history are felt even today. This site was created to address those consequences, the political, social and cultural life of today's and yesterday's African Americans. What affect did the Civil War have on African Americans in the United States? Were they, as some argued, better off before the Civil War, or do the advances that blacks have made since then proved that the Civil War was indeed the turning point in the lives and opportunities of African Americans? These questions and more will be addressed in the following pagesWhen slaves were purchased off the ships from Africa, they ended up on plantations. The size and location of landholdings depended on the crop and the owner who purchased the slave. Most plantations were of the smaller variety and it was rare for an owner to have more than 20 slaves. Most housed only a handful of slaves, but no matter what the numbe rs, plantation life was pretty much the same for most slaves. Slaves were usually divided into two groups, the gang crew (usually male and did the field work) and the task crew (usually female and worked in the "big house"). The workday began around sunrise and always ended before dark except at busy times such as harvest. Slaves were not worked after dark for a number of reasons. First, the owners feared that escape would be easier; second, working after dark was considered an unwarranted burden on the slave; lastly, they believed that it impeded efficiency by reducing the hours of sleep the slave received. This is not to say the slave owners were compassionate. They saw the slaves not as humans but a business investment and only wanted to protect that investment. Slaves were not required to work on Sunday, as it was denounced as irreligious and a flagrant violation of the slave's deserved day of rest. However, they worked every other day, rain or shine. A reasonable day' s work meant a daily chore that while not back-breaking required a brisk pace to finish. Although whites believed that slaves could neither do as much nor continue to work as long as whites, both crews worked anywhere from 12-14 hours a day, with an hour or so for lunch at midday.After a long day in the field or the master's house, slaves were allowed to return to their families, a family much differen... ... portion of the South Carolina low-country rice fields for the exclusive settlement of freed people. Each family would receive forty acres of land and the loan of mules from the army--the origin, perhaps, of the famous 'forty acres and a mule' idea that would soon capture the imagination of African Americans throughout the South" (Faragher, 514). In this arrangement, the sharecropper would work a given section of plantation land. At the end of the harvest season, the owner would give the worker his "share" of the crop. Unfortunately for the African Americans, this ideal arrangement almost never worked out as it was designed due to manipulation of the system by the owner. During the year, the owner provided the worker and his family with housing, as described earlier, food, clothing, and medical care. Then the owner would make the worker pay for these "services" using his part of the harvest. More often than not, the worker ended up with nothing. Also, the re was no system of verification for the worker. When the owner presented the worker with his share of the harvest, the worker had to take the word of the owner that it was the actual share agreed upon. blacks in civil war Essay -- essays research papers Slavery was abolished in this country over a hundred years ago but the consequences of this dark page in America's history are felt even today. This site was created to address those consequences, the political, social and cultural life of today's and yesterday's African Americans. What affect did the Civil War have on African Americans in the United States? Were they, as some argued, better off before the Civil War, or do the advances that blacks have made since then proved that the Civil War was indeed the turning point in the lives and opportunities of African Americans? These questions and more will be addressed in the following pagesWhen slaves were purchased off the ships from Africa, they ended up on plantations. The size and location of landholdings depended on the crop and the owner who purchased the slave. Most plantations were of the smaller variety and it was rare for an owner to have more than 20 slaves. Most housed only a handful of slaves, but no matter what the numbe rs, plantation life was pretty much the same for most slaves. Slaves were usually divided into two groups, the gang crew (usually male and did the field work) and the task crew (usually female and worked in the "big house"). The workday began around sunrise and always ended before dark except at busy times such as harvest. Slaves were not worked after dark for a number of reasons. First, the owners feared that escape would be easier; second, working after dark was considered an unwarranted burden on the slave; lastly, they believed that it impeded efficiency by reducing the hours of sleep the slave received. This is not to say the slave owners were compassionate. They saw the slaves not as humans but a business investment and only wanted to protect that investment. Slaves were not required to work on Sunday, as it was denounced as irreligious and a flagrant violation of the slave's deserved day of rest. However, they worked every other day, rain or shine. A reasonable day' s work meant a daily chore that while not back-breaking required a brisk pace to finish. Although whites believed that slaves could neither do as much nor continue to work as long as whites, both crews worked anywhere from 12-14 hours a day, with an hour or so for lunch at midday.After a long day in the field or the master's house, slaves were allowed to return to their families, a family much differen... ... portion of the South Carolina low-country rice fields for the exclusive settlement of freed people. Each family would receive forty acres of land and the loan of mules from the army--the origin, perhaps, of the famous 'forty acres and a mule' idea that would soon capture the imagination of African Americans throughout the South" (Faragher, 514). In this arrangement, the sharecropper would work a given section of plantation land. At the end of the harvest season, the owner would give the worker his "share" of the crop. Unfortunately for the African Americans, this ideal arrangement almost never worked out as it was designed due to manipulation of the system by the owner. During the year, the owner provided the worker and his family with housing, as described earlier, food, clothing, and medical care. Then the owner would make the worker pay for these "services" using his part of the harvest. More often than not, the worker ended up with nothing. Also, the re was no system of verification for the worker. When the owner presented the worker with his share of the harvest, the worker had to take the word of the owner that it was the actual share agreed upon.

Homestead Act Essay example -- essays research papers fc

I THESIS STATEMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Homestead Act of 1862 made surveyed lands obtainable to homesteaders. The act stated that men and women over the age of 21, unmarried women who were head of households and married men under the age of 21, who did not own over 160 acres of land anywhere, were citizens or intended on becoming citizens of the United States, were eligible to homestead. This paper will show how the Homestead Act came to be enacted, who the homesteaders were and the effects of the Homestead Act on the pioneers. II WHAT EVENTS LEAD TO THE HOMESTEAD ACT? The distribution of Government lands had been an issue since the Revolutionary War. Early methods for allocating unsettled land outside the original 13 colonies were chaotic. Boundaries were established by stepping off plots from geographical landmarks. As a result, overlapping claims and border disputes were common. The Land Ordinance of 1785 finally implemented a standardized system of Federal land surveys that eased boundary conflicts. Territories were divided into a 6-mile square called a township prior to settlement. The township was divided into 36 sections, each measuring 1 square mile or 640 acres each. Sale of public land was viewed as a means to generate revenue for the Government rather than as a way to encourage settlement. Initially, an individual was required to purchase a full section of land at the cost of $1 per acre for 640 acres. The investment needed to purchase these large plots and the massive amount of physical labor required to clear the land for agriculture w ere often insurmountable obstacles. According to all available indexes of growth, the United States grew enormously between 1840 and 1860. The continental limits of the nation were reached, with the exception of Alaska, by 1854 through the acquisition of the Mexican Cession territory and the Gadsden Purchase. The population continued its upward spiral, moving from slightly over seventeen million in 1840 to over thirty-eight million in 1860. New canals, steamboats, turnpikes, and railroads knit the nation together into an integrated economic unit. Hundred of thousands of people crossed the Atlantic to take up residence in the dynamic nation, while other hundreds of thousands moved into the Western regions of the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Legislative efforts to improve homest... ..., September 8). New Homestead Act would help rural America. Grand Forks Herald. Potter, L. A. (1999). The Homestead Act of 1862. Cobblestone, 20(2), 4. Red River Valley Genealogical Society (n.d.). Time passages, genealogy of the Dakotas. Retrieved from, Web site: http://www.fargodigital.com Schaetzl, R. J. (n.d.). Settlement of the new frontier: The Homestead Act of 1862. Retrieved from Michigan State University, GEO333: Geography of Michigan and the Great Lakes Region Web site: http://www.geo.msu.edu/geo333/ South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development (n.d.). Prairie Pioneers. Retrieved from South Dakota Department of Tourism Media, Web site: http://www.mediasd.com/ facts/pioneers.asp US Department of Education ERIC (2003, January 14). The Homestead Act of 1862. Retrieved from US National Archives & Records Administration Web site: http://www.archives.gov/ digital_classroom/lessons/homestead_act_1862/homestead_act.html U.S. National Archives & Records Administration (1995, 1998). Homestead Act (1862). Retrieved from Teaching with Documents: Using Primary Sources From the National Archives Web site: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=31

Crime Reporting

William P Obptande Check Point Crime Reporting and Rates Response Write a 200- to 300-word response in which you address the following questions: What is the purpose of major crime-reporting programs? What makes a successful crime-reporting program in the United States? Programs generally report little detailed information about program expenditures and results. Consequently, it is difficult to hold programs accountable for performance. There is also a lack of information about which programs are effective in reducing crime, due to the small number of programs that are evaluated for effectiveness. In addition, even when information is available, it is not consistently used to modify program design and funding. There is a lack of coordination among the multiple state departments that administer crime prevention programs which results in duplication of effort and inefficiencies. Develop standardized review criteria which can be used to determine funding allocations for new and existing crime prevention programs. Require and fund well-designed impact evaluations that increase knowledge about the types of crime prevention programs which are effective, and therefore should be funded. Establish a state crime prevention office within an existing entity or new organization to develop a strategic plan to coordinate statewide crime prevention activities. How do crime rates relate to arrest rates and clearance rates? Is there a way to improve the correlation between crime rates, arrest rates, and clearance rates in the effort to combat criminal activity? *   Clearance rate is calculated by dividing the number of crimes that are â€Å"cleared† e. g. due to a charge being laid) by the total number of crimes recorded. These are used by various criminal justice groups as a measure of crimes solved by the police. Clearance rates can be very problematic for measuring the performance of police services and for comparing various police services. This is because a police force may employ a very different way of measuring clearance rates. For example, each police force may have a different method of recording when a â€Å"crime† has occurred and different criteria for determining when a crime has been â€Å"cleared. One police force may appear to have a much better clearance rate simply because of its calculation methodology. In System Conflict Theory, it is argued that clearance rates cause the police to focus on appearing to solve crimes (generating high clearance rate scores) rather than actually solving crimes. Further focus on clearance rates may result in effort being expended to attribute crimes (correctly or incorrectly) to a criminal, which may not result in retribution, compensation, re habilitation or deterrence.

How Does Othello’s Character Change Throughout the Play? Essay

In order to understand how Othello changes throughout the play, we have to first take a look at the types of the relationships in the play as his behaviour changes directly links to the influences by the other people whom he has deep relationships. There are two types of relationships, one that is between female characters and between male characters. Both have deep bonds between each other. However women friendships are more emotional. Emotions are very strong and are deeply intertwined with trust. Love, hatred, jealousy and admiration are often mixed up and polar emotions show how strong the bond is. This also links that women are more vulnerable to be influenced, however once a strong bond is formed, it is hard to tear it apart, even though they can be quite sensitive. Within the men friendships, it is apparent that men do not heavily rely on their emotions and they have mutual understanding, â€Å"I have your back and you have my back†. Othello did try to not believe Iago so easily but the circumstances were in his favour because Iago’s wife was doing Iago’s dirty work without even knowing. He was also wrong about Iago not only about the fact that he was honest but the fact that he thought Iago would be truthful to him even after not giving the promotion to him. Shakespeare transformed the one he found in the story, and invented the character of Roderigo to bear that vulgar part. Then he invents a second motive for Iago, and makes him hate Othello also for his supposed relations with Emilia. By way of revenge for this offence, Iago’s first impulse is to try to corrupt Desdemona, and thus get even with Othello. But how little this was his intention is seen by the fact that he never seems to have seriously considered it. In place of this, however, he has an alternative that becomes his ruling motive, to put Othello into a jealousy of Cassio. This he thinks will serve to revenge himself on Othello for both offences at one blow: And nothing can, or shall content my soul Till I am even’d with him, wife, for wife. Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor At least into a jealousy so strong That judgment cannot cure. (II. i. 331-5.) Othello is also gullible, he trusts men more than women because he might not understand women and their relationships. He gives us feeling that he believes in stereotype women which are wicked, vulnerable, twisted and are traitors who lie all the time. Ironically, that stereotype applies to Iago whom Othello trusts more than his beloved Desdemona. The main villain who affected Othello the most has a hatred motive however hatred is supposed to have a cause, some concrete event or insult that inspires a lasting rage. But in Othello, the play’s villain is motivated by a hatred that seems to elude any reasonable definition. Iago’s hatred and his determination to destroy his boss Othello, seems out of proportion with the reasons he gives for it: anger that Othello did not promote him or jealousy that Othello might have slept with Iago’s wife. Iago’s loathing has been famously called a â€Å"motiveless malignancy† that redefines our understanding of hatred, making it seem a self-propelling passion rather than the consequence of any particular action.

English 100 is a course that is basically designed to assist the students

English 100 is a very important course as far as our college education is concerned. It is the basic foundation for our higher education. It equips us with skills which help us to cope with the challenges which we are bound to encounter as we pursue our college education.English 100 is a course that is basically designed to assist the students to develop critical writing and reading skills. It is a build up for what we learned in the high school only this time we are required to adapt to a college way of thinking.To be a successful student in this crucial course one must do things in the right way. In this paper I will take you through what you should do so that at the end of it all you can come out shining. It is based on my own experience as an English 100 student and also tips taken from the various     experts of this area.One of the biggest asset you have as a student is time, how you mange it will determine your destiny as a student as it will greatly influence your perform ance in this course and your studies in general.It is very important that you take control of your time as a student in this course. You should make a plan on how you are going to utilize your time as far as this course is concerned. You should prioritize the most urgent and important activities giving them ample time so that you can produce quality work which will earn you good grades.You will be given many assignments which will require your input, if you plan your time well late submission of papers will not affect you. Late submission is highly penalized and it is something you can easily avoid through managing your time properly.You should make a time table early enough allocating areas which you feel you are weak more time than the other to get enough time to tackle them. It is also important to allocate some time for interaction with your fellow students so that you can learn from them also. (Lannon, J 11 2006)Class attendance allows the student to have an interactive session with the instructors and the other students. You should make a point of attending the classes regularly to ensure you gain maximally .If by any chance miss any lesson make sure you ask what was covered and go through it before the next session.Through this you ensure that you at no any time   Ã‚  you lag behind in your studies. While in class you should participate actively without fear of making mistakes. It is only through making these mistakes that you will learn to be confident. We all learn from the mistakes we make now and then, just bear in mind nobody is perfect. If your fellow colleagues we perfect surely you would not be seated in the same class with them learning this course, they would be somewhere else.It is also very important that you learn to respect other people opinions; at no time should you laugh at other people mistakes as this can affect your studies negatively.This is a very interactive course where you will learn greatly from the other, that is why you sho uld at all cost try to maintain good relations with your fellow students and also with the instructors. (Lannon, J 18 2006)Instructors are there for us and we should make every effort to utilize them to our advantage. Any difficulties that you may be experiencing should be discussed with your instructor. Always book an appointment with your instructor to avoid disappointment since there are other students who require the same kind of help from them.Group work has helped me a lot in polishing my writing skills as I have been able to get some vital tips from my fellow students. It is also in group work where your work can be read by the other student and get their opinion about it. On the other hand you will have a chance to go through their piece of work and offer advice where necessary.  Always give an honest opinion about your colleagues work but at the same time bearing in mind not to hurt their feelings as this may come to haunt you later.Note taking is an essential part of thi s course; it is advisable that you develop an accurate method of taking notes which can be referred to later when revising. Aim at noting all the important points you come across either in the cause of group discussion or class lectures. (Lannon, J 39 2006)

Modern Family Essay

Modern Family is a documentary-style comedy about three branches of the extended Pritchett family: Dad Jay has married a younger woman and is now raising a teenage stepson; his daughter Claire has a husband and three kids of her own; and his gay son Mitchell has just adopted a Vietnamese baby with his partner. Modern Family premiered on ABC in September 2009 as part of the network’s new Wednesday comedy lineup, and was immediately met with positive reviews and strong ratings, becoming the breakout show of the night. Modern Family was created and is executive-produced by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, who worked together as writers and producers on Frasier, and co-created the short-lived sitcom Back to You; Levitan was also the creator of Just Shoot Me. This investigation will highlight the key aspects which has made Modern Family a very likable program over the last few years. the way in how the show appeals to viewers will be discussed as well as the values and attitudes of society are re? ected through the main characters. I Will also indicate some of the controls and constraints that Modern Family has to deal with in order to make their show successful and appropriate. Also featured will be the discussion of some of the obvious stereotypes which the show portrays and the impact of Modern Family on Todays society. But to be able to understand all these aspects, you will need to familiarise yourself with the main characters ? rst. Characters Jay Pritchett: The father of Claire and Mitchell, husband of Gloria, grandfather of Lily, Luke, Alex, and Haley, and the stepfather of Manny. He is the owner of a construction ? rm and is presumably the wealthiest family member. Jay has a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. Like both his son and daughter, Jay is generally more realistic, mild mannered, and sensible than his partner, Gloria, who is unashamed of the fact Jay is many years her senior. A recurring plot involves Jay’s relationship with his son Mitchell, which became more complicated due to Jay’s reaction to Mitchell’s sexual orientation. Gloria Pritchett: Jay’s wife and Manny’s mother. She is from a small village in Columbia. She is a very loving wife and mother despite the age difference between her and her husband. Her voluptuous ? gure and overall beauty is often remarked or noticed by other characters on the show. One of her most distinctive traits is her very thick Colombian accent, which sometimes leads her to mispronounce English words, such as â€Å"ultimatum† as â€Å"old-tomato† and â€Å"earrings† as â€Å"hair-rings†. She often supports Manny when Jay tries to tell him to be less sensitive or hide his cultural background. Manny Delgado: Gloria’s 14-year-old son from her ? rst marriage. He is very outgoing and not the least bit self-conscious. He is very intelligent, mature and intuitive for his age and is often shown doing adult-like things, such as having conversations with Claire about her marriage and kids, and drinking coffee. He has inherited his mother’s passion for life, though Gloria has also said, â€Å"Manny is passionate, just like his father. † This causes Manny to be very romantic. Manny is not afraid to take chances, leading him to ask out older girls, and develop a crush on Haley. Phil Dunphy: Claire’s husband of 20 years who sees himself as the â€Å"cool dad. He dotes on his wife Claire and constantly tries to ? nd ways to bond with his three kids. He is seen as very competitive, one example being his nature of always beating his son at basketball. He has a very juvenile attitude, and is referred to by Claire as the â€Å"kid [she’s] married to. † He uses a parenting method that he calls â€Å"peerenting†, which is a combination of talking like a peer but acting like a parent. He is a real estate agent who is very con? dent in his work, once saying â€Å"I could sell a fur coat to an Eskimo. Claire Dunphy: the daughter of Jay, Mitchell’s older sister, and the helicopter soccer mom of the Dunphy family and its three very different kids. She was once a wild-child who made a lot of mistakes over the years, and she is fearful that her children could make the same mistakes, especially her oldest daughter, Haley. She is often exhausted from stress created by her family but is still a loving mother. When it comes to her kids she has dif? culty controlling Haley’s independence and irresponsibility, Alex’s manipulative nature, and Luke’s lack of common sense. She also gets annoyed with her husband, Phil, constantly. Claire is a very competitive person, much like her husband, and is portrayed with a personality that causes her to freak out easily, and get angry. She is very strict about a clean house. She is seen as an experienced parent by Cameron and Mitchell, so she is called upon for her parenting advice Haley Dunphy: the daughter of Claire and Phil, who is portrayed as the stereotypical teenager who is often embarrassed by the presence of her parents. Haley is 15 at the beginning of the series, and is a freshman in college as of Season 4. Haley is depicted as being a bit of a bimbo, who focuses more on social status than studies. She is a little naive, especially when it comes to arguing with her parents. She is concerned about her popularity at school, as well as her social and sexual life, which contributes to her being embarrassed by her parents. Alex Dunphy: the 15-year-old daughter of Claire and Phil, and also the most erudite and intelligent of the three siblings. She is very bright and cares much more about her studies than friends/social life and boys. As the middle child to a shallow big sister and a goofy younger brother, she enjoys messing with them when they are rude to her, which is fairly often. Often taking advantage of their naivete by fooling them into believing unrealistic things, she at one time convinced Haley and Luke that they could charge electronics by rubbing the battery on their heads (Haley) and putting it in their mouths (Luke). She, as a stereotypical precocious kid, displays a sense of superiority because of her erudition, constantly putting her accomplishments on display and demanding recognition for them. Luke Dunphy: Phil and Claire? s 14-year-old son, who is often doing his own thing. At times, he can be a troublemaker, once shooting his sister with a toy gun and getting into a ? ht with Manny at school. Luke is playful, very innocent and does not always understand the repercussions of his actions, like most children; he once announced at a family gathering that his mom thought her dad’s new wife was a â€Å"gold digger†, although he misheard it as â€Å"coal digger†. Mitchell Pritchett: Also referred to as Mitch, is Jay’s son, Claire’s younger brother, Luke, Alex and Haley’s uncle, one of Lily’s fathers, and partner of eight years to Cameron. He is a low-key, mild-mannered person. At most times he is the exact opposite of Cameron which usually causes disagreements. Cameron acts as a counterbalance to Mitchell’s uptight, worrying ways. He usually responds to homophobia (whether real or perceived) by giving â€Å"speeches. † Because of his mild-mannered, uptight nature, he is sometimes embarrassed by Cameron’s ? amboyance. Cameron Tucker: Also referred to as Cam, is Mitchell’s partner of eight years, and one of Lily’s fathers, who has a very big dramatic personality. His bubbly outgoing personality contrasts to Mitchell’s uptight manner, which causes them to have opposing character traits. Cameron was born on February 29, 1972 and grew up on a farm in Missouri. Lilly Tucker-Pritchett: the adopted Vietnamese daughter of Cameron and Mitchell. When she was introduced to the family, they accepted her with open arms, although Mitchell originally wanted to wait to tell them about her. She is at times doing activities with both of her fathers but remains with Cam at home while Mitchell works. How Does It Appeal? A key aspect of the show? s appeal is the similarities people ? nd between the extended family and their own family. Some characters from the show are Phil Dunphy, Claire Dunphy, Jay Pritchett, Gloria Pritchett, Mitchell Pritchett, and Cam Tucker. There are many other characters that make up this family, which make for much more diversity. The dynamic between these different immediate families and their values (including traditional, gay, straight, and multicultural) are what gives Modern Family its large demographic. The diversity of the Pritchetts helps reach a large audience. The ? rst part of this family is the Pritchett-Delgado family. This consists of Jay, the family patriarch, Gloria, the younger second wife, and Manny, her son. The fun part in watching this family is the culture clash between Jay and Gloria. Gloria and Manny are Hispanic, while Jay is white. It is interesting as they try to make sure that Manny gets a combination of both cultures in his life. Next in this family is the Dunphy family. This has Claire, Jay? s daughter and mother of three, and Phil, Claire? s fun husband. Their children are also in the show. First is Haley, the epitome of some teenage girls who seem to only care about their social lives as opposed to spending time with their family. Second is Alex, the smart child and Haley? s opposite. Last is Luke, the youngest and most rambunctious of the three. He is very close to Manny. The Dunphy? s are a very traditional family, but has had some of the more memorable moments in the show. Some of them come from Phil, who is known for having a very fun sense of humor. Finally there is the Pritchett-Ticker family. This is made up of Mitchell, Jay? s gay son and Claire? s younger brother, Cam, his partner, and Lily, their adoptive daughter from Vietnam. It is fun to watch their family and see how different they are from the other two parts of the family. It? s also important because it helps to put the similarities into perspective for many viewers, and that is very valuable these days. Stereotypes Stereotypes are an inevitable part of modern culture. They are standardized and simpli? ed views of groups and minorities based on prior assumptions. â€Å"Modern Family† constantly utilises and plays with the notions of Stereotypes. â€Å"Modern Family† attempts to create a new stereotype by conforming and altering old stereotypes. There is Jay, the Grandfather who remarried to a beautiful, busty Colombian woman Gloria and her son, Manny. Jay? s daughter, Claire, married to Phil, who have 3 children, Haley, Alex and Luke. Finally, Jay? s on Mitchell has an adopted Vietnamese daughter with boyfriend Cameron. The entire program works by challenging and changing stereotypes, in particular that of Gay parents, Cam and Mitch. Cameron and Mitchell are, in a way, a stereotypical gay couple. However, the humour and the message is portrayed through their confrontation of that stereotype. In one episode, they are confronted with the notion that one of them in the couple is â€Å"the woman. † This stereotypical view, that society is asking them to conform to, forces not only a humorous situation, but also challenges the characters? Gender and Identity. The show cleverly alters the ideas of stereotypes, and plays to into them, but also puts â€Å"name to a face† as it were. Stereotypes are not necessarily formed solely on against minorities, and this show challenges every one. Each character is a â€Å"stereotype† in their own right – be that â€Å"the dumb socialite,† or â€Å"the only child† or â€Å"the loud Colombian woman†. In season 4 there is an episode titled â€Å"Fulgencio† Which con? rms the perception that Latinos working in America are poor and struggle for money but still work very hard. Gloria? family comes to visit the new born baby in the family and the Columbian family endeavors the entire episode to clearing the house, especially Gloria? s sister. it is a positive representation of Latinos because they want to work even if they are on a holiday. But the beauty and hilarity of Modern Family is that each character confronts each of their stereotypes and we, as an audience, see that there is a lot more than meets the eye. Instead of simply accepting some of these stereotypes, Modern Family challenges some of these and in doing so creates a new opinion on the viewers Controls and Constraints There are many controls and constraints that will affect any media production, and Modern Family is no exception. Time: Time is one of the main factors that affects the production. Each episode is meant to run for approximately 20-23 minutes excluding ad-breaks. This means that the group of people who are putting together an episode, must avoid making a very long plot and address the main issue of the episode almost immediately. Another constraint of the show is its budget. Budget: The budget of any program is an outline of how much that production will cost, or how much the director is willing to spend. In its ? st three seasons. There has been episodes ? lmed in Hawaii, and a ranch. These episodes were have been ? lmed in these locations and not a studio with a backdrop of that location. This would have possibly meant that the budget for those 2 episodes would have been greater than some of their other episodes. It is also rumored that the ABC is planning to ? lm a future episode in Columbia in which the viewers will be introduced to Gloria Pritchett? s family. Taking into account the budget of a normal episode, and adding to that international ? ights for the cast and crew, this could very well be the most expensive episode yet. Rating/Audience: One of the most important controls and constraints which affect a media production, is the audience and their expectations. The producers of the show will give a classi? cation or rating so that viewers have some idea of what to expect. Modern Family has a rating of PG13. A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. However, these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture. Since people under the age of 13 are still likely to watch the show, The writers of an episode must be very careful about any potential jokes that might affect a child. E. g. Modern Family is not allowed to make a joke about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or the tooth fairy not existing because a young person watching the show who believed they existed could end up being very upset. An example of this is from an episode from season 1 when Cameron and Mitchell take their adopted daughter Lilly to go an see Santa Claus at the local mall. The reason all types of ? lm media have these ratings, is to protect the viewer from seeing something they might not want to see. Values and Attitudes Re? ected Through Characters In mainstream media, there seems to be different views on gay marriage, but it seems to be slightly more in favour of accepting the life choices made by these people. In Modern Family, there is a gay couple called Cameron and Mitchell. The way that they positively re? ect the values and attitudes of society is the fact that they are very open about being gay. Another way it is positively re? ected is through the other main characters. They all seem to be very accepting even the Patriarch of the family Jay Pritchett, he accepts his sons choice even though he is uncomfortable with it. In one of the early episodes of season 2, the couple shared a kiss which pleased the audience. Ultimately, then, the show re? ects the experiences and insecurities of its creators and assumed audience, middleclass, middle-aged straight white men. Also in its Pilot episode, Cam and Mitch announce to the family that they have adopted a baby from Vietnam and the whole family (Including Mictchell? s homophobic father Jay) are very accepting of their choice. It reassures them that being tolerant is as good as being inclusive and that heterosexual white families with shrill stay-at-home wives are the norm. Its exploration of the pressures of feminine ideals is considerably less sympathetic meaning that Phil? s wife Claire Dunphy is arguably the least likable character, and story lines have included three women getting their period at the same time and going â€Å"crazy†, and ? ery Latina Gloria needing to be chaperoned because her pregnancy brain makes her too forgetful to function. Modern Family is one of very few to feature main characters who are gay (one of whom is played by a character who is actually gay outside of the production) and people of color, and it shows Cam and Mitch to be caring, capable parents. t challenges some of the values and attitudes which are evident, and the fact that Modern Family presents this unit in such a non-threatening way may be the key to its acceptance. Impact On Society Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Casted as Mitchell Pritchett) said that Modern Family might be doing a lot to change the views on gay marriage. The actor said he has had several people approach him and remark how the show has had an impact their lives and their views. It’s impossible to measure how wide the impact is, but the fact that even one person changed their mind says a lot about the depth of the show. Modern Family† is hardly the ? rst show to feature gay characters. However, it is one of the ? rst that doesn’t really make an issue out of it. In fact, it is easy to forget that Cameron and Mitchell are a gay couple. There are no political statements or agendas. They are just two people living their lives. The fact that it has affected the views of other people indicates that it is a very important show. It takes something special to alter the mindset of an individual. This show ? ts the bill. They keep doing what they do. â€Å"Modern Family† shouldn’t try to change the world. However, if they change a few minds while carrying on as normal then there is nothing wrong with that. Modern Family has also made people who watch the show feel better about themselves because viewers now know that there own family isn? t the only family who has troubles. It is happening all around them. This helps us to understand that Modern family is one of the most realistic television sitcoms going around at the moment. Conclusion It is quite evident that Modern family has had an impact on todays society in a positive way along with providing the viewers with plenty of laughs along the way. For people to want watch a program and understand some of the meaning it constructs, then the show must appeal to the viewer in the ? rst place, and Modern Family does this by creating a storyline that most people can generally relate to. Once people become immersed in the show they start to pick up some of the stereotypes that are evident, e. g. Gay couple, loud South Americans etc. Because we relate with the characters, we feel inclined to display the same values and attitudes that the characters do which is respecting people even if they? re gay or of a different nationality. This leads to its impact on society which is without a doubt a positive one. Perhaps Modern Family is changing the views towards gay marriage and it is better that they? re doing it in a way where people can watch a television program that people can enjoy, but also learn from it. It is amazing to consider how successful a TV show can be due to the controls and constraints it faces, and Modern Family perfects it.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Case Studies Psychology Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Case Studies Psychology Essay Qualitative approach Research methods are commonly divided into quantitative and qualitative research methods (Some researchers (Lee, 1991; Ragin, 1987) have suggested to combine these methods by triangulation). Qualitative research methods are designed to help researchers understand people and the social and cultural contexts within which they live. Kaplan and Maxwell (1994) argue that the goal of understanding a phenomenon from the point of view of the participants and its particular social and institutional context is largely lost when textual data are quantified. The strengths of qualitative research derive primarily from its inductive approach, its focus on specific situations or people, and its emphasis on words rather than numbers (Maxwell, 1996, p.17). A key difference between quantitative and qualitative research is that quantitative researchers work with a few (quantifiable) variables and many cases, whereas qualitative researchers rely on a few cases and many (primarily q ualitative) variables (Ragin, 1987). In this research a qualitative research approach is chosen for the following reasons. First, the nature of the research questions suggests a qualitative approach. They are as understanding of what are the factors that enable or inhibit people to share their knowledge. Second, the aim is to present a detailed understanding of the dynamics of sharing knowledge, requiring a focus on participants’ perspectives and their meaning. Third, knowledge-sharing individuals are studied in their natural setting. Knowledge sharing is a situated process, so removing participants from their organizational context would lead to findings that are out of context. And these contexts which determine the factors that enable o inhibit knowledge sharing process. The characteristics of qualitative methods are listed in Table 1 Characteristics 1, 2, 4 and 7 highlight the emphasis of qualitative data on providing richness of understanding of phenomenon in context (Du ncan, 1979; Yin, 1989). Quantitative methods â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by themselves may ignore much of the process phenomenon associated with a particular research question so that a real understanding of what’s happened may not exist† (Duncan, 1979, p.424). The use of qualitative data collection and analysis methods increases the likelihood that the advantages of case study method can be obtained. Table 1 Characteristics of qualitative methods 1. Qualitative research is inductive. 2. Researchers look at settings and subjects holistically. 3. The researchers are sensitive to their effects on subjects. 4. Researchers try to understand subjects from their own perspective. 5. Researchers try to set aside their own beliefs, perspectives and predispositions. 6. Researchers try to see all different perspectives of subjects as valuable. 7. Qualitative methods are humanistic. 8. Researchers emphasis validity as prime research criteria 9. Researcher sees all settings and subjects a s worthy of study. 10. Qualitative research is a craft. Source: This characteristics adapted from Taylor and Bogdan (1984, p.5-8). Interpretive research All research is based on some assumptions with respect to methodology the most pertinent philosophical assumptions are those that relate to the underlying epistemology guiding this research. And it refers to the assumptions about knowledge and how it can be obtained. Different classifications of epistemological assumptions exist (Guba and Lincoln, 1994). For explaining the underlying paradigm of this research, the three epistemological stands distinguished by Myers are used: positivist, interpretive and critical. Positivism claims that social life should be understood and analysed in the same way that scientists study the ‘natural world’. Positivists generally assume that reality is objectively given and can be described by measurable properties independent of the observer and of one’s instruments. Positivist stu dies generally attempt to test theory, in an attempt to increase the predictive understanding of phenomena. On the other hand the interpretive stand base is hermeneutics and phenomenology. Interpretive researchers start out with the assumption that access to reality (given or socially constructed) is only through social constructions such as language, consciousness and shared meanings. They generally attempt to understand phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them. Interpretive research does not predefine dependent and independent variables, but focuses on the full complexity of human sense making as the situation emerges.