Affirmative Action Discrimination Against Women,...

Affirmative Action I had no need to apologize that the look-wider, search more affirmative action that Princeton and Yale practiced had opened doors for me. That was its purpose: to create conditions whereby students from disadvantaged backgrounds could be brought to the starting line of a race many were unaware was even being run, says Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The civil rights act of 1964 set affirmative action in motion. It gave Minority groups the ability to attend schools and get jobs that they were otherwise restricted from. Affirmative action is a policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minorities through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities. Affirmative action affects women, minorities, and those with disabilities. In Reverse Racism by Stanley Fish, Fish speaks about affirmative action and gives his own examples of it. Affirmative action is still necessary because it con-fronts discrimination and ensures fair representation of ge nder and ethnicity within universities and workplaces. Affirmative action needs to stay because it opens doors of endless opportunities for marginalized groups who are discouraged by their obstacles of never getting into college. Sonia Sotomayor stated, â€Å"students from disadvantaged backgrounds could be brought to the starting line of a race many were unaware was even being run† Education can only be partly to blame because many disadvantaged youth feel as if education isShow MoreRelatedWhat is Affirmitive Action?934 Words   |  4 Pages Affirmative action or sometimes known as positive discrimination have been an issue that has going on around the world. Even though the policies vary from country to country, with some having quotas and others offering preferences in the selection process, the idea of providing special opportunities to a disadvantaged group remains universal. Our group choose this topic as we all have a personal interest in affirmative action and have had some form of affiliation with it in our lives. It can beenRead MoreRacial Discrimination : The Act Of Making Or Perceiving A Difference1705 Words   |  7 PagesMerriam-Webster defines discrimination as, â€Å"the act of making or perceiving a difference† (Discrimination, 2017.) Does your skin color impact the quality of your work or the fortitude your resolve? It may seem that the answer to that question is quite clear, nonetheless, 32,309 cases of race/color discrimination were reported in fascial year 2016 (EEOC, 2017.) Prejudice and d iscrimination are often mistaken for one another, however, prejudice is the negative attitude toward a category of peopleRead MoreAffirmative Action : Is It Still Needed1544 Words   |  7 Pagesjustice is defined as equal treatment of all its citizens under the law. When one citizen is mistreated an injustice has been committed against all people. Affirmative Action is a program whose purpose is to make sure that citizens are treated equally by enforcing a set of policies which are designed to promote the inclusion of all individuals regardless of race, disability, sex, or religion. In the United States democracy we are all equal, but some groups have been enjoying more advantages in societyRead MoreAffirmative Action Is Important For Society1649 Words   |  7 Pages Affirmative action Affirmative action is an attempt to address past discriminatory injustices which may be based on gender, race or ethnicity. Affirmative action may take the form of policies and programs which are mostly mandated by governments and designed to bring changes in organizations, companies and educational institutions. Affirmative action is a vital tool which provides qualified people with equal access to educational or professional opportunities that they would otherwise have beenRead MoreAffirmative Actions Have Consequences Essay example1219 Words   |  5 Pagesdescribes the scene. Fisher’s lawyer argued against affirmative action on the grounds of unfair treatment. Some sided with Abigail, but all those who opposed her case said nothing about affirmative action as a means to increase fairness; their only claims stressed the importance of diversity in a university setting (Leonhardt 1). The Supreme Court is getting more and more appeals for cases concerning what seems to be a g rowing and important issue. Affirmative action is defined as a policy or program forRead MoreAffirmative Action : An Unfair Advantage For Minorities1198 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmation Action Produces Negative Reactions In the early 1960’s, President Kennedy issued an executive order to ensure that government contractors hire and treat employees without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin. This executive order was issued so that all would have equal opportunities when qualified especially in regard to higher education and employment. However, it wasn’t until President Johnson issued his executive order in 1965 that it was developed and enforced. AffirmativeRead MoreAffirmative Action For African Americans1478 Words   |  6 PagesOliveira 1 Lucas Oliveira Ms. Alonso English 8 Honors 7 March 2015 Affirmative Action Have you ever wondered why all companies have employees of all races? Affirmative Action sought to give African Americans workers and minorities equal access to education and employment which was previously denied to them. It makes companies and schools give equal access to minorities. Affirmative Action is a topic that has been in government officials minds for a long time. Between 1870-1900, many African AmericansRead MoreAn Evaluation Of The York Police Department1197 Words   |  5 PagesThe definition of adverse impact is â€Å"the overall impact of employer practices that result in significally higher percentages of members of minorities and other protected groups being rejected for employment, placement, and promotion.† (Gary Dessler, page 503) Adverse impact plays a huge role in some companies and usually results in court cases and trials, with legal expenses adding up very quickly. The Baltimore Police Department seems to be in hot water with the city. It appears that within theRead MoreAffirmative Action And The Civil Rights Movement1568 Words   |  7 PagesAffirmative Action has had a very tumultuous 54-year history. Affirmative action was a strategy that forged the Civil Rights Movement in response to the prejudiced approach toward African Am erican citizens in the United States. The policy advocates that black citizens in particular conditions to avoid the unfairness they would usually receive. To try and explain why the methods and laws needed to be adjusted to be equal for everyone. It is essential to realize that 20 Africans came to America inRead MoreAffirmative Action And The Civil Rights Movement Essay1512 Words   |  7 PagesAffirmative action is a strategy formed during the Civil Rights Movement in response to the prejudiced approach toward African American citizens in the American community. The policy advocates these citizens in particular conditions to avoid the unfairness they would usually receive. To explain why the system needed to be adjusted to be equal for everyone. It is essential to realize that African Americans came to America as laborers (slaves) made to work long hours and numerous slaves endured inhuman

Carl Psychology Carl Landau - 1990 Words

Carl Landau is a 19-year-old single, Caucasian male who is experiencing incapacitating symptoms and behaviors. Due to these physical conditions, Carl was compelled to withdraw from his schooling. The behaviors Carl is experiencing cause him physical and emotional problems, as well as interfering with his daily life and activities. Carl has lost connection with his friends from school and family, spending most of his time in his room to attend to his controlling behaviors and avoid judgment from those around him. Prior to these habits Carl suffered from an eight-year history of behavioral and emotional problems, which have now progressed and become increasingly severe. Carl became a target in seventh grade as the person to torment and ridicule. Once these actions happened in a daily setting, Carl’s unusual habits began. These habits consist of excessive washing and showering, ceremonial rituals for dressing and studying, compulsive placement of any objects handled, grotesque hi ssing, coughing, and head tossing while eating and shuffling and wiping his feet while walking. After two years, Carl’s habits and behaviors deteriorated. He had neglected his personal appearance; he hadn’t cut his hair in five years, neglecting all personal hygiene. This action is due to a fear of contaminants that may enter his body from potentially cutting himself while shaving. He rarely left his room, leading to the result of him releasing waste into paper cups or on paper towels, which would beShow MoreRelatedStrategic Human Resource Management View.Pdf Uploaded Successfully133347 Words   |  534 Pages115–23; Peters, Tom. Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution. New York: Harper and Row, 1987. Jackson, Susan E., Randall S. Schuler, and J. Carlos Rivero. â€Å"Organizational Characteristics as Predictors of Personnel Practices,† Personnel Psychology 42, no. 4 (1989): 727–86. Beer, Michael, Bert Spector, Paul R. Lawrence, D. Quinn Mills, and Richard Walton. Managing Human Assets. New York: The Free Press, 1984. Page 74 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Shanghai Tang free essay sample

The lights go up, the beat of â€Å"Tainted life† fills the temple, and the parade of Chinese model begins. On display is an array of sumptuous clothing: Brocaded parkas with fur trimmed hoods, S49,000 chinchilla-lined silk coat, silk jackets topstitched in cloud patterns, tweed skirts festooned with crystals in a dragon-scale design, and cardigans embellished with jade. When the final outfit, a full-length shearling coat encrusted with Swarovski crystals, is shown, the crowd applauds de Chermont and his creative director Joanne Ooi. The glitzy event was a gamble for Shanghai Tang, which has had a rocky history since its launch. Birth of a Brand Shanghai Tang was founded in 1994 by British-educated David Tang in Hong Kong. It was a positioned originally as a custom-tailoring business leveraging on the talents of Shanghainese tailors. In 1996, anticipating a robust market selling Chinese souvenirs to well-heeled tourists attracted by the handover of the city of China, Tang expanded into ready-to-wear. At precisely 6. 8pm on November 1997, a time chosen into by a feng shui (geomancy) master, Shanghai Tang opened a palatial outlet on Madison Avenue in New York just opposite Barneys, welcoming the city’s glitterati for a bash that featured roast suckling pig, lion dancers, and Fergie, the Duchess of York. It was such a hot ticket that many party goers couldn’t get in, as the NYPD, citing New York’s tough fire codes, turned them away. However, the fashion world at the time seemed mystified about whether Tang was launching a new era of global fashion or peddling assorted Chinese merchandise. Nineteen months later, it was clear that Tang had miscalculated American’s appetite for expensive Chinese fashion, silver rice bowls, and painted lanterns. â€Å"It was not the ideal way to start a business. But unlike Europe, America is tolerant of mistakes as long as you learn. And we have learned from this huge mistake. We needed to be more modern,† concedes de Chermont. The lessons from the New York disaster were clear: To compete in the high-end fashion business, you need a continuous array of fresh collections to keep customers coming back. Clothes must be wearable and relevant to modern lives, not costume designs. And you need to know your market before you make a big real-estate bet, particularly in the most expensive cities in the world. Shanghai Tang moved to a smaller outlet farther up Madison Avenue, and rethought its marketing strategy. Back in Hong Kong, mired in the Asian financial crisis, things weren’t going well either. By the time de Chermont was hired in 2001, revenue stagnated. The SARS hit in 2002, effectively shutting down business in Hong Kong for six months. Shanghai Tang also lost market share to rivals including Ooi, who opened her outlet across from its flagship store on Pedder Street in Hong Kong’s Central District. China was chic, and international fashion editors loved qi pao dresses. â€Å"I thought I’d launch my own ready-to-wear line based on the idea on innovating this iconic symbol,† said 37-year-old Singapore-born Ooi, an Asian American with a law degree. â€Å"To underscore my point, I even made one qi pao out of African kente cloth and put it on my window. I thought I would eat Shanghai Tang for lunch. However, personal problems led Ooi to seek a new life. A Brand Reborn Enter de Chermont, who met Ooi through a headhunter friend. Both realized they shared a passion for an authentic Chinese luxury brand and the need for constant innovation in the fashion industry. Ooi surveyed Shanghai Tang’s outlets and concluded, â€Å"It’s an overpriced Chinese emporium that has no credibility with local Chinese people, let alone with fashion people. Its very narrow market is high-end tourists. It’s once-in-a-lifetime destination shopping experience, a kind of fashion Disneyland. Plus, it’s unwearable and eccentric. † de Chermont offered her the job of marketing and creative director. Both worked on repositioning Shanghai Tang. They believed the label had to be modern and relevant. It couldn’t be kitschy. It had to be luxurious, since prestige is more important in the Asian market than creativity. They decided to focus on women’s ready-to-wear, since that was likely to be the highest profile part of the line. For a year, they launched collections that over-corrected the problem. The clothes were fashion forward but still out of touch with the market. the brand had no depth, no sincerity, no differentiation,† Ooi concedes. Then Ooi hit on idea: each collection would reflect a China-related theme. The fall/winter 2003 collection, inspired by the traditional costumes of a Chinese minority group called the Miao, came first. It outsold the two previous collections. A strategy was born. Ooi now roams China, visiting antique markets, art galleries, museums, and historic sites, making notes, sketches, lists. She reads Chinese history and stays abreast of Chinese pop culture. Twice a year, she defines a theme for the next season’s collection and emails the concept brief to 16 designers and consultants worldwide. It specifies the collection’s intellectual underpinnings and suggests various elements to be incorporated into the design. For example, the theme of the fall/winter 2005 collection, Beijing’s Forbidden City, had design motifs which included elements such as symbols from the emperor’s robes and embellishments fir for an imperial court. For the spring/summer 2006 collection, the theme was contemporary Chinese art. Chinese artists were commissioned to create designs and students of China’s, most prestigious art academy created artworks based on fabrics from the collection. Ooi’s role is to gather, distill, disseminate, and synthesize sketches form designers in Paris, London, New York, and China. â€Å"I allow the designers to pollinate themselves. The trick is to make it look like it all came from the same person,† she says. Local Dream, Global Ambition As China enters the modern economic market, it has gone from being a low-cost producer to the purchaser of big name brands like Lenovo’s acquisition of IBM’s PC division. The third phase will be for China to create its own brands, becoming a center of design and innovation, capable of launching products that can compete in quality, style, and prestige with Western offerings. â€Å"The opportunity for Shanghai Tang right now is hug,† says David Melancon, North American president of brand strategy firm FutureBrand. â€Å"They could be the first big luxury brand out of Asia. † And in it, too. While the luxury market is already big at S168 billion a year, according to Bain amp; Co, and growing at 7 percent annually, it is developing even faster in China. By end-2004, there were over 236,000 mainland millionaires, compared to zero 25 years ago. Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of Prada, estimates that China could overtake the U. S. as a market for luxury goods by 2020. The winds of fashion seem to be blowing in Shanghai Tang’s direction. â€Å"Asian fusion is the top of the style wave†, says Michael Silverstein of the Boston Consulting Group. That put Shanghai Tang in a fashion sweet spot. â€Å"What Shaghai Tang does is translate two cultures†, says de Chermont. Early signs show that the strategy is working. Shanghai Tang’s New York store’s revenues were up 50 percent in 2005. Overall, the company grew 40 percent in 2005, mostly in Asia, home to 70 percent of its stores. And it’s profitable, though not quite yet in the U. S. This success has led to more ambitious expansion plans away from its Asian stronghold. Shanghai Tang aims to launch five stores a year worldwide. As it emerges on the world stage, though, it must pull of a delicate balancing act: It must create a look that both Chinese and international, authentic yet sophisticated enough for a global audience. Too much Asian kitsch, and its dead.

Walker Evans Essay Research Paper Walker Evans free essay sample

Walker Evans Essay, Research Paper Walker Evans was born in 1903 in St. Louis Missouri. He grew up in Toledo, Chicago, and New York City. In 1922 Evans graduated from college after analyzing literature. Six old ages subsequently he decided to go a lensman. In 1930 his first exposure were published. Walker Evans was an of import subscriber to the development of American docudrama picture taking in the 1930 s. His exposures are good elaborate word pictures of people and artefacts of American life ( Masters 1 ) . His exposure showed the poorness in America during the 1930 s. Evans chiefly photographed environments instead than people. He believed that an creative person s undertaking was to confront head-on the hardest worlds and describe them to the larger universe ( Masters 1 ) . Evans photographs were largely taken looking straight at the topic. He took images harmonizing to what he believed would impact people the most. This is a exposure of a roadside base near Birmingham, Alabama taken in 1936. We will write a custom essay sample on Walker Evans Essay Research Paper Walker Evans or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The exposure consists of a edifice advertisement fresh fish and fresh veggies for sale. There are two male childs outsid vitamin E keeping up melons. There are a few more people inside making concern. On the exterior of the shop you can see melons for sale every bit good as other veggies. In this image the point of position is straightforward. The arrangement of the male childs and the manner the veggies are positioned makes this photograph symmetrical. Shape is one strong component in this exposure. The male childs, the melons, and the edifice make up the forms. Texture can be seen in the land every bit good as in the boys apparels. The artists purpose is to demo a difficult working rural household and the concern they operate. I do non believe this image is excessively different than topographic points that could be found to twenty-four hours. The monetary values may be lower and the points different, but it is the same thought. On April 10, 1975 Walker Evans died in New Haven, Connecticut. Evans was good known during his life-time and after his decease. His images are looked upon as contemplations from the depression. His images were ever taken with a serious temper. Evans images were taken in ways that would most impact the American people. Walker Evans will ever be known as a great documental lensman.

Functionalism Essays - Sociology, Academia, Science, Anthropology

Functionalism Functionalism Functionalism is the sociological theory which holds that each part of society is necessary for the functioning of the social organism. There are several elements in the functionalist paradigm which explain how society functions to maintain the social organism and keep it alive. These elements, or tenets of functionalism are cohesion, integration, solidarity, and equilibrium. These elements explain how society is divided into it's different functional parts, with each part dependent on the other, and the amassed parts adding up to the structural whole of society. According to Emile Durkheim there are two kinds of societies with one being simple and mechanic and the other being complex and organic. Of course there isn't a fine line between the two categories, there is a progression from one to the other. As society becomes increasingly organic there is more differentiation between members of that society since not everyone can have the same role. In mechanic societies there is a high solidarity among all members of that society: they have the same beliefs, religion, and means of survival. In organic societies there is a differentiation between different groups which function as subsets of the societal organism. These subsets are the different organs and tissues of the societal organism. According to Durkheim these subsets still hold some consciousness common to the whole societal organism otherwise these parts wouldn't be held together and certain factions would separate from others. Cohesion is the tenet that maintains that a collective consciousness holds all of these subsets or organs together and in turn maintains these organs within the social organism. In Durkheim's book "On The Division of Labor" Durkheim explained that punishing heinous crimes such as murder invokes a certain cohesion among the members of the society. Also events such as war function to demonstrate the cohesiveness and solidarity of society. For example in World War II each person had common nationalistic sentiments which helped to cement soldiers as well as civilians. This collective consciouse was so powerful that it caused people to see Japanese Americans as potential spies since one of the enemies of WW2 were the japanese. The U.S. government deterred these citizens in camps, separated many familes, took away property, and basically took the rights away from citizens of the United States who just happened to be of Japanese heritage. Since the collective consciousness against Japanese was so great at this time no one questioned what the government was doing. Talcott Parsons explained integration as the mutual adjustments of subsystems from the point of view of their contributions to the effective functioning of the social organism. Each part of society must feel that society in large benefits them and that they are a vital part of society. This also applied to the individual level. Each member of a subsystem must feel that they benfit from the subsystem and that they also are a benefit to that subsystem. Integration would not exist if everyone felt isolated from others and the society at large. Indivduals become integrated into society through the process of socialization which helps to shape and mold an individual to share rules and practices of a subset and the social organism at large. When a group is at full integration there is a strong cohesion and solidarity among it's members. Cohesion is the glue that cements the bonds while solidarity are the sentiments common to all within the cohesive group. Solidarity is like a common gene sequence which is repeated from one member to another. All of these componets common to the structural-functionalist paradigm explain how society functions as a social organism. Cohesion is the idea that each major structure of society whether it be education, government, religion, or the economic system work together as separate but interdependent organs in order to keep the social organism alive. Each vital organ of society is pertinent to the functioning of the other vital organs. Solidarity is important in holding each individual organ together otherwise the whole of the social organism might die. For example if the heart failed all of the other major organs would die along with the organism. Each part can not function without the other parts. Integration is important so that each individual would chose to become part of one of the vital organs of society. The individuals are the cells that make up the vital organs, without the individuals the organs would eventually die, and the whole social organism would collapse. Equilibrium needs to be maintained in order for the social organism to be healthy, if one part becomes too strong or too weak the other parts must compensate in order to return to

Importance of Meaningful Music essays

Importance of Meaningful Music essays Music is one of the most influential forms of expression. You can see, hear, and even feel music. Music can lift your spirits, can make you depressed, make you think of your lover, or send surges of adrenaline through your body. Music also keeps traditions alive. Parents sing stories to their children that their parents sang to them. Music can go so far as to save a life. Ive read stories about people who were alone, ready to commit suicide, but listened to a certain band or even a certain song that got them through the pain they were feeling. I feel that if a singer or a band does not write their own music, the music isnt genuine. People who have writers make up lyrics for them to sing arent artists or musicians, they are singers. There is a difference. I would rather listen to a Dave Matthews Band song that no one has ever heard than listen to the Number One song in America if the band didnt write it themselves. Over the years, this had led me to listening to bands that arent the most popular, but have solid lyrics that convey strong emotions. Three bands that immediately come to mind are the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and O.A.R. Phish and O.A.R. receive little, if any, public acclaim, and they are all right with that. And until the last couple of years, the DMB fan base consisted of small but devoted fan groups, some people quitting their jobs to travel from tour date to tour date in order to see every show of a tour. Sonnys Blues was a story of Sonny, a heroin addict who had nothing but his music. His music is what he lived for, and when he felt he wasnt good enough, he would then turn to heroin for release. This often happens to many musicians who are very good, but just feel that they need that extra push, or that they cant be creative without the drugs. Bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Doors started this ph ...

Personal Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Personal Development Plan - Essay Example In an investigation to identify the effects of culture shock on minority students, Ostrove and Long (2007) and Greenfield (1994) found out that culture shock negatively affects academic performance of the students. The research focused on the black students who were the first generation students. Similarly, Grossmann and Varnum (2011) considered college to be an alien planet where young people from both poor and middle class families are the first to attend college.   Consequently, the social atmosphere results to culture shock on the black students from the said backgrounds, and it influences their adjustment to college.   Inherently, the new social atmosphere also has direct effects on ones personality.   The difference between the social class between the first generation students and the continuing generation is also believed to influence academic performance (Phinney and Haas, 2003).  Induction experience and points for improvement  When I was inducted in Wolverhampton College, I found out that the social atmosphere was quite different from my former university, in America where I studied my undergraduate degree. Firstly as a student I came to know communication between the campus people in Britain was a lot. The university pushed students to talk to each other and develop friendship which gave me a sense of belongingness as soon as I started my program here. Secondly, I came to the university with the notion that it was a very serious institution of learning. Another significant transformation that I was forced to go.... The research focused on the black students who were the first generation students. Similarly, Grossmann and Varnum (2011) considered college to be an alien planet where young people from both poor and middle class families are the first to attend college. Consequently, the social atmosphere results to culture shock on the black students from the said backgrounds, and it influences their adjustment to college. Inherently, the new social atmosphere also has direct effects on ones personality. The difference between the social class between the first generation students and the continuing generation is also believed to influence academic performance (Phinney and Haas, 2003). Induction experience and points for improvement When I was inducted in Wolverhampton College, I found out that the social atmosphere was quite different from my former university, in America where I studied my undergraduate degree. Firstly as a student I came to know  communication between the campus people  in Britain was a lot. The university pushed students to talk to each other and develop friendship which gave me a sense of belongingness as soon as I started my program here. Secondly, I came to the university with the notion that it was a very serious institution of learning. To my disappointment I found out that most the university students preferred partying more than studying. Unfortunately, trying to beat this will only make one to lose friends, and consequently, one has to manage to cope with such a situation. Subsequently, due to time consumed in partying and actually, to adapt to these changes my overall performance was actually affected in by first year in

Managing capability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Managing capability - Essay Example The organizational capabilities are the typical analysis and assessment of the skills, potentials and the effort exhibited by the employees in the firm. The capabilities have the complete evaluation of the employees and the resources for the assurance of profitability and productivity. The organizational capabilities depend on the achievement of the organizational goals effectively and efficiently. The organizations play a vital role in routing these capabilities and they are the result of the interlinked routings. The analysis of the task is at ease in comparison with the creation of capability. The analysis starts with the questions related to the functioning, activities performed and the current performance. â€Å"The field of strategic management deals with understanding the ways how firms achieve competitive advantage and how they create superior value.† (Arndt, 2008). In this study the main aim is to identify the capability and how it is related to the competitive advant age, different tools and the frame work. The organization that is analyzed is Toyota, where the task is to identify the different capability and the contribution to the competitive advantage, and analyzing the different functional areas of them. â€Å"Toyota believe the potential for growth in our industry is extremely promising.† (Psabilla, 2007). The competitive advantage of the firm is the dependency of the firm on the revenue and the profitability of the firm. A firm is said to own competitive advantage when profit of the firm is greater than the average revenue. The aim of any business unit is to have a sustained competitive advantage. This is shown in fig-1 According to Michael porter, competitive advantages are of two types; they are the cost advantages and the differentiation advantages. The cost advantages are those when the firm is capable of marketing and selling the products with the same

The Issues on Rising Gas Prices Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Issues on Rising Gas Prices - Research Paper Example As gas price increases continue to burden the people of the country, various groups and individuals have come up with their own analyses regarding its causes. The polarization of American society in terms of politics though has greatly tainted such analyses. Apparently, the purpose is to make the gas price increase issue another weapon for advancing political causes. The lack of in-depth analysis and the tendency to immediately react to the issue without taking the necessary research has led to a very superficial understanding of the origins of gas price increases. There is the belief that â€Å"the major causes of high gas prices include the increased demand for oil in places like China and India, high gasoline taxes, civil unrest in Venezuela, the war in the Middle East, political instability in Nigeria, and too few refineries in the US†. A quick glance at this list of supposed causes would lead one to believe that gas price increases are largely triggered by external condit ions. Dart also the points out that environmental regulations and opposition to oil exploration in certain parts of Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico are additional reasons why gas prices are increasing. Higher demand in the midst of low supply may indeed pull up the prices. It is also easy to recognize the fact that if Dart’s perspective of the major causes of gas price increase is to be believed, a host of other problems may also arise. It is clear that wrong analysis of problems can lead to wrong solutions, which may be more disastrous than the issue that these may be meant to resolve.

Climate Change and Food Security

Climate Change and Food Security INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study Our activities are inimical to the environment, our daily work and behaviour domestically, industrially and even agriculturally threatens the stability of environment as well as balance of the ecosystem. We often burn bushes to farm, we practice agriculture without due regard to the environment (oil), we cut/fell trees down without knowing that we are altering the eco- system and nature. All these human activities are threatening the nature and at the end, we ourselves are to face the consequences and are to be blamed. (Professor David Ukali, chairman of NEST, Nov, 2010) David Ukali’s statement explains how human activities lead to the backlash we experience in our environment today. Man suffers various environmental changes as a result of inappropriate agricultural practices coupled with unscrupulous destructions of various important elements in the environment. Climate change is perhaps the most serious environmental threat to the fight against hunger, malnutrition, disease and poverty in Africa, mainly through its impact on agricultural productivity. Climate change is one of the most serious environmental threats facing mankind worldwide. Climate change may already be impacting Nigeria as manifested by increased flooding, delayed rains, enhanced desertification, increasing bush fires and food insecurity.It affects agriculture in several ways, including its direct impact on food production. Climate change which is attributable to the natural climate cycle and human activities, has adversely affected agricultural productivity in Africa (Zierv ogel et al. 2006). That there is a change in the global climatic system is no longer in doubt. For instance, the periods we used to have rain have changed its proportion in terms of sun rays and that is why it has been generally agreed that this climate change which is posing the greatest threat to man and life on planet earth is gaining acceptance and that in the coming decade the world will witness higher temperatures and changing in precipitation levels which would lead to low/ poor agricultural income. The issue of climate change has become more threatening not only to the sustainable development of socio-economic and agricultural activities of any nation but to the totality of human existence (Adejuwon, 2004). Rough estimates suggest that over the next 50years or so climatic change will likely have a serious threat to meeting global food needs than any other constraints on agricultural system. (IPCC; 2007, BNRCC, 2008). Available evidence shows that climate change is global; sea level rose about 17 centimetres (6.7 inches) in the last century and the rate has doubled in the last decade, there has been a rise in the global temperature even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase, glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa, likewise its impacts but the most adverse effects will be felt mainly by developing countries, especially those in Africa, due to their low level of coping capabilities (Nwafor 2007; Jagtap 2007). Nigeria is viewed as one of these developing countries (Odjugo, 2010). Nigeria is experiencing adverse climate conditions with adverse impacts on the welfare of millions of its population, as the planet warms, rainfall patterns shift, and extreme events such as droughts, floods, and forest fires become more frequent (Zoellick 2009). Many African countries, which have their economies largely based on weather- sensitive Agricultural production system like Nigeria, are particularly vulnerable to climate change (Dinar et al, 2008). This vulnerability has been demonstrated by the devastating effects of recent flooding in the Niger- Delta region of the country and the various prolonged drought that are currently witnessed in some part of Northern region. According to Olanrewaju (2003), climatic change is any form of long term climatic inconsistency. The recent changes in the climate have been linked with the increase in greenhouse gases (GHG) on the atmosphere in addition to anthropogenic activities and support emissions of other artificial chlorocarbons (Olanrewaju, 2003). Climate change is also believed to result from the effect of global warming on the environment. Global warming is regarded by many people to be the most serious environmental challenge of modern times (Giddens, 2006). Global warming refers to the gradual rise of the earth’s average temperature due to changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere; it is believed to be caused in parts by humans, because the gases that have built up and altered the earth’s atmosphere are the ones produced in large quantities by human activities. Global warming means that many dry areas are going to get drier and wet areas are going to get wetter. â€Å"Climate change in Nigeria is a ticking time bomb and it exists little or even nothing to mitigate its effects.†(Nnimmo Bassey, Nigeria.) Peer-reviewed research accepted by the Journal of Geography and Regional Planning concludes that Nigeria’s average temperature has risen by 1.7 degrees in the period 1901-2005. The inc rease has been higher in the semi-arid regions and lower in the coastal zone; the rate of change has increased since the 1970s. The consequence for the Nigerian people is a geographical pincer threat from desertification in the north and coastal erosion in the south. Through a combination of overgrazing, abuse of woodland for fuel and increasingly unreliable rainfall, the Sahara is advancing at an estimated rate of 600 meters per annum, rising sea levels threaten Nigeria’s coastal regions the Niger Delta may be the source of oil wealth but its low-lying terrain crisis-crossed with waterways makes it extremely vulnerable to flooding and salinization i.e. the build-up of salts in soil eventually to toxic level for plant. Food security is the outcome of food system processes all along the food chain; climate change will affect food security through its impacts on all components of global, national and local food system. The definition of food security as adopted at the World Food Summit (WFS) in November 1996 says that; â€Å"food security exists when all people at all times have physical or economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life† ( FAO, 1996). One of the biggest threats is growing climate unpredictability, which makes subsistence farming difficult, the impact of the change will be difficult to handle and it will be potentially very long lasting,Droughts are getting worse and climate uncertainty is growing, Climate change is thus an unprecedented threat to food security (Medugu, 2013). Arid and semi-arid areas in northern Nigeria are becoming drier, while the southern part of the country are getting wetter, as the weather gets warmer most of the aquatic life, the fish, tend to seek colder waters thereby emptying Nigeria’s vast waters of marine resources, and which by extension means Nigeria’s reliance on imported fish and other sea foods increases. Climate change often appears very esoteric but in Nigeria; it is real, Currently there is an increasing incidence of disease, declining agricultural productivity, and rising incidences of heat waves (Stringer et al., 2009). The threat that climate change poses to agricultural production does not only cover the area of crop husbandry but also includes livestock and in fact the total agricultural sector. The impacts of climate change on agriculture can be classified into biophysical and socioeconomic impact (Khanal, 2009). Climate can also affect the quantity and quality of feed stuffs such as pasture, forage, and grain and also the severity and distribution of livestock diseases and parasite (Niggol and Mendelsohn 2008). Climate change impacts the four key dimensions of food security, namely food availability, food stability, food accessibility, and food utilization. According to vision 2020 as declared by the government of late president Umar Musa Yar’dua in October 2009 stated that; â€Å"by 2020 Nigeria will have a large, strong, diversified, sustainable and competitive economy that effectively harness the talents and energies of its people and responsibly exploits its natural endowments to guarantee a high standard of living and quality of life to its citizens† the declared aims of Nigeria’s national agricultural policy are; firstly attain food security, secondly increase production and productivity, thirdly generate employment and income and fourthly expand exports and reduce food imports thereby freeing resources for critical infrastructure development and delivery of social services. To achieve this aims, the problem of climate change as to be curtailed so as to enhance future possibilities of economic development and growth which is the major goal of the country. 1.2 Statement of the Problem In Nigeria, agriculture has tended to be the main source of food, and a major source of industrial raw material, as well as the means of earning foreign exchange. It employs close to 70% of the Nigeria’s population. Agricultural practice in the country is predominantly rain-fed and therefore particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and a study report by ( Harvard Business School) HBS in 2010 predicted that under a business as-usual scenario, Nigeria’s agricultural productivity could decline by between 10-25% by 2080, in certain parts a decline in rain-fed agriculture could be as high as 50%, exposure to extreme events makes subsistence and small scale farmers most vulnerable to climate change because of their limited capacity to adapt. Therefore, Nigeria’s vulnerability will be in two ways: The resulting impacts of climate change The impact of response measures this is because Nigeria’s economy is highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing, export and consumption of fossil fuels and associated energy-intensive products. As a result of the global climatic change, Nigeria has been affected greatly as there has been variations in the weather condition and also the frequent flooding that have led to the destruction of properties and also death of many Nigerians especially in the riverine area of the country. 1.3 Research Questions The research questions for the study are as follows; 1) What is the relationship between climate change and food security? 2) What has been the effect of global climate change on food security in Nigeria? 3) What is the impact of climate change on food security in Ogun State? Objectives of the Study The primary objective is to examine global climate change and how it affects food security in Ogun State, Nigeria. It can be achieved through the following. 1) Explaining the relationship between climate change and food security 2) Identifying and analysing the effects of global climate change on food security in Ogun State. 3) Illustrating the impact of climate change on food security in Ogun state Research Hypotheses For the purpose of this research some hypotheses are intended to be formulated and tested. The hypotheses are drawn from the objective research questions of the study. The hypotheses are: Hypothesis one: H0: global climate change does not have a great impact on food security in Ogun State H1: global climate change has a great impact on food security in Ogun State Hypothesis two: H0: Adequate efforts have not been made to reduce the effects of global climate change on food security in Ogun State. H1: Adequate efforts have been made to refuse the effects of global climate change on food security in Ogun State. Significance of the Study Every research work is a contribution to already existing knowledge. Therefore, as the world is dynamic and problems are a continuous part of man’s existence and people will always continue to struggle for survival and as a result of this people will always be moved to investigate and factors responsible for such problems and then going beyond this to proffer solutions for this problems. In as much as global climate change remains prevalent in our country today and threatens the availability of food in the society, it is therefore pertinent to carry out this study so as to bring to the awareness and understanding of people the importance of a good agricultural system and environmental consciousness. Scope of the Study The scope of the study is primarily on global climate change and its impact on food security in Nigeria especially in Ogun state. It will examine the causes and consequence of the phenomenon of climate change and how it has generously affected the availability of food in Ogun state. 1.8 Limitation of the Study The limitation to this study has been inaccessibility to data, time involvement in unplanned activities such as school meetings, seminars and so on. Methodology of the Study Secondary sources of data shall be employed in this work and they include; relevant books concerning the topic, newspaper, journal articles, magazines, encyclopaedias and the internet shall be made use of. Primary sources of data would also be used as the topic of study is a recent phenomenon and is still in occurrence on daily basis and so the effects would be studied by visits to the rural areas of Ogun states where agricultural practices are happening and also, primary tools would be applied as interviews would be conducted and questionnaires would be distributed. Sources of Data Collection Secondary sources of data are employed in this work and they include; relevant books concerning the topic, newspaper, journal articles, magazines, encyclopaedias and the internet shall be made use of. Primary sources of data would also be used as the topic of study is a recent phenomenon and is still in occurrence on daily basis. Sources of Data Collection The effects of global climate change are studied by frequent visits to the rural areas of Ogun states where agricultural practices are happening and also, primary tools would are applied as interviews would be conducted and questionnaires would be distributed. Interviews are conducted with the commissioner of agriculture in Ogun State; Mrs Ronke Shokefun and the commissioner of environment; Dr Lanre Tejuoso. Techniques of Data Analysis Descriptive form of data analysis is employed in this project work as am going to be describing phenomenon that is in existence. Descriptive method of data analysis describes systematically the fact, qualities, characteristics of a given population, event or area of interest as factually and accurately as possible to proffer answers to questions asked by the problem of study. This study describes the events of global climate change and how it has taken a prominent position in affecting food security. Outline Of Study This research is made up of five chapters and each chapter analyses the following: Chapter one focuses on the introductory aspect of the research work which discusses the following: background of study, statement of problem, research questions, significance of study, scope and limitation of study, objectives of the study, research methodology and so on. Chapter two attempts a literature review and discusses the theoretical framework. In this chapter we will be analysing previous arguments that have been laid out by scholars in the field of this study and so be using a thematic structure to help further our understanding of the phenomenon of this study. The literature review aspect of this chapter helps the researcher to relate with the scholarly works and writings in the field of study while the theoretic framework helps the researcher base his research on a specific theory that is in line and helps to further explain his research. Chapter three is an overview of global climate change and its effect on food and food security that is the major changes that have been experienced since the inception of climate change in Nigeria especially in Ogun State. Also, how it has disrupted the production and distribution of food in the society focusing mainly on the effects of global climate change and food security in Ogun state, Chapter four focuses on the analyses of data gathered and thorough explanation of the results gotten from the statistical data. Chapter five attempts summary of the study and makes recommendation, it also concludes the work. REFERENCES Ansel, E. Taofeeq A. (2010).†Challenges of Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change in Nigeria† a Synthesis from the Literature  », Field Actions Science Reports [Online], Vol. 4, 2010, retrieved on 17 December 2012 from http://factsreports.revues.org/678/volume 4. Apata, T.G. (2011) â€Å"Effect of global climate change on Nigerian agriculture: An empirical analysis† CBN journal of applied statistics, volume 2 number1 pp.31-45. Ayinde, O. Muchie, M. Olatunji, G. (2011). â€Å"Effects of climate change on agricultural productivity in Nigeria: A Co- integration Model Approach† Journal of Human Ecology volume 35 number 3, pp.189- 194. Medugu, N. (2012) â€Å"Nigeria and Global Climate Change issues† as retrieved on the 28th of August 2013, from the website http://environmentalsynergy.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/nigeria-and-global-climate-change-issues/ Odjugo, A.O. (2011) â€Å"Climate change and global warming: the Nigerian perspective† journal of sustainable development and environmental protection, volume 1 number 1 pp.6- 17. Odjugo, A.O. (2010). â€Å"Regional Evidence Of climate change in Nigeria† journal of geography and regional planning volume 3 number 6, pp.142-150. Oyinbo, O, Rekwot, G.Z, Ugbagbe, O.O (2013). â€Å"Socio- Economic Implications Of Climate Change On Food Security And Livelihood in Nigeria : A Desk Review. Department of Agricultural and Economics and Rural Sociology Faculty Of Agriculture/ Institute For Agricultural Research. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Yusuf, N. (2012) â€Å"Climate change, social transition and Nigeria’s economic development† journal of international NGO volume7, number 2, pp.35-38. Climate Change; Challenge For Nigeria’s Food Security retrieved form http://bivnze.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/climate-change-challenge-for-nigerias-food-security National Planning Commission, Nigeria’s vision 20: 2020, October 2009. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Global Climate Change; Vital signs of the planet, July 2013. 1

The NCLB Act Essay -- essays papers

The NCLB Act History The NCLB Act was created from initiatives originally introduced in the Elementary and Secondary School Act. The Elementary and Secondary School Act designed by then Commissioner of Education Francis Keppel and was passed on April 9, 1965. This was less than three months after the bill was first introduced. President Lyndon B. Johnson launched the 'War on Poverty' this being the most important educational component of the war. (Schugurensky, 2002) Through special funding this act allowed underprivileged and impoverished children a chance to receive education that met up to national standards. The special funding allotted more than 1 billion dollars to low income families to receive education that compared to affluent families. The Head Start program quickly grew out of this Act. In the Head Start program preschoolers received education that would prepare them for the challenges they would face in elementary schools the following year. (Amis, 2001) The ESEA was amended in 1968 to include the needs of children that had limited English speaking ability which eventually became the Bilingual Education Act. The NCLB presents a sweeping overhaul of federal efforts to support elementary and secondary education in the United States. The NCLB Act is built on four pillars, accountability for results, emphasis on doing what works, expanded parental options and expanded local controls and flexibility. (Toolkit, 2003) Standards criteria established by an educational institution to determine levels of student achievement.† (EBSCOhost Thesaurus) Each of these sets of standards may vary slightly state by state. A school that does not meet the criteria laid out by the state for two years running is labeled as n... ...n, L. S. and Owings, W. A. (May 2003) The Politics of Teacher Quality. Volume 84 pp. 687-92 Retrieved: May 1 2004 From: EBSCO Amis, K. (2001). Bush says reading is first. Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. Retrieved: Feb. 16 2004 from: www.edexcellence.net U.S. Department of Education (2004) No child left behind overview. U.S. Department of Education, Retrieved: Feb. 16, 2004 from: www.ed.gov What Works Clearinghouse (2002) Retrieved April 15 2004 from: www.w-w-c.org Schugurensky, D. (2002) History of Education Retrieved: April 22 2004 from: http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~daniel_schugurensky/assignment1/1965elemsec.html (2003) The Elementary and Secondary Education Act in Washington An overview Retrieved: April 22 2004 from: http://www.k12.wa.us/ESEA/ U.S. Department of Education (2003) A Toolkit for Teachers. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

Critical Analysis of Pharm.D in India Essay

SUMMARY Critical Analysis of Pharm.D. in India: Exploring the Way Ahead INTRODUCTION: Pharmacy education in India was mainly focused on pharmaceutical science courses rather than clinical/pharmacotherapeutic courses until 2008, when Pharm.D. was introduced and began to be offered in India, to focus towards clinical and community aspects. The study was conducted to analyse the current scenario of Pharm.D. in India and look at possible issues & options. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the study is to find out the current status of Pharm.D. from students’ perspective and to identify the need of Pharm.D. as a part of Pharmacy Education System in India. Addressing the possible shortcomings and give probable suggestions to improve the scope of the same. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD: The study comprises of an extensive secondary research and also a primary research to understand the current scenario of Pharm.D. from students’ point of view. A literature survey was done to study the introduction and status of Pharm.D. curriculum in India and the achievement of Pharm.D. in western countries. Various journals and publications from the database engines of Ebsco, Emerald & Google Scholar were studied and referred to analyse the evolution and future of Pharm.D. Also, a primary research was conducted in Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, Karnataka. The selection of survey location (MCOPS) was done on the basis of a combined list from ‘India’s Best Pharma Colleges’ (Careers 360 July 2011 Edition) and ‘Institutes offering Pharm.D. and Pharm.D. (Post Baccalaureate) Courses’ (Published by Pharmacy Council of India). A questionnaire was made on a 5 point Likert Scale and circulated online amongst the students of MCOPS. The responses were analysed by using the online softwares of Survey Monkey survey portal. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: Out of 130 respondents to the survey, a total of 109(83.83%) respondents said that the curriculum of Pharm.D in India is justifiable for healthcare sector and 97 (74.61%) said that the internship of Pharm.D students meets the requirements of the hospitals/Clinical Research Organisation. 24 responses (18.46%) opposed the opinion of providing the prescribing rights to the Pharm.D. graduates and 69(37.69%) voiced that such a right, if provided, will not be accepted by the doctor community. Figure 1 is indicative of the above stated data. FIGURE 1 Closed ended questions were put to investigate the probable reason(s) for Pharm.D. lagging in India from the west. 115 responders (n=130) said that the Pharm.D. graduates will not be accepted by the Doctors’ Community. 112 responders said that the exposure to clinical pharmacy was less and 117 were pessimistic about the awareness on pharmacy profession in India. The interpretation of the survey results shows that one of the probable reasons of selection of Pharm.D. course by students was the alluring tag of a ‘Doctor’. However, the critical analyses lead to a consensus of lack of required clinical exposure and knowledge of the field of diagnosis and therapeutics. If the Pharm.D. program can incorporate a few alterations in the curriculum and develop a practice-based academic unit bridging the pharmacy practice with academia, there is great hope for the Pharm.D. program in India. CONCLUSION: The findings of the survey revealed that the exposure of the Pharm.D. students to the clinical and diagnostic aspect of the therapeutic system needs to be increased. Efforts need to be put in to increase the awareness of Pharm.D., and also the Pharmacy profession in India on the whole. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Subal C Basak, Dondeti Sathyanarayana. Pharmacy Education in India. Am J Pharm Educ. 2010 May 12; 74(4): 68. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2879119/ (Accessed on-September 8, 2012) 2. Patil JS, Kulkarni RV, Marapur SC, Dalavi VV. Introducing Pharm.D. Programme in India: A Need of the Day. Indian J. of Pharm. Pract. 2(3), Jul-Sep, 2009. Available from: http://www.ijopp.org/pdf/ijopp_vol_2_3_Jul-Sep2009.pdf#page=13 (Accessed on-September 5, 2012) 3. Claire Anderson, Billy Futter. Pharm.D. or Needs Based Education: Which Comes First?. Am J Pharm Educ. 2009 August 28; 73(5): 92. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2739075/ (Accessed on-September 12, 2012)

Conjugation Table for the Italian Verb Pagare

Conjugation Table for the Italian Verb Pagare pagare: to pay (for); buy; repayRegular  first-conjugation Italian verbTransitive verb (takes a  direct object) INDICATIVE/INDICATIVO Presente io pago tu paghi lui, lei, Lei paga noi paghiamo voi pagate loro, Loro pagano Imperfetto io pagavo tu pagavi lui, lei, Lei pagava noi pagavamo voi pagavate loro, Loro pagavano Passato Remoto io pagai tu pagasti lui, lei, Lei pag noi pagammo voi pagaste loro, Loro pagarono Futuro Semplice io pagher tu pagherai lui, lei, Lei pagher noi pagheremo voi pagherete loro, Loro pagheranno Passato Prossimo io ho pagato tu hai pagato lui, lei, Lei ha pagato noi abbiamo pagato voi avete pagato loro, Loro hanno pagato Trapassato Prossimo io avevo pagato tu avevi pagato lui, lei, Lei aveva pagato noi avevamo pagato voi avevate pagato loro, Loro avevano pagato Trapassato Remoto io ebbi pagato tu avesti pagato lui, lei, Lei ebbe pagato noi avemmo pagato voi aveste pagato loro, Loro ebbero pagato Future Anteriore io avr pagato tu avrai pagato lui, lei, Lei avr pagato noi avremo pagato voi avrete pagato loro, Loro avranno pagato SUBJUNCTIVE/CONGIUNTIVO Presente io paghi tu paghi lui, lei, Lei paghi noi paghiamo voi paghiate loro, Loro paghino Imperfetto io pagassi tu pagassi lui, lei, Lei pagasse noi pagassimo voi pagaste loro, Loro pagassero Passato io abbia pagato tu abbia pagato lui, lei, Lei abbia pagato noi abbiamo pagato voi abbiate pagato loro, Loro abbiano pagato Trapassato io avessi pagato tu avessi pagato lui, lei, Lei avesse pagato noi avessimo pagato voi aveste pagato loro, Loro avessero pagato CONDITIONAL/CONDIZIONALE Presente io pagherei tu pagheresti lui, lei, Lei pagherebbe noi pagheremmo voi paghereste loro, Loro pagherebbero Passato io avrei pagato tu avresti pagato lui, lei, Lei avrebbe pagato noi avremmo pagato voi avreste pagato loro, Loro avrebbero pagato IMPERATIVE/IMPERATIVO Presente - paga paghi paghiamo pagate paghino INFINITIVE/INFINITO Presente:  pagare Passato: avere pagato PARTICIPLE/PARTICIPIO Presente: pagante Passato: pagato GERUND/GERUNDIO Presente: pagando Passato: avendo pagato

Media tech. Utopia or Dystopia essays

Media tech. Utopia or Dystopia essays Media technology and the future. Utopia or Dystopia? What lies in the future of technology in the media will have a massive impact on the future generations, but there is the question of how will it have an effect the children of today, will it be a positive effect or negative. Children of the 21st century are surrounded by computer games, the Internet, movies and television, statistic already show that children spend a majority of their time participating in these technological activities. But children today, are the first generation to be born and raised through this technology era, they are more likely to spend their childhood growing up in a digital environment as they will in the real world. The effects it will have on children in the future is yet to be seen, but I ask what those effects will be. It may give them better hand-eye co-ordination, as they already suggest about computer games today, or it might increase their IQ's because of the vast amount of information that is now available, instead of learning from school or books from the library, much can be learned in the living room of your own home via internet or even television. These are positive effects, but what could the negative effects be? There could be a more prevalent amount of violence and sexual behavior exposed, which will be received passively at early ages that could lead to affect their mentality or fracture their morality. Early exposure to adult material is very high because of the possible access to the Internet, without doubt the Internet holds the largest collection of pornographic images, and videos. With only the click of a button, you can gain access to these archives. Because of the obscurity and privacy of accessing theses images, people dont have to identify themselves or go out their way to buy X-rated magazines and videos. This is a major issue because of the fact that computers cannot tell the difference between an adult viewer or ...

Universality of Human Rights and Cultural Disparity Essay

Universality of Human Rights and Cultural Disparity - Essay Example While proponents support the concept’s ideology, opponents argue against it on the basis of cultural relativism and the apolitical nature of the campaign adopted in its advocacy. Perhaps the most pervasive argument against the universal nature of human rights is that of cultural diversity. This assertion is hinged on the assertion that since every nation or society has its distinctive cultural values, a universal approach to rights cannot be applied all around the world. A key issue in the cultural disparity argument stems from the perception that the West differs significantly from other nations, on which it attempts to impose the idea of universal human rights. This notion is perpetuated by the fact that the UN Declaration of Human Rights was adopted when majority of Third World nations had not gained independence from the principally Western colonialists. Universality of rights is therefore perceived as cover for the West to intervene in developing countries’ affairs, while spreading its individualistic socio-cultural values in otherwise community-oriented societies. In further argument against universality, others posit that ongoing nation-building in developing countries cannot sustain individual-oriented human rights since it is a communal task.

Annotaed bibliography and rephrase Annotated Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Annotaed and rephrase - Annotated Bibliography Example He notes that socialist markets are controlled and do not respond the forces of demand and supply. In his context, this policy indirectly recommends women and children to work, centrally to capitalism where anyone works at their own wish. In addition, he says that this trend can be changeable the respect the natural forces of the market. David Stark’s article is an important source of knowledge. It would mostly help someone to know the differences of socialism and capitalism. It would also enable one to know why socialism was popular in the industrial revolution of America and how it ended. The objective of the article is achieved since it gives a vivid description of socialism, capitalism, and the industrial revolution in America. His article was of much help to me since it informed, me of the differences of socialism and capitalism as it pertains to industrial revolution in America. Chapters in this article could be used in classes to explain the notable differences he gives of socialism. Information contained in this article could be used in research projects as a hypothesis to enable the researcher prove the differences indicated in this article. Problems arose in contemporary America because of socialism. Labor unions powers have largely been eliminated and capitalists can engage in any transactions aimed at reducing the cost of labor thus weakening workers and socialism. Workers are threatened since the socialist inspired safety nets have been abolished (Bissett

Design Awareness homework 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design Awareness homework 2 - Assignment Example Several design elements have been applied in the design of Swiss International Air sign. Against the red colored background are the white name tag â€Å"Swiss† and a Plus sign at the bottom right corner. Strong red color has been used to enhance the readability of the elements of focus which are the name Swiss and the plus sign. Essentially, the designer sought to make the name Swiss dominant for the sake of identification of Swiss airline even at a distant. Maslow’s hierarchy has also been applied in this symbol. According to Maslow, a sign should first satisfy the basic purpose before progressing to other secondary needs. In this case, the main target was to identify the Swiss airline. Therefore, this explains why the â€Å"Swiss† name tag had to come before the plus sign which symbolically identifies, though not explicitly, that it is a plane. In addition, communication model has been applied in this sign. The â€Å"plus† sign is not just a decoration b ut further exemplifies the motto of the airline that their â€Å"sign is a promise†. Also, the plus sign symbolically communicates that it is an aero plane with front end, rear end and two wings. A tool is an object or a collection of objects that are used to perform a given task or rather for a particular vocation. They are normally designed in such a way that they enhance the ease and effectiveness at which the work in context is performed. The object in this case are kitchen cutlery used to peel off the outer coat of fruits such as oranges. Special emphasis has been laid on the handling of the equipment to reduce the efforts and risks involved in peeling off oranges. Unlike the handle of ordinary kitchen knives/equipment, the handles of these tools are threaded to increased firm or tight grip while performing the task at hand. The design element that has been exemplified in the grips of these kitchen cutlery is the shape. For example, at the point of the handle where the thumb and index finger grip

War is a force that gives us meaning Essay Example for Free

War is a force that gives us meaning Essay War, when we confront it truthfully, exposes the darkness within all of us. This darkness shatters the illusions many of us hold not only about the human race but also about ourselves. Few of us confront our own capacity for evil, but this is especially true in wartime. And even those who engage in combat are afterward given cups from the River Lethe to forget. And with each swallow they imbibe the myth of war. For the myth makes war palatable. It gives war a logic and sanctity it does not possess. It saves us from peering into the darkest recesses of our own hearts. And this is why we like it. It is why we clamor for myth. The myth is enjoyable, and the press, as is true in every nation that goes to war, is only too happy to oblige. They dish it up and we ask for more. War as myth begins with blind patriotism, which is always thinly veiled self-glorification. We exalt ourselves, our goodness, our decency, our humanity, and in that self-exaltation we denigrate the other. The flip side of nationalism is racismlook at the jokes we tell about the French. It feels great. War as myth allows us to suspend judgment and personal morality for the contagion of the crowd. War means we do not face death alone. We face it as a group. And death is easier to bear because of this. We jettison all the moral precepts we have about the murder of innocent civilians, including children, and dismiss atrocities of war as the regrettable cost of battle. As I write this article, hundreds of thousands of innocent people, including children and the elderly, are trapped inside the city of Basra in southern Iraqa city I know wellwithout clean drinking water. Many will die. But we seem, because we imbibe the myth of war, unconcerned with the suffering of others. Yet, at the same time, we hold up our own victims. These crowds of silent deadour soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice and our innocents who were killed in the crimes against humanity that took place on 9/11are trotted out to sanctify the cause and our employment of indiscriminate violence. To question the cause is to defile the dead. Our dead counts. Their dead does not. We endow our victims, like our cause, with righteousness. And this righteousness gives us the moral justification to commit murder. It is an old story. In wartime we feel a comradeship that, for many of us, makes us feel that for the first time we belong to the nation and the group. We are fooled into thinking that in wartime social inequalities have been obliterated. We are fooled into feeling that, because of the threat, we care about others and others care about us in new and powerful waves of emotion. We are giddy. We mistake this for friendship. It is not. Comradeship, the kind that comes to us in wartime, is about the suppression of self-awareness, self-possession. All is laid at the feet of the god of war. And the cost of this comradeship, certainly for soldiers, is self-sacrifice, self-annihilation. In wartime we become necrophiliacs. As it happens, Ive just finished reading Mr. Hedges memoir, â€Å"War is a Force that Gives us Meaning†, and its very much of a piece with this, which is to say heartfelt, but overstated, particularly as regards his own country. Mr. Hedges spent fifteen years as a foreign correspondent, covering every war and genocide you can name, and many that few of us can. As just a reminder of these conflicts and of the victims thereof, it is worth reading. However, when he tries to draw broader conclusions he, perhaps understandably, overreacts. The truths that he speaks of above are not the only truths that war exposes, nor are they necessarily the primary truths. Its a truism that war is terrible, but it is just not the case, as even he ultimately must concede, that it is the most terrible thing. It would be dishonest to argue that myth is not an important part of patriotism and the will to war, but consider how much here is not myth. The deads of 9-11 were in fact innocent victims. They went to work one fine morning in September and because of that they were murdered. No amount of scab-picking about past American policy in the Middle East can ever make it so that they deserved to die, can it? Likewise, those who perpetrated that heinous act, al Qaeda, and those who aided them, the Taliban, can not escape moral culpability, no matter what their grievances against the United States. It is an objective truth that at least these victims of ours were innocent and at least those enemies are not. A somewhat better case can be made that the people of Iraq are innocent victims. However, they were victims of Saddam before we liberated themMr. Hedges might wince at the boastfulness of a term like liberation, but there is no reason for us toand their lives are immeasurably better today for our having acted. Who cares more for the people of Basra, those content to stand idly by while Saddam oppressed them or those whove returned their freedom to them? Moreover, far from ignoring the suffering of potential innocents in this war, we took every reasonable (and some perhaps unreasonable) precaution to avoid civilian casualties. If the myths of which Mr. Hedges speaks were wholly true, it would have been simplicity itself to slaughter Iraqis indiscriminately, even to exterminate the population, yet this we did not do. Here is the inescapable problem for Mr. Hedges: give a Hitler, a Stalin, a Milosevic, a bin Laden, a whomever, nuclear weapons and there can be little doubt theyd use them to kill their enemies. Yet we have them and we do not use them (except the twice, sixty years ago). If we had truly become necrophiliacs, as are our foes so often become, why would we not kill to out utmost capacity to do so? The attacks on the World Trade Center illustrate that those who oppose us, rather than coming from another moral universe, have been schooled well in modern warfare. The dramatic explosions, the fireballs, the victims plummeting to their deaths, the collapse of the towers in Manhattan, were straight out of Hollywood. Where else, but from the industrialized world, did the suicide hijackers learn that huge explosions and death above a city skyline are a peculiar and effective form of communication? They have mastered the language. They understand that the use of disproportionate violence against innocents is a way to make a statement. We leave the same calling cards. Corpses in wartime often deliver messages. The death squads in El Salvador dumped three bodies in the parking lot of the Camino Real Hotel in San Salvador, where the journalists were based, and early one morning. Death threats against us were stuffed in the mouths of the bodies. And, on a larger scale, Washington uses murder and corpses to transmit its wrath. We delivered such incendiary messages in Vietnam, Iraq, Serbia, and Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden has learned to speak the language of modern industrial warfare. Organized killing is done best by a disciplined, professional army. But war also empowers those with a predilection for murder. Petty gangsters, reviled in pre-war Sarajevo, were transformed overnight at the start of the conflict into war heroes. What they did was no different. They still pillaged, looted, tortured, raped, and killed; only then they did it to Serbs, and with an ideological veneer. Slobodan Milosevic went one further. He opened up the countrys prisons and armed his criminal class to fight in Bosnia. Once we sign on for wars crusade, once we see ourselves on the side of the angels, once we embrace a theological or ideological belief system that defines itself as the embodiment of goodness and light, it is only a matter of how we will carry out murder. The eruption of conflict instantly reduces the headache and trivia of daily life. The communal march against an enemy generates a warm, unfamiliar bond with our neighbors, our community, and our nation, wiping out unsettling undercurrents of alienation and dislocation. War, in times of malaise and desperation, is a potent distraction. George Orwell in 1984 wrote of the necessity of constant wars against the Other to forge a false unity among the proles: War had been literally continuous, though strictly speaking it had not always been the same war. The enemy of the moment always represented absolute evil. Patriotism, often a thinly veiled form of collective self-worship, celebrates our goodness, our ideals, our mercy and bemoans the perfidiousness of those who hate us. War makes the world understandable, a black and white tableau of them and us. It suspends thought, especially self-critical thought. All bow before the supreme effort. We are one. Most of us willingly accept war as long as we can fold it into a belief system that paints the ensuing suffering as necessary for a higher good, for human beings seek not only happiness but also meaning. And tragically war is sometimes the most powerful way in human society to achieve meaning. This is positively bizarre. One might imagine us to have been at war with the Arab world throughout the 90s, and Osama bin Laden to just be responding to our constant attacks. In fact, the truth, as the analysts tell us is the opposite. It was precisely because America was so reticent to respond to terror in any systematic way, so loathe leaving behind the roaring 90s and go to war, that al Qaeda became emboldened. In Mr. Hedge’s account we woke up one day, found our lives lacked meaning, and marched to war with an Islam we suddenly decided to portray as evil. In reality, we woke one day to find the World Trade Center and Pentagon in flames, decided that our lives had a meaning worth defending after all, and set out not to fight all Islam but those who have distorted it into something hateful. When in human history has a leader gone further out of his waymany would argue too farto limit just who the enemy is, to limit the material destruction and civilian deaths, to get aid to the newly liberated peoples, etc. Whenever else have military bombed countries with food and humanitarian supplies? No, to accept Mr. Hedges implicit argument that there is no difference between us and al Qaeda or between Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush is to abandon even the idea of morality. It is too deny that morality exists. Mr. Hedges himself acknowledges this, if not directly, when he disavows pacifism: The poison that is war does not free us from the ethics of responsibility. There are times when we must take this poisonjust as a person with cancer accepts chemotherapy to live. We cannot succumb to despair. Force is and I suspect always will be part of the human condition. There are times when the force wielded by one immoral faction must be countered by a faction that, while never moral, is perhaps less immoral. This is sheer nonsense. A doctor administers poison to the chemotherapy patienthas he not behaved morally? A bystander or a policeman uses force to stop a rapehave they not acted morally just because they used force, which, as Mr. Hedges says, will always be part of the human condition? One nation intervenes with force to stop genocide or a megalomaniac dictatorin what sense is this not a moral act? He closes the chapter by saying: This is not a call for inaction. It is a call for repentance. So we should not stand by and watch as one people slaughter another, but if we use force to stop it we must repent that use of force? What kind of morality is it that holds you guilty if you act and if you dont? The answer is not a serious one. This is mere self-flagellation and pious posturing. Mr. Hedges provides us with a harrowing glimpse of modern war and a salutary warning about how the enthusiasms of war affect all us, but he goes way too far and lapses into absurdity when he demands that we treat all uses of force as immoral

Descartes and the Existence of God Essay -- essays papers

Descartes and the Existence of God Once Descartes has realized that he can know with certainty that â€Å"I exist† is true, he continues to build on his foundation of truths. The truth about the nature of God, proof of God’s existence, and the nature of corporeal objects are considered, among others, after Descartes proves his existence. Descartes’ principal task in the Meditations was to devise a system that would bring him to the truth. He wanted to build a foundation from which all further philosophical inquiry could be built. It was essential that his beliefs were sound. If any one of them were at all in doubt, then it put the credibility of the whole structure of knowledge in jeopardy. I will discuss a few of the topics Descartes analyzes after his epiphany of existence. Throughout the essay, I will raise some doubts that I have pertaining to Descartes’ conclusions as well. In his second meditation, when Descartes pushes the method of doubt to its fullest extent, several truths survive; since these cannot be doubted Descartes must know them. The first of these is that â€Å"I exist.† The second truth, when Descartes asks â€Å"what am I?† caught my attention. I found it odd that he tests potential answers by asking whether he can doubt them. The test appears strange because one’s ability to doubt something doesn’t normally show that it is false. If I can doubt that I have the hairiest legs at West Virginia University, does it follow that I do not? It is later when Descartes rephrases his answer, and so his question, in terms of â€Å"what is inseparable from my nature,† that I realized that the question was special. When he proceeds to say â€Å"I am now admitting nothing except what is necessarily true,† I finally saw that the apparent... ...a cause, and since I am imperfect, the idea has to have been originated from a perfect source or God.† In Descartes’ Cosmological Proof of God, I understand that the cause of an idea must have as much formal reality as the objective reality of the idea. I also understand that the idea has infinite objective reality. However, I am not fully convinced that it is impossible for a mortal, finite person to take the idea of a finite being and continually think â€Å"upward,† forming the idea that there is a being that is supreme to themselves. Descartes’ epiphany of â€Å"I exist, I am† was the catalyst for the exploration of the issues he discusses in Meditations. Although I find problems in some instances of his reasoning, I realize that he has provided answers through his Method of Doubt that have endured the ages and allow us to continue to ponder their truth today.

What would happen if he ate McDonalds for 30 days straight?

Morgan Spurlock wanted to see what would happen if he ate McDonalds for 30 days straight. Every meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he was not allowed to eat or drink anything that was NOT from McDonalds. He has to eat everything on the menu at least once. And, on top of all that, if they asked him to supersize it, he had to do it! His journey has begun.Morgan weighed 185 pounds at the beginning of his journey. His girlfriend is a vegan chef, which is someone who does not eat meat, fish, dairy products, or eggs. She completely disagrees with the choice that Morgan has made, and thinks that he is going to kill himself doing it.The fattest nation in the world, you could guess, is America. The fattest state is Mississippi. The fattest city is Houston, Texas. Texas has 4 of the top 10 fattest cities in the Nation. And in Manhattan alone, there are 83 McDonalds. Every day, more than 46 million people are served worldwide!It is predicted that in the future, obesity will be the leading caus e of death, behind smoking. People who eat McDonalds once a week are called ‘heavy users’. Nutritionists say that never eating McDonalds in your entire life is the healthiest choice you can make.Morgan gained 25 pounds over 30 days of eating McDonalds. At second weigh in, he had gained 18 pounds, which was 203 pounds. At third weigh in, Morgan had actually lost one pound, putting him 202 pounds. At his fourth and final weigh in, Morgan had gained another 8 pounds, putting him at 210 pounds. Over this 30 day period, Morgan had consumed about 30 pounds of sugar.Eating fast food is very unhealthy. It can also be very addicting. These huge fast foods have all the money in the world to pay for advertising to attract a variety of age groups to come and buy their products. Every company does this, they have to advertise in order to stay in business!

Postmodern Theory in Art Essay

Philosophy refers to the search for truth, existence, knowledge and performance through sense and rationale. Philosophy attempts to study the nature of existence, soundness, impartiality, beauty, mind and language. Art on the other hand refers to the process of arranging elements in a creative manner that makes them appealing to the senses and the emotions. Art includes performance which involves the use of language. The artist Paul McCarthy, born in 1945 in Salt Lake City, learned his art skills at the University of Utah in the year 1969. On his further studies at San Francisco art institute, he studied painting and went further to study film, video and art at the University of Southern California. McCarthy majors his work in video and sculpture having taught performance, video, installation and performance art history at the University of California (Bronfen 214). McCarthy in his works institutes color as a central theme in his story of modern and contemporary work. McCarthy’s life and art works are connected to the practice centered on the role of artists within the cultures and the system of art. In his works he proves a bit of a chocker. The use of language and descriptions of all the American culture that he grew up with, he works towards bending and transforming the familiar into the disturbing. The works of McCarthy definitely removes the dark side of the American dream and presents a selection of postmodern works produced between 1966 and 2006. The philosophies of Kierkegaard involved a unifying factor which evolved around three spheres of existence, which is the aesthetic, the ethical and the religious choice in constant tension. According to Kierkegaard the personal aesthetic enjoyment is in the inconsistent search of pleasure which is self-centered. Comparing the artist Paul McCarthy to this philosophy, it is clear that the philosophy involved beauty and pleasure which is mainly egocentric just like the work of McCarthy which involves the provision of pleasurable activities, through performance and beautiful paintings (Robert & Adorno 132). The ethical sphere however is not egocentric but impersonal. It involves a law centered on reasoning as opposed to personal inclination and expediency. Kierkegaard asserts that at this stage, life does not just involve a succession of separate moments of pleasure but is a long range venture which should be structured according to rational principles. The principles according to Kierkegaard’s philosophies do not only include the rules of eventual interest but the conceptual ideologies of morality that describe what an individual should do. Just like Kierkegaard’s ideals, in McCarthy’s attempts to reduce the disadvantages of painting, he resorted to using the body as a canvas. He later involved the use of bodily fluids and foods to act as surrogates in his work. Other than painting the work of McCarthy included transgressive presentation art, psychosexual events which were meant to test the emotions of both the artist and the viewer. McCarthy in his works was known for shocking, sexually charged pieces that feature benign cartoon and pop culture characters reflecting the ideologies of morality which teaches the viewers and the artist on what they should do (Glennie 34). Much of the works of Kierkegaard looks into religious premises like the faith in God, the organization of the Christian church, the Christian ethics and divinity and the emotions and feelings of different people when dealing with the choices of life. Kierkegaard remained the most influential figure in modern philosophy’s consideration just like McCarthy who remained the most influential artist in the postmodern artistry. Kierkegaard believed and insisted on individual rather than collective responsibility before God. In the stage of true religious choice, only a leap of faith that provides a ground for decision is employed, however there are no automatic rational decision procedures. According to the philosophy of Kierkegaard, acknowledgment of the need for religion as a personal dedication to truth is the major component of life. Relating to this principle of Kierkegaard, McCarthy centers his interest within the daily activities of life and the confusion created by such activities. Due to misinformation by people, McCarthy has been taken to be influenced by the Viennese Actionism. Due to his dedication to truth as his life component, McCarthy clarifies that he knew the activities of the group in the 1970s but there exists a big difference between the self deleterious activities of the Viennese and his own performances. This is a reflection that as Kierkegaard’s principle of individual responsibility to God, McCarthy obeys the same principle and would therefore not engage in the injurious activities of the Viennese (Ben 56). The view of Kierkegaard on the free press can be understood on why he hated the press. He was mainly concerned on the public sphere which had been a source of problem for many intellectuals in the middle of the 18th century before the democratization and the expansion of the press. In his view to the free press, Kierkegaard abandoned the use of internet with the claims that it promoted risk free ambiguity and idle curiosity that undermined responsibility and dedication. Kierkegaard’s opposition to the press is said to have had sociological, political and psychological motivations. He however claims that he does not attack the press because of the liberalism or any other political reason. As has been noted earlier, the works of Kierkegaard mainly revolved around religious issues. His view was therefore opposing free press because he believed that the press and especially the daily newspaper were making Christianity and religious matters impossible. Definitely from his political, sociological and psychological qualms, he considered the press as a threat to both cultural and religious practices. Because of these reasons Kierkegaard continued to attack the public and the press up to 1846 in his writings. With the democratization of the public sphere by the daily press, Kierkegaard felt that the public sphere was becoming a new and a dangerous cultural experience whereby the ranking created by the press was to produce something that was very wrong right from the beginning. In the modern society Kierkegaard gives his total view on the relation of the press, public sphere and the ranking taking place in his time. He considers the press mysterious and desituated with no obsession and dedication and combines in this philosophical age to produce the public. The ideals and the philosophies of Kierkegaard strongly affected the theologians and the existential philosophy. Even though Kierkegaard was a very strong defender of religious faith he was an unhappy, neurotic and a terribly suffering man (Ben 356). His belief was that the best way to disclose truth was through dramatic confrontation of conflicting practices to life. In addition to his ideals and philosophical works, Kierkegaard was a thinker and a genius. His philosophy despite having not been presented in a systematic and analytical manner, contain several wealth of sharp intellectual insights. Due to lack of coherent stance, the philosophies of Kierkegaard have remained questionable. Nevertheless according to Kierkegaard, his principles have been mainly on how one can become a Christian. Other than his philosophical work, Kierkegaard had complex poetic work which rewards careful reading. The totals of moral of his philosophy can be put into a single sentence that the existence of human beings needs real passion and thought. Conclusion Art and philosophy may be two different disciplines, but still some principles or morals of an artist and a philosopher may relate in some way. The revealed example is between the artist Paul McCarthy and the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. The ideals and the philosophies of Soren Kierkegaard match the artist Paul McCarthy for instance, both of them seems to value aesthetics, ethical values and religious choices and issues.

Gothic History and Origins

Gothic History and Origins The term Gothic was used in the Renaissance to describe certain types of art and architecture in the Middle Ages. This art was considered inferior, just as the Romans had held themselves superior to the barbarians. In the 18th century, the term Gothic morphed into a genre of literature that had elements of horror. In the late 20th century it morphed again into a style and subculture characterized by heavy eyeliner and all-black clothing. Originally, the Goths were one of the barbarian horseback riding groups that caused trouble for the Roman Empire. Ancient Source on the Goths The ancient Greeks considered the Goths to be Scythians. The name Scythian was used by the ancient historian, Herodotus (440 B.C.), to describe barbarians who lived on their horses north of the Black Sea and were likely not Goths. When the Goths came to live in the same area, they were considered Scythians because of their barbarian way of living. It is hard to know when the people we call Goths began to intrude on the Roman Empire. According to Michael Kulikowski, in Romes Gothic Wars, the first securely attested Gothic raid took place in 238 A.D. when Goths sacked Histria. In 249 they attacked Marcianople. A year later, under their king Cniva, they sacked several Balkan cities. In 251, Cniva routed Emperor Decius at Abrittus. The raids continued and moved from the Black Sea to the Aegean where the historian Dexippus successfully defended a besieged Athens against them. He later wrote about the Gothic Wars in his Scythica. Although most of Dexippus is lost, the historian Zosimus had access to his historical writing. By the end of the 260s, the Roman Empire was winning against the Goths. Medieval Source on the Goths The story of the Goths generally begins in Scandinavia, as is told by the historian, Jordanes, in his The Origin and Deeds of the Goths, chapter 4: IV (25) Now from this island of Scandza, as from a hive of races or a womb of nations, the Goths are said to have come forth long ago under their king, Berig by name. As soon as they disembarked from their ships and set foot on the land, they straightway gave their name to the place. And even to-day it is said to be called Gothiscandza. (26) Soon they moved from here to the abodes of the Ulmerugi, who then dwelt on the shores of Ocean, where they pitched camp, joined battle with them and drove them from their homes. Then they subdued their neighbors, the Vandals, and thus added to their victories. But when the number of the people increased greatly and Filimer, son of Gadaric, reigned as kingabout the fifth since Berighe decided that the army of the Goths with their families should move from that region. (27) In search of suitable homes and pleasant places they came to the land of Scythia, called Oium in that tongue. Here they were delighted with the great richness of the country, a nd it is said that when half the army had been brought over, the bridge whereby they had crossed the river fell in utter ruin, nor could anyone thereafter pass to or fro. For the place is said to be surrounded by quaking bogs and an encircling abyss, so that by this double obstacle nature has made it inaccessible. And even to-day one may hear in that neighborhood the lowing of cattle and may find traces of men, if we are to believe the stories of travellers, although we must grant that they hear these things from afar. Germans and Goths Kulikowski says the idea that the Goths were associated with the Scandinavians and therefore Germans had great appeal in the 19th century and were supported by the discovery of a linguistic relationship between the languages of the Goths and Germans. The idea that a language relationship implies an ethnic relationship was popular but doesnt bear out in practice. Kulikowski says the only evidence of a Gothic people from before the third century comes from Jordanes, whose word is suspect. Kulikowski on the Problems of Using Jordanes Jordanes wrote in the second half of the sixth century. He based his history on the no longer extant writing of a Roman nobleman named Cassiodorus whose work he had been asked to abridge. Jordanes did not have the history in front of him when he wrote, so how much was his own invention cant be ascertained. Much of Jordanes writing has been rejected as too fanciful, but the Scandinavian origin has been accepted. Kulikowski points to some of the far-fetched passages in Jordanes history to say that Jordanes is unreliable. Where some his reports are corroborated elsewhere, they can be used. Where there is no supporting evidence, we need other reasons for accepting. In the case of the so-called origins of the Goths, any supporting evidence comes from people using Jordanes as a source. Kulikowski also objects to using archaeological evidence as support because artifacts moved around and were traded. In addition, archaeologists have based their attribution of Gothic artifacts to Jordanes. If Kulikowski is right, we dont know where the Goths came from or where they were before their third-century excursions into the Roman Empire.