A comparison of Francis Bacon and Mary Shelleys views of science as expressed in The Sphinx and Frankenstein, respectively Free Essay Example, 1000 words

In her book Frankenstein, Shelly brings science to the forefront as her scientist follows his pursuit of creating life in an inert body with little regard to anything else in his own existence. His thirst for the knowledge he dreams of is filled with emotion as it permeates every corner of his life. Here, it isn’t merely an answer that he seeks, but the application of the answer in order to realize his lofty goals. Once his dream is realized, the scientist, Dr. Frankenstein, realizes the madness of his pursuit and the horror that he has created. Shelley’s view of science was heavily influence by the revolution in thought going on during her life (Shelley). She was a highly intellectual woman and began writing Frankenstein as a ghost story at the request of the poet Lord Byron. She based the story on a discussion of the uses of electricity and the experiments of Erasmus Darwin (Shelley). Where Bacon’s tale took a view of science from the questions that can be ask ed and solved, Shelley sees science as the difference between life and death, the bridge to heal the gap between the two. We will write a custom essay sample on A comparison of Francis Bacon and Mary Shelley's views of science as expressed in The Sphinx and Frankenstein, respectively or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now In this instance creation and death are not that distant, both being amazing and terrifying at the same time (Shelley). Frankenstein is similar to the tale of the Sphinx in that the seeker, or scientist, can go mad in the quest for his answers. Dr. Frankenstein forgoes human interaction, food, rest, everything that is a necessity for humans as he attempts to make regenerate life in the dead tissue that he has patched together to form his own version of humanity. In his ideal world, he believed that he would create another race, that he could be god to a new version of the species. He realized the error of his ways when his experiments succeeded and did in fact give life to the pieced together body in his makeshift laboratory on the top floor of his apartment. When the creature he had created opened his eyes, Dr. Frankenstein saw the horror that he had made, the monster that had become his life. He tried to escape it, to leave the monster in his laboratory, but it came to find him in his bedroom, illustrating that the pursuit of science had permeated even the most private places in his life. In contr ast, the Sphinx did not just invade your life it took your life unless you were able to defeat it by correctly answering her questions. In both stories, the seeker ended his quest successfully by reaching the desired answers. The difference is that Dr. Frankenstein went mad in his discoveries while the club-footed man was victorious, slaying the monster and returning to Thebes as king.

Fair Presentation---an Ethical Perspective on Fair Value...

53 FAIR PRESENTATION---AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING PURSUANT TO THE SEC STUDY ON MARK-TO-MARKET ACCOUNTING Sharon S. Seay, Macon State College Wilhelmina H. Ford, Macon State College ABSTRACT Fair value accounting has received a significant amount of blame as the cause of the current financial crisis. Fair value accounting does not cause illiquidity or volatility in financial markets. Banks, rather than accounting, caused the existing crisis, ultimately through bad lending decisions and inadequate risk management. Accounting rules are designed to reveal the full extent of losses and future risks. This transparency would enable banks, regulators, and government to identify specific sources of the crisis and take†¦show more content†¦Continued use of current (fair) values is consistent with FASB’s and the IASB’s conceptual preference for the primacy of the balance sheet over the income statement. Fair value represents measurements related to the present. Historical cost represents measurements relating to the past. Current GAAP requirements for fair value measurement of select assets and liabilities hark back to the banking and Savings Loan crisis of the 1980s. At that time, many financial institutions were paying higher interest on deposits than they were earning on long-term fixed-rate mortgage loans. The historical cost model, the prevailing measurement attribute under GAAP at that time, masked the problem by recognizing losses gradually through negative net interest income. The current value of the institutions’ assets was less than the current value of the liabilities, effectively making the institutions insolvent. The historical cost model obscured the problem due to the requirement of carrying assets at inflated cost figures. Therefore, transparency was greatly diminished. Existing fair value and mark-to-market requirements were developed over several decades to address specific market events or conditions as noted above. These standards were the result of an extensive due process, and theirShow MoreRelatedMark to Market Accounting3163 Words   |  13 Pageshead: Mark to Market Accounting Mark to Market Accounting and Ethical Issues Ethical Issues ACC-504 April 16, 2012 Abstract Economic principle’s rationale for requiring guidance for financial institutions is to use mark-to-market accounting or fair value accounting on their financial reports. With the current economic crisis, questions have been raised as to whether or not fair value accounting is making this crisis worse. In this paper I review the history of fair value accounting and theRead MoreNokias Human Resources System144007 Words   |  577 PagesForm 20-F 2010 Nokia Form 20-F 2010 As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 11, 2011. UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 20 ­F ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 Commission file number 1 ­13202 Nokia Corporation (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) Republic of Finland (Jurisdiction of incorporation) KeilalahdentieRead MoreFinancial Analysis of General Electric98175 Words   |  393 Pagesof 13,000 jobs in the United States since 2009. ON THE COVER Wellington Pereira dos Santos Operator II GE’s Wellstream facility in Niterà ³i, Brazil, is a leading producer of high-quality ï ¬â€š exible pipe equipment for the Brazilian offshore drilling market, part of a $500 million expansion of operations in the country. Note: Financial results from continuing operations unless otherwise noted. GE Works At GE, we put our ideas to work. Taking them off the paper, out of the lab and into the worldRead MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 PagesCoverage Expenses Subtitle C—Disclosures To Carry Out Health Insurance Exchange Subsidies Subtitle D—Other Revenue Provisions rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with BILLS DIVISION B—MEDICARE AND MEDICAID IMPROVEMENTS TITLE I—IMPROVING HEALTH CARE VALUE Subtitle A—Provisions related to Medicare part A Subtitle B—Provisions Related to Part B Subtitle C—Provisions Related to Medicare Parts A and B Subtitle D—Medicare Advantage Reforms Subtitle E—Improvements to Medicare Part D Subtitle F—MedicareRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesPROJECT MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES, SECOND EDITION - PROJECT MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES, SECOND EDITION HAROLD KERZNER, Ph.D. Division of Business Administration Baldwin-Wallace College Berea, Ohio John Wiley Sons, Inc. This book is printed on acid-free paper. @ Copyright O 2006 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

Title Of Paper 2nd Class Citizens free essay sample

Title Of Paper: 2nd Class Citizens In Greek Society Essay, Research Paper Grade Received on Report: 94 Throughout human history the functions of adult females and work forces have been defined in portion by physiology and in portion by the attitudes conveyed by those who hold power and influence. In ancient history, societies were centered around adult females and the worshipping of goddesses. These functions changed rapidly as hunting and warfare became progressively more of import and adult females # 8217 ; s less powerful build placed them in a weaker place. Just prior to the Hellenistic Age, three work forces wrote of their times, and of their perceptual experiences, attitudes and thoughts sing work forces, adult females, and civilisation. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles we get a glance inside the life and tragic bad lucks of a royal household. Thucydides wrote a history of the Peloponnesian war, and in his relation of Pericles # 8217 ; Funeral Oration the responsibilities and benefits of Athenians were revealed. Plato # 8217 ; s The Republic, was a philosophical duologue covering the times as they were and how he felt they perchance could be better. In each of these plants t! he roles of adult females are revealed non merely through their place within the community but besides through the relation of the benefits and rights work forces enjoyed which adult females were denied. During the clip of Sophocles, the Grecian population led a simplistic life basking a dynamic life of festivals, light work tonss and the attending of mandatory play paid for by the province for homo sweetening. The Grecian population consisted of free work forces, free adult females and slaves. Work force were at the top of the hierarchy basking all the benefits provided by their civilisation ; engagement in political relations, ownership of belongings, influence, and the freedom to take their actions. Womans on the other manus were chiefly delegated to maintaining up and fostering the visual aspects of society ; attention of the place and kids, care of ownerships, and more significantly upkeep of their hubbies reputes and award. Throughout Sophocles # 8217 ; Oedipus Rex the values that make a good citizen ( that being a free male ) are introduced. These include being low before the Gods, being responsible for your actions while holding regard for worlds and for the instructions of the Gods. The outlooks and functions of adult females are besides shown through the actions of Jocasta the queen in comparing with the actions of her hubby Oedipus. Jocasta is non entitled to as much public power as her hubby, her function is in the background, assisting direct him in private and ever caring to maintain up his repute. She says during one of Oedipus # 8217 ; s public effusions, # 8220 ; Into the castle now. And Creon, you go place. Why make such a fad over nil? # 8221 ; 1, while at another clip she deferentially says, # 8220 ; # 8230 ; But do allow # 8217 ; s travel indoors. I # 8217 ; d neer displease you, least of all in this. # 8221 ; 2 This weak and dependent perceptual experience of adult females is evidenced even more when hearing Oedipus talk of his kids to Creon, # 8220 ; # 8230 ; my girls, my hapless incapacitated misss, constellating at our tabular array, neer without me vibrating over them # 8230 ; take attention of them, I beg you. # 8221 ; 3 He continues stating to his kids ; # 8220 ; How I weep for you # 8230 ; merely thought of all your yearss to come, the resentment, the life that rough world will thrust upon you. Where are the public assemblages you can fall in, the feasts of the kins? # 8230 ; And when you reach flawlessness, ripe for matrimony, who will he be, my beloved 1s? # 8230 ; Who will get married you so? Not a adult male on Earth. Your day of reckoning is clear: you # 8217 ; ll shrivel off to nil, individual, without a child. # 8221 ; 4 When Jocasta and Oedipus eventually hear that their destiny has so come to go through, the actions of each are really different, but besides really declarative of their perspective functions. Oedipus takes a powerful stance by bring downing a life-long penalty on himself. Jocasta takes the meeker path, by hanging herself she saves herself from the dishonour of holding to populate with the cognition of her fatal actions, and from the awfully unsmooth life she would hold being stigmatized and being forced to populate without a proper hubby and supplier. By the clip of the Peloponnesian War, the position of adult females had non changed much. Although adult females were allowed to have some sum of belongings, the day-to-day direction of that belongings was the duty of her hubby. A adult females # 8217 ; s function was still in the place, her chief responsibility being to hold and raise kids. The work forces of Athinais were expected to be active in political life, to function the province, and to keep the illustriousness of Athinais by themselves being great citizens. During Pericles # 8217 ; Funeral Oration for the dead soldiers, the adult females were acknowledged in a brief statement that clearly showed the attitudes of the twenty-four hours ; # 8220 ; # 8230 ; you who are still of an age to engender kids must bear up in the hope of holding others in their position ; non merely will they assist you to bury those whom you have lost, but will be to the province at one time support and a security. # 8221 ; 5 In add-on to the force per unit area to hold more kids, adult females in Athens were expected to grieve and live unnoticed by the community. # 8220 ; Gr! eat will be your glorification in non falling short of your natural character ; and greatest will be hers who is least talked of among the work forces whether for good or for bad # 8221 ; 6 Plato did speak about adult females in his work The Republic, in which he and his associates discussed the significance of justness and what a absolutely merely province would imply. Through the duologue between Socrates and Glaucon we get a glance of the future functions of adult females during their treatment of the defenders of the province. In a flash of insight, Socrates efforts to construct an statement to turn out that adult females can be good to the province in a function that is rather different than their current batch. # 8220 ; # 8230 ; there is no chase of the decision makers of a province that belongs to a adult female because she is a adult female or to a adult male because he is a adult male. But the natural capacities are distributed alike among both animals, and adult females of course portion in all chases and work forces in all # 8230 ; # 8221 ; 7 Socrates besides seems to believe that even if their thoughts for the province do non come to go through, adult females are, by natural jurisprudence, equal to work forces and the manner that they are treated in his clip is unnatural. The function of adult females is still terr! ibly unequal to work forces, and the mere thought of them going peers is so extremist that Socrates is about afraid to talk his thoughts. # 8220 ; the contrast with present usage would do much in our proposals look pathetic # 8230 ; ( but ) # 8230 ; we must non fear the shots with which the marbless would recognize so great a revolution # 8221 ; 8 Although Plato seems in this statement to believe that adult females deserve equality, the attitudes of his clip besides have their influence within his duologue. # 8220 ; And on immature work forces, certainly, who excel in war and other chases we must bestow awards and awards, and in peculiar, the chance of more frequent intercourse with the adult females # 8221 ; .9 By stating this, Socrates wantonnesss all signifier of equality and reverts a adult female # 8217 ; s function back to that of a ownership of adult male for his pleasance and as a breeder for the province. By reading the plants of Plato, Thucydides, and Sophocles, an penetration into the lives and functions of adult females in pre-Hellenistic Greece can be obtained. Womans were the unobserved and unacknowledged yarn that helped to keep the province together. They bore and raised its kids, protected the award of its politically active work forces, and influenced its powerful work forces in private. Although these adult females were physically weaker than the work forces, they served their province as allowed and expected in malice of the fact that they were neer granted the benefits and rights which it granted to their hubbies. End Notes 1 Sophocles, Oedipus the King, in The Three Theban Plays, transcriber Robert Fagles ( New York: Penguin Books USA Inc. , 1984 ) , 196. 2 Sophocles, 208. 3 Sophocles, 247. 4 Sophocles, 248. 5Thucydides, Pericles # 8217 ; Funeral Oration, in Princeton Readings in Political Thought, eds. Mitchell Cohen and Nicole Fermon ( Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996 ) , 17. 6 Thucydides, 18. 7 Plato, The Republic, in Princeton Readings in Political Thought, eds. Mitchell Cohen and Nicole Fermon ( Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996 ) , 88. 8 Plato, 85. 9 Plato, 92. 36e

Religion, What Is Religion Religion Is A Way Of Life, A Life Style, I

Religion, what is religion? Religion is a way of life, a life style, it should dictate how you live your life. However why follow a religious belief, to go to heaven, avoid the condemnation to hell, to live forever? We in western society consider ourselves a not so religious society, we say I am Christian or I am Jew or I am an Atheist I don't believe. Keep in mind religion is a life style, it should dictate how you live your life. Sadly in western society, money and our compulsive cravings for material objects dictate our life. We are far from the highly evolved forms of religions of Hinduism and Buddhism over in the east. What are these religions? Buddhism is offshoot/reform of Hinduism. They are looked at in the same way as Judaism and Christianity are looked at (very far apart). Through this essay, I will prove - by using some of their differences as similarities - that they are very much - if not essentially the same - alike. As an off shoot of Hinduism, Buddhism accepted the notions of karma, dharma, samsara, and moksha. It differed in its understanding ot these terms and how to achieve spiritual liberation. As Buddhism spread through south and east Asia, these differences became greater. Samsara, the upholstered hell , it is known in Hinduism as the endless cycle of death and rebirth, and Moksha being the supreme enlightenment, the realization of Atman the one's true self, and the liberation from samsara. Despite the fact that Moksha means Something different in Buddhism, words are meaningless but their meanings aren't. Explanation: The ultimate goal of the Buddhist path is release from the round of phenomenal existence with its inherent suffering. To achieve this goal is to attain nirvana an enlightened state in which the fires of greed, hatred, and ignorance have been quenched. This is the essence of both religions, freedom from the ignorance of what I call Blam?. The central core of Buddhist teachings is the Four Noble Truths, which are: 1. All life is suffering and pain. This is more than a mere recognition of the presence of suffering in existence. It is a statement that, in its very nature, human existence is essentially painful from the moment of birth to the moment of death. Even death brings no relief. 1. Desire is the root of suffering. People become attached to relationships or things they have, and suffer when they experience their impermanence. This impermanence leads to disappointment, which in turn leads to new cravings. My interpretation of this Noble Truth is that we suffer not because we desire but because we desire the wrong things. Meaning that what we should desire is enlightenment. 2. Suffering and desire can be extinguished with enlightenment. The noble truth of cessation of suffering is this: It is the complete cessation of that very thirst , giving it up, renouncing it, emancipating oneself from it detaching oneself from it. 3. The way to enlightenment is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering is this: it is simply the Noble Eightfold path, namely right view; right thought; right speech; right action; right livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness; right concentration. These concepts are nothing pertaining to Buddhism alone, maybe they haven't listed and categorized as four noble truths but all the idea's are encompassed in Hinduism's philosophy. Buddhism analyzes human existence as made up of five aggregates or bundles (skandhas): the material body, feelings, perceptions, predispositions or karmic tendencies, and consciousness. A person is only a temporary combination of these aggregates, which are subject to continual change. No one remains the same for any two consecutive moments. Buddhists deny that the aggregates individually or in combination may be considered a permanent, independently existing self or soul (atman). Indeed, they regard it as a mistake to conceive of any lasting unity behind the elements that constitute an individual. The Buddha held that belief in such a self results in egoism, craving, and hence in suffering. Thus he taught the doctrine of anatman, or the denial of a permanent soul. He felt that all existence is characterized by the three marks of anatman (no soul), anitya (impermanence), and dukkha (suffering). The doctrine of anatman made it necessary for the Buddha to reinterpret the Indian idea of repeated rebirth in the cycle of phenomenal existence known as samsara. Atman: the one's true self, the individual self, held by upanisic and Vedatin

Canadian House of Commons Question Period

Canadian House of Commons Question Period In Canada, Question Period is a daily 45-minute period in the House of Commons. This period allows the members of Parliament to hold the prime minister, the Cabinet  and the House of Commons committee chairs accountable by asking questions about policies, decisions, and legislation. What Happens During Question Period? Opposition members of Parliament and occasionally other members of ​Parliament ask questions to get the prime minister, Cabinet  ministers and House of Commons committee chairs to defend and explain their policies and the actions of the departments and agencies for which they are responsible. The provincial and territorial legislative assemblies have a similar Question Period. Questions may be asked orally without notice or may be submitted in writing after notice.  Members who are not satisfied with the answer they receive to a question may pursue the matter at greater length during the Adjournment Proceedings, which occur every day except Friday. Any member can ask a question, but the time is set aside almost exclusively for the opposition parties to confront the government and hold it accountable for its actions. The opposition typically uses this time to highlight the perceived inadequacies of the government. The Speaker of the House of Commons oversees Question Period and may rule questions out of order. The Purpose of Question Period Question Period reflects the concerns of national political life and is closely followed by members of Parliament, the press and the public. Question Period is the most visible part of the Canadian House of Commons schedule  and gets extensive media coverage. Question Period is televised and  is that part of the parliamentary day where the government is held accountable for its administrative policies and the conduct of its Ministers, both individually and collectively.  Question Period is also a major tool for members of Parliament to use in their roles as constituency representatives and government watchdogs.

BioServer Systems Analysis Essays

BioServer Systems Analysis Essays BioServer Systems Analysis Paper BioServer Systems Analysis Paper Most individuals who have worked or intend to work with organizations dealing with restricted information do require security clearance. Security clearance is done by employers who are dealing in information which is deemed by government to be of utmost importance to the nation. This is because most of these persons will have access to information in classified documents. BSS will thus conduct security clearance tests from all its current or potential employees as they will hold sensitive positions. The security clearance can be got from head of department, agency or division of federal government (Humbucker, 2010). According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (2010), some of the security clearance checks which can be performed by BSS are: driving records, criminal records, credit records, social security number, education records, court records, workers’ compensation records, and records showing bankruptcy, character references, past employers, personal references, incarceration records and sex offenders’ record. All this checks are aimed at information that should not be obtained for legal or EEO reasons. Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) and the law agree that there are certain checks which an employer cannot conduct which apply to BSS too. The two agree that an employer like BSS can conduct a background checkas long as such a test does not in any way conflict negotiated commitment like union or employee contract and it does not lead to a discriminatory impact on any class without showing a valid reason consistent with business need. Some of discriminatory tests include tests on religious background, if the applicant has disability, ancestry or national origin and family status (Chally Group, 2010). How BSS can know that its background testing programs are effective BSS should not only have an effective background testing, it should also be cost conscious. An effective screening process involves more than just checking criminal records after a candidate has been picked. In order to ensure that BSS has put into place an effective check system, the following should be used as guidelines: job announcements should show that the firm needs background checks; all interested participants should sign consent to background checks; a language concerning release of background check records from foreign nations should be included. Applicants to be asked directly if they have criminal records in interviews and employment application; a clear statement that any false information or omissions is enough material to terminate application process or employment if it has already begun, despite when information is obtained; a statement indicating that employment is subject to completion of background test; past employment references should be well checked; a listing of all past addresses should also be obtained and the organization should finally include future screening in consent language for purposes of promotion, retention or reassignment. If all these are put in to place, BSS will have an effective screening process. In addition to this, BSS can conduct further tests to satisfy due diligence like courthouse searches for criminal records (Rosen, 2010).

Fashion Related Museum Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fashion Related Museum Response - Essay Example The Museum exhibition by Yves Saint Laurent and Halston is the premier exhibition to a clear sight into the contribution of Saint Laurent and Halston in the fashion industry (Mears 3). The vibrant nature of their careers exemplifies the dynamism of fashion, and mood and style dictate menswear collections. A look at the exhibition works from the two presents an opportunity for a student’s like me to explore the wealth of the 1970s fashions. The exhibition allows an in-depth understanding of fashion as the cultural landscape of a sexy and glamorous outlook. The main display aims at celebrating the achievements of Saint Laurent and Halston. By virtue of their exemplary designs, the two designers play the pivotal role in the definition of an indolent fashion in the 1970s. When I attended the fashion event, the works of both artists with approximately 100 exclusive collections from the FIT Museum stood thematically with a sense of style. Style evokes the qualities of individualism and displays a level of self-esteem. For Saint Laurent and Halston, the fashion of the 1970s meant the relaxation to the codes of fashion. Evidently, all the works at the exhibition display a combination of modernity and the economic mood that formed the moral fabrics of the early societies. The history of modern fashion emanates from the fashion transition pioneered by the advent of design from Saint Laurent and Halston. During their era, the two designers dominated the fashion industry with their creativity and artistry. However, as the years passed, the two grew in the making of distinct designs that were on display at the exhibitions. By shear entrance into the show, one is fascinated by the adventurous nature of the careers of Saint Laurent and Halston from works of their mind and hand. Their exhibits look dynamic and conform to the ways of modern fashion despite them being more than two decades old.

The rights of prisoners of Wars in Afghanistan from 2001-2014 Thesis

The rights of prisoners of Wars in Afghanistan from 2001-2014 - Thesis Example It is in that spirit of distrust that the bloodiest conflicts known throughout history have been fought and decided. It is within this same vein that the current war in Afghanistan wages on after nearly 13 years of conflict. With prisoners being taken on both sides, it is important that certain rules of conduct designed to protect the integrity of battle be followed, yet it appears that this is far from reality. This study takes an in-depth look at the treatment being inflicted upon Afghan prisoners of War at the hands of the Allied forces. It is important to consider that these prisoners are being treated unjustly, without regard for basic human rights, and with little regard for commonly accepted practiced rules of engagement. It is important to concur a critical analysis of current American policy in Afghanistan, and the various tactics being utilised to intervene in the conflict itself. There are many who object to what is taking place at hands of the American military in relationship to insurgent rights. This includes the rights of prisoners, particularly those at the Bagram Airbase Prison and those being housed at Guantanamo Bay. Many that live in Afghanistan have reported on the methods utilised by the American military in this war, many of which have been determined to be illegal and cruel (Abunimah 13). Military members are often seen to be entering civilian villages and houses to conduct random searches, all the hill women and children are inside crying and screaming out at the injustice of it all. As a result of these action, the insurgency rages on as the Afghan people have begun to develop a fierce anger towards much of the international community. There is an obvious tactic being employed by the United States to capture known members of the Taliban or Al-Qaeda, making them de facto prisoners of war. In essence, this strips

The Japanese Managerial System Essay Example for Free

The Japanese Managerial System Essay Takeo Hoshi and Anil Kashyap have in the last chapter of their book; Corporate Financing and Governance in Japan explained the future of the Japanese Investment and Fund Raising market. This future prediction can be assessed taking into consideration the trend of the Japanese market from 1930’s where banks and traditional money lenders were predominant and trusted, to changes that took place and led to the gradual overtaking of the security market over the banking sector as means for fund raising and investment. The early Japanese era saw Banks and traditional means as major avenues for investment and funding. The Security market was unpopular and had no regulations or Corporate governance. The investors were mere profit sharing bystanders with no rights in the companies hence the banking sector started to gain importance. The 50’s and 60’s saw the banks as well established entities with regulations; hence the Government did not want to amend an already ongoing system. By 1968, Japan became the world’s second most strong economy and the banking sector was booming. With the change of the U.S. structure, Japan too took a decision and established a securities market to provide investment and fund raising opportunities. The bigger Japanese companies jumped to this opportunity as this was a good way to finance their increasing needs for expansion. Over time, the Japanese security market grew stronger and overtook the banking sector as means of investment and fund raising. And with the turn of the 21st century, it is predicted that the future of the Japanese market will be one that is a securities dominated market. TWO SURPRISING FEATURES OF THE JAPANESE TREND Pre 1937, the principle mode of investment for households were securities. The security market had very less governance or regulations, yet they were popular. The surprising feature is the popularity of this sector even without governance or regulations. Logically speaking investment in any market that has less regulations or governance is unsafe. The next surprising feature was the Banking Sector pre 1937 also. Banks are considered the safest option to invest money and obtain funds from around the world, yet the Japanese households preferred to keep their investments in postal saving schemes showing that the traditional methods were still dominant. LINK WITH DISCUSSIONS This Chapter speaks about the position of Japan’s household and corporate sector and highlighting changes that took place with respect to investments and funding over a period of 70 years, speaking about Pre Wartime Scenario where securities played a more important role and Post Wartime Scenario where banks established their supremacy †¦ finally giving way to the securities market to once again establish their dominance. The changes that gradually took place from traditional methods of savings and investment to more modernized governed modes. The strengthening of the Banking sector contributing to Japan being established as the world’s second most strongest economy in 1968, to the decline of the role of banks and the emergence of the securities market as the preferred mode for investment and funding, establishing the future of the Japanese economy to be prosperous and optimistic, yet uncertain. References Corporate Financing and Governance in Japan by Takeo Hoshi and Anil Kashyap (2001). The MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. ISBN: 0-262-08301-9

The Difficult Life of the 19th Century Scandinavian Essay -- History,

In the present day, Scandinavian countries are generally viewed as prosperous, progressive, and egalitarian societies. The citizens of these nations are largely urbanized and receive significant social assistance from the welfare state. However, life in 19th century Scandinavia was markedly different. Scandinavian social life in the 1800s was defined by its provincial character, as the majority of inhabitants resided in rural agricultural communities. Society as a whole was heavily stratified: women had very limited social and economic opportunities and poverty was widespread among Scandinavia’s common citizens. Thus, life in 19th century Scandinavia was generally difficult, and this fact is revealed in the books and films that chronicle social life during this time period. Though Scandinavian nations are currently considered to be some of the most equitable countries in the world, 19th century Scandinavian societies were characterized by rigid social hierarchies. As Nordstrom depicts in his history of Scandinavia, those who lived during this time period rarely advanced beyond the social and economic positions that they were born into (Nordstrom, 2000: 166). Vilhelm Moberg’s novel The Emigrants further illustrates this point through its portrayal of a rural Swedish parish in the mid 1800s. Moberg describes how generation after generation within a single family labored as farmers on the same land. He suggests that this pattern persisted for centuries, only to be disrupted by the mass migrations that took place in the middle of the 19th century (Moberg, 1949: xxvii). The information presented in Nordstrom’s book echoes the localized and provincial nature of Scandinavian villages described by Moberg. Before the technolog... ...en and the common laborer. Wealth and privilege were mainly dictated by birth and enjoyed by a select few. The agrarian masses, on the other hand, generally endured poverty and extreme hardship. Women’s lives were also tremendously difficult, as they had essentially zero social or economic independence from men and minimal opportunities for education. The generally poor quality of life faced by most 19th century Scandinavians inspired many of these citizens to seek a better existence by immigrating to America. Ironically, the countries that were left behind by these suffering immigrants are generally considered to have achieved a far higher quality of life than is experienced by the average American. Considering the hard lives endured by most Scandinavians in the 1800s, the progress that has been made in this region over the past century is truly remarkable.

DDT and Ethics Essay

Introduction Paul Muller, a Swiss chemist and Nobel Prize winner was the one who discovered the DDT which was found to be very effective as a pesticide. In the 40s it was used in the agriculture sector to help kill crop-eating insects. From 1942 onwards it started being commercialized with big companies such as the Montrose Chemical Corporation at the frontline of this pioneering product. At first, the product proved to be quite a sensation drastically reducing the amount of malaria resulting in saving many lives. It also had a huge impact in agriculture with its effective control on pests. Later on there were reports of DDT being harmful to the environment, people and animals. In fact, there was a book that was published by Rachel Carson entitled â€Å"Silent Spring† that outlined the dangers of the DDT. A year after the book was published, President John F Kennedy ordered a committee to investigate the book’s veracity and it was found to be accurate and that persistent toxic pesti cides should be phased out as soon as possible. What followed was DDT being banned from the public by government decree after conclusive research of how dangerous it is to the environment. The product was however still sold to other countries outside of the US for some time before some of the countries themselves decided to ban it. The purpose of this report is to explore ethical issues and philosophies brought forth by some of the world’s ethicists and philosophers in an effort to advocate for the ban of DDT. Violation of Ethical Standards in manufacturing and selling DDT Any manufacturing business should have a code of ethics that should me more than just a set of rules set for its employees. It should go beyond the organization and be a set of rules that protects all its stakeholders and most importantly they must be enforceable. The Montrose Chemical Corporation did violate some of the ethical standards in the manufacturing and selling of DDT to the public as the case may suggest. It is evident in the case that the DDT has brought about many problems such as toxicity to some animals, cancer and spoilage of breast milk. Therefore, the company can be held responsible for the damage this has caused because they should have worked out the dangers and have predicted the risks involved for everyone’ s sake. According to Environmental Protection Agency, the Montrose Chemical Corp used heavy amounts of chlorobenzene as a raw material for making DDT  and this substance is in its innate form is non-aqueous meaning it remained in the ground and mixed with the other raw materials that resulted in making the groundwater in the area contaminated. Consequently, the surface soils around that area were found to be contaminated with DDT residues. This is something that the company should have considered and anticipated. Also, the company did not demonstrate in any way health concerns by warning people about the dangers of usage even after the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Human life as well as animals’ should be valued and the manufacturing of DDT resulted in damages as serious as cancer based on some reports. Things Montrose Chemical Corporation should have done differently As part of their social responsibility, instead of rushing into getting as much DDT out for sale as quick as possible, the company should have paused and conducted enough preliminary research to really outline the potential dangers of this substance in the environment and also find alternative ways of fixing those problems without damaging the environment. Perhaps the company should have also provided training and education on usage so that consumers can take the right precautions when using for their benefit and for the benefit of the environment. Even after the risks started being talked about like in the book published by Rachel Carson, Montrose Chemical Corporation showed carelessness and no effort in trying to mitigate the problems caused by the result of their business’ existence. They could have at least provided financial aid for the damage caused by this product and to protect life and environment from the effects. That would have shown some sense accountability. For example they could have helped develop fish farms around the area to help with the population and maintain the ecosystem. Effective Corporate Social Responsibility is a fundamental ethical code and its initiatives should look at issues that affect its stakeholders in the long run. So perhaps the company should have revisited their CSR objectives to really improve their planning on manufacturing and selling. The Stakeholder theory coined by Edward Freeman and others argue that instead of starting a business and looking out into the world to see what ethical codes they need to be obligated to, they can begin in the world itself; they list out individuals and groups that will be affected by their operation and recognizes their right to participate in directing it. Also, the company could have been more transparent in their manufacturing operations. This  might have prompted other researchers out there to point out DDTs disadvantages much sooner and do something about it. It had to take the government’s decree to ban it in order for them to stop their activities and if that was not there they would have presumably gone on with their business. Environmental Protection Agency’s Ethicality Even though DDT was not banned in other countries, it was still very unethical for the Montrose Chemical Company to go on selling this product to them. The Righteous moralist philosophy holds that multinational home standards are the right ones for companies to abide by in foreign countries. Ethical issues arise when environmental regulations in host nations are far much inferior to the ones in the home nation. At that point, all the dangerous effects of this product were proven and known yet they still carried on selling to people across the world. The reason it was banned in America was because of the hazardous effects it had overtime affecting people, animal life and the environment as a whole. With this information conclusive and very well documented, the company should have ceased manufacture and selling of this product not just in America but to all the other countries that were getting this product. Instead they knowingly continued manufacturing and selling, disregarding compl etely the dangers that other people are going to face. It is also important to mention that even if the company did not know about the studies that revealed all the effects of DDT, they had a duty to be aware of it to avoid the carelessness that they ended up showing resulting in the harming of people, animals and the environment. They cannot simply ignore the dangers the people, animals and the environment are being put in even if it is beyond their borders. The Environmental Protection Agency had no choice but to ban the whole operation because the DDT had been proven to having caused damage to the environment and harm people and animals as well. Even though this probably meant many people losing their jobs, the ultimate damage that the company’s operation would have brought about would have been far more overwhelming. If they hadn’t done that, naturally the company, being a business might have gone on with the selling of DDT and that’s a possibility that is not worth the risk. After all, at that point, they had not shown any signs of stopping anyway because in the ten years between the Silent Spring publication by Rachel  Carson and when the EPA officially banned the use of DDT, business continued as usual in other countries continents such as Africa, Asia and Europe. Also, according to the EPA official website, the quick success of DDT as a pesticide and broad use in the United States and other countries resulted in many of the insect pest species mutating and developing a resistance to DDT and so finding new ways of dealing with the problems would be what’s next. In a nutshell, the EPA would have to be answerable to the damage caused in the environment and so this was the right step. Muller’s award discussion Muller’s award for his work on DDT should not be taken away from him because first and foremost, Muller had demonstrated a high level of understanding in chemistry and he did it in an honest way. For that alone he deserved the award because it is something remarkable in the field of Chemistry. In fact, his product helped solve many problems in Agriculture and even health care and so this is only more of a reason to celebrate his great work. He cannot be held responsible in any way for the misfortune DDT has brought about. His intention was good in that he was trying to find a way to protect human life from insect borne diseases. Many other advantages followed such as pest control in the agriculture sector. It was only when this product started being heavily commercialized did the problems of land pollution, toxicity and cancer came about. How the discovery was used cannot be blamed on Muller. Prior to DDTs commercialization, Mueller did express his concerns about the inherent nature of DDT ; of how stable it is, meaning it would not be able to decompose harmlessly in the environment so from that, people should have been more careful at how they manufacture and sell DDT. Also, Muller did not take part in its commercialization that led to the environment’s deterioration. Therefore taking Muller’s award away from him would only be unfair and outrageous. Saving lives versus environment risk The ability to save lives is not worth the risk the environment has to be put in. From the case, it may seem that DDT is worth it as it helped control pests and saved a lot of lives but this is only a short termed and a smaller issue compared to the entire ecosystem in the long run. The utilitarian and the Kantian philosophy brought forth by David Hume and Jeremy Bentham argues that the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by the  consequences. If the effects are desirable then the actions are worth it. The continual disposal of DDT cumulatively resulted in cases such as cancer, contamination of soil and water; toxicity in milk and egg shells in birds not properly formed for birth. This in the long run disturbs the ecosystem which is essential for all life forms. The cancer only means more deaths and toxicity in milk could as well have the same result, poor health at the very least. Preserving the environment provides a more sustainable future for life and its maintenance. Conclusion In spite of all the credits that DDT probably deserves, the damage that the environment as a whole cumulatively ends up having makes further operations ethically unacceptable and not worth it. As a company with such activities, they have the responsibility to look after its stakeholders and the environment at large. Montrose Chemical Corporation was very careless about how they handled their manufacturing and selling of DDT and it ended up costing damage not only in the US but even in countries outside of the US. More research should have been done to anticipate this and more acts of accountability should have been shown to help mitigate the situation. By placing emphasis on ethical issues at every point in their manufacturing process, the company will ultimately do more good in the long run. A theory that was once proposed by Thomas Hobbes called the theory of social atomism states that individuals always act for their own selfish interests, and in the pristine state of man, there a re no rights. This kind of attitude must be suppressed if there has to be any progress in protecting interests of stakeholders.

Frankenstien essay Essay

How does Mary Shelley present Frankenstein’s monster and what is her message to readers? In this essay I shall be answering the question on how Mary Shelley present Frankenstein’s monster and what is her message to readers? ‘ I will also explore the irrational fears that existed, about the progress of science and scientific technology, in the 1800s and how they are addressed in the novel. I will conclude with a personal comment on Shelley’s portrayal of the creature and scientific progress. ‘Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus’ was written by Mary Shelley in the early 19th century. At that time it was very unusual for women to write and even more so because she was only 19 years of age. At this time there were many ambitious scientists. These new scientists were eager to research things they had not researched before. She first published the book anonymously in 1818 when critics hailed it as the work of a genius and were very much surprised when they found out that a woman had written it. This was also how initially reacted. Many scientific advances took place in the 18th and 19th centuries such as the invention of the lightning conductor, and the creation of the first prototype electric battery. In some ways, the creation of the creature by Frankenstein shows the dangers of humans trying to overreach their potential with scientific research and knowledge. Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious Swiss university student, dedicates his entire life to trying to create life. Nonetheless, when he succeeds, the ugliness and repulsiveness of the creature forces Frankenstein to reject it. The creature faces a life of solitude and loneliness and society rejects him even when it tries to help. This leads to the death of Frankenstein’s brother, William, whom the creature kills, and the servant, Justine, is hung after being found guilty of the crime. Frankenstein then incurs the wrath of the creature by making a mate for it and then destroying it. This leads to the death of Henry Clerval, his best friend, and Elizabeth, his wife. In the end both the creature and Frankenstein die. The death of so many people can be a way of showing that scientific advance is not always the best way to go and that it can be dangerous at times. Themes which are, explored in Frankenstein; are madness, dreams and nightmares. During Shelley’s time there was a fear of new technology because of the dread that machines would replace humans as workers; this would leave many of the peasants, and working class is out of a job. This led to riots and revolutions such as the Luddite riots of 1811, which saw machines smashed in violent reaction. This can be linked to riots and demonstrations today against abortion and test-tube babies that one sees in the media everyday. The novel begins with the expedition of an explorer named Walton. Walton is about to fulfill his ambition and go on his expedition to the North Pole. He wants to go to the North Pole because he wants to be remembered by discovering a place where ‘no man has ever gone’. Walton writes a letter to his sister from St. Petersburg. In his letter Walton says that he knows that ordinary people are worried about his ambitions. He says his sister regards it as an ‘evil forbidding’. Walton prepares for the expedition by being hard and very tough on himself as if he enjoys torturing himself. He states in the letter that he: â€Å"Endured cold, famine, thirst, and want of sleep† Victor Frankenstein wants to push back the boundaries of science. He wants to create life so that people would live longer. The reason he desires to bring back life is that no one else had accomplished this before. He is also a scientist and wants to be remembered like all scientists. Victor Frankenstein is also very excited because he not only thinks he can bring back life but he also thinks he could create life. He says: â€Å"A new species would bless me as its creator and source† He thinks he’s going to be thanked and thought of like a god by the new species he is about to create. Frankenstein prepares for this by attending lectures, reading books, not sleeping and putting himself wholly into his work: â€Å"Stars often disappeared into the light of the morning whilst I was yet engaged in my laboratory†, meaning that Frankenstein spent so much time in the laboratory the nights passed quickly. This also shows the devotion to his work. His work appears to be dangerous because he went to places like ‘charnel houses’ and ‘vaults’, which are considered to be very creepy. He spent days inside these places to collect ‘raw materials’, that is, body parts for his creation. This indicates that he is prepared to do anything to accomplish his ambition, to bring back life. When the creature is in the process of being created, Frankenstein is portrayed as a fanatic and maniac about what he is doing. He neglected his health due to his commitment to his work. I can discern this because he says: â€Å"My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement. † This tells me that he has become very ill because of his steadfastness on his mission to create artificial life. This can mean that he is too committed to reaching an objective that is out of any human’s reach. In a way Mary Shelley also shows how Frankenstein is breaking society’s taboos by: â€Å"[collecting] bones from charnel houses; and disturbing, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame. † This is shown as going against nature and as evil. He also describes his aim as filthy, with the use of the words: â€Å"†¦ my workshop of filthy creation†¦ â€Å"

Free Essays on Horticulture And Shakespeare

A predominant image presented in William Shakespeare’s plays is the image of a garden, infested with weeds. Even though the image pervades his works, the symbolic meaning of the garden evolves over the course time. The image becomes a metaphor for the management of human desires as well as the state of affairs of a country and corrupt kingdom. Through examination of Richard II, Hamlet and Othello, the development of the garden transforms from a political allegory to a metaphor for the human body. There is, however, a common theme among the three plays to eliminate the â€Å"weeds,† or corrupt forces that destroy or contaminate the garden. One of the first references of a neglected garden is presented in Richard II as a political allegory for the state of affairs in England. King Richard, an unsatisfactory head of state, is surrounded by advisors who take advantage of him to live a luxurious life in his court. The Richard's mismanagement of England is represented as a â€Å"sea-walled garden†¦full of weeds; her fairest flowers choked up, / Her fruit-trees all unpruned, her hedges ruin’d, / Her knots disorder’d.† His use of the term â€Å"seal-walled† echoes John of Gaunt’s speech in Act II, Scene I, in which the nobleman refers to â€Å"the silver sea / Which serves it [England] in the office of a wall.† In Gaunt’s speech, he praises the beauty of England but warns Richard of the consequences of leasing the land- a recommendation suggested by his advisors. The garden is an allegory for a mishandled country overpowered by the king’s advisors. The â€Å"fair flower choked up† depicts the deadly, consuming power of weeds and how they can destroy a garden if not removed. Not only does the gardener use the garden as a microcosm of England, but also he uses individual plants to represent the relationships between the king and his advisors: â€Å"Go, bind thou up young dangling apricokes / Which, like unruly children, make their sir... Free Essays on Horticulture And Shakespeare Free Essays on Horticulture And Shakespeare A predominant image presented in William Shakespeare’s plays is the image of a garden, infested with weeds. Even though the image pervades his works, the symbolic meaning of the garden evolves over the course time. The image becomes a metaphor for the management of human desires as well as the state of affairs of a country and corrupt kingdom. Through examination of Richard II, Hamlet and Othello, the development of the garden transforms from a political allegory to a metaphor for the human body. There is, however, a common theme among the three plays to eliminate the â€Å"weeds,† or corrupt forces that destroy or contaminate the garden. One of the first references of a neglected garden is presented in Richard II as a political allegory for the state of affairs in England. King Richard, an unsatisfactory head of state, is surrounded by advisors who take advantage of him to live a luxurious life in his court. The Richard's mismanagement of England is represented as a â€Å"sea-walled garden†¦full of weeds; her fairest flowers choked up, / Her fruit-trees all unpruned, her hedges ruin’d, / Her knots disorder’d.† His use of the term â€Å"seal-walled† echoes John of Gaunt’s speech in Act II, Scene I, in which the nobleman refers to â€Å"the silver sea / Which serves it [England] in the office of a wall.† In Gaunt’s speech, he praises the beauty of England but warns Richard of the consequences of leasing the land- a recommendation suggested by his advisors. The garden is an allegory for a mishandled country overpowered by the king’s advisors. The â€Å"fair flower choked up† depicts the deadly, consuming power of weeds and how they can destroy a garden if not removed. Not only does the gardener use the garden as a microcosm of England, but also he uses individual plants to represent the relationships between the king and his advisors: â€Å"Go, bind thou up young dangling apricokes / Which, like unruly children, make their sir...

Exploring Prague 15 Top Things to Do and See

Exploring Prague 15 Top Things to Do and See SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips I didn’t have a specific reason to study abroad in Prague. I wasn’t studying Czech literature or language, and I didn’t have any ancestralconnection to the city. One thingmade mepack my bags and move to the Czech Republic: pictures of Prague, which revealed the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. Prague is inarguably one of the most picturesque and best-preserved cities in Europe. Founded in the late 9th century, it still has medieval lanes and architecture, along with a mixof art and architecturethat span the centuries. As I suspected, Prague turned out to be a place of pure aesthetic bliss. Duringmy four months there,my understanding deepened as I encountered darker parts of Prague'shistory, from the old Jewish ghetto toscars of the Holocaust and the Communist occupation from 1948 to 1989. Prague is a complex place, and there’s a ton to see, do, and learn withinits maze of cobblestoned streets. This guide will tell you the top 15things to do and see when you visit Prague to get a full sense of the Czech capital in its past and present. Top 15 Things to Do In Prague: Table of Contents Here's the full list of the top 15 places to see and things to do in Prague, Czech Republic. Click on each to go toit directly, or just scroll down for the full list! See the Astronomical Clock Climb the Bell Tower of Old Town Hall Explore Old Town Square Stroll Around the Novà ½ SvÄ›t District Walk Across the Charles Bridge Visit the Prague Castle TourJosefov, the Historic Jewish Ghetto Visit World-Class Museums See Bizarre Public Sculptures Experience the Nightlife Eat Czech Food Drink Czech Beer See Opera at the National Theater Climb Petrin Hill Take a Day Trip to Cesky Krumlov 1. See the Astronomical Clock One of the first things to see in Prague is its famous astronomical clock, the oldest one of its kind in the world. It was installed over 600 years ago, in 1410. The clock is mounted on Old Town Hall in Old Town Square, the central square of the historic district. The clock has several dials and arms, including one dial that shows the positions of the sun and the moon and another that points to the months of the year. There are several figures that move around the clock each hour. Twelve represent the apostles, and four symbolize Vanity, Greed, Lust, and Death. Death, a figure of a skeleton, rings the bell each hour, and the other figures shake their heads at him. The performance ends when the figure of a rooster crows. Around the turn of the hour, a crowd usually gathers around to see the figures move. Since the clock and square are favorite places to visit in Prague, this crowd canget big during tourist high season. The figures move every hour, so you can pretty much catch the show whenever. Even if you don't catch themoving figures, you'll enjoy seeing the beautiful astronomical clock. Where Is Prague’s Astronomical Clock? The astronomical clock is located on the side of Old Town Hall in Old Town Square. If you’re taking public transport, either the underground metro or the above-ground tram, then you should get off at the Staromestska stop. Metro: Line A to Staromestska Tram: Lines 17 or 18 to Staromestska. The figures move on the hour every hour from 9 AM to 9 PM. 2. Climb the Bell Tower of Old Town Hall After the rooster crows the end of the astronomical clock show, head to the 14th century bell tower of Old Town Hall. You can climb this 228-foot tower for gorgeous, 360 degree views of Prague. Climbing the bell tower was something I didn’t do until the end of my study abroad semester, and I wished I’d done it sooner. It’s a beautiful view over red roofs, spires, church domes, and the Vltava River that runs through the city. How to Visit You can climb the stairs up the bell tower or take the elevator, which is wheelchair accessible. The fee is about $5 for adults and $3 for children. By the way, the Czech Republic uses the Czech koruna (CZK). As I write right now, one US dollar equals 24 CZK. The tower is open from AM to 10 PM on Mondays and 9 AM to 10 PM Tuesday through Sunday. 3. Explore Old Town Square Prague largely escaped destruction during World War II, so a large part of its historic district dates all the way back to the 10th century! The historic core is now under protection as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The central nucleus - and where I was lucky enough to take classes on Czech theater and the literature of Franz Kafka - is the Old Town Square. It’s a big cobblestoned square lined by buildings that span the centuries, from Gothic to Baroque to Rococo architectural styles. The square was a market place place until the end of the 19th century, but now it’s filled with cafes, shops, galleries, restaurants, vendors, and street performers. It also hosts a magical Christmas fair in the winter that makes the entire square smell like cinnamon and sugar. Below are a few of the most notable buildings and statues in Prague’s Old Town Square. What to See in Prague’s Old Town Square After you’ve admired the 15th century astronomical clock, check out these buildings around the square, along with the large memorial in its center. Tyn Cathedral: On the opposite side of the square from the astronomical clock sits the imposing Tyn Cathedral. This Gothic cathedral has been Prague’s main church since the 14th century, and you can easily spot its 262-foot towers topped with black spires. The church contains the oldest pipe organ in the city, and it hosts Roman Catholic services and classical concerts. St Nicholas Church: This 1735 church with a white facade was built and decorated in the Baroque style. It actually didn’t touch Old Town Square until a house in front of it was knocked down in 1901. To find Tyn Cathedral, just look up. Kinsky Palace: This former palace, built in the mid-1700s, is now an art museum. Look for its Rococo-style pink and white exterior. House of the Stone Bell: This medieval house dates all the way back to the 1200s. The stone bell you’ll find inside is a replica of the one used in 1310 to signal the future king, John of Luxembourg, that he could come with his army and occupy the square. Jan Hus Memorial: This large monument was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of martyrdom of Jan Hus, a religious reformer and predecessor of Protestant movement. Hus suffered the medieval consequences of criticizing the Catholic Church when he was burned at the stake in 1415. This monument eventually became a symbol of dissidence duringthe Communist occupation. Sitting by the monument became a quiet way for Czech people to show resistance to Soviet rule. 4. Stroll Around the Novà ½ SvÄ›t District Old Town Square, while definitely worth the visit, can get crowded with tourists, especially in the summer months. If you’re looking to get off the beaten track, you should check out the quieter Novy Svet district of Prague. This â€Å"New World† neighborhood consists of just a few small streets that date back to the 14th century. Walking past the log cottages with thatched roofs feels like you’ve discovered a small village in the middle of a city. This area’s a great place to stroll or stop by the Novy Svet Cafe for delicious coffee without a wait. Where to Find the Novy Svet District The Novy Svet district is on the other side of the Vltava River from Old Town Square. It’s just down the hill from Prague Castle, so you could walk through here to get to or from the castle as an alternative to the primary, more crowded route. The best metro stop to get to Novy Svetis Malostransk. 5. Walk Across the Charles Bridge When I studied abroad in Prague, I took an art history and architecture class. Most days, we wandered around the city, admiring and learning about the structures that straddled the line between art and architecture. Charles Bridge is one such structure, a bridge from 1357 lined by 30 Baroque statues. All of the statues along this cobblestoned bridge over the Vltava are religious figures heavy with symbolism. Most of the statues you’ll see today are careful replicas. The originals are on display in the National Museum. As a top pick in most guide books for what to see in Prague, the bridge can get crowded with visitors, as well as vendors competing to sell food, portraits, and jewelry. If you want to beat the crowds and get away from the commercial aspect of Charles Bridge, you could wake up early and catch the sunrise over the river. If you don’t mind the early wake up call, strolling across the empty Charles Bridge through the mist of sunrise is an unforgettable experience of natural and urban beauty. Where Is Prague's Charles Bridge? You can approach the bridge from either side of the river. The closest metro and tram stop is Starometska, on the Old Town Square side of the Vltava. 6. Visit the Prague Castle Prague is pretty much in a category by itselfwhen it comes to medieval art and architecture, and its castle is just one more reason why. The Prague Castle is the largest medieval castle in Europe. It was founded all the way back in 880 AD. Building and renovations continued over the centuries, with one big project implemented by Emperor Charles IV in the 1300s. The palace complex covers over 18 acres and includes royal residences, gardens, and churches. Today, the complex includes the official residence and office of the president of the Czech Republic. There’s even a daily ceremony of the changing of the guards. What to See in Prague Castle Royal Palace: This Gothic palace dates back to the 14th century. One highlight is the huge Vladislav Hall, which was used for coronations, banquets, market, and even jousting tournaments (it’s that big). Leading up to the hall is the Riders’ Staircase, where knights could ride through on horseback. You should also check out the Observation Gallery, which has a great view over the gardens. St Vitus Cathedral: This huge cathedral contains the remains of the much celebrated 14th century emperor, Charles IV. It has an extremely detailed facade, tall spires, lots of religious statues, and gorgeous art nouveau stained glass windows. Inside, you can also see the silver tomb of St. John of Nepomuk. St George’s Basilica: This 10th century structure contains the tombs of several princes. Golden Lane: The Golden Lane is lined by small 16th century dwellings, originally built for servants and tradesmen. At one end sits the Daliborka Tower, which was once used as a prison. The famous Czech writer, Franz Kafka, lived at #22 Golden Lane for a few years. Royal Garden: These sprawling manicured gardens encircle the castle. They’re a beautiful place to spend an afternoon wandering past flowers, hedges, moats, grapevines, pavilions, and fountains. The primary Royal Garden was built in 1534. Castle Picture Gallery: This gallery contains over 4,000 works, including 100 paintings. It has an especially large collection of 17th century European Baroque art. Admission is free every Monday from 4 to 6 PM. Otherwise, tickets to the gallery are just $4.00. Visiting Hours and Fees You can buy tickets for most individual parts of the castle complex, but if you want to visit several parts of it, you should get a combined ticket. Because the Prague Castle is so big, the tickets are good for two days. The most comprehensive ticket is the Circuit A for about $14.50. It includes St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, an exhibition called the "The Story of Prague Castle," St. George's Basilica, Golden Lane with the Daliborka Tower, and Powder Tower. You can take $3 or $4 off if you skip the Powder Tower. From April to October, Prague Castle is open everyday from 6 AM to 10 PM, and the historical buildings are open from 9 AM to 5 PM. From November to March, the historical buildings close at 4 PM. How to Get There The Prague Castle is just about a 22-minute walk from Old Town Square. Keep in mind that most of this walk is uphill. If you do choose to walk, you’ll want to turn around to see the beautiful views over the river and Old Town. By public transportation, take the tram to one of these stops: Krlovskà ½ letohrdek, PraÃ… ¾skà ½ hrad, or PohoÃ…â„¢elec. You can also take the metro and get off at Malostransk or HradÄ ansk. 7. See Josefov, the Historic Jewish Ghetto Josefov is the Jewish quarter located between Old Town Square and the Vltava River. The area was once a walled ghetto where Jews were forced to live beginning in the 13th century. Much of the district was destroyed when Prague remodeled parts of the city between 1893 and 1913. Today, you can see six synagogues, as well as Europe’s oldest Jewish cemetery. Visiting the cemetery especially can be an intense and difficult experience. Most of the Jewish population in Prague was forcibly relocated to concentration camps and murdered in 1941 by German occupiers and Czech Nazi collaborators. As of 2014, only about 3,900 Jewish people lived in the Czech Republic. There were over 356,000 in 1930. Historical Places in Josefov Pinkas Synagogue: This is the second oldest synagogue in Prague. Today, it’s a museum commemorating the thousands of Czech Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Spanish Synagogue: This synagogue was built in the Moorish revival style. Inside, you can find an exhibition about Jewish history in the Czech Republic Old New Synagogue: This is Europe’s oldest active synagogue. It was built in 1270. High Synagogue: This synagogue is actually excluded from tours, as it’s meant for local and foreign visitors who want to attend services and pray. It was built in the Renaissance style in 1568 and features impressive Gothic ribbed vaulting in the tall ceiling. The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague dates back to the 1400s. Old Jewish Cemetery: This is the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. It dates to the early 15th century and is now administered by the Jewish Museum in Prague. Since Jews were not able to get more space for the cemetery, the ground is uneven and higher than the surrounding streets. The Holocaust memorial in Berlin emulates the uneven ground of the Prague Cemetery. Franz Kafka’s Birthplace: Famous Czech writer Franz Kafka was born in the Jewish quarter on July 3, 1883 on the corner of Kaprova Street and Maiselova Street. His family lived here for a few years before moving to Wenceslas Square. Where to Find Josefov Josefov sits between Old Town and the Vltava River. You can click on the pins to find the specific addresses of the synagogues, museums, and Jewish cemetery. 8. Visit Museums Among the many Prague attractions are over 25 renowned museums with all sorts of collections. Some house great works of art, while others contain memorials to the victims of the Holocaust and Communist occupation. You can learn about technology, music, or the life and writings and Franz Kafka. For a lighter experience, you can go to museums of chocolate, toys, or traditional Bohemian puppet art. You can also find some oddones, like the Sex Machines Museum or the Museum of Historical Chamber Pots and Toilets. Below are some of my top picks for museums in Prague(plus one graffitied wall). Top Museums in Prague National Gallery in Prague: This gallery contains the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic. It’s actually housed in various buildings throughout the city. You’ll find major works by renowned European artists, as well as one of the largest collections by Czech artists, like Kupka, Benes, and Mucha. National Museum: If you’re looking to step away from art and check out natural history and other fields, then you should go to the National Museum. Like the National Gallery, the collections, which comprise over 14 million items, are housed in various buildings. Some of the main departments are prehistory, protohistory, botany, zoology, Czech history, ethnography, theater, anthropology, and paleontology. Jewish Museum in Prague: The Jewish Museum administers the exhibitions in the various synagogues and other buildings. Its collection of Jewish heritage contains over 40,000 objects and 100,000 books. Museum Kampa: This museum is located on an island in the Vltava and houses a large collection of European modern art. As you walk in, you’ll see Magdalena Jetelova’s famous sculpture of a chair. Check out the Museum of Communism to learn the REAL TRUTH about Russian nesting dolls. Museum of Communism: The Communists occupied the Czech Republic from the end of World War II until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. They arrested over 200,000 Czechs and killed hundreds that tried to flee. This museum shows the history of Communist rule through photos, films, sculptures, and propaganda from the era. Lennon Wall: Not a museum, but rather a wall where protesters of the Communist regime would paint pictures and words of peace, most of them Beatles, particularly John Lennon, inspired. In 2014, a group of art students painted white over the wall, leaving just the words, "Wall is over," which werelaterchanged to "War is over." New artwork and graffiti have since reappeared. Sex Machines Museum: This three-story museum has a collection of sex devices, some dating back to as early as the 16th century. According to its website, it has â€Å"an exposition of mechanical erotic appliances, the purpose of which is to bring pleasure and allow extraordinary and unusual positions during intercourse.† Where to Find Them Click on a pin for the specific address of each museum on the list above! 9. See Bizarre Public Sculptures Perhaps one thing that helped people get through dark times in their history was the so-called Czech sense of humor. Czech people have a reputation for beingsarcastic and controversial, and they like to make fun of their politicians. Nowhere does this stereotype appear to be more true than in the strange public statues around the city, most of them by the famous Czech sculptor, David Cerny. The rebellious Cerny first gained notoriety when he painted a Soviet tank pink and was briefly arrested. Below are six notable statues by Cerny around Prague, along with a seventh by Czech sculptor, Jaroslav Rona. Public Statues Around Prague Babies: This Cerny exhibition has 10 huge babies crawling up the side of the Zizkov TV Tower and around Kampa Park. Brown-nosers: Here, Cerny invites viewers to climb ladders and you through the backsides of two giant statues. When you look through, you’ll see video of an actor who looks like Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president from 2003 to 2013, eating baby food. Piss: This fountain features two male statues urinating toward each other. The streams spell out quotes from Czech literature. UnUtero: People can walk underneath and inside this statue of a huge silver pregnant woman. Hanging Man: This statue has moved around the world, and many people have mistaken it for someone jumping. It shows Sigmund Freud hanging by one hand from a beam coming off a roof. Franz Kafka Statue: This famous Kafka statue is not by Cerny, but by Jaroslav Rona. Unveiled in 2003, it shows a smaller man riding atop the shoulders of a larger headless man and is inspired by Kafka’s short story, â€Å"Description of a Struggle.† 10. Experience the Prague Nightlife While walking around the cobblestoned streets of Prague may transport you into the past, experiencing its bar and club scene will take you right past the now and into the future. Prague has such a big nightlife scene that it’s gathered a reputation as a party city. You can choose among pubs, bars, dance clubs, jazz bars, sports bars, breweries, beer gardens, rooftop terraces, and underground cave bars. Here are a few suggestions, but they’re really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Prague’s nightlife scene. Where to Go SaSaZu: This huge club hosts renowned DJs from all over the world and plays mainly house music. It opened in 2009 and can hold over 2,500 people. Duplex: Dance inside a glass cube at this rooftop nightclub while enjoying views over the city. Chapeau Rouge: This underground club has three levels, one with a bar and tables and two with DJs and dance floors. It’s located close to Old Town Square. Karlovy LznÄ›: This is the largest nightclub in Central Europe and has over five stories, each with its own dance floor and type of music, including hip hop, 80s, and trance. The interior has mosaics dating back to the 15th century. Karlovy Lazne is more popular with foreign visitors than locals. Retro: Go to Retro for electro-house music and a great light show. It can hold over 1,200 people. The crowd is generally a mix of Czech people and foreigners. Radost FX: Radost is on the smaller side and typically plays American hip hop. If you don’t feel like dancing, there’s a loungewith fuzzy couches to hang out in. To get a sense of what it looks like, check out Rihanna’s "Please Don’t Stop the Music" video. She shot it in Radost in 2007. Bunkr Parukarka: This underground club is located in a 1950s nuclear bunker. You’ll get electro-pop and industrial tracks from some of Prague’s top DJs. Zizkov: This last recommendation is not a club, but actually an entire neighborhood. Zizkov is a former industrial suburb with over 300 bars in just 2 square miles. It’s a super casual, somewhat gritty spot. You’ll see lots of dive bars and beer in plastic cups. Where to Find These Bars and Clubs Check out the Prague map for the locations and addresses of the bars and clubs listed above. . Eat Czech Cuisine While I was enamored with the city of Prague, I was less in love with itsfood. Traditional Czech food involves a lot of meat and starch, and I found it to be pretty heavy. There are plenty of more modern restaurants with great cuisine. I did love the desserts, especially the cinnamon-sugar pastries that were sold by street vendors in the winter. You should definitely try some traditional Czech foods to find your favorites. Below are some of the main ones. Traditional Czech Foods Knedlà ­ky, or dumplings: These dumplings are typically wheat or potato-based, steamed and sliced, and served on the side of meat. Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut (or cabbage): This is the most typical Czech dish. Pork is the most common meat eaten in the Czech Republic. Koleno: pork knee marinated in beer and usually served with pickled vegetables and dark bread. Loupk: a sweet crescent-shaped roll covered in poppy seeds, usually eaten for breakfast. GulÃ… ¡, or goulash: another staple Czech dish (though originally from Hungary). Goulash is usually stewed beef in gravy served with dumplings. Trdelnà ­k is a rolled dough with cinnamon and sugar. Yum! Schnitzel: thinly sliced veal, pork, or chicken, covered in breadcrumbs and fried. Schnitzel is usually served with potato-based side dishes. PalaÄ inky: These are similar to French crepes, though they’re cooked with a different batter. They can be sweet or savory and are commonly sold at food markets. Trdelnà ­k: a rolled pastry wrapped around a stick and coated with cinnamon and sugar. These are popular at Christmas markets, where they’re heated up over an open flame. SmaÃ… ¾enà ½ Sà ½r: This is a deep-fried cheese, often sold by vendors at food markets. Below are a few recommendations for food markets. A couple are year-round, while othersjust pop up around the holidays. Farmer’s and Holiday Markets in Prague Havel’s Market (Havelske trziste): This permanent market is open everyday, year-round from 9 AM to 6 PM. Come here for fresh fruits and vegetables, food, flowers, crafts, toys, puppets, leather goods, and souvenirs. Address: Havelska Street, Prague 1 off Melantrichova, a pedestrian-only street between Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. Naplavka Farmer’s Market: popular riverside Saturday market with fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese and meat stands, cooked food, beer and wine, and coffee. It’s open from 8 to 2 on Saturdays by the river bank close to the metro stop Palackà ©ho nmÄ›stà ­. Prague's Christmas markets are magical! Jirak Farmer’s Market: This market’s located around the Jiriho z Podebrad stop on the metro from Wednesday through Saturday. In addition to the usual fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses, you can find delicious breads and pastries. It’s open from 8 AM to 6 PM Wednesday through Friday and 8 AM to 2 PM on Saturday. Christmas Markets: the largest ones are located in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square and are pretty magical. You’ll find cinnamon-sugar pastries, roasted nuts, mulled wine, thick hot chocolate, and crackling meat turning over an open fire. Craft tents sell traditional handicrafts, wooden toys, tree ornaments, puppets, jewelry, and other great gifts. The Christmas markets are open everyday from early December to early January. Easter Markets: The best Easter markets, like the Christmas markets, are located in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. You can find lots of food and gifts among the brightly painted tents, along with activities for kids and people in traditional costume. The Easter markets are typically open for the first three weeks in April. 12. Drink Czech Beer While the Czech Republic may not have a reputation for the world’s best cuisine, it does have some of the best beer! Happily, it’s also some of the least expensive. You can find Czech-made beer (pivo) at all of the bars, pubs, and breweries. My favorite bars were the atmospheric underground cave bars with stone walls, candlelight, and wells that tunneleddeep into the ground. Czech Beer Brands The majority of Czech beers are light in color and served chilled. They’re brewed from hand-picked hops and have a transparent golden color and light taste. The most widely distributed brands are Pilsner Urquell (you can visit the brewery in the town of Plzen) and Budweiser Budvar. Other Czech brands are Bernard, Gambrinus, KruÃ… ¡ovice, Radegast, Starobrno, Staropramen, Svijany, and Velkopopovickà ½ Kozel. There are also microbreweries throughout the city. Below are a few recommendations for breweries and a beer museum. Where to Go for Beer: A Few Recommendations Zly Casy: This bar has 48 delicious beers on draft from small Czech breweries. Address: ÄÅ'estmà ­rova 390/5, 140 00 Prague. U Medvidku Beer Hall and Restaurant: This 550-year old beer hall is famous for its dark lager, X-Beer 33. X-Beer 33 is the strongest Czech beer at .8% alcohol content. Address: Na PerÃ… ¡tà ½nÄ› 7, Starà © MÄ›sto, 0 00, Prague. Prague Beer Museum: the Beer Museum has exhibits on the history of beer-brewing, plus over 31 beers on tap. Address: Na Perstyne 7, Pr 1, Prague. 13. See Opera at the National Theater Are you looking for a more glamorous experience out on the town? Prague is renowned as a center for opera, as well as ballet, music, and theater. Not only will you see great productions, but you’ll do so in the gorgeous National Theater, a 19th century neo-Renaissance building on the Vltava River and important cultural institution in the city of Prague. Ticket prices range from $15 to $50, and you can reserve them online on the National Theater’s website, as well as find the full schedule of productions. When I saw an opera here, there was a screen with English subtitles so I could follow the story. Where to Findthe National Theater The National Theater is located at Narodni 2 in Prague’s New Town. You can take the metro to Narodni trida on Line B or the tram to Narodni Divadlo, lines 6, 9, 17, 18, or 22. 14. Climb Petrin Hill If you’re craving greener spaces, head out of the main part of the city toward the 1000-foot tall Petrin Hill. A popular spot among locals, the park around Petrin Hill has landscaped gardens, a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower, a rose garden, and a Hall of Mirrors. You can climb the 299 steps of Prague’s mini Eiffel Tower for sweeping views over Prague. How to Getto Petrin Hill You can walk or take a funicular railway to Petrin Hill. The walk is just about 30 minutes, but it’s pretty steep. The railway leaves from Ujezd Street and goes up to Petrin Hill. This park is open from 10 AM to 8 PM, March to October and 10 AM to 6 PM, November to February. 15. Take a Day Trip to Cesky Krumlov While Prague has endless things to do and places to see, it’s also surrounded by incredible towns and sights. One awesome and popular day trip takes you south to Cesky Krumlov. Cesky Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s a picture perfect medieval Bohemian town. It has the same fairytale quality of Prague with even fewer signs of modern life. You’ll see a big castle, lots of puppet museums and shops, outdoor markets, and Renaissance and Baroque buildings. Does it sound like a small town version of Prague? That’s a pretty apt description, right down to the fact that it’s also situated around the Vltava River (just 100 miles south). How to Get to Cesky Krumlov If you’re renting a car, you can drive to Cesky Krumlov along route E55. The drive is about two hours and take you through forests, fields, and villages. The most popular way to get there is the bus. This direct, 3-hour bus ride drops you off at the bus station in Cesky Krumlov. From there, it’s just about a 10-minute walk to the center of town. Since the buses can fill up, you should make reservations in advance. The train is probably the least convenient option, since there aren’t any trains that go direct. You could travel between 2.5 and 3.5 hours to ÄÅ'eskà © BudÄ›jovice and then go another 45 minutes on a new train to Cesky Krumlov. The train station is about a 30-minute walk from the city center. So there you have it, the top 15 things to do in Prague. (I could add a 16th for any college undergrads - study abroad there!) In closing, let’s go over some final thoughts about what to do in Prague, the beautiful city in the heart of Bohemia. Historic Prague: Final Thoughts Prague is a paradise for anyone who likes to wander amid art and architecture from centuries past. As a well-preserved medieval city, Prague transports you back in time with its Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo buildings and sculptures. While it’s easy to fall under Prague’s magic spell, you’ll also find reminders of tragedies in its past. It’s important to acknowledge these realities while appreciating the resilience of the Czech people, who have a history of resistance through politics, theater, literature, music, and art. Prague is not all museums, cathedrals, and heavy history, though. It’s also a seriously fun city with world-renowned nightclubs and buzzing bar districts. When it comes to good party spots, I definitely trust Rihanna to know what’s up. Even if you’re not into dancing, you may appreciate the fact that cheap world-class beeris only ever a few steps away. I may not have known about all of Prague's attractions when I decided to study abroad here. Like I said, I was mostlymotivated by aesthetics. As I soon found out, though, Prague isindeed as beautiful as thepictures promised. Plus, the city hasso much more.

Dentify and analyse some of the main ways in which stories are Assignment

Dentify and analyse some of the main ways in which stories are selected by news organisations and Outline and analyse the claim - Assignment Example News about disasters follows a predictable pattern i.e. early reports and late reports. Early reports are dependent on the inconclusive information about the event from the witnesses on the severity of the disaster. Later stories offer more conclusive and newsworthy details on the event and occur after several days (Schlesinger, 1987). Created news is more frequent that unpredicted news. These emanates from the behaviour of an individual or an organization committing a certain act in a bid to seek publicity. For instance, the public relations official may participate in the process of news making to seek publicity. Enterprise news is created when the reporters engage in acting rather than reacting to disaster reporting. Enterprise news is common with investigative reporting. The regular sources of news can be summarised into the news net, institutional sources such as news beat, pre-selection of events such as the case of news diary and manufactured news such as the public relations events. A piece of information should be newsworthy for it to be published. According to Lester M. (2002) and Galtung & Ruge, (1965), the newsworthiness of a story is determined by news values. The first is impact whereby a story is more newsworthy if it appeals to a greater number of people. Timelessness is also crucial whereby more recent stories are more newsworthy compared to old pieces of information. However, timelessness is also relative as an event could have occurred in the past but realized lately. Occurrences based on prominence are also newsworthy. For instance, stories related top prominent individuals such as celebrities or powerful personalities appeal to the masses. Proximity of the news article to the audience attracts their interest. Proximity can be gauged either geographically or depending on the expected expectations and interest of the public. The bizarreness of a piece of news article attracts the attention of the public. Popular stories among the public are t hose related to conflict or controversy. News currency promotes newsworthiness whereby an idea whose time has come attracts the attention of the audience. The idea assumes a life of its own and captures the public imagination for some time. The final key consideration is the human interests whereby most people are interested in those stories that are possess an amusing theme. Other factors that determine the news worthiness of a news article include competition; commercial or profession competition of the media may affect the journalists’ endorsement on the value of news given to an article by a rival. For instance, Philo and Berry (2004) portends that the media coverage of the conflicts in Israel was based on competition among the media channels that obtained their news anyhow with some based on false hood. Another factor is time constraints for instance, traditional news media such as radios have strict deadlines and short production periods implying that they are efficient in the coverage of news that can be researched and reported hastily. Logistics is also a determining factor that determines the availability of global communications and functionality of technical or financial resources that determines whether a story will be covered or not. The final process in the selection process is gate keeping i.e. the way in which information is filtered for dissemination. Gate keeping provides the

The Second Rich Generation in China Interview Report Essay

The Second Rich Generation in China Interview Report - Essay Example e most expensive private universities in Los Angeles and he is planning to transfer to the University of South California where his father made half-million dollars in contributions. Since Mr. Mo Han falls under the category of the second richest generation in China, he has a good understanding of this group of individuals and the implication of their lifestyles. Although it took me some time to fix the meeting, I was glad that at the end he could spare me an hour to meet him. When the taxi dropped me off, I found out I was in front of a tremendous villa, and there was a brand new white Lamborghini in front of the villa. After I explained to the guard why I was here, he took me to the back of the house, and there was a gigantic swimming pool there. Han was lying on a chair next to the pool with his sunglasses on. â€Å"Hi, I am†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know who you are, let us get started.† Han interrupted my introduction. To begin, I started by imploring the meaning of the term the SRG that hits most of the media channels occasionally. Han took off his glasses and said, â€Å" a group of people just like me, young and rich, get the money from their family†. A question that emerged from this point was how his parents got that rich while most of the people in China are still worried about how to pay their rent. After flashbacking, Han told me the story of his family. Han’s father operated a small steel factory after he graduated from col lage. After a few years because of the sharp insight, he decided to sell the factory and started doing the real-estate business, and that is the period which Chinese real-estate market just started growing. Han termed this period as the period of â€Å"economic boom† when many investors benefited from a growing public demand. After this, we looked at the negative connotation that the word SRG has come to have in the recent past. In his opinion, this group of people including him has persistently lived a filthy lifestyle. â€Å"We want people to know

To question to what extent did the dissolution of Parliament in 1629 Essay

To question to what extent did the dissolution of Parliament in 1629 sow the seeds for the English Civil War - Essay Example Moreover, England proceeded towards democracy and adopted it as its government’s policy. The process of democratisation naturally conflicted with the King and his power over the nation. Furthermore, the adoption of democracy and freedom rendered Parliament more powerful, and this in turn challenged the royal rule. These are the most frequently stated reasons for the outbreak of the Civil War (Civil War, English, 2008). Nevertheless, the revisionist historians contended that the Civil War transpired due to the events of November 1641. By that time, Charles had prepared to fulfil the aspirations of his subjects and he had revoked the ship money taxes in 1640. He had also promised to reinstate Parliament in 1641. Moreover, Charles agreed to abstain from levying further taxes without the approval of Parliament, and to dissolve the Star Chamber. At that juncture, William Laud was incarcerated in December 1640 and Charles’s close deputy Strafford was executed on the 12th of May 1641. Meanwhile in October 1641, the Catholic Great Rebellion took place in Ireland. It challenged the supremacy of the King and opposed royal rule in Ireland. In order to suppress that movement, the King required an army and other resources. However, the leaders in Parliament refused to ratify his request, as they feared that the King would use these resources against Parliament. This was tantamount to a direct and abrupt attack on Royal power, and in retaliation, Charles imprisoned five MP’s, who were the prime instigators in the Parliament behind that strategy against the Crown (Civil War, English, 2008). Charles was the second surviving son of King James and the duchess of Denmark, Anne. He impressed many people and was bestowed with good manners, patience, good temperament, and courteous behaviour. These qualities made him much closer to those who met him. Although, his deeds

Berlin Wall Essay Example for Free

Berlin Wall Essay The Berlin wall caused much strife during its existence. It started with the conflict between the USSR and the Allies and quickly escalated from there. The long years it stood were full of separation and conflict. The story of the Berlin wall is not one easily forgotten. During WWII the Soviet army captured the German city of Berlin. The U.S., Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union all occupied a sector of Berlin. The United States, Britain, and France occupied sectors in West German and Berlin while the Soviet Union occupied the East. Because of this, when the Cold War started, East and West Berlin were divided both in opinion and territory. The Soviets were communist and the leaders of West Germany were determined that all of Germany should be communistic. The Soviets tried to force the Western powers to give up their control over their three sectors. After their attempts to convince them to give up their control failed, the Soviet side cut West Berlin, which was isolated in the middle of East Germany, from all land and air travel. West Berlin was frozen and starving, but they refused to give in. The Western Allies started what is commonly known as the Berlin Airlift. Great amounts of food and supplies were dropped by plane. West Berlin was not given up by the Allies. East Germany however, did give up the blockade of West Berlin after a year. They determined that something else must be done. East Berlin lost many people to West Berlin. It was said approximately two and a half million people escaped the communistic East Germany simply by crossing the border from East Berlin into the West. A common method of this escape was by subway. At one station they believed that one out of every three people leaving the station was actually an escaping citizen of East Germany. East Germany was rapidly losing its much needed work force. Walter Ulbricht was the man most blamed for the building of the Berlin Wall. In public, he denied all rumors of even the consideration of cutting off the border routes. The denial of the idea of closing the border was a plan to keep the flow of people escaping from increasing before the wall was built. Ulbricht believed that people would desperately flee as soon as they heard of the plans for the wall. On a Saturday night in 1961, the wall was hastily built. Since it was the weekend, the unsuspecting people were vacationing after their week of long work and did not notice the hidden rolls of barbwire and timber slashed away where the wall was to be built. People whose houses stood where the separation was were no longer allowed to use their Western doors. Many used the windows to escape but others were caught by the East police or lost their lives in the process. By the end of the first couple weeks, the windows and doors were sealed off with bricks. The Berlin was more than a sliver of grey concrete. It was watchtowers, guards, guns, barbed wire, and even mines. As determined as many East Berliners were to cross to freedom, they had to risk so much in the process. For many, the risk led to their deaths. The wall was disapproved of by many of the citizens. Because of the sudden construction, many families were instantly separated. The dangers sometimes outweighed the thought of unification. Wanting to at the very least see their loved ones, platforms were built on the West side of the wall and families would find some comfort in mere glimpses of their loved ones. Another negativity of the wall was the sheer conflict of beliefs. Some who did not share the opinions of Germany were quickly forced in a problematic situation. They couldn’t escape from the strict rules of communism. The wall had clearly put them on the wrong side. Family and beliefs were not the only things the wall separated. Though not physically, the Berlin wall drew a line right through Germany. You were either East German or you were West German. There were no in between grey sections. People had to choose sides or their side was chosen for them. Of course, through all this, France, Britain, and the United States stood beside their West German sectors. Tension of the cold was thick. Many showed what side they were on by simply choosing to support East or West Germany. Those who supported the East were Communistic. Those who supported West Germany were supporters of democracy of freedom. The problems within East Germany became more and more obvious as time went on. The most obvious problem was the existence of the wall itself. Many died from the wall and it wasn’t just the start. The problems of East Germany were from social to economic. At first, it was very possible to make it across the wall. People would break through with trucks, dig tunnels, fight their way across, sneak across during construction, forge papers, and all manner of escape. People didn’t let the risk of death keep them from their freedoms and families. Not everyone was lucky enough to make it across. One example of misfortune was a pair of young men who determined to sneak across a weak part of the wall. The first made it successfully across, but his friend did not. Shot by the guards, the young man lay injured and bleeding at the wall. Still on the East side, people from the West could not retrieve the dying young man. The guards waited for him to bleed out before disposing of his body. His screams and cries for help haunted and outraged the people. Fearing a future uprising, the guards were commanded to move bodies and dying individuals out of sight so the people wouldn’t be quite as disturbed by their deaths. After many made it across the Berlin wall, it was decided to reinforce the wall. This reinforcement crushed many people’s hope of ever crossing and killed many of those that retained their hope. The wall at first had been simply a tall concrete wall with armed watchtowers, searchlights, and barbed wire. The reinforcement included a higher fence with a column of concrete that was seemingly impossible to grip, extra fences, tripwires connected to automatic machine guns, and a seemingly hopeless run to safety. Forged papers at the gates were the most likely means of escape after the reinforcement. In East Germany, the work hours were long, the opportunities were few, the tension was high, and the rules were strict. Music was censored and lives were limited. East Germans created a distinct culture because they had to avoid breaking so many rules. You watched what you said and who you were with. Rules in East Germany were not taken lightly because the people never knew when they were being watched. The neighbors, their best friend, their lover, or even their mother could’ve been one of them; one of the agents for Germany’s secret police, that is. The secret police were called Stasi. Anyone could be suspected of being part of the Stasi, since the Stasi used anyone they could. The Stasi was a huge network of agents who watched over East Germany. They had their eyes on over one-third of the population. The Stasi spied on, arrested, and manipulated countless people. They picked up on plans of escape, wormed their way into possible rebellion for information, and even kept records of their target’s lives in incredible detail. Along with the suspicious activity they stored in the files pertaining to the lives of their targets, they included elaborate plans for their victims. These plans interfered with lives, ruined marriages, kept certain kids from getting into universities, and even destroyed futures. They didn’t stand for any possible uprising. They snuffed out any spark that could lead to anything contradictory to East Germany’s policies. Pollution was a major problem in East Germany. Their pollution was actually so great that it actually caused diseases not seen since Victorian ages. The diseases killed many of the people. People started environmental programs to try and do something about the pollution and stop the tragedy of diseases. A bit of freedom was the beginning of change and the start of hope in East Germany. The rules were loosened on churches across the land. Slowly but surely the church became the centers of protest across the land. People came to meetings with the accepted excuse of praying for the country or involvement at environmental programs at the church. The church quietly became the center of reformists. Because of the hope sprouted by the reformist church meetings, a protest of seventy-thousand people occurred openly in East Germany. The world watched in tense concern. Many feared that East German officials would use the â€Å"China option† where they would simply massacre the protestors like what had recently occurred in China. The world was shocked when there seemed to be no immediate consequences for the massive protest. The opening of the Berlin wall was a great event and actually an accident. After many years of separation and conflict, one man’s misunderstood words caused the great event. While an East German bureaucrat, Gà ¼nter Schabowski, was at a press conference on November 9th, 1989, his uncertain answer to a simple question was misunderstood. The misunderstanding was that travel restrictions were being lifted and effective immediately. People flooded to the gates of the wall demanding access they believed was granted by one man who simply misspoke. These people could not be turned away though what Schabowski had said was far greater than what the authorities had intended to do. For hours, the gates remained closed and the guards were hammered by questions and demands from the eager citizens. The guards tried to get an order from the higher ups, but at the time the whole system of authority was in chaos and disorder. No one seemed to know what to do. Finally, at about 11:30 that night, after countless meetings and useless phone calls, the order went out to open the gates. This order was given by Lieutenant-Colonel Harald Jà ¤ger, the senior officer in charge at the Bornholmer Strasse border crossing. When he gave the order, people flooded through the gates and climbed the walls. Harald Jà ¤ger later gave his report of what had occurred that night. It was apparent to all of the guards that something was amiss and that people would soon show up trying to pass through the gates as they watched the press conference. They were all surprised at the words spoken at the press conference but did not understand the enormity of the consequences that were to come. He said, â€Å"All I thought was: Now youve got to find out whether theyre allowed to travel immediately or not.† He called his higher up to ask, but it was apparent that he was just as surprised and simply ordered him not to let anyone through. Harald apparently held countless meetings with his officers all that afternoon. Everyone demanded that he tell them what to do. Fearing the consequences of letting them through and wanting to know if the men would support his decision, he had asked if they should open fire on the people. When the guards objected he knew what he must do. The people were bound to get hurt in a scuffle if he waited too long so he reached his decision. â€Å"†¦ I gave my people the order: Open the barrier!† The destruction of the wall was almost immediate. The world watched in awe as the socialistic experiment on East Germany quickly crumbled as the East and West citizens of Germany united in joy and merriment. The opening of the wall was well received by the West. That very night, they made their way over the wall to join and rejoice with their Eastern brethren. Even the Chancellor of West Germany called the current President of the U.S., George H. W. Bush, and ecstatically relayed the events of the night. They knew Germany would never be the same. Despite all the official government problems with the occasion of the wall falling, the East and West strove to be together again. After forty years of that cursed wall, the people finally had their chance to tear it down. They gladly took that chance. The people of the White House shared the Chancellor’s enthusiasm and encouraged the President to go to Germany. The President refused to take any credit in the happening, â€Å"This is the German moment.† The people of Germany jumped at their chance to seize freedom and unity. They feared they would lose the opportunity as abruptly as it came. Germans wanted freedom to decide their own fate. They wanted the freedom to see their loved ones and choose who they wanted to lead them. They wanted to be a whole nation again. As joyous as the world was at the fall of the wall, many feared what was to come. How would the world take it? What would it lead to? How was the Soviet Union going to handle this? The very symbol of socialism had fallen by the hand of its own people. Was this reunion of sides going to be allowed? Or would there be a violent backlash? Leaders and the world watched anxiously. There were so many consequences that could occur, but everyone simply wondered whether they would be positive or negative. Mikhail Gorbachev was a name well known among the USSR. He was the man who was trying to reform the Soviet Union from the inside. He was trying to make a stronger, greater Soviet Union, but even his supporters in the Soviet began to think he had taken it too far with the opening of the wall. It had never been his intention to open the wall, but it had happened on his watch. Everyone feared that this would somehow end up in violence. A man by the name of Helmut Kohl, the Chancellor of Germany, saw this even at the opportunity to reunite Germany. Many called his idea premature and the very idea made people uneasy. The concept of having a reunified strong Germany struck concern into Germany’s neighbors and nations around the world and Europe. People feared another German attack and the change that could take place. As much as the concept of reunification was feared, it turned out that it was actually out of the European leaders’ hands and in the people’s. The people of Germany started the ball rolling on the reunification of Germany. Within the first day of the fall of the wall, over one million East Germans made their way to West Berlin and within the first week over nine million had done the same. It was almost a large party. The mood was full of celebration. They were even given a welcome gift as they came. People went to shop and to drink and simply enjoy the fact that they were now on the other side of the wall and the gates were open. It became extremely obvious to the East Germans that personal freedom meant that they had the option of doing whatever they desired to do. They could lose their job, try to find a new one, follow their dreams, and they all had to change. The economy of East Germany couldn’t avoid a drastic change. It was unstable, but the Germans determined that they were going to do what they wanted. Though it was roughly known that the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl desired a reunified Germany, he had not officially stated any means of doing so. Upon hearing that others were already beginning to discuss their own plans for East and West Germany, the Chancellor felt that he should hold a speech that stated his views and display his plan for reunification. The plan was supposed to take about five to seven years to complete and had been carefully crafted within his group of trusted advisors. Helmut Kohl had not consulted with his allies before holding his bold speech for the entire world to hear. Had he done so, he believed the speech would have never been made. Thought his speech had been a gamble, it was one that paid off. Because of it, he was personally identified with reunification of Germany. The United States decided to fully support Kohl’s plan for reunification. The only problem now lay in convincing the leaders of France and Britain that a reunified Germany would be beneficial to Europe. While world leaders struggled to decide what was to be done and what Germany was to become, the people of Germany had gathered their own to plan their new land. They continued to daily tear down more and more of the ugly wall that had so long separated them. The people didn’t want a Germany that was simply a larger West Germany, but a completely new Germany that took both the best of the West and the East. The people planned on taking this into their own hands and becoming a form of Democracy. The group who were planning such an event was a group called the Round Table. Among one of the first things they strove for was and open election in East Germany, something that hadn’t been done in over sixty years. Of course, not everything would turn out right. One major cause of concern was when the Round Table had received a report that things were turning violent. An angry mob was reported storming the East German secret police’s, the Stasi’s headquarters. They feared that many were about to be lynched, but to their surprise, the mob simply stormed the headquarters and no violence actually seemed to occur. They now found themselves surrounded by mass amounts of information, years of spying and reports written about them. They had overthrown the Stasi. In March of 1990, East Germany held their first election in over sixty years. Many were torn between voting for the conservative West German runners since they had the money to pull them out of their bad economy and the Democratic candidates of the East that had pulled them out of their situation in the first place. As time when on, many began to realize that the people were pushing for materialism over all other things. The feeling of revolution was quickly dying out as they voted for those they believed would grant them prosperity. It was all too obvious that a new Germany was no longer desired. The East simply wanted to be like the West. The majority of the elected officials were rich conservative Westerners and only a handful of reformists. A major problem with the gradual reunification was the horrid, polluted economical state of East Germany. It dawned on many Westerners that they would have to pay a lot of the price for the East German pollution problems. It was estimated that as the lifelong security of jobs guaranteed by the strict East Germany was destroyed that almost every two out of three jobs were lost by East Germans. They abruptly had to face the reality of joblessness and strive to succeed in other places. Despite the hardships, Germany was indeed being unified. One of the symbols of reunification was when the leaders of France, Germany, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union gathered to watch the removal of checkpoint Charlie, one of the focal points of the Cold War. The Soviets were facing the reality that their East German socialist empire was quickly meeting its end. The last thing blocking German unification was Soviet permission for Germany to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). When this was surprisingly overcome, there was nothing standing in the way. On October 1st, 1990, the four victorious powers formally gave up their rights to Germany. Germany was now free to do as they chose. Less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall on October 3rd, 1990, Germany became one nation. Mikhail Gorbachev was forced to resign and blamed for the fall of the Soviet empire who suffered a great loss when Gorbachev chose to give up Germany. Despite this, he believed he had done the right thing in the end. The leaders involved in the reunification of Germany all seemed to stand by their decisions that it was right to let Germany choose who it was going to be. The Cold War had peacefully ended. The people of East Germany were now free and unified. They were free to enjoy music, free to see their families, free to choose their own jobs, free to say what they wanted, and free from fear of the Stasi. East and West Germany ceased to exist, and though there is still a distinction between the people, they grow more and more unified as time passes on. Parts of the wall still stand, but people now simply see it as a reminder of what had been and a way to urge themselves to look to a greater future.