Thursday, October 31, 2019

What does Adam Smith mean of invisible hand Research Paper - 1

What does Adam Smith mean of invisible hand - Research Paper Example Adam Smith originally meant that the mechanism of the invisible hand is a result of the market settling the distribution of goods and the prices between what the producers want to produce and what the consumers chooses freely what to consume. As a result, producers will have to create goods that are cheaper to produce undermining competition and gain market share. This competition will ultimately benefit the individual consumer and hence, the greater community as a whole. To paraphrase Adam Smith in his book â€Å"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations† By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an  invisible hand  to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was not part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good. It is an affectation, indeed, not very common among merchants, and very few words need be employed in dissuading them from it (Smith, 1776). Recent interpretation of Smith’s invisible hand elaborated that â€Å"Adam Smith argued in The Wealth of Nations, 1776, that, under the mechanism of a free market, the pursuit of profit leads each participant to act to the material advantage of society as a whole, as though ‘led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention†. (2007). And though most modern scholars interpret Smith’s invisible hand with regard to investment as preferential to the domestic economy, this was

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Slave Revolts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slave Revolts - Assignment Example Set in 1839, Amistad reveals the story of a group of recently captured West African slaves aboard the ship of La Amistad from the coast of Cuba, their unexpected voyage to the United States and their plight for freedom under legal complexities. Their leader Cinque recounts that they were illegally taken to a slave fort in the British territory of Sierra Leone in Africa. They were enslaved and eventually transported and sold to Cuban slave markets. During the transatlantic journey, the slaves suffered from torture, random execution and even rape. Because of the horrible conditions that these men endured, the thirst for freedom conquered their fears that led to a revolt aboard La Amistad. The slaves killed their captors in cold blood and directed the remaining crew to bring them back in their home country. However, the ship crew brought them in the United States instead, and the series of legal battle against slavery followed that eventually reached the Supreme Court. The issue of slavery in society up stretched the immoral and callous truth of treating a fellow human being as an object of property and as a marginal individual. In the course of the Amistad uprising, whites bought black African slaves, or anyone with African descent, for additional labor either for their household or in agricultural plantations. Very little rights were given to slaves, while their fate, reproduction and survival belong solely to their owners. It was an atrocious normal way of life as supported by law and politics during that era. Nonetheless, the centuries-worth of suppression gradually developed into an eruption of violence through rebellion and mass disobedience, which later pushed to the American Civil War (Mann, 2008). In addition to the Amistad case, the U.S. Supreme Court backed up the previous ruling of the lower court to give the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Importance Of Internet Communication Virtual Way Of Life Media Essay

Importance Of Internet Communication Virtual Way Of Life Media Essay The essay states the importance of internet, communication, virtual way of life and peculiarities of the modern world. The Internet opens large opportunities for work, leisure, communication, and sharing diverse information. Internet has changed the world and society consistently because the creation of internet and its growing popularity contributed to the consistent change in the life of people. They have opened the new, virtual world and a new effective means of communication- internet which have started to replace the traditional means of communication, to the extent that online communication has started to replace the live, real, physical communication between people. As well, essay shows to the audience the advantages and disadvantages of such way of life, the opportunities and interest in everything new. Today, staying online for the majority of people, who have computers at home, means more than staying offline. In actuality, people are relying too much on internet and on th e virtual way of life. Such a change has occurred under the impact of internet and innovation it brought into the life of people and their social relationships. The essay also states, that Internet era has changed the perception of having rest or relaxation for many people, as the unknown world of virtual reality seems to have something special. People tend to use internet as the means to escape from reality, from problems they have in the real life. Running from reality has become one of the most simplest ways to avoid problems, to postpone them, to try to forget and to involve in something that brings joy and happiness. The essay context is aimed to show the trends of the society, of the business and of the future. The essay also described that people prefer share their problems with strangers in their blog, as this way they are unknown in the internet and this fact helps people to communicate, inventing new ways of solving problems, communication and also fun. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦blo gs help people to talk to someone, without revelation of their personality. In such a way, people can make a sort of confession and receive feedback from users that relieves them and encourages people to carry on writing about issues which important for them in their blogs. The essay shows the counter arguments of people who have different opinion from the majority. People can live without technology, having other interests, probably more interesting than the online world. For instance, many people have little ideas of advanced information technologies and they are quite happy in their non-technological world. Some people do not admit the existence of the virtual world, considering it as a game, or something not serious and that will pass soon. They do not take it seriously and do not take into consideration all the advantages it brings, that is why there are claims that staying in the virtual world means just killing of time. For instance, Guillermo Gomez-Pena in The Virtual Barrio @ the Other Frontier refers to the example of Mexicans, who live next to the US, with its advanced information technologies, and local people are still simple and maintain traditional social relationships instead of virtual ones [Mexicans] are simple people. They are happy w ith the little they gotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They are not ambitious and complex like us. They dont need all this technology to communicate. Sometimes I just feel like going down there and living among them. (p. 555). Counter argument can exist, but they should not hide the reality and the important technologies along with the technological progress that has its advantages. Nevertheless, technologies keep progressing and affect more and more people. Technology has definitely changed humanity, as nowadays people devote a lot of time to the online way of life, exploring it, reading, watching, listening and communicating. Some people can balance and live in harmony with the technologies, but some people become addicted to the technologies, to the computer especially. Some people do not have the limit, as described in the essay. Some people create their own virtual world of online friends, of the websites to visit, of the places to spend time, of the games to play, of the videos to download. People no more want to share their thoughts, their dreams or ideas with their friends offline; instead they choose the options to write about all that in their blogs and micro blogs and social networking sites. There is the reasoning of a counter argument and there should be found a balance to be able to depict everything useful from the online world and to live happily in the offline world. The essay ethically responds to the reasoning of a counter argument and shows the both sides of the issue. Communication offline has become something challenging especially for youngsters these day, as it is much easier to respond or to give ideas when a person is at home and he does not fear to see the reaction of another person who will read his message. The more people get involved in the virtual world, the more challenging it is to get out of there. The essay about violence addresses counter argument and arguments reasoning. It includes the description of the problem, the different views on it, the possible solutions and different opinions of the experts. When analyzing the problem of violence and its impact on individuals, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that violence is a fundamental part of the life of people. In regard, it is possible to refer to history, when cruel and violent acts were considered to be a norm. The essay also includes the major claim considering the fact how violence is widely- spread and how many people suffer from it. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦cases of domestic violence were a norm in the past, because the violence in relation to children, for example, was considered to be essential to raise them up as good people. Others would argue that this kind of violence is still practiced. I would totally agree, but what is beginning shown by me side is that it used to be a norm that people did not see it anything more than a tool used to bring up good disciplined kids. Whereas, nowadays, it is considered a crime, at least in our society, and so, people have distanced from it to an extent. Reflective essay claims concentrate on the facts that some believe that by using violence they can solve all their problems and gain the respect of their social environment. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they are unconscious of the negative effect of the violence on their own personality because the violence has a destructive impact on the behavior and psychology of individuals. Some would argue this, Many people like to use Mohandes Ghandi as an example of non-violent protest winning the day. But the only reason Ghandis tactics worked is because he was using them against a civilized adversary, the British Empire. Had he tried to use them against someone else, like Nazi Germany, he would have ended up with a bullet to the back of the head or in one of the cremation ovens after being worked to death in a concentration camp. There are also counter arguments present in the essay to highlight the opinions from different people with different points of views.Violence does solve things. It has ended brutal dictatorships, saved citizens from the predation of criminals, prevented injustices on a small and large scale, and prevented wars. Perhaps the old saying needs to be modified. Instead, it should be Violence never solves anything if it is used at the wrong time in the wrong place. Violence in and of itself solves nothing. It is the proper use of violence under the right circumstances that solves problems (Farm). Essay context is aimed to show the importance of the issue, the key problems and claims. There are a lot of factors that provoke the violence and that increase the risk of the violent and aggressive behavior from the peoples side. At the same time, people are vulnerable to a consistent impact of their environment and different situations in their life which make them choosing the violent model of behavior as the only effective way of behavior. The essay also described the solutions to the problem for the audience. People often have an alternative to the violent model of behavior but they do not always use them because they need much more efforts and they are not as widely-spread as violent methods, which have always accompanied the mankind in the course of its development and evolution.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Philosophy is Important Essay -- essays research papers

Philosophy is Important Philosophy is an important subject, because it helps us understand three big questions; â€Å"why are we here†, â€Å"what do we do†, and â€Å"how do we treat each other†. These are important questions to answer because without them we may end up in a situation much like the Taliban is in right now. Complete chaos created from confusion about those three big questions. These questions are left in a general sense because there are many different ways to look at them. After all we have many different people with many different ideas and so to come to a more concise understanding of such important topics we need everyone’s viewpoint. This is the purpose of something philosophers call â€Å"The great conversation†. For example: Think back to the attack on the US of September 11th. These attacks were caused for a variety of reasons, one of which being that the Taliban believed they had the answer as to the correct way to run a society. Therefore â€Å" The Great Conversation† was stopped. After all if I am the Taliban and I believe I have the answer as to how to run a society because I feel I have answered the three big questions, then why keep discussing? Why include anyone else’s opinions and beliefs? Because if you don’t then things could become violent, just as they did in Afghanistan. So you say you don’t want to be like Afghanistan? Well good! So then how do you determine the answer to those three big questions, and what if there is more than one answer? That’s the purpose of philosophy and more specifically â€Å"The Great Conversation†, to come up with the best possible answer to all questions that may arise without eliminating the possibility that a better answer may exist. Take â€Å"Plato’s Cave† for example: People sit in a cave looking at shadows cast on a wall, from the light of a fire behind them. They have been chained to the floor for centuries. They are fed, clothed, and generally stimulated by the shadows, which are those of puppets on a bridge behind them. The people believe the shadows are real. But ponder just for a second; what if you were one of those people? What if you were released from your shackles and allowed to move about the cave freely. How would you explain to the others that the shadows they are seeing are not real people, but actual shadows made by the puppets on the bridge behind them? Would they believe you? Now switch roles. What if... ...t is true?† Once again we deal with two opposite ends of a debate spectrum. We focus on a few things here. One of which is where does knowledge come from? Those who believe that the exercise of reason, rather than experience, authority, or spiritual revelation, provides the primary basis for knowledge are called Rationalists. Basically they believe people have revelations, and are born with knowledge (innate.) On the opposite, those who believe that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge are known as Empiricists. Reason versus experience, you decide for yourself. For our last and final study we explore Ontology; the nature of being. Is it human nature to fill your space with material goods? Do they bring you happiness? Is that happiness true happiness? If you answered â€Å"yes† to any of those questions you may be a â€Å"Materialist† while if you answered â€Å"no† to any of those questions, there is a chance you may be an â€Å"Idealist†; someone who believes that the use of ideas, thinking, questioning, and active mental stimulation are far more valuable in terms of achieving happiness than the passive, vegetable style consumption of goods that plagues many of us. Philosophy is Important Essay -- essays research papers Philosophy is Important Philosophy is an important subject, because it helps us understand three big questions; â€Å"why are we here†, â€Å"what do we do†, and â€Å"how do we treat each other†. These are important questions to answer because without them we may end up in a situation much like the Taliban is in right now. Complete chaos created from confusion about those three big questions. These questions are left in a general sense because there are many different ways to look at them. After all we have many different people with many different ideas and so to come to a more concise understanding of such important topics we need everyone’s viewpoint. This is the purpose of something philosophers call â€Å"The great conversation†. For example: Think back to the attack on the US of September 11th. These attacks were caused for a variety of reasons, one of which being that the Taliban believed they had the answer as to the correct way to run a society. Therefore â€Å" The Great Conversation† was stopped. After all if I am the Taliban and I believe I have the answer as to how to run a society because I feel I have answered the three big questions, then why keep discussing? Why include anyone else’s opinions and beliefs? Because if you don’t then things could become violent, just as they did in Afghanistan. So you say you don’t want to be like Afghanistan? Well good! So then how do you determine the answer to those three big questions, and what if there is more than one answer? That’s the purpose of philosophy and more specifically â€Å"The Great Conversation†, to come up with the best possible answer to all questions that may arise without eliminating the possibility that a better answer may exist. Take â€Å"Plato’s Cave† for example: People sit in a cave looking at shadows cast on a wall, from the light of a fire behind them. They have been chained to the floor for centuries. They are fed, clothed, and generally stimulated by the shadows, which are those of puppets on a bridge behind them. The people believe the shadows are real. But ponder just for a second; what if you were one of those people? What if you were released from your shackles and allowed to move about the cave freely. How would you explain to the others that the shadows they are seeing are not real people, but actual shadows made by the puppets on the bridge behind them? Would they believe you? Now switch roles. What if... ...t is true?† Once again we deal with two opposite ends of a debate spectrum. We focus on a few things here. One of which is where does knowledge come from? Those who believe that the exercise of reason, rather than experience, authority, or spiritual revelation, provides the primary basis for knowledge are called Rationalists. Basically they believe people have revelations, and are born with knowledge (innate.) On the opposite, those who believe that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge are known as Empiricists. Reason versus experience, you decide for yourself. For our last and final study we explore Ontology; the nature of being. Is it human nature to fill your space with material goods? Do they bring you happiness? Is that happiness true happiness? If you answered â€Å"yes† to any of those questions you may be a â€Å"Materialist† while if you answered â€Å"no† to any of those questions, there is a chance you may be an â€Å"Idealist†; someone who believes that the use of ideas, thinking, questioning, and active mental stimulation are far more valuable in terms of achieving happiness than the passive, vegetable style consumption of goods that plagues many of us.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Mark Twain: America’s Great Humorist Essay

The 19th century United States was ravage by war, poverty and great expansion. Novels and American Literature flourished during this time leaving many of this period’s great authors to remain infamous. Much of this literature is still considered some of the most influential written works of art the world over. Students all over the country still read and learn much from one of these authors being Mark Twain. The writing, of Mark Twain, one of America’s greatest humorists and novelists, was the result of his travels and life experiences. Mark Twain the father of American Literature was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30th 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He was born the sixth of seven children extremely premature and sickly, to Jane Lampton Clemens and Marshall Clemens, a clerk, attorney general, and storeowner in Tennessee (The Life That Shaped Mark Twain). His father passed when at the young age of twelve while his mother lived until he was fifty-five years old. (M ark Twain House) Samuel’s early life was greatly influenced by the Mississippi river after he moved to Hannibal, Missouri at the age of 4. Look more:  huckleberry finn essay Hannibal became the influence for the fictitious town, St. Petersburg in both novels on Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Samuel never had any formal education, but was a quick and keen learner, and visited public libraries quite frequently. Being so fascinated by the river, he became a cub apprentice with the ambition of becoming a riverboat pilot, later earning his license in 1858. His experiences as a successful pilot played a major role in his writing, and even influenced the pen name he used for his entire writing career. The river also took his brother, Henry’s life being the victim of a steamboat explosion while working on the river (Hannibel.net). Clemens’ love for literature was apparent early on. He began working as a typesetter or printing apprentice at the age of eleven and continued to do so, throughout most of his young life. He traveled around most of the country even worked as a typesetter in New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco and more. He wrote for several newspapers and worked as an editor temporarily (Mark Twain House). He even served a short time in the confederate army, seeing no action and later was sent to travel European countries with the assignment of writing travel logs to be printed in the newspapers (The Life That Shaped  Mark Twain). Although he enjoyed working in the printing world he returned to the river that he loved so much and became a steamboat pilot, a position that held great rank and esteem. The pilot’s were paid well for the time and were essential for knowing the ever-changing depths of the Mississippi River. As the pilots charted along the river they would frequently stop to check the river depths using the second line on a pole in the river signified two fathoms or twelve feet deep, which meant the water was deep enough for the boats to pass. To signify this depth the boat workers would cry out, â€Å"mark twain.† (The Mississippi River) This is where he would receive his iconic pen name. He continued to work as a steamboat pilot even though the Mississippi t ook the life of his younger brother in a tragic steamboat explosion. If it weren’t for the outbreak of American Civil War, in 1865 ceasing travel on the Mississippi, he may have spent the rest of his days on that river (Mark Twain House). With no work as a steamboat pilot, he left the river to follow his older brother Orion, to the west. During this time he traveled the western part of the US, through the Rocky Mountains, visited Mormon towns and stopped in Virginia City, Nevada where it was that he first used the pen name, Mark Twain. Upon returning home from his travels he settled down and married Olivia Livy Langdon in 1870 and had 4 children together. Their marriage was plagued with heartache. Of the three daughters that they had together, Susy, Clara and Jean only Clara lived past her twenties. They also had one son together who died of Diphtheria at nineteen months old. Some historians suggest that many of his works were influenced by the social elite he came into contact with as a result of his marriage. From his marriage to Olivia, who came from a liberal yet educated family, this broad man was exposed to much more. He met slavery supporters, abolitionists, women’s rights activists (including Harriett Beecher Stowe) and Frederick Douglas a utopian writer. His views expanded and in the coming years he wrote most of his successful works at his sister-in-law’s house during summer holidays (Mark Twain House). Oliver and Samuel settled down in a home that he built for the couple in Hartford, Connecticut where he felt the family would be properly sheltered. The great works of Mark Twain included: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and A Tramp Abroad were greatly influenced by his early  life, experiences on the Mississippi river and his world travels (Mark Twain House). In writing, A Connecticut Yankee, he opened the world to a new genre of writing, being science fic tion. The novel tells the story of Hank a Connecticut blacksmith whom was knocked out in a fight and wakes up back in time in King Arthur’s Court (A Connecticut Yankee). This increased interest in time travel and more and a recent motion picture film entitled, The Black Knight, starring Martin Lawrence was a loose adaption of this 1889 classic (The Black Knight). The author included his feelings on many controversial topics into his work. He wrote of political issues, issues between the north and south, slavery, and poked fun at political and social norms. He held a great belief in mystic connections and included this symbology in many of his pieces of writing. Many contribute this to his birth coinciding with Halley’s Comet (Mark Twain House). In the Adventures of Tom Sawyer slavery was barely mentioned by Twain, and African Americans were referred as â€Å"Negros,† instead of more colorful terms used at that time. Then in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain portrays Huckleberry Finn as being adamantly against slavery even attempting to prevent Jim, the, â€Å"negro,† from being found. Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn, during a time that ex-slaves were subjected to economic exploitation, disenfranchisement, and unprovoked lynchings. Huckleberry Finn, is a satire not about slavery but of the racism that overtook American society as Twain wrote the book in the late 1870s and early 1880s, which continues to stain America today (Mark Twain House). The author’s views on slavery in the US, during the 1800’s, was greatly influenced by his early upbringing in the state of Missouri, a slave state. Later he related to those experiences in his novels when expressing his own views on the practice of slavery. Being a southerner he was taught to be pro-slavery, and was encouraged to keep slaves, but he truly shared mixed views on the subject that comprised of southern, western and, â⠂¬Å"Yankee beliefs.† The author developed this mixed view thru his experiences as a wanderer, living in hundreds of places around the world. This broad experience allowed him the freedom to choose views on slavery that weren’t innate to southern living. This was a difficult position as anti-slavery beliefs, were against the beliefs of his family. Conversations with abolitionists, his father in law, and former slaves, forced Twain, to re-examine the world and the morals that were ingrained in him as a result  of his southern upbringing (Mark Twain House). One of Samuel’s earliest memories of slaves came from an old slave couple who worked on his uncle’s farm. He spent time there in the summer with his siblings and would often be entertained by the story-telling of slave, Dan’l and Aunt Hannah. They were some of the first slaves that he knew and cared for before he, ever knew it was, â€Å"wrong.† (The Life That Shaped Mark Twain) In one of his many autobiographies, he explained that one of his first memories of seeing slaves haunted him. It was a memory of ten or more slaves chained together waiting to be shipped downriver to the slave market. He remarked on how sad their faces were (Hannibal.net). He later would make his first writing appearance in Atlantic Monthly by telling the true and sad account of a slave named, Mary Ann Cord whose husband and seven children were taken from her and sold to other slaveholders. Mark Twain felt this was wrong and decided to share it with the world (The Life That Shaped Mark Twain). In Huckleberry Finn, Samuel writes that after Huck helped slave Jim get to freedom, his conscious started to eat at him, causing him to write a letter to Jim’s owner, explaining where Jim was. He thought to himself about how close, â€Å"I came to being lost and going to hell.† (Twain, 214) After writing the letter he hesitates while thinking to himself on the river’s edge, about how good Jim was and about their great time together and then he said to himself, â€Å"All right, then, I’ll go to hell,† tearing up the letter and changing his mind (Twain, 214). This scene most definitely symbolizes the internal struggle Samuel felt, when dealing with the act of slavery. Samuel met great success with his many works of fiction, but his love for science ate through his pocket. Samuel made more than todays’ 8 million dollars and spent it all on trying to help new inventions take off which turned out to be great failures. All of his savings were dumped into science due to the fact that it intrigued him so much that he wanted to be apart of something new. Many say that Twain passed away from a broken heart, the summer before the death of his last daughter his best friend H.H. Rogers also passed away. It is said that the sadness from the combination of great losses created his broken heart. He died on April 21, 1910 at the age of 75 along with the reappearance on Haley’s comet. He always joked that came into this world with Haley and would also leave with her. In his later life Samuel attempted having a publishing company and continued on writing. (Mark  Twain House) His last writing included an autobiography that was written in a jumble chronological order, always sticking to his humorist roots. Many scholars and historians have attempted to reorganize the work as to make it more understandable without success. With his jumbled autobiography he left American Literature forever changed. The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC even gives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, every year to an artist who displays a great impact on American society similar to the ways that Mark Twain did in the 19th century (Kennedy Center). Samuel left behind a legacy of great humor and sati re all of which can be attributed to his life on the Mississippi River his experiences and his world travels. Works Cited â€Å"2013 Mark Twain Prize Recipient Carol Burnett.† The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Black Knight.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: Novel Summary.† Novelguide. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"A Life Lived in a Rapidly Changing World: Samuel L. Clemens‚ 1835-1910.† Welcome to the Mark Twain House & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"Hannibal.net | The Hannibal Courier-Post.† Hannibal.net | The Hannibal Courier-Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Life That Shaped Mark Twain’s Anti-Slavery Views.† AFT. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Mississippi River.† Mark Twain at Large:. University of California, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Twain, Mark, and Harriet Elinor. Smith. Autobiography of Mark Twain (vol. 1): Authoritative Edition from the Mark Twain Project. Readers ed. Vol. 1. Berkeley, CA: U of California, 2010. Print. Mark Twain Papers.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Courtly Love: Troilus and Criseyde Essay

Courtly love was an idea that was based on a love that was many times illicit and chivalrous. Geoffrey Chaucer was an expert at portraying courtly love in the Canterbury Tales and in Troilus and Criseyde. In Troilus and Criseyde it is more focused since the story revolves more around the two characters while in the Canterbury Tales there are many stories and they are about multiple topics. Like courtly love the story of Troilus and Criseyde originate in France, but Chaucer wrote his version somewhere between 1381 and 1386. He took the liberty of changing the story some, but it is basically left intact. The story is about a Trojan prince, Troilus and the daughter of a Trojan priest, Criseyde and it takes place during the famous Trojan War. Courtly love is a romance that is forbidden in some way. Many times it is adulterous and it can be sexual, but often times it is not. Even if sex is not a part of the romance, there is an extreme amount of sexual tension between the two lovers. If the affair was not adulterous, then at least one of the lovers was attached to someone else in some way. It could be that one were betrothed or promised by a parent to another. It could, in some cases, be considered adulterous if one of the lovers has promised their lives to a higher calling, as to the church, the military, or to service in some way to his/her country. The fact that courtly love was forbidden made the tension more intense and so was the attraction. There is something in knowing that a person cannot have another that makes it that much more excitable. Therefore the lust and longing was much greater. Troilus and Criseyde do not fit courtly love in that respect. They are not promised to anyone else, however, because of the Trojan War, it was difficult for them to have a proper romance. Criseyde’s father does crossover to the side of the Greeks against his own country of Troy. This leaves Criseyde to be seen as someone who is not loyal to Troy. The son of King Priam, Troilus, would not be a suitable lover to one from the family of Calkas. That is the closest that the story of Troilus and Criseyde come to being a forbidden or illicit romance. Early in the story, Troilus is struck by the god of love he pines for Criseyde until he is miserable. Courtly love often makes the two lovers despondent. While he is pining and singing of his love, Pandarus, a relative of Criseyde, begs him to divulge the name of the woman who has his heart. `Therfore, as freend fullich in me assure, And final cause of wo that ye endure; For douteth nothing, myn entencioun Nis nought to yow of reprehencioun, To speke as now, for no wight may bireve A man to love, til that him list to leve. (Chaucer, Book I lines 680-686) Troilus confides in his friend and Pandarus agrees to aide him in a plan to obtain the lady who he loves. This is also a part of courtly love. Many times elaborate plans are conceived in order for one lover to obtain or be able to see the other lover. This has even carried into present day. Many find the planning of the romance more excitable than the romance itself. The third party who is often involved in courtly love in this case is Pandarus. He goes back to Criseyde and reveals the account of Troilus being in love with her. Now, nece myn, the kinges dere sone, The goode, wyse, worthy, fresshe, and free, Which alwey for to do wel is his wone, The noble Troilus, so loveth thee, That, bot ye helpe, it wol his bane be. Lo, here is al, what sholde I more seye? Doth what yow list, to make him live or deye. (Chaucer Book II lines 316-322) He glamorizes so that she will be more intrigued. He also reminds her of her advance in age. He is generous of his time and devotion to the affair that will not be his own because he has been unlucky in love and truly wants to see two people have what has eluded him. The third party in courtly love does have pure intentions. Criseyde is reluctant to receive the love of Troilus until she gathers with her female friends. She hears Antigone sing of love and then she sleeps and dreams of a white eagle with whom she exchanges hearts. When she awakes, she knows that this was a sign and that she should receive the advances of Troilus. This is the sign that is common in courtly love. Often higher powers are involved in the relationship and they do send signs to either one or both of the lovers. In the case of these lovers, it is Criseyde who has the revelation. Courtly love is often ritualistic. In the case of Troilus and Criseyde, there is very little time for rituals of the heart. Criseyde is on the side of the enemy of Troilus and so the act of gifts, songs, and poems cannot be something that would take long in the case of these lovers. Most of the planning in the case of this romance is on the part of Pandarus instead of Troilus. Pandarus busies himself with delivering letters back and forth between the lovers. Criseyde plays her part of in courtly love in being demur. It is not that she is not interested in Troilus, but she plays hard to get in order to create the sexual tension that is needed to achieve the affect. Not only is Troilus excited, but Pandarus is enjoying himself as well. Courtly love has to be a secret. A few are allowed to know, but only trusted friends or servants are a party to the affair. The love is supposed to be so special and intense that it would be ruined if many knew of it. This is the case with Troilus and Criseyde. Pandarus plans a meeting between the lovers at the house of Deiphebus. Troilus is to pretend to have a fever and go to bed. Criseyde, who will be a guest at the house is to be bought in to his bedchamber. They are both instructed by Pandarus to not tell anyone else. In titering, and pursuite, and delayes, The folk devyne at wagginge of a stree; And though ye wolde han after merye dayes, But now to yow, ye lovers that ben here, Was Troilus nought in a kankedort, That lay, and mighte whispringe of hem here, And thoughte, `O lord, right now renneth my sort Fully to dye, or han anoon comfort’; And was the firste tyme he shulde hir preye Of love; O mighty God, what shal he seye? Pandarus brings Criseyde to the bedchamber of Troilus where he declares his intentions to her. By this time there is a lot of sexual tension between the two. This will not be the when they consummate their love, but they do agree that they both want the same thing from the other. This is when many more letters are exchanged by the two. They are once again building the tension in each other. Pandarus then invites Criseyde to his home for dinner, while Troilus hides and watches the two. Criseyde stays at his home because of the weather, and it is then that he persuades her to see Troilus in the bedchamber. Tension is built again as in any good example of courtly love. Criseyde faints, and Troilus is terrified that she is dead. She is revived and they talk of their love. It is then that they are able to consummate their love. Reson wil not that I speke of sleep, For it accordeth nought to my matere; God woot, they toke of that ful litel keep, But lest this night, that was to hem so dere, Ne sholde in veyn escape in no manere, It was biset in joye and bisinesse Of al that souneth in-to gentilnesse (Chaucer, Book III lines 1408-1414) Criseyde must then go to the Greeks and their king, Diomede. There is always something that will separate lovers in courtly love. Since Criseyde’s father, Calkas, has joined the Greeks it leaves her no choice. Troilus relents and believes that she will remain true to him. For mannes heed imaginen ne can, Ne entendement considere, ne tonge telle The cruel peynes of this sorwful man, That passen every torment doun in helle. For whan he saugh that she ne mighte dwelle, Which that his soule out of his herte rente, Withouten more, out of the chaumbre he wente. (Chaucer Book IV lines 1695-1701) However Diomede offers her his protection and we automatically see a new romance in the making. Troilus pines the whole time that she is gone. It becomes apparent after much time has passed that she is not going to return. Criseyde is invited to dine with Diomede and this is when he talks to her about love. She readily agrees to stay with the Greeks and become his lover. And after this the story telleth us, That she him yaf the faire baye stede, The which he ones wan of Troilus; And eek a broche (and that was litel nede) That Troilus was, she yaf this Diomede. And eek, the bet from sorwe him to releve, She made him were a pencel of hir sleve. (Chaucer, Book V Lines 1037-1043) While this is taking place, Troilus is being warned through bad dreams that all is not well for him and his relationship with Criseyde. When the dream was interpreted for him, he refuses to accept that she is not to return and has taken a new lover. He writes her many times and her letters are cool. Once he sees Diomede wearing a piece of jewelry that he gave to Criseyde, he knows the truth and he is devastated. Troilus is killed in battle and is then taken to a level of the afterlife where he enjoys great pleasures. God woot, that it a sorwe is unto me! And dredelees, for hertes ese of yow, Right fayn wolde I amende it, wiste I how. And fro this world, almighty God I preye, Delivere hir sone; I can namore seye. ‘ Gret was the sorwe and pleynt of Troilus; But forth hir cours fortune ay gan to holde. Criseyde loveth the sone of Tydeus, And Troilus moot wepe in cares colde. Swich is this world; who so it can biholde, In ech estat is litel hertes reste; God leve us for to take it for the beste! (Chaucer, Book V lines 1739-1750) Chaucer makes the point that earthly things are not worth the pain and grief that is given to them. Courtly love is not the kind of love that will last. There is always some fateful event or circumstance that will separate the two lovers.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on The Naked Citadel

The Naked Citadel reveals a life, hidden behind the walls of a Men’s world. This essay is a revelation of the relations between men as men, as humans and as fighters. These are the three major aspects of the life behind the walls of the Citadel, the manly world. Susan Faludi paints a beautiful picture of this world and the interrelations within its boundaries by putting a woman in the center of her story. Another major aspect of the essay is the tradition as a social value and as a limit. The essay gives an excellent example of how, sometimes, especially in the past centuries, traditions shaped people’s life and narrowed the scope of people’s dreams. It also shows how difficult it is to change traditions. The Citadel is a public military college established in 1822. It is a high-ranking institution with well-established traditions. All of the cadets are men, because army is, or used to be only men’s universe, and not just men’s universe, but the strongest and most brave men’s universe. The academy is an institution in which men looking to serve their country and be given a top rate education seek interest. It is a place where young man are taught how to act and communicate like man, how to be prepared to the real world and face difficulties-â€Å"To bravely face difficulties, not to complain, and not to give up† are some of the rules in Citadel’s code. In the Citadel a boy is remolded â€Å"into the whole man† with his identity â€Å"stripped†. A place where young men go to grow and develop into a man while not being in fear of exposing any "unmanly" like characteristics to the rest of society. Within the society a man is expected to think, act and live in a masculine manner. Showing emotions or sensitivity is considered taboo among the males. In the Citadel a man can act in a manner in which the threat of breaking the public norms is not eminent. The secrecy behind the walls of the academy is something taken very serio... Free Essays on The Naked Citadel Free Essays on The Naked Citadel The Naked Citadel reveals a life, hidden behind the walls of a Men’s world. This essay is a revelation of the relations between men as men, as humans and as fighters. These are the three major aspects of the life behind the walls of the Citadel, the manly world. Susan Faludi paints a beautiful picture of this world and the interrelations within its boundaries by putting a woman in the center of her story. Another major aspect of the essay is the tradition as a social value and as a limit. The essay gives an excellent example of how, sometimes, especially in the past centuries, traditions shaped people’s life and narrowed the scope of people’s dreams. It also shows how difficult it is to change traditions. The Citadel is a public military college established in 1822. It is a high-ranking institution with well-established traditions. All of the cadets are men, because army is, or used to be only men’s universe, and not just men’s universe, but the strongest and most brave men’s universe. The academy is an institution in which men looking to serve their country and be given a top rate education seek interest. It is a place where young man are taught how to act and communicate like man, how to be prepared to the real world and face difficulties-â€Å"To bravely face difficulties, not to complain, and not to give up† are some of the rules in Citadel’s code. In the Citadel a boy is remolded â€Å"into the whole man† with his identity â€Å"stripped†. A place where young men go to grow and develop into a man while not being in fear of exposing any "unmanly" like characteristics to the rest of society. Within the society a man is expected to think, act and live in a masculine manner. Showing emotions or sensitivity is considered taboo among the males. In the Citadel a man can act in a manner in which the threat of breaking the public norms is not eminent. The secrecy behind the walls of the academy is something taken very serio...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Affirmative Action misc2 essays

Affirmative Action misc2 essays Affirmative Action: Reverse Discrimination? Affirmative Action is a hot issue in the United States, with wide differences of opinion over the correct way to expand opportunity for people who have historically been discriminated against. With the philosophical difference behind the legal and political tensions is deep. One side wants a total rollback of affirmative action programs, making individual merit the only criterion for hiring and promotional considerations. While the other extreme wants affirmative action to be pushed until the racial makeup of all professions mirrors the racial makeup of US society exactly. While both these sides are to the greatest ends of the argument there needs to be an approach to come up with a medium. This could include laws to force companies to vigorously recruit and develop minorities for professional and managerial jobs. However, there should not be any outright quotas, which reserve a certain number of slots for particular minority groups. This will cause resentments and constitutional o bstacles down the road. The objective here is not to do away with affirmative action in one sweep, rather to seek out strategies to help promising minorities and match them with opportunities they have rightfully earned and deserve. Now, what does the law say? Although Title VII has an affirmative action component part of it, most regulations stem from a requirement imposed by Executive Order 11246. There are a lot of misconceptions about affirmative action and what laws companies actual have to follow. One is that all companies are required to adhere to the laws under affirmative action, this is not the case. Executive Order 11246 states that once a company enters into a contract with a federal governmental agency that exceeds $10,000 it must abide by the affirmative action rules and regulations. These regulations include, but are not limited to, the following: to post in a conspicuous place, available to a...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Look at the Concerns Surrounding Internet Dependency

A Look at the Concerns Surrounding Internet Dependency The new wave of online technology has seen the Internet take an increasingly large place amongst society throughout the past few decades. The introduction of Internet-capable personal devices such as mobiles phones and tablets have granted users further access, triggering Internet traffic to grow exponentially. Due to this immense social shift towards the online, contemporary issues have appeared on both an intrapersonal and interpersonal scale. Reports during the 1990’s, when the effects of the Internet intensified, suggested that some online users were becoming addicted in much the same way that others may become addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling. However, as has been seen since this initial prognosis, Internet addiction has shown to be much more challenging and controversial to categorise than alternative substance-based addictions. In general terms, Internet addiction can be described as excessive preoccupations, behaviours or urges regarding computer and Internet use that leads to distress or impairment (Shaw Black, 2008). This research review will identify major issues in Internet addiction, as well as overview the major controversies, such as the inauguration of Internet addiction as a concept, tests founded to measure it, general verses specific addiction, addiction to gaming and the symptoms of excessive Internet use. Substantial research in the addiction field had been accomplished throughout the 20th century, however, due to the relative newness of Internet addiction, research that clearly outlines the stages of acquisition and the consequences of this type of addiction are less prominent. First mentions of computer addiction came through anecdotal reports in the late 1970’s, specifically through the media, with colloquial terms such as ‘computer addicts’ and ‘machine-code junkies’ being used to describe heavy computer users. The general public widely accepted that symptoms of computer addiction included the impairment of psychological development and the breakdown of social relationships. A few academics took a partial interest in the field throughout the 1980’s, however serious research was not conducted until Shotton (1991) partook in a study to further analyse this issue. Through a series of interviews and questionnaires, Shotton (1991) found that the effects of computer addiction were much less severe than previous literature and the media had suggested, citing logical reasons that explain why individuals engage in interacting with a machine so extensively. Shotton (1991) believed that introverted people who turned away from human relationships could find companionship through computing. Although revolutionary, Shotton’s research became quickly less pertinent when the Internet rose to fame in the mid-1990’s drastically changing the function and usability of computers. At the 104th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in 1996, Young (1998) presented a paper on the emergence of a new clinical disorder known as Internet addiction. Young reformed the prognosis in the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1995) for Pathological Gambling into a brief questionnaire referred to as the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ) used as a screening instrument for addictive Internet use where participants who scored on 5 or more were deemed as dependant Internet users. Young demonstrated that dependant Internet users spent an average of 38.5 hours per week online, compared to 4.9 hours for non-dependant users. Furthermore, the research illustrated that non-dependant users viewed the Internet as a valuable source of information and a medium for personal and business communication. This contrasts with dependant users, who saw the Internet as a significant part of their lives, enabling them to meet and socialise with new people, with many often preferring their online friends to their real life relationships. The study likened the consequences of Internet addiction to that of other addictions, citing academic problems, work complications, distorted sleep patterns relationship difficulties, and denial of use as symptoms of excessive Internet use. Young provides a framework for further research on addictive Internet use, concluding that many individuals demonstrated impulse-control difficulty similar to pathological gambling or alcohol abuse. The proposal put forth by Young (1998) sparked much debate amongst academics which has continued to this day. Beard and Wolf (2001) contended Young’s claim, arguing that her criteria for Internet addiction were too rigid and subjective for self-reported measures. They proposed that for an individual to exhibit Internet addiction, they must meet five necessary criteria, and one of three optional criteria, both deriving from Young’s original questionnaire. Beard and Wolf go on to question the term ‘Internet addiction’ altogether, explaining that excessive Internet use cannot be defined as an addiction, as it does not result in all of the symptoms and behaviours associated with conventional addictions such as physical withdrawal. The controversy surrounding this term is currently bolder than the times of yesteryear with the Internet’s increasing hold on society. Starcevic and Aboujaoude (2016) firmly stand against the diagnosis ‘Internet addiction ’ citing some issues with its use. They argue against the term in a literal sense, citing that there is no evidence that addiction to the Internet as a medium exists, it is merely a facilitator for other behavioural addictions. Furthermore, and progressively so, the Internet is too vague a term as it refers to the limitless variety of behaviours that could be performed online. As such, the term ‘Internet addiction’ should be replaced by more specific behaviours. The concluding argument by Starcevic and Aboujaoude (2016) in the previous paragraph feeds into one of the major controversies surrounding Internet addiction, where two schools of thought have emerged. The generalised view believes that Internet addiction merits its own classification as a new psychiatric disorder, whereas the specialised view breaks down an individual’s Internet usage and defines their addiction in regards to specific online activities. After many years of debate, a modern study by Montag et al. (2015) set out to examine whether it is appropriate to differentiate between generalised and specialised Internet addiction. Participants from Europe and Asia completed two generalised scales (IAT and GPIUS-2) and a specialised scale developed to measure four domains of internet use; video gaming, shopping, social networks and pornography. The results of the study demonstrated that there are indeed specific forms of Internet addiction and that large parts of both gene ralised and specific addiction do not overlap. However, this is not true in the case of social network addiction as there was a considerable overlap between it and generalised Internet addiction. The authors argue that this may be because Facebook does not exist without the internet, unlike the other specified domains. Laconi, Tricard and Chabrol (2015) also took a keen interest in the relationship between generalised Internet addiction and specialised internet addiction. This study had participants complete an array of scales relating to specific Internet uses (gambling, sex, video watching, communication, information seeking, gaming, work, shopping) and generalised Internet use. The study determined that out of 378 participants just 29 showed symptoms of generalised Internet addiction, in contrast to 170 showing specific Internet addiction, prompting the authors to call for the distinction between the two. One of the biggest revelations for Internet addiction as a diagnosis came recently when the DSM-5 (2013) introduced a non-substance addiction for the first time in its history. Internet gaming disorder was added in Section 3 of the DSM-5 after careful review of over 250 publications in this area due to the significant amount of research in recent years and the consequences of the condition. Prior to the DSM-5, a substantial number of tests were used to examine Internet addiction, generating no clear diagnostic criteria. One of the more popular tests was proposed by Young (1998) in her original paper and known as the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). This scale added to the IADQ as it contained 20 items measured on a Likert scale. Its internal consistency has been examined amongst a variety of settings, most of which have proven to be positive (Widyanto McMurran, 2004). However, its factor structure has been inconsistently reported in different contexts challenging its original unidimen sional design (Lai et al., 2013). Through a systematic review of 68 epidemiological studies on Internet addiction, Kuss et al. (2014) reported that as many as twenty-one different scales were developed between the IAT in 1998 to the DSM-5 in 2013 in an attempt to examine an individual’s addiction to the Internet, each test with their own issues. Petry et al. (2014) discuss the inclusion of Internet gaming disorder in the DSM-5 by assembling international experts to achieve consensus about assessing this disorder in an array of contexts as defined by the nine criteria in the DSM-5. Pre-occupation refers to the individual thinking about gaming not only while playing but also while they are not playing. Withdrawal refers to particular symptoms that emerge when one is unable to initiate gaming, or when one is trying to withhold from gaming. Tolerance denotes that an individual feels the need to game for extended periods of time to feel sufficient excitement. The fourth criterion is unsuccessful attempts to stop or reduce gaming. A person with Internet gaming disorder may also protrude a loss of interest in other hobbies or activities. The individual may also continue to game excessively even though they are aware of the negative consequences that arise from this behaviour. Deception refers to lying about the extent of their time gaming to others. The penultimate criteria the authors discussed is using gaming as an escape or relief from a negative mood, such as feelings of anxiety, sadness or depression. A person with Internet gaming disorder may also jeopardise or lose valuable relationships, work opportunities or educational opportunities due to their attraction to gaming. For the DSM-5 to deem an individual with this disorder, they must meet five or more of the criteria discussed within the past year. However, as Internet gaming disorder is situated in Section 3 of the DSM, which contains emerging measures and models, and due to the relative newness of the field, much more research must be conducted to produce a definitive set of criteria. Of all specific Internet addictions, online gaming has arguably garnered the most attention to date from academics and researchers alike. Similar to the studies previously discussed, Rehbein and Mà ¶ÃƒÅ¸le (2013) set out to determine whether video game addiction specifically could be distinguished as its own diagnosis in contrast to being attached to Internet addiction as a whole. A range of relevant data was collected from a large sample of 4436 school participants on their video game and Internet usage patterns, along with questions related to their psychological wellbeing. The results determined that video game addiction and Internet addiction can very much be regarded as two distinct nosological entities, and it is important to do so, as there are supreme differences in the sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The authors found that males primarily made up the group of video game addicts, whereas females predominately found themselves in the Internet addicted group. Early in the lifespan of the Internet, Young (1998) found that users were drawn to real-time services such as internet relay chat (IRC) and multi-user domains (MUD). As technology is advanced, these amenities developed further into three-dimensional graphical representations in the form of online games. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) took the world by storm in the early 2000s through titles such as â€Å"Everquest†, where users were able to play out the life of a character in an online world with other players. Ng and Wiemer-Hastings (2005) investigated the different usages between MMORPG players and Non-MMORPG players by collecting anonymous surveys posted on various gaming forums. Interestingly, MMORPG players were seen to spend significantly more time investing in online gaming. However, the authors emphasise that these players cannot be classified as addicted as they display opposing characteristics to an addict, in that they do not seek self-con fidence from the game, would not be irritated if they spent extended periods of time without playing and would find fun elsewhere if MMORPGs did not exist. The authors suggest that MMORPG players have a different perspective on social life, or labelled as introverted by some, and chose to socialise through online gaming rather than in the real world. Comparable to the term itself, the symptoms of Internet addiction have been hotly debated since its proposal in the mid-1990’s (Valkenburg Peter, 2009). In the early years of Internet addiction, the predominant belief amongst researchers was that this disorder had a detrimental effect both psychologically and socially. This was demonstrated in a famous study by Kraut et al. (1998) where they analysed this very idea in a longitudinal study. Measures of Internet use were collected over a two-year period, and social and psychological well-being were measured through reliable self-reports by individuals who had never used the Internet prior. Like other studies at the time, Kraut et al. found that excessive use of the Internet was associated with increases in loneliness and depression and declines in social involvement Due to the increased accessibility of the Internet in a contemporary setting, many academics elude to the convoluted consequences of extreme Internet use in the modern day. Bessiere, Kiesler, Kraut and Boneva (2008) predicted, using previous hypotheses, that the way an individual uses the Internet will produce an increase or decrease in psychological and/or social well-being. A study similar to that of Kraut et al. (1998) was generated to decidedly distant results. Firstly, it was found that using the internet for things other than communication had no apparent consequences on well-being. Additionally, they found that using the Internet to communicate with family and friends actually had declining levels of depression. Whereas using the Internet as a means to interconnect with, and meet new people did induce increased levels of depression. Finally, the authors found that individuals with high levels of social support initially were more prone to negative social consequences in compar ison to those with low levels of social support. All aspects of Internet addiction are still up for debate. With the further protrusion of its presence in the everyday lives of more and more people, many studies have become invalid within a short period, making it problematic to keep up with the ever-changing landscape. Increased accessibility and affordability enable almost everybody the chance to be sucked in by the Internet, whereas in years gone past, especially in its inception, it was a more exclusive group. Perhaps this means that Internet addiction will become more widespread over the coming years, or contrastingly, the concept will die off due the normalisation of its overuse. As has been discussed throughout this review, many scales have been developed in an attempt to diagnose, and it is expected that much more will be established in the future as Internet use becomes increasingly prominent. It is evident that the distinction between generalised and specific Internet addiction needs to be entrenched to improve diagnoses, and this step has been taking with the introduction of the Internet Gaming Disorder in the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Much more research needs to be conducted within this field in the coming years to gain decisive conclusions. However researchers may be fighting a losing battle due to the Internet’s perpetual innovations.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Inequality for women in the workplace Research Paper

Inequality for women in the workplace - Research Paper Example 565) and yet just over thirty-years later, The Glass Ceiling Commission reported that equity was far from being achieved. The report noted that women continued to earn proportionately less than men for the same work or that there was a wage-gap, and that they made up only a very small fraction of the upper-level positions in U.S. Organizations (Russell, 1995, p. 8). Hence, where there are no visible or concrete (legal) barriers for advancement, the barriers are invisible or made of glass. The following will examine the barriers faced by women in the workplace, and this essay will try and make the transparent visible. It will be argued that inequality can only be explained by how the dominant class in society legitimates and perpetuates power, and how the distinction between gender and sex is important to understanding the actual barriers to equality. In order to arrive at understanding the invisible or glass barriers for women in the workplace, a brief overview of some of the legal o bstacles will first be presented. While it is true that many barriers remain for women in the workplace, it can also be held that the twentieth-century was marked by a significant amount of progress. At the turn of the twentieth century, many obstacles existed for women in the workforce. ... 154). However, as science progressed this form of legitimation proved untenable. Likewise, attitudes changed significantly, and access to higher education meant access to better positions in the workforce. As with progress in education, likewise with the the percentage of women in the workforce in the twentieth century. One of the main contributing causes for this change, are the two World Wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) where women were needed to work in the place of men who were participating military action. For example, in 1900 only 5.6 % of all women worked outside of the home, and following the First World War this percentage rose to 23.6 % (Webb, 2010, pp. 1-2). During the era of the Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929, there was a public sentiment that maintained that the few jobs that existed ought to be given to men, but again, the Second World War changed the workforce demographics again and between 1942 and 1945 over 6.5 million women entered the workforc e in the U.S. (Webb, 2010, p. 2). And, while attitudes were still negative about women in the workforce, there were many public campaigns that promoted it because of the necessity of the War. This had a significant impact on changing attitudes toward women in the workforce, and as with the period following the First World War, the period following the Second was marked by a higher percentage of women who remained employed outside of the home (Webb, 2010, p. 2). Along with the barrier's of access to education and the workforce, a number of legal or legislative changes improved egalitarian conditions in the twentieth-century. The right to vote for women largely came about through the lobbying and

Contract Law. Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contract Law. Case study - Essay Example A court of law usually enforces the contract as long the offeree proves that he posted the letter. A relevant case studied is that of:- For the case of Bella, the letter he posted on 25th September 2006, but arrived on 30th September 2006, the contract to purchase the text book became binding immediately he sent the letter of acceptance. It does not matter that the letter was delayed by the post office. On the issue that since the recommended textbook for the course has changed, and Bella does not wish to buy the textbook, this would not apply. Acceptance one made, it cannot be revoked. The moment Bella expressed his acceptance of an offer, that very moment the contract is concluded, and it does not matter whether the acceptance is by word of mouth or even by writing. Another relevant case studied is that of:- G, applied for the purchase of shares in the plaintiff's company. The offer was accepted promptly, and the company secretary made out a letter of allotment in favour of the defendant. It was held that the contract was complete on posting, and the defendant was liable for the shares. On On the case of Chu who accepted Arun's offer by telephone, his contract became complete when the acceptance was heard by Arun on 30th September 2006. According to the law of contract, there is an exception to the communication of acceptance. A contact is complete only when acceptance is actually communicated to the offeror. But a contract made by telephone is complete only when the acceptance is heard by the offeror. For this case, Chu should not revoke the acceptance on the basis that the book will not be useful since it is not recommended text book in his course. An acceptance once made, it cannot be revoked. On the case of Dilma, who accepted the offer by email sent on 27th September 2006 but read by Arun on 28th September 2006, the contract became binding immediately the email of

Cognative Behavioural Therapy CBT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cognative Behavioural Therapy CBT - Essay Example What is CBT? There are several types of cognitive behavior therapy acclaimed by the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists, such as ‘dialectic behavior therapy, rational living and rational behavior therapy, or rational emotive behavior therapy’ (Dryden 2002, p. 18). The essence of these approaches is to make a patient be aware of triggers of his addiction. It is relevant to help patients to develop new strategies for dealing with stressing situations and coping with addictions, respectfully. During the process of a functional analysis, therapists makes the addict persons define their inner thoughts and ideas that occur inside of them during the process of drugs/alcohol consumption or after it. There is another option for therapists to develop a behavioral model relevant to the addicted individuals. Counselors should be able to identify risky situations when relapse may occur. In this case it is relevant to develop skills that may help a patient to overc ome this risk. With this regard, it is possible to make group sessions and teach clients skill elements by means of â€Å"roleplaying and real life practice exercises that will enable them to apply these skills to meet their own needs† (Marlatt 2007, p. 32). Clients should be ensured in receiving constructive feedback from counselors. A long-lasting behavioral change may occur when self-efficacy expectations are modified. CBT is efficient for clients who are actively involved in treatment process and are willing to be responsible for their future abuse prevention. In this case, during CBT a client obtains healthy behaviours instead of maladaptive habits: â€Å"As the individual undergoes a process of deconditioning, cognitive restructuring, and skills acquisition, he or she can begin to accept greater responsibility for changing the behavior. This is the essence of the self-control or self-management approach: one can learn how to escape from the clutches of the vicious cycl e of addiction, regardless of how the habit pattern was originally acquired† (Rasmussen 2000, p. 116). It is important for counselors to reread required sections of manual before each session and highlight necessary points, which have to be covered during a training session. It is important for a client to hear from counselor a natural speech and not just listening to manual citing. During each session, a counselor should inform the client about the most important issues for his daily life. At this point, client’s information and examples from his life should be used by counselors as illustrative material. Therefore, CBT is effective in case relevant measures are developed by a therapist. In order to develop a relevant treatment strategy, it is necessary to conduct more than 20 documented controlled trial tests, if to refer to data of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (The Official Website of the Institute). Generally speaking, it is also efficient to combine CBT wit h group support sessions and other types of support strategies. It is also important to develop a flexible approach to CBT treatment development. A flexible approach implies an individual development of CBT for every patient. The main advantage for CBT as a treatment for patients with addictions is its short time performance and a personalized treatment. Currently, CBT is widely used for patients with no psychotic disorders, or those who suffer from bipolar disorder. A shift to cognitive

Thursday, October 17, 2019

California advocacy paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

California advocacy - Research Paper Example Legalizing marijuana would free up law-enforcement funds and manpower so they are free to tackle more urgent social issues such as gangs and violent criminals. There is precedent in other countries such as the Netherlands where, although not fully legal, use of marijuana is openly tolerated. It can be legally purchased and consumed in Amsterdam at specially licensed ‘coffee houses’ without undue risk to the general public. This fact proves that opponents claims of rampant anarchy should the drug be made legal are baseless. Available evidence in California and elsewhere proves that legalizing marijuana within the state would be beneficial to society, contribute to the welfare of the state and improve quality of life for many. A movement to make the drug legal was voted down last November in the form of Proposition 19 but was revived last month in the form of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform 2012. Proposition 19 "would have allowed adults to grow and possess mariju ana and authorized cities and counties to legalize and tax sales" (Hoeffel, 2011). Proposition 19 failed by a vote of 46-54 percent last November, but may win in 2012 with larger voter turn-out due to the Presidential election and with some adjustments to the bill. Because Cannabis Policy Reform is based on the same arguments brought forward in Proposition 19, it is appropriate to examine some of the issues that were addressed by Prop 19 in examining the topic. It is important to remember in this discussion that possession of marijuana in quantities of less than an ounce is merely a civil infraction within the state rather than a criminal misdemeanor as it is in many other states after the enactment of SB 1449, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in October of 2010. In addition, medical marijuana use and growers are also legal under state, but not federal law, following enactment of Proposition 215 in 1996 (Gieringer, 2011). This is because marijuana has proven more effective in re lieving numerous health issues than prescription drugs as is attested to by a cancer patient and former police commissioner. In addition to relieving his nausea, Jo Daly said he was â€Å"able to drastically reduce my dependence on more powerful prescription drugs that I was prescribed for pain and nausea. With the help of medical marijuana, which I ingest only occasionally and in small amounts, I no longer need the Compazine, Lorazepam, Ativan and Halcion. No combination of these medications provided adequate relief. They also caused serious side effects that I never experienced with marijuana† (1997). Proposition 19 was designed to extend the benefits of marijuana to the state and the average citizen without the need to go through the farce of obtaining a medical prescription. The provisions given under Proposition 19 would have changed things very little from where they already are today on an individual level but could have given the state numerous benefits. Individuals o ver the age of 21 would be allowed to possess and consume the drug in quantities of less than one ounce at a time in non-public places and could grow marijuana plants in a private residence with at least 25 square feet of personal space (Legislative Analyst's Office, 2009). The only difference here would be that those growing and using the drug already wouldn't need to fear being caught and

GM Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GM Food - Essay Example estimates that over 700 million people from 79 middle and low income countries suffer from food insecurity, with the poorest countries suffering the most. Globally, about an eighth of the population suffers from chronic hunger and do not regularly get enough food to actively engage in life’s activities. Countries that have improved their food security measures have leveraged on modern technology to achieve their objectives. One such technology that has been used to improve food production is referred to as genetic modification. As defined by Freedman, genetic modification involves the scientific alteration of characteristics of organisms, encompassing both animals and plants, through removal or addition of genes (85). In crops, Shaw observes that biochemical changes would be induced through inserting or expressing alien cells leading to the difference in metabolites observed in genetically modified, GM foods and their non-GM counterparts (278). This usually aims at developing new traits considered as desirable in these organisms, including higher yield, herbicide resistance, improved nutritional qualities and pest protection among others. With the criticisms against GM foods proven to be mere fears, GM foods should be adopted globally as an effective strategy to enhance food security. Of prime importance to the world is the fact that GM foods increase food supply. Genetic modification leads to development of seeds that produce high yields. Freedman gives evidence to this noting that through genetic modification, humans have been able to increase the yield of cotton, soy and corn by a range of between 20% and 30% (86). Furthermore, a majority of GM crops are able to withstand the current harsh climatic conditions attributed to global warming. These crops have the ability to withstand salty land, dryness, diseases, insects and a wide range of herbicides. They are also able to withstand extreme temperatures (Shaw 256). Therefore, adoption of GM foods into our food

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Officer Safety and the risks of policing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Officer Safety and the risks of policing - Essay Example Indeed, in every aspect of their lives, it is evident that the lives of police officers are always endangered, both when on-duty and off-duty (Asbury and Jacobs, 2014). These points out clearly on the importance of officer safety and the risks associated with policing, requiring the development of appropriate strategies that would work to provide effective solutions to such risks. Many studies and researches have been conducted in examining both the mental and physical health of police officers, in order to identify the different conditions for which the officers have a greater risk. Police officers are usually mandated to provide the public with security without taking into consideration the circumstances involved in the provision of such security (Asbury and Jacobs, 2014). This has indeed contributed substantively towards increased police causalities, mostly in the line of duty where the officers have always become victims to assaults, in some instances by the public while in others the criminals under their watch, vehicle crashes, stress, overexertion, and falls. Officers are always the first in crime scenes, when in possession with the least of information about the potential risks in such areas, and therefore, risks to which they expose themselves (Asbury and Jacobs, 2014). Dependent of the various aspects pertaining to police safety and the risks associ ated with their job, it is important that much still needs to be done in order to improve police officers’ safety and health. Many studies have been conducted in order to get the most appropriate ways of improving the safety and health of police officers be it on or off duty, however, little success has been realized. Improving the safety and health of police officers involves an in-depth understanding of the range of health and safety risks that the police face in their profession (IFPO, 2010).

GM Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GM Food - Essay Example estimates that over 700 million people from 79 middle and low income countries suffer from food insecurity, with the poorest countries suffering the most. Globally, about an eighth of the population suffers from chronic hunger and do not regularly get enough food to actively engage in life’s activities. Countries that have improved their food security measures have leveraged on modern technology to achieve their objectives. One such technology that has been used to improve food production is referred to as genetic modification. As defined by Freedman, genetic modification involves the scientific alteration of characteristics of organisms, encompassing both animals and plants, through removal or addition of genes (85). In crops, Shaw observes that biochemical changes would be induced through inserting or expressing alien cells leading to the difference in metabolites observed in genetically modified, GM foods and their non-GM counterparts (278). This usually aims at developing new traits considered as desirable in these organisms, including higher yield, herbicide resistance, improved nutritional qualities and pest protection among others. With the criticisms against GM foods proven to be mere fears, GM foods should be adopted globally as an effective strategy to enhance food security. Of prime importance to the world is the fact that GM foods increase food supply. Genetic modification leads to development of seeds that produce high yields. Freedman gives evidence to this noting that through genetic modification, humans have been able to increase the yield of cotton, soy and corn by a range of between 20% and 30% (86). Furthermore, a majority of GM crops are able to withstand the current harsh climatic conditions attributed to global warming. These crops have the ability to withstand salty land, dryness, diseases, insects and a wide range of herbicides. They are also able to withstand extreme temperatures (Shaw 256). Therefore, adoption of GM foods into our food

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Information Technology for Managers Essay Example for Free

Information Technology for Managers Essay Introduction In a fast rising popularity of technology, companies will use this to gain a competitive advantage. IT works in helping businesses reach their strategic goals. In the case for Sophia the goal would be to drive up her sales to meet with the standards that stiff competition has set up. Not knowing much about technology, Sophia would require help from an outside source in order to have the technology portion running smoothly. Website One of the best ways to improve the IT component is to open up a website with the help from the website onepageapp. com. This vendor is perfect for small companies to start up a website to your liking. One page app would assist in the purchase of a domain name for the site people go to visit. With a drag and drop interface the site being designed to Sophia’s preferred theme and the main content she would prefer on the site. One page app offers a few monthly plans starting from eight dollars all the way to two hundred. In Sophia case, the best plan would be the twenty nine dollars a month that includes up to twenty additional users, forty newsletters a month and even priority support if having any issues within the website. One of the best incentives here is that when launching with one page app it also creates a website version for mobile phone and tablets. With the increased use of smartphones and the emergence of ipads, people who use these devices on the often can view your website in read able and simple form. Another excellent feature one page app offers is engine optimization. The high use of search engines a good way to have website noticed is through the search results. With proper formatted HTML, Meta tags, meta descriptions, and sitemaps the results on search engines would attract more people viewing the website (OnePager, 2013). Sophia would be given useful analytics with one page app as the traffic the site receives would be documented along with the keywords used to gain the hits. The knowing of the keywords is valuable as we can use this information on seeing what foods people are searching on the web and what products are getting them redirected to Green Peppers website. Trying to further promote the interested item menu would only draw more interest from customers. Onepager allows for a great two stay connected  with customers. Having customers sign up for newsletters can have Sophia sending mass emails to subscribers for upcoming events and new menu items they may have. It’s a great way to keep good relation by also sending coupons for deals and such. If Sophia has trouble understanding these new online concepts she can elect to hire a part time employee or increase the duties of a current employees to keep the website updated. Constantly updating the site is crucial to stay competitive with any other restaurants. Twitter Social Media is a great way for small companies to get some easy exposure. As of September of 2013 there are 200 million twitter users (Canadian Press, 2013). With so many users using one application, generating awareness of a company proves to be beneficial. Having a company twitter account is a great way in getting Sophia’s restaurant known. Twitter can help generate feedback on previous customer experience and ways they could make some improvements. This has worked well with some bigger companies where a customer would tag the business in their tweet expressing some displeasure and the company comes up with a reply to compensate the experience with apologies or even future deals. Customers have already had issues with Green Peppers ordering techniques and this would be a good way for Sophia to gather some feedback. Green Pepper could also seek suggestions on different types of recipes customers would like to see being served. It would allow for them to add menu items that have potential on gaining popularity. Green Pepper would also be able to see what customers are saying about the local competition when it comes to service they provide and quality of food they tend to serve. This benchmark is probably the best when measuring the success of your current business. Opening a twitter account is completely free and very easy to use. Tweets could be sent from any smartphone making it convenient to access for all users. Tweeting out special promotions going on would bring in more customers and consumers are always finding ways to eat for less money. Hash tags are a great way to research what most of the world is talking about. For example, if a celebrity tweets about how much they love Indian or Chinese food, it would provide Green Pepper with a great opportunity to  tweet something to its followers referencing that comment to keep Green Pepper relevant. Facebook Like twitter, having a Facebook account is free. With a positive word of mouth rating of a restaurant being most valuable to a company, Facebook is a good tool to enforce that. Facebook allows for Green Pepper to post restaurant’s menu and updates for its followers to see. Green Pepper can take pictures of their most visually appealing menu items and post the pictures for display in order to entice more customers. They can show videos on the process they take into making the Indian fused Chinese dishes. Fusion food being seemed risky for some consumers, they can showcase the dish on the flavors added and how it is prepped. Listing the benefits of the human body that certain spices can offer, appeals to many health conscious customers. Keeping the account active is the most important as the regular customers who eat at Green Pepper would want to know what deals are occurring. It’s a great way to engage with the customers and making their personal experience at Green Pepper the best it could possibly be. Major fast food chains take great advantage of this by offering coupons online for their followers and always encouraging them to follow them on social media sites like Facebook and twitter. (Brandon, 2011) Replying to a post that a customer had at Green Pepper makes it feel more personal and the customer feels more satisfied as their questions and concerns are being noted by Sophia. Since Green Pepper is a small restaurant every negative comment about the service is a big issue on the company’s image. Having a negative word of mouth comments spread can cause customers to decline fast. Getting customers to partake in polls and quizzes is a free research base as companies can get a lot of info based on the poll results (Eldon, 2009). Offering the meals that customers prefer is an important way in staying relevant. Having someone over-look the operation of Facebook could be great by hiring a part time employee or even increasing the responsibilities of a current employee working at Green Pepper. Group on Groupon is website offering deals that many businesses are taking part in. Restaurants can offer deals on menu items for a fraction of cost if bought on Groupon. This is a great way into bringing customers into the restaurant and having them try other items on the menu and if they are satisfied with the service they could become returning customers. Another incentive is when a voucher is purchased not every customer goes and actually uses it. Many vouchers do have an expiry date and if the customer waits to long the voucher would no longer be valid and Green Pepper would still get half the purchase cost of the voucher. Since Groupon is running their site the only costs occur when the voucher is actually bought from a customer as Groupon takes half that money. They work as a great middleman between Green Pepper and future customers. The downside of this route is that Groupon takes half the proceeds from the voucher. An example is having an 80 dollar menu voucher sold on Groupon for 40 dollars. Groupon then keeps 20 dollars of that and gives the remaining 20 to Green Pepper. Other flaws being seen in their business model in an article in Forbes magazine â€Å"Groupon’s biggest victims are the small businesses that get suckered in to accepting Groupons. Restaurants lose money on them because consumers flood the restaurants, order very low priced meals, strain waiters and cooks, get lousy service, and never return.† (Cohan, 2012). Sophia must know the capacity restrictions well and if offering a Groupon deal then must be fully staffed for that day. Allowing customers to leave the restaurant on a negative really affects the company image especially being a small restaurant. Recommendation The way for Green Pepper to optimize its profits would be to hire a part time employee to run the social media aspects in Facebook and twitter along with working with one page app and keeping the website updated. Many young adults have some experience in social networks and finding a University student who could work part time wouldn’t be difficult. They would oversee the twitter updates and tweeting on the regular. They could update the Facebook Photo album with menu dishes as well as keeping in contact with the customers leaving feedback on the social sites. One page app makes the design of the website so simple just would need the employee to making sure site is  running smoothly and keeping in contact with the developers if any problem occurs. They would work with Sophia and teach her a little about the technology components as one page app allows many users having access to the website. The switch to technology focus should not be a hard one but instead a smart one.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Effect of Brexit on the Special Relationship Between the UK and US

Effect of Brexit on the Special Relationship Between the UK and US ‘The UK cannot retain its â€Å"special relationship† with the United States whilst being semi-detached from the European Union’ â€Å"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm† ‘Sir Winston Churchill’[1] The United Kingdom (UK) has no closer ally than the United States (US), and the British foreign policy underlines our close coordination with the United States.   These close relations were considerably strengthened by the United Kingdom’s alliance with the US during both World Wars, in the Korean conflict, in the Persian Gulf War, and more recently in Iraq and in Afghanistan conflicts, additionally through its part as a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.   This has contributed to forming a special relationship with the US.   Within this essay the ‘special relationship’ is defined as a political or technical term between the UK and the United States governments[2].   Semi dethatched is defined as no longer being a member of the European Union (EU) following referendum.   During 2016 a major event was the referendum in the UK on 23 June to withdraw from the European Union, which resulted in the British population voting to leave th e EU.   Following the announcement it posed a number of uncertainties, one of these was our ‘Special Relationship’ with the US. In answering the question of the UK cannot retain its â€Å"Special Relationship† with the US whilst being semi-detached from the EU’ there are 3 key areas that this essay will look at are political, military and economy.   I have considered these points because, the two countries continue to have a number of fundamental common interests in global political aspects, economic stability, military cohesion and with these structures they are able to cooperate closely as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.   This essay will consider the implications on both sides of the Atlantic and argue that the UK can retain its †special relationship’ with the US whilst being semi detached from the EU, others may feel this is a failure by leaving the EU. Is the â€Å"Special Relationship† amid Britain and the US fundamentally damaged? It’s an old alliance based on shared histories and values, one that has developed the cornerstone of British foreign policy after two world wars[3].   The element of the special relationship is nothing new, it has been well established since Winston Churchill coined the phrase â€Å"special relationship† during a lecture tour of American universities in 1945 and his words are certainly resonate today.   The specialness of the two countries’ relationship has endured, although it could be seen as cool at times, this has been particularly difficult when the personal relationship between the US President and the British Prime Minster wasn’t so strong.   Whilst the degree of closeness between the nations is and has been largely determined by judgments of joint political, trade subsidies, military cohesion and the personal factor have continued to have a strong influence.   Some may say that the imbalance between the relative power between the two nations, may have possibly been one-sided and occasionally the UK has been made to appear rather subservient.   In the eyes of both nations, this was evident when the then Prime Minister Tony Blair was seen to freely take the acceptance of the Bush regimes’ polices over Iraq. This resulted in a certain amount of criticism of the British government in the UK and many felt that Britain is tied to closely to the US.   In 2016 there was two main political events that were headline news, the first being Britain voted to leave the EU in June after 43 years of increasingly ambivalent membership was greeted with a mixture of defiance, fear and jubilation across the continent. The second big political event being on the early hours on 9 November, when Donald Trump took to the stage in New York to declare his victory as the new President of the US.   Some said a political novice, however Mr Trump along the way had defeated the most experienced presidential candidate in decades.   The public opinion of the special relationship between the UK and US is being further divided amongst both populations; this was evident and highlighted during the Presidential campaign in November 2016.   Throughout the campaign President Trump campaigned on â€Å"making America great again’.   In January 2017 Theresa May agreed to â€Å"renew the special relationship for this new age† when she met with president Donald Trump.   MPs, including a number of May’s own Conservative party, had expressed their personal reservations about May’s visit given Trump’s previous controversial comments and stances on a range of issues[4].   The UK and the US closely work and frequently consult on foreign policy issues and global problems and share major foreign and security policy objectives. Worryingly as we look to the future there are many unknowns, on both sides of the Atlantic and the UK post Brexit will drive to sustain global influence and without the EU the UK could find themselves largely dependant on the US. The ‘Special relationship’ may well be further tested and could mean a much wider separation than that just of the EU. This no doubt would be devastating for the UK politically, militarily and more importantly financially. This role for the UK as a given global partner to the US is far more likely to survive following the decision to leave the EU than will the UK’s which maybe used as a diplomatic bridge between the US and Europe. Since 1917, well before the ‘special relationship’ was ever mentioned or quoted by Winston Churchill, the UK and US have collaborated to triumph in two world wars, two Gulf wars, and during the Cold War.   During the 1980s, the mutual support provided by this alliance has developed to the success of unilateral American and British military actions against Libya and Argentina, both of these actions were resisted by other European allies. Throughout the 1980s, the conclusive decade of the Cold War, the elimination of Soviet SS-20 missiles from Europe and the removal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan occurred as a consequence of Anglo-American initiatives that were either opposed or disregarded on the continent.   Ever since the well coordinated terrorist attack in 2001, that made headlines all over the world and became known as 9/11, the UK has remained beside the US in Iraq and Afghanistan as its most right-hand and reliable ally in the war on terror[5].   These joint military efforts have been based upon much of an arrangement of strategic interests with the similar political and legal culture and values with a world wide view. Also the effective use of intelligence sharing and close practical battlefield collaboration, has been made possible by the shared use of military equipment and technology.   Both the UK and US have agreed that both defence departments, will now continue to search for increased interoperability across the spectrum of military operations.   The US Defence Strategic Guidance[6] and UK Strategic Defence and Security Review[7] recently reached many common conclusions, including the need for increased cooperation in dealing with the threats we face.   We are committed to working together, and with other close allies, wherever possible.  The maritime commitment has been strengthened with Secretary Panetta and Secretary Hammond recently signed a Statement of Intent directing the US and Royal Navy to seek ways to better developed aircraft carrier doctrine and maritime power projection capabilities[8].   On the Land environment both the UK and US continue to develop very similar initiatives in order to enhance the already close ground force relationship however increased training opportunities in Europe and exchanges in the US.   As close Allies, the US and UK continue to host each others forces in order to conduct training and be prepared to deploy when necessary, and in future conduct current operations.   The US presently has over 9,000 personnel stationed in the UK, primarily on joint Royal Air Force bases such as RAF Mildenhall and Lakenheath in Suffolk, where US regiments conduct fighter, transport, logistics and aerial refuelling operations.   The Joint Analysis Centre at RAF Molesworth is a example of the cooperation, where British analysts and US monitor the world’s trouble areas together.   The four US services continue to send exchange personnel to work with the UK armed forces, and exchange both senior and junior military officers in British defence schools.   The UK currently has around 800 British personnel in the US. In the Air the UK is a partner in the development of the Joint Strike Fighter, which is a unique program with each country’s defence industries sharing the development of a common future platform that will ensure the US and UK, and other partners posses the latest technology in air superiority for the next generation.   Our Military cohesion was extended even further in 2014, when the UK and US signed a new agreement that was critical to Brittan’s Trident nuclear weapons system, was signed by British and US officials, the news stated that the 1958 UK-US Mutual Defence Agreement has been updated.   This new amendment that will last for 10 years, one which will permit the transfer between the US and UK of classified nuclear information concerning nuclear technology, atomic weapons and controlled nuclear material and critical information.   At the time the President Obama stated â€Å"intends to continue to maintain viable nuclear forces into the foreseeable future† he also mentioned that it was in America’s interest, to continue to help the UK â€Å"in maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent†[9].   The continued close security cooperation between the UK and US is probably going to continue, particularly in intelligence sharing. The EU has been traditionally excluded from aspects of the conversation of intelligence which has taken place between the English speaking â€Å"Five Eyes† states US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand[10].   Evidence and history has shown that the UK and US stand shoulder to shoulder with each other in order to deter and if necessary, defeat the threats to our common way of life.   The future does indicate a number of new opportunities to strengthen this relationship further.   With any new strategic circumstances, come new reasons to cooperate.   We certainly cannot afford to miss these opportunities.   With both countries recognising that many of the problems that we both face can’t be solved alone. That shoulder to shoulder stance, was put in the spotlight and made headlines across the world, when on the 23 June 2016 the decision for the UK to exit from the EU was a clear demonstration that history is not linear.   The following day the previous prime mister David Cameroon resigned and the UK pound plummeted. The FTSE 100 lost significant ground, but then the pound rallied past the previous February levels and the FTSE closed on a weekly high of 2.4%, this was it’s best performance in 4 months on what many speculated would be a future of economic gloom.   The previous US president Obama decided we ‘wouldn’t be at the back of the queue’ after all, and that or ‘special relationship’ was still strong.   Following the Brexit vote in June 2016, this will now allow the UK to charter a new course as a sovereign, it will become a free nation and one which will be able to implement free trade agreements with countries across the world once the UK exits the EU in 2019.   On the 29 March 2016, the UK changed its history by submitting a six-page letter from Mrs May triggering Article 50, which was handed to European Council President Donald Tusk[11].   When the UK leaves the EU in 2019 this will open the opportunities for the future of a free trade agreement between the UK and US. Currently the UK has the fifth largest economy and the US the largest in the world respectively.   Just seven days after taking office Teresa May was the first foreign leader to visit Donald Trump after being elected for president[12]. History has shown us that in the past the economic polices of the UK and the US has been seen as a similarity since the 1970s. The UK economic growth has held up netter than expected in the 12 months following the Brexit vote, in the longer term, the UK economy show continue to grow to around 2%, following Brexit. Currently when it comes to UK exports to a single nation, the US is the UK’s largest export destination with a current market worth some  £3.5 billion. Equally, the US is the UK’s third biggest after China and Germany, procuring some  £2.9billion of products form the US.   In my mind there does appear to be two key thoughts that Brexit is having much less of an effect and impact in the US. Firstly the relative isolation of the US economy, as only 15% of GDP is related to international trade. Secondly, in the last 18 months investors in the US were anticipating a rise in the interest rate, which would have had a negative impact. Following Brexit and the global uncertainty caused by the outcome, the Federal Reserve System put the increase on hold.   This has allowed the US markets plenty of opportunity to go even higher[13].   For the future the UK and the US should persist exploring areas where the alignment of bilateral regulatory systems can lead to new business opportunities and reduce costs of unnecessary regulation.   The UK and US Governments should also increase collaboration in higher education, especially between our world-leading universities, this would allow for our countries to build on their joint leadership role and pull together on the great economic potential linked to it.   The UK and the US economies are described by large and growing services sectors and should explore ways of enhancing trade in services, particularly in business services, which are key input for global supply chains[14]. In summary, If Britain’s world influence weakens, and the US continues to change its priorities away from Europe to other more surging geopolitical challenges, the special relationship could face a low-spirited future. The UK’s valuableness to the US could increase if the EU were to acquire a much more active global position. It is true trade deals will be forged with the US following the semi-detached status from the EU, and clearly no longer part of the EU economy. There is no doubt It will have a much weaker negotiating power and gravitational pull than previously held, thus relying on the proven ’special relationship’ in order to take the alliance forward and beyond 2019. The ‘Special Relationship’ has been the world’s most powerful bilateral partnership for over 70 years and is fundamentally important to both London and Washington. It has played a vital role in the defence of the free world since World War II and has been instrumental in advancing economic freedom across the globe.   The UK and US has built a ‘special relationship’, which was formed and built well before any mention of the UK leaving the EU. The UK can retain its ‘special relationship’ by working closely with the US, we continue to set an example for others and will persist to deliver a basis for further collaboration with our Allies and partners around the world, which include through NATO, in the future years to come.   Bibliography http://transatlanticrelations.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/HFAC-US-UK-testimony-Feb-1-2017-dh-final.pdf https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/planning-post-brexit-britain-s-place-global-stage https://uk.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/ http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/03/why-britain-should-end-special-relationship-us http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2017/03/theresa-mays-article-50-letter-what-she-said-and-what-she-meant http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/can-the-special-relationship-survive-outside-the-eu-7107966.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/31/2016-review-world-events-changed-history/ http://www.nationalreview.com/article/436687/brexit-us-british-military-cooperation https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/14/joint-fact-sheet-us-and-uk-defense-cooperation http://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Publications/2015_National_Military_Strategy.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575378/national_security_strategy_strategic_defence_security_review_annual_report_2016.pdf https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3846.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-38778452/may-meets-trump-three-key-things http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39431428 http://www.economywatch.com/economy-business-and-finance-news/the-uk-and-the-us-same-problem-different-results.07-07.html?page=full The economic impact of Brexit https://www.ft.com/content/9a5cd3ee-4acc-11e7-a3f4-c742b9791d43 Moving Forward The future of the UK-US economic relationship [1]The Quotation page 2087 [2] Oxford bibliographies [3] The New statesman, Mar 2016 [4] The guardian 26 Jan 2017 [5]Nationalreview.com/article/436687/brexit-us-british-military-cooperation [6] jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Publications/2015_National_Military_Strategy.pdf [7] National_security_strategy_strategic_defence_security_review_annual_report_2016.pdf [8] Whitehouse joint-fact-sheet-us-and-uk-defense-cooperation [9] Theguardian.com/world/defence and security 29 Jul 14 [10] The Independent 28 Jun 16 [11] bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39431428 [12] bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-38778452/may-meets-trump-three-key-things [13] woodfordfunds.com/economic-impact-brexit-report [14] https://www.babinc.org/moving-forward-future-uk-us-economic-relationship/