Justice for Animals in Captivity Essays - Animal Rights,

Justice for Animals in Captivity Introduction Can animals in captivity be justifiable? If so when are cases when animals in captivity are justifiable? At what point can we justify animals in captivity and at what point does captivity become a moral dilemma? The Dolphin and Whale hunt The Cove (Dolphin Hunt) The process of capturing dolphins. They either end up in an aquarium in captivity or slaughtered for their meat. Whales in captivity The documentary blackfish shows whales in captivity and effects captivity has on a whale. Frameworks Aristotle /Telos/ Nussbaum /Species membership/ Dilemmas of Captivity Zoos Liberty- We think that we are doing what is best for these animals. However, we are denying them of their liberty. Autonomy- Conceptions of the good life, Self-rule. Wild dignity How "Wild dignity" differs from other accounts of dignity. Such as Kantian dignity, political dignity and Nussbaum animal dignity. Compare the different accounts of dignity and how they relate to Wild dignity. Companion Animals Can we violate the dignity of domesticated animals? Examples of cases were domestic animals are being violated of their dignity. Such as dressing them up in clothes or grooming competitions. Animal protection and approaches to Animals in Captivity Sanctuaries We see sanctuaries as helpful when they are used properly for rehabilitation. However, sometimes sanctuaries are the final stop for most animals. How to fight speciesism? We think we are the superior species and that animals are just animals. What is Pragmatism and what is abolition? Conclusion Can animals in captivity be justified? We have a long way to go with species membership and seeing animals as our equals. Animals in captivity is still a moral dilemma because we have yet to meet the needs of nonhuman animals.

Tedtalk by Christen Reighter I Dont Want Children Stop Telling Me Ill Change My Mind! Professor Ramos Blog

Tedtalk by Christen Reighter I Dont Want Children Stop Telling Me Ill Change My Mind! This Tedtalk by Christen Reighter is about women not having children and how bizarre it seems to a lot of people. She understood at a young age that her role in life was to have a baby, and to get married. But she knew she didn’t want that. When she would respond to her relative’s comments on her not wanting to bare children, they would question her and say that she is selfish for abstaining from motherhood. No one explained to her all of the risk factors of having a child. The risk of passing on hereditary illness, danger of having to stop life-saving medication during pregnancy, over population, and access to recourses. If that wasn’t enough there is 415,000 children already in foster care for probably one of those reasons listed. Many of these reasons helped her decide to be surgically sterilized. Christen began to do research on getting her tubes tide. She learned that she wasn’t alone. 1 in 5 women will not have a biological child by choice or by chance. Kristen stated that woman had reported â€Å"medical practitioners as condescending and dismissive of their motivations†. Many woman appeal to OB/GYN’s but were most often turned down for the procedure with disrespect. Doctors mainly said that they were too young, didn’t have enough children, or that they should get married before making this decision. On Christen’s first dr. appointment she had dressed up in a professional manner and she had told the Doctor all of her credentials and all of her research so he could take her serious, but that was not the case. Instead, biased questions were thrown at her, it almost felt like she was being interrogated for a serious crime. The doctor wanted her to think about all of the future possibilities, basically trying to talk her out of it and trying to belittle her. â€Å"But what if you want a child 20 years from now?† Christen replied with, â€Å"Truth is, I only removed a single path to parenthood. I never needed biology to form a family anyway.† She had went to the doctors for more information and support instead was insulted. She would soon have to be seen by 5 doctors before she got the approval for her surgery. Christen stayed persistent with her decision as she signed her consent papers. The doctor nodded his head as she signed the papers, saying, â€Å"You’ll change your mind†. Christen didn’t realize how strongly society clings to this â€Å"woman will be mothers† roll. She was appalled by society not being able to distinguish her from being a woman and not a mother. A statement that stood out to me is when she said â€Å"Being a mother is the extension of womanhood not the definition. Woman have this amazing ability to create life. But when we say that that is her purpose, that says that her entire existence is a means to an end.† â€Å"I wanted woman to know that there absolutely is a choice behind maternity, and it is yours, and yours alone.† Questions: 1. Do you think doctors should stop putting their own emotions into your life choices?

Affirmative Action Initiative in South Africa

Affirmative Action Initiative in South Africa Affirmative action is an initiative adopted by the South African government, which seeks to correct the imbalance of wealth and provide opportunities to the people who were adversely affected as a result of the apartheid regime. It has created a situation where organizations are required to meet specific employment targets for persons of colour in order to operate to the satisfaction of the state. As a result, these people are able to participate in the corporate environment at an accelerated rate. On the contrary, many white South Africans are finding it difficult to obtain their most select employment. The efficiency of affirmative action is best analyzed by assessing its objective of promoting black representation in the workplace and comparing it to empirical evidence. Figures provided by the government indicate that the unemployment rate has steadily declined annually since the inception of the study (September 2001). The September 2007 average unemployment rate of 23% is signi ficantly lower than 29.4% in September 2001. This provides evidence that the policy is doing well to provide work to more South Africans. (www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0210/P0210September2007.pdf) However, a more in-depth study reveals the change in unemployment rates amongst each population group. The best results have been for black people with a decline from approximately 35% (September 2001) to 26.8% (September 2007). The Indian people in the country also improved from approximately 19% to 10% over the same period. White and coloured unemployment rates have remained relatively static over this period at approximately 5% and 20% respectively. This bodes well for black and Indian people and is a strong indicator that affirmative action is achieving its goals. The policy seems to be failing in its attempt to compensate the coloured population. (www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0210/P0210September2007.pdf) However, there are problems that are emerging from affirmative action tha t is having a detrimental effect on the performance on enterprises and the overall success of the economy. The instantaneous and rapid enactment of affirmative action has seen unqualified persons attaining important positions. Many of these people were/are incapable of fulfilling the roles they have been assigned. This has a negative impact on, firstly, the corporation employing these people as they incur costs without the required level of service from their employees. It also adversely affects the consumer, who is dependant upon those employed by organizations to make the best decisions in order to obtain maximum reward. A situation exists whereby unskilled employees are filling skilled positions. (www.sairr.org.za/press-office/institute-opinion) Another concern is that many white South Africans are leaving the country, resulting in a major shortage of fundamental skills. The South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) revealed that between 1995 and 2005, one million white S outh Africans moved abroad. The lack of adequate services has left the country in desperate need of professionals. These people also served as mentors/teachers to inexperienced employees and accelerated their development in the organizations thus exacerbating the problem of their departure. (www.fin24.com/articles/default/display_article) Many contend that a weakness of the affirmative action policy is that it creates a minority of rich black people and does not help the rest (www.new.bbc.co.uk). The majority of the black population are unskilled workers without educations. These people are likely to struggle even with affirmative action in place as their employment options are limited to low income earning sectors due to educational and language problems. It is anticipated that the current generation of black children will reap the benefits of the policy. The government has put facilities in place to ensure these people are schooled and can attain funding for universities. These ar e the real beneficiaries of the system as their employment options are diverse. It would therefore seem that the efficiency of affirmative action should only be interpreted to a significant extent when the current black youth reaches adulthood.

Donna Karan SWOTT Business Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Donna Karan SWOTT Business Analysis - Case Study Example The brand has stores located in over 123 cities all over America, and is employing over 2000 people. Effective branding and marketing strategies has helped it expand internationally and it is now a well-known international brand with stores in countries like China, Canada, and Dubai. There are over 20 stores in China, 2 in Canada, and 4 in Dubai and today, Donna Karan International is worth millions. The availability of an online store has further increased the market share of the company. Furthermore, the brand got an increased footing with Donna Karan being labeled as an nnovative and world-class fashion designer, whose clothes are worn by many famous personalities. She has also won numerous awards during her career. Karan won the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award in 1977 and once again in 1982; The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) named her Menswear Designer of the Year 1992 and Women’s wear Designer of the Year 1990 and 1996. She was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the CFDA in 2004. Weaknesses: 1. The breakthrough in the international market is not as widespread as other brands; 2. Controversy over the use of fur; 3. Fake imitations affecting brand sales. Compared to other brands such as Chanel etc., DKNY has quite little market share internationally. It still needs more expansion and advertising strategies to compete with other, more popular brands in places like Asia. For this, they might have to cater to the type of audience in these places and design products accordingly. The sales of the brand were also adversely affected by the controversy surrounding the brand over the... The availability of an online store has further increased the market share of the company. Furthermore, the brand got an increased footing with Donna Karan being labeled as an nnovative and world-class fashion designer, whose clothes are worn by many famous personalities. She has also won numerous awards during her career. Karan won the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award in 1977 and once again in 1982; The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) named her Menswear Designer of the Year 1992 and Women’s wear Designer of the Year 1990 and 1996. She was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the CFDA in 2004.Weaknesses:1.  The breakthrough in the international market is not as widespread as other brands;2.  Controversy over the use of fur;3.  Fake imitations affecting brand sales.Compared to other brands such as Chanel etc., DKNY has quite little market share internationally. It still needs more expansion and advertising strategies to compete w ith other, more popular brands in places like Asia. For this, they might have to cater to the type of audience in these places and design products accordingly.   The sales of the brand were also adversely affected by the controversy surrounding the brand over the use of fur. PETA, the animal rights group, started a campaign in 2008 against Donna Karan for the use of fur in her products. This obviously presented the brand in a bad light. Moreover, with luxury brands like DKNY, there always tend to be fake imitations which sell at much lower prices.

Neptun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Neptun - Essay Example This picture of Neptune was taken on August 20, 1989 by Voyager 2. In the center of the image, the Great Dark Spot can be seen. The latitude of the planet Neptune is 22 degrees south and circuits every 18.3 hours. The east and the south of the Great Dark Spot change their appearances constantly in four hours. The internal structure of Neptune can be inferred from the planet's radius, period of rotation, mass, and shape of its gravitational field and the behavior of hydrogen, helium, and water at high pressure. The picture shows a cut-away view of Neptune composed of an outer envelope of molecular hydrogen, helium and methane. Below this region Neptune is composed of a layer rich in water, methane, ammonia, and other elements with high temperatures and pressures. Ice and rock constitutes the core of Neptune. This picture gives a nearly true picture of Neptune taken by the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera (WFPC), with a picture of Triton taken with the HST's Faint Object Camera. Even though, the image of Triton is faint but it clearly shows a bright equatorial region. In the lower left, the south pole is clearly visible. Near the bottom of the image a bright cloud feature can also be seen. It can be seen at 30S and 60S latitude. Another bright cloud can also be seen at 30N latitude in the northern hemisphere. The dynamic nature of Neptune is clearly visible from the fact that the second smaller ... In One feature that is conspicuous by its absence is the storm system known as the Great Dark Spot. HST Observes High Altitude Clouds These three pictures were taken on October 10, October 18 and November 2, 1994 when Neptune was only 4.5 billion kilometers from Earth. The pictures further proved the dynamic nature of the planet as the difference in the temperature between Neptune's Building on Voyager's initial discoveries, Hubble has revealed that Neptune has a remarkably dynamic atmosphere that changes over just a few days. Only in few days, the temperature difference between Neptune's strong internal heat source and its frigid cloud tops were-162 Celcius or -260 Fahrenheit which might be the causes that trigger instabilities in the atmosphere and result in large-scale weather changes. The high altitude methane ice-crystals can be seen in pink. New Dark Spot After the images in June 1994, which showed the disappearance of the Great Dark Spot, on November 2 a new spot, appeared near the limb of the planet. The new spot has high altitude clouds along its edge, resultant of gasses that have been pushed to higher altitudes where they cool to form methane ice crystal clouds. The dark spot may be a zone of clear gas that is a porthole to a cloud deck lower in the atmosphere. Cirrus-like Clouds Bands of sunlit cirrus-like clouds can be seen in this image of Neptune's northern hemisphere. 35 miles mellow, shadows are cast on the blue cloud deck. The width of the white streaky clouds ranges from 48 to 160 kilometers (30 to 100 miles) and extend over thousands of miles. True-color Image The picture taken by Voyager 2 has been edited

Difference Between Fasb and Iasb Essay Example for Free

Difference Between Fasb and Iasb Essay Major similarities between FASB and IASB: Same organizational structure FASB and IASB are each belongs to an organization that has four main bodies. Also, the internal structure and responsibility assignment of these organizations are basically the same. FASB and IASB are the standard setting board of the organizations. Other three parts of the organizations are there to support the standard setting process, such as selecting board members and deal with emergency issues (Kieso, et al. , p7-9). In addition, both boards have members from varies industries including accounting, finance, business and academia (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p283). Private entities Both boards are private entities that have been assigned the role and responsibility of developing and deploying Accounting Standards (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p284). By private, it means the standard setting process is not affected by politics. However, since the governments are also relying on standard set by these private institutions, both FASB and IASB are sensitive to politics to varies degree. Similar procedure of making rules Despite any internal and external influences, the procedure of drafting and publishing Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are similar. Generally, the process is as follows: discuss whether to add new project to agenda mostly based on recommendations from investors; plan for the project; draft the standard; vote and publish the standard once it is approved(FASB: Financial Accounting Standards Board, n. d). However, since each board has different members and they are setting rules based on its own investor’s concern, also by other external influences, they produce distinct rules. Differentiations between FASB and IASB: Scope of operations The jurisdiction of the IASB could be the whole world of commerce and industry, include EU nations and states, the latter is confined mainly to the United States and its trade partners (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p303). Because of this, the citizenship of the trustees has become a problem. The IASC Foundation has huge pressure of balancing the culture background of the board member; nevertheless, European members are still the majority of the board with a proportion of nearly 50% (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p307-308). This problem shows that the IASB standard setting has more outside interference. Political settings Different political settings for FASB and IASB authorized them different degree of independence. In the US, the standards set by FASB are implemented unless the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) interferes and prevents it for being accepted. However, in the case of IASB, standards set by the IASB do not gain value and authority unless these are passed by the European Commission (EC) (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p291). Funding The FASB is now financed through an obligatory contribution system, and therefore sheltered against financial influence. The IASB is financially depending on noncompulsory contribution from financial institutions, thus there is relatively huge financial pressure on IASB. Recently IASB has taken significant steps to widen the source of funding but the degree of mprovement varies from countries (Virginia Law Business Review, fall 2008, p292-298). Which approach to support? I would like to say the FASB standard setting approach is more appropriate considering your accounting background. Since many of your clients are Fortune 300 companies who would find FASB more in harmony with their preparation and presentation of periodic accounting statements and records. FASB is also in line with mo st widely accepted accounting norms and practices in the US. With less external influence, more freedom in standard setting and sufficient funds, I believe the FASB standard setting process is more trustworthy.

The Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est Essays

The Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est Alfred Tennyson and Wilfred Owen present different ideas about War in their poems, ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’ Write about these poems and their effect on you. The first poem, ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Tennyson was based on a newspaper article he read in the Times Newspaper on November 14th, 1854. The article was about the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. It described how the soldiers were wounded and killed because one man in their cavalry had made a mistake. It outlined how the plain was strewn with their bodies’ and ‘steeds rode rider less across the plain.’ This article was the inspiration for his poem. The second poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ was more vividly written, because its poem, Wilfred Owen, was an actual soldier in the first World War, which lasted from 1914-1918. He was too young to become a soldier, so he lied about his age and went away to fight. He was under the impression that War was dignified and sweet because of all the propaganda that was put about to encourage young men to join the army. He then realised that War wasn’t as glorified as he had thought and wrote poems to deter other young men, who, like himself, thought it was brave and courageous to die for their country. The poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade,’ tells the story of how one man in their cavalry, The Commander, made a huge mistake by charging them towards the Russian Army. This is depicted when the poet says: ‘Into the valley of death.’ This implies that the army on the other side of the valley were so great; the cavalry didn’t have any hope of beating them. Ironically, they won the battle. In ... ...nditions of War were and the terrible ways that the soldiers lost their lives. My favourite poem out of the two was ‘Dulce et Decorum Est,’ it clearly depicts what happened during World War I and Owen then says what he feels. At the start of the poem, I was shocked by how bad the conditions of War actually were. The vivid descriptions show how strongly Owen felt about discouraging other young men not to fall for the same propaganda that he did. It made me realise how lucky I am not to be living in those terrible conditions that he had to endure. I think that the poem does fulfil its purpose of discouraging men from joining the army because it is so graphic and vivid. It explains the true atrocities that War brings and how terribly they can affect lives, even after the War has ended. Owen clearly doesn’t want the young men to experience what he has.

Four Teaching Strategies That Increase Curiosity in Math Essay

There are many strategies and techniques that could be used in the classroom to encourage curiosity in math, but the four I chose to discuss I thought would be the most beneficial. This is due to the way they support auditory, visual, and kinesthetic styles of learning. The four strategies teachers could use to encourage curiosity towards mathematics in a classroom include co-operative learning, guided or discovery learning, simulate real life experiences, and active student learning. These four learning strategies range from group learning to the use of manipulatives to real life experiences and group discussions where students can share their ideas and thinking processes. Therefore, students would be able to learn in a variety of formats like listening, seeing, taking notes, and by using their hands. The first teaching strategy mentioned is co-operative learning strategy. In which, students can use think-pair-share, peer-tutoring, or group assignments to work together to learn how to solve mathematical equations. The purpose of co-operative learning is that students can benefit from teaching each other, sharing ideas, and clarifying their own thinking processes while working together in groups of two or more. For instance, teachers can create worksheets or quizzes that are a bit more challenging than the student’s homework so the students will need to work as a group to solve all the problems. And, if they all get the same grade than they will be more to likely communicate together, share their work, and ideas with each other to attain the best grade possible. Additionally, since group assignments or activities are based on the need for students to compare their work and answers with one another, discuss the ways in which they solved an equation, and justify why their answer is right will help reinforce what they previously learned, thereby encouraging students to participate more in group activities and more inclined to enjoying math. The second teaching strategy involves creating or simulating real life experiences that will help teach a variety of math skills. The purpose of creating real life experiences is to make math more relatable to students. It will also demonstrate how math is used in the community and in their lives on a daily basis. This will create more interest in math, since students will have a tangible sense of why math is needed. A good example of this strategy includes role-playing or dramatic play. The goal is to create real life experiences in which students will need to use their math skills to solve every day problems. For instance, making play currency and having the students go to the market to buy produce is one experience that is a necessity in life. The teacher can have the students make a list, create a budget and have the students buy what they need within their budget. Then, they can pay a cashier and the cashier will then need to give back change. Given the age of the students, the teacher may not have a dramatic center, but can then have students work in pairs at their desks. For example, each student creates their shopping list and budget; buy their produce on paper, then take turns paying each other with different amounts of currency which the cashier will then need to give them change. The benefit about role playing is it can be all imaginary or done in the class with few a materials, means that with some creativity the teacher can recreate any type of real life experience the students may encounter. Some examples include buying a house, paying utilities, buying a car, going to the movies and paying for the tickets and snacks. The third teaching strategy to create curiosity and understanding toward mathematics in the classroom is to include guided discovery learning or hands on learning. Both types of strategies allows the students to use their hands in different ways, but one uses more guidance from the teacher while the other allows the students to discover the learning on their own. The purpose for both is that it allows the students to use hands on materials to discover something on their own thereby taking an abstract concept and turning it into a concrete and tangible concept. Something the students can physically see, touch, and manipulate. For instance, if students are learning about geometry and the different geometric shapes then the teacher can have the students create an art scene using only the shapes they will be learning about in geometry. A good example would be to have the students create a farm scene, in which the shapes represent objects found within our environment, like a rectangle for a tree, a square for barn, a triangle for the roof. If the teacher has the students label all their shapes and number of sides then it reinforces their learning of shapes. Plus, it will help them understand that geometric shapes are everywhere and used in many different ways in life. Another way a teacher can incorporate hands on learning is to have the students bake cookies, or mix the dough and have the kitchen staff bake the cookies, if possible. Baking is an excellent way to reinforce the concept of fractions, doubling or halving a recipe, which also helps students understand how fractions can be added or subtracted. The fourth teaching strategy that can increase curiosity in math in the classroom is by creating a student centered learning environment. The purpose of a student centered learning environment is that it allows the students to participate in class discussions, where they listen and share their ideas or their thinking process when solving math equations. This also allows the students to reflect on their own thinking or math skills learned, as well as, help clarify any misunderstanding or misconceptions about math. For instance, after the introduction of a new skill in math, the teacher can have the students go up to the front of the class and work the problem on the board. This gives students an opportunity to show the class how they solved the problem and what they were thinking when they solved it. Plus, this creates an opening for the class to discuss what the student did that was right or wrong, and allows other students to ask questions. In addition, a student centered learning environment gives students the ability to participate in a safe and comfortable environment in which they can express their views, thoughts, ideas, and misconceptions about math thereby maybe encouraging a more positive outlook towards math. The benefit of using the four teaching methods above is that each method will help support visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles of learning. Thereby, creating and providing a learning atmosphere that will support both multicultural students and students with exceptionalities. For instance, working in co-operative groups allows students to verbally share their ideas with each other and listen to each other, in addition to taking notes. Role playing also allows verbal interaction while using a tangible manipulative, like play currency. A hands-on learning project like baking cookies requires students to read the recipe, listen to their partners, and use their hands to measure out ingredients; whereas, an active learning environment students can have discussions how architectures use math to build skyscrapers, or NASA scientists use it to build space ships. All of which have the ability to support all three learning styles. This is why I feel that these teaching strategies not only create a curiosity in math but support the learning of multicultural students and students with exceptionalities.

Role of Media in India

Role of Indian Media in the New Age The following is the speech given by Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of HRD and C & IT, on the topic: â€Å"Role of Indian Media in the New Ag†, presiding as the Chief Guest for the ‘Press Club Awards for Excellence in Journalism' , on 5th May, 2012 at The NSCI, Worli, Mumbai. I am privileged to be here with you on a day the media celebrates its exceptional performers. I congratulate all those who have received awards and wish them continued success in their profession.The media has emerged as a pillar of the modern State. The foundation of a modern democratic State lies in its ability to secure fundamental rights promised to its people, to deliver justice and lead its people to economic and social progress. Democracy is defined by freedom of speech and expression. Media is an embodiment of these rights that define democracy. If we look back into history, the emergence of the modern nation-state where the sovereignty vested in its people is closely related to the spread of the printing press.Guttenbergaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Bible (the first printed book) was a precursor to the spread of democracy and republican thought across the world. Rousseau was mild mannered, but his thoughts disseminated by the newspapers in the coffee houses of Paris resulted in the French Revolution. Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as the slogan for the Revolution owes much to the media of the day. The Indian media has been truly a pillar of the Indian State. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. The Indian media has indeed been vigilant and persuasive in protection of freedoms and awakening thought.If we have preserved our democracy in the midst of periodic lapses into dictatorships in our neighbourhood, the credit should go to our founding fathers who created robust institutions and to the media who kept a vigilant watch at preserving these institutions. However, the nature of media has also been changing over the last two decades. The eme rgence of the electronic media in India over two decades ago since the first war to be witnessed live by millions in the cosy comforts of their homes, brought the power of imagery to the forefront.The growing dominance of imagery over substance in an era where time is of the essence and competition is intense, has brought about the need for stoking fires, beaming controversies and heated debates in the media. The divergence of approach between the print and the electronic media has been amply demonstrated in the events of the last year. Todayaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s media does not provide much space for settling differences, it prefers to dog the protagonists forever reminding them of the past. There is a problem with this approach. We do not sufficiently celebrate our achievements, we do not appreciate the progress that we make.The spread of negative sentiment leads to despondency and inaction. Infact, todayaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s headline in a prominent newspaper speaks of the fear that stalks t he corridors of bureaucracy. Despite the exhortation of the Prime Minister, the civil services today is afraid of action, for any action can be questioned. Faith and trust in all institutions are being eroded. Rampant mistrust, I believe, has slowed governance and if not corrected, can imperil the foundations of democracy. We have much to correct, but it is necessary for room for correction to be available.When there is a dispute in a family, the members retire to a place of seclusion to settle their differences. Today, there is no such place available due to the omnipotence of media. Competition spurs innovation, but unhealthy competition can lead to pandering. The rush for eyeballs in a crush of problems leads to extremes being aired rather than the moderate being heard. In such a situation, the responsibility of the media to the larger society gets diluted. At the same time, I would for one strongly oppose attempts to impose responsibility through regulatory action.It is for th e media to ponder and find solutions for itself. If the media fails to do so, just as we are witnessing a clamour for judicial accountability because the judiciary has not succeeded in inculcating responsibility within itself, a similar clamour for media accountability would grow. Another trend that has emerged in the recent years is the growth of the social media riding in the ICT revolution. Social interactions have exploded as never before, aided by the connecting power of the internet. The ability of thoughts to converge and congregate have multiplied manifold.These interactions have led to questioning of the present order and the search for a better world through the social media. The outpourings of protests all over the world aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" from aâ‚ ¬? Occupy Wall Streetaâ‚ ¬? to the aâ‚ ¬? Arab Springaâ‚ ¬? , from the aâ‚ ¬? Lokpal agitationaâ‚ ¬? to the million mutinies erupting across the globe – made 2011, the Year of the Protestor. Street dissent in Democracies has become prevalent. Simultaneously, we are witnessing the overthrow of Dictatorships. Thoughts and deeds, actions and reactions jump across the globe to reach the mind-space of people in the twinkling of an eye.The internet today is the public square of the Grecian city-state democracies. And media is slowly ceding space to the internet as the harbinger of news and views. Our country is a nation of vast diversity and complexity. We were fortunate that our founding fathers bequeathed us an edifice that we could be proud of. A free media is a pillar of this edifice. It holds up the State and seeks accountability from it. The events of the recent past have led us to introspect on the basic elements of our State. Let the media not stay away from this introspection. Thank you. Role of Media in India Role of Indian Media in the New Age The following is the speech given by Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of HRD and C & IT, on the topic: â€Å"Role of Indian Media in the New Ag†, presiding as the Chief Guest for the ‘Press Club Awards for Excellence in Journalism' , on 5th May, 2012 at The NSCI, Worli, Mumbai. I am privileged to be here with you on a day the media celebrates its exceptional performers. I congratulate all those who have received awards and wish them continued success in their profession.The media has emerged as a pillar of the modern State. The foundation of a modern democratic State lies in its ability to secure fundamental rights promised to its people, to deliver justice and lead its people to economic and social progress. Democracy is defined by freedom of speech and expression. Media is an embodiment of these rights that define democracy. If we look back into history, the emergence of the modern nation-state where the sovereignty vested in its people is closely related to the spread of the printing press.Guttenbergaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Bible (the first printed book) was a precursor to the spread of democracy and republican thought across the world. Rousseau was mild mannered, but his thoughts disseminated by the newspapers in the coffee houses of Paris resulted in the French Revolution. Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as the slogan for the Revolution owes much to the media of the day. The Indian media has been truly a pillar of the Indian State. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. The Indian media has indeed been vigilant and persuasive in protection of freedoms and awakening thought.If we have preserved our democracy in the midst of periodic lapses into dictatorships in our neighbourhood, the credit should go to our founding fathers who created robust institutions and to the media who kept a vigilant watch at preserving these institutions. However, the nature of media has also been changing over the last two decades. The eme rgence of the electronic media in India over two decades ago since the first war to be witnessed live by millions in the cosy comforts of their homes, brought the power of imagery to the forefront.The growing dominance of imagery over substance in an era where time is of the essence and competition is intense, has brought about the need for stoking fires, beaming controversies and heated debates in the media. The divergence of approach between the print and the electronic media has been amply demonstrated in the events of the last year. Todayaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s media does not provide much space for settling differences, it prefers to dog the protagonists forever reminding them of the past. There is a problem with this approach. We do not sufficiently celebrate our achievements, we do not appreciate the progress that we make.The spread of negative sentiment leads to despondency and inaction. Infact, todayaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s headline in a prominent newspaper speaks of the fear that stalks t he corridors of bureaucracy. Despite the exhortation of the Prime Minister, the civil services today is afraid of action, for any action can be questioned. Faith and trust in all institutions are being eroded. Rampant mistrust, I believe, has slowed governance and if not corrected, can imperil the foundations of democracy. We have much to correct, but it is necessary for room for correction to be available.When there is a dispute in a family, the members retire to a place of seclusion to settle their differences. Today, there is no such place available due to the omnipotence of media. Competition spurs innovation, but unhealthy competition can lead to pandering. The rush for eyeballs in a crush of problems leads to extremes being aired rather than the moderate being heard. In such a situation, the responsibility of the media to the larger society gets diluted. At the same time, I would for one strongly oppose attempts to impose responsibility through regulatory action.It is for th e media to ponder and find solutions for itself. If the media fails to do so, just as we are witnessing a clamour for judicial accountability because the judiciary has not succeeded in inculcating responsibility within itself, a similar clamour for media accountability would grow. Another trend that has emerged in the recent years is the growth of the social media riding in the ICT revolution. Social interactions have exploded as never before, aided by the connecting power of the internet. The ability of thoughts to converge and congregate have multiplied manifold.These interactions have led to questioning of the present order and the search for a better world through the social media. The outpourings of protests all over the world aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" from aâ‚ ¬? Occupy Wall Streetaâ‚ ¬? to the aâ‚ ¬? Arab Springaâ‚ ¬? , from the aâ‚ ¬? Lokpal agitationaâ‚ ¬? to the million mutinies erupting across the globe – made 2011, the Year of the Protestor. Street dissent in Democracies has become prevalent. Simultaneously, we are witnessing the overthrow of Dictatorships. Thoughts and deeds, actions and reactions jump across the globe to reach the mind-space of people in the twinkling of an eye.The internet today is the public square of the Grecian city-state democracies. And media is slowly ceding space to the internet as the harbinger of news and views. Our country is a nation of vast diversity and complexity. We were fortunate that our founding fathers bequeathed us an edifice that we could be proud of. A free media is a pillar of this edifice. It holds up the State and seeks accountability from it. The events of the recent past have led us to introspect on the basic elements of our State. Let the media not stay away from this introspection. Thank you.

Free Essays on Original Writing-Money

Original writing-MONEY I could only imagine that there has always been some sort of currency. Money has taken many forms, from the gold and silver coin of the past to today’s sterling note. Money is essentially the way in which the world trades but has spiralled into something much bigger. With great wealth comes a great social status and with a great power. This has been highlighted throughout history and can be seen today in the differences between the West and the developing countries. Whilst there are people lots of money, there are also people with little money this may be due to uneven distribution of wealth. Many non-for-profit charities help less developed countries. Yet, these charities can only do so much. For me money is a way of obtaining the material things I want. In today's media, there are many black artists that still rap and sing about how their ancestors were killed and enslaved for money. One of these artist is Kanye and in one of his releaseses he says â€Å"they made us hate ourselves and love their wealth†. What he is saying here is that the colonialists’ left a legacy of greed to the people they enslaved and made wealth and riches more important thatn their own lives. Jay Z who is another black rapper says in his song ’99 problems’ â€Å"half a million for bail cos’ I'm African†. This suggess that jay Z’s views are that because he is not of a white ethnic background, the government, officials will demand a bail payment that is proportionately higher and again this refers back to slavery when human traffic was currency. Money is very distinctive in appearance in any country you go to. In British currency, it would be hard to mistake a  £5 note with a fifty pence coin. Each sterling note, although having the same format as the other notes, has considerably noticeable characteristics. All of our British currency has a print of the queen’s face on it, a bank of England sign and a watermark... Free Essays on Original Writing-Money Free Essays on Original Writing-Money Original writing-MONEY I could only imagine that there has always been some sort of currency. Money has taken many forms, from the gold and silver coin of the past to today’s sterling note. Money is essentially the way in which the world trades but has spiralled into something much bigger. With great wealth comes a great social status and with a great power. This has been highlighted throughout history and can be seen today in the differences between the West and the developing countries. Whilst there are people lots of money, there are also people with little money this may be due to uneven distribution of wealth. Many non-for-profit charities help less developed countries. Yet, these charities can only do so much. For me money is a way of obtaining the material things I want. In today's media, there are many black artists that still rap and sing about how their ancestors were killed and enslaved for money. One of these artist is Kanye and in one of his releaseses he says â€Å"they made us hate ourselves and love their wealth†. What he is saying here is that the colonialists’ left a legacy of greed to the people they enslaved and made wealth and riches more important thatn their own lives. Jay Z who is another black rapper says in his song ’99 problems’ â€Å"half a million for bail cos’ I'm African†. This suggess that jay Z’s views are that because he is not of a white ethnic background, the government, officials will demand a bail payment that is proportionately higher and again this refers back to slavery when human traffic was currency. Money is very distinctive in appearance in any country you go to. In British currency, it would be hard to mistake a  £5 note with a fifty pence coin. Each sterling note, although having the same format as the other notes, has considerably noticeable characteristics. All of our British currency has a print of the queen’s face on it, a bank of England sign and a watermark...

The Changing Global Economy ( ECON401 ) Assignment

The Changing Global Economy ( ECON401 ) - Assignment Example The firms which had failed in UK allowed their businesses to overextend through risk taking and excessive leverage, over dependence on risky product streams like derivatives or buy-to-let mortgages, poor decisions of management in respect of acquisitions, over reliance on wholesale funding. Unprecedented innovation and growth have been seen in the financial sector over the past two decades as new products and higher returns have been sought by the investors in the era of low interest rates. Banks also had an obligation to understand the risks to which they are exposed. The complexity of certain financial instruments and the interconnected developed global market often did not provide well understanding of the dangers involved with the banks, its investors and boards, central banks and regulators (HM Treasury, 2009). The risk models of banks were proved as flawed which was based on incomplete application of principles of finance. It was believed that risks had been widely distributed throughout the financial system by the method of securitization but it proved as mistaken and risks posed by global increase in leverage were under-estimated. The remuneration policies of banks have contributed to the riskiness of financial system as they focused too much on short term prof it. Market discipline also proved as an ineffective constraint on risk taking in financial markets (Independent Commission on Banking, 2011).There were certain deficiencies in the corporate governance of banking institutions. The board of banks failed to understand this and they got prone to the risk management processes of their firms. The senior management also did not question on the sustainability and nature of achieved higher returns. Many institutional shareholders were not able to monitor the effectiveness of senior management of banks nor did they challenge the decisions of board of bank. Generally, the banks and investors rely on the assessments of credit rating agency but

International politics- alignments and alliances Research Paper

International politics- alignments and alliances - Research Paper Example The president despite making the emancipation proclamation fears that certain forces who did not want to see the end of slave trade may inculcate it back to the society. In this regard, the president makes an effort to ensure that the amendment is passed within the end of the month so that slaves who had been freed are taken back to captivity. It is clear that the political class has their own issues and fighting slave trade is not such a bid deal to them; this is more evident from politicians who had just lost their seats. Other political intrigues were evident. Politicians are willing to take advantage of the fight against slavery for their own personal gain. For example President Lincoln seeks the help of Preston Blair who had influence over Republicans. In return, for his support, Blair expected the president to give a political favor. The favor meant more problems because it would upset another faction. The president was however forced to comply with those demands. 12 years a slave shows the predicament of African Americans through the story of Northup and his family. It is clear that slavery was propagated because of the economic gains they made to the masters. Northup ends up in the hand s of Freeman who eventually sells him to Ford who later sold him to Epps. Epps was a sadist who treated slaves with contempt because, like many other masters he believed that they have no dignity and deserve to be treated as such. Through the life of Northup it is clear that slaves were used for economic purposes. Those who worked as slaves were required to work hard because as such they fetched their masters more money. This explains why Northup was able to work for many masters. There is an instance when Ford engaged Northup and told him that he had, â€Å"a debt to pay† and as such would not consider Northup as a free man. To Ford and other like him slaves were purposely for economic gain to the masters. Slaves such as Northup