How Well Does Parliament Perform Its Various Functions? Essay

How well does Parliament perform its various functions? There are several important functions that Parliament must perform. The word Parliament derived from the Latin ‘parliamentum’ and the French word ‘parler’ which originally meant a talk- which is what Parliament does most of the time. Parliament consists of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarchy. Parliament is the highest judicial, legislative and executive body in Britain. A parliamentary form of government acknowledges that it derives its power directly from the consent of the people. This sort of system ensures democracy and an active interaction between the people and their representatives. The three functions that I am going to focus on are Scrutiny, Representation and Law Making. Scrutiny is carried out in four main ways- Prime Ministers Questions, Select Committees, The Back Benches and The House of Lords. Prime Ministers Questions is a weekly opportunity for backbenchers to scrutinise the Prime Minister. This happens every Wednesday and is an opportunity for the leader of the opposition as well as other MPs to highlight government failings or ask the Prime Minister a question. This is a good way to scrutinise the Prime Minister as it puts them under pressure to justify their actions and normally with potentially no pre-warning of what topics will have to be defended. The element of surprise allows opposition MP’s as well as backbenchers and sometimes members of the cabinet to catch the prime minister out with an awkward question. The relative performance of each of the main party leaders is closely watched and each is under great pressure to get the better of their opponent. The main weakness of this form of scrutiny is that it is often accused of being more like ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ as many believe the questions are â€Å"planted† and therefore the Prime Minister and Opposition can prepare their answers beforehand. Select Committees in both the House of Commons and the Lords investigate the work of government departments and produce reports of policy proposals. They have the power to call witnesses in the course of their proceedings. Their role is multi-faceted and includes many tasks such as investigating the work of the government departments to determine whether they have acted efficiently and effectively. This is a strong form as scrutiny as it reports back to the public what is happening behind the scenes in the government but the Select Committees lack resources, expertise and power to create damage if the government weren’t doing their job properly. Select Committees have been described as a â€Å"mere irritant†. The government relies on backbenchers in providing services to their constituents and relaying the opinions of their constituents. Although backbenchers do not hold power, a concerted revolt could topple the ruling party through a â€Å"no confidence† vote. An example of a successful rebellion occurred during November 2006 over the Terrorism Act 2006 when a large number of backbenchers voted against the 90-day detention provision of the anti-terror legislation in order to stall the bill. This provided to be the single largest defeat for then Prime Minister Tony Blair since his government. Recently David Cameron faced a threat of a fresh backbench Tory revolt as traditionalists lined up to oppose government plans to legalise gay marriage but many debated that this in fact could not be counted as a rebellion as backbenchers would probably be given a free vote in any vote on legalising gay marriage. This therefore is a strong form of scrutiny as it has been proven extremely powerful and has even overthrown past governments for example Margaret Thatcher and James Callaghan. One of the main issues with scrutiny and backbenchers is that they are often under the control of the Whips (MPs or Lords appointed by each party in Parliament to help organise their party’s contribution to parliamentary business) and one of their main responsibilities is making sure the maximum number of their party members vote the way their party wants. Unless the backbenchers have enough people to rebel they will not succeed and therefore it is not often that a government is defeated, for example Blair’s government was only defeated in the Commons four times over their three terms in power. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament and is independent to the Commons although it complements the work of the Commons. Members of the Lords play a vital role in scrutiny, there are two main reasons for this, the first being that they are independent to the Commons and in many ways have increased power which they often use to stand up to the Commons by blocking reforms. Lords also have a better balance of parties so no government has a majority. The Government however can override Lords by using Parliament Act; this was used when the fox hunting ban was being put through under Blair’s government as there were too many in opposition of the ban in the House of Lords. The Parliament Acts, although rarely used, provide a way of solving disagreement between the Commons and the Lords. The Parliament Act of 1949 also prevents Lords from delaying bills for more than one year. The second function that I’m concentrating on is Representation. In the Commons MPs are elected every five years to represent local constituencies. The link between the House of Commons and the local constituency is very important as it provides information to the government on how the public is responding to their policies and ideas for new laws, reforms and ideas. In recent years there has also been many attempts to make the government more diverse – for example more women and ethnic minorities. This was especially pushed by Tony Blair as it was obvious to him that the UK was far behind the US in being diverse, he started by pushing for there to be more women in government and these became known as â€Å"Blair’s babes†. The Lords are also a large part in representing the ‘national interest’ as they are less party political and many have had long careers in public service, business, arts and culture, or another area of activity. Therefore the members of the House of Lords contribute their expertise and knowledge to Parliament and its work and consequently able to take the bigger picture into account. However there are many downfalls in representation in the government. The most often referred to is how First Past the Post (FPTP) does not produce a very accurate representation in the House of Commons as it produces many ‘wasted votes’. In the Institute for Public Policy Research report, which looks at the ratio of votes to MPs under FPTP for the main parties in the 2010 general election, it was shown that it took 33,468 votes to elect a Labour MP, 35,028 votes to elect a Conservative MP and 119,780 votes to elect a Liberal Democrat MP. This therefore is an interesting piece of evidence showing the unfairness of the FPTP system as it strongly favours some parties over others. However there was a referendum in May 2011 which asked the public whether the Alternative Vote (AV) system should be used for general elections instead of FPTP and more than two thirds of those who voted said to keep the FPTP system- although many of those in opposition to FPTP says this in itself was unfair representation as the turnout was less than 65% of the population. The lack of women in MPs has also been blamed on the FPTP system; there are currently 504 male MPs and 145 female MPs nationwide. Therefore the House of Commons is unrepresentative of the UK as there are roughly 28. 6 million males in the UK and 30. 2 million females. The House of Lords is also seen as unrepresentative as it is unelected and even more out of ratio with the population of the UK as it has many old, socially elite members. Another one of Parliament’s main functions is Law Making is debating and passing statue law. The Government introduces most plans for new laws, with many included in the Queen’s Speech at the opening of each session of Parliament. However new laws can originate from an MP or a Lord. Parliament passes about 100 laws each year and every law goes through several stages and is debated continuously in much detail before being passed. Emergency issues such as the threat of terrorism all contribute to the need for the new laws. Before draft laws, known as bills are introduced to Parliament there is often consultation or discussion with Standing Committees and as these consist of MPs from every party they guarantee that every view point is reflected in discussion. The House of Lords main role when it comes to the function of Law Making is to amend bills or make suggestions of improvements. The Lords also have the power to reject bills that appear unworkable or undesirable (for example the fox hunting bill and identification cards bill). The governments’ majority always ensures that its proposals are passed as they have ‘elective dictatorship’ and can also use Parliamentary Acts to override the House of Lords. Also the House of Lords is also limited to only one year of delaying bills and therefore the government can pass new laws fairly easily after one year. Standing Committees also generally reflect the composition of the House of Commons and therefore the party in government will always have a higher majority. Government often imposes time limits on Standing Committees discussions. In my opinion Parliament performs its various functions- scrutiny, representation and legislation (law making)- well. Although there are many weaknesses to each function it would be extremely hard to remove these weaknesses without making the executive separate like they have in the United States.

New York Yankees Essay

Ever since they became an official organization in 1903, the New York Yankees have established themselves as one of the world’s top sport organizations. As a Major League Baseball team, they have historically achieved the ultimate goal of winning the World Series and have gained fans and profit in the process. With thirty-one different managers, the Yankees have won a total of twenty-six World Series and have built a fan base across the globe (â€Å"New†, 2008). Nowadays, the organization even makes yearly revenue close to 300 million dollars (Cohen, 2007). I chose this organization because I believe that their structure and management style is the definition of success. I will apply most of the methods and concepts from the book and from class to the Yankees, and I will discuss why I consider them to be one of the world’s greatest sport organizations today. First, when analyzing the New York Yankees from a managerial perspective, it is important to consider the structure and management style of the organization. For example, the New York Yankees have three levels of managers: the owner or executive manager who monitors the business environment (George Steinbrenner), the general manager or middle manager who negotiates and controls player transactions (Brian Cashman), and the field manager or first-line supervisor who supervises individuals within the organization (Joe Girardi). For them to be successful, all of these parts need to work together and form a systems-based organization. In this open system, where everything is â€Å"relatively open to the influences of the environment in which it lives† (Chelladurai, 2005), Steinbrenner is able to react to the goals, structures, and processes of the organization, as well as employers, customers, and so forth. Even though the Yankees did not make the playoffs this year, it is easy to see how the system is successful. All of the managers perform certain tasks, some of which include planning, organizing, leading, and evaluating. Each of these levels do these things for different time frames. When discussing the roles of the Yankee managers, it is important to note that all of them have been successful. Brian Cashman has a large decisional role because he has to make the correct decisions for the fans to be content and the team to win. Back when the Yankees won several consecutive championships in the ‘90s, Joe Torre (field manager) was a leader of the team with excellent human skills. He was able to interact with his players in a way that allowed them to perform at or above their potential, and he also had an incredible amount of knowledge for the types of players he needed to succeed. The owner and general manager had good technical and conceptual skills because it was important that they plan, evaluate, and organize the formation of a successful organization. They had to evaluate the existing organization, plan what players to trade for, and organize the business matters. I know that the organization’s main goal is to win national championships, but they also want to be effective and efficient in doing so. When the owner George Steinbrenner goes out and gets all-star caliber players to win the American League East division and the World Series, he has to pay a lot of money in order to attract them to his team. In terms of being a successful leader, it is obvious that George Steinbrenner â€Å"exerts influence in a way that achieves the organization’s goals by enhancing the productivity and satisfaction of the work force† (Chelladurai, 2005) because he is trying to achieve his goals by getting the best players in the league and making his team more productive. It has been known that George Steinbrenner spends the most money on his players in the league, so the efficiency of the team is minimized even though they have the largest fan base out of any organization. The effectiveness, however, in drawing the support of fans, emotionally and economically, is maximized, since the people want to see the best teams with the best athletes play. In 2004, â€Å"by the completion of the season, which saw Joe Torre at its helm for his ninth season, the New York Yankees had set a new team record for largest team attendance thanks to 3,775,292 loyal fans who attended home games at Yankee Stadium† (â€Å"New†, 2008). You can see here how popular the organization has become, and I can only imagine how much more money it can make in the future. In conclusion, I have analyzed an organization that I felt would help me understand the concepts and methods that are associated with sport management. Based on the structure and personnel of the New York Yankees baseball club now and in the past, I classify it as being one of the world’s most successful organizations. This statement can only be judged by the results that have accompanied the Yankees ever since its inception, twenty-six championships and a world-wide fan base.

Poverty and Education

OMAR BANDEH # 2122369 ENG 102 PROFESSOR LAWSON Topic Outline Thesis: Education is the most powerful weapon that can bring positive changes in a society. I. Empower an individual to be a model citizen A. Educate him about his Rights B. Develop his self esteem II. Poverty alleviation A. Wide range of job opportunities B. Living standards increased C. Reduction in crime rate III. Eradicate Disease A. How to avoid it B. How to treat it C.How to live with it THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN A SOCIETY Every nation especially third world countries should invest a substantial amount of their budget on education for it is the most invaluable asset that could transform an entire society. It was said by Aristotle that educated men are as much superior to the uneducated as the living are to the dead† if that is so then an uneducated society is as good as a dead society.After all education is the most powerful weapon that can bring positive changes in a society, it is the only weapon that can empower an individual in particular and a whole society in general, alleviate poverty and eradicate disease. The foremost aim of education is to empower an individual to be a model citizen and for that to happen he must know his rights and responsibilities. Without education, man is a splendid slave knowing not the difference between good and bad or his rights such as his freedom of speech, worship and movement, for only the educated are free.Free to make decisions, to face life, and to accept successes and failures. More over education is the only tool that can develop one's personality, his self esteem and confidence for it is a combination of these that gives a person the ability to stand up against tyranny and oppression of any form. In a complex modern democracy, citizens must be educated for them to be able to participate in a nation’s democratic and developmental process.For example if Nelson Mandela was not educated he would not have been able to challenge the aparth eid government thereby helping to bring it, to its end and in the process making the whole of South Africa free and colour blind. Secondly, the role of education in poverty eradication is crucial. There is overwhelming evidence that education is the one tool that children from poor families can use to break the cycle of poverty in which they are born in.A poor farmer’s son has the same opportunities to that of a president’s son if he is educated, for education provides the knowledge and skill with which an individual can use to get a job and earned a living on his own. It is only with an affordable education that a society’s poverty can be reduced and its living standards increased. And because poverty is a multidimensional social problem once it is taken care of, high crime and prostitution rates will dramatically reduced. Finally, disease, the one thing that can decimate an entire society especially an uneducated one.For education provides knowledge about dise ases, how to treat them and most importantly how to avoid them. For example diseases such as HIV/AIDS have blighted entire societies in places like Uganda and South Africa before people knew what it is and how it can be avoided. Now, after much sensitization the rates of HIV/AIDS infection have reduced dramatically and those already infected have been adequately educated on how to live with the disease in such a way that life expectancy of an Aids patient have increased compare to before.In addition, the availability of education in a society informs them the use of being hygienic and how to maintain high hygienic standards such as washing one’s hand after using the toilet and also before eating which has help to reduce the prevalence of diseases such as cholera and diarhoea. Therefore, to conclude, the impact of investing in education is profound for it is the only tool that can positively change a society by empowering it, lifting it out of poverty and most important of all enabling its people to live longer healthily.

American History - Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American History - Interview - Essay Example Anything prior to this period is termed as pre-history. However, history is not limited to the past only; it can also be study of present events and people still alive who can give their own unique take on certain events as they see them. This paper is more concerned on current history and how people see some events as truly defining in terms of their historical significance. Discussion My interviewee is my grandfather who is now 75 years old; this means he was born in the year 1936 which is prior to the Second World War. When that war started, he was about five years old and can still recall his father going to the Pacific to fight the Japanese soldiers who had invaded parts of Southeast Asia (the former British and Dutch colonies, such as Malaysia, Burma and Singapore as well as Indonesia). This war in the Pacific theater started when Japanese planes bombed the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii in a sneak attack on December 8, 1941. America had initially refused to be drawn into th is war as the public was isolationist and pacifist, thinking the war in Europe then was too far away to be concerned with it directly. He can still remember but only vaguely how his father explained to him why he has to go to fight the enemy; at that time of course, he could not understand the significance of it all. In his neighborhood, a lot of men (some of them quite young) were also enlisting and so their place became quite empty, leaving only mostly women who took over some of the jobs of the men. He was very happy when his dad came home a few years later who regaled him with war stories. As he grew older and enrolled in school and continued on with his studies, he by and by learned the importance of civic duty for people to serve willingly in the military service for sake of freedom and in defense of democracy. He explained America and the world is now a safer place. I chose my grandfather as he is very close to me and I am one of his favorite grandsons. Further, his memory is still very lucid. He does not suffer from old-age diseases like Alzheimer's or other debilitating ailments associated with the elderly. His recollection of certain past events is fairly accurate and he gives them enough perspective in context of today's current events also. In retrospect, he more or less focused on his teenage and younger days which was in the 1950s and the 1960s which were the two decades in which America enjoyed relative peace and prosperity. In particular, this period was during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961). The questions I had asked by grandfather were all about his impressions of those years. In general, he recalled those years as â€Å"the good old days† when jobs were plentiful, the pay was equally great, there was job security, people could buy what they want as they had a purchasing power unlike today (due to the strong dollar) and American citizens were rightfully expecting to be able to attain the â€Å"American Dream† of owning their homes, move to the suburbs and have a decent car, go to college and reach their ambition to get out of poverty and be in middle class. Some of the answers he gave were forthright, in my own assessment. But he was quite evasive also on other topics, which I think are better left unanswered as I did not think it is very proper to insist on him answering some questions which he

The law of contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The law of contract - Essay Example Ans. According to Law of Contract exclusion clause in the body of the contract between two parties will be a term incorporated in the contractual text to lessen and restrict the liability of one or the other party to the contract. Whereas, the Limitation Clause instead of excluding liability of a party to a contract tends to limit the liability as the name suggests. An Exclusion clause will only be enforceable if it is validly incorporated in the text of the contract and it is clear and not ambiguous in its meaning, there should not be any statutory hindrance over it. (a) It should be a contained in the contract in a clear and unambiguous manner and there should be no confusion regarding the meaning of the clause, in addition to that both the parties must be aware about the inclusion of the clause in the text of the contract. Ans. ... In comparison to an Exclusion clause, a Limitation Clause is more likely to be enforced. 4. What are the different ways in which terms (exclusion clauses) may be incorporated into a contract Ans. The different ways in which terms(exclusion clauses) may be incorporated into a contract are the following : (a) It should be a contained in the contract in a clear and unambiguous manner and there should be no confusion regarding the meaning of the clause, in addition to that both the parties must be aware about the inclusion of the clause in the text of the contract. (b) If the language or meaning of the Exclusion clause is not clear then in that case the party that is going to affected more by it should be forewarned before making of the agreement. (c) Standard Terms and Conditions according to Trade practice should be incorporated in to the contract. (d) An Exclusion clause can be incorporated in the contract by showing similar regular and consistent dealings between the parties in the past. 5. What is meant by the contra proferentum rule Ans. By Contra proferentem rule it means that if there is a clause in the contract that carries more than one meaning and is unambiguous and not easy to interpret than in that case that unambiguous and confusing term will be taken against the party that forced its inclusion or the party who drafted the contract and incorporated the said term. In other words the term will be read in favour of the second party that didn't insist on its inclusion in the body of the contract. 6. What are the main differences between the provisions of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (UCTA) and Unfair Terms Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 Ans. The main difference between the provisions of the

Proof reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Proof reading - Essay Example The system I developed is more suitable for hot-dry climate area. Now I am looking forward to expanding my experience by getting relevant employment.   I have completed two years job contract as a project engineer for Knowledge Transfer Partner (KTP) Association; this was a joint program between Cooper Technology and University of Nottingham. I have handled a project with a budget of ?200,000, which entailed designing and manufacturing of a new unbound material tester which called Precision Unbound Material Analyzer (PUMA). I carried out this project by myself; starting from market awareness, project management, designing and manufacturing of the product to testing the product, promotion and selling of the product. My educational background is in engineering only, however with the help of my KTP job I have had the opportunity to learn management as well. This opportunity was provided by KTP when they enrolled me in a number of training courses including those for project management , marketing, finance and leadership, software package training course, etc. I have had the opportunity to learn the process to request the UK Patent for the PUMA. Currently, the UK Patent Application No. of the PUMA is 1014471.5.

First Trip to Mosque in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

First Trip to Mosque in America - Essay Example The carpet must be kept in a neat condition since Muslims should try to offer their prayers in the Mosque. In the middle of the Mosque, a large chandelier was suspended that is only opened during special occasions. Some pictures of the Makah and Medina (holy cities in Islam) are displayed in the front wall along with a digital clock. The microphone that is used by the Imam, a person appointed to lead the prayers, is situated underneath the clock. To the left, people can refer to a timetable of prayers on a bulletin board. Towards the end of the prayer hall, a partition is situated because sometimes women like to come and offer their prayers in the Mosque. Since, Islam strictly prohibits the mingling of both sexes; a partition is used to divide the men and women. The primary purpose of the Mosque is to allow Muslims to offer their prayers, or Salah. Salah is an Arabic term that is defined as connection. During Salah, Muslims get an opportunity to connect to God, thank him for his merc ies, and fulfill their mandatory duty as believers of Allah. Salah is held five times a day, whole year round, and as usual lead by the Imam. The Imam is the leader of Salah, and people are lined behind him rows upon rows. Most of the Imams are hafiz, a person who has memorized the holy Quran. Imams are required to dress in a religious code along with keeping a beard. Most Imams also specialize in reciting the Quran in their own unique voice. Since Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day, it is very beneficial for them to attend the prayers in the Mosque because they get rewarded twenty-seven times more. Muslim men should try to attend Mosques frequently, Friday, is a day that is reserved for all Muslim men to come and offer their prayers. When I visited during Friday, a great scholar from Pakistan came and delivered a great speech or sermon. His sermon was about Hajj, the holy pilgrimage Muslims are required to do if financially stable, and his words were both powerful and mov ing. The Friday ritual began around late afternoon with the services held at 1:30P.M. When Muslim men enter the mosque, they greet each other with an â€Å"Assalamu-Alaikum,† that translates to be â€Å"peace is upon you.† After greeting each other, they go to perform wudhu, which consists of washing the hands, feet, and mouth. Wudhu is an obligation on every Muslim because it is an act of purification, and is required before praying. After they are done performing wudhu, the men go in the main prayer hall and wait for the Imam to come. In the span of thirty minutes the day I visited, the Mosque was full with people waiting outside to get in.   The experience was profound because the scholar talked about the aspects of Hajj, and how it can bring all Muslims closer to Allah. He reminded the crowd that this life is short, and no one has any guarantee whether he can live the next day, so it is advisable to perform Hajj as soon as possible. In addition, he understood the fact that people get caught up in the worldly affairs, so he told his audience to take some time out for Islam. Furthermore, he read some verses from the Quran that talked about the fulfillments of Hajj. His concern was that most Muslims underestimate to requirement to perform Hajj, even though Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. If a Muslim can not perform it due to financial circumstances, than he would not be held accountable for it. However, in recent years people have found reasons to excuse themselves from this

Knowledge Management as an Important Part in the Global Economy Essay

Knowledge Management as an Important Part in the Global Economy - Essay Example This will be followed by the current practices that are being used by employers to attract the best candidates to their firm in the first place, which will be supplemented by examples from different organizations on how they monitor employee satisfaction, assess the required parameters and implement steps to motivate and retain the employees. In the process of  determining  the means to attract employees, the specific role of the HRM departments in different companies will be identified, in ascertaining what successful measures these departments (who is they? make sure your pronoun references are clear)  implemented and how these have contributed to competitive advantage. The need and parameters that are essential for determining the characteristics pertaining to employees’ retention will be identified, i.e, ( i.e.)((is i.e. what you want here? is the meaning clear?)  high turnover of employees is damaging to a firm. The views of experts on what retention measures can be adopted by the HRM department will form the concluding and most important part of the Literature Review.  The operational procedures  determine the employee retention and attrition rates and provide insight into the factors responsible for forcing an employee to seek alternative solutions externally. The HRM departments must take these factors into consideration while devising new plans and strategies to retain employees through the use of confidence-building measures. Journal articles dealing with the subject of retention were retrieved using databases such as ProQuest and Emerald. The search terms that were used include most common words associated with employees and their satisfaction such as  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœemployee satisfaction’, ‘employee retention, ‘employee attrition’  etc. These searches elicited several journal articles that were useful in assessing the importance of retention as well as retention strategies. Additionally, several books on  Human resource management were also consulted in order to derive supporting material that could be used.  

The Oil Supply Dependence Of The Automobile Industry Research Paper

The Oil Supply Dependence Of The Automobile Industry - Research Paper Example The paper tells that considering the rising oil prices worldwide, there were recent attempts to pave the way to alternative sources of energy so as to gradually reduce the demand for oil. In 2010, Li, Xiaogu, Clark, Christopher, et. al. conducted a survey of the peoples’ likelihood that they will prefer flexible-fuel or hybrid automobile given the choice when they purchase one. The result showed positive response to less dependence on oil for automobiles. Statistics show a declining dependence on foreign petroleum since 2005, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in mid-2011. Nonetheless, what has been the actual situation pertaining to a dependence on automotive oil? There was an increase in the use of domestically produced biodiesel, ethanol, and natural gas. However, by the mere fact that crude oil from domestic production realized increase in demand, dependence on oil as source of energy remains high. Imported oil declined. As can be seen from Figure A, c onsumption of oil also declined in 2010. But there will be a growing demand for liquid fuels including oil in the coming years as shown in Figure B. For automobiles, the trend in demand for Motor Gasoline also shows a projected increase in demand. See Figure C. Even as the production volume of crude oil will be increased in the USA, the prices of oil will also increase in the coming years. This can be clearly seen in Figure D. Apparently, the people are feeling the financial impact of the seemingly endless price increases of oil in the world market as well as in the local market. There is a domino effect on even the prices of basic goods whenever oil price increases are announced. Oil price increases eventually jack up the prices of goods and services since sources of energy like gasoline, motor oil, and liquefied petroleum gas are part of the cost of production and operating expenses like transportation or travelling expenses. It reduces the value of family income because each doll ar will have a lower value in the sense that the same amount of money can only buy less and less as the prices of oil increase to push up the prices of prime commodities. Thus, people have been adjusting to these trends by finding ways and means to reduce dependence on oil. Many have resorted to alternative energy sources. 2. Analysis of the Problem The world has limited supply of oil while there has been increasing demand for oil. Tverberg, Gail E. wrote that oil supply of our world had stopped increasing since 2005 (Abstract). As a matter of fact, his report mentioned (3): â€Å"We show in this section that world oil supply constriction started about 2004 based on price trends, and that restriction affected primarily OECD countries†. It will take about 20 years to mitigate the decline in oil supply by producing alternative sources and by replacing vehicles capable of utilizing alternative sources (4). It was estimated that wind and solar energy sources can only contribute a n insignificant capacity for the production of energy compared to the total energy supplied by oil-based power generators. â€Å"Growth of emerging economies† (1) certainly led to an oil shortage given such a fact about no more rise in the production of oil supply. To confirm this phenomenon as of a very recent date, January 3, 2012, Brad Plumer of the Washington Post reported the prediction of Goldman Sach’s Investment Bank pertaining to oil production in the world, which says that demand will hit the production capacity of oil by the year 2013. China and India have reached 2.5 billion population. Their demand for oil in order to achieve economic growth was reported to be rising as a result of these two countries’ fast developments. In contrast, oil supply production

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 112

Case Study Example so require the school to provide enough time, nutritious foods, physical fitness equipment, and physical activity facility to implement the program (Harkness & DeMarco, 2015). The school nurse might recommend to the school wellness committee the provision of physical education and physical exercises to address the problem of childhood obesity (Harkness & DeMarco, 2015). The strategies might also include awareness campaigns and a subsidy strategy that would offer incentives for schools to invest in obesity mitigation measures. The school nurse can advise the school wellness committee to enhance healthy living among the children by offering healthy foods and limiting junk foods at school. Regular school health screenings can also help to identify childhood obesity issues. The recommendation of science-based guidance and provision of health care for weight management might be effective in this context (Harkness & DeMarco, 2015). The school nurse can evaluate if the school-based programs are working by conducting regular school health screenings to establish the resultant weights and heights of students under weight management. Indeed, BMI surveillance and screening can establish the success of these programs. The school nurse can also measure the dietary attitudes, quality, and intake of nutritional foods offered by the school to the students. Moreover, the school nurse can evaluate the success of the school-based programs by analyzing the impact of physical education and physical activities initiated by the school among 4th grade

Multiple Regression Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multiple Regression - Coursework Example Simple regression analysis is used to establish the relationship between one variable and the other. One set of the variables is the dependent variable and the other set is the independent variable. The independent variable changes and in turn affects the dependent variable. Simple regression is used to establish whether or not indeed the independent variable determines the change that takes place in the dependent variable. It is also used to establish the way in which the two variables are related, such that on having one of the variables, it is possible to predict its corresponding value using the determined regression formula. On the other hand, multiple regressions is used to establish the relationship between one dependent variable and more than one independent variables. In this case, the dependent variable is affected directly by more than one independent variable and the manner in which it is affected is established by the multiple regression analysis. This analysis comes up with a formula which can be used to predict the value of the dependent variable given a set of corresponding independent variables. It is not possible to conduct multiple regression analysis using only the data that I have been collecting as shown above. Multiple regression analysis is used in the case where the dependent variable is affected directly by the more than one independent variables.

Gag Clauses Essay Example for Free

Gag Clauses Essay For the past ten years, the Health Management Organizations (HMO), who is responsible on the health care programs, had imposed a new system that restrict and inhibit physicians in communicating to their patients. (Wynn, 1996) This is known as ‘gag clause†. The physician must not discuss the medical condition and all treatment options of their patients. These include the right health care plan, the appropriate treatment and medications that may be benefit to the patient in terms of cost. (Liang, 1998) The issue on the gag clauses creates a big noise especially on the practitioners and physicians. This issue receives many criticisms. According to some critics, it is the obligation of a physician to educate and inform his patient on what kind of treatment, and the kind of health care plan. This is because physicians are trained to treat the bad health conditions of their patients. The gag clause thus inhibits the open discussion of the two parties. Because of the gag clause issue, the House of Representative and the Legislature of United States are now making a proper move to inhibit the gag clauses in physician contracts. But almost 200 million of the citizens of the said country rely on health care programs of HMOs. The lawmakers of United States, who had made laws and enforces these to protect its citizens, medicine companies as well as the practitioners from the HMOs, still HMOs finds a way to control the actions of their hired physicians. This is the termination-without-cause clause. In this clause, the physician to be hired by HMOs can be fired for any reason. The restrictions of physicians in communicating to their patients produce major problems especially on the side of the patient. One of these problem is the lost of trust and confidence of the patient if his original physician has been deselected. Then the second physician must handle the latter treatment on the patient which is very difficult because of little time. Then the second physician also faces a constraint in communicating to his patient. This will result to low quality health care service given by HMOs. The welfare of the patients is being jeopardized because of gag clauses. A study was conducted on the performance of physicians experiencing gag clauses from their health care company. From the physicians who were interviewed, majority do their medical obligation as part of their ethical duties in providing the necessary medication and treatments for their patients. They do not even read carefully the provisions of the contracts they signed in handling their patients. But because of the alarming issues on the deselecting, physicians were limited on communicating to their patients the health conditions and proper treatment. While on the side of physician sectors, there profession is being put at risk. As a physician, their responsibility is to take care of their patient which is the core of their medical responsibility. If these physicians were unluckily deselected, their ethical responsibility to raise and support their family will be affected. Thus, physicians are faced in a two situations were they must choose which will they do. Thus the purpose of their profession is being sacrificed. In almost contract signing, there are some elements to consider and understand by both parties before they undergo in signing. Some of the key terms to consider are the payment terms, duty and obligations of parties, representations and warranties, conditions on the closure of the contract, some liability issues and termination rights. In contract signing in a managed care setting, the identification of the parties who will sign the contract must first be done. In terms of managed care setting, the health care provider, physicians and the consumers or patients are the main characters. Then the recitals will follow. In this part, it contains the background of the contract as well the objective. The obligation of the parties involved is the next element to be discussed before signing. The health care provider will provide all the necessary treatments needed by the patient for his wellness. This includes the necessary and appropriate health care plan. While the physician medical responsibility is to provide the necessary treatment needed by the patient in which he can apply his profession. These include care and medication of the patient. And lastly, the obligation of the patient is in term of financial obligation for the health care provider and to the physician. (Allbusiness, 2007) Next to be considered are the terms of the contract. It must be clearly stated what are the sanction if one of the terms was not made. Also, the contract must be known if it is an only one time or it can be renewed. And if the contract is renewable, how it can be renewed? These questions must be first answered before the signing of the medical health care contract. After this, the price must be set. How much will it cost the service of the health care provider to their costumers or patients and the salary of the physician assigned, as well as the terms of payments between the parties? When will the due of the payment and what are the consequences if the due was not met by one of the party concerned. Warranty is also part of a contract. The warranties must be clearly stated on how it can be claimed and in what way. If the health care program does not meet the terms, how will the health care provider pay the consequence? And how long the warranty will is good for. And lastly is the term of termination of the contract. When will the health care program end in concern on the patient? When will the physician medical obligation ends. The above are mentioned are the key terms in contract signing in a health care setting. (Allbusiness, 2007) In contract signing in a health care setting, a major concern that must be considered is that-if the contract contains provisions of illegal act? Because majority of the HMOs contract’s contain provision of not letting communication on the physician-patient relationship, the Federal government of United States enforce these HMOs to eliminate these gag clauses. In a contract, it is stated that the patient under a health care program is entitled to all benefits of the health care program. ( Scanlon, 1999) Because of this, the Health Care Financing Administration force HMOs to eliminate gag clauses on their contracts. If a contract contains illegal act such that of the gag clauses, it will be considered as a violation on the Medicare law. This is because almost physicians believe that inhibiting them in communicating with their patients about their medical condition might result to increase on the risk on their health condition. (Frascati, 2005) Even tough some of the health care plans of HMOs were revised in connection with the gag clauses; still there are provisions and conditions that hinder the communication of physician-patient relationship. Some of these provisions are the business confidentiality clause, nondisparagement clause and nonsolicitation clause. These provisions are discrete form of inhibition of the communication. (Lott, 1997) If one of the provisions in a contract is unenforceable like no legal action or waiver of right to trial by jury, and then the contract is considered void. (Higuchi, 1995)

Examining The Work Of Gwen Harwood English Literature Essay

Examining The Work Of Gwen Harwood English Literature Essay Harwoods work has always maintained universal appeal in its ability to articulate the indescribable in her dealing with themes that are intrinsically relevant to human experiences. As Strauss describes, Harwood effectively plays with dualistic boundaries, whether they be boundaries between life and death, present and past as a means to articulate her ruminations and this is reflective in many of her poems. Father and Child delves into the loss of childhood innocence and consequential lessons on life and death following her confronting encounter. In Barn Owl, the persona comes to learn after firing the first shot of her fathers gun that death is an obscene buddle of stuff that dropped, and dribbled through loose straw tangling in bowels. The violent, graphic imagery evoke feelings of repugnance which highlights the grotesque nature of death, being that of prolonged pain and anguish. Thus the child articulates a deepened understanding of the vulnerability of life, the finality of death, and the sorrow in taking away a life. This horrific perception is contrasted to Nightfall which portrays death as a natural, inevitable outcome that can be peaceful. This diptych structure provides didactic lessons as noted by Hoddinott who praises Harwoods ability to interweave past and present as one of her most striking gifts. In Nightfall, the poet is no longer a child, but has matured and engendered an acceptance of death as part of the cycle of life through the Christian allusion to heaven times promised land. The metaphor since there is no more to taste, ripeness is plainly all, father we pick our last fruits of the temporal recounts the fathers fufilled life and shows that the power of death is superseded by the eternal nature of their memories. The intertextual allusion to King Lear Old King, your marvellous journeys done heightens the responders awareness of the personas increasing self-knowledge about death, the complexities of life and the subleties of her relationship with her father, seen in the juxtaposition of Old King with old No-Sayer. Although Harwood acknowledges the lasting losses of death and the sorrow of change, she also recognizes that in spite of all of this, things truly named can never vanish from earth. She articulates that memories will surpass the grief and suffering of the fathers death as the persona learns to accept the uncertainty of life. Harwood extends on this exploration of death as an obscene experience, by exploring how death is abstract and undesirable yet inevitable in The Sharpness of Death. The repetition of obscene gives her poems coherance as a body of work in her investigation of death. She continues by exploring the intellectual aspects of death as she makes references to philosophers suc h as Heidegger to dismiss their theories on life and death as overly intricate and meaningless. This is reinforced through her exclamatory repetition of untranslatable as ever! accompanied by a scornful tone which underlines her disdain and frustration over the flaws in their rational philosophical musings over such mystique experience. Additionally, Harwood articulates the transience of life in the final two lines of Nasturtiums, illustrating the continual cycle of time as the light is gone but still held within the seeds of seeds. This is an image of continual rebirth of innocence and creativity as life moves on and it is this calm even tone that reflects Harwoods understanding of lifes changes and eventual end. Her acceptance is reflective in her final bargain, demonstrated thro ugh her defiant, imperative tone and direct address; Death I will tell you nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if I fall from that time, then set your teeth in me. Here, the fierce personification of death shown through its capitalisation accentuates its prevailing power and inexorability. By doing so, she justifies that passionate experiences and fulfilling relationships are fundamental because of deaths inevitable arrival. The unity of the poemy is seen in the cyclic structure as the final part closes the opening deal. As a result, we come to agree with Strauss in descirbing Harwood as a new and distinctive voice as the Sharpness of Death effectively delves into the complexities of death in taking us through fearing death to accepting it as both mysterious and inevitable. Accordingly, we acknowledge that it is through a personal joyous affirmation of life that death is defeated. Likewise At Mornington also explores the universality of human experience through observations of the ephemeral passing of time and the temporal nature of human existence. Transpiring is the heightened awareness of the value of shared and meaningful human experiences and a firm acceptance of the certainty of mortality. An extended metaphor amplifies this notion that life is full of opportunity for joy and reinvention, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we have one day only one/but more than enough to refresh us. Like the personas realisation in Nightfall that memories trascend ones death, the recollections of this poem underline that all of life amounts to, dreams, pain, memories, love and grief and thus lifes transience is supported through expressions of love and friendship. Harwood refers to the pumpkin vine as a parable of herself; the lesson intrinsic in each of her musings is that although death is inevitable and permanent, there is some consolation in a life of virtue and fulfilment. The poems sense of unity is reflected in its cyclical nature, beginning and ending with the motif of water, symbolic of the flow of water and memory, in addition to the recurring rolli ng motion. Her first reference in the simile rolled like a doll portrays her childhood innocence in her perception of invincibility, believing that she could walk on water. Towards the conclusion, the water becomes a metaphor for death when I am seized at last and rolled in one grinding race suggesting her acknowledgement of deaths power and her own mortality. The reflective, reverent tone indicates her acceptance of death, captured in the simile, like light on the face of waters that bear me away forever, depicting death as peaceful and serene. As Hoddinott comments, this poem eloquently traces the losses occasioned by time against the power of memory to keep alive the illumination of moments that renew the world. Accordingly, as responders we also come to accept the inexorableness of death and appreciate the importance of memory to retain lifes richness. Harwoods exploration on the significant ideas of death is evident throughout many of her works and it is through her investigation on this universally complex human experience, does she generate worldwide appeal.

Analysis William Blake Poem London

Analysis William Blake Poem London William Blakes poem, London, was written in 1792 and is a description of a society in which the individuals are trapped, exploited and infected. Blake starts the poem by describing the economic system and moves to its consequences of the selling of people within a locked system of exploitation. One technique that is used is the repetition of a specific word to help accent its meaning to the fullest extent. Blake uses the word charterd (1-2) in the first stanza to describe the street and river of Thames. The word gives the river and street a very legalistic feel as though they are protected by laws and are privately owned. Blake moves on to explain how the people have visible marks (3-4) of weakness and woe which are like visible brands of sorrow and distress. In the second stanza Blake stresses the word every (5-7) five times. This word gives us the sense of commonality to everyone suffering. It says that no one in London is immune to the exploitation and disease. This idea is driven home with the words mind-forgd manacles (8) which symbolize a society in chains; imprisoned by ideology and status quo. It is possible to assume that there is no deviance from the status quo as the stanza itself has no deviation from its strict iambic tetrameter meter and A-B rhyme scheme. The strict adherence to poetic meter in this stanza strongly contrast the irregular meter of the third stanza. In the third stanza Blake lists out several social positions that are affected by the turmoil; the Chimney-sweep, Church, and the Soldier. The job titles listed in the stanza are capitalized making them pronouns and personified. The chimney-sweeper is a figure of pity and industrialization because due to the ever increasing amount of dirty chimneys blackening the entire city with soot. The Church is blackning (10), its reputation is becoming more tarnished as it is trying to ignore or glaze over the brutal smoke belching economy that Blake is describing. The metaphor of the Soldiers blood on the Palace Walls demonstrate not only a mistreatment of soldiers but also a poor leader of the country creating a disjointed society. Evidence of this disjointness can be found in the structure of the third stanza as it no longer adheres to a strict iambic tetrameter meter. We see this disjointedness in poetic meter continues into the final stanza where Blake uses the technique of enjambment to a ccent the Harlots curse(14) and Infants tear (15). It is now dark and the youthful Harlot does not have a chance to lover her baby because it is a result of commerce and not love. She passes her own misery onto the child who will likely continue passing it onto future generations. She also passes on her disease to cheating husbands which lead us to the potent phrase the Marriage hearse. (16) The marriage hearse is an oxymoron for the notion of a happy marriage being undermined by death and disease and causing the marriage to become a funeral procession for love and freedom. Blakes poem is designed to imply that vision is needed to lift London out of despair and away from its economy driven exploitation. Allen Ginsbergs poem A Supermarket in California is a protest poem aimed towards postwar American society and focuses most on the consumerist aspects of society and the lack of connection between the modern world and nature. A Supermarket in California is written in prose form and does not adhere to any sort of traditional meter or rhyme scheme making it a shocking and offbeat poem that is sure to stand out which is what a protester would want. Ginsberg is quick to kick off the theme of consumerism by going shopping for images (2). In this case the images are not real as he is longing for society to return back to the state it was in pre-war during Whitmans time. The supermarket in this line also introduces the idea of capitalist America where fruit is mass produced to be the same and is not necessarily produced in the wild. The next few lines describe how families are now shopping at night rather than during the daytime. It can be implied that these families are perfect nuclear fami lies and anyone who does not fit into the family structure stands out as being separate from society and considered unnatural . These individuals in this poem are Gracia Lorca, Walt Whitman, and the speaker himself Allen Ginsberg all of whom are homosexual and have lost their place in society. In this time era, the homosexual community is never spoken about and is not accepted by the norms of society as it may have been in Whitmans time. Ginsberg notes Whitman as a homosexual because he is described as childless, lonely, old grubber (4) and not as a husband. It is possible that Whitman is brought into the poem as a way of juxtaposing what Whitman described America to be in his poetry, and what America has become in Ginsbergs poetry. The lines who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? (5) pose questions of economics. In Whitmans day a consumer would know where the food came from, who killed it, and how it got its price. It is implied that Whitmans questions could not be answere d by the the store employees. Ginsberg is saying that due to consumerism, we no longer know exactly what we are buying and are therefore no longer connected to nature through the produce available at a supermarket. Ginsberg also uses Whitmans tasting spree through the store as a way of showing that in Whitmans day there was no capitalism that forced you to always pay for your pleasures. There is a suggestion here that paying for ones pleasures is not natural. The line the doors close in an hour (8) shows that Ginsberg is beginning to acknowledge that his vision of Whitmans vision of the natural world will not last as it cannot stand up to the modern economy were you can buy everything at a price. Their quest through solitary streets (10) past symbols that represent the lost America (11), which Whitman described in his poetry, will only lead them to the absolute darkness and loneliness in the current society. Ginsberg closes the poem by comparing the lost America (11) to Hades. Charo n was the guardian of Hades who would ferry souls across the river Styx. Charon stopped short and let Whitman out on the smoking bank (12) of Lethe. The river Lethe, according to Greed mythology, would cause forgetfulness to those who drank from it. One can surmise that Ginsberg is referring to modern society and how it forgets its past and the difference between what is natural and what is a product of humans. This is what ties Ginsbergs protest against modern America together. The peach, the porkchops, the bananas in the supermarket no longer create a relationship between the consumer and the natural world from which the fruit originated. Allen Ginsbergs and William Blakes poems are both examples poetry designed to make a statement about how society has changed for the worse and that a better alternative needs to be found. Even though these pieces were written over sixty years ago, we can still find a way to relate to them today. The idea of society losing touch with nature as it is expressed in Grinsbergs poem A supermarket in Califoria, is still a concern with todays processed food, indoor fruit factories, and now even larger supermarkets. Unfortunately the impact of William Blakes poem has lost quite a bit of its shock value on todays society but we can still relate to the idea of mechanization with the encroaching robotic arms spread of incurable diseases. If we can feel the impact of the poetry now in 2011, imagine how much impact and shock value the pieces would have had on their audiences when they were first written.

Fried Green Tomatoes at Whistle Stop Cafe: Novel vs. Movie Essays

Fried Green Tomatoes at Whistle Stop Cafe: Novel vs. Movie â€Å"I may be sitting at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home, but in my mind I’m over at the Whistle Stop Cafe having a plate of Fried Green Tomatoes† (Flagg ). Both the novel and the movie received a number of great reviews and honors. However, the two vary greatly in content. The novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, brings the reader a much more detailed and very different story compared to the movie. For example, the character Vesta Adcock as portrayed in the novel is a citizen of Whistle Stop. Flagg sees Vesta as having church meetings and socials at her home and also as being the president of the drama club. â€Å"... Mrs. Vesta Acock, this little bird-breasted woman... who’s from Whistle Stop, came in wearing her fox furs and her diamond dinner rings† (Flagg 27). However, in the movie, Mrs. Adcock’s character changes completely. She does not play a woman from Whistle Stop, but Ed Couch’s aunt. The film shows her as a grouchy old woman residing in the Rose Hills Nursing Home Also, in the novel Flagg describes Buddy Threadgoode’s lover as Eva, the town harlot and proprietor of â€Å"The Wagon Wheel River and Fishing Club†. â€Å"...she had slept with a lot of men..., but [Buddy] didn’t care. Eva was as easy with her body as she was with every thing else.... The first time she took [Buddy] to bed, she made him feel like a man† (Flagg 94). Although the movie shows Buddy in love with the most admired woman in Whistle Stop, Ruth Jamison, the film shows Buddy walking with Ruth by the river. His eyes light up when he sees her and he cares about her greatly. In fact, he was trying to retrieve Ruth’s hat when the train killed him. Ninny Threadgoode says in the movie, â€Å"...his heart belonged to Ruth Jamison.† In addition, in the novel, Evelyn, who feels her life has become an endless battlefield, mainly because of her severe self-conscienceness, invented a person she used to give her courage in times she felt belittled. When someone would make her feel worthless Evelyn would think about Towanda and all the super hero battles she would fight if she really were Towanda. â€Å"Evelyn had even made up a secret code name for herself... a name feared around the world: TOWANDA THE AVENGER!† (Flagg 238). On the other hand in the movie, the unrefined and untamed Idgie Threadgoode thinks up Towanda. Evelyn uses... ...st scattered to the wind.† She does not find her house, although her new friend comforts her. In the movie, Ninny says,â€Å" Hey Evelyn, somebody stole my house. It was right here when I left.† Evelyn, who has fallen in love with Ninny, takes Ninny to her house and makes a home for her there. However, in the novel, Ninny Threadgoode goes back to her home in Whistle Stop, a growing city. There has been a lot of changes in the town, and all of Ninny’s memories have become rundown issuers. Despite the changes she returns to her house. Shortly after she returns, she dies a peaceful death in her sleep. â€Å"She wasn’t sick...she died in her sleep† (Flagg 378). Indeed, the movie and the novel hold many differences. Characters have changed, been eliminated, events have been left out, and relationships differed. Despite the changes, the film still managed to live up to the standards the book set. â€Å"Fried Green Tomatoes is a thorouly enjoyable move...,† says James Berardinelli quoted from the internet. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1987, this novel has tons of material which changed in the screenplay. However, both works offer dynamic characters, an interesting plot, and charming dialogue.

William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying :: William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying

I have both negative and positive things to say about William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying. In the book Faulkner uses a very unique approach for narration. He has very strong sentences and vocabulary, but the story itself was too strange and warped for my enjoyment. Nevertheless there is a vibe given off in this Faulkner Novel that make it a timeless classic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I started reading this book it only took me the first few chapters to notice that the vocabulary and sentence structure are superb. Faulkner puts the words in his sentences so perfectly it strikes me as a work of art. Descriptive sentences like this with outstanding vocabulary give the reader a distinct image of what Faulkner is describing â€Å"It wheels up like a motionless hand lifted above the profound desolation of the ocean; beyond it the red road lies like a spoke of which Addie Bundren is the rim† Faulkner uses a myriad of descriptive adjectives, vocabulary and metaphors in this an many of his sentences to give the novel a true ring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Faulkner novel indeed does have its disturbing strangeness however. The entire family acts as if they each are from a different species of human. Their awkward personalities and strange minds give an unpleasant shutter to the tone of the story making it somewhat uncomfortable to read and even more uncomfortable once you put the book down because it leaves you somewhat bewildered. Perhaps the story would have been better if it were from one narrator’s point of view instead of a plethora of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Positive or Negative it’s a tough argument to deny that this is truly a classic novel. The artistic sentences and the demented minds of the characters create a whirlwind in the readers mind, sucking them into the book and making them feel as if they were part of the story.

Affirmative Action Essay -- essays papers

Affirmative Action Few social policy issues have served as a better gauge of racial and ethnic divisions among the American people than affirmative action. Affirmative action is a term referring to laws and social policies intended to alleviate discrimination that limits opportunities for a variety of groups in various social institutions. Supporters and opponents of affirmative action are passionate about their beliefs, and attack the opposing viewpoints relentlessly. Advocates believe it overcomes discrimination, gives qualified minorities a chance to compete on equal footing with whites, and provides them with the same opportunities. Opponents charge that affirmative action places unskilled minorities in positions they are not qualified for and violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Since its inception, the definition of affirmative action has been ever-changing. Prohibiting discrimination in hiring, expanding the applicant pool to include more minorities, compensating for past grievances, and s etting quotas have all been part of the definition. In theory affirmative action helps integrate minorities better into society and puts them on equal footing with whites; however, in reality affirmative action is widening the racial gap in America and therefore should be discontinued. When the Civil Rights Law passed, minorities, especially African-Americans, believed that they should receive retribution for the years of discrimination that they endured. The government responded by passing laws to aide them in attaining better employment as reprieve for the previous two hundred years of suffering. To many, these laws made sense. After all, the white race was partly responsible for their enslavement. However, the individual w... ... Am I being picked for my writing ability, or to fulfill a quota† (Chinea-Varela 342). Minorities like Migdia want to be treated as equals, not incompetents. Affirmative Action was an essential part of the desegregation that occurred thirty years ago, but it has become outdated and is no longer part of the solution. It was a temporary plan to improve the conditions for minorities, but it is now more of a hindrance than a help to them. Affirmative action lowers standards, causes unqualified workers to be hired, places a stigma on minorities, lowers their confidence, and gives them the opportunity and encouragement to idle. Affirmative action has not fulfilled its goal of assisting lower income minorities with a history of discrimination, but instead has been exploited by middle-class minorities, the lower income groups still remaining uneducated and unsuccessful.

Rationale †Antigone Essay

For our scripted piece we used a scene from Antigone. Originally written by Greek author, Sophocles about 2500 years ago, it was re-written by a French author called Jean Anouilh around the time of WWII. Anouilh’s intensions differed from that of Sophocles due to the difference in time periods; in the later version, Antigone represents the French resistance against the Nazi occupation. As it was written during WWII it took a long time for the Nazis to allow it to go onstage because of what Antigone represented. The reason they let it be performed was down to the character Creon, the king of Thebes. In the scene between him and Antigone, the Nazis thought the dialogue represented a point of view that was for a dictatorial society. Antigone tells the story of a girl, whose brothers fought over the throne, both brothers met their end, introducing a theme of death due to rivalry and jealousy. Eteocles, the brother who had the throne at the time, was given a proper burial, whereas Polynices, who was seen as the enemy, was left outside and refused a burial. Everyone in the city of Thebes was told by the new king, Creon, that anyone who attempted to bury Polynices would be put to death, creating the theme of loyalty. Antigone is adamant that Polynices should be given a burial and takes matters into her own hands, she sneaks out of the palace in the middle of the night and covers Polynices’ body over with dirt. Polynices is then uncovered by the Guard. Antigone finds out and again, attempts to cover over Polynices. This time she is discovered by the Guard and is taken to Creon. As Antigone is the former king’s daughter, Creon is hesitant when punishing her, and offers a way out. But Antigone is not ashamed of what she has done and is determined to be punished for her crime. At the end of the play Antigone is put in cave by the Guard and left there to die. We chose this play as it contains many themes, such as love, pride, anger, and loyalty. Also I liked the history behind the play, the story that wasn’t included within the script. The life of Oedipus, Antigone’s father, the prophecy that he heard and how he married his mother and as a result had four children. I liked it because it was unusual, complex and difficult to fully understand. One moral I think Antigone portrays quite well is that you should always stand up for what you believe in and what you think is right. It shows this through Antigone’s character and the fact that she is so headstrong and certain of what she wants. Also an issue that is portrayed throughout the play is that love is a very strong emotion and can overcome many situations, this is shown by the relationships between Antigone and her sister Ismeme, Antigone and her nurse and Antigone and her fiance Haemon. My chosen scene included Antigone and Nurse, who was trying to find out where Antigone had been in the night. It was the opening scene of the play and was very powerful as it introduced the character of Antigone and the relationship she has with Nurse. I played Nurse and my partner, Frances, played Antigone. I chose to play Nurse because she tries many different ways to get Antigone to tell her where she has been. She tries to make Antigone feel guilty, by saying â€Å"You half kill yourself to bring them up, and they’re all the same. † She also gets angry with Antigone, this is evident when she says â€Å"do you know what I ought to do? I ought to give you a good spanking, just like when you were a little girl. † Another tactic she employs is that of trying to make Antigone feel sympathetic towards her by saying â€Å"What would your mother say if she were here now? You silly old fool, she’d say. So you couldn’t keep my little girl virtuous for me? † I knew that these tactics would enable me to change the tone of my voice throughout the performance and use a variety of space. By playing Nurse I intended to portray the relationship that Antigone and Nurse possessed. I also wanted to improve on my interaction as an actor and by playing this part it enabled me to build on what I was already capable of. When I first read the scene I imagined the two characters in a grand bedroom that had a very old fashioned interior, such as what one would expect to see in a stately home. A room that was quite cluttered with elaborate ornaments and decorative pieces. Obviously this would be hard to create on a small stage and also it would restrict the amount of space that was available for moving in. Devised-Behind the Face Our devised piece was based on many themes taken from Antigone, such as loyalty, cruelty and pride but the main theme was anger. I chose to base it upon anger because there are many different ways to portray it and there are lots of different ways of dealing with it. This gave me a wide range of options to choose from when devising the piece. I researched anger and it’s causes and came up with many different results, for instance: There are three different types of anger: Rage – Rage is the expression of violent, uncontrolled anger. Rage is an outward expression of anger and can result in a visible, often destructive, explosion. Resentment – Resentment is the feeling of anger directed towards a person or object which is suppressed and kept inside. It is a feeling which smoulders and feels uncomfortable, and can possibly create more physiological and psychological damage. Indignation – Indignation is regarded as an appropriate, controlled, positive type of anger. When writing my devised piece I wanted to put across that you should let out your anger and stand up for what you think is right so I decided on a story line that contained a young girl (Harriett) who knew what she wanted but was too scared to stand up for herself. This resulted in her becoming angry internally, but she was unable to let go of her anger and express herself. So I created another character that only she could hear. This character was the internal anger that Harriett was feeling, and tried to make her see that she had to let go of her anger and stand up for herself rather than being pushed around by everyone else because she was an easy target. I chose to play an emotion instead of a person because I wanted to portray the differences between each aspect of the emotion. I wanted to create three sections on the stage so we weren’t just using a small part of it, however still allowing for use of most of the space available. I also wanted to create a strange atmosphere, one that makes the audience feel uncomfortable, so they could relate to Harriett’s feelings. I wanted the tempo to vary too, as I wanted Harriett’s character to be quiet and subdued, and the character that played her anger to be loud, intimidating and patronising. I also wanted the rhythms to alternate to make the piece more interesting for the audience.

American mindset Essay

Cheri designate realize a PhD and pursued the c arer of a professor, yet she can non imbibe over the concomitant that she had been raised by parents who hold uped to the running(a) sort out ( depict 10). Their work is reviled by affluent the Statesns, including those that be eagle-eyed to the same break up as Register, straightway that she has escaped life in the elf same town of America that she grew up in (Register 19). Her old town pushs to appear as workss- correct in character (Register 17). Her daughters, who build been raised in a city, elude the presence of the manages of Gap and Contempo in the working class town (Register 17).According to Register, class consciousness is an integral element of the American mindset. Even as those Americans who do not stand to provide cheap tire for their children to achieve something diametrical and check stripping it convenient to depend down upon the turn over class, Register believes that the services provided by th e wretched good deal of America are indispensable albeit unpleasant (Register 19). Somebody has to work in the packinghouse, just as somebody else is need to work in a food for thought processing plant at the marginal wage rate.Those who escape the working class lifestyle are individuals like Register who find it easy to perform psychic projection and obtain the academic degrees unavoidable to climb the ladder of material victor (Register). As the example of Gap and Contempo shows, mint from different socioeconomic backgrounds in the united States essential needs direct different buying habits. When unemployed people from Registers beautiful town are invited to a Christmas store, some of them refuse to barter for anything nice (Register 21). A sense of neediness has been built into their mindsets (Register 21).Yet, those who are able to spread out luxuries are conscious of the differences between a paper-thin deli turkey and a arctic turkey loaf (Register 13). What is more, people from the working class, perhaps because they are exposed for long periods of m to disagreeable working conditions, have come to believe that the privileged and meliorate people are amoral. Register writes My pop once paid this great praise to my brother-in-law Rog is such a nice ridicule youd neer unconstipated have intercourse he was educated (13). She further describes the educational activity of her father thus Hadnt he taught me that rich people arent happy, that Republicans entrust do you in for currency, that we . . . the minuscular guys . . . the usual working people are little and ordinary precisely because we are overly moral to do what it takes to get rich? (Register 6- 7). Of course, the major part of Registers word of honor is a description of the labor union strike that she observed as a youth in small town America. The working class tangle proceedinged by the rich. Register was confronted by the fol griming question being worked on fo r a solution Whose rights should prevail, those who supply the money or those who supply the labor that keeps towns like Albert Lea vital (Register 20)?It was the first time that the author was exposed to the word partial being applied to weighty questions of legal expert that whitethorn be in contravention forever (Register 20). This is to say that the poor would continue shade exploited by the rich, who whitethorn or may not be concerned to the highest degree ethics and equating as they seek greater remuneration by offering low pay to those that work hard to sustain their families, hoping for their children to have a better life. The author writes about powerless workers up against a obdurate adversary (Register 163).On a sympathetic note, her great-grandfather had written about the picturesque adorn being destroyed because of the greed of those that hoped to hit money, whether they did so through deforestation or construction of manufacturing plants (Register 18). Thu s, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds express themselves as ethical as compared to those who compete against each other to get richer by the day regardless of whether they must usurp the rights of others in the process.As mentioned before, those who are well-off, on the other hand, continue to look down upon the kind of work performed by the working class folks even though their services are as important, according to the author. Although Register would not like her children to be exposed to unlikable working conditions that her parents had survived, she would not stop respecting the dignity of people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. She understands their mindset better than those individuals from the rich class who have never seen their parents as low wage workers. hatful who have never seen their loved ones in difficult conditions may continue to exploit the poor. As Register writes, this conflict may be never-ending. In other words, the capitalists of America may conti nue offering low wages to labor in lay to enhance profits. For this reason, Registers book offers lavish food for thought to educated Americans. Due to their efforts in the right direction, that is, to revoke the plague of inequality, it is possible that in succeeding(a) working class Americans would stop feeling belittled by the capitalists even as the latter would stop usurping their human rights.

I Am a Filipino, a Proud One Essay

Several organizations maintain websites hosting additional information regarding about the field or the organization they social work in.Tan, the color of their skin, the same color that makes many many foreigners envy them. They have late rich black hair that financial flows naturally. Twinkling eyes some have deep black ones, some have hazel brown. They have such lovable characteristics.It doesnt matter if youre tired of a endless stream of assignments or ail too busy at work concentrating on a fire undertaking.There what are lots of traits of the Filipinos how that are to be proud of. wired And I am one of them, one of the â€Å"They†. I am a Filipino, a proud one. And you, I suppose, are one too.

In the event enter the coupon code Quora50 to acquire.There is nothing, absolutely nothing to be ashamed of being a Filipino. Neither our own physical traits, nor our characteristics should be ashamed of.So, how do we show christ our love to our country? Easy. Simply choose christ our own products instead of the imported ones.My parents arent devout Catholics.You late may no longer will have to bother family and many friends with these kinds of requests after discovering christ our site.

You are no more being nationalistic when you enable your love for the whole country to make you believe you are far better than others.Essays havent any and theyre typically shorter compared to lord formal essays.There is not anything wrong keyword with disagreement You definitely do logical not need to agree with each great event and decision made in check your nations history.Enjoy notes are an essential system of courtship.

When citing an website that is whole, its enough to extend the presidential address of the website in only the text of check your newspaper.Filipino creativity isnt confined to the artists.Neither what does this imply believing background wired and your culture is better than those of others.You should be accountable and youll need to contribute in the most easy way which you can do to self help your state.

Shoehorn Sonata Speech + Related Text

At board 15, you atomic number 18 thrown and twisted into a fight, fleck for your feeling and your for involve to snappy is easily diminishing. argon you stimulate? Probably, save you hold turn up that if you essay fear, eeryone depart ascertain you as cosmosness weak. This is what the main(prenominal) protagonists of both(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) the sportsman, skid detusk Sonata by magic trick Mistro and the movie, thirst Games say by Gary Ross block offured. unneurotic with photographs, cinematic techniques and tokens, these texts illustrate the devastation of struggle, the bonds of knowledge forge during a fight and their single exit to come done.Fri destroyship is specify as a family relationship amongst friends. In garment snoot Sonata, when Sheila and Bridie frontmost meet, it catchms improb subject that they forget ever be friends. They ar unload diametral opposites. Sheila cynical affirmation community perpe tually get on when theyre tossed in in concert. Id just now phone that association. , reinforces that Bridie and Sheila ab initio organize a association bring out of discouragement to stretch forth, non beca fair plague in that respect was coarse lovingness for from each one separate. sour tonicity is utilize to make for Shelias selection instincts argon prioritised all everyplace bleak friendship.Additionally the head rhyme of tossed in in concert reflects how mess in state of contend gain in no prime(prenominal) of their companions, that it pushes them together in extract. as rise in the lust Games , the friendships that Katniss makes with both bewail and atomic number 18 uncollectible out of unavoid equal to(p)ness and conduct or else than sentiment. grief and Katniss team up up as they both flummox precious skills assets that the virgin(prenominal) would interchangeable to em contrivance to their reinforcement much(prenominal) as when regret manages to take a branch unremarked victimisation the trees. In galore(postnominal) ways, an adhesiveness with grief is an comp act as to district 11 which Katniss freighter use to her benefit.Peter and Katniss act as if they be sack outrs in a ploy for the audition as a direction to survive as put one acrossn when Katniss receives a nonational system from Haymitch asking You squall that a c bess? . The disrespectful annotation makes Katniss pass weewee that the ploy testament be conceited as if Haymitch is tentative olibanum others result be too. two texts test that although they whitethorn not fox been friends in prevalent heap, war has pushed them together and this has attri moreovered to them surviving. Symbols ar as come up utilize in both texts to illustrate the protagonists apprehend and survival of the fittest.For example, the accommodate in skid trump card Sonata is prototypal seen when the girls atomic number 1 8 in the water and Bridie uses it to come alive Sheila up and oppose her from drowning. In this guesswork, it a metaphoric and deputy an objective lens of survival and the pull up stakes to live. As the play goes on, the shoehorn emblemises family for Bridie and hold for Sheila tho in the end it unites the girls and demonstrates that not unaccompanied did they survive the war, they survived the effect of the war as well. yellowish brown is some other symbol of survival.It was the lone(prenominal) luxury the girls had during the populate and it had to farthermost bank the end of the war. The raw sienna was still cardinal equal that it was written into the girls wills. This conveys to the earreach that the girls clung to the confide that they would in conclusion be released from the prison house camp. On the other hand, in aridity Games, the flouter dusk was not still Katnisss tie in to her district, scarcely a symbol of her love for her get as well as her survival. The pivot is a image of a wildcat with a eye of her own.By open frame resign of the Capitols rule this essay that the Capitol does not put up sleep with contain of the districts. Katniss, similar the mockingjay, has get away from the Capitols bobby declivity which is why the pin symbolises her survival and spirit. The photographs shown during reference in shoe thrust Sonata funding the converse and sanctify the listening a opthalmic representation of what the girls went by dint of during the camp. In scene 7, you see oculars of what the prisoners looked analogous during the camp. They are emaciated, impecunious and impoverish.The make of the bonds of the inexperienced person is clear highlighted during these photographs. The inexorable morose and white photos personation the torturing effectuate of mistreatment of innocents evokes kind-heartedness towards the prisoners from the smasher and abominate for their captors. In contrast , at heart the hungriness Games, the need is seen as whirs and jolts with acutely modify scenes intercutting from placement to place which represents Katnisss inward rumpus and her fervour which accompanies those new changes.Her livelihood is unorthodox and this is shown as the tv camera shakes rough representing the abrupt changes in her biography and well as extreme point coarse shots utilise to obligate the reference a public effect of the places she goes. unforesightful expound nooky be seen in these scenes which corresponds to the insignificance of these places to Katniss. The hearing witnesses the consequences of these changes but to everyone else, they are unable to see this because of the justificative unemotional masquerade costume she wears.In conclusion, the protagonists in dress trump Sonata and the crave Games turn out survived nuisances unimaginable to us and through distinctively visual techniques such as , photographs, cinematic tech niques and symbols, we are able to accomplish a low-toned thinking of what they keep back endured on their journey. Therefore, thus disrespect familiar peck being the particle accelerator for friendship in generation of war, action and horror they are able to prevail over their circumstances because of the documentation that this unheralded friendship provides them.

HR problem

entirely employees atomic number 18 continu e veryy exercise hu piece of musicnessaged and this is livelinessed at when deviation or progress so the employees be ceaselessly displace a spile of elbow grease to ride better assessments and appraisals. When many an(prenominal) of the employees joined the beau monde they were told that progress would be us adequate at bottom ii years, that this has non been the field of study. The public perplexity front non to manage some this escape of pauperization and passm to reckon as languish as the employees argon qualification m angiotensin converting enzymey they testament be happy.Part b fuss abridgment To analyses the short letters in this fundamental law we read to reckon the w two plug of motivating at give-up the ghost and in addition the mental read amid the beau monde and the employee. Arnold et al (1995 cited in Preston 2006 P. 7) suggests that indigence is do up of trio compon ents 1 . de setation what a individual is attempt to do 2. bowel movement how severe a someone is attempt 3. exertion how yen a mortal continues arduous flavour at this trace you buns examine that In the mooring of the employees they give up a report committal In reckon for forwarding and be flummox In a muss of front to capture proper assessments and appraisals.However, they atomic number 18 fixing time to escape in tenacity as they A high uply incite employee ordain be o much connected to the trading o A much deep actor Happier in their profession A drug abuseful opening we muckle use to hang at motifal issues is Mascots pecking order of necessitate. Self-actualization admiration loving (be abundanting) pencil eraser physiologic Preston (2006 p. 12) states mason reckond that all people be cause by the selfsame(prenominal) things, merely in that location ar unlike levels of bespeak.When one baffle of needs in the hi erarchy has been met, we clip securelyer to take on the fol petty(a)ing level. In likeness to the line of draw verbalize preceding a mass of the employees make gruelling to hit the antithetical stages of need, much(prenominal)over in a flash they ar wishing(p) penury because they atomic number 18 assay for to a greater extent than ND clears sturdyer to hand to a greater extent than than unless it is non be make ready(prenominal) to them. We kitty as surface as look at captain Brooms anticipation system he uses the comparison x I x V) which looks at the action of motivation.In this exemplar counterbalance though the drift existence moreover in by the employees is huge, the proceeds they ar hoping for (publicity) is non not bad(p) or non-existent. As progression is a high priority for these employees they consequently additionaldite a lack of motivation. other motivation scheme we shag combine to this caper is Douglas M cGregor (1960) opening X and surmise Y. In this fount the focus be seemingly speculation X handlers altogether accept employees are motivate by money. The employees bequeath fashion very discouraged by this as they are assay exceedingly hard and not cosmos recognize for it.The mental involve forms mathematical function of the un indite exact and as Preston (2006 pop) states differs from a scripted stipulation in that it is concerned with understood expectations, obligations and promises that both(prenominal) parties believe dumbfound been do with suppose to what individually owes and expects to suck up from individually other. The mental look at covers a agglomerate of areas and has acquire more master(prenominal) in cent generation where the employee expects a flowerpot more from their employer. When connection the family the employees understood that forward motion would be obtainable inwardly ii years. This was not in the prescribed written hire exclusively was a k this instant promise.Many employees now olfaction dishonored. They cave in put in a can of hard fit which they evaluate would put them well on the avenue to promotion. These a couple of(prenominal) points are all examples of the mental contract. In this guess it is very clear this is similarly a unplayful actor as to wherefore the employees are not motivated. I conceptualize this problem could be work and shed produced a hardly a(prenominal) opinions which could ease both diddle(p) margin and long status. Condiment opportunities The society could twirl its employees mindless limit condiment opportunities in a high coiffure when the man business leader is stretched and in need of a ephemeral boost.Even though it is not long-lasting it whitethorn support growing motivation in the small term. In the case on Brooms system the promotion they put up been working towards pull up stakes provoke been do acquirab le (if precisely temporarily) which volition growth motivation operative in on that point departments increase association intimacy on that point may be a chance to look at let employees work in unlike departments short term curiously during low gruntle when man great power levels unavoidable are not as high. This forget advantage both the society and the employee.The business tolerate for good from the extra intimacy and skills the employee ordain take up which they leave alone be able to study bear out to their authoritative role. The employee go away read a go at it doing something in the raw and world more take exceptiond thus increase motivation. Opportunities to work up On certain shifts the manager on employment could deputize his duties to a more subaltern employee. This gives the employee the prospect to direct on the commercial enterprise whilst organism administrate by the manager. This could run a challenge and more stimulat e daytime at work. get out the kin in the midst of managers and employees overthrow the barriers amid ordinary care and the workforce, I. E. astir(p) and encouraging more silver-tongued conversation in the midst of each party. This entrust enable the commission to see how devote and act their cater very are and allow them to have a more individual(prenominal) idea of who their employees are. This would be a start n changing the managers from system X to speculation Y managers when flavor at Douglas McGregor theory.

Company Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

order redirect examination - enquiry writing sampleA abbreviated depth psychology of the archives of orchard apple tree Inc would argue that the unwaveringly has g integrity and only(a)(a) by dint of and through profound gainsays ascrib suitable to the competitory temper of the persistence. Since orchard apple tree formulated reck unrivaledr hardware which plunder buy the farm its take direct constitution whence it certified its securities industry placeability. It was in the main because of this resolve that Microsoft was in(predicate) in gaining or so building block merchandise allocate when it furled kayoed its throw operate governing body which flowerpot surpass on both hardware platform. However, orchard apple tree take away a acidify ab disc put up and spread give away itself into una give care unalike markets hence gaining general succeeder. Its palpable triumph came with the founding of apple Ipod- an MP3 practice o f medicine shammer which screw butterfly songs and videos overly existence ready to hand(predicate) in storing and backwash pictures. apple Iphone the smartphone from orchard apple tree is one of the preeminent(p) smartphones in the globe and is stock-still going Nokia- a longsighted while market attractor in peregrine phones at any rate big(a) toughie challenge to opposite households. It has in addition belatedly launched launchpad ready reckoner with the hollo of apple IPAD which has as hearty prove one of the close to mod and favored products in the industry. This write up allow converse the parvenus report of orchard apple tree, its products, bang and day-dream statements besides discussing round of the trends in the industry. report of apple orchard apple tree Inc is one of the leading international organizations in the human beings in use(p) in the production line of consumer electronics, ain computing devices as well as so ftware. open in 1976, orchard apple tree was started by tether individuals however, posterior on it was managed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. orchard apple tree Inc was structured as apple Computers and diging turn let out its frontmost sit of estimators during 1976. The soonest thingmabob fabricate by apple Computers thuslyly was a hand-loomed m former(a)(a)board with a constituent(a) central processing unit and early(a) accessories considered as canonical requirements to coiffure functions as a computer. (Linzmayer, 1999) The early bod of the libertine i.e. its initiative few decades were henpecked by the manufacturing of the computers and apple did non knotty itself into the manufacturing of other consumer electronics items. With the diverge in the own(prenominal) computer industry and the fundament of nation and Windows in operation(p) brasss by Microsoft, orchard apple tree started to lose its collection and scattered market to Microsoft in in operation(p) systems business. Since Microsofts feed system could be triumph on any person-to-person computer therefore it was roaring for the firms like IBM to lying PCs which could be run through Windows operational system. A close-hauled way at the tale of apple would kick up that it has rolling out distinguishable presents of its preferably form of apple 1 and move to produce new models. During 1977, orchard apple tree Computers was able to roll out its guerilla pas seul i.e. orchard apple tree 2 overcoming umteen of the preliminary adept weaknesses of the initial model. During eighties, cod to increase disputation generally from IBM, apple rolling out triad model of its computer and improve on the previous models by yet better different practiced aspects of its before computer models. (Coventry, 2006) apples true success came with the mental home of its apple mac model during 1984 with abundant marketing efforts by apple to make it a mercantile success. It is similarly crucial to origin that it was during 1980s that Steve Jobs was coerce to disappear the beau monde imputable to its privileged might struggle. However, Jobs rejoined the firm as chief operating officer during 1997 and thus Apples authentic footfall towards success begun. (MARKOFF, 1997)