Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Caesars Gallic Wars

Sanders Walker Dr. Bishop Western Civilization 103-104 11/20/12 Caesars Conquest Caesar is known as one of the greatest military leaders in history. His was General and later, Ruler of Rome during its peak years. Caesar is known for his military strategy and conquest of much of ancient Europe. Where Caesar made a name for himself was his conquest of the Gauls. Caesars conquest of Gaul consisted of many campaigns throughout northern Europe; the most notable being the battles of Avaricum, Gergovia, and the final battle in Alesia.Caesar and Vercingetorix, the leader of the Gauls, were both similar in ambition. How does Caesar fair strategically against Vercingetorix and the Gauls at the battles of Avaricum, Gergovia and, Alesia? Caesars conquest of Gaul was indeed his most difficult one. Gaul consisted of dozens of tribes and much of the territory being Northern Europe had never been explored before by the Romans. A great amount of pressure was put on Caesar by himself to conquer Gaul.H e was in deep political debt to Rome and its leaders, and he saw the conquest of Gaul to the best way to get out of debt and make a name for himself. Caesar making the first [1]Triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey gained the power of the election and became consul for the year 59 B. C. During this year he was made, â€Å"Governor of Illyricum, or Dalmatia, and of Gaul, that is to say of Gallia Cisalpina† (Pg. 40), this land is really known as a Province that Caesar acquired. Caesar having acquired these lands, but not officially having control, sought to conquer the inhabitants.Caesar is described as, â€Å"In person he was tall and slight, but well-knit; and, if he was as licentious as the mass of his contemporaries, his constitution, fortified by abstemious habits, was capable of sustaining prodigious efforts. His broad dome-like skull ; his calm and penetrating eyes ; his aquiline nose ; his massive yet finely moulded jaw, expressed, like no other human countenance, a rich and harmonious nature, aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬  intellect, passion, will moving in accord. And, if his vices were common, his generosity, his forbearance, his [2]equanimity, his magnanimity were his own.He believed, with an unwavering faith, that above himself there was a power, without whose aid the strongest judgement, the most diligent calculation might fail. That power was Fortune; and Caesar was assured that Fortune was ever on his side† (Pg. 41). Caesar was extremely ambitious and refused to be undermined by his enemies, this is probably why his conquest against overwhelming odds was so successful. As Caesar dealt with his issues in Rome, there was word that newly acquired provinces in Gaul were going to be marched on by the Helvetti.Caesar left Rome as soon as possible, cutting through the Alps to reach the province of Geneva (Cisalpine/Transalpine province). Caesar legions linked up with the legion of that province and destroyed the bridge or Rhine leading to Geneva. Helvetii sent requests to pass through, but Caesar denied them. Caesar waited out the requests as levies were created and simply denied the crossing of the Helvetii. Some tried to force themselves over, but failed miserably in doing so. Caesar crossed back gathering more legions for his command.Caesar dispersed his legions with Lieutenants into different regions of Gual, with his plan being to divide the already disbanded Gallic tribes. Caesar returned to Rome and received great praise for his victory over the Helvetii. Caesar marches back towards northern Europe in 58 B. C where Ariovistus and his massive hordes of Germanic soldiers, had become a threat to Caesars campaign against the Gauls outside the town of Vesontio. The legions lacking rest and supplies and fearing Ariovistus, was taking its toll on Caesars men.A panic amongst the legionnaires ensued; Caesar immediately puts to work his persona. Giving a riveting speech to the legions, he regained the confidence overwhelmingly. There on ly several miles separating Caesar and Ariovistus, but many Cavalry skirmishes took place as Caesar tried time and again to force the Germanics to fight. Ariovistus requested several meetings with Caesar, the first resulting in failure due to lack of compromises, and the second because Caesar never attended. Ariovistus refused to fight before the New Moon, Caesar finding this out attacked early forcing the Germans to fight.Caesar having command of the right wing of the legions, had planned on attacking the opposing Germans left wing which was supposedly their weak point. Ariovistus and the German horde fell upon the Roman legions quickly leaving huge gaps between the legions. This prevented the Roman javelins to be thrown. The Germans formed a, â€Å"[3]phalanxes† (Pg. 66), which was a wall of men inclosing themselves in a shielded wall. The Romans made quick dismemberment of this wall of shields as the Romans, â€Å"Dug their swords down into them† (Pg. 66), leading t o the German left wing falling back.The left wing of the Roman legion however was beginning to give up ground. In command of the Caesars cavalry was Publius Crassus, the son of the famed triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus. Publius Crassus led the 3rd line of the cavalry in and quickly rerouted the German onslaught on the Roman left wing. This led to the victory over Ariovistus and the Germanic army. With later victorious campaigns over Aquitani, Usipetes, Tencteri and Atuatuca from 56-54 B. C. Caesar believes Gaul is won and return to Rome to gain political power. While Caesar believed Gaul to be, â€Å"tranquillized† (Pg. 29), or rather under control as Caesar had planned to make all of Gaul a Roman province. The Gallic chieftains discussed in great detail of what was to become of Gaul if something was not done. A rumor quickly spread through Gaul in 52 B. C that Clodius had been murdered and violent riots broke out all over Gaul. The Gallic chieftains of Carnute made quick us e of time while Caesar was still in Rome; a small group of Carnutes stormed into the town of Cenabum and killed Roman merchants and a commissariat officer of Caesars as well.In the Gallic town of Gergovia, a young Gallic noble came to power. His name was Vercingetorix and he quickly assumed dominance throughout Gaul. Vercingetorix was very impressionable and ambitious, much like Caesar. He soon united all Gaul sparking a massive rebellion in 52 B. C. Caesar observed Vercingetorix and saw that he was vastly becoming a huge threat. Roman provinces in peril began to fall due to lack of supplies, But Caesar moved swiftly from Rome to rescue the provinces. Caesar stopped the invasion of Narbo. Caesar still needed to regroup with his legions in the north.Caesars being the brilliant military leader he was, planned to march north through mountains of [4]Cevennes into the land of Vercingetorix, where the land Agedincum was. The journey was rough for Caesars men under the harsh conditions of winter, but to Caesars advantage, Vercingetorix did not realize where the Romans were or where they were going. As Romans came through the mountains, â€Å"Caesar’s horsemen swept over the country in small parties, carrying fire and sword† (Pg. 135), Caesar anticipated that Vercingetorix would come to Agedincums relieve, and he did so reluctantly while Caesar proceeded north to regroup with his legions.Once Caesar had gathered his legions he awaited Vercingetorix next move. Vercingetorix recovered from the Romans strategic maneuvering, decided to go south, opposite of Caesars position and siege Gorgobina an allies of Caesars provinces. Vercingetorix figured this, â€Å"To strike at Caesar’s allies would be equivalent to striking at Caesar himself† (Pg. 136). This indeed was true it was imperative that Caesar could not lose the trust of his allies, but Caesar also knew that pursuing hundreds of miles south without enough supplies would put his legions at r isk of starvation. Caesar contemplated this and decided to relieve Gorgobina.Caesar instead of taking the same route he took to come north he went around in attempt for revenge for the massacre of Roman citizens. Caesar went about it, â€Å"More-over, by ravaging the lands of Carnutes and Bituriges, he might count on forcing Vercingetorix to relax his hold on Gorgobina† (Pg. 137). Caesar captured Vellaunodunum and approached Cenabum with rage as Romans set [5]Cenabum ablaze as supplies were given up to the legions while Caesar marched onwards to Avaricum. Vercingetorix believed the only way to weaken Caesars onslaught through his land was to burn and destroy any resources ahead of Caesar.The Gauls did not receive the news very optimistically. Burning down towns and crops was a harsh method of slowing down the Romans, but Vercingetorix got the Gauls to agree, with this speech he made, â€Å"They must make up their minds to sacrifice their own interest for the national weal. E very hamlet, every barn where the enemy could find provender must be burned to the ground. Even the towns must be destroyed, save those which were impregnable, lest they should tempt men who ought to be in the field to go to them for shelter, and lest the Romans plunder their stores† (Pg. 139).The Gauls still however thought to defend Avaricum rather than burn it to the ground. Avaricum was surrounded by walls and marshes and moats. Caesar made his encampment south of Avaricum several hundred yards out. Caesar realized the only way to siege Avaricum was to build siege towers and terraces. The marshes could not serve as proper platforms so, â€Å"in order to provide a secure foundation, the ground was cleared of obstructions and leveled as far as possible by men working inside stout huts† (Pg. 140). Wooden shields protected men relaying material through, â€Å"lines of sheds† (Pg. 40), as it was said to have taken several weeks to construct the towers. The effects of Vercingetorix burning of Gallic resources began to take its toll on Caesars legions. The Romans supplies began to dwindle and as Caesar sent men out to gather supplies and resources, Vercingetorix had patrols keep track of Caesars movements. Caesar was surrounded and while they waited to attack Avaricum, his men killed the cattle for food. Caesar did all he could to keep his legions spirits up, he would tell them, â€Å"He would abandon the siege† (Pg. 141), but the legionnaires were stubbornly loyal.A small attack was made on the towers, but only set the construction a day behind. The following day Caesar conducted his siege of Avaricum. The siege took no time at all with the Romans climbing the walls, they realized it was pointless to go down into the city, but rather, â€Å"They lined the wall round; and not a man of them would come down. Throwing away their weapons, the Gauls ran for their lives through the town to its furthest extremity; and there many jostling one another in the narrow gateways, were slaughtered, while others, who shouldered their way out were cut down by the cavalry† (Pg. 146).This was indeed a massacre by the Romans; no one was spared not man women or child. The Romans found a multitude of resources such as corn and other supplies. The Gauls were outraged by this massacre at [6]Avaricum. Caesar had hoped to break the Gallic pride with this victory, but it did quite the opposite. Vercingetorix following the massacre made a speech and a promise to Gaul. This speech gave Gaul a new found enragement and confidence. Caesar marched south to Gergovia, Vercingetorix homeland. Once Vercingetorix got word of Caesars movement he quickly destroyed all bridges along the river leaving only the bottom intact.As the Gauls caught up with Caesar, the Romans found it impossible to repair the bridges with the Gauls watching. Caesar was forced to come up with another diversion; under the cover of darkness he moved opposite of one of the b ridges, and in the morning, â€Å"he took forty out of the sixty cohorts, composing his force; arrayed them in six divisions, so that seen from a distance, they would look like the six legions† (Pg. 149). With Caesar outwitting Vercingetorix, he moved south toward the mountain of Gergovia.As Caesar approached Gergovia a cavalry skirmish ensues, but the Gallic cavalry of Vercingetorix is forced back in the stronghold of Gergovia. Gergovia was going to prove to be another difficult siege due to its geography, â€Å"The town stood on an oblong plateau, which formed the summit, extending about seven furlongs from east to west, and six hundred yards wide† (Pg. 150). The town also had an outer wall as well, but the weak point appeared to be the southern wall. There were two large encampments in Gergovia, the smallest was on the southern wall, while the main encampment was on the steepest part of Gergovian wall.Caesar under the cover of night had several divsions move up the southern wall having Vercingetorix think that was where the main attack would be. Caesars full-scale attack actually occurred on the eastern or steepest side with Vercingetorix largest encampment was. The Gauls were caught off guard, â€Å"but the Romans deceived by their armour, took them for enemies: the Gauls were closing in up them on every side† (Pg. 158). As the Romans became overwhelmed they came back down the southern hillside, the Gauls followed blindly, as the Gauls were struck by left and right flanks of Caesars [7]10th legion.The battle on the hill was devastating on sides, 46 centurions and approximately 700 legionnaire’s dead and thousands wounded. Caesar disbanded the siege and tried to return to Rome to regroup and gather supplies and men. After the Gergovia the people of Gaul still had their faith in Vercingetorix, he was re-elected Commander and Chief. Caesar is further planning his campaign decided to enlist a large number of German cavalry to his as sortment. During the entire Gallic Wars, Caesar has been outnumbered almost 3 to 1 and sometimes 4 to 1 odds, but Caesars strategy is what has been proving key in battles; the quality of men over numbers.As Caesar marches toward the provinces, Vercingetorix in a sudden ignorant act of boldness ascends his infantry and small cavalry head on attacking Caesars Roman legions. Caesar staying calm, â€Å"He sent his cavalry, in three divisions, to repel the triple attack† (Pg. 168). The Gauls retreated to Alesia with Caesars legions following close behind night and day. As the Romans reach Alesia Caesar informs his men that this battle will be a, â€Å"toilsome effort† (Pg. 170). Caesar realized that Alesia could only be taken by what he called, â€Å"a line of investment, fully nine miles in length, along which a ring of camps was constructed† (Pg. 70), this was a series of circumvallations: trenches, ramparts, entrenchments, and barriers built around Alesia with cav alry on low ground and legion infantry on high slopes. The Romans being few in number did not have enough men or cavalry to guard the surrounding blockade of Alesia. Vercingetorix realizing that he was being closed in with four Roman legions linking up with Caesars six legions, Vercingetorix had to get help somehow. Under the cover of darkness Vercingetorix sent out Gauls to every region and, â€Å"bring back with them every man who could wield a sword† (Pg. 171). He also reminded them not to abandon the Gallic cause.Caesar had been given news of Vercingetorix call for relief armies, by group of deserters. Caesar understood that he too was surrounded by all of Gaul, but it was still uncertain whether the relief armies would show up for Vercingetorix. Unlike the Romans who had proven loyalty and precision in battle, the Gauls even though united, were still undisciplined and lacked the skill of a Roman legionnaire. Caesar seeing the potential threat from the surrounding mountai ns proceeded to build entrenchments and barriers to his rear and on the western slope of Alesia where an open meadow was located.Caesars men made haste with the construction of barriers and traps like, â€Å"five rows of strong boughs were fixed in each, with one end protruding above ground, sharpened and with the branches projecting so as to form a kind of [8]abatis† (Pg. 139/Part I). Caesar also had traps under the ground surface, â€Å"In front of them and rising a few inches above the ground, but purposely concealed by brushwood, were sharp pointed logs embedded in small pits† (Pg. 139/Part I), as there were also barbed spikes lying under the turf. Caesar moved quickly to gather as much corn and resources as he could, knowing that this battle may very well be the last.Meanwhile inside the wall of Alesia Vercingetorix had the grain thrown into a single stock; as the grain would be dispersed among the soldiers rather than the citizens. A council of Gallic Chieftains gathered at an assembly to discuss Vercingetorix situation in Alesia and how he had requested a, â€Å"universal levy† (Pg. 173), or a mass of armies combined. It was heavily debated because many tribes were at conflict with Germanic tribes or resolving domestic problems; some simply refused to send any army. In all about 43 tribes joined in with a massive cavalry as well.Four generals were given command of the 250,000 Gauls as it was said there was, â€Å"No one leader of sufficient eminence to command universal respect† (Pg. 174), this would be proven decisively. As the relief army of Gaul marched towards Alesia, days away, the city was going into famine. The chieftains proposed the method of cannibalism as said, â€Å"That their fathers, when driven into the fastnesses by the Cimbri and Teutoni, had sustained life by feeding upon the flesh of those who were useless for warfare† (Pg. 175). It was rather decided that the weak, young, and old were citizens of th e town, were to be exiled.The hopeless looking women and children, and elderly came down to the Roman blockade. Caesars blockade forbid no-one to pass through; the exiled inhabitants were not taken in, instead Caesar had them sent back or stay between the lines of the wall and blockade to perish. The relief army soon arrives passing through the mountain valley, they could be seen from miles away as a mass of cavalry and infantry. Commius leading the Gallic mass launched a cavalry assault on Caesars rear defenses as Vercingetorix attacked from the inner defenses from [9]Alesia.The Roman legions held strong repelling the Gallic cavalry with Caesars brilliant defensive military strategy. The Romans formed a compact body of infantry and split the Gallic cavalry’s onslaught into disarray. The one major advantage the Caesar had over all the Gauls it was the reliable communication he had with his commanders of his legions. The Romans were on point and deadly, as the first day was wo n by Caesar. A 24 hour period of cease fire took place, and this time under the cover of darkness the Gauls launched a surprise attack on the Roman blockade using loud shouts to alert the rest of the Gallic army.The Gauls attempted to siege the blockade walls with grappling-hooks and ladders they attempted to overpower the blockades. In between the defensive lines the Gauls were dismembered by the wooden spikes and traps placed along the lines. Two sections of the Gallic army failed to cooperate with the rest of the mass due to poor [10]communication during the night. Roman artillery took apart the Gauls in between the defenses as casualties mounted because of poor effectiveness during the night raid. The Gauls retreated before dawn, fearing a flank from the right.Vercingetorix and Caesar refused to give into each other with casualties piling up on both parties, neither side budged. The soldiers of both sides were describes as they fought, â€Å"Every man fought like a hero; for th ey knew that from the heights around friends and enemies alike were anxiously watching† (Pg. 176). Vercingetorix and the Gauls planned for a final assault on the Romans. Vercingetorix discovered a weak spot in the Roman blockade where Caesars men were unable to build a barrier. The Gauls with no delay assaulted the weak point with 60,000 Gallic warriors against only two legions.The Romans became heavily overwhelmed and in disarray with 60,000 Gauls attacking from the rear and Vercingetorix army attacking from the inner walls. The Romans in panic and disorganization were described as, â€Å"painfully distracted by the roar of battle in their rear; for both on the inner and the outer line men felt, as they fought, that they would perish if their comrades behind suffered the enemy to break through† (Pg. 178). It was difficult for the Roman legions to mass together due to the overwhelming Gallic numbers. Vercassivellaunus, commanding the 60,000 Gauls from the rear; continua lly sent fresh infantry in.The Gallic infantry was disposable due the sheer numbers. Caesar seeing the disarray of the Romans and his cavalry sent Labienus with six cohorts to hold their ground till they were forced to fight in open ground. In astonishing fashion Caesar mounting horseback went down the Roman line as it was depicted, â€Å"riding down between the lines on to the plain, he harangued his weary soldiers and adjured them not to give in† (Pg. 179), continuing he said, â€Å"Just one short hour, and the prize was won† (Pg. 179). It was not until Caesar himself on horseback galloped steadfast, leading the last head on assault.A new found zealous came over the Roman legions as they followed behind Caesar, they disbanded the Gauls in a mass, scattering across the land. The Gauls to appease the Romans would have Vercingetorix give himself up and die. Vercingetorix gave himself up willingly out of respect for Caesar, being an admirer of his military brilliance. It was said that Vercingetorix, â€Å"took off his armour, laid down his sword, and bowed himself at Caesar’s feet† (Pg. 180). Caesar had no admiration for Vercingetorix as it came with a great cost. Caesar had him imprisoned in a dungeon, and then executed six ears later. The conquering of Gaul propelled Caesars political power tremendously. In 49 B. C he was elected dictator or emperor of Rome and soon after Civil war broke out eventually leading to Caesars killing. Caesar outwitted the ambitious and powerful, yet inexperienced Vercingetorix profoundly in the battles of Avaricum, Gergovia, and Alesia. Caesar conquered Gaul in such extraordinary fashion, that it still leaves some historians in amazement. Caesar outmaneuvered a quarter million Gauls and strategically dismantling them.Caesars reasoning for this long and grueling conquest of Gaul was to dig himself and Rome out of the debt that had amounted. His conquest of Gaul was also an attempt, a successful one at tha t, to further his political career and bolster his power. His victory in Rome, as said before, put Caesar on a pedestal surpassing Pompey and Crassus and making him the favorite amongst Roman people. Works Cited Holmes, Thomas. Caesar's conquest of Gaul. 1899. Print. . Julius, Caesar, W. A. McDevitte , and W. S. Bohn. The Gallic Wars . 1st. Print. . Julius, Caesar, W. A. McDevitte , and W. S. Bohn.The Gallic Wars . 3rd. Print. . Julius, Caesar, W. A. McDevitte , and W. S. Bohn. The Gallic Wars . 4th. Print. . Julius, Caesar, W. A. McDevitte , and W. S. Bohn. The Gallic Wars . 8th. Print. . Holmes, Thomas. Caesar's Conquest of Gaul:An Historical Narrative (being Part I of the Larger Work on the Same Subject). Part 1. Macmillan, ———————– [1] The First Triumvirate was between the Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey. An alliance to help bolster power for Caesar in particular. [2] Equanimity†¦one of Caesars great attributes being that he was very calm and poised in battle. 3] Phalanxes was a battle formation with consisted of shields and spears. The Romans used it very effectively against all. [pic] [4] The Cevennes Mountains are in south-central France. It is known as Hidden France by some. [5] Cenabum’s massacre was Caesars attempt at revenge as the town was pillaged. [6] The massacres of Cenabum and Avaricum specifically, was because of the difficulty Caesar had sieging the towns, thus frustration led to the killings. [7] The Roman 10th Legion was known as the Legio X Equestris and was one of Caesar more famous legions. 8] Abatis were used as barriers; they had long sharpened pointed logs. [9] â€Å"According to Napolean I (Precis des guerres de Cesar, 1836, p. 110), more than fifty days must have elapsed between the departure of Vercingetorix’s cavalry and the arrival of the relieving army† (Pg. 175) [10] Gaul having 4 commanding armies that totaled in a quarter million men made it Qy â⠂¬ËœÃ‚ »LiAOUaaaA ? â„ ¢  ¶ ? n w ? o? UO? UAU »Ã‚ ±Ã‚ §? â€Å"†°Ã¢â‚¬Å"oA|o_oRoRERhw? h42aCJ^JaJhw? h. â€Å"CJ^JaJjhyg? 0Jhw? h ®w†ºCJ^JaJhw? ho  CJ^extremely difficult for Vercingetorix to communicate successfully outside the walls.

Economic and Political Status in Paraguay

Paraguay’s economy has constantly been improving over the years despite some set-backs they must face. Since they are a land-locked country, they do not have as many resources as most of its surrounding countries. They must rely mostly on agriculture for their main exports. As for Paraguay’s government and political conditions, they now have a president elected for a 5-year term. There are many different political parties, and the type of government Paraguay runs under is constitutional republic. Unlike Paraguay’s surrounding countries, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, it is land-locked therefore giving them fewer resources than their neighbors. With a predominantly agricultural economy, Paraguay is most dependent on these products. Conflict theory can be applied in a very large scale, to the country of Paraguay as a whole. Paraguay’s resources are much scarcer then others and they must compete and work hard for what they do have. The larger countries with the ocean as a resource have more power; therefore Paraguay will do what they must to get what they need from other countries. This provides the country with a difficult struggle trying to balance out their economy. However, their economy has been improving. There is a large amount of underemployment and unemployment in the economy. Nearly 35% of Paraguay’s population is unemployed. Those who do work, work mostly in agricultural jobs since that is Paraguay’s main export. The country has vast hydroelectric resources, including the world's second-largest hydroelectric generation facility built and operated jointly with Brazil. One large resource they lack that many others do not is petroleum resources. The economy is dependent on exports of cattle, soybeans, timber, cotton, grains, and sugar; electricity generation. Paraguay also re-exports products made elsewhere to Brazil and Argentina. Paraguay is a major illegal producer of marijuana and most or the entire product goes to Argentina, Chile and Brazil. Paraguay’s gross domestic product rose from 12. 8 billion to 16. 1 billion dollars, which was a 26% increase. Also, the foreign exchange reserves rose 33% to 3. 2 billion. Although Paraguay struggles with their range and certain aspects of their economy, it has constantly been improving over time. Paraguay's government is highly centralized, which was changed by the 1992 constitution, which provides for division of powers. The president, who is popularly elected for a 5-year term, then appoints a cabinet. Paraguay has a bicameral Congress which consists of an 80-member Chamber of Deputies and a 45-member Senate, elected with the president through a comparative representation system. The Deputies are elected by department and senators are elected nationwide. Paraguay's government also foll ows the three branches of government. The president alone comprises the Executive branch. Legislative is made up of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Lastly, the Judicial branch belongs to the Supreme Court of Justice. The A governor elected by a popular vote heads each of Paraguay's 17 departments. Paraguay has some limits with its economy, however has improved drastically and will continue to do so. Looking at the large increase in the GDP, Paraguay’s overall economic status has been bringing in more money, which will only help improve the country’s economy. They have a strong market for agriculture which brings in most of their revenue. As for their government, it could be somewhat comparable to the United States. Their president has a longer, 5 year term, and there are lower braches and houses in government that help run the country.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Beccaria’s Theory

Crime and punishment Amy Lynn Sprague Criminology – 3 Crime and punishment While cesare beccaria believed in the need for a criminal justice system and the right of the government to have laws and punishments, he never viewed the current justice system to be a successful one. Beccaria felt that the government and its laws at the time were just a â€Å"few remnants of the laws of an ancient predatory people, compiled for a monarch who ruled 12 centuries ago in Constantinople, mixed subsequently with longobardic tribal customs, and bound together in chaotic volumes of obscure and unauthorized interpreters. He had also felt that the criminal laws should be based on rational thought and not passion. Cesare argued that the threat of punishment controls crime. 1. Do other forms of social control exist? Yes! Other forms of social control exist and not only that without valid and reliable measures of criminal behavior, efforts to conduct research on crime and formulate criminological theories would be futile although some behaviors are handled differently than others. 2. Aside from the threat of legal punishment, what else controls your behavior? A person’s behavior is basically regulated by a sense of what is right and wrong. Society sets behavior expectations that become a part of what is acceptable or not in how we live our lives. Acceptable behavior is reinforced at home during the developmental years of a child. Families play a major role in how individuals consider what behavior is acceptable. For example women, it is not so much society that governs their behavior. For a woman the primary behavior modifier is their inferior brains, which limit their behaviors to cooking, cleaning, producing and raising children, and general. Social norms discourage men from being stay at home dads, expressing emotions, being nurses, cooking, cleaning, etc. Males in society are governed by social expectations. Besides that a liberal justification of punishment would proceed by showing society needs the threat and the practice of the criminal system to control the freewilled and rational human being. (Newson A. , 2011) References Newson, A. (2011). Amy's. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from Nyessay: http://nyessay/law/amys

Monday, July 29, 2019

How can sports help kids Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How can sports help kids - Research Paper Example Organized sporting activities help children feel satisfied and have a sense of achievement. It builds a spirit of teamwork and leadership in the children. Parents should not restrict their children from engaging in physical activities if they want their children to be exemplary leaders. However, sporting activities have been declining in the past years because of technological advancements with boys being the most affected (Active community guide, 2002). Children have just playing computer and video games instead of physical activities. Girls are the greatest benefiters of sporting activities as they take sports more seriously than boys. Sports permit kids to develop teamwork, competition, leadership and communication skills. These aspects are particularly relevant in growing children. We need to instill these in all children and prepare them as future leaders. Sports also assist in improvement of health of children and reduce future health related problems. In terms of health, it helps build healthy bones in children and enhances fitness. Games also endorse good posture and reinforce the heart. The kids involved in sports are more relaxed than their lazy partners, and this in general boosts proper growth and maturity. I think both the family and the instructors participate significantly in the development of kids through sports. As we all know, children learn through play it helps them learn about the societal context. As children involve themselves in sports and various games, they learn how to solve problems and help themselves. Their mind is developed, and they understand more easily on what they are being taugh t. Sports help the children expand on their physical skills which are learnt as they find out how to climb and handle their toys. Parents should ensure that they have spent considerable time with their children so that the children will feel motivated. They need to be offering emotional

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Professional Map-D-PartA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Map-D-PartA - Assignment Example Band 2 relates to issues led and advisers roles of human resource. Band 3 of the framework illustrates the cooperative and consultant partnership. Finally, band 4 outlines colleague, client leadership, and coaching of the staffs (Stanford, 2013). The bands explain the different levels and demonstrate contributions and competencies. Hence, the framework adds value to human resource by providing a perfect harmony between professional areas and promotes good relations. In addition, it benefits organizations through comprehensive approaches to ensuring a competent team by enabling efficient transitions between bands, behaviors, and professionalism. The map adds value to Human resource by supporting employees to acknowledge necessities for achievements. Organizational application helps personnel to plan and execute efficient services based on behaviors, knowledge, and skills. The tool helps analyze professional areas to establish a perfect balance between organizational resources in order to achieve short and long-term strategies while meeting changing customer needs (Peacock, 2009). The core areas comprise of strategies, insights, and solutions that enable Leading HR. They refer to possible areas where professional promotes reasonable ideas and solutions. The strategies broadly outline efforts to improve organizational understanding and give opportunities for development of comprehensive approaches and HR skills (Stanford, 2013, p. 132). Besides, the strategies, insights, and solutions address resource management including time, skills, and potentials of enhancing their sustainability. Currently, I am working on band one at Shell Development Oman. My responsibilities include client support and administrative assistance. Particularly, I handle data management, inventory tracking, and assistance to other employees. Shell Development Oman promotes coordination and administration of the firms interests across the

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Analysis of an Extract from Joseph Townsends Disseration on the Poor Essay

Analysis of an Extract from Joseph Townsends Disseration on the Poor Laws (1786) - Essay Example An important piece of work in this matter is the paper by Joseph Townsend titled, A Dissertation of the Poor Laws (1786). Here, he emphasizes that it is the basic law of nature that the poor should be in a state of improvidence to some extent so as to make sure that there is a perpetual need to accommodate the most servile positions in society. He further notes that in this way, the cup of human happiness remains overflowing, while the so called â€Å"delicate† breed of aristocrats are set free of ever experiencing any kind of drudgery, and the scope of employment is lost so as to spare them the misery of working. In this way, they are at liberty to pursue activities which they feel like, and which are important for the functioning of the state. Regarding the poor, he has said that they should adopt the policy to take up the most menial tasks and the most laborious works, as well as those activities that involve maximum danger. In the meantime, they may entertain themselves with the hope of any reward for undertaking risks and hard work. Without these standards rules of poverty, the fleets and armies of a country face a serious dearth of soldiers and of sailors. This kind of a situation will also exist if sensitivity towards the poor were to universally prevailed. This is due to the reason that it is only distress and poverty which can prevail upon the lower classes of the people to encounter all the horrors which await them on the waves of the ocean, or in the bloody fields of battle. It is a well known and well acknowledged fact that no man who has seen an easy life would be willing to fight in the army or take up risky ventures. Further, he talks about the fact that there must be a degree of pressure, so as to make sure that hunger is either felt or feared. This will fuel the desire of earning one’s daily meals to quietly adjust the mind to undergo the greatest hardships, which will

Friday, July 26, 2019

Critic's response to William Faulkner's literary canon Research Paper

Critic's response to William Faulkner's literary canon - Research Paper Example Prior to his death in 1962, William Faulkner had written various novels including the Hamlet (1940), the Town (1957), and the Mansion (1959) (Educational Broadcasting Corporation 1). These novels address various topics including civil war, social conflicts, and cultural displacement among other topics. Subject to addressing controversial topics, William Faulkners Literary Canon faces many critics. Indeed, many critics and readers could not understand William Faulkners Literary Canon in his entire life. However, in the modern literature, many critics and readers recognize William as a prominent author in American literary history. William Faulkner was a modernist writer who explored the themes of isolation and cultural displacement that prevailed in America in the 1920s and 30s. Although the literary critics and public have in time appreciated the significance of William Faulkners works and their audacity in terms of both form and content, very few literary critics have managed to analyze Faulkner’s literary production in terms of working-class aspects that are prominent in his works (Bucaria 1). In addressing his most prominent works that include the Hamlet (1940), the Town (1957), and the Mansion (1959), we can establish that William Faulkners Literary Canon depicts the use of a tragic tone (Educational Broadcasting Corporation 1). Indeed, it is clear that William Faulkners Literary Canon manifests a mixture of tragedy and comedy. William inherited the use of comic sense in writing as used by earlier writers. Notably, the three novels noted above define the tragicomic chronicle of the Snopes Trilogy that establishes the effect of the Snopes Trilogy on Yoknapatawpha County (Educational Broadcasting Corporation 1). These works faced numerous criticisms. Indeed, upon his death, the New York Times asserted, "Mr. Faulkners writings showed an obsession

Thursday, July 25, 2019

The South Korea Financial Crisis Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8500 words

The South Korea Financial Crisis - Dissertation Example There will be sections on: promoting greater competition (which includes the pre-crisis in Korea, Korea’s downfall and subsequent recovery, Korea's economic transformation, Korea and economic sanctions, Korean international relations and the politics of economy; globalization in Korea, and the comparison of Malaysia to Korea); improving corporate governance and education (which includes Korean debt, the economy in a postwar Korea, and higher education and economic competitiveness within Korea); and improving capital structure and profitability (which includes Korea's recovery and capital controls and trade liberalization in Korea). According to Lee, â€Å"Most strikingly, formerly the 11th largest economy in the world, Korea†¦ha[d] been the hardest hit. The Korean government requested emergency help from the IMF on November 21, 1997, to restore overseas confidence†¦For the first time in three decades, [Korea[ would experience the worst economic growth in forthcoming years†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Korea had been hit hard by the economic downturn in Asia. Regrettably, this was not just a Korean phenomenon, however. Korea’s problems, however, were indicative of the rest of Southeast Asia. Korea was majorly in debt by 1997, as it had been steadily increasing about $20 or $30 billion dollars more into debt each year for the three years prior to the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997. Not surprisingly, Korea’s total debt shot through the roof in 1997. Korea’s total debt had reached $120.8 billion dollars by 1997.... After this, there will be sections on: promoting greater competition (which includes the pre-crisis in Korea, Korea's downfall and subsequent recovery, Korea's economic transformation, Korea and economic sanctions, Korean international relations and the politics of economy; globalization in Korea, and the comparison of Malaysia to Korea); improving corporate governance and education (which includes Korean debt, the economy in a postwar Korea, and higher education and economic competitiveness within Korea); and improving capital structure and profitability (which includes Korea's recovery and capital controls and trade liberalization in Korea). According to Lee (2003), "Most strikingly, formerly the 11th largest economy in the world, Koreaha[d] been the hardest hit [by the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997]. The Korean government requested emergency help from the IMF on November 21, 1997, to restore overseas confidenceFor the first time in three decades, [Korea[ would experience the worst economic growth in forthcoming years" Korea had been hit hard by the economic downturn in Asia. Regrettably, this was not just a Korean phenomenon, however. Korea's problems, however, were indicative of the rest of Southeast Asia. Korea was majorly in debt by 1997, as it had been steadily increasing about $20 or $30 billion dollars more into debt each year for the three or four years prior to the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997. Not surprisingly, Korea's total debt shot through the roof in 1997. Korea's total debt had reached $120.8 billion dollars by 1997, which is in comparison to past years, which is shown in the following table (which covers the years 1982-1997). According Haggard et al. (2003), "Korea's

Pirates of the Caribbean - Part 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pirates of the Caribbean - Part 1 - Essay Example On those lines, well-known Hollywood studio Disney made the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl inspired from a popular Disney theme park ride called â€Å"The Curse of the Black Pearl†. The film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was an interesting ride and very much liked by all section of the viewers. As the theme of the movie was based on the exciting and fun-filled journey of pirates, without complex and heavy storyline, it was a successful entertainer. Backed by strong and interesting performance by the lead actors particularly Johnny Depp, stunning visual effects and cinematography, excellent background score and fast paced as well as skilful direction by the ‘Captain’ Gore Verbinski made the film a commercial as well as critical success. Its success even brought back the likeness and demand for pirate genre movies in Hollywood after several decades. At the same time, the film was criticized for being too long, e xtended back stories and supporting cast, boisterous action set pieces with repetitive sword fights, etc. Thus, as part of critique of the movie, â€Å"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl†, this paper will discuss in detail the various cinematic aspects which made the movie into successful blockbuster and trendsetter, and at the same time how the filmmakers could have fine tuned certain aspects which stands out oddly in otherwise flawless film. Speaking of acting performance by the lead characters, the main character of this 134 minutes long movie is Jack Sparrow, played superbly by Johnny Depp. Other characters include, Captain Barbossa acted by Geoffrey Rush, Will Turner played by Orlando Bloom, and the female protagonist Elizabeth Swann was performed by Keira Knightley. The main characters of the film were supposed to be Will and Elizabeth and although they performed well in their roles, the character of Jack Sparrow played by Johnny Depp received the mo st appreciation. Starting from his unusual physical looks and importantly unique mannerisms, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow was the ‘spark’ that brightly ‘lit’ the film. His unusual look was primarily due to the use of black eyeliner, gold teeth and braided hair with a red bandana to add. His mannerism of a slightly intoxicated swagger, with a garbling speech and also flapping hand gestures, enticed people so much, it was aped by may people particularly children, and made into one of the iconic characters. â€Å"Arguably, Captain Jack Sparrow is the only truly iconic screen character to have yet come out of this new millennium. It's a wholly original and thrillingly eccentric creation, conjured by the famous shape-shifter Depp, as the ducking, weaving, highly superstitious pirate captain of dubious morality and personal hygiene.† (Levy, n. d.). His entrance in the movie is considered as the one of the most memorable movie entrances, as it brings out int o focus his trait of deceitfully attaining his objectives mainly through words instead of fights. Several lines said by him in this movie have become some of the famous quotable lines. He turned out to be the most attractive character of the movie, and so among the five Oscar nominations the film earned, Johnny Depp was nominated for the Best Actor (Boyar, 2007). Speaking of Depp’s acting, well-known movie critic, Roger Ebert writes in his book â€Å"Roger Ebert’s Movie Year Book† (2006) that Depp’s performance was original in every atom and so far no one has played the role of a

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Universalist and impartialist about Utilitarianism Essay

Universalist and impartialist about Utilitarianism - Essay Example The scholarly consensus as of date is that Utilitarianism is a partial system of morality and is somewhat inadequate on account of its authors’ reluctance to front up to complexities of ethics. Utilitarianism asserts that 'It is morally good to act for the general happiness.' As this assessment is taken at face value by most, the salient critical question is ‘What is it that is morally not good,   which stands in opposition to this?’ In answering this question proponents say, ‘acting for unhappiness’. (Grote 123) Utilitarian moral philosophy thus has for its subject the ascertaining of what happiness is, which is placed in polar opposition to unhappiness. Having found what constitutes happiness, the philosophy strives to device methods to achieve that end. But real life experiences and events are not strictly broken into these clear-cut dichotomies and therein lie the major objection to Utilitarianism’s veracity as a ethical theory. The follo wing passages will explain the two central concepts of ‘impartiality’ and ‘universality’ and identify their shortcomings for application in practical ethics. The founding texts of Utilitarianism think of it as inherently ethical. For example, deriving from post-revolutionary French thought, especially that of Helvetius, Godwin asserted that â€Å"Morality is that system of conduct which is determined by a consideration of the greatest general good.† (Godwin, as quoted in Scarre 67) The founding doctrine also makes it clear that the two pillars of ‘impartiality’ and ‘universality’ especially add to its ethical soundness. Utilitarianism espouses the principle of impartiality, to the extent that it places the happiness of all individuals in the community on par with each other. Moreover, it encourages constituent individuals in a group to see the virtue of valuing the happiness of others as much as theirs own. In other words, t he expectation is to rise above the consideration of one’s own individual interests. Put as such, this principle sounds laudable. But as critics point out, there is plenty of scope for incorrect application of this principle, which could lead to adverse outcomes. For example, â€Å"In an action then which, in the truest and widest sense, we should call right or good, there is more than one sort of goodness. And unless we treat rightly this variety of rightness or goodness, our moral philosophy, whatever side we take, must be partial: and we shall not be able to argue against opponents of it without being in danger of arguing against something which, it is probable, an impartial and practical reader will consider morally proper.† (Grote 124) Even actions by individuals are mediated by this consideration for the greatest common good. The agent’s actions are never to enhance his/her own happiness, but that of all concerned. As John Stuart Mill himself clarifies in his treaties, â€Å"As between his own happiness and that of others, utilitarianism requires him to be as strictly impartial as a disinterested and benevolent spectator. In the golden rule of Jesus of Nazareth, we read the complete spirit of the ethics of utility. To do as you would be done by, and to love your neighbour as yourself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality.† (Mill, as quoted by Grote 86) One of Utilitarianism’s notable critics is the famous legal theoretician, John Rawls. Rawls’ objection to the notion of impartiality arises from the philosophical system’s blanket application of its principles to the entire social

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Legal Environment of Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Environment of Business - Research Paper Example European Union employment law protects all employees in the European Economic Area. However, each country has its own employment regulations. The employment laws cover issues to do with working conditions, wages and immigrant workers. In both Europe and the U.S, it is the obligation of workers to perform their duties with respects and veneration to their employees (Wanda, 2010). This relationship is founded on shared understanding and trust. The employees should work towards meeting international standards. Loyalty amongst employees and the employer is also critical, and it is, therefore, illegal when employees perform actions jeopardizing their employer's interests. The relationships between employers and employees in Europe and the U.S are an equivalence of a master-servant relationship. The employer, therefore, possesses absolute power over the employee. Despite this, labor laws have been enacted in both Europe and the United States setting minimum wage limits. This protects the employer from exploitation. Among the basic rights the employee enjoys include, a right to be provided with a healthy and safe environment. Amongst the countries that have been in the forefront of shaping labor laws and guidelines in the world are European countries and the United States. Despite Europe and United States cooperation in the development of what can be termed as labor standards that are acceptable globally, there exists various significant differences on how the two authorities conduct employment related issues.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Consequences of Exploration for Europeans and the Indigenous Peoples Essay Example for Free

Consequences of Exploration for Europeans and the Indigenous Peoples Essay In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean bearing the name of the Spanish Crown in hopes that he had landed in the Indies of Asia using a direct sea route. Though that is not where he landed, his New World was a place of great wealth, new materials and crops, new source of labor, and new land for the European nations. The consequences for the native people of the Americas were much worse with devastating death tolls, enslavement, new diseases and racist attitudes towards them. Though it would not be fair to say that the Europeans did not share in negative consequences or that the indigenous people did not gain any advantages. The greatest negative consequences for the Europeans due to the European expansion are a devastating economic revolution, and the introduction of the venereal disease Syphilis. Once the Spanish began to mine the precious ores of America the wealth of Spain underwent a major transformation. Demanding one-fifth of all profit, the Crown became immensely rich and this showed in their influence on the rest of Europe, seeing that other countries now lacked the material wealth of Spain. Throughout this time of great wealth the population rose steadily in Spain. With population increase, came an increased demand for food and merchandise. Spain had expelled a large amount of their skilled farmers, workers, merchants and businessmen during the Inquisition when they cleansed their country of the Jewish and Muslim people. Along with the demand in Spain, the demand for Spanish and European products in the Americas also became hard to keep up with. With the ever-increasing influx of silver bullion the prices in Spain began to rise and the inflation quadrupled the prices of everything within thirty years. In 1556, Martin de Azpilcueta Navarro, a Spanish canon lawyer, writes about the influx of American silver as the cause of the inflation. We see by experience that in France, where money is scarcer than in Spain, bread, wine, cloth, and labour are worth much less. And even in Spain, in times when money was scarcer, saleable goods and labour were given for very much less than after the discovery of the Indies, which flooded the country with gold and silver. The reason for this is that money is worth more where and when it is scarce than where and when it is abundant. Along with this, the Spanish king Philip II spent more money on outside enterprises to worsen his countries debt. When needing to pay his debt to other countries, he also paid in silver bullion spreading the inflation to the rest of Europe. The discovery of the Americas led Europe to inflation and increased prices and Spain to almost complete debt by the seventeenth century. Besides silver and gold, the native people of the Americas passed Syphilis on to the Spanish who came to settle there. In five year time, Syphilis had spread to Russia from the European Atlantic coast. Though it could not be proven, Syphilis is thought to have originated in Espaniola because no evidence of Syphilis exists in Europe before 1493. These open sores, boils, and aches in the joints caused excruciating pains to many Europeans due to this quickly widespread venereal disease. The only proven effective way to treat Syphilis was from drinking the boiled bark of the guaiacum tree which only grew in Espaniola. Though no exact numbers were calculated for Syphilis it could not be compared to the death tolls that the European diseases left on the Indian populations. In a period of 130 years, something like 95 percent of all Native Americans died of disease. That number is far greater than experts (until recently) had ever suspected. The Native Americans who survived the plagues were, of course, completely demoralized and depressed by this tremendous loss of their loved ones, of their lifestyle, and of their ancient culture. (Bib 2. ) The 95 percent population loss of the Natives was staggering compared to probably one percent death caused by Syphilis. Thus though Syphilis was a negative consequence of European expansion it proved minor compare to the Indigenous peoples loss due to European disease. Besides new crops and animals the indigenous people were introduced to new religions, medicines and ways of life that helped better themselves. Christianity was introduced to the indigenous people thanks to very ardent Catholicism from the Spanish and Portuguese. These Christians taught of love, equality and a heaven after death for those who acted well on earth. For many indigenous people this religion called to them and they were converted. Those who did not convert voluntarily were either forced to convert or killed. The native people actually became very passionate about this religion and even followed religious doctrines more closely than the Spanish conquistadors. The natives began to spread peace and love as a bigger doctrine than territory fighting which shows how religion was a positive outcome from European expansion. New technology and medicine helped more effectively cure the local people and brought new light to the topic. In Pre-Colombian times the Indian populations would come to the ailing and stay by their side through illness thus probably catching the illness themselves, the Europeans taught to isolate the sick and better medicines to treat them. The lives that new medicines saved in the Americas is immeasurable but probably still do not compare to the lives lost from European diseases. New technologies such as guns, steel and sailing equipment helped build stronger weapons than the ones previously possessed by Indians, and a new material from which objects could be made. Very strong steel could be used to make protection from swords and swords themselves thus fortifying indigenous peoples ability to make weapons, protect themselves, and hunt. Many thousands of things brought from Europe helped make indigenous life better such as candles to light the night and paper so writing and language could be better developed. Though much understated there were many positive outcomes from European expansion to the indigenous people of the Americas and even a few negative outcomes for the Europeans themselves. More often than not, when talking about the European expansion into America, the Europeans seem to get much better rewards from their expansion. And they actually did. They reaped much higher rewards from their conquest of the Americas than the indigenous people, yet it cannot be forgotten that both peoples had multiple sides to their gains and losses due to European expansion. Bibliography Quotes: {draw:frame} 1. Why were Native Americans so vulnerable to European diseases? (article). Articles on how to feel good more often and get more done. Web. 10 Oct. 2009. http://www. youmeworks. com/why_native_americans. html. Galloway, J. H. The Sugar Cane Industry An Historical Geography from its Origins to 1914 (Cambridge Studies in Historical Geography). New York: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print. American Indian past and present. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 2008. Print. Other Info: Spanish colonization of the Americas -. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas. Native Americans in the United States European colonization. Spiritus-Temporis. com Historical Events, Latest News, News Archives. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. http://www. spiritus-temporis. com/native-americans-in-the-united-states/european-colonization. html.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Greenery And Sustainability Urban Planning Environmental Sciences Essay

Greenery And Sustainability Urban Planning Environmental Sciences Essay Urban development through construction of roads, building, bridges and even landscaping can have significant impacts on the environment. Many environmentalists regard the preservation and introduction of greenery as fulfilling an indispensable urban infrastructure requirement. Chan and Lee (2008) suggest that urban renewal is commonly adopted to cope with changing urban environment, to rectify the problem of urban decay and to meet various socio-economic objectives. Although the provision of green spaces tend to be routinely advocated and implemented by the planning profession in developed countries, similar kinds of commitments are seen as weakly expressed in many third-world countries. In this essay, I attempt to argue that without a comprehensive sustainability effort and landscape plan, and even with one in some instances, rapidly expanding urban cities particularly in developing countries tend to grow relentlessly outward and upward to cause widespread environmental degradation, through the discussion of sustainable urban planning in one of the cities in developing country, which is Hong Kong. Hong Kong is located just within the tropics on the south coast of China, extending into the South China Sea, Hong Kong consists a land area of 1097 km2 and a sea area of 1700 km2, where there are 250 islands, the larger ones being Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island (Newcombe, Kalma, Aston, 1978; Warren-Rhodes Koenig, 2001). The terrain is mountainous and rugged with very little flat land for settlement, making Hong Kongs population has settled on the limited existing and reclaimed land available for development (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). The city state of Hong Kong has one of the highest urban population densities on Earth (Newcombe, Kalma, Aston, 1978). In the past 150 years, Hong Kong has evolved into a thriving metropolis of 7 million people (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Despite significant differences in overall life conditions, the Hong Kong population enjoys a quality of life comparable, by many indicators of physical, mental and material well-being, with populat ions in the developed world (Newcombe, Kalma, Aston, 1978). Since the 1960s, Hong Kong has been transformed from a bustling entrepot to a light industry center in the 1970s and to a service-based economy in the 1990s accompanied by economic wealth of more than 10% rise in per capita GDP annually (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Hong Kong has paid a high environmental price for its success, where its records of pollution levels have caused a decline in environmental quality which is impairing the citys ability to lure international investment (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). According to Warren-Rhodes and Koenig (2001), urban metabolism measures quantitatively a citys load on the natural environment. By knowing the metabolism background of Hong Kong, it will be easier to estimate the environmental level based on the development as well as population density of the city. In cities, metabolic flows arise from material use, food consumption and urban development; materials are stores as infrastructure; and materials and wastes are moved through manmade circulatory systems, with pollutants released to air, land, and water systems (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Since Hong Kong relies upon and appropriates heavily from natural ecosystems to produce foods and uses water as well as other resources to process wastes, it significantly augments and alters material flow and energy cycling through the environment. Concerns on the impacts on natural resources and the environment especially in the late 1990s have prompted the government to commission a study of how sustainable development could be achieved in Hong Kong (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). According to Warren-Rhodes and Koenig (2001), enormous changes have occurred in Hong Kong over the past 26 years, where 1 million people have been added to the population each new decade, which bringing greater resource needs and waste generation habits, thus increasing the urban metabolic rates. It is argued that high metabolic rates can be beneficial to a citys survival, where compact cities with high population densities can achieve extremely efficient land, energy, and material use, thus reducing urban sprawl and conserving land for recreational and agricultural purposes (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). However, based on studies, the benefits of Hong Kongs high urban metabolism are presently outweighed by the environmental costs, and it is predicted that as population expands to 8.9 million by 2016, energy, materials, water use and pollution discharges will rise accordingly (Warren-Rhodes and Koenig, 2001). Through this kind of urban metabolic check-up, it allows policymakers to ascertain enduring and root causes of environmental deterioration in a city. Newcombe, Kalma, and Aston (1978), warn on the mounting ecological distress and offered prescient advice on how to mitigate these problems through an adaptive urban management strategy that modifies operations of present urban systems and designs their expansion . . . at greatly reduced resource inputs. As in many other cities, Hong Kong has substantial improvement in its performance of local urban renewal projects (Chan and Lee, 2008). Since 1990s, the importance of sustainable development had been acknowledged and the Hong Kong government had committed to consider the concept holistically when making decisions about future development in the territory (Chan and Lee, 2008). The sustainability concept attracts the attention of the Hong Kong government as international experience proves that sustainable development creates good communities serving different needs of current population without sacrificing the resources available for the future generations (Chan and Lee, 2008). In order to have a more adaptive urban management strategy that modifies operations of present urban systems and design, it is important to first, identify the factors that can contribute to the urban management strategy itself. Some of the factors and areas that should be emphasized in urban design are waterfro nt development, cityscape, pedestrian environment and pollution mitigation (Chan and Lee, 2008). Participants of Council for Sustainable Development discussion forum indicated that urban design should be consisted of layouts of street and open space, design of building as well as transportation network, in creating sustainable urban living space in the Hong Kong territory (Chan and Lee, 2008). Since one of the areas that should be emphasized in urban management and design is by focussing on the layouts of street and open space, planning on strategies on green space provision in urban Hong Kong is seen as a crucial in this matter. According to Jim (2002), woodlands are not preserved in the urbanised areas, where private developers tend to have little statutory obligation or willingness to provide public open spaces, often results in poor protection or obliteration of natural vegetation in new developments and redevelopment schemes. A city generously endowed with high-quality greenery is a necessary ingredient of environmental quality and quality of life. Therefore, preservation and introduction of greenery in urban infrastructure is seen as a moral necessary under urban management and design not only for the environment, but also for the population wellbeing as a whole. With a compact and densely built-up urban fabric, tree growth in Hong Kong is severely constrained in the pervasively crowded and bleak environment (Jim, 1989). Jim (2002) states that, nearly all residents of Hong Kong are living in high-rise apartment blocks, which deprived of private open spaces as well as detached from the land and vegetation. The shortage of public green space has reinforced the lack of interest in greening of Hong Kong urban population, further aggravated by the poor quality of existing amenity greenery by both public and private on the desire for more greenery space (Jim, 2002). This is constrained by the cramped town plan, where the roads have narrow pavements with no tree strips at the roadsides or margin roadside for plantable spaces (Jim, 2002). The same goes to the buildings, where they were built directly next to the road, leaving no lot-frontage plantable spaces (Jim, 2002). The only open space and remnant of plantable spaces are the citys first public g arden, the Botanical Garden, which is located in the heart of the central district, and the Victoria Park, that was built with a charity donation in 1957 (Jim, 2002). Forest cover has been reduced over the centuries by shifting cultivators, sedentary farmers, and, in recent decades, countryside recreationalists (Jim, 1989). According to Jim (1989), without a clear policy to preserve existent trees in places affected by urban intrusions, very few specimens would be saved. Due to the lack of green space provision in Hong Kong, the work agents, namely the landscape architects, urban horticulturists, arboriculturists and urban foresters would be necessary to join planners to collectively contribute in the greenery and sustainable urban planning. According to Jim (2002), some six government bureaux (out of 16 policy-formulation bureaux) and 15 departments (out of 38 departments) are involved in greening issues. There had been some efforts done by the government in bringing more and better greenery in urban development in Hong Kong. One example is, the government decided in building public housing for low-income families that are mainly situated at peri pheral locations with land-conserving developments, where space between the individual buildings is done with open spaces for planting (Jim, 1989). To develop an action plan to bring more and better greenery in the city, earnest support and cooperation are needed from relevant quarters. One of the ways to achieve the greenery and sustainable urban city planning is through comprehensive development area (CDA) zoning, which aims narrowly at facilitating the amalgamation of small contiguous lots for redevelopment. Jim (2002) suggests that this can be done by developing guidelines for the matching of species with site conditions and to optimise the landscaping potential of planting sites, aiming at significantly increasing the number of species with attractive flowers, seasonal changes, outstanding tree form, large final dimensions, meritorious performance and other notable amenity traits. Another greenery and sustainable urban planning can be done in urban Hong Kong is by developing specifications to protect effectively trees destined for preservation in sites, especially those that are affected by buildings, roads and other constr uction activities, which are commensurate with the cramped built environment. In order to encourage the planting of trees within Hong Kong urban society, there need to be some association not only with the government, but also private-sectors and other. This can be done through development projects, such as the introduction of incentives, the dissemination of relevant messages or guidelines in the form of professional practice notes, and the organisation of seminars, workshops and other means of involvement and communication. In conclusion, despite all of these suggestions and action plans in bringing more and better greenery and sustainable urban development in developing cities like Hong Kong, these can only be done through collective cooperation by the government, both private and private developers, as well as high supports from the society. Due to the high urban population, the urban dwellers in Hong Kong city are the core factors in the widespread of environmental concerns by individual and collective responsibility in taking care of the environment as well as making Hong Kong a greener and sustainable for the future generations. By taking this greenery and sustainable environment concerns more seriously, there will be hope for a better quality of life in the future regardless the population density.

Service Blueprint For 100 Yen Sushi Information Technology Essay

Service Blueprint For 100 Yen Sushi Information Technology Essay The US might eventually reach and equally high penetration of wireless device and acquire abundant number of content provider and dealers that target mobile users. It is hard to imaging however that people in US would spend at least 1 hour daily looking at their cellular phon. A phenomenon commence commuter in Japan. The legacy effect of excellent land line telephone services in the US would delay the rapid adoption of M-Commerce as weaknesses in other country. Using a customer as a partial employee in the service process has several organizational implication such use create the tradeoff between operational efficiency and operational control. When customer provides element of the service may result enhance efficiency of the service capacity because the capacity is added to the system at the moment it is needed. At the same time, however, much of the quality of the service may be out of the control of the organization mistake made by the customer may be costly. For example, the self-service yogurt machines in a grocery stall is a highly efficient delivery system but it may also result in waste extra work for the cleaning staff and damage to the equipment when customers misuse it. The use as customer as partial employee also require management to train the customer in how to behave often the training must take place at the time when the train sought failure to communicate the proper behavior may result in customer anxiety and dissatisfaction. Customer who act as partial employee have implication for marketing operation, services may target the type of customer who desire a lot of control over the process and who is a quick learner. An example may be seen in the relationship between airline and frequent business traveler who are often control oriented and well education. What possible dangers are associated with developing complementary services? The possibility of increasing the firms liability because of those added services. For instance adding cold or hot sandwiches at convenient grocery store incur the possibility that a customer might suffer food poisoning and take legal action against the store. Another example seen the addition self service guest bunk which involve the risk of fire damage and injuries. When the complementary services attract customer who may hurt business consider a shopping mall that install a video arcade may become a heaven, for noisy and teenagers who will drive away those customer who want to shopping in peace. Suggest diversions that could make waiting less painful. Offer attention diversion suggests video games, travel poster, music and magazine. Group waiting people in cluster to promote intention. Acknowledge the customer present, inform the customer about the waiting time and advise the customer about any requirement of limitation of service for he or she is waiting. Make the customer aware of any other services the organization might offer promote community services; provide information about non-competing organization by scenic side and etc. Provide live entertainment, example musician in a restaurant; divert attention for customers who wait for services. Provide toys to young children. Offer education materials, suggest video tapes relating to customers need, example, the divert person will show the tapes related to condition. Offer refreshment. How can effects of service recovery be understood as customer perceived fairness? There are three dimension of perceive fairness in regard to the service process: Distributive fairness related to the extent to reach recovery offer equates that the customer feel is deserved or needed. Procedure fairness relates to how much influences, the customer feels has on the process and to how timely or convenient the recovery is. Interactional fairness is concern with the quality of interpersonal interaction occurring during offer recovery. Example, fair, honest, empathy interaction, fair communication and behaviour. An excellent recovery process can turn a quality disaster to positive experiences. Tutorial 11 Explain why the goods analogy of a supply chain is inappropriate for services. For physical goods, the analogy of a chain ideally capture the linear hand off of inventory between players in the distribution of product firm supplier à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Manufacturer à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Distributors à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Retailer à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Final Customer. The chain can be rather short, for Dell computer that sell directly but substantially longer for end for an automobile manufacturer selling through independent dealers. The simultaneously production and consumption nature of service doesnt lend itself to the chain analogy but rather the service encounter is the essence of the service experience. The service provider can in turn have supplier but virtual analogy is a hub rather than chain. Suggest some strategies for controlling the variability in service times. To limit the service provider or to standardized them, eg. Fast food restaurant, they offer limited menu and standardized the ways in which the worker provide the services. To partition demand into categories such as we see for commercial customer at bank or express lane customers at supermarkets. Pizza Hut delivery services can guarantee delivery within a specific time by controlling variability to several measure. They standardize the preparation of the pizza and they locate store strategy throughout the town. They also organize the delivery people, so each one can make several delivery on each trip. When the line becomes long at some fast-food restaurants, an employee will walk along the line taking orders. What ate the benefits of this policy? To discourage customer to reneging once an order is taken the customer feel committed to follow. Taking orders from customer while they still in line, save time when the counter is rich. The only tasks remaining are taking money and filling the order which reduce services time and increase the capacity to serve. Such strategy establishes customer contact early in the encounter may avoid having to play catch up point later. Personnel who are on the floor taking orders during busy time can also keep wash for tables that need to be clean and make ready to accommodate the new customers. Will the widespread use of yield management eventually erode the concept of fixed prices for any service? More service establish to some extent the capacity constraint dilemma faced by airline and hotel there are unable to inventory their product (seat on flight or room for night) to avoid losing the revenue for time perishable capacity constraints airline/hotel services are motivated to presale the inventory when possible by using reservation and giving discount to avoid loss sales. eg. Travellers found that the publish room rate for under utilize hotels are quickly abandoned if the quest request a discount. The exemption to business that practise thus strategy are budget hotel that fill on those room each time, yield management has allocate customer to perishable measure of capacity constraints services and this knowledge will destroy fixed price for many service lead to price negotiation for all services. Tutorial 12 (Managing Capital Demand) What organizational problems can arise from the use of part-time employees? The uses of part time employees can be very helpful to businesses that have peak demand period such as restaurant, supermarket and bank. Part time employees are usually paid lower wages and they enjoy fewer if any benefits of company are provided for full time employees. Also, it is not generally flexible for a company to carry carrier development incentives to part time employees; it is also more difficult to fit them into their organization structure. In addition, part time employees generally have lower experience than full time employee. As a result, part time employee may have bad attitudes and loss loyalty and commitment which could affect reliability performance the quality of work. This situation can leave the direct impact on customer and the business. In view of this condition, part time employee may require greater supervision and control that could be necessary for full-time employee. Also, there is usually a greater turnover in part time employee, so more time must be spent in training new employee. Finally, the business must hire more part time employee than full time people to start position which create more administration work for scheduling, personal record and payroll. How can computer-based reservation systems increase service capacity utilization? The main function of the reservation systems is to pre-sell the services. A reservation system allows the customer to reserve a service long before it is actually utilized. Allowing customer to make reservation has certain advantages. The reservation systems can be used to reflect demand to other times or location where services capacity is available. For example, if a passenger wants flight that is full reservation, the reservation clerk can suggest immediately suggest alternatives fly are available. Thus demand of service capacity has been effectively re-routed to under utilize capacity. Reservation systems also allow the services to over book its capacity when it reasonably expect to have no show. Illustrate how a particular service has implemented successfully strategies for managing both demand and capacity. Because a service is consume and produce simultaneously a failure to provide enough capacity to serve results in idle servers and facilities. Public school had been experiencing this variability in demand recently owing to frustration in the no. of school age children a move of family from center city to suburban and increasing enrollment in private school. Some strategies for managing the demand and supply are as followed. Managing Demand: Expand education services by offering adult education, early childhood education programs and before and after school child care program. Offer social services such as community education program, job retraining programs, programs for senior citizen and summer recreation programs. Promote of peak demand in some areas by offering summer school classes. Managing capacity: Use school building when classes are no longer held because of declining and enrollment for warehousing school supply or for admin office or lease those to other organization until school demographic change. Hire teachers who are train in more than 1 subject in order to cope with a fluctuating demand for courses. Hire part time teacher in small schools for support areas such as art, music and physical education. Suggest some strategies for controlling the variability in service times. To limit the services provider or to standardize them, fast food restaurant provide an excellent example of both approach they offer menu and they standardize the wears in which the worker provide the services. To patricians demand categories such as we see for commercial customer at bank or express lane customers at market. Pizza Hut delivery services can guarantee delivery within a specific time by controlling variability to several measure. They standardize the preparation of the pizza and they locate store strategy throughout the town. They also organize the delivery people. Each one can make one several delivery in each trip. Discuss the functions of inventory for different organizations in the supply chain (i.e., manufacturing, suppliers, distributors, and retailers). Manufacturing- factory inventory can be divided into 3 categories: raw materials, walk-in-progress (WIP) and finished goods. Raw materials are usually purchase in bulk quantities that often take advantages of price discount or forward buying in anticipation of future price increase. WIP is materials found on the factory floor in various steps of competition, WIP creates buffers between different manufacturing various steps and those allow some independent in operation. Finished goods if not representing a completed customer order ready for shipment are those available for immediately delivery. Suppliers- in addition to the role of inventory share with other manufacturer, suppliers are expected to the role make delivery to their manufacturing cost on a just in time (JIT) basis. Using electronic data intra changes (EDI) suppliers are indirect contact with manufacturing contact with manufacturing cost and those they are reduce ordering delay significantly using EDI and JIT delivery, inventory level can reduce. Distributors- act as consolidator of retail demand and provide more efficient distribution of goods because demand can be aggregated of regional level, distributors allow small manufacturer the opportunity to reach market efficiently by sharing the distribution cost with other firms. Retailers at the retail level inventory are on display for ready accepts by customer. Lack of inventory for immediate sale that is stock out represent a lose sale and possible loss of future sales if the customers never return. Suggest ways that service management can influence the arrival times of customers. Use appointment or reservation. Fill appointment times with walk in Advertise the time during the day/week when the facility is seldom busy Offer reduce rates for the services of weekends, example, telephone rates Segment the market by time sensitivity, example, retire people with no schedules and business people at lunch time and student after school Offer inducements suggest double stands on Wednesday gifts for the first specific customer who was arrived reduce the matinee rates for early theatre performance or meals. Tutorial 13 (Growth and Globalization of Services) Discuss the implications of service outsourcing for employees, stockholders, customers, and host-country economy when a firm outsources a call center overseas. Employees of the firm will lose their job resulting in personal hardship, a lot of tax base of the local economy, unemployed employees and unexpressed of the government. Stockholders will probably see some infinite improvement profit due to saving but this will dissipate when competitors follow the outsourcing practice. Customers may be unaware the claim but could put off if the outsource call center is less responsive to customer need. Eg, Dell computer give up its oversea call center for its high dollar business clients following complaint poor service. The host country economy and its citizen should benefit from the creation of new job. In what ways are service sector inventory problems different from typical manufacturing inventory problems? Services inventory problems differ from manufacturing inventory problems in the following ways: Set up/ordering cost are typically not of great concern Number of products is much larger Shelf space limitation are a main concern They are usually loss sales not back orders Product substitution often occur in services Demand variances is often much higher Information accuracy is lower What is the main difference between offshoring and outsourcing? Discuss THREE (3) potential risks of outsourcing. Offshoring involve moving work to a different country, workers can be employes by the same firm or different firm. Outsourcing involve moving work to a different company, workers can be in a same country or a different one. Outsourcing vs. Offshoring Risk: Outsourcer may collapse financially, go bankrupt, experience labor strike and a company might have to find a new solution on a short notice. Outsourcer might share or sell the sensitive company information to competitors. Company can become so tide or dependent on a particular outsources that outsource can drastically increase price in the future. Potential Risk of outsourcing Loss of direct control over quality Jeopardizes employee loyalty because of job loss fears Exposure to data and security and customer privacy issues Dependence in one supplier compromises future negotiation leverage Additional coordination expense and delays Waste of in-house capability to perform outsourced service What is the main purpose of yield management techniques? Suggest and explain FOUR (4) tactics to be used to manage supply. Purpose of yield management techniques: To sell right capacity to the right customer with right price. manage demand capacity to maximize revenue 4 tactics to manage supply: à ¢-   Daily / weekly work shift scheduling ~ Carefully scheduling work shifts, profile of service capacity can be made to approximate demand à ¢-   Cross training employees ~ cross -training employees to perform tasks in different operation creates flexible capacity to meet peaks in demand à ¢-   Increase customer participation ~ Customer provides labor just at the moment its required ~ Thus, capacity to serve varies directly with demand rather than being fixed à ¢-   Using Part-Time Employees ~ A ready part-time labor pool is available for who are interested in supplementing their primary source of income Company can utilize creative work schedule to solve the problem of unevenness of customer demand throughout a day such as non-uniform starting time and work days that have variable work hours. The traditional method for a control strategy cuts total labor by encouraging customer to participate in serving themselves. By cross-training personnel for different jobs, a company can flexibly shift personnel temporary to increase the capacity of any position. Capacity can offer be shared between department or between firm for personnel or equipments that is needed only occasionally. Eg., sharing the same secretarial accounting and office management team. How is a service level determined for most inventory items? Many factors are considered in determining a service level for an inventory item. The most of obvious included the cost of holding extra inventory as a safety stock and the cost associated with a stock out using an information database and expresses the delivery. This cause can be reducing significant need, for example, some retailers will have a stock out item, shop directly to the cost from another store. The competitive circumstances or willingness of the customer to place a back order also play a part. Rural store with competitors will seldom have the variety found in urban areas. What is the inherent conflict in a franchising arrangement? A franchiser is interested in delivering a consistent offering across all units in order to establish a brand that attract travelling customer. However franchising attracts either entrepreneurial owner-operator or large firm operating several franchises. In the case of the owner-operators that is a desire to personalize the establishment and cattle to the local customer base. Large firm with multiple units under management have the power and economy self-incentives to challenges the franchiser in particular with respect to any binding agreement (example: supplies and materials). Given the atypical nature of the franchise contract two business entities bound together in a contract seeking mutual and separate profitability, it is unsurprisingly susceptible to disputation. Conflicts can be categories five groups, relating to: values; relationships; data; structures; and interests. Causes of franchising conflict: financial issues can cause franchisees to seek either release or re-negotiation of their agreement; disputes with third parties; operational disputes with potential to impact on others involved in the same franchise scheme; financial issues interconnected with family and personal issues.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

The Bone People- Relationships Essay -- Essays Papers

The Bone People- Relationships Relationships surround us all though out lift. Everyone needs some type of relationship, whether it's a friendship, family, or lover. People can't last without them, no matter how different the relationships are. In the novel The Bone People, it's based on the relationships between the three main characters; Kerewin, Joe and Simon. The relationship between Kerewin and Joe was very odd. They have a type of relationship that they aren't even sure about, they like each other, but don't realize it. It's starts off with Joe asking Kerewin: "Are you afraid of kissing," and Kerewin answers "I don't like kissing." (pg: 265) It's both a strange question and answer. Then later on in the page, Joe keeps on the topic by saying: "I thought maybe someone had been bad to you in the past, and that was why you don't like people touching or holding you." "Ah damn it to hell," she bangs the lamp down on the desk and the flame jumps wildly. "I said no. I haven't been raped or jilted or abused in any fashion. There's nothing in my background to explain the way I am." She steadies her voice, taking the impatience out of it. "I'm the odd one out, the peculiarity in my family, because they're all normal and demonstrative physically." (pg: 265) Joe is Sharing with Kerewin his feelings about family, and childhood. "I've often thought that maybe what happens to you as a child determines everything about you. What you are and what you do, a...

Friday, July 19, 2019

faulkner :: essays research papers

The Southern Social Themes of Barn Burning William Faulkner undoubtedly ranks one of the best and most influential writers both in America and in history. Among his various works of art, the most famous ones are those set in his fictional Yoknapatawpha County, which is molded out of his â€Å"native soil.† Despite their Southern setting, these works convey something universally true. As Faulkner often claims, he is just a story-teller, telling about man in conflict, about how he â€Å"endures and prevails.† Before he received due recognition, Faulkner wrote quite a few short stories which he expected would help him improve his economic condition, so that he could write novels at ease. Nevertheless, although he was motivated by economic interests, many of these short stories turned out very prominent. "Barn Burning" is one of Faulkner's most frequently anthologized, though its prose is a bit more ponderous than the garrulous first-person narration of "Emily." Set roughly 30 years after the Civil War, the story focuses on two members of the Snopes family: Ab Snopes, a poor sharecropper who takes out his frustrations against the post-Civil War aristocracy by burning barns, and his adolescent son, "Sarty," who dislikes his father's destructive tendencies and ultimately must choose between family and morality. This powerful coming-of-age story is notable for its conscientious prose styling, in which Faulkner mimics the inward turmoil and questions faced by his principal protagonist, as well as its carefully rendered settings of three historical milieus, each of which has important thematic concerns in the story: the sharecropper's cabin, the planter's mansion, and the town's general store. Faulkner incorporated the basic narrative of the story into his novel The Hamlet, though it is told in vastly different language and tone. Written as it was, at the ebb of the 1930s, a decade of social, economic, and cultural tumult, the decade of the Great Depression, William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning" may be read and discussed by most of us as just that--a story of the '30s, for "Barn Burning" offers students insights into these years as they were lived by the nation and the South and captured by our artists. This story was first published in June of 1939 in Harper's Magazine and later awarded the 0. Henry Memorial Award for the best short story of the year. Whether read alone, as part of a thematic unit on the Depression era, or as an element of an interdisciplinary course of the Depression '30s, "Barn Burning" can be used to awaken students to the race, class, and economic turmoil of the decade.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Lessons from a Third World Perspective on Environmentalism Essay

Lessons from a Third World Perspective on Environmentalism Possibly more than any of the other articles we have read so far, Ramachandra Guha's article "Radical Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique" made me think. In analyzing the Western deep ecology movement, he criticized its focus on preservation of wild areas. By doing this, he was directly criticizing what I have long thought of as my main goal as an "environmentalist." One of the first things that turned me on to environmental issues when I was younger was my horror at the soaring rate of rainforest destruction so dramatically portrayed to us in 9th grade biology class. Since then, by following a biology track through college, my focus has been on ecological goals such as the preservation of biodiversity. The study of ecology has served me as a way to understand wilderness so I might be able to help protect it or restore it. My patterns of thought are often not far off from those of Daniel Janzen, which Guha quotes in his paper as "imperialist yearning of Western biologists and their financial sponsors" to claim land in Third World countries for protection by ecologists (Guha 272). He states his opinion that "the radical conclusions drawn by deep ecology, in particular, that intervention in nature should be guided primarily by the need to preserve biotic integrity rather than by the needs of humans" are unacceptable (271). He also claims that the two "fundamental ecological problems facing the globe are (i) overconsumption by the industrialized world and by urban elites in the Third World and (ii) growing militarization" (271), whereas the biological perspective would c... ...growth instead of material wealth --"The values of caring, cooperation, nurturing and sharing must be encouraged to replace the values of competitiveness, domination and aggression which have characterized our society for so long" --polices must reflect "the interdependence of all living things and the interconnetedness of all political and social activity" (http://www.greenparty.org.uk/principles/values/htm) The list was impressive. And although the Greens seem more prevalent in Europe than in the U.S. - there is an American Greens party - which had Ralph Nader as their presidential candidate in 1996. Maybe the Greens movement could help us meet a wide range of environmental and social goals through its philosophy of humility, instead of following deep ecology's biocentric proposal. I am encouraged to look further into it...

Hinduism and Buddhism, and Their Respective Elements

Two known eastern religions and philosophies shared the area of India for centuries, which probably lasts up to this date. These two are Buddhism and Hinduism. Since both concept of Buddhism and Hinduism originated from a single source, it would be possible to identify similar concepts between the two, or at least some form of derivative of a concept belonging to one of the two mentioned religions and philosophies. The focus of this paper primarily entails the comparison between the two great religion philosophies of Buddhism and Hinduism. There is bound to be a difference between them, as one of them originated earlier than the other.One cannot simply judge that the latter one is a mere copy of the one that existed before it. In relation to death and the afterlife, there are two concepts which can be identified in both Buddhism and Hinduism: Reincarnation and Samsara, the Wheel of Life wherein rebirth is usually based. For now, it is best if the both Buddhism and Hinduism be discern ed and identified as a separate entity. The Two Eastern Religion Philosophies: Buddhism and Hinduism As mentioned earlier, the two primary religions and philosophies that proliferated in India were Buddhism and Hinduism. Both of which had a significant amount of followers.Buddhism and Its History. Basically, Buddhism is the basic religion to which its disciples and members follow the scriptures and teachings of Buddha. After Buddha's death, its followers—mostly monks—congregated in order to discuss which scriptures and teachings would fit best to the aims of Buddha and the proliferation of Buddhism around India, and in other parts of the world. Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism after witnessing a carnage he produced. After being converted, he dedicated his life and a whole lot of structures to Buddhism, and to Buddha—his life and death.He ordered the construction of numerous pillars which contained the scriptures and teachings of Buddha, spreading it through these stone pillars (Boeree 1999). It was Emperor Ashoka who allowed Buddhism to proliferate across India and beyond its borders, sending messengers to promote Buddhism within those areas. Hinduism: a Brief History. It has been mentioned by historians that Hinduism dates back around 5,000 years ago, proving that it is a much older religion than Buddhism. The word was actually derived from the river â€Å"Indus†, from an area of which it originated (Kolanu 2009).The daily practices of the area's inhabitants gradually turned into a religion or concept, upon which it revolves around the peoples' religious, philosophical, and cultural practices native to the Indian sub-continent (Kolanu 2009). It has had many names before Hindu. However, many of its followers would prefer to call it as Hindu, after the name—or at least a close version of it—of the place wherein it originated. It would be later known in history as one of the main religions in India, which is still qu ite true today—Islam is the second main religion during the contemporary period.The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. The Four Noble Truths is one of the basic doctrines that Buddhist follow. It basically involved the dispossession of material things, which Buddhist do not really need. The First Noble Truth entails the realization that every aspect of existence is unsatisfactory as these are all subjected to birth, decay, disease, and death (Lorentz 2007). The Second Noble Truth is the cause of dukkha. The Third Noble Truth entails the freedom from dukkha, wherein one is required to remove the craving of the senses.The Fourth Noble Truth leads to the end of the dukkha by following the Eigthfold path: Perfect understanding, Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness, and Perfect Concentration (Lorentz 2007). India's Caste System. Hinduism entailed a social hierarchy in which identified their society, based on social ra nkings upon which was born into, or had been reborn into. When the Aryans came to the Dravidian-occupied Indian subcontinent, they implemented a caste system which separated them from the Dravidian.It composes of four major components wherein the bottom was reserved for the Dravidian people. The topmost was known as the Brahmin class, made up of religious officials. The second was the Kshatriya, which was reserved for warriors and rulers. The third was the Vaishya, which was reserved for artisans and other skilled workers like farmers. The last one was the Shudra, wherein they serve the higher castes (Flesher 1997). Intermarriage was disallowed because they believe that it will reduce their rank. One is also required to perform well, and promote goodness in order to maintain the rank or move upward when they are reincarnated.The opposite happens to those who promote evil. It has also been mentioned that some Buddhist from other areas practice the same Caste system implemented by the Aryans. However, they implemented new ideas in order to promote equality among the classes, which is a chief principle of Buddhism. The Life of Buddha: Who was He anyway? Buddha was said to have been born in the body of Siddhartha Gautama, the prince of Kapilavastu which was near the Indian-Nepalese border, during the fifth century B. C. (Delattre 2009).At around this time period, India had a prolific spiritual heritage, with Hinduism at the forefront. It has been described in spiritual scriptures—probably from Hindu sources—that an ascetic will be born and become the greatest spiritual teacher. This ascetic would also realize the ultimate truth (Lorentz 2007). It has also been mentioned in Hindu scriptures that after the prince was born, seven Brahmin priests observed the baby, concluding that the baby will become a great spiritual leader who will leave his royal status behind him; the basic principle of Buddhism.However, his father wished for him to become a Great K ing, giving him the best education which a prince deserved. His curiosity of the world beyond the walls of their palace urged him to sneak out and realize the truth about the world they lived in. After this realization, he vowed to help the people by living life as an ascetic, leaving his royal status behind. While on his spiritual quest, he went under the wings of great teachers, to which he was able to surpass. Realizing that there is still dukkhas to be flushed away, he left his teachers and practiced by himself.He was able to attain his complete spirituality without the practice of extreme asceticism. For the next four or so decades, he ordained new followers and taught them what he had learned from his spiritual quest (Lorentz 2007); he became Buddha. End of the World at the Presence of Seven Suns In Buddha's sermon of the Seven suns, he envisioned that Seven suns would appear on the sky and wreak havoc towards the Earth, through a series of cataclysmic events (Jayaram 2007). T his will occur after many hundreds and thousands of years in the future; as do all â€Å"end-of-days† prophecies.In Buddha's version, the presence of the seven suns will cause the following: first sun would cause severe drought; second sun will evaporate streams and ponds; third sun will evaporate great rivers like the Ganges; fourth sun, after a long lapse, would evaporate the great lakes; After another long lapse, a fifth sun will gradually drain oceans; After yet another long lapse, a sixth sun will scorch the earth and cause volcanic eruptions; After another long interval, the seventh sun will turn the earth into a ball of flame and then explode and disappear. A Slight Taste of Death and the AfterlifeBoth Hinduism and Buddhism believed in reincarnation, as the caste system which they followed required reincarnation to reward or punish people. However in Buddhism, one must attain Nirvana—enlightenment–in order to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation. If the person failed to do so, he or she will be reborn into one of the following six states of life: Heaven (has 37 different levels), Human life (under the caste system), Asura (Demi-Gods), Hungry ghost (taken literally), Animals (those who have killed animals), and Hell (the lowest level) (Tang, Urbandharma.org 2002). References Boeree, C. G. (1999). The History of Buddhism. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Delattre, M. (2000, November 18). The Illustrated Life of the Buddha. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Flesher, Paul. (1997, February 8). Social Organization: The Caste System. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Jayaram, V. (2007). Buddha's Discourse on the End of the World.Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Kolanu, P. (2009). The History of Hinduism. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Lorentz, M. (2007). Buddhism. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Tang, T. H. (2002, March 22). Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from