Friday, December 27, 2019

An Economy Or Economic System - 1174 Words

An economy or economic system consists of the production, distribution or trade, and consumption of limited goods and services by different agents in a given geographical location. The economic agents can be individuals, businesses, organizations, or governments. Transactions occur when two parties agree to the value or price of the transacted good or service, commonly expressed in a certain currency. In the past, economic activity was theorized to be bounded by natural resources, labor, and capital. This view ignores the value of technology, and innovation, especially that which produces intellectual property. A given economy is the result of a set of processes that involves its culture, values, education, technological evolution, history, social organization, political structure and legal systems, as well as its geography, natural resource endowment, and ecology, as main factors. These factors give context, content, and set the conditions and parameters in which an economy functions. The largest national economies by continent are: the United States in the Americas, Germany in Europe, Nigeria in Africa, China in Asia and Australia in Oceania. A market-based economy is where goods and services are produced without obstruction or interference, and exchanged according to demand and supply between participants by barter or a medium of exchange with a credit or debit value accepted within the network, such as a unit of currency and at some free market or market clearingShow MoreRelatedThe Economic System Of A Mixed Economy System Essay874 Words   |  4 Pagesaround the world, including Canada, rely on a mixed market economy system in which the allocation of most resources, goods and services is determined by supply and demand through markets and prices. This system has many flaws, including environmental damage, high income inequality both within and between countries, resource depletion and so on. When I think of alternative economic system, I have to go back to the basics of mixed economic system, what actually is and what it does. In every kind of societyRead MoreEconomic System And Its Impact On The Economy Essay1078 Words   |  5 Pages7. Some Specifics: Economy Even though the economic system is not specifically targeted in this model, there would be large changes in the economy if this system was truly actualized and if the Christian population exemplified their beliefs. In the early Church, â€Å"no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common† (Acts 4:32). If Christians were to follow this model today, then they would not lead a capitalist economy. Instead of competition, everythingRead MoreThe Economic Crisis Of The Financial Systems Within Developed Countries Affected Economies Across The World2024 Words   |  9 PagesTask 1 The economic crisis which erupted from the financial systems within developed countries affected all economies across the world. There was a significant amount of job losses, company bankruptcies and cuts in incomes and budgets (McKibben, Stockel 2009). Companies were focusing on sales growth which took urgency over most workplace including learning and development and many trying to decide what was important in terms of return on investment (Dullien et al 2010). Training and developmentRead MoreFour Different Economic Systems and Which One I Think Best Suits South Africas Mixed Economy1448 Words   |  6 Pagesthe three key economic questions has lead to the evolvement of four different economics systems which i will critically analyse in this assignment. Furthermore, i will be critically discussing South Africa as a mixed economy as to why it is characterized as a mixed economy and the suitability of the economic system for the current economic conditions. â€Å"A government is not need to ensure the whole society’s welll-being† Adman Smith. 2.LITERARY REVIEW OF THE FOUR ECONOMIC SYSTEMS 2.1. TraditionalRead MoreBusiness Environment Economic Systems, Fiscal Monetary Policies, Cc Regulatory Bodies, International Trade British Economy, Global Factors Impact on British Organisations, Analysis Implications Joining Eu5548 Words   |  23 PagesTask 1: a) Explain how different economic systems attempt to allocate scarce resources. Outline the economic system of the UK. The allocation of resources is an economic theory concerned with the discovery of how nations, companies or individuals distribute economic resources or inputs in the economic marketplace. Traditional business inputs are land, labour and capital. There are three major systems that can be distinguished in many parts of the world economy within these basic models there willRead MoreThe essay is about the pros and cons of various economic systems and the governments influence within them. The title can be stated as: To what extent should the government regulate the economy ?1622 Words   |  7 PagesIn a public enterprise economy, the government has the power to nationalize any or all industries which can lead to devastating consequences. One the countries famous for doing this was the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin, the then dictator of the Soviet Union instituted two domestic policies that would eliminate any capitalism in Russia. He would institute rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agriculture.This would be known as the Five Year Plan. Stalin wanted to change all private ownedRead MoreWhy to Use Market Economy Essay749 Words   |  3 PagesThere are four types of economy, command, market, mixed, and traditio nal. A command economy is an economy where government control the economy. In market economy is there is a minimum amount of government control. A mixed economy is an economy that blends command and market economy together. A traditional economy is an economic system that is often used in rural areas. Among these four economic system, Mr.Robbins should use market economy for his new island, because market economy bring many benefitsRead MoreMixed Economic Systems760 Words   |  4 PagesEconomic system of a country Identify and evaluate the economic system that Malaysia is adopting. Discuss the rationale of Malaysia’s economic system in terms of utility maximisation and pricing mechanism for distribution of goods and services. An economic system is the combination of the various agencies, and entities that provide the economic structure that defines the social community. Malaysia has adopting mixed economic systems. Mixed economic system is an economy where there is moreRead MoreThe Problem Of National Self Reliance Essay1473 Words   |  6 Pagesseems that economics reveals the weakness in humanity s attempts to both unite as one larger whole, and to maintain separate national identities. Efforts to create a unified front, are slow and challenged by Westphalian conceptions of state sovereignty. Efforts to preserve states individuality and self-reliance reveal the human suffering that was commonplace before globalization began to smooth out the economic extremes experienced in localized areas. All politics, and economics, are local butRead MoreIntroduction A system is a network of parts which interlock to form an overall pattern. An economic1500 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction A system is a network of parts which interlock to form an overall pattern. An economic system is a pattern of organisation which is aimed at solving the three central questions discussed in the previous sections. Economic systems do not always work well, but they are often so vast and complicated that it is quiet marvellous that they work at all. Mohr Fourie.(2008. P42). Scarcity is the fundamental challenge confronting all individuals and nations. We cannot always get what we want

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Essay about Nelson Mandela’s Childhood Defined His Identity

When a child is born, he knows little about the world that he will spend the rest of his life in. Through experiences as a young child – such as experiences with parents, culture, family values, etc. – it is possible for one’s childhood environment to shape many aspects of his life. Indeed, one could argue that a childhood environment can greatly influence how one will spend the rest of one’s life. The life of Nelson Mandela is an interesting example of this ideology. In his case, the connection between childhood and life is special and goes even further than the first instinctive connections that often come to mind. When one examines the interesting details the childhood of Nelson Mandela, one is compelled to conclude†¦show more content†¦But while the British tended to adopt a policy of benign neglect, the inclusion of a highly discriminatory â€Å"colour bar clause† in the Union Act sowed the seeds of black protest, opposition, and revolution. What followed was blatant discrimination, which included the introduction of blacks-only territorial reserves under the Natives Land Act of 1913, more stringent enforcement of the system to restrict blacks from entering urban areas, and the disenfranchisement of blacks (Gibson, 34). Mandela earned a law degree from University of South African in 1942 and he was a prominent member of Johannesburg’s African National Congress (ANC). In 1952, he became ANC deputy national president advocating nonviolent resistance to apartheid (racial segregation). However, after a group of peaceful demonstrators were massacred in 1960, Mandela organized a paramilitary branch of the ANC to carry out guerrilla warfare against the oppressive government. After being acquitted in 1962 on charges of treason, he was arrested in 1964, convicted of sabotage, and sentenced to life in prison, where he became the leading symbol of South Africa’s black majority. Mandela was released in 1990 after over twenty years of imprisonment as an expression of President DeKlerk’s commitment to change. He was later elected as the President of South Africa. Mandela and DeKlerk were jointly awarded the peace prize in 1993 (Wesley).Show MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesUniversity, for their work on the supplement on making oral and written presentations; Gretchen Spreitzer of the University of Southern California for her work on the chapter on gaining power and influence; Richard M. Steers of the University of Oregon for his work on the motivation chapter; Pat Seybolt and Troy Nielsen of the University of Utah for their work on the chapter on managing conflict; Cathy German of Miami University for her assistance in revising Supplement A, and John Tropman, University of

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

A novel to a play script Essay Example For Students

A novel to a play script Essay Cottage near Lewes. Early morning. Sound of an larm watch. Frederick already woken up, moving on stage. A door in the middle of the stage to represant the cellar door. He knocks on the door. Frederick:, Please get up! Waits, open the door and goes in the cellar, onto the other part of the stage with Mirandas bag. Light goes on. Miranda sitting on an arm chair, staring at Frederick. Frederick: I hope you slept well. Miranda: Where is this? Who are you? Why have you brought me here? Frederick: I cant tell you. Miranda: I demand to be released at once! This is monstrous! Get out of the way. Im going to leave. Get out of the way. Frederick: You cant go yet. Please dont oblige me to use force again. Miranda: I dont know who you think I am. If you think Im somebodys rich daughter and youre going to get a huge ransom, youve got a shock coming. Frederick: I know who you are. Its not money. , , , Miranda: And dont I know who you are? Town Hall Annex. Frederick: I dont know what you mean. Miranda: Youve got a moustache. Youre photo was on the newspaper. Frederick: I am only obeing orders. Miranda: Orders? Whose orders? Frederick: I cant tell you.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The Time Cancer Ruined My Life (Again) free essay sample

KAT: It’s back. A moment of silence. My heart slowly starts to beat again, as if hesitant to resume its normal function. My head feels like it’s swimming as my eyes become lights over a stage, narrowing to one spot: cancer. Time wasn’t an object anymore. ME: I can be over in 10 if you need me. The only thing I knew how to do was be present for her. Surely I understood what was happening more than most. KAT: Ok. Please hurry. My heart splintered as the next text drove into it like a nail. I like to tell myself that I knew her mindset because I had been the one to receive that dreadful news before. Days later, I tried to let Kat know that I did understand, â€Å"I know it sucks. It hurts, I understand.† What I didn’t expect her to whisper was, â€Å"No, you don’t. We will write a custom essay sample on The Time Cancer Ruined My Life (Again) or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † It took every ounce of will I had in me not to respond. To not ask her: Do you think I don’t understand the pain? The anxiousness of the long wait to see scans? To not yell: You know my mom had cancer, my grandmother, and my aunt. Her cancer came back. I’m still anxiously waiting for scans too. I’m always waiting, hoping, and praying that nobody’s cancer comes back. To not argue: I do know what it means to wait and not know. The words begged me to say them, but I restrained myself, knowing anything I wanted to say would only cause more harm. So I choose not to, and we both continue with our lives. Regardless of the hate that suffocated me in that moment, I would still repeat that same day over and over and over again. I would still walk into her quiet house; intimidated, but knowing that I was where I needed to be. Walking in, I go through the formalities; hug her mom and dad, say hello to my youth pastor and small group leader as the tears run their course down my cheek. Muttering the awkward, â€Å"It is good to see you† when in reality I’d rather not see them because his cancer is back. I find her. I walk as she lays sideways in bed and I sit next to her in silence as she doesn’t acknowledge my presence. We laugh when we hear, â€Å"GOTCHA† and thuds as bodies hit the ground and remember; of course, he would have his Nerf guns out hours after the announcement that his cancer has returned. Then we would quiet down as we remember the hell we knew waited for us the next few months. I spent the next few hours lingering and then the following days, months, and years waiting with my friend for her brother’s scans until the day he died. Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you how I dealt with what to say in those moments. To this day, I still wonder, what do you say to people who have been crushed so many times by disease? All I know is that there is never truly a right thing to say. There are only the wrong things to say, and I always had to hope that I could avoid those hurtful words. All I could do is be there for my friend when she struggles through the impact of cancer on her family.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Secrecy The American Experience By Senator Daniel P. Moynihan Essays

Secrecy: The American Experience? By Senator Daniel P. Moynihan According to a survey performed for the Defense Department in 1996, it was found that the majority of U.S. citizens believe that the government withholds too much information by classifying it as a secret. In this book, ?Secrecy: The American Experience?, Senator Daniel P. Moynihan reinforces that view. This is a distinctive book with numerous weaknesses, some errors, and one great strength. The weakness is that the book shows controversial arguments rather than a policy analysis. Moynihan has a particular view he wants to advance, and he is not interested in considering alternate explanations or exploring evidence that is contradictory with his view. Moynihan marks the start of modern secrecy with the Espionage Act. Most of the distinctive features of twentieth-century secrecy are rooted in the program to build the atomic bomb, including vast secret budgets and cover stories. I particularly enjoyed the book in that it told the truth of past events. I did not like that the book was written from only Moynihan's point of view and did not discuss other opinions. I enjoyed the book because it is nonfiction and reveals the truth of secrecy in America. Most importantly I found it interesting that this book was written by Senator Moynihan rather than by an ordinary person who would make many assumptions in order to write a book about secrecy. This US senator from New York analyzes the roots of America's obsession with government secrecy and pleads for it's dismantling. This book is not primarily an insider's account of the Government in action. It is, more ambitiously, a historical assessment of the ?culture of secrecy,? particularly in the area of foreign policy. Moynihan cites the CIA's failure to forecast the end of the Soviet Union as yet another deviation caused by secrecy. In his view, the CIA simply failed at its most important task. It is possible that all of those who argue to the contrary are mistaken, but Moynihan does not explain why or even acknowledge that there is a debate. In any case, the relevance of this controversy to government secrecy is weak; since CIA estimates of the Soviet Union economy are among the least secretive items it produced. Secrecy is heavily weighted toward the past. More than half the book is devoted to the period before 1950. Here too there are problems. Moynihan believes he has proved that President Harry Truman was never told about the secret army program known as Venona, which successfully decrypted Soviet communications and provided documentary evidence of Soviet espionage against the United States. There is circumstantial evidence that Truman was not informed about Venona, but Moynihan has not proved the negative. In 1996, the number of new secrets dropped to the lowest in recent decades. Never before has so much information about national security been so easily available to so many. How and why this came to pass is a story that has never been fully told, and it is not mentioned at all in this book. Daniel Patrick Moynihan draws two conclusions from his study of the way America keeps its secrets. If the federal government had revealed all it knew about Soviet espionage activities in the United States during and after World War II, there might have been no McCarthy era. If the U.S. intelligence community had needed its own analysis of the Soviet economy in the aftermath of World War II, there might have been no Cold War. These are the conclusions Moynihan makes. Moynihan proves that the American people and government have been the worst sufferers of this secrecy culture. For example: the xenophobic hysteria which led to the 1917 espionage act and the Dulles-Hoover cold war gyrations. Moynihan believes that the US assessments on the Soviet Union went so widely of the mark, in spite of capacity to access the best intelligence since the secret sources could not be tested and substantiated before acceptance as policy inputs. Excessive secrecy also affected the psyche of the American nation in the McCarthy and Vietnam Era. He feels that much of the witch hunting of the innocent could have been avoided had the intelligence available with the security services been revealed to

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Free Essays on The Learned Illness

Carillo 1 Debates have been occurring on the classification of alcoholism since early times. Is alcoholism a disease or is it a learned behavior? For most, alcohol is a common factor at parties, celebrations, and perhaps even everyday life. Many people abuse alcohol by developing risky drinking patterns. They develop cravings and a high tolerance, allowing them to increase the intake of alcohol and believe that they need more to satisfy a taste. There is also the loss of control and(,) very importantly(,) the physical dependency. Withdrawal symptoms heighten(,) making it difficult to quit drinking. So, is this term â€Å"alcoholism† really a disease, or can the individual control their behavior? Medical organizations have researched this condition over and over(,) running tests, experimenting, and analyzing. There is potential that the nature of this condition could very well be classified as a disease. Symptoms are one key in defining a disease, but complications come about in the definition. There is a mental obsession with alcohol. One can lose control of their thought processes(,) causing a sense power loss. (this last phrase is confusing – do you mean a loss of sensory power?) This can lead to a physical obsession and compulsion to drink. Although alcoholism has almost been deemed by everyone as incurable, there (replace with â€Å"it†) is the (replace with â€Å"a†) progressive disease. Progressive meaning it makes drastic changes at a subtle pace. It may progress over such an extended time, (delete) that the alcoholic doesn’t realize the changes. In actuality there is no evidence that alcoholism is in fact a disease. It does not even satisfy the meaning of and (spelling: an) illness. Scientific canalizations ( I’m not sure what you mean by this term) have failed in providing concrete facts and solid proof that alcoholism is a learned, and controllable, behavior. An Carillo 2 old A.A. group even... Free Essays on The Learned Illness Free Essays on The Learned Illness Carillo 1 Debates have been occurring on the classification of alcoholism since early times. Is alcoholism a disease or is it a learned behavior? For most, alcohol is a common factor at parties, celebrations, and perhaps even everyday life. Many people abuse alcohol by developing risky drinking patterns. They develop cravings and a high tolerance, allowing them to increase the intake of alcohol and believe that they need more to satisfy a taste. There is also the loss of control and(,) very importantly(,) the physical dependency. Withdrawal symptoms heighten(,) making it difficult to quit drinking. So, is this term â€Å"alcoholism† really a disease, or can the individual control their behavior? Medical organizations have researched this condition over and over(,) running tests, experimenting, and analyzing. There is potential that the nature of this condition could very well be classified as a disease. Symptoms are one key in defining a disease, but complications come about in the definition. There is a mental obsession with alcohol. One can lose control of their thought processes(,) causing a sense power loss. (this last phrase is confusing – do you mean a loss of sensory power?) This can lead to a physical obsession and compulsion to drink. Although alcoholism has almost been deemed by everyone as incurable, there (replace with â€Å"it†) is the (replace with â€Å"a†) progressive disease. Progressive meaning it makes drastic changes at a subtle pace. It may progress over such an extended time, (delete) that the alcoholic doesn’t realize the changes. In actuality there is no evidence that alcoholism is in fact a disease. It does not even satisfy the meaning of and (spelling: an) illness. Scientific canalizations ( I’m not sure what you mean by this term) have failed in providing concrete facts and solid proof that alcoholism is a learned, and controllable, behavior. An Carillo 2 old A.A. group even...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Fluid mechanical Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fluid mechanical - Coursework Example Looking at those pipes, you might notice that they have different diameters creating an illusion (Kezerashvili & Sapozhnikov 2000, 1). This causes an imbalance when water is put in the thick end, and no water in the thinner opening of the pipe. The construction made in the pipe make the liquid not to come to equilibrium; as a result, the water in the thick end exert weight pushing the water down the thick pipe. The kilogram of water that was situated at the most elevated point on one end moves in the opposite direction to the following side, precisely as a pendulum would when swigged (Kezerashvili & Sapozhnikov 2000, 1). The overbalancing mass of water getaways from the slight end because the channel is so short, it is impractical hold 1 kg of water. On the peculiarity, you comprehend that the surge is redirected to the thick end of the channel, where it extends the measure of time required for the liquid to accomplish concordance while encountering the tight end. The structure will accomplish amicability in the unmistakable measure of time that it takes for the water to pass through the restricted tube. Note: This charm Fountain examination will certainly for two reasons: at first, it relies on upon pneumatic power, which runs out once the first holder gets filled.  Furthermore, the fundamental thing that goes to the second compartment is vaporous pressure and not water. In this manner, it moves the water in the second compartment to the third, yet nothing refills the second holder! No water ever moves into that holder. Munson, B., & Okiishi, T. (2009).Fundamentals of fluid mechanics  (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons. Kezerashvili, R., & Sapozhnikov, A. (2000). Magic Fountain. Retrieved November 13, 2014, from

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Picassos Guernica and Beckmanns Departure Art in the 19th Century Term Paper

Picassos Guernica and Beckmanns Departure Art in the 19th Century Politics - Term Paper Example Art in the 19th century had observed a series of changes and movements significant in catering new types of visual representation before a modern audience. At the turn of the mentioned century, the world had experienced two significant World Wars which inevitably led to noticeable influences in visual arts – in paintings to be exact. From two of the most famous movements during the 19th century, namely Cubism and Expressionism, artists such as Pablo Picasso and Max Beckmann had showcased the core essence of visual arts in the Modern Age. With such context laid down, this paper will focus on the Spanish Cubist painter Pablo Picasso and his famous work, Guernica and the German Expressionist painter Max Beckmann and his work, Departure.This essay will then argue that Picasso’s Guernica and Beckmann’s Departure showcase innovative feats in their respective styles and form and present significant struggle against Fascism prevalent during that period.The entirety of th is paper will tackle the analysis of historical content of both artworks. It will discuss how each piece symbolizes their respective campaigns against the Fascist regimes in Europe at that specific period. The 19th century was a moment in history when different ideologies emerged and Europe.These ideologies were used for propaganda and for an imposition of power amongst the weaker nation-states.In the time of Pablo Picasso,his homeland Spain was subjugated under civil disputes between the Revolutionary forces of the newly established government and the Fascist group led by General Franco .1 This civil struggle in Spain was an important factor which contributed to the theme that was used by Picasso in Guernica. With the civil revolution at its height in Spain, intellectuals, government officials and some of his co-artists and colleagues marched to before his house in Paris in order to seek his sympathy by a means of creating a mural.2 As what can be depicted from this piece of inform ation, Picasso at the period of the Guernica was already an influential artistic figure. The Spanish people believed that his artistic capabilities can, indeed, influence the Spanish people to advocate peace between the warring groups. However, Picasso’s sentiments were with the newly established Republic; his vision was to avoid any means of political art whatsoever.3 This seemed an unprecedented reaction from the artist. However, his views towards the political theme of the mural requested from him would come into fruition after a very devastating event that had swept his former convictions away. On April 27,1937, Guernica, a small Basque village in northern Spain, was unjustifiably bombed by the heavy war machines of Adolf Hitler. The Third Reich’s reason was defiantly for mere bombing practices only. This type of violent exercise caused Guernica to burn for three straight days and a huge loss of 600 civilians.4 The atrocities caused by the Fascist Germany had immed iately reached Paris and Picasso’s residence. The massacre created huge demonstrations upon the streets of Paris.5 This particular event moved the artist and compelled him to do the mural. His inspiration was plain and simple- Guernica. The historical sketch about testify to what Picasso’s Guernica is. The painting is highly political because it sends a definite message to its audience. The content of Guernica presents many symbolisms that cater to the historical background of what was happening in Spain at that time. In the painting, the key figures which relate the war-related disaster happening in Spain were the woman with outstretched arms, the agonized horse and the bull.6 These mentioned figures are classic and universal representations and themes in art which simply symbolize Spain.7 The resentment and the suffering attributed to these images as what is etched upon Picasso’s mural clearly present a horrifying stage in Spanish affairs.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Michael DeNottos Street Art and Graffiti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Michael DeNottos Street Art and Graffiti - Essay Example DeNotto then goes on to identify sources, where articles, essays, photos and interviews of artists can be found so that those interested can look into it for further study. He believes that the value of street art has become greater nowadays due to its emphasis on scholarship and vulnerability to eradication or vandalism, thereby erasing the potentially significant message it wants to impart. Hence, it is important to document it as they still exist. De Sotto provides a clear explanation of the evolution of graffiti and street art as part of popular culture. He has opened the minds of people to alternative perspectives, and explained that it is a viable outlet of self-expression and dissemination of a message intended for society. The initiative to provide additional sources of information is also commendable so people gain a broader understanding of graffiti and street art and why artists resort to creating it so that people get to understand their messages better. Graffiti used to be viewed as something unpleasant especially if the owners of the walls intended for it to remain spotless. Vandals have exploited such immaculate walls to maliciously destroy its faà §ade as a canvas for their rebellious messages. Now, as prominent artists have recognized the power of graffiti to elicit such strong responses from the public, they have utilized this medium to spread more positive content and instead of destroying the urban environment with ugly public textual and graphic messages, they created street art.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Influence of Twitter and Social Media in UK Elections

Influence of Twitter and Social Media in UK Elections Role and Influence of Twitter and other social media platforms during recent UK elections Introduction: Over the years, social media platforms have rapidly grown as a sphere for political activism due to its wide outreach. Sharing of information and news available across the social media networking sites in various ways is now turning into a vital strategy for the political leaders and parties to campaign (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017). Political leaders across the world have begun using Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites as a medium for political communication and marketing during election campaigns. The political parties try to increase the reach of their election campaign by channelling their message through the young audiences’ personal networks (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017). The leaders are able to gain support either through direct interaction with the individuals or through messages that are shared within their connected social circle (Bright et al., 2017) This study talks about the extent to which Twitter and other social media networking sites played a decisive role in the recently held two elections in United Kingdom in relatively quick succession in 2015 and 2017. It will also assess how much did these platforms influence the political parties’ strategy during the campaigning.   Twitter and 2015 UK General Election The social media has been a part of the Britain’s electoral scenario for a while since the 2015 general elections. With Twitter being a well-established social media tool in UK, Segesten and Bossetta (2017) notes that the UK became the second largest country after United States following the British Twittersphere having an estimated 14.8 million accounts in 2015. The 2015 general elections which was influenced by the social media for the first time saw Twitter being dominated by left-wing Labour party with 58,000 uses of #votelabour as compared to centre-right Conservatives 25,000 uses of #voteconservative (Bartlett and Jones, 2015). Other parties including UK Independent Party had 15,000 mentions with #voteukip and 27,000 #votesnp for SNP (Bartlett and Jones, 2015) Margetts (2017) highlights that while the electoral success of the Conservatives was attributed to the giant expenditure of  £1.2 million on the negative Facebook advertising targeted at Labour candidate Ed Miliband, it was the Labour’s â€Å"bottom-up† campaign on Twitter which drew the attention of the users. The Twitter campaign accounts of all the 8 political parties and leaders had produced a total of 22,397 tweets throughout the elections (Jensen, 2016) but of those about 13% of tweets were informative while generating only 2 % of mobilizing content (Segesten and Bossetta, 2017). Even though the Labour and Conservatives tried to drive voter engagement, the mobilizing messages by them lacked as against the UK Independent Party (UKIP) and Scottish National Party (SNP), who tweeted number of times a day targeting specific constituencies (Segesten and Bossetta, 2017) As (Lewis, 2015) notes that most of the politicians and their party used the social media platform as a digital marketing tool without interacting with the voters personally. Even the content posted on Twitter and Facebook appeared to prove the loyalty of the party rather than drawing the attention of the new potential voters. 2017 UK General Election: The â€Å"first-social media† election The GE 2015 had the potential to be the first social media election (Reuters, 2015) but the 2017 UK general elections was dubbed as the first social media election in the country. The GE 2017 which was announced as a â€Å"snap election† by Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of the 2020 date in order to make Brexit a success (Boyle and Maidment, 2017) saw social media platforms specially Twitter turning into a political battleground for the political parties while attracting many first-time young voters (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017). The number of Twitter users in 2017 rose to 16.4 million from 14.8 million in 2015 within the election period (Bright et al., 2017 cited Statista, 2017). The social media became the dominant source of political news and information (Gallacher and Kaminska, 2017) more than the traditional media which influenced both the political candidates and public’s opinions throughout the election. â€Å"Labour† was yet again the most active political party on social media to strategically plan and use their social media presence innovatively on a larger scale as compared to Conservatives. The party began its online campaigning even before the elections began to appeal and target the young voters while investing in a huge effort in using Twitter and Facebook to encourage them to register their vote (Booth and Hern, 2017). Polonski (2017) notes that even though the Labour lagged in the election polls throughout the campaigning, it won the battle for â€Å"votes† on â€Å"social media election† by gaining the highest number of votes as against the Conservatives (Booth and Hern, 2017). The impact of Crosbyn and Labour party’s active engagement with the voters led to 622,000 people (GetSet, 2017) supporting the party in the final 24 hours of the registration period alone. Jeremy Corbyn himself tweeted on his personal Twitter account on a regular basis as a result of which 26% of his posts urged the public to vote for the party (MarketMakers’, 2017). During the entire campaign as Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker (2017) note, Labour garnered over 1 million shares on Facebook, which was three times more than the Conservatives besides posting over three times as often. While the Conservatives spent over  £1 million on negative Facebook adverts attacking Labour candidate Jeremy Corbyn (Kentish, 2017) and focusing on strengths of Prime Minister Theresa May, Labour focused more on gaining supporters by uplifting their campaign on both Twitter and Facebook (Kentish, 2017)   Even though Labour party did not win the election, the social media did increase candidate Jeremy Corbyn’s online popularity among the new age voters on Twitter (Polonski, 2017), which led to the Labour’s election result witnessing its share of vote rise by 9.6 points to 40 %, considered to be the highest increase in a single election since 1945 (GetSet cited The Guardian, 2017) Twitter as a news source and sharing of junk news: During the 2016 US presidential elections, the presence and sharing of fake news and targeted advertising on social media platforms were largely debated. Though there were distribution of strongly opiniated content with a political twist, but fake news was unable to make its way on Facebook and affect the outcome of elections (Littunen, 2017). Similarly, in a study by Oxford Internet Institute highlighted by (Littunen, 2017) it was found that only 11.4% of â€Å"junk news† stories were shared as compared to 33.8% during US election. Though social media users shared five links to professional news and information, they even shared one link to junk news during election campaign (Howard et al., 2017). However, in another study by Bournemouth, it was found that while 13 % tweets were regarding junk news, 54% tweets were linked to the professional news and information sources and about 16.5% of traffic was generated by highly automated accounts about UK politics (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017) The BBC was the most popular news source being shared with 22.7% of the content coming from this source, followed by 17.7% links directing to the Guardian’s website (Howard et al., 2017).   A majority of various other political content shared was from public generated sources like blogs and civil society organisations, whose links were more as compared to the links to junk news. However, unlike the 2016 elections where it was claimed that the spreading of fake news propelled Donald Trump to office (Tait, 2017), the UK election results did not see any influence of fake news circulation. An analysis by Buzzfeed (Bauchowitz and Hà ¤nska, 2017) noted that among the 30 most frequently shared URLs, the Conservative supporters had shared almost 13 story links attacking Corbyn and Labour and only 2 stories were related to Conservative policy. On the other hand, Labour supporters shared 14 stories attacking conservatives while 7 focused on Labour’s policy (Bauchowitz and Hà ¤nska, 2017). Meanwhile, on Facebook there were more links to negative stories about Corbyn and absence of positive story links to May. Twitter Analysis: Hern (2017) highlighted a study by the Oxford Internet Institute which stated that the â€Å"Labour† party dominated the conversation on Twitter, with almost 40% of tweets on election-related hashtags and provided the digital strategists an analysis of Labour winning the ‘social media election’ (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017). On the other hand, the Twitter saw only 26% tweets about Conservative party, with the SNP, UKIP and Liberal Democrats receiving 19 per cent, 9.6 per cent and 5.7 per cent, respectively (Hern, 2017). According to Twitter data (Gallacher and Kaminska, 2017), about 88% of the Labour candidates created account as compared to 73% of Conservative candidates.   With almost 63% of the online population (Polonski, 2017) using Facebook each week, of which 80% constitute the younger generation aged between 18 to 24, it makes Facebook the most widely used social networking site in the UK. During the 2017 election campaigning, Facebook was the most crucial social media channel on which content of articles or videos were shared 16 million times (Littunen, 2017) related to Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. Even though the most talked about politicians in the top 20 political subjects during the election on Facebook were Theresa May and the Tories, it was the Labour which gained popularity and whose posts were shared almost a million times (Shammas, 2017). This proved how the social media influenced and enhanced a serious political engagement while leading to young voters expressing their political opinion.   But (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017) notes that Twitter had the most crucial role to play throughout the GE 2017 campaign as the retweets made were more than the number of tweets as compared to the original tweets being only about one-quarter of the total GE2017 discussion. The Twitter debate around GE 2017 which was dominated by the pro-Labour conversation hashtags (Cram et al., 2017) also witnessed the ongoing issue of â€Å"Brexit† as one of the top three most popular hashtag. Not only the external issues but also the hashtags introduced by various broadcast media outlets heavily influenced the GE 2017 Twitter debate (Cram et al., 2017) Brexit, which continues to be the hottest topic till date, saw an increase in the tweets and posts by the Conservatives from 20 per cent to almost a third while the Labour did not post any content related to it during the campaign (Express, 2017) With the Labour party focusing on social issues especially healthcare as a part of the online campaigning, the posts on the party’s Facebook and Twitter pages were being shared almost three times more in total by the users (Cecil, 2017).   Twitter was the most powerful tool used by the Labour for which the party (Booth and Hern, 2017) had spent a huge amount of money just to promote its single #forthemany  hashtag. Corcoran notes (2017) that Corbyn’s video message on the day of the election had over 88,000 engagements and 1.6 million views which prompted his followers to vote for him whereas May’s  lengthy status update attracted only 12,000 engagements (Corcoran, 2017) The Labour which was much more active in posting content more than the Conservatives and any other party successfully generated about 2.5 total interactions as compared to the latter which had only 1 million interactions. Although 90% of shares, likes and comments for Labour was a result of their video posts (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017) Even though Labour was a way ahead of the conservatives, the Conservatives did saw a jump in its page for a brief period on May 27 following a video post encouraging its followers to share it if they didn’t want to elect Corbyn as their PM (Corcoran, 2017). The video had about 150,000 engagements and almost 9 million views. Despite being considered to be the highest number of views for any other political campaign video in the British history, the young voters were more inspired by the positive messages by Labour than the negative tone of the Conservatives (Reid and Ma, 2017) The GE 2017 online campaigning witnessed a tough war between the two major parties with the Labour page receiving more number of shares, likes and love reactions as against Conservatives page which saw more comments on less posts besides receiving angry reactions to majority of their posts (Corcoran, 2017) Out of every five posts on Twitter or Facebook by Conservatives, four posts had mentions of either Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn, an increase from 75% to 84% (Express, 2017) Due to the elections being called early only 63 per cent of the 2015 candidates used Twitter during GE 2017 as compared to 76% percent of the candidates in GE 2015.   But, the twitter activity increased, with candidates having a Twitter account posting 86 tweets in 2015 (Technology Review, 2017) to 123.5 tweets in 2017. Frequent Mentions and Postings: Twitter witnessed Jeremy Corbyn as the most mentioned account with 1,367,392 and Theresa May at only 654,417, much more than their respective parties where @uklabour was mentioned in 323.027 tweets and @conservatives was mentioned almost 307,550 times (Cram et al., 2017) While #BBCqt was the most used hashtags followed by #GE2017, #VoteLabour was the third most used Labour hashtags (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017). Here, mainstream media also pla During the beginning of the election campaign, Corbyn had more than twice the number of followers on both Twitter and Facebook as that of May’s accounts (Cecil, 2017) and by the end of the election Corbyn also gained more supporters than May. With a 45 per cent increase in the number of followers on Twitter and Facebook pages of Corbyn over the campaign, the numbers reached from 850,000 each to more than 1.2 million (Cecil, 2017) More than the Labour’s account, Corbyn’s personal Twitter account had Labour supporting engagement which led to Twitter attracting more Labour supporters as compared to Conservative engagement driven by May’s account (Bauchowitz and Hà ¤nska, 2017) The generation of famous femes by @laboureoin ended up being an exceptionally effective strategy for encouraging retweets conveying a socialist message (Cram et al., 2017). While conservatives posted about 10 to 20 posts a single day, the Labour interacted more with its supporters through social media by posting over 30 posts (GetSet, 2017) each day across all the social media platforms. Though the savvy use of social media platforms effectively by Corbyn and Labour helped them drive reach out to young first-time voters (Cram et al., 2017), the microtargeting advertising strategy of Conservatives was effective (Wendling, 2017) but because it did not go down well with the public’s view led to their failure over social media (Wendling, 2017). It can be said that instead of shaping the public opinion, the social media was simply contemplating the opinion. According to the data by YouGov (Yaxley, 2017) the Brits believed that the broadcast media including 42% of television, print media including 32% of newspapers and magazines had more influence on them over social media, which only had 26 % influence, regarding how they decided to vote. But about 50 % young voters (Yaxley, 2017) believed that it was the social media which helped them choose whom to vote for as it was not only primary source of political information but also helped them communicate with the politicians directly. While television still remained the first influence for the votes, social media turned out to be the second most influence on votes by younger voters aged between 18-24 years old (Yaxley, 2017) With the social media campaign which encouraged young voters to register their votes, the Labour party was able to add a total of 33 parliamentary seats and outnumber the majority held by the Conservatives. The Labour party believed that the effective use of social media helped them win the seats they lost during the GE 2015 with their message videos being able to reach to 30% of the UK Facebook users (Crabtree, 2017). Conclusion: The result of the GE 2017 would have been quite different if social media did not play a major role and influenced the campaign, as Twitter and Facebook only helped the Labour party transform its fate and gain support through its powerful messages. The GE 2017 saw a massive use of Facebook and Twitter but the political leaders and parties did not make their presence felt on other popular social networking apps including â€Å"Instagram† and â€Å"Snapchat† much. Even though they lack the share feature, these apps are built around close ties which would have helped the parties and leaders make the content strongly effective among peer to peer (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017). While Snapchat was hardly used during the election, Instagram too saw only 33,200 followers of Labour and 6,555 followers of Tories (Thorsen, Jackson and Lilleker, 2017) The social media networks give the politicians and their parties an opportunity to engage in new forms of community building and allow the general public to enter their political arena through direct interaction (Gibson, 2015; Gibson et al. 2016). The parties are able to mobilise not only members but also non-members to raise their voice and put forward their opinions on their behalf during elections (Bright et al., 2017 cited Karpf et al). The new resources that such tools generate clearly offer a considerable boost to parties’ capacity to fight and win elections (Lilleker et al., 2017) In order to reach out to the users, the political parties made use of the social media as a powerful tool by sharing video messages only because the broadcasting of any political advertising outside of official party is banned from UK television (GetSet, 2017). The emergence of political attack ads (GetSet, 2017) which was prevalent in the 2016 Presidential campaign was also seen for the first time during the 2017 general elections. The success of the leftist Labour party in UK during the 2017 election on social media and the right Republican party by Donald Trump during 2016 US elections has been given to savvy use of Twitter and the immediate sharing facilities of social media by the leaders and followers (Segesten and Bossetta, 2017). Even the results of the election show how a well-planned social media campaign with a targeted audience can prove beneficial to any political party.   Witnessing the huge reach of social media in the US 2016 GE and UK GE 2017, it can be said that the social media platforms are now providing the politicians a new way of utilising their power. But, it is also to be noted that with social media becoming increasingly crowded and dripped with fake articles and clickbait articles (Polonski, 2017) it gets difficult for many political leaders and parties to build meaningful relationship with the public (Polonski, 2017) The social media especially Twitter brought the volatility and change within the political mobilisation and collective action in the GE 2017 (Margetts, 2017) Twitter is obviously not illustrative of the voters as a whole and along these lines it is not really a clear impression of the many, not the few. While Twitter cant be utilized to anticipate elections and (Cram et al., 2017) the mind-boggling support that GE 2017 saw for Labour and Jeremy Corbyn may not be completely reflected in the polling booths, it is a helpful tool in giving us the mind-set of the individuals who are spurred enough to remark on social media platforms. References: Bartlett, J. and Jones, A. K. (2015) ‘Who won the Twitter election campaign battle?’, The Telegraph, May. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/politics-blog/11590772/Who-won-the-Twitter-campaign-battle.html. Bauchowitz, S. and Hà ¤nska, M. (2017) How the General Election 2017 Campaign is Shaping Up on Twitter, LSE. Available at: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/eurocrisispress/2017/06/05/how-the-general-election-2017-campaign-is-shaping-up-on-twitter/ (Accessed: 1 January 2018). Booth, R. and Hern, A. (2017) Labour won social media election, digital strategists say, The Gaurdian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/09/digital-strategists-give-victory-to-labour-in-social-media-election-facebook-twitter (Accessed: 29 December 2017). Boyle, D. and Maidment, J. (2017) ‘Theresa May announces snap general election on June 8 to â€Å"make a success of Brexit†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, The Telegraph, April. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/18/breaking-theresa-may-make-statement-downing-street-1115am1/. Bright, J. et al. (2017) ‘Does Campaigning on Social Media Make a Difference? Evidence from candidate use of Twitter during the 2015 and 2017 UK Elections’, (June), pp. 1–33. Available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/1710.07087. Cecil, N. (2017) How Jeremy Corbyn beat Theresa May in the social media election war, Evening Standard. Available at: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/how-jeremy-corbyn-beat-theresa-may-in-the-social-media-election-war-a3564746.html (Accessed: 30 December 2017). Corcoran, L. (2017) Here’s how the UK election is playing out on social media, Newswhip. Available at: http://www.newswhip.com/2017/05/heres-how-the-uk-election-is-playing-out-on-social-media/ (Accessed: 1 January 2018). Crabtree, J. (2017) Facebook is playing a decisive role in UK politics and regulators are starting to take note, CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/23/facebook-social-media-influence-on-elections-and-democracy.html (Accessed: 4 January 2018). Cram, L. et al. (2017) ‘UK General Election 2017: a Twitter Analysis’, Neuropolitics Research Lab, 2017, pp. 1–11. Available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/1706.02271. Express (2017) ‘General Election 2017: Labour races into lead over Conservatives’, Sunday Express. Available at: https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/806658/General-Election-Labour-Conservatives-social-media. Gallacher, J. and Kaminska, M. (2017) ‘Facebook needs to be more open about its effect on democracy’, The Guardian, June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/12/general-election-social-media-facebook-twitter. GetSet (2017) THE IMPACT OF GETTING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY RIGHT: UK ELECTION 2017, GetSet for Growth. Available at: The impact of getting your social media strategy right: UK Election 2017 (Accessed: 1 January 2018). Hern, A. (2017) Labour dominating election conversation on Twitter, study finds, The Gaurdian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/31/labour-dominating-election-conversation-on-twitter-study-finds (Accessed: 29 December 2017). Howard, P. N. et al. (2017) ‘Social Media and News Sources during the 2017 UK General Election’, (JUNE), pp. 1–7. Jensen, M. J. (2016) In the 2015 General Election campaign, politicians used social media to broadcast to voters rather than converse with them, Democratic Audit UK. Available at: http://www.democraticaudit.com/2016/02/02/social-media-and-political-campaigning-a-look-at-the-2015-uk-general-election-campaign/ (Accessed: 03 January 2018). Kentish, B. (2017) ‘Tories â€Å"spent more than  £1m† on negative Facebook adverts attacking Jeremy Corbyn’, Independent, June. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservative-social-media-strategy-attack-jeremy-corbyn-labouir-twitter-facebook-video-stormzy-akala-a7784406.html. Lilleker, D. G. et al. (2017) ‘Social media campaigning in Europe: mapping the terrain’, Journal of Information Technology & Politics. Routledge, 0(0), p. 19331681.2017.1397239. doi: 10.1080/19331681.2017.1397239. Littunen, M. (2017) An analysis of news and advertising in the UK general election, openDemocracyUK. Available at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/analysis-of-news-and-advertising-in-uk-general-election (Accessed: 02 January 2018). Margetts, H. (2017) ‘Why Social Media May Have Won the 2017 General Election’, Political Quarterly, 88(3), pp. 386–390. doi: 10.1111/1467-923X.12408. MarketMakers’ (2017) The UK’s most social election yet?, MarketMakers’. Available at: http://www.marketmakers.co.uk/the-uks-most-social-election-yet/ (Accessed: 02 January 2018). Polonski, V. (2017) From voices to votes: how young people used social media to influence the General Election, Election Analysis. Available at: http://www.electionanalysis.uk/uk-election-analysis-2017/section-5-the-digital-campaign/from-voices-to-votes-how-young-people-used-social-media-to-influence-the-general-election/ (Accessed: 02 January 2018). Reid, A. and Ma, A. (2017) ‘Conservatives did not once use social media to encourage voter registration, study finds’, Independent, May. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservatives-voter-registration-social-media-not-use-encourage-facebook-twitter-election-2017-a7756736.html. Reuters (2015) Social media and the 2015 general election, Reuters Institute. Available at: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/risj-review/social-media-and-2015-general-election (Accessed: 03 January 2018). Segesten, A. D. and Bossetta, M. (2017) ‘A typology of political participation online: how citizens used Twitter to mobilize during the 2015 British general elections’, Information Communication and Society. Taylor & Francis, 20(11), pp. 1625–1643. doi: 10.1080/1369118X.2016.1252413. Shammas, J. (2017) ‘Facebook may have lost Theresa May her majority as young general election voters flooded social media with pro-Labour posts’, The Sun, June. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3767326/facebook-theresa-may-majority-general-election-voters-pro-labour-posts/. Technology Review (2017) How Tweets Translate into Votes, MIT Technology Review. Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609229/how-tweets-translate-into-votes/ (Accessed: 02 January 2018). Thorsen, E., Jackson, D. and Lilleker, D. (2017) UK Election Analysis 2017: Media, Voters and the Campaign Early reflections from leading academics. Bournemouth: Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community. Wendling, M. (2017) Election 2017: Was it Facebook wot swung it?, BBC. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-40209711 (Accessed: 02 January 2018). Yaxley, D. (2017) Brits believe traditional media mattered more in the 2017 general election, YouGov UK. Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/news/2017/08/04/brits-believe-traditional-media-mattered-more-2017/ (Accessed: 01 January 2018).

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Carpet-Weavers Morocco †Journal Assignment Essay

I’m sure that all of you have at least heard of, if not seen the famous carpets of Morocco. You must have also heard things like, â€Å"What fine craftsmanship!†, â€Å"What fabulous designs and prints!†, â€Å"What a work of art!† or â€Å"What fine skill!†, from people who purchase these carpets for huge sums of money for the various purposes such as praying, decoration etc. But have you ever taken a moment to think, of the origin of these carpets, of the person who sits up day and night weaving these carpets which are sold for thousands, but what does he get out of this and so on, well if not, then I’m sure that after reading this, all these questions will be answered. In case you didn’t know, Morocco is a relatively poor country and most of the carpets woven there, are all hand-made and are woven by children, children like me who are forced to weave due to unfortunate circumstances. Like me there are hundreds of others who have to live the same unfortunate lives for the same reasons. Let me give you a brief outline of what it is like to be a carpet weaver. Firstly, you have to wake up at five in the morning and get dressed. Everybody is allowed is five minutes in the showers, which is just about enough because the water is ice cold and it takes you just that long to g et used to the temperature of the water. After that, we have a so-called ‘breakfast’, if that’s what you would call it, which is absolutely tasteless and seems stale. After that, we immediately get to work and start weaving. Thread by thread and knot by knot, we have to be really careful and focused, and should there be any mistake, we can hope not to see the sun for a couple of days, at minimum that is! We have to work constantly until ten at night, when we quickly eat dinner, which is just as bad as breakfast, if not worse and then go to sleep, hoping that tomorrow will be a better day and we will be freed from this life of misery, but then, every morning, it starts all over again, the same torture, the same shouting voices of the slave drivers and the same miserable life. You might wonder, what may lead one to have to live such a life at such a small age, the answer lies deep within our backgrounds and circumstances. I’ve been weaving ever since I was seven years old, till today, when I’m thirteen. Before this, I used to live with my family, we weren’t so rich but we were surviving. There were six of us, me, my two brothers, my sister and my parents. All of us used to go to a small school in the nearby village. My mother was a vegetable seller and my father was a drunkard who had a small job at a toothpaste factory. Then one day, due to excessive intake of alcohol, he passed away. His death really didn’t make much of a difference, as he was no good anyway, but still, we were slightly affected financially. Then one day, a rich merchant came to our village, and started offering all the children jobs and promised that he would pay us huge sums of money, if we worked at his factory. Without thinking twice, I took the job and I was taken away to a far away place to work at his factories. Had I known what lay ahead, I would have never gone with him, but at the time, we needed money and I felt that this was the best opportunity. We were immediately taken away to a deserted and remote area where there was no way of contacting anyone. We were told to do as he said, and our families would be kept happy. I never the money that had been promised, instead, all I got was a gloomy place to work, eat and sleep, the merchant kept on telling me that he was sending my family the promised money, but after knowing the reality of this place, I doubt my family ever saw a fraction of what was promised, and I also doubt that they are alive right now. As you clearly saw, I was tricked into working here and once I was in, there was no way out; I had no choice but to work at the factory, because the merchant said that there was no place to go from here and if anyone tried, they would be killed. The first of my days here were very hard, when I first started learning how to weave, I made many mistakes, but quickly learnt and became perfect. Everyday here is like hell, maybe worse. How I long to outside and play like a normal child. I want to go to school and learn and become someone and do good for humanity, but instead, my life is wasted here, weaving carpets forever. I feel pity for the younger children who have just arrived. They all seem really scared as they are very young and have no idea of what’s going on and what their lives are about to become. We have to toil hard and work till late at night and finish at least three carpets in five days, or else we don’t get dinner. You have to really focus all your attention into the weaving and sometimes we get so lost into the weaving, that we lose track of time; it’s as if, we’re in another world, much different from this one and that helps to focus more and eases the pain a bit. When weaving, you have to be very careful, for just the slightest mistake could ruin the entire carpet. I feel I have become like a pale shadow of my former self, before, I was carefree and happy with my family, but now, I feel scared and I am uncertain about my future; I don’t know what will happen to me after the merchant finds no use of me, or will I spend my entire life here just sitting and weaving? There are hundreds of unanswered questions and queries in my mind and I’m sure that most of us feel the same way as me – scared and uncertain. Everyday is a struggle and every minute is torture. We aren’t allowed to talk or stop working and if we do, the slave drivers shout at us and sometimes even whip us and there’s nothing we can do, for we have no choice as nobody knows of the merchant’s tyranny and more importantly, nobody cares. At night, when I lie down on the hard and cold floor and try to sleep, I pray and hope that tomorrow will be something else, something better, but it never happens, everyday is the same, hell. I sometimes wonder, the cruel merchant exploits lots of children every week and brings them here and makes them weave carpets. He then sells them for thousands, while all we get are a few scraps in the name of food. He commits such horrible sins and yet enjoys his riches and lives lavishly, while we have toil and struggle; I ask myself, â€Å"What have we done to have to suffer such a life of suffering and misery? Why won’t God answer our prayers? Where is he? Why does the merchant enjoy his life to the fullest extent? Is this the justice of God? Has evil truly oppressed good? Why?, Why?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . But, I soon realize that there is no point in asking these meaningless questions, because the merchant will still get richer, while we suffer. I feel that the government should do something about this and so should the people who buy these carpets for thousands, they should think of us and how we are suffering. The merchant is exploiting us and using us as an unpaid workforce; he is abusing our rights and we are suffering. He has to be stopped from his exploitation at any cost because this way millions of children are separated from their families and are sent to far away lands to live a life worse than hell. The so-called â€Å"Human Rights Organization†, should do something to free us from this prison. But then again, I doubt that anything will happen. Some people might set out to do some investigations, but they will probably give up or be bribed by the extremely rich merchant, a case will be filed and will keep on circling the government departments and will soon be forgotten underneath a huge pile of papers, while we will continue to live in this hell†¦

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Orem’s Theory and Family Health Nursing Essay

In the presentation of a theoretical discussion on the concept of self care with particular considerations for family nursing practice, the concept of self-care is mainly known in Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory of nursing. Orem’s theory views the individual as a self-care agent with unique needs which will affect family health thereby providing support that health education and evaluation is the main role of nurses (Cody, 2006:308). Nurses according to Cody believes that family models complement the nursing models to provide a more holistic and comprehensive perspective of clients and their concerns (2006:308). Orem’s theory has therefore a clinical applicability at home in the growing demand for home-based health nursing services. The theory has provided that practice will be grounded in evidence–based clinical knowledge and skills within the framework of family, home and community concepts (Orem, 2001:2). Likewise, as self–care has been introduced and incorporated into the practice of community health a provision has included the provision of care to families and other healthcare givers while giving utmost concern to the individual needs of patients and clients. Ali analyzed distinct models presented in 1990 which included Orem’s theory and decided that Orem’s self-care theory should encourage nurses to anticipate the potential problems which include family circumstances in family health planning from which a care plan can be derived (Dolan and Holt, 2000:4). Such findings catapulted into evolution the support for Orem’s theory in the actual process of providing care for the patient and his family and the provision of a health continuum for everyone. Orem’s theory can be used to categorize, understand, predict and alter behavior of both sick and well individuals that is therapeutic in maintaining life and health and in the recovery from disease or injury, or in coping with their effects (Orem, 2001: 82). This presupposes that there is no limit on the provision of care while validating all perceptions that the family is included in the paradigm of care to promote self-care abilities of the patient. We cannot discount the involvement of the family that entirely affects the health status of the individual. A particular example in this case would point to a hospitalized vehicular accident patient where after hospital treatment and rehabilitation is ordered to complete his recovery at home. Completing the period of recovery at home necessitates his re-entry to his normal way of life prior to the accident. The family is therefore enhanced to effectively encourage the patient to attend to his self-care needs while staying on the sidelines yet supportively providing positive encouragement for the patient’s complete recovery. The effective role of nurses is providing family education for the benefit of adjustment to the temporary family role changes. Nurses at the same time bring to light the family models to compensate Orem’s nursing model and provide a more holistic approach to clients and their concerns (Cody, 2006: 308). In this time of cost containment, nurses in a given health care setting cannot lock horns with the Medicare illness models of home care that totally focuses on the individual patient alone (Harris, 2004: 131). Maintaining health is a priority and an ethical requirement for nurses that include the family particularly in home-based care provision, where the absence of one deems the effort â€Å"moot and academic†. The applicability of Orem’s theory in family health is therefore enhanced as community based nursing practice seeks to resolve the responsibility of the patient and family to be included in the nursing care plan (Harris, 2004:132). In the triage system, a problem-oriented approach encompasses assessment levels and Orem’s model can provide a framework for organized family nursing assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation (Dolan and Holt, 2000: 4). Using Orem’s model while negotiating a holistic approach where the family plays an important role is likewise seen in the above example where the family effectively participates in the planning of actions to help the patient effectively cope with his recovery while his self-integrity is maintained or even enhanced. The nurse must therefore include in her assessment the family’s perceptions toward the illness of a family member which is vital in the setting of goals as a means of promoting self-care to the ailing family member. This will pose as a challenge to the nurse as family members individual ideas may vary relative to the patient’s condition. It cannot be ignored that older members of the family may feel overly protected to the patient because of the existing relationship. This challenge can be overcome by the nurse as she effectively provides a choice of promoting Orem’s theory that each family member will comfortably take part with a concise goal of promoting human integrity of structure and functioning (Orem, 2001:522). Likewise, the individual needs of family members should also be looked into as the practice of activities are initiated and performed for the sick member to maintain life and health while promoting a sense of well-being for everyone (Orem, 2001: 43). The family thus plays an important and essential role for the individual patient, whether sick or well which thereby boosts the importance of Orem’s theory in the family health nursing practice. As a helping art for holistic care, family circumstances in family health planning should therefore be included as the derivatives in the formation of a care plan. The individual concepts of each family member will help identify goals while entertaining individual or group limitations that will affect in the implementation and evaluation. A family model is selected for use after the nurse gathers preliminary data about the family and identifies its unique and common patterns (Cody, 2006:308). As an example, Cody cited that a nurse can use Orem’s theory for a 9 year old child affected with ear infection and the mother’s treatment of the child while asserting that other family models will complement Orem’s model to enhance understanding of the family’s structure and functions (2006:308). Orem’s theory therefore provides a common language that enhance improved communication and consistency in the delivery of care while proposing that nurses play a key role in the achievement of self-care for which sophisticated communication skills, teaching skills and specialized knowledge and an awareness of the multiple factors affect the provision of care and enhances the role of the family in the value of health for everyone.

Friday, November 8, 2019

people with aids knowingly kil essays

people with aids knowingly kil essays I strongly believe that the Death Penalty is a form of punishment to be used when needed. This opens up the question, when should it be used? That may be the breaking point in a lot of arguments; deciding when to use the death penalty is a very touchy subject. I believe that only murderers deserve the death penalty, but I do not believe that all murderers should receive it as punishment. In cases where someone was killed in self-defense, the 'murderer' should not receive the death penalty. But when someone is killed in cold blood then there should be a consideration. Again, not all cold-blooded murderers should receive it. Premeditated and sometimes on the spot murders are also candidates, but that depends on how the victim was treated before the murder. Was he/she abused or tormented in a severe way? Or was the victim raped? I would also take into account, the number of people killed by the murderer. We all have loved ones in our lives, and if anything were ever to happen to any of them, fury would prevail over most of us. There are many stories I have read of malicious acts of crime, but two stories will always stick in the back of my mind. One story is about two girls in Texas who were walking home from a friends house; they were 14 s house and took a shortcut home. There was a group of five men initiating one of the gangs 14-year-old brother into the gang. After the fight they started drinking alcohol. The guys saw the two girls approaching and were planning to mess with them. The girls were reported missing the next day. After police received an anonymous call from someone who knew the suspects, they found out the girls were beaten and raped. There were always two men on the girls raping them anally, orally and vaginal for one whole hour. After each guy fulfilled his needs, they beat and strangled the girls, one with a belt, and the other with her sh...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Physicalism v Dualism Essays

Physicalism v Dualism Essays Physicalism v Dualism Essay Physicalism v Dualism Essay Physicalism v Dualism-the Mind/Body Problem In philosophy there are a number of different views when It comes to the mind/ body problem. The mild/body problem Is the problem of explaining how the mind relates to the body. One of these views is called dualism. Dualist utilize Leibniz law to support their argument that the mind and body are two different things. On the other hand there is also another group of philosophers called physicality. Physicality claim that everything including psychological aspects are tangible and they use a concept called modes of presentation to support their beliefs against dualism. In this paper I will be further explaining Leibniz law and how it is used by dualism. I will also go into the modes of presentation concept and how physicality use it as a response to dualism. Leibniz law, also known as the Indiscernible of Identicalness, states that If A and B are one and the same thing, then A must have all the same properties of B and vice versa. For example If Spenserian can shoot webs out of his wrists, and Peter Parker Is Spenserian, Then Peter Parker can also shoot webs out of his wrists. Here A is Spenserian and B is Peter Parker. Leibniz law would also imply that if A and B have efferent properties, then A and B cannot be one and the same thing. For example, lets say that I look out the window and I see Spenserian swinging by on his spider web. I wonder who Spenserian is. Now as Spenserian is swinging by, I see my buddy Harry Osborn standing besides me. Using Leibniz law, I reason like this: Spenserian is swinging by on a spider web. Osborn is not swinging by on a spider web; he is standing right besides me. In this example, Spenserian Is A, and Osborn is B. Spenserian has a property that Osborn does not, so using the law, we can confidently say that Osborn Is not Spenserian and Spenserian Is not Osborn. When It comes to supporting their beliefs, dualist specifically employ the second type of example, that A Is not one and the same with B. Dualists believe that the basic components of the universe consist of fundamentally two different types of things. There are purely physical objects and properties, and there are also purely mental or non-physical objects and properties. The mental or non-physical objects being the mind aspects (e. . Beliefs, desires, pain), and the physical objects being the body aspects (e. G. Limbs, brains, organs). No non-physical/mental objects have shape, color, mass, etc UT all physical objects do. You cannot say that youre beliefs are pink or that your senses are big, but you can say that your brain Is pink and your arm Is big. We also know that non-physical/ mental aspects can have Intensities, and that physic al objects cannot. For example you cannot say that youre brain or Its parts are Intense, but you can say that youre headache is intense. Giving physical objects aspects that only non-physical things nylon or vile versa Is an example AT a category maltase. Dualist utilize ten examples of category mistakes and Leibniz law as arguments for dualism. The way dualist use Leibniz law is by saying the following: F is true for the non- physical/mental thing; F is not true of the Physical thing; therefore the non physical/ mental thing is not the same as the physical. Where the non-physical/mental is A, the physical is B, and F is something that if attributed to A is true, but if attributed to B would be a category mistake and is therefore false. For example: Your headache is painful; your brain and its parts are not painful; therefore your headache is not your brain or its parts. This can be used the other way, where A is the physical and B is he non-physical/mental. For instance you can say: Your brain and its parts have mass and color; your psychology and its aspects have no mass or color; therefore your psychology is not your brain or its parts. There are numerous other examples like these that dualist use to show how physical properties are not the same as non- physical properties and how they are two completely different things. These are also the types of arguments that physicality attack and use to undermine the dualist belief. Physicality, as I mentioned in the beginning, claim that everything in the universe s physical and that all of the psychological or mental aspects are also physical. This argument is of course completely opposite of what dualism claims and is in fact a response to dualism. Physicality use something called the modes of presentation in an attempt to show how dualist are thinking of things in the wrong way. They say that the mind is identical to the brain Just like Spenserian is identical to Peter Parker. They are presented in different ways but they are essentially the same person and can do the same things. The modes of presentation concept and how physicality use t as a counterexample to dualism and can be explained with the following example: To Mary Jane, Spenserian swings around New York using his super powers to fight crime and attempt to keep the Justice in the city; Also to M], Peter Parker does not swing around New York using his super powers to fight crime and attempt to keep the Justice; therefore, to M], Spenserian is not Peter Parker and Peter Parker is not Spenserian. But, we know that in fact Peter Parker and Spenserian are one and the same, MS, through her ignorance fails to realize this. In this case MS is committing something known as intentional fallacy because she fails to recognize that Spenserian and Peter Parker are the same person, or have the same extension. Intension is the way that a word or name is linked to an extension. Extension is everything to which a name or a term can be applied to. So the extension of Spenserian can be applied to a man that has super powers that allow him to shoot webs out of his wrists and climb walls, Just to name a few. So you can say that an extension of Spenserian is Peter Parker. Thats why MS would be committing intentional fallacy, because she doesnt believe that the intension attached to Spenserian and Peter Parker has the same extension. The way physicality use this against dualism is by saying that in their arguments, dualist are in fact committing the same intentional fallacy that MS is committing Walt superman Ana Peter Parker. Encyclicals calm Tanat your Drain NAS a Pensacola mode of presentation as well as a psychological/mental mode of presentation. They are two different modes of presentation, but like Spenserian and Peter Parker, they are one and the same thing. We are only able to see the physical mode of presentation from the way we look at the brain, but we are unable to see the psychological/mental mode because it is beyond us. For example, physicality would argue that your belief that you are reading this paper is identical to a part of your brain; they are Just unable to pinpoint which part that is exactly, but of course they say it will eventually be possible to do so. They also say that if you look at your beliefs in the psychological/mental mode of presentation, it doesnt have color, but in physical mode it does. We have to think of beliefs and all the psychological aspects in a physical mode of presentation. Thinking this way would allude to the conclusion that whatever is true of the brain is also true of the mind.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

My travels around the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My travels around the world - Essay Example On the first day, I have arrived by plane from UAE to Paris, taken my bags and then went to the hotel. I have arranged my room before sleeping. On the second day, I went to the Montmartre area to see the Basilique du Sacrà ©-Coeur and walked up to the metro that would take me to the Eiffel Tower. Going up the tower for a full view of the city is a prime Paris tourist activity. At night, I have taken dinner then made my way over again to see the beautiful Eiffel Tower at night. At night, the Eiffel Tower, with its lights, is a beautiful sight to behold. The next day I have gone to the Louvre for an afternoon of art, culture, and history. I have taken lunch at the food court in the Carrousel du Louvre under the glass pyramid. The next item on my itinerary was to go up to the second most famous places in Paris, the Arc de Triomphe, for a panoramic view of Paris. On the fourth day, I have stayed at the hotel because I was very tired. In the next two days, I have gone to the Shanzelize S treet to do some shopping.   On March 8, 2013, I arrived by plane in Madrid, took my bags to the hotel and went to sleep. The next day, I went to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and chose this Museum because it has covered more contemporary art periods. I then walked up to Parque Del Retiro, one of the best city parks I have ever seen. It is very beautiful. In Parque Del Retiro, there are statues, a lake with boating, all of the kinds of plants and flowers and plenty of places for sitting and relaxing.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Comparative politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Comparative politics - Essay Example The focus of Green political theory â€Å"is usually on two themes: on the role of anthropocentric ethics in reducing the non-human world to merely being of instrumental value to humans; and on the question of limits to growth.† (Paterson, 2001:35). Eckersley (1992) suggests that the defining characteristic of Green politics is ecocentrism, or the rejection of an anthropocentric thought which places value only on humans in favor of one which also places value on ecosystems and all other living organisms. Ecocentrism recognizes the full range of human interests in the non-human world- and not merely the instrumental value of particular parts of nature-, the interests of the non-human world, as well as the interests of future generations of humans and non-humans. Finally, ecocentrism â€Å"adopts a holistic rather than an atomistic perspective†, valuing populations, species, ecosystems and the ecosphere as a whole as well as valuing them individually. Dobson (1990) specifies another defining characteristic of Green politics- the limits to growth argument about the nature of the environmental crisis. Paterson says that Greens suggest that â€Å"it is the exponential growth experienced during the last two centuries† which is the main reason behind the current environmental crisis. (2001:36) Dobson suggests that there are three arguments which are important in this context: first, that technological solutions will just postpone the crisis, but cannot prevent it from happening altogether; second, that the exponential nature of growth means that dangers which have been accumulating over a period of time may suddenly have a catastrophic effect; and third, that the problems associated with growth

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Business Negotiation Learning Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Negotiation Learning Report - Essay Example In such a situation, negotiation is required. The negotiator must be careful in how he develops his arguments for reducing the level of damages and the length of the defects period; otherwise he will lay himself open to the argument from the buyer that the contractor has no confidence either in his or her ability to complete on time or in the quality of his product. A proper preparation is the most imperative prerequisite to successful negotiation. Neither the negotiator’s expertise nor persuasion can make up for the dearth of preparation. An adequate preparation will provide me with an opportunity to clarify the delegation’s objectives, and acquaint the delegates with the primary issues and the parties engrossed. Adequate preparation is a step close to attaining success (Garrett, 2005, p. 32). In designing the plan, I will consider the issues at hand which are the contractor’s reputation, other completed contracts by the contractor and the damages that the owner of the building will incur after breach of contract. In addition, I will also consider each party’s interests in light of the delegation’s objectives. I will ensure that I have the required information to facilitate the negotiation since information is power (Garrett, 2005, p. 41). ... In preparing for the negotiation, I will ensure that I do not confuse my perceptions with veracity. I will be ready to examine each and every situation in the contract and consider both sides of the negotiation. In preparing for the negotiation, identification of the structure of the negotiation is vital. The structure includes setting the appropriate sequence, time and venue for the negotiation. After identification of the issues at hand in the negotiation, I will come up with a clearly written and delineated path and strategies on how to achieve the desired results. In order to address the issues effectively, I will carefully plan the order by which I will address these issues. I will either start with the least important to the most salient or start with the most significant then finish with the least important. Finally, I would decide on the responsibilities of each team member in the negotiation and consider any other relevant information that could be helpful (Garrett, 2005, p. 45). In this contract negotiation, evaluating the potential risks and liabilities is the best strategy. Such a strategy allows me to think and imagine of the potentiality for something going wrong and the unforeseen costs and expense one party will incur if the contract is breached. Such a strategy will allow me to consider the possibility of a breach and the liabilities. Every negotiator has to consider the best and the worst outcomes before the negotiation process commences. As a negotiator, I will evaluate the possibility of favorable and unfavorable outcomes. Trust, power and persuasion play a significant role in negotiations. A high degree of trust with the parties will lead to an effective negotiation in the contract

Monday, October 28, 2019

Choice Theories and How They Relate To Crime Essay Example for Free

Choice Theories and How They Relate To Crime Essay Choice Theories are a rational choice that actors act upon because of the thoughts and feelings they have. It is an immediate instinct to do what’s needed for your immediate survival at the time. Also Known as a personal conscious choice. Rational people think that the act will benefit them more than cause harm to themselves. They do not know if it will cause harm to anyone else around them but honestly they normally do not care. Criminals are a great group of people whom commit these acts. They feel that they are restrained and that their choices are constricted. They use this as a last and sometimes only resort. Criminals are seen as inherently anit-social. This gives the criminals a sense of control, power, and in their minds gives them an alternative career. For example look at drug dealers. They live their lives selling drugs not because they enjoy doing it and disobeying the law but because they can work for two hours and they can make more money than I do in two weeks working 40+ hours. They love quick easy money and over look the consequences. The only way to stop this major crime rate and help keep our justice system a little more organized and not so stressful is to make the cost of crime so high that no rational human will commit the crime. All of this does not go for a criminal whom sits down and thinks of the cost/benefit portion of things. A choice theory to some is simply nothing other than a resort.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Mortal Sin Of Pride Essay -- essays research papers

The Mortal Sin of Pride   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 'The Cask of the Amontillado'; Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism, imagery, and the atmosphere to help fully explore the sinful nature of pride and its serious consequences within the short story. The character of Fortunato is the main capsule for the explanation of the dangers of being prideful of ones self. By examining Poe's use of symbolism, images, and effective backdrops around Fortunato the reader may begin to understand the importance of the deadly sin of pride.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poe deliberately explains to the reader early on within the short story, 'The Cask of the Amontillado';, that Fortunato takes extreme pride in 'himself on his connoisseurship in wine'; (153). The theme of having an overwhelming amount of self-pride, one of the seven deadly sins, is projected as a weakness of Fortunato and foreshadows the ideal that this deadly sin of pride may very well lead to the means of Forturnato's own destruction. Fortunato Believes that his 'connoisseurship in wine'; (153) is far more developed and advance than anyone else in the area, especially Luchesi and Montresor. For example when Montresor offered to take his business to Luchesi because he, Fortunato, appeared to be pre-engaged in the enjoying himself within 'the supreme madness of the carnival'; (153); however, Fortunato replied with ' 'Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry' '; (154). The reader may argue that Luchesi might have truly been... The Mortal Sin Of Pride Essay -- essays research papers The Mortal Sin of Pride   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 'The Cask of the Amontillado'; Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism, imagery, and the atmosphere to help fully explore the sinful nature of pride and its serious consequences within the short story. The character of Fortunato is the main capsule for the explanation of the dangers of being prideful of ones self. By examining Poe's use of symbolism, images, and effective backdrops around Fortunato the reader may begin to understand the importance of the deadly sin of pride.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poe deliberately explains to the reader early on within the short story, 'The Cask of the Amontillado';, that Fortunato takes extreme pride in 'himself on his connoisseurship in wine'; (153). The theme of having an overwhelming amount of self-pride, one of the seven deadly sins, is projected as a weakness of Fortunato and foreshadows the ideal that this deadly sin of pride may very well lead to the means of Forturnato's own destruction. Fortunato Believes that his 'connoisseurship in wine'; (153) is far more developed and advance than anyone else in the area, especially Luchesi and Montresor. For example when Montresor offered to take his business to Luchesi because he, Fortunato, appeared to be pre-engaged in the enjoying himself within 'the supreme madness of the carnival'; (153); however, Fortunato replied with ' 'Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry' '; (154). The reader may argue that Luchesi might have truly been...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Compare and Contrast Two Short Stories From Different Time Periods Essay

But from the same genre In this essay I will compare the pre 20th Century text â€Å"The Black Cat† (1843) by Edgar Allen Poe and the post 20th Century text â€Å"Hell’s Event† (1984) by Clive Barker both of which are horror stories. Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston, USA in 1809. He had a brother, Henry, and a sister, Rosaline. In December of 1812 the children were orphaned and the family was split up. Henry stayed in Baltimore with his grandparents. Edgar and Rosaline Poe were taken in by wealthy Richmond families, Rosaline by the Mackenzies and Edgar by the Allans. In 1827 prior to enlisting in the army Edgar wrote his first two poems known as â€Å"To Margaret† and â€Å"To Octavia†. By 1833 Edgar had begun to write stories and in 1835 he married his cousin, Virginia but she died 12 years later. On 7 October 1849 at about 4.30pm Poe died. The actual cause of death at the relatively young age of 40 has never been confirmed. Poe was buried in his grandfather’s lot in the Westminster burying ground. Throughout his life Poe had been victimised and taken advantage of and I think this may have influenced some of his texts. Clive Barker was born near Penny Lane, Liverpool in 1952. After attending junior school in that city, He entered Liverpool University to study English literature and philosophy. At the age of 21 he moved to London. There, he formed a theatre company to perform plays that he had written, and worked in that medium throughout his twenties as a writer, a director and an actor. About himself, Clive writes: â€Å"My enthusiasm as an artist is rooted not in any particular medium, but in the act of imaging. My books, films, drawings and plays, thought they may seem to be very disparate in content, are still mapping out different parts of the same landscape: that is to say, the world between my ears, I am motivated to write or paint by the images and scenes which arise from my subconscious, without invitation, which seems on closer inspection to dramatize elements of my deeper self. Unlike Poe, Barker didn’t have an unhappy childhood and had a good university education and as he says above he uses thoughts form his subconscious to influence his experience rather than as perhaps in Poes case, perhaps real life events. Hells event is about a race between Heaven and Hell to see which will be in power for the next hundred years, the contenders for Heaven don’t know about the importance of the race, they think it is just another race. There are four contenders for Heaven, Nick Loyer, Joel Jones, Frank McCloud and Lester Kinderman. The contender for Hell is Malcolm Voight although he is actually three people, he is one of three familiars from hell, the idea being that they all run a one third of the race, Burgess is the familiars master and he appears quite a lot in the story as does hell itself. Joel Jones is one of the main characters in the story, as is Cameron, his coach. Joel is killed towards the end of the race and it looks like Voight is going to win. But just before the line he is taken over by Kinderman. The Black Cat is about a man who used to be an animal lover and had a large variety of pets including birds, goldfish, a dog, rabbits, a small monkey and a cat called Pluto. Over the years the man grew moody and irritable and swore and hit his wife, he neglected and ill-used his pets all except Pluto. But as the man got steadily worse he started mistreating Pluto. Eventually the man hung Pluto from a tree and on that night his house burned down. The man survived and the morning after the fire came back to the ruined house to find an image of a gigantic cat with a rope round its neck imprinted on the wall. One night the man was sat drunk in a pub and he saw sat on a hogshead of gin a cat that looked just like Pluto apart from a splotch of white covering part of its body. The man found that the creature had no owner and so took it home. The man soon started hating the cat as he had done with Pluto. Eventually the man kills his wife whilst trying to kill the cat and is caught by the pol ice. In my opinion there are three main protagonists in Hells Event. Joel Jones is one of these three, Joel is a sympathetic character, and we are shown that he is a sympathetic or good character from the beginning of the story, at the start of the race Joel is scared because he has had bad dreams this immediately tells the reader that Joel is a sympathetic character. If Joel had been an unsympathetic character he would probably not be scared by a bad dream! Joel is superstitious as he has a good luck charm, which also shows the reader that he is a good character. Later in the story Voight calls Joel a â€Å"black bastard†, which increases the readers liking of Joel and has the opposite effect on the character ‘Voight’. The Author makes us like Joel by making us feel sympathetic towards him in this way. Another of the three characters is Cameron, Cameron is another ‘Good’ character, he is Joel’s coach. It is not obvious from the first page that Cameron is a good character, on this page Cameron is cursing because he can’t get a signal on his radio, and so the reader is not sure whether Cameron is a nice character until the second page where he is comforting Joel but comforting him in his own sort of non-sympathetic way for example Cameron says â€Å"They love you, God knows why – they love you†. The third main character in Hells Event is Burgess, even before you know his name you know that Burgess is an at least a nasty if not evil character, the first thing he says in response to Cameron saying, â€Å"What the hell is going on† is â€Å"Precisely that Mr Cameron hell is going on†. This is quite a witty yet nasty thing to say, also Burgess is wearing a goat skin coat which still has the hooves and horns hanging from it, this emphasizes the fact that Burgess is a bad and un-sympathetic character, a good character would be very unlikely to wear this sort of coat. Clive Barker has tried to make burgess more horrifying by describing the coat in detail, he says ‘He wore a coat apparently made of several goat-skins. The hooves and the horns still hung from it. The blood on its fur was brown and gummy.† On page forty-five about halfway through the story Burgess admits that he works for hell. The very fact that he works for hell will tell the reader that he is an evil character. Although Burgess is an evil character some of the things Barker writes, which Burgess says are quite witty and funny. In The black cat there are also three main protagonists The two cats and the man who tells the story, which is told in first person whereas Hells Event is written in third person. You never actually learn of the mans name, so for the purpose of this essay I will refer to him simply as ‘The man’. Also you never learn of the second cats name and so I will refer to him as ‘The cat’. The man who tells the story is a good character at the beginning, but as the story goes on he gets more ill tempered and violent until at the end of the story he is a violent character. The story starts after it has ended, with the man who must be in prison, writing about what has happened to him. It makes the reader feel sorry for him, he tells us that he is going to die tomorrow which makes us feel sorry for him. He also writes, â€Å"My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events. In their consequences, these events have terrified – have tortured – have destroyed me†. Poe makes the words have more empathy by using repetition e.g., â€Å"have terrified – have tortured – have destroyed me†, the words getting more disastrous every time. Then the story properly starts, with the man describing how he grew up loving animals and being tender of heart, he describes how he had lots of animals, which he loved this turns the reader to thinking that the man is kind and wondering why he was about to be killed at the start of the story, which makes you want to read on. As the story goes on the man starts to get violent towards his pets and eventually kills them all, including Pluto his character gets more violent and Poe shows this by describing how the man feels at that point for instance he says â€Å"The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body.† There isn’t much that I can write about the cats as they don’t actually say anything, but Poe makes us feel sorry for them, and in turn makes us hate the man more by describing in graphic detail how they are mistreated. For instance he writes â€Å"I took from my waistcoat pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket.† Barker also uses this technique in hells event as I have written above. The first paragraph of ‘Hells Event’ is written in the past tense, you can tell by the way dates are mentioned that this is so. E.g. ‘Hell came up to the streets and squares of London that September, icy from the depths of the ninth circle’, it says ‘that September’ which means, the September that has been. After that paragraph though the story goes into the present tense, as if the events were happening now, for example mike who is one of the race commentators says â€Å"And what a day it is†. As if it is happening today. The storyteller is an omniscient narrator, for instance he knows that Joel feels ‘sick in the pit of his stomach’ and that Cameron ‘smelt a fix’ when he saw Voight’s double. Using an omniscient narrator has advantages because it enables the writer to explain how a character is feeling. In ‘The Black Cat’ the tenses are written in the opposite way to hells event, the first paragraph is written in the present tense where the man is probably in jail and is writing the story of how he ended up in his present situation. You can tell because of how the first paragraph is written, for example, â€Å"But tomorrow I die and today I would unburden my soul†, by reading this a reader can work out that he is writing in the present. After this paragraph he starts reading the story he has written, which is in the past tense, and uses words like ‘was’ and ‘were’ which are in the past tense. These are used in sentences like; ‘Pluto – this was the cats name’ and ‘my pets of course were made to feel the change in my disposition.’ Because the man writes his story in first person he can tell the reader his thoughts, you could say he is an omniscient narrator, but then again he does not know the thoughts of t he cats. There are quite a few differences in The Black Cat and Hells event in terms of technology and change over the years, these include: Hogsheads of gin, which are no longer used Servants, the only people who still have servants now are the extremely wealthy and royalty. Gallows, These used to be used for putting people to death. Radios, Not invented in the 1800s Cars, Cars were not around in the early 1800s. There have been lots of changes in spelling and punctuation since The Black cat was written, for example the line ‘I even offered her personal violence’, which the man uses to express how he treats his wife would not be used today, today a more direct approach would be used for instance you might use ‘I even hit her’ which is a lot more to the point. Some words have completely new meaning, nowadays a word like dress which is a garment usually worn by a woman, but in the 1800s it meant the clothes that a person was wearing. The choice of words, which authors use, has change since the 1800s. For example in the 1800s Poe used ‘I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife.’ Which means the man swore at his wife, but in Hells Event barker just simply uses the actual words, which express his characters feelings more, for example, â€Å"Shit, said Cameron as he was plunged into darkness.† Shorter words are now used instead of longer more difficult ones like intoxicated which means drunk and felons cell, which means prison. There is no open speech in The Black Cat; instead there is reported speech. In this story there are lots of things that would not be written today, e.g. ‘Pluto – this was the cats name – was my favourite pet.’ Would be written today as ‘Pluto (this was the cats name) was my favourite pet.’ I preferred hells event to The Black Cat because there was a bit more detail which made it more horrific, like the part where Joel is killed, ‘Joel felt the last of his strength falter: his arm could keep the mouth at bay no longer. Despairing, he felt the teeth at his brow and at his chin, felt them pierce his flesh and his bone, felt, finally, the white night evade him, as the mouth bit off his face.’ Also The Black Cat is harder to read because a lot of words in it are no longer used. Both story’s were good and I like the horror genre in general anyway so I enjoyed reading the story’s.