The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Essays (1049 words) -

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a young boy's coming of age in the Missouri of the mid-1800's. The main character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. Before he does so, however, Huck spends some time in the fictional town of St. Petersburg where a number of people attempt to influence him. Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a life of absolute freedom. His drunken and often missing father has never paid much attention to him; his mother is dead and so, when the novel begins, Huck is not used to following any rules. The book's opening finds Huck living with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Both women are fairly old and are really somewhat incapable of raising a rebellious boy like Huck Finn. Nevertheless, they attempt to make Huck into what they believe will be a better boy. Specifically, they attempt, as Huck says, to "sivilize" him. This process includes making Huck go to school, teaching him various religious facts, and making him act in a way that the women find socially acceptable. Huck, who has never had to follow many rules in his life, finds the demands the women place upon him constraining and the life with them lonely. As a result, soon after he first moves in with them, he runs away. He soon comes back, but, even though he becomes somewhat comfortable with his new life as the months go by, Huck never really enjoys the life of manners, religion, and education that the Widow and her sister impose upon him. Huck believes he will find some freedom with Tom Sawyer. Tom is a boy of Huck's age who promises Huck and other boys of the town a life of adventure. Huck is eager to join Tom Sawyer's Gang because he feels that doing so will allow him to escape the somewhat boring life he leads with the Widow Douglas. Unfortunately, such an escape does not occur. Tom Sawyer promises much-robbing stages, murdering and ransoming people, kidnaping beautiful women-but none of this comes to pass. Huck finds out too late that Tom's adventures are imaginary: that raiding a caravan of "A-rabs" really means terrorizing young children on a Sunday school picnic, that stolen "joolry" is nothing more than turnips or rocks. Huck is disappointed that the adventures Tom promises are not real and so, along with the other members, he resigns from the gang. Another person who tries to get Huckleberry Finn to change is Pap, Huck's father. Pap is one of the most astonishing figures in all of American literature as he is completely antisocial and wishes to undo all of the civilizing effects that the Widow and Miss Watson have attempted to instill in Huck. Pap is a mess: he is unshaven; his hair is uncut and hangs like vines in front of his face; his skin, Huck says, is white like a fish's belly or like a tree toad's. Pap's savage appearance reflects his feelings as he demands that Huck quit school, stop reading, and avoid church. Huck is able to stay away from Pap for a while, but Pap kidnaps Huck three or four months after Huck starts to live with the Widow and takes him to a lonely cabin deep in the Missouri woods. Here, Huck enjoys, once again, the freedom that he had prior to the beginning of the book. He can smoke, "laze around," swear, and, in general, do what he wants to do. However, as he did with the Widow and with Tom, Huck begins to become dissatisfied with this life. Pap is "too handy with the hickory" and Huck soon realizes that he will have to escape from the cabin if he wishes to remain alive. As a result of his concern, Huck makes it appear as if he is killed in the cabin while Pap is away, and leaves to go to a remote island in the Mississippi River, Jackson's Island. It is after he leaves his father's cabin that Huck joins yet another important influence in his life:

buy custom Public International Law essay

buy custom Public International Law essay Over the past decades, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has implicated itself in numerous conflicts across the globe with the endeavor of offering practicable solutions to inherent political upheavals. The present conflicts in Libya and the on going militant aggressions in parts of the Middle East are a few areas in which the world has witnessed its attachment. However, despite its efforts of promoting global peaceful coexistence amid nations, it has, in numerous occasions, faced criticisms for its way of handling crucial instances of human rights violations. This write up examines the powers of the United Nations Security Council with greater emphasis on the problematic issue of expanding its peacekeeping remit. The paper focuses on the motivational reasons behind its formation at the done of the second global conflict, its objectives, powers and failures in addressing it prime objectives. The United Nations Security Council is the key U.N appendage tasked with the principal objective of fostering international peace and security. It has a foundation that dates back to1946 at the done of the Second World War. Crisell (2007) reiterates that the formation of the United Nations Security Council emanated as a consequences of the second global conflict. The need for global tranquility possible to propagate the fittingly desirable economic expansion acted as a motivation for its conception. The institute, formed to exemplify the benefits of coexistence and global peace among nations, aimed to promote peace in nations across the globe and act to avoid the consequences of another global confrontation. De Wet (2004, p.123) denotes that since its formation, the organization has faced shores of criticism including its handling of global conflicts and the handling of groupings accused of violating human rights across the world. Similarly, De Wet (2004) observes that many have over the years viewed it as a stage for holding international baseless talks. Nonetheless, she is indicative of the certain areas that it has excelled by restoring peace through introduction of fiscal sanctions on belligerent and dictatorial regimes. The institute is the most authoritative unit of the United Nations organization. It comprises representatives from fifteen nations with two categories of membership. A clique of members is termed permanent as they enjoy unending membership to the union (Vanhulle, 2009). At the onset of the entity, the organization had five permanent members, who were the victors of the second global conflict. The list included the United Kingdom, Taiwan, the USSR and France. Over the years, a revision of the initial group has resulted in the inclusion of the peoples republic of China as a replacement for Taiwan in 1973. Similarly, following the crumble of the USSR, Russia assumed the ensuing available position in 1991. Currently, the five nations comprising the special body include China, United Kingdom, Russia, States and France (Hurd, 2008). According to Hurd (2008, p. 242), the other ten members have an impermanent association that expires every two years. Their election is on the basis of their geographical location and regional memberships across the globe. The regional groups do the proposition of these members before an approval by the U.Ns general assembly. Similarly, all the members of the entity are members of regional groupings. Such groupings include the African collection, The Latin America and Caribbean cluster, The Asian set, The Eastern Europe group and the western European assembly and other assemblies while the U.S.A is a stand alone entity. Each individual groups contribution to the membership of the Security Council follows a predetermined allocation as follows. Africa proposes three members, Western Europe and other members contribute two associates, and Latin America and Caribbean add two, Asia two members while the Eastern Europe contributes the remaining one member (Hurd 2008, p. 242). The composition of the permanent membership has over the decades raised criticism with nations like India, Japan, Germany and Brazil seeking its expansion to include twenty five nations (Crisell 2007). De Wet (2004, p. 12) denotes that, the expansion of the Security Council requires an approval by about two thirds of the overall U.Ns general assembly. Reportedly, the presidency of the council is a rotational activity among member countries based on the alphabetical order of their English names and lasts about one month. Each member of the Security Council must maintain a representative at all times within reach of the U.N headquarters in New York City to facilitate decision making in the event of an emergency. Hurd (2008, p. 29) outlines the functions of the UNSC as to foster international peace and security in line with the guidelines of the UNs propositions. It is bestowed the task of investigating disputes and events that may lead to a misunderstanding amid nations and report to the UN recommendations of dealing with such acts. Similarly, it impress on members to adopt non forceful means of dispute resolution such as economic sanctions to avert possible aggressions among nations, take forceful action against aggressive nations. Lastly, they participate in the formulation of strategies that aim at regulation of armaments. Hurd (2008, p.31) indicates that the council has the advisory function in the admission of novel members. UNSC Veto Power The major difference amid the provisional and undeviating membership of the UNSC is the veto power exhibited by the permanent members. De Wet (2004, p. 124) observes that this unlimited power exhibited by the five permanent member nations affords them the ability to shut down any scheme championed by member nations irrespective of the extent of support the scheme enjoys within the international community. The exercise of this power is evident when a disgruntled permanent member casts a negated vote on a significant draft resolution. According to Hurd (2008, p. 35), veto power had its foundations in the foregone league of nations back in the nineteen twenties. The presence of up to fifteen members with veto power made decisions impossible to make. Each member could easily shut down any unfriendly ideas proposed in the leagues sessions. At the conception of the UNSC, nations sort to establish a similar right as this appeared favorable in the protection of each member states sovereignty, national rights and interests. Additionally, the benefits principle powers of the globe acting, as one in the solution of a global situation was apparently favorable to the chiefcountries (Hurd 2008). It is evident from this preposition that the idea behind the UNSC establishment was to serve the self interests of the world superpowers right from the beginning. The need to establish the veto was to minimize conflicts a mid the powerful nations by ensuring the presence of an agreement on major issues. Additionally, it ensured that the UN had deficient capacity to issue directives that jeopardized any future actions by any of its founding members. However, it addressed the issue of bringing all the major powers together. Apparently, this had contributed to the breakup of the previous League of Nations, evident in the expulsion of the USSR 1939 (Hurd 2008). According to Vanhulle (2009), the provisions for Veto powers have their basis in chapter five of the charter of the United Nations and defined by article 27. Since its inception, the principle of Veto has severally found applications in the functions of the UNSC and has formed a core factor in decisions made in the execution of its duties. Hurd (2008) reports that, over the decade, the number of resolutions vetoed had continuously increased reaching 215 by the year 2009. Reportedly, the cold war era saw a wide use of the principle reaching a maximum of five vetoes per year. However, the past decade has witnessed a considerable decline in vetoes equaling an approximate one veto a year. Observably, the use of the veto has over the years reflected the ambassadorial stand of the vetoing nation on issues deemed sensitive to its national principles. The trepidation of the veto by permanent members of the UNSC has seen modest involvement of these members of the UNSC in international confrontations in which a colleague is involved. This was evident in the Vietnam hostilities of 1979, the Afghan war of 1979, Iraq conflict of 2003 and Georgian war of 2008 (Hurd2008). In all the above mentioned conflicts, there was massive abuse of human rights. The conflicts meant to serve personal interests of the involved nations. The individuals who suffered the consequences of the ensued military aggressions did not deserve the levels suffering to which they were exposed. The inherent fear by the UNSC to act in all these accounts discredits its principle objective of subverting human suffering through the establishment of mediation among the wrangling nations. These actions serve to confirm the already established view that the UNSC only acts to serve its interests (Hurd2008). Crisell (2007) denotes that while the lack of action by the UNSC was in some cases attributable to fear of the veto, certain cases they failed to upon owing to sheer lack of interest. Iran Iraq conflict of 1980- 1986 and the recent Darfur conflict of 2003are excellent instances in which despite the knowledge of the conflict, the UNSC simply failed to act. It is equally vital to put into perspective the recent Afghanistan and Iraqi wars in the critical investigation of the roles of the UNSC. UNSC and Its handling of Global Diplomatic and Political Issues Vanhulle (2009) observes that the United Nations has over 100000 peace keeping troops and staff around the globe. However, incidences warranting the use of these peace keepers to avert possible human suffering have occurred without any intervention from the intentional peace keepers. Crisell (2007) denotes that the issue of peace keeping is a function of the UN executed by the UNSC. Such discriminatory acts are a reflection of the general perception of the council about the stirring events. The discriminatory way of handling diplomatic and political issues is evident in the 1994s Rwandan Genocide. Crisell (2007) observes that Rwanda was a poor country deficient in natural minerals and dismal economic impacts to stir the thoughts of the UNSC. Furthermore, by 1994, they had limited political influence across the Africa continent to influence any interests of the permanent five. The ensuing political wrangling saw the deaths of over a million people. Vanhulle (2009) reports that the UNSC were well informed about the ongoing tribal cleansing but did extremely petite to rescue the situation. Reportedly, there was an inherent unwillingness among the fifteen member nations to send troops. According to Vanhulle (2009), there was no sufficient influence to rescue the situation. Another case denoting the UNSCs inability to mediate in conflicts is the 2003s Darfur situation. Reportedly, the Sudanese government allegedly sponsored a group of militias called Janjaweed to commit acts of human rights violations to the indigenous Darfur population. The ensuing acts of racial cleansing and genocide left scores dead while a significant number of the remaining populace suffered from rape and extensive body mutilations. Vanhulle (2009) denotes that the intelligence concerning such actions reached the UNSC but they remained unresponsive and did little to alleviate their suffering. After numerous media reports, the UN through the African union assembled a small team to provide the necessary peace. However, the force lacked vital equipments and logistics to duly execute its duties. The troops were few and lacked proper preparation in handling the fastidious difficulty (Vanhulle 2009). According to Vanhulle (2009), there is a general fear by any of the permanent five to involve itself in such activities. According to Vanhulle (2009), such direct involvement is indicative of permanent nations potential interest in such area. This is indicative of the little significance of these nations to the overall global agenda. Developing countries with poorly trained solders and murky influence on the Security Council are compelled to commit soldiers to such areas. With insufficient training and equipments like choppers to execute their duties, they realized mixed achievements. Reportedly, only after an intensive media campaigns did a few of the permanent five unenthusiastically sent soldiers to the Darfur region. While these events, especially in the African continent, left the African UNSC ambassadors bitter, no official complaints fearing feasible political repercussions. Contrastingly, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, there was a swift rejoinder from United States of America. Vanhulle (2009) attributes this to huge petroleum deposits Kuwait had at the time of the Iraqi invasion. As a one of the major exporter of oil to the U.S, the super power moved in alacrity to sabotage the attack. Crisell (2007) observes that, interestingly, no other member of the permanent five acted in any way to mediate in the conflict. This is attributtable to the fear of future repercussions of such actions such as vetoing resolutions fronted by a member of the permanent five. According to Hurd (2008, p. 126), the UN failed despondently in handling the cold war. Discussions on the issue by the UNSC were mugging debates that made little steps in unraveling the underlying problem. The UN failed to address the progressive armaments and development nuclear bombs. Hurd (2008) denotes that the present regulations and laws were lacking an appropriate implementation scheme that could compel the abolishment of the war. Similarly, the UNSC has failed to offer an enduring elucidation to the progressive Israeli Arab conflict. Hurd (2008) denotes that over the years, the Middle East issue has occupied massive debating time in UNs sessions but, over the decades, the persistent deliberations have yielded exceedingly gloomy results. Hurd (2008) observes that over the decades, Israel has faced unwarranted criticism from the members of the UNSC. Numerous UN resolutions passed over the past decades portrays Israel as culpable for the numerous incidences of human rights violation across the Middle East. However, there exists known massive human rights violation witnessed in countries like china and Russia that are unmentioned yet these nations are permanent members of the UNSC. Hurd (2008) notes that such discriminatory and biased reporting characterizes many resolutions past in the last decades aimed at curbing the Israeli influence. According to Crisell 2007, over the past decades, the U.N has appeared to support militant groups with close association to terrorist groups. During the Israeli invasion of Uganda in 1976 to rescue Israeli civilians, there reports within the U.N circles condemning Israels lack of respect to Ugandan sovereignty. This stand was disturbing noting that Israeli civilians were captives under Palestine militants who received support from the Ugandan Government. Similarly, Crisell (2007) takes note of the anti-Semitic abuses directed at Israelites in the recent past at global events aimed at ironing out issues of the Middle East conflict. UNSC and Moral disparagement According to Crisell (2007), past leaders of the organization, have aced to point out mistakes the organization has found itself in over the past years. Notable is a former ambassador to the UN, Dore in his book, alleged that the organization has over the years lost its moral clarity upon which it was created. Crisell (2007) notes that the UNSC preaches democracy and uplifting and respecting human rights while at the same time accepts members reputed for massive violation of theses rights. These vies have acted to add to the growing perception that the UN is a club of rigid traditionalist concerned with championing individual rights and interests. Crisell (2007) denotes another moral upheaval in regard to the influence the UNSC have on subsidiary UN organs like the United Nations population funds, UNPF. Reportedly, religious groupings have over the decades single out this UN organ as an avenue for channeling funds for forced abortions. Similarly, wrangles have emerged amid the permanent five over the control of the various funding organs within the UN. UNSC and Administrative disparagement Hurd (2008) recognizes that the permanent members of the UNSC have coined themselves a hub that permits unchecked powers of individual state. This is evident in the nuclear power capability of all the permanent members. It lacks a clear cut global representation of the member countries. This has persistently raised issues and led to other up coming member states questioning its commitment to global peace and stability (Hurd 2008, p. 165). There are persistent qualms with the term and conditions of service of the temporary member states. They persistently fight to have nations with no nuclear capacity involved in the permanent membership. Vanhulle (2009) denotes that it is discriminative to lock out member states deficient in nuclear technology out of the UNSC. They argue that, they represent a huge fraction of the global populace and thus deserves be heard. The act of private meetings among the Permanent members before presenting their agreements to the overall UN council is termed dictatorial. Vanhulle (2009) denotes that such acts have persistently infuriated members of the UN council as they see it as an act that undermines their authority. Reforms at the UNSC Vanhulle (2009) denotes that the key to an overall change to the UN and its various organs is dependant on the possibility of altering the veto power of the permanent members. Hurd (2008) indicates that, while member states find the veto power disturbing and unnecessary, it is significant in ensuring a balance of power amid the global superpowers. It aids in keeping in check, the actions one powerful nation through the isolation of its proposed resolutions. Vanhulle (2009) denotes that the removal of the permanent five is essentially impossible. He points at the article 108 and 109 of the UN charter that gives the unilateral power to the Permanent five over the decision on the amendments of the UN charter. Seemingly, this is practically, impossible, as no nation would willingly surrender such amount of power (Vanhulle 2009). De Wet (2004) denotes the UN general assemblys resolution 377 as a possible avenue for amending the permanent five hold on global power. The resolution which explains that in the event of failure by the UNSC to act in maintenance of peace and security owing to a veto by one of the permanent five, then the general assembly is liable to take up the matter. This it will do under the auspice of emergency special session warranting it to requests for unscheduled meetings. Such meetings do not recognize the respective members veto powers and thus provides opportunity for implementing changes. Conclusion In the contemporary society, any institution persistently facing unanswered inquisitions about its legitimacy stands to crumble if those inquisitions fail to get a satisfactory and optimum answer. The emergence of such intentional organizations is in response to the rigidity inherent in organizations like the UN. The emerging economic superpowers like India and Brazil needs an avenue through which to address critical issues affecting their interest and the interest of their partners. The UN with its rigid UNSC has failed to address this quandary. Buy custom Public International Law essay

How to become a labor and delivery nurse

How to become a labor and delivery nurse If you’re already a registered nurse, or are thinking about becoming one, you might want to consider specializing in labor and delivery. These OB/GYN professionals provide essential support for women throughout the entire childbirth process, in a specialty that is expected to continue growing significantly over the next ten years. What do labor and delivery nurses do?Labor and delivery nurses work directly with pregnant patients from the earliest stages of labor through birth and immediate postpartum care. Their responsibilities may include the following:Supporting patients through every stage of childbirth (antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and neonatal)Inducing laborMonitoring the mother and baby’s vital signsAdministering medications and starting IV linesMeasuring contractionsIdentifying and assisting with childbirth complicationsAssisting in operations like cesarean sections (C-sections)Providing postpartum care and supportEducating and advising new mothers on po stnatal careLabor and delivery nurses typically work 12-hour shifts, including potential overnight or weekend shifts. Most labor and delivery nurses work in hospitals, but the number of birthing-specific medical centers all over the country is increasing.What skills do labor and delivery nurses have?Labor and delivery nurses have the same general skill set as all registered nurses, but also need some additional specific skills for the obstetric specialty.Medical Skills and Knowledge:Â  Nurses need to have detailed medical knowledge from an accredited educational program. Labor and delivery nurses also need to have additional knowledge of obstetrics, gynecology, and childbirth in general.Bedside Manner:Â  Labor and delivery nurses work with patients in very vulnerable and high-stress situations, so a good bedside manner (including empathy and patience) is essential.Problem Solving Skills:Â  Because of the high stakes of working with laboring and delivering patients, these nurses n eed to be prepared for everything that can possibly go wrong- and be able to troubleshoot or have a plan in place for things that can’t be anticipated. Labor and delivery nurses are responsible for monitoring patients through every stage of childbirth, helping to ensure safety at every stage.Communication Skills:Â  Part of a safe delivery is making sure that communication is happening between the medical staff and patients and ensuring that all doctors and nurses are aware of a patient’s condition and vital signs- including potential complications. Clear communication can be the most essential part of supporting a patient throughout the process.What do you need to become a labor and delivery nurse?Registered nurses need to complete an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree program from an accredited nursing school. Additionally, nurses who choose to specialize in labor and delivery can receive additional training to become Certified Nurse Midwives or Nu rse Practitioners in obstetrics and gynecology. All states require nurses to be licensed, so be sure to check your own state’s requirements.How much do labor and delivery nurses make?According to the PayScale.com, registered labor and delivery nurses make a median salary of $61,076, or $29.92 per hour. This can increase based on level of experience.What is the outlook for labor and delivery nurses?This field has two major things going for it: the boom in healthcare careers in general, and the fact that more and more babies will continue to be born. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that registered nurse demand in general will grow by more than 16% by 2024, and the labor and delivery field will have perennial demand as well.If you’re thinking about specializing in labor and delivery nursing, it can be a very rewarding career path in the healthcare field. Good luck!

Buddhism and the four noble truths Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buddhism and the four noble truths - Coursework Example Notably, the path is the most vital of all elements in Buddha’s teachings. Right view and intention paths connote wisdom. Right speech, action and livelihood paths instill moral discipline. Right effort, mindfulness and concentration paths promote concentration. There are notable differences between Buddhist and Christian viewpoints of the prodigal son story. The meaning differs in the two stories. The prodigal son story, as expressed in Luke’s gospel, teaches the return of sinners to their relationship with God (Valea, 2014). Jesus’ message through the parable was to inform religious experts to embrace members perceived as outcasts in the society. In Buddha, the story implies that there is no privileged position to warrant an individual’s loss of spiritual becoming. Buddha’s teaching in the story intends to teach nuns, arhats and gods that were ready to become bodhisattva before becoming Buddha (Valea, 2014). The prodigal son story teaching in Luke’s gospel occurs before religious leaders while Buddhist version occurs before nuns, gods and other beings. The stories are different in the context of son’s departure and their conditions. While the son in Luke’s version claims his inheritance and leaves with his fortune, the prodigal son in Buddha left without

Business Communication -successful communication between cultural Essay

Business Communication -successful communication between cultural sub-groups - Essay Example Furthermore, both internal and external communication of the organization is to be effective in order for the business to succeed globally (Rosenhauer, 2009). Effective cross-cultural communication is, therefore, one of the keys to success of a multinational business. As such, effective communication in a multinational environment requires both a sender and a receiver of a communicated message to have a common understanding of the same message. However, as Rosenhauer (2009, p. 33) outlines, the complexity of intercultural or cross-cultural communication is that â€Å"if sender and receiver have a different cultural background, the chance of accurately transmitting of information is quite low.† This means values, beliefs and norms that are a characteristic of a certain culture may prevent that culture’s representative form understanding the message correctly, even if both, a sender and a receiver, use one language. This point of view is also supported by Gudykunst (2003) and Schmidt (2001), who argue that the more different the cultures are, the more difficult it is for different cultural sub-groups to understand each other. ... Furthermore, one of the most difficult aspects of cross-cultural communication is that, in order to convey a message to a representative of a different cultural sub-group, the communicator might have to provide some additional information related to the message, so that the receiver understands the message properly (Puffer, 2004). Even if a sender and a receiver share the knowledge of the language they use, their understanding of the same message may be very different. This happens because the two people have different ways of thinking that are stipulated by the customs, systems, traditions and cultures of each. Commonality of these aspects, however, is necessary for effective verbal communication (Yamamoto, 1988). Jeanne Brett and Tetsushi Okumura conducted a study that was aimed at determining how much cultural differences influence the results of intercultural negotiations. The researchers studies participants of negotiations between representatives of American and Japanese compan ies. The results showed that cultural differences do have an influence on negotiators’ goals, as well as the outcomes of negotiations. In particular, individualism of the US citizens, in contrast to collectivism to the Japanese, showed to have an impact on the Americans’ views on the self, as well as individual goals that might be different from those of the group. The Japanese, being collectivistic by their culture, were following their group’s interests only (Gelfand and Brett, 2004). Such differences based on the culture of the negotiators may lead to different information-sharing perspectives. However, problems in cross-culture

Traditional marketing campaigns Essay Example for Free

Traditional marketing campaigns Essay With the apparition of the Internet, what was generally a cumbersome, costly marketing campaign, with a limited audience (and we are referring here to the traditional marketing campaigns, via the usual channels of communication: newspapers, media, fliers etc. ) became a far-reaching method of promoting your business, at virtually no cost other than that imposed by the necessity to have a functional Internet connection, to pay salaries to people promoting the business online and to building up a presentation website. Easy to commit to, Internet marketing has become a favored tool by many economic agents. First of all, the advantages of Internet marketing are numerous. The first one to be mentioned is the low costs involved. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the first thing that a small business like this needs is a website. The website virtually plays the role of an online store, with two main functions: presentation and, if the owner wishes it, online sale. The case of the order clothing retail business specializing in children specialty items is reflective in this sense. First of all, the website will present not only the actual product (in terms of sizes available, coloring etc. ), but also the company itself, the people involved in the business etc. It always helps, as a online promotional mean, to have the figures and, perhaps, a short biography of the owners on site, because, this way, the potential clients will tend to gain more trust in online ordering. There are several online marketing tips that can make the site and, subsequently, the business, more successful. Testimonies are always important in businesses. As this is an online business, it may be that some of the testimonies are not necessarily those of real customers, but they will help induce a sense of security to the potential client. The testimonies can in fact be a successful mean of further presenting the mechanism and the way business is concluded. Something like â€Å"I couldn’t believe how easy it was: I just placed the order on the website and I had the item in less than 24 hours† will be a line that will let the potential client know that he is likely to receive a product very fast and with almost no time spent in the process. It is also important to have a page within the website clearly explaining the entire shopping mechanism, in clear terms, so that the client will know the hows and the whens. It is not sufficient to simply point out to the location where he has to place his order. A separate page entitled Process, for example, will let him understood the entire mechanism: the fact that he places his order, his order is received and he receives a confirmation of the fact, he can then pay for the order and this is delivered to him in a certain period of time. This type of exact information will likely improve communication and the business process with the clients. Given the specific of the business, that of a mail order clothing retail business specializing in children specialty items, it is also important to have pictures and presentation pages for the products that are commercialized. This will give potential clients an imagistic presentation of the products they will be buying. As previously mentioned, the website needs to act exactly like a store (albeit an online one, in a virtual environment) in which the client will need to be able to see, compare, analyze products. Second of all, the website will be able to register users and take their orders automatically, without any individuals involved, which obviously lowers costs significantly, since you are not going to have someone paid to look after the clients who place the orders. There are however some technological costs involved, for example the cost of IT maintenance and web-related issues (web designing, web maintenance etc. ) that will increase fixed costs for this form of marketing. The simple creation of a website is insufficient for the marketing of the small business we are referring to. The website needs to be, in its turn, promoted over the Internet, so that a larger number of visitors will take note of the services offered. There are several ways to do this. First of all, search engine optimization (SEO) is important, because it will place the site within the first option when a search operation is made, for certain key words. Taking the specific of our mail order clothing retail business, we may decide, for example, as the main key words to be children, clothing, items and some particular children items (toys etc. ). For these, we will try both to make the text on our website reflective of these key words and to promote them on search engines.

My Favorite Kind of Vague :: Personal Narrative Jealousy Envy Essays

My Favorite Kind of Vague When dreams mix with realities it’s 2 o’clock on a Sunday morning, and no one is awake but you, scribbling on a notebook pad behind the bathroom door, trying to grasp how something so mild, how heartwarming, could be converted by its counterpart. I read this book last summer, it was required reading, everyone told me it was horrible. The book takes place in the south at this boy’s boarding school called Devon during the summer session, in it Gene, this guy with a terrible sense of self and an even worse self-esteem, engages in a codependent relationship with the magnificent athlete Phineas. Everyone loves Finny, he’s charming, he’s naive, he’s everything Gene isn’t. So anyway, Gene is jealous of Phineas, although they’re best friends, so he develops this concept of Finny being jealous of him, justifying the hatred he develops for him. It becomes apparent that Phineas isn’t at all jealous; Gene’s, consumed with envy, and pushes Finny out of the tree they used to jump out of together, essentially killing his best friend. It’s strange how literary life parallels life so perfectly sometimes. But it really is a good book, I recommend it. But who am â€Å"I†? Well, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Beth. Some may accuse me of being antisocial, but I’m not. I mean, sure, I get calls all the time, but they’re for homework help and advice on weak poetry. It’s not that I mind it; it’s just that I don’t exactly enjoy it. When I was in seventh grade, I cracked a book open at my father’s library, you should probably know he’s a librarian. It was called â€Å"Popularity in 100 steps.† I remember a few guidelines from it â€Å"Be nice to others,† that means listening to them, and giving good advice another was â€Å"Try not to be pessimistic,† another â€Å"Use your fashion sense† and then the big 100 was â€Å"Be yourself.† Well, I’d been being myself for 16 godforsaken years, and it was time for a change. I met her in a hallway, at the time squirming at her singing, her faà §ade of giddiness. She could have authored the awe-inspiring â€Å"Popularity in 100 steps,† her life was based around its rules. She was happy then, happier than she’s ever been since, we hadn’t exchanged words, yet, I was just a nametag, and she was just the ringmaster of a group of 30 boys.

Naming and Shaming Sex Offenders Essay

Define: The social issue naming and shaming sex offenders is the worst sex offenders being named and shamed on a website with their picture, name, address and date of birth on their profile. People can type in the suburb they live in and see what sex offenders live in their area. Argument #1 For: Sex offenders, even more so than other forms of crime, are prone to re-offending upon release from prison. Therefore, to protect society, they should be required to register with a local police station, and their names and addresses should be made available to the public. Police would also supply this information to schools and day cares, who will be consequently far more alert to any risk. Parents would find this information invaluable in ensuring their children’s safety, and it would cut the rate of sexual crime by those freed from prison. In the end, we have to protect our children at any cost. Against: This proposal is an essential violation of the principles of our penal system, which are based on the serving of a set punishment before being freed from prison. This registration inflicts a new punishment for an old crime and will lead to sex offenders to be demonized by their neighbours and community, and possibly be forced to move out of the town they are located in. It will also lead to campaigns and violence, sometimes against innocent people with similar looks and names, such a risk cannot be taken. Argument #2 For: Crimes for sexual offence are among the most repulsive and damaging that exist; they can ruin a person’s life. As the offenders responsible for these crimes cannot be imprisoned forever, and must be released at some point extra caution must be taken to ensure they pose no threat to the public. Against: The suggestions of this website are clouding the options. Physiological evaluations can define accurately whether an offender is still danger to society or not. If an offender is still a danger to society then they should not be released from prison, if they are not a danger any more then they should be released and be able to live a happy and normal life. Studies have shown that treatment is quite effective to help reduce the rate of re-offending. Argument #3 For: A national web register would allow police to track re-offenders faster, increasing the success rate and the speed of which they are brought to justice. Against: Police can be aided by a register only available to the police. Making it public might make the offenders run and making it hard for police to track them. Studies have shown that a public register is a subjective to abuse from the public. Around 2 out of every 5 offenders have been a victim of vigilantism. The social ostracism, denial of rehabilitative measure such as housing and stable employment, and threats of vigilantism, making former offenders disobey reporting requirements. Argument #4 For: A national register would benefit sexual offenders directly, as they would be on local registers of counseling and psychological help groups, who would be more able to offer help. Against: Offenders should have access to these services anyway, regardless of whether their names are available to society or not. This register has led to large qualities of withdrawing sex offenders listen on the register, along with their families. The register is a spread of myths and stereotypes used by the public to justify the ostracism and denial of service. Sex offenders in Australia have lost jobs, housing and treatment options and forced to live under never ending changing requirements.

Moral Self-Knowledge in Kantian Ethics Essay

In the article titled, Moral Self-knowledge in Kantian Ethics, Emer O’Hagan discusses Kant’s views and ideas concerning self-knowledge and the role it plays in duty and virtuous action. O’Hagan first introduces a key feature of Kant’s ethical theory which is its recognition of the psychological complexity of human beings. O’Hagan uses this recognition of psychological complexity by Kant to dive into Kant’s feeling on self-knowledge. Once a basic understanding of Kant’s attitude towards self-knowledge has been established, O’Hagan then uses Kant’s ethical theory to show how self-knowledge can be used as a means to help determine the goodness of an action. The arguments presented by O’Hagan are logical and clearly supported and verified through the presented evidence. Kant is shown to have recognized the psychological complexity of the human being in recognizing that, â€Å"judgments concerning the rightness of actions are vulnerable to corruption from self-interested inclination† (O’Hagan 525-537). Kant is saying that that even though an action may start out as from duty, our internal feelings as human beings can create a beneficial end as a means for the action, thus rendering it not from duty. Kant also recognizes that our own judgments about us may not be accurate. Moral self-development is a practice to develop accuracy for our self-judgments and takes into consideration one’s motives for action. O’Hagan tells us that this moral practice requires moral self-knowledge which is a form of self-awareness disciplined by respect for autonomy, the theoretical foundation of Kantian ethics. According to Kant, the first command of the duties to oneself as a moral being is self-knowledge. This is the ability to know yourself in terms of whether your heart is for good or evil and whether your actions are pure or impure. Kant describes duties of virtue to be wide duties, in that there is not a clear standard for how one should go about performing action for an end that is also a duty. O’Hagan tells us that Kant’s duty of moral self-knowledge is the duty to know one’s own heart. Kant tells us that moral self-knowledge is quite difficult because it involves abstracting, or taking a non-biased analysis of one’s self. Because we are bound to our own feelings and inclinations, we cannot completely separate ourselves from our own bias. The power of self-knowledge is the power to see things in objectivity instead of subjectivity. The final step of the argument is relating self-knowledge to determining the goodness of an action. O’Hagan tells us that developing self-knowledge will develop one’s self-understanding and will develop guards against self-deception. Using these skills to truly understand one’s heart allows for one to know one’s motives, and thus practical stance in action. According to Kant, the goodness of an action is determined by one’s motives, so the goodness of one’s action can now be evaluated. O’Hagan clearly demonstrates the importance of self-knowledge in Kant’s theory of ethics and validates its importance by describing application for use of the practice of self-knowledge (O’Hagan 525-537).

The Crusades Essays - First Crusade, Crusades, Second Crusade

The Crusades Essays - First Crusade, Crusades, Second Crusade The Crusades The crusades were military expeditions launched against the Muslims by the Christians in an attempt to regain the Holy Land. They took place between 1095 A.D. and 1270 A.D. It was one of the most violent periods in the history of mankind. The starting point of the crusades was on November 18, 1095 A.D. when Pope Urban II opened the Council of Clermont. On November 27, outside the French city of Clermont-Ferrand, the Pope made an important speech . He called upon everyone to help the Christians in the east to restore peace. The crowd's response was very positive. Garments were cut into crosses which were attached to people's shoulders in an imitation of Christ (Matthew 10:38).(1) The original object of the First Crusade was to help Christian churches in the east. The new goal became to free the Holy Land from Muslim control, especially Jerusalem. Pope Urban II stayed in France until September 1096 to provide leadership and guidance for the members of the First Crusade. He urged churchmen to preach the cross in France. Urban wanted the crusading army to be mostly made up of knights and other military personnel. Since the news of his speech at Clermont spread through the west, people from all social classes and occupations joined the Crusade. As a result of Urban losing control of personnel, violence was launched against the Jews of northern France. This violence was mostly instigated by bands of the urban and rural poor led by men like Peter the Hermit and Walter Sans-Avoir. These groups lacked supplies and discipline. They attempted to reach Coneztinople but most of them never got that far. The leaders in lands which they passed through were frightened and killed many of the crusading bands. Some did get to Coneztinople and traveled across the Bosphorus in August 1096. There they split into two groups. One tried to overtake Nicaea and was unsuccessful. The other was ambushed and slaughtered near Civetot in October. The remaining crusaders retreated to Coneztinople and joined the second wave of the Crusade. The crusaders were eager to start the journey to Jerusalem but they needed to capture the Anatolian Turkish capital of Nicaea first because it blocked the road that would be their main supply route. It was held by Seljuk Turks. In May 1097, the crusaders attacked Nicaea. The Turks realized that they were defeated and agreed to give the city to the Byzantines in exchange for the lives of their men. The Byzantines agreed to this and on June 18, Nicaea was under Byzantine control. The leaders of the crusade disagreed and wanted to slaughter the Turks because they were enemies of Christ.(2) On June 30, 1097, the crusaders were ambushed at the city of Dorylaeum by Seljuk Turks led by Kilij Arslam the Seljuk Sultan. The fight continued until July 1. The crusaders won a big victory and nearly wiped out the Turkish force. This victory opened up the way to Anatolia. The crusaders attacked Anitoch in northern Syria on October 21, 1097. "This was the main obstacle on the road to Jerusalem."(3) In a long and gruesome battle, the city finally fell on June 2, 1098. The crusaders were quickly attacked by a new Turkish army from Al Mawsil. They arrived too late to revive Anitoch's Turkish defenders and they were forced to retreat on June 28. The starting date for the march to Jerusalem was set for November 1, 1098 but was delayed by an epidemic as well as fighting to the south of Anitoch. On January 13, 1099 the commander-in-chief, Count Raymond IV of Toulouse, led the crusaders' march to Jerusalem. They avoided attacks on cities to conserve forces. In May 1099 they reached the northern border of Palestine. On June 7 they camped on the summit of a hill where they could see Jerusalem. Many soldiers had tears of joy on that day. The hill was named Montjoie. Jerusalem was well fortified and only vulnerable from the north and the southwest. On June 13 they tried to storm Jerusalem but were driven back because of insufficient supplies. Extreme heat and a water shortage lowered morale. A priest called Peter Desiderius told them that if they fasted and held

Art for Arts Sake

A study of John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde’s Views on Art In the late nineteenth century a movement known as â€Å"Art for Art’s Sake† occurred, which consists of the appreciation of art for what it truly is; just art. At that time many critics tried to find moral and intellectual meanings within works of art. Many artists united to defend art, two authors who defend the concept of art are John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde. In his work From The Stones of Venice, John Ruskin exults and admires gothic architecture because its gives the artist the freedom of creativity and self-expression. In his preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde alike Ruskin defends the concept that art is â€Å"useless† and that it must be admired for what it is, which is just simply art. The following goes into more detail on the ideas Ruskin and Wilde have on art. In From the Stones of Venice [The Savageness of Gothic Architecture], John Ruskin presents his fondness for Gothic architecture because of the freedom it gives to man, he also points out that he finds southern Europe more appealing than Northern Europe because it is darker. In the following, Ruskin presents the system of architectural ornaments; in which he particularly prefers revolutionary ornaments because there is no difference between the architect and the workers and so they are all equal. The following passage presents each system: The systems of architectural ornament, properly so called, might be divided into three:1. Servile ornament, in which the execution or power of the inferior workman is entirely subjected to the intellect of the higher; 2. Constitutional ornament, in which the executive inferior power is, to a certain point, emancipated and independent, having a will of its own, yet confessing its inferiority and rendering obedience to higher powers; and 3. Revolutionary ornament, in which no executive inferiority is admitted at all. (Ruskin, 1326) John Ruskin goes on to elaborate his favoritism of imperfection. For Ruskin something that is perfect does not mean that is good and that the search for perfection is weakness and that passion for perfection will lead to the slavery of the mind. Ruskin believes that mental slavery is far worse than physical slavery; for Ruskin gothic ornaments such as gargoyles and goblins are signs of liberty and gives the worker a certain level of independence. Ruskin elaborates â€Å"accurately speaking, no good work whatever can be perfect and the demand for perfection is always a sign of a misunderstanding of the ends of art† (Ruskin, 1333). For him, imperfection is far more superior to the quest of perfection. In the eyes or Ruskin, art must be imperfect and it must be noble; he points out â€Å"A most important truth, that no architecture can be truly noble which is not imperfect† (Ruskin, 1333). His reasons for loving imperfection, is because nothing in nature or in life is perfect and so art must reflect that. John Ruskin ends his work by expressing his thoughts on art in the following passage â€Å"Accept this then, for a universal law, that neither architecture nor any other noble work of man can be good unless it be imperfect†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Ruskin, 1334). In Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde alike Ruskin defends art for what it is. Wilde commences by pointing or that â€Å"The artist is a creator of beautiful things†¦. Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming† (Wilde, 1697). Wilde embodies the â€Å"Art for Art sake† movement with this passage because he elaborates that artist create beautiful things for the enjoyment and that those who try to find a more intellectual meaning behind it are corrupt. Wilde goes on to defend imperfection just as John Ruskin, he presents his thoughts of morality and imperfection in the following â€Å" The moral life of man forms part of the subject matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium†(Wilde, 1698). In this passage, Wilde points out that morality and art are two separate things and they both form a part of the life of the artist; there is no connection between art and moral. Oscar Wilde believes that the artificial is better than nature because unlike nature that changes and withers, art captures a moment and preserves it. For him, the form is only important and the content does not matter. The most important part of his work is at the very end in which Wilde elaborates the following â€Å"The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless† (Wilde, 1698). Oscar Wilde does not literally mean that art is useless but rather that art is made for admiration and so it must be enjoyed for what it is and not be used to find a deeper meaning. John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde embody the â€Å"Art for Art’s sake† movement because they enjoy art for what it is, which is simply art. They both rejected the concept that art has to be studied because it holds a deeper moral lesson. For them, true beauty lies in the imperfection, because in life nothing is truly perfect. Wilde and Ruskin believe that art is a form of liberation and freedom; for them art is created to be admired and enjoyed.

Compare and contrast the British and American political systems Essay

Compare and contrast the British and American political systems - Essay Example The best ways are by comparing different political systems of societies from different geographical locations. Since the traditional and cultural values of each society are different, the thinking and the way of life would be very different if compared to one another. (Rabb, 2003, 45-57) Therefore, a political system to one society is likely to be different if compared to another. At the same time, western society might be unfamiliar to the ways of the eastern society and vice-versa. Sometimes as time passes, there develops new theories of new political systems by great thinkers. So we see one political system being changed to another. (Harman, 2003, 99-105) This proves that it's impossible to take just one time frame as different political systems developed at different time lines. In each society they have adopted to a mutual understanding of what's right and what's wrong. (Rabb, 2003, 45-57) For example: Howard Becker suggests "social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance, and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders." (Harman, 2003, 99-102) Therefore at times, we see revolutions that bring about a whole new political system, even though sometimes althea promises that was to come with the new system vanishes somewhere. Politics cannot be pinned down to a single aspect of life, it occurs throughout society, it involves every aspect of our lives, but it is especially concentrated in the modern nation state. It is the nation state that "establishes sovereign jurisdiction within defined boundaries...the state commands ultimate power in that it stands above all other associations and groups in society; it's laws demand the compliance of all those who live within its boundaries." (McWhi rter, 1994, 36-42) In politics there is a phrase that says, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. What it means is that everyone who comes by political power becomes corrupted morally from the opportunities that this power brings with it. This really applies to most people since they shape their morality in line with social pressure. In other words, at first they are scared of society's disapproval and punishment and therefore avoid immorality, however, when power makes them strong, it decreases social pressure and as a result they become corrupted. (Rabb, 2003, 45-57) Religion is undoubtfully a big influence in society but it has declined in countries like the US and UK in the past century. Capitalism is thought to be behind the reason for the decline in organised religion in the US and UK. Each of the three political systems noted above is a type of democracy. The exact nature of that democracy can vary considerably however. In 1996 an estimated 117 countries were on record as being democracies (Sussman 1996, 118-125). Even in countries as similar as the United States and Great Britain this is often the case. The way the United States views representative democracy varies in some ways from the way this concept is viewed in the United Kingdom. This variance is obvious in numerous aspects of government, especially in terms of overall governmental structure. Democracy is indeed a grand and glorious concept,