A Global Assembly Line Is A Capitalists Dream Come True. It Allows Co

A global assembly line is a capitalist's dream come true. It allows companies to do business in free trade zones to manufacture goods throughout the world at the lowest possible cost to the company. This assembly line enables companies like Nike, with corporate headquarters in the U.S. w to shut down their factories here, and move over seas where there are less restrictions and cheaper labor. Where as the production cost are drastically less in these free trade zones, so are the human rights laws, especially those pertaining to women, the majority of the work force. By moving its production sites to places like Asia, Nike is able to pay workers sub-minimum wage, on top of allowing the corporation to dodge responsibility for the treatment of its work force. Nike strategists have certainly managed to devise a plan to escape the responsibility and liability of insuring that it assembly line sites are safe, healthy and fair labor places of work, by subcontracting to foreign owned and governed factories. South Korea, the sneaker capital of the world is one of these places. According to the article The Globe Trotting Sneaker the workers in these assembly factories are predominantly women. The article also highlights the fact that South Korea has a military government that possesses a strong determination to suppress labor organizations. Nike is not blind to this information. These facts only work more for the sneaker typhoon. It allows them to profit legally from under paid, over controlled and unorganized women laborers. A Confucian following culture. In which Korean women except the philosophy that her morality is measured by the amount of hard work she is willing to endure for her families well being and to acquiesce to her father and husbands dictates is yet another benefit that Nike reaps the profits from. The Global assembly line affects every part of the factory workers life both U.S and Korean. This is due to the fact that at any given time, the corporation may decide to pick up and move to a neighboring country because the labor is cheaper and the restrictions fewer. The women working in these factories of South Korea endure numerous difficulties, low pay, poor work conditions etc.. For many years they remain silent. In the 1980's the silence was broken, but not shattered. For the first time, women workers organized, separate from the men and brought their issue to be heard. They began to rebel against not only the companies for which they worked, but against the government. Eventually, they won the right to organize, and they created the Korean Women Workers Association. (KWWA) This union was a major political and economic feminist move. Prior to its creation, women enjoyed no representation or benefits from their anti-union government. The trade agreements that South Korea entered into were for monetary reason only, with no worker consideration or rights. Though the KWWA has not changed the government dramatically, it has made a motion in the right direction. It brought not only laborers rights into the picture, but women laborers right as well. The latter is particularly important because the majority of the workers are women. The KWWA won the right to organize unions as well as seeing as allowing workers to see an increase in their wages. This political move posed a threat to the government by way of setting a precedent, opening a door for other groups to follow. This movement affects the global assembly line because it makes room for higher wages, an increased production cost and more human rights considerations. As previously mentioned, Nike is able to use sub-contractors as a means of evading responsibility when the treatment of its workers comes into question. In Asia, the demand for work is so high that workers are willing to accept more harsh work environment for less pay than U.S workers might be. Asian women and children make up the bulk of the factories work force, so they are the ones being mistreated the most. They are also the ones that live in a culture that holds men as the more valuable, powerful source. Another cultural attribute connected with the Southern Korean women is that she works not only to support herself, but often her parents and children

Free Essays on Landmines

Reflection The current landmine situation is one that undoubtedly deserves United States’ attention and unquestionably demands our action. Unfortunately, the US has not completely risen to this call. Although under President Clinton in 1994, we became the world’s largest contributor to humanitarian mine clearance, we have yet to sign the Mine Ban Treaty. This critical issue is now under a formal policy review by the Bush Administration in which they will decide if changes are necessary. According to guest lecturer, Dr. Arcangeli, The US Military Demining Program has four main goals. The first is to relieve the plight of the civilian population. This entails going to these countries and aiding them in developing their own system of demining. Though indirectly, this will most certainly assist in the spread of democracy. It begins to place the power, or at least the sense of power, in the hands of the people. Beginning with the feelings of governmental significance, civilians will instinctively become increasingly more involved with their government. The second goal is that is enhancing regional stability. The lands that have all these minefields are very destabilizing to the communities around them. They result in displace population, poor farm production, many lives ripped apart. This also takes a serious toll on the economy of the surrounding areas. Thirdly, the United Sates military wasn’t to promote the US foreign policy. Traditionally, the US ha s leaned to the isolationist side of international relations, but Nixon and the Post Cold War began to bring us out of seclusion. This trend continued with Carter and his involvement with Egypt and Israel, and also with Reagan, who saw the Berlin Wall fall. Our current President, however, is beginning to lean in the direction of isolationism. The military is hoping that through their de-mining efforts other states will see an example of how to deal in the realm or... Free Essays on Landmines Free Essays on Landmines Landmines The definition of a land mine, can be defined, as a device designed to kill or maim the person who triggers it. In other words, whether you’re one of the 87% of soldiers in Cambodia, or, one of the 30% of innocent women and children who are killed on average by land mines land mines kill who ever when ever. Something that can cost less than five American dollars to produce your average AP (antipersonnel mine), is generally small in diameter, frequently less than 10 centimeters across, and is difficult to detect. In some cases, the color and shape of the mine help to camouflage it so that it becomes virtually invisible at a glance. The fact that experts say there are around 60-70 million of these killers scattered throughout 60 countries all over the world is a scary thought. Although the civil war in Angola is over, on average 120 people are killed a month there due to land mines. Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, and Laos are of the top five countries affected by land mines day in and day out. These people must watch every step in order to survive a daily routine where for there very next step could be there last. Bosnia, Croatia, Georgia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Sudan are also badly mine fertile countries that are known to have very bad problems with land mines. The vast majority of casualties are men, often soldiers. For instance, 87% in Cambodia and 76% in Afghanistan are men. However, in some countries women and children account for over 30%. In some cases, the overwhelming number of casualties have been civilians, this often coincides with a period of refugee return to heavily mined areas. In Namibia 88% of post-1980 casualties were civilians, in Mozambique (1994) 68%, and in Georgia (1994-95) 80% were civilians. Children can be undercounted as it is estimated that 85% die before reaching a hospital. In one instance, refugees returned to Hargeisa in northern Somalia in 1991, 75% ... Free Essays on Landmines Reflection The current landmine situation is one that undoubtedly deserves United States’ attention and unquestionably demands our action. Unfortunately, the US has not completely risen to this call. Although under President Clinton in 1994, we became the world’s largest contributor to humanitarian mine clearance, we have yet to sign the Mine Ban Treaty. This critical issue is now under a formal policy review by the Bush Administration in which they will decide if changes are necessary. According to guest lecturer, Dr. Arcangeli, The US Military Demining Program has four main goals. The first is to relieve the plight of the civilian population. This entails going to these countries and aiding them in developing their own system of demining. Though indirectly, this will most certainly assist in the spread of democracy. It begins to place the power, or at least the sense of power, in the hands of the people. Beginning with the feelings of governmental significance, civilians will instinctively become increasingly more involved with their government. The second goal is that is enhancing regional stability. The lands that have all these minefields are very destabilizing to the communities around them. They result in displace population, poor farm production, many lives ripped apart. This also takes a serious toll on the economy of the surrounding areas. Thirdly, the United Sates military wasn’t to promote the US foreign policy. Traditionally, the US ha s leaned to the isolationist side of international relations, but Nixon and the Post Cold War began to bring us out of seclusion. This trend continued with Carter and his involvement with Egypt and Israel, and also with Reagan, who saw the Berlin Wall fall. Our current President, however, is beginning to lean in the direction of isolationism. The military is hoping that through their de-mining efforts other states will see an example of how to deal in the realm or... Free Essays on Landmines Landmines: Deadly Leftovers â€Å"Landmines are the thing for defense in the future. We have covered the works with them and they have done much execution.† -General Gordon, British Army, 1884. General Gordon’s analysis of landmines in the future has proved to be startlingly true, but it’s hard to imagine Gordon or anyone else for that matter predicting that most landmine casualties would be innocent civilian’s decades after the mines were planted. The modern mine was created during WWII with the development of 16 different anti-tank mines, and 10 anti-personnel mines. Since these first mines were planted in the earth’s soil and waterways millions of people, mostly civilians have been killed and maimed. Along with the physical harm to humans, the environment has been dramatically altered in the areas where mines are present. The major problem with a mine is that it is a killer that will not discriminate. A mine can be tripped by the foot of a soldier, the snout of cattle, or the hand of a child. It will kill all three equally. It is estimated that 71 people die every day from mine explosions. Some are killed instantly; others bleed to death hours later. In Cambodia there are more mines than people and it is not uncommon to see whole families of amputees. Once the mines are positioned it is almost impossible to track exactly where it is. Mine fields have caused the troops placing them to retreat because of their inability to determine where they are. Areas that have been found to be laden with landmines have forced whole villages to leave their land behind and move into larger towns and cities. This greatly throws off the social and economic balance in the areas where these refugees move too. Most are farmers or herders and have no skills other than agricultural which makes it almost impossible to find work. With over 110 million landmines buried in the earth’s soil around the world there is undeniab...

Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Investment - Essay Example It has often been said that some investment types such as unit trusts are more profitable as compared others such as open ended investment companies (Atrill & Elliot 2005). In this paper we critically review this assertion by looking at literature on the subject of different investment types. The paper begins by providing an overview on the various investment types and afterwards concentrates on evaluating which one is a better investment vehicle by weighing their advantages and disadvantages with respect to their various tax implications. The rest of the paper is organised as follows: section 2 presents an overview of the various investment types focusing on their advantages and disadvantages as an investment vehicle; section 3 provides an overview of these same investment types but this time paying attention on their various tax implication, section 4 presents a brief summary of both investment vehicles as well as some empirical evidence on the performance of some of these investme nts; while the last section presents some concluding remarks. In finance, Investors typically faced two challenging questions. How much to invest? And where to invest (Berlin & Lexa 2005, Brealey & Myers 2005). These are some of the pertinent issues this paper seeks to address. By examining the various investment options available to potential investors. By the end of this paper, we intend to make important conclusion and recommendation as to the best investment option. 2.0 Types of investment products with advantages and disadvantages Globalisation, the new information technology, and deregulation of financial markets have eased not only the provision and search of finance but investment opportunities open to investors. Millions of shares are traded every day on the world's stock markets. (Penman, 2003). Investors who trade on these stocks are often forced to ask themselves whether they are buying or selling at the right price. (Penman, 2003). They often attempt to provide answers to these questions by turning to various media including internet chat rooms, printed press, "talking heads" on television and financial networks, who often voice opinions on what they feel the stock prices should be. (Penman, 2003). In addition, investors consult investment analysts who provide an almost endless stream of information and recommendations investment options opened to them to sort out. There are often claims that some shares are undervalued and vice versa. (Penman, 2003, Shapiro 2003, Ross et al. 1999). This information pertaining to the various investment options at times becomes confusing leaving the investor with no clear indication of what the

Cliffords Arguments Evidentialism Versus Will to Believe Essay

Cliffords Arguments Evidentialism Versus Will to Believe - Essay Example Clifford comes out with a model for intellectual honesty by following the arguments to their roots and refusing doubtful fictions. Clifford’s arguments are basically based on examples. In the first illustration, he involves a captain who believes the vessel is seaworthy. It is, however, a frequently repaired old ship. He represses his doubts, the ship had successfully embarked on voyages before and sets sail. The ship, carrying emigrants, sinks and all the people aboard drown. The shipowner is blameworthy but what if the ship had not gone down and the emigrants reached their destinations in safety? (Feldman, 24). Clifford holds the blame on the ship’s proprietor â€Å"because he had no right to believe on such evidence as was before him†. The belief concerning the ship’s seaworthiness is the shortcoming. It is by reason that he got his belief not by earning it honestly through a cautious investigation but by suppressing his doubts. Given that the voyage would have been a success, the shipowner is at fault because of the inadequacy of evidence laid out. According to Clifford, the crime is in ignorance and creation of the risk and not necessarily in the aftermath in the turn of events. In lawful execution, negligence accompanied but no harmful turn of events is punished in less stern terms in comparison to negligence that resulted in more harm. Clifford helps to explain that in the moral perspective, both are at the same level (James, 39). As illustrated in another case, it’s heard that some powerful individuals, for instance, professors of the University, are propagating dangerous doctrines through deceitful ways. An association for agitation purposed and the members made public accusations concerning these university professors.  Ã‚  

Modern Presidents and their Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Modern Presidents and their Policies - Essay Example As great a plan the New Deal seems to be, its' constitutionality was challenged in the Supreme Court. Initially, it was deemed unconstitutional. The role of the government is limited, to prevent it from becoming a totalitarian or dictatorship. Part of the limited powers includes that government's interference in businesses be as minimal as possible. However, the New Deal was a plan proposed in need to combat the Great Depression. It was when Roosevelt threatened to increase the number of Judges on the Supreme Court that the Supreme Court reversed its' decision and granted the New Deal constitutional. The New Deal had three components: direct relief, economic recovery, and financial reform (Keith, et al 289). The direct relief component was aimed toward the approximately one-third of the population that was hardest hit by the Great Depression. The economic recovery component was designed to restore and stabilize the economy overall. Lastly, the reform component was to bring about changes that would correct the instability of the market that was caused by the Depression. As part of the direct relief, many programs were created. ... Many of the major economists praised these work relief programs, calling them, "appropriate responses to the critical situation" (Keith, et al 658). The economic recovery can in part be seen in almost all aspects of the programs. The financial reform, however, was specific in programs such as the National Recovery Administration, the regulation of Wall Street, the Agricultural Adjustment Act farm programs, the insurance of bank deposits (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 1933) and the Wagner Act which encouraged labor unions (Keith, et al 658). Overall, the New Deal had successes and failures. For example, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation reestablished the American faith in banks. The CWA, Civil Works Administration, had about four million workers, which of course was a great success. Some of the programs were even designed for minorities, like the Indian Reorganization Act which proved to have a positive outcome for the Native Americans. One of the best programs was probably the one designed for decreasing unemployment, known as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) (Keith, et al 709). The WPA provided work for approximately eight million Americans. Their projects included mostly construction and repairing of schools, hospitals, and the like. Aside from achieving programs dedicated to economic reforms, the New Deal passed a law, Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that banned child labor and set a minimum wage (Keith, et al 708). The New Deal did indeed have a lot of successes. However, there were a few limited failures as well. For instance, the Social Security Act was established to provide pensions for workers in old age, benefits to victims of industrial accident, unemployment

Development of Japans Industrialisation

Development of Japans Industrialisation Why was Japan able to industrialize? Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. Japan is the second world’s strongest capitalism economy country. Japan’s research capacity, industrial base and manufacturing technology are among the highest in Asia. Japan’s economy is very well, citizens have a high quality of life, GDP per capita more than forty thousand U.S. dollars in the world. Japan is one of the richest countries in the world, the most economically developed and the highest standard of living. Japan’s economy is so well because of industrialized. There were three main factors that Japan industrialized, introduction foreign technology, stable import dependence and hard working cautious labors. These three main factors caused Japan’s economic prosperity and became the only Asian member of â€Å"Group of eight† (G8). The factor â€Å"introduction foreign technology† let Japanese technology more advanced than before. The factor â€Å"stable import dependence† let Japan had stable industrial raw materials to industrialize, and the factor â€Å"hard working cautious labors† was indispensable in Japan industry. Japan was able to industrialize because introduction foreign technology, stable import dependence, and hardworking cautious labors. Thesis Statement: Japan was able to industrialize because of the introduction of foreign technique, stable import dependence and hardworking cautious labors. The Tokugawa Shogunate, also known as the Tokugawa Bakufu and the Edo Bakufu, was a feudal Japanese military government which existed between 1600 and 1868. The heads of government were the shoguns, and each was a member of the Tokugawa clan. The Tokugawa Shogunate ruled from Edo Castle and the years of Shogunate became known as the Edo period. This time is also called the Tokugawa period. In 1868 the Tokugawa shogun, lost his power, than emperor Meiji started to control Japan. During 1868~1912, the important revolution in government system; traffic; education; new technology†¦Japan became a strong country. Japan had regained complete control of its foreign trade and legal system, by fighting and winning the wars. Japanese industry expanded, both in light export industries like textiles, which were necessary to pay for the raw materials needed from abroad, and also in heavy industries like steel and shipbuilding. Cities grew, as more Japanese moved from farming into jobs in factories and offices. In the countryside larger landlords came to own more and more land, and the number of poor tenants increased. Always dependent on foreign trade, Japan was hard hit by the world depression that began in 1929. The farmers who had grown the silk that was exported to the United States found no market for their product once the roaring twenties and the craze for silk stockings collapsed with the stock market crash. Japans dramatic economic growth slowed, and social problems increased, especially in the countryside. At the same time that the leaders of imperial Japan pursued modernization and economic growth, they continued to address the issue of Japans unequal status in the international order. In 1894, m ore than forty years after Commodore Perry pried Japan open to the outside world, Japan finally succeeded in revising the unequal treaties so that it regained its legal parity with the Western powers. In Sino-Japanese War(1894~1895), Japan defeated China in the war for Korea, Japan over the control of Korea and also gained Taiwan and Penghu island. In Russo-Japanese War, Japan went to war with Russia over Russian eastward encroachment in Asia, and in 1910, Japan expanded its empire, annexing Korea. Japan became a huge empire. From the proto-industrial base, Japans agricultural productivity was high enough to sustain substantial craft (proto-industrial) production in both rural and urban areas of the country prior to industrialization. When the United States forcibly opened Japan in the 1850s, Japans prospects seemed dim indeed. However, Tokugawa achievements: urbanization, road networks, rice cultivation. Tokugawa Japan (1600~1868) the development of proto-industrial (craft) production by merchant houses in the major cities like Osaka and Edo (now called Tokyo) and its diffusion to rural areas after 1700, and the promotion of education and population control among both the military elite (the samurai) and the well-to-do peasantry in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Tokugawa political economy: daimyo and shogun preventing daimyo from cementing alliances with other countries .The samurai military were forced to abandon rice farming and reside in the castle town. As a result irrigation ditches were extended throughout the valleys, and riverbanks were shored up with stone embankments, facilitating transport and preventing flooding. Quick emulated western organizational forms and western techniques in energy production, like coal and the other fossil fuels to generate steam power. During 1887 to1938 infrastructure and manufacturing expand. In 1852, Shimazu Nariakira, built Japan’s first industrial complex. On the basis of the Japanese sprit of craftsmanship for iron and pottery which had attained pre-eminence in the pre-industrial. Strongly motivated by considerations of national security, heavy industry emerged successfully and competitively, Japanese simply borrowed the best of Western technology and moulded it to fit the needs. Iron and steel production, shipbuilding and armaments, fuelled by abundant Kyushu coal created a new foundation for Asia’s first industrial revolution. Technology was transferred from Satsuma to northern Japan, Kamaishi, to make the first large-scale iron furnace. In the Meiji period, Japan’s history of trial and error iron-making bore fruit and contributed to the birth of the first large scale furnace, in Kitakyushu, in 1901. The first modern coal mine in Japan was on Takashima Island. Iwasaki completed to develop it as Japan’s first modern coal mine. Peopleâ€⠄¢s efforts, dreams, ingenuity, and sweat in a drive to build a nation strong enough to survive under any circumstances. These industrial heritage sites are of the highest cultural significance. The first modern coal mine in Japan was on Takashima Island. Iwasaki completed to develop it as Japan’s first modern coal mine. People’s efforts, dreams, ingenuity, and sweat in a drive to build a nation strong enough to survive under any circumstances. These industrial heritage sites are of the highest cultural significance. 1853, when the United States sent Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan with a letter to the emperor, and orders to obtain a treaty. The first involved the lucrative China trade. The second was the need for a refueling station for the coal-powered, Japan happened to have plenty of coal. It appeared as if Japan might be headed for the same fate as China, to eventually lose central control to competing spheres of foreign influence. The Tokugawa clan was now blamed for the shame which the unequal treaties had inflicted upon Japan, in the end, the Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown. At the same time a new emperor ascended the throne. From 1867 to 1912, remains unparalleled in history. 1876, the old class system of Japan was abandoned. With astounding speed, universities were founded, telegraph and railroad lines cross-crossed the country and a national postal system set up. The shipping and textile industries took off. How was such progress at such a rate possible? They borrowed the best of the West and molded it to fit Japans needs. A simple baseball story illustrates how enthusiastically and effectively the Japanese borrowed and adapted from other countries during the Meiji Era. 1871, Iwakura Tomomi, they spent several months each in the United States, England and Europe, and studied everything they encountered from banking systems to zoos. Some students stayed behind in different countries with host families for years of foreign education before returning home. The new innovations seemed, they also came at a price. Harsh working conditions and exploitation of workers, this threatened traditional culture. We would do better to treat China and Korea in the same way as the Western nations. In this idea lay the roots of Japanese imperialism. The First World War was -in excellent chance for manufacturers. Japan foreign trade increased four-fold during the war. At the same time, a larger market opened up for the underdeveloped countries of the Pacific area. In Japan, price rose hit all consumers .There were serious social strains and unrest, culminating in the rice riots of 1918. In short, the war benefited Japan both directly and indirectly and when it was over she was apparently poised to make further gains. Tokyo earthquake of 1923, consolidating the position of the zaibatsu. Rapidly growing cotton textile and light manufacturing industries. After 1931, the war-related industries, which used advanced technology, began to grow rapidly. Conditions of labors: A system of seniority which virtually guaranteed lifelong employment to the loyal male worker. Economic crisis: From 1937, industrial effort was concentrated on iron and steel, aircraft, tanks and automatic weapons. Once the conflict had been begun by the attack Pearl Harbor in December 1941, aggravated the hardships of the civilian population. The armed forces were abolished. Recovery: In 1946, a major land reform was initiated aimed at abolishing the allegedly militaristic landlord class by transferring land ownership to the peasants. Reform thus tended to have a two-fold action. It expanded the home market for industrial goods of the kind consumed by rural households, and it released labors for employment in the cities. Meanwhile, the whole capitalist world, from the early 1950s, entered into an unprecedented long-term phase of expansion and prosperity. By the early 1960s, Japans rapid resurgence had begun to attract the attention of outside observers who saw it as one of the most astonishing success stories of all time. â€Å"TheMeiji Restoration and Modernization.†Asia For Educators1994.Web.18.Oct.2013 â€Å"Japan’s Modern History : An Outline of the Period ~~Imperial Japan: Industrialization and Expression 1890~1930.†Asia For Educators.1994.Web.20.Oct.2013 Mosk Carl. â€Å"Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth†. EH.net Encyclopedia.2010.Web.20.Oct.2013 â€Å"Story of Japanese modern industry†. World Heritage promotion office.2012.Web.16.Oct.2013 Richard H.Minear. â€Å"The Meiji Era and the Modernization of Japan†. The Samurai Archives Japanese History Page. 1994.Web.17.Oct.2013. â€Å"Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan†. U.S. Navy museum website.2012.Web.17.Oct.2013. Sarah Lyons Watts. â€Å"Japan: â€Å"A meteoric rise .†. Wake Forest University. N.D.Web.19.Oct.2013.

Mens Control in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice Essay

Men's Control in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the scene opens to reveal a society controlled by men. Men, who live in the foreground of Venetian society, wield their power in business, government, and family life. In the background, women conduct their lives quietly. They are subservient to their husbands and fathers and are regarded as helpless and in need of male guidance in areas of decision making. Though in Shakespeare’s time such a societal structure was largely acceptable, the modern reader views the subjugation of women with aversion, and the ways in which Shakespeare presents the female characters in this play perhaps show that he too was not entirely comfortable with the unbalanced scale of power between men and women. Portia, Nerissa, and Jessica, the three female characters in The Merchant of Venice, are bound by the strictures which society has imposed upon them. All three, however, seeking to gain the freedom to act as they please, disguise themselves as men. Once they are seen as men, the women are able to escape the societal constraints which previously limited their actions. The fact that they must disguise themselves as men in order to achieve empowerment and freedom of action encourages the reader to question the justice of the social hierarchy. Because the setting in The Merchant of Venice is characterized by a hierarchy of gender roles in which males hold authority over females, a character like Portia’s father, one who reigns in authority over his daughter, is made possible. Additionally, the presiding social structure allows for his action of subjecting Portia to the mechanism which will determine her husband. Fortunately for Porti... ...e disguised as men are completely incongruous with the societal structure which dominates their world. It seems no coincidence that Shakespeare had all three female characters in the play disguise themselves as men. Nor does it seem a coincidence that while disguised, each woman rebels against the social structure which prohibits her to do certain things and make certain decisions simply because she is a woman. Under male disguises, the women are able to act with the same freedoms men possess. Thus, it is plausible to suppose that Shakespeare meant to make a statement about the social hierarchy prevalent in the world in which he lived, encouraging a reevaluation of its fairness. Whatever Shakespeare meant to say about the issue, for today’s audiences, The Merchant of Venice certainly encourages questioning the justice of its male-dominated social hierarchy.

Book Card: the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

The story of Huckleberry Finn was placed in the 1830’s and was wrapped around the thought of slavery and Freedom. Mark Twain began writing the story of Huckleberry Finn in the year 1880 but as times got harder in the battle of slavery in the south, Twain stopped working on his story for another 2 years. After finishing two other works of literature, Mark Twain once again picked up the story of Huck Finn to complete their adventure. Character List: Huckleberry Finn – The main character of this story, Huck Finn goes on adventure with his friend Jim and Tom Sawyer. Along the way he is put up against obstacles that, for the most part, make him consider the foundation of the logic that society has. Huck Finn’s Father – Huck’s Father is a constant drunk. He is abusive and seeks to control Huck’s fortune. Tom Sawyer – Tom Sawyer is the same age as Huck Finn and his best friend. He is a natural born conman who is able to persuade almost anyone to do anything that he wants to. Jim – An African American who starts out as the slave of Miss Watson and later becomes Huck’s travelling companion down the river. Jim at first glance does not seem like the smartest character in the story but while on the island Jim shows a hidden â€Å"intellectual† side with the natural world around him. Widow Douglas – Widow Douglas is the guardian of Huck Finn in the beginning of the story. She attempts to â€Å"civilize† Huck but he finds the rules too binding for his lifestyle. So as a result he fakes his death and travels upstream to avoid both Widow Douglas and his father. Judge Thatcher – The Judge who issued both Huck and Tom their share of the money and tries to protect Huck from his Father. In the end she is replaced by another judge who ends up allowing custody of Huck and his money to his father. Themes and Motifs: The theme of this story is based on the fact that racism was still an issue in the United States, even after the Emancipation proclamation. With the story of Huckleberry Finn set a few years before Mark Twain’s Time and portraying the facts of his time, Twain was able to produce a story that showed how blacks were still being downed upon in the Southern States. Another theme of this story is that of the hypocrisy of the United States earlier society in a way that defies logic and reasoning. An example of this is evident in the beginning of the story when the judge gives Huck’s father the right of custody to his son, Huck, as well as his fortune in money. This resembles that of the slave days where huck –portrayed as a black slave in this example- is still under the mercy of his father –portrayed as the white man in society- Literary Elements: One of the major literary elements in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would be the conflict of the individual (Huck Finn) versus society. Huck Finn is in a constant battle with the people around him when they try to civilize him. Also, the story is told in a more humorous tone which is another literary element that is observable in this novel. Quotes: â€Å"What’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same? † (Pg.  91) â€Å" The pitifulest thing out is a mob; that’s what an army is–a mob; they don’t fight with courage that’s born in them, but with courage that’s borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. But a mob without any man at the head of it is beneath pitifulness. † (Pg. 146) â€Å"But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before. † (pg. 293) Bibliography: Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Classic Reissue. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003.

Gender Stereotypes Essay

What are gender stereotypes? They are â€Å"simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others. When people automatically apply gender assumptions to others regardless of evidence to the contrary, they are perpetuating gender stereotyping. Many people recognize the dangers of gender stereotyping, yet continue to make these types of generalizations. † You probably hear a gender stereotype on a daily basis but probably don’t realize it because it’s so common and casual now for people to just through everyone into a category and just assume they all are the same. Which is quite sad to me. You shouldn’t be judged and characterized based on your gender. Just because one female or male does something everyone in their gender should be assumed does it to? NO. Some examples of gender stereotypes are â€Å"cooking and cleaning are a women’s job† â€Å"woman can’t drive or park for anything† â€Å"all men are pigs†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ you get the point it’s a group of people (usually either women or men) that are grouped into a title that’s so bias! Ugh I get so mad even talking about it I hate stereotypes! THE IGNORANCE†¦ I’m going to be watching ‘The suite life of Zack and Cody’ on Disney Channel to get a good grasp of how often gender stereotyping is incorporated into our everyday television shows but goes unnoticed. I watch this show often, but never with the intention of it being stereotypical in any way. So today as I think about it if the characters were stereotyped, they would all be bias to one another’s gender. Girls would be the breadwinner’s, caregivers, nurturers, smarter, stay at home mothers. Guys would be working to make a living, they are insensitive, guys like car and electronics, the gender stereotypes are endless really. They can be basically anything and everything depending on how they are perceived and by WHO they are perceived. Sometimes they depend on what someone has gone through in life and based off that they gender stereotype. As I watch I notice that the mother of Phineas and Ferb is a stay at home mother, she does everything there is needed to be done at home. Takes care of the kids and their problems, grocery shops, cleans, cooks, etc. The father is the breadwinner and is the only one who is bringing in the income to support the family. It’s almost a typical old school American family. They have 3 children, 2 boys, 1 girl. Obviously Phineas and Ferb are the two young boys and Candice is their older sister. The whole show is about their sister always trying to get them (Phineas and Ferb) in trouble with their parents. I guess that’s the typical stereotypical sibling relationship always fighting for attention over the parents and to make one bad over the other and make one another more favorable than the other. I didn’t really realize it at first but then when I thought about my own relationship with my siblings it was quite comparable we always try and nag on each other and get one another in trouble. Phineas and Ferb are always coming up with new inventions, playing with electronics computers and inventing unique things. Just doing things most boys do in the stereotypical way. While, their sister Candice is always going to the mall, hanging out gossiping with her girlfriends, always on the phone, constantly nagging on them, obsessed with boys. The show is very stereotypical now that I think about it. It’s the classical guy/girl gender stereotypes. Candice is the girly girl who likes to gossip and shop and get her brothers in trouble while Phineas and Ferb are busy playing with gadgets of all sorts, not ever worried about Candice or what she’s doing, really involved with electronics and coming up with new inventions and having fun in their own little gadget-world you could say. A lot of commercials that come on and play in the mornings when all the kids programs are on are SUPER stereotypical. For girls they advertise Barbie dolls of all sorts, toys for girls such as cool, unique hair designing tools, kitchen accessories that include fake ovens and what not to play in. Which is stereotypical cause they say mothers should cook and clean and then here they are starting kids off at a young age throwing them under such a stereotype. They have commercials advertising water guns, monster trucks, building tools and what not for the boys. After watching this show that I always watch but with the objective of stereotyping as I watched in my head I noticed so much more than I ever did. It’s really sad that so many shows have gender stereotyping in them that goes unnoticed. It really actually (and excuse my language) pisses me off. That people interpret these things in television shows, their guiding the younger generation already in the wrong direction making them think that girls â€Å"do this† and guys â€Å"do this† and having them think basically in a box. I noticed that the show has the very typical stereotypes. Like I mentioned above. I can honestly say my thoughts have changed about this show and are different from what I thought before I had this objective in mind.

Geography A2 Exam Question Essay Example

Geography A2 Exam Question Essay Example Geography A2 Exam Question Essay Geography A2 Exam Question Essay Discuss the impacts of storm events in the British Isles and evaluate the responses to them (40 marks) - - - The British Isles has a cool temperate western maritime climate including four seasons and various weather conditions. Storms come and go some so weak they are unnoticed and some bring in heavy winds and torrential rain and thunder. Depressions are areas of low atmospheric pressure which produce cloudy, rainy and windy weather.These low-pressure systems often begin in the Atlantic, moving eastwards towards the UK. They are responsible for the UKs changeable weather. A storm event we will look at in the British Isles happened in 1987. The storm struck the South West amp; South East of England which devastated buildings and left 12 people dead. This global location is prone to depressions. The storm was initially directed towards northern France and Europe but veered up to the U. K. The sea water from the surrounding ocean flooded people’s homes causing people to flee their homes and evacuate.This cost England thousands of pounds including insurance claims. The surrounding tide from the sea was said to have raised by around 2 to 3 meters. : Approximately 40 mm of rain and hail fell in the course of a few hours. The main cause of deaths was mainly from flooding and high wind speeds – up to 108mph. Anything loose was flying around including roof tiles and debris. - - The main primary impacts were homes damaged by strong winds and flooding of properties.The National Grid sustained heavy damage during the event, as crashing cables began to short circuit and overheat the main system. Many windows of houses were also broken. Slates from roofs of buildings came crashing down which resulted in everyone trapped indoors. Another primary impact was the damage and uprooting of thousands of trees, An estimated 15 million trees were lost. The sewers and sewage systems were flooded, creating dark colored flood waters. This also lead to water contamination and diseases being spread more easily. - We can see how great the impact of the 1987 storm was by comparing it to Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23rd, 2005 and crossed southern Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, causing some deaths and flooding there before strengthening rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane over the warm Gulf water, but weakened before making its second landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph on the morning of Monday, August 29th in Louisiana.The hurricane covered over 500km area and went approximately 160 miles inland. As a result of hurricane Katrina, damage to the U. S was approximately $80 billion nearly triple the damage brought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. However, in New Orleans 2,000 people died as opposed to 12 in Britain. The structure of the buildings in the area was good with well built concrete housing, this resulted in fewer deaths. The number of deaths could have been far higher as the depression was not as strong as the USA hurricane. The impacts in the USA was far greater than that of the UK.At least 1,800 people died in the hurricane with consequential floods. The hurricane had an 8. 5m high storm surge which resulted in large amounts of widespread flooding across hundreds of miles. This caused surface waves to be amplified and increased the height further. Almost every death was a result from the flooding with a few from collapsed buildings. - - Looking at the responses to the storms of the British Isles, we can see that no evacuation took place.This may be because Britain was not expecting a huge storm such as this. The British Isles did not have a hurricane warning system which on the other hand New Orleans did have such a system in place. The 1987 storm in the U. K was a very rare event and no one was prepared for it. A storm of this strength and power only comes every 200 years. The British Isles had a very poor response with little emergency services and help. Britain is used to constant cyclonic weather for the majority of the time and do not expect extreme weather conditions such as that of the hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico.New Orleans had sufficient measures in place such as emergency shelters and services. - - How good the response is can be linked to how severe the impacts of the storm were. In the Great Storm of 1987 the response was very fast. The emergency services cleared the area as fast as they could clearing roads and highways. Many people volunteered themselves to clean up rubbish and objects off streets. High community spirit meant that the streets and litter was back to normal in no time.The response was fairly good by the British Isles but if it actually was a hurricane then the UK would have been more severely damaged. The response by the USA was planned evacuating the area before hand as they could see it coming, preparing food and medical supplies. However, it is the response after the hurricane that was extremely impressive. FEMA spent lots of money on rebuilding areas and providing tents, shelter, food amp; medicine to the homeless, preventing diseases. - - - - - - - - These responses greatly outweigh the British capability of responses, but although the British response to storms may not be as high severe as responses such as America, British storms are not as bad one like Hurricane Katrina. - In conclusion British responses are good enough for the size of storms the British Isles receives. The storm gave a valuable picture of what could possibly happen in the future. However, they do not indicate the likelihood of such future events. In order to fully assess the windstorm risk in the U. K, it is necessary to look not just at the footprints and associated losses of historical events, but als o at the losses generated by an exhaustive set of events that assign probabilities of occurrence to different windstorm depressions.

Billabong International Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Billabong International - Case Study Example The past few years have seen an increase in the E retailing business. With E Bay and Amazon recording remarkable success, this decades business portals like Ali Baba and EC21 of Korea or 163.com of China have come up from different regions of the world. The trend of this era is to have e-commerce enabled business for success. Due to this any businesses have started including their own business portals ad web pages on their website include e commerce pages to capitalize on the traffic visiting their website. Considering the marketing strategies of billabong International, I would suggest that there is only one customer requirement that has been overlooked and that is the e availability. Billabong international has a web presence but I would suggest that it requires exclusive web pages that showcase their product lines along with prices and discount schemes if any. Such a web portal would not only serve the needs of the Australian and New Zealand based web surfers surfing online for surf boards and other sports products but would also serve the purpose of drawing attention from other parts of the world like developing countries with high growth rates including Pakistan and India, two up coming markets where our competitors Nike and Adidas are very strong in the apparel sector. Presence in the surf board sector is limited and surf boards are available only at limited outlets. This is mainly due to the fact that surfing is not a very popular sport in these two countries. However, these are untapped markets where by promoting this sport, Billabong will be expanding its geographical markets as well. Considering the above, we propose that Billabong International should launch: 1. Their E Business Portal, a website or WebPages on its existing websites that are geared towards generating internet sales i.e. E Retailing. 2. Our second proposition is that Billabong should launch an International Exhibition, in Australia, to display its surfing and other products and invite industry professionals and the consumers purchasing its products from data collected from outlets. These are likely to purchase goods from the exhibition. Purpose: The objective of this research is to determine how successful an E Portal would be and what value would it add to Billabong International. What factors may lead to website failure What impacts might that have on the brand name How and what information needs to be collected to ensure that the E Commerce enabled website would be successful. This report seeks to answer all of these questions through primary and secondary research. SECONDARY RESEARCH Secondary research was carried out to find out the size of the market, the target market requirements and the change in shopping trends over a period of years. a.Size of the Market Forrester research states that the amount of ecommerce activities worldwide reached US $ 6.8 trillion in the year 2004 as compared to just US $ 43 Billion in 1998.New Zealand and Australia are part of this same cycle. According to a report by META Group , New Zealand is one of the top ten countries where E-commerce can be developed. According to International Data Corporation " IT solutions in New Zealand will account for 29.6% of the total spending in the IT market

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

European Union Law - Essay Example This leads to the lack of definite distinctions between rules as per their respective categories that vary in terms of tests, which the court normally utilizes to come up with concrete final verdict regarding any case set before it. In most cases, this difficultness or inappropriateness in making exact distinctions by those arbitrating cases while in their line of duties descends from varying member states’ laws. Hence, turn out to be extremely complex despite sometimes aligning with the EU’s general statutes that dictate their member states should not go against certain rules (Chalmers, Davies & Monti, 2010). For instance, this is evident in the case of Leclerc-Siplec. TFI Publicite together with M6 Publicite declined relaying the company’s information to the audience about petrol citing Article 8 No. 92/280 that was constituted in March 1992 (Leclerc-Siplec v TF1 Publicità © and M6 Publicità ©, 1994). This article barred any distribution sector in France from attempting to relay information about its products using specifically television. This is contrary to the laws that advocate liberty in expressing oneself whereby it may disadvantage. This is especially if it is a regional firm whe reby in the same state it may end up loosing to its competitors who have dominated the market. Hence, complicating what the entire EU statutes cite about enhancing trade among its members states without them interfering with any trader based on any segregation (Chalmers, Davies & Monti, 2010). Despite in case Leclerc-Siplec v TF1 Publicità © and M6 Publicità © (1994) stating barring of certain company’s products applies to all players in the same line of operation, it is a disadvantage especially to the new entrants to compete with already established corporations. This is contrary to EU’s statute that guarantees free movement of merchandise, persons and enhancing of health competition, which Keck together with