ERITREAN REFUGEES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ERITREAN REFUGEES - Essay Example The vested interest of the world powers were in supporting the actions of Ethiopia therefore the voice of Eritrea received no attention. The war of liberation against Ethiopia started which lasted for 30 years. Former USSR also involved in the war when Ethiopian regime was changed in 1974. The situation further deteriorated in 1984 due to famine. In 1991 Eritrean People's Liberation Front defeated Ethiopian army and formed government. During war of liberation the first wave of refugees fled to Sudan in 1950’s when USA assisted Ethiopia. The second wave again fled to Sudan in 1974 when former USSR started its assistance to the changed regime in Ethiopia. The last major movement was in 1984 when famine forced Eritrean population to leave their homeland. The flow of refugee is still on due to the oppressive policies of current Eritrean government. The majority of such refugees take shelter in neighboring Ethiopia. Eritrean refugees have taken shelter in different countries. Major ity of them are in Sudan but they are also taking shelter in Libya, Egypt and Ethiopia. Along with them there are IDPs also within border of Eritrea. The condition of all these refugees and IDPs is a big challenge for humanity.

Employment and Staff Essay Example for Free

Employment and Staff Essay Motivating staff is essential to a business, because if the staff are motivated that means they’re happy, and are happy to do the job and are more likely to do a better job than someone who’s unmotivated and unhappy. To motivate staff, business can use one of the motivational theories, researched by theorists such as Taylor, McGregor, McClelland, Vroom, Herzberg, Maslow and Mayo. Mayo’s research found that after a number of experiments testing incentive schemes, rest period, hours of work, and changes in lighting and heating whatever changes were made, output continued to rise. This motivated the staff, and Tesco uses this theory to motivate their staff. All of their staff gets breaks, so when they are tired of the job, they can go to a canteen to get some food, or just sit down and rest. Also nowadays a lot of people smoke, and if a person has been smoking for a while, they tend to get stressed easily, and they need a cigarette to calm themselves down, so Tesco lets people to have cigarette breaks when people get stressed out. Also the conditions of work will help to motivate the staff, for example in summer when it’s really hot all of their stores have air conditioning, so all the staff and their customers are cool, because people tend to work better and are happier when they are cool. Tesco also uses Maslow’s theory, which suggests that the staff needs to be ranked into hierarchy, so for example the bottom of the hierarchy will have basic needs, when the top of the hierarchy will have greater needs. So someone who works in a store stocking shelves, their needs will be to have a break when they’re working, to get a new uniform etc. Where the area manager for example will have greater needs, for example because they have to travel a lot from store to store they will want to get a car for them to be able to travel, also the petrol to be paid for. Also because their role involves a lot of responsibility they will expect to get paid more for doing the job than someone who works in a store and their only responsibility is to make sure that all of the shelves are stocked up. If all of their staff needs are unsatisfied, then it means the staff will be unhappy and unmotivated which will reflect in their performance. Tesco also uses McGregor’s theory, which suggests that all employs should be punished if they did a bad job and rewarded if they did a good job. For example if an employee does a bad job they will be threatened and get a disciplinary, which means if they do it again they might lose their job. If a person does a good job, they will be recognised, and their manager might have a chat with them to reflect on their performance and make sure that they are aware that they did a good job and the person is in a higher position, such as a manager, they will get a bonus.  M3) Performance indicators Business have many ways of measuring their staff performance, for example they can use time periods for measuring, for example ASDA might measure their employees performance by how many customers they’ve served in one hour. This method does not work for all businesses, for example clothes manufacturer might not use this method because they need quality not quantity, and if they push t heir staff to make shirts faster they might make them poor quality or they might not fit. This helps develop their staff because they set themselves a target and this motivates people because people like challenges, and they are clear on what they need to do for the day. Also by achieving their target they might get a reward for it so it motivates them. Goal theory Another method of measuring performance is setting their employees goals. The best goals are when the employee and the employer both agree on what’s important and working together to achieve that goal. Clear and challenging goals can motivate their staff. For example ASDA might use this method on people who are stocking up the store. For example the manager might say that today they need to move couple shelves somewhere else and stock them up and they have 2 hours to do it. This help the staff to develop, because they know what’s their performance, and what they can do to improve it next time. SMART Targets SMART is a technique used to work out how useful a set of objectives are. All the targets needs to be specific, they should have a focus and not be vague. They need to be measurable, so they should include something that can be measured. They also need to be achievable, so if staff do not think they can achieve their targets they will be demotivated. Also it needs to be realistic in relation to both the resources and skills available, and the overall goals of the organisation and it needs to have a time-bound, so it must have an end so that success can be measured. This helps to develop staff because using SMART technique the staff are clear about the objective and they are sure that it is achievable, because if staff thinks that it is unachievable they get demotivated. Benchmarking Benchmarking can be used to measure organisations performance by comparing themselves to other organisations and matching or exceeding their performance. For example ASDA will compare itself to all big supermarkets in UK such as Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, and Tesco etc. This help to develop staff because they compare themselves to their competitors and it is very clear on how they are doing, and this helps to improve the business, because if other business is doing better then they need to figure out what they are doing wrong and how to change it. Probation Pretty much all businesses will have a probation period for new employees. This means that they will be closely monitored for a certain period of time and their performance will be measured so the business is certain that this person is capable of doing the job and is a right candidate. Business such as Tesco will have a short probation period because the job doesn’t require a high skill and it doesn’t take long to find out if the person is right for the job, but jobs like teachers or doctors will have longer probation periods, because it takes some time to find out if the candidate is capable of doing a job, and their probation period will be around 9 months but can be longer. Also when people are on probation period this gives the right to the employer to fire them for no reason. Probation period helps to develop staff because if they are on a probation period, they are under more pressure and makes them more focussed about understanding the business and doing their job at their best ability. Appraisal Appraisal is another method of measuring performance in a business. This means that at the end of the year the employee and employer will sit down and review the year, the employee will say what he thinks he’s done very well, and the employer will say what they think they’ve done well and what  they need to work on. This is helps to develop staff because the employer tells the staff on how they are performing and what they have been doing very well and what they have been doing not so well, and gives them advice on how to improve or change it. Supporting employees There’s couple ways of how you can support employees. One of them is me ntoring, this means that someone in the workplace will help them that is just above their positions and has been in their position previously, so they can pass on some of their knowledge and explain the job. There’s two types of mentoring; formal and informal. Formal mentoring means that the mentor will have paper work with them and will monitor them and will write everything down. Informal mentoring means that the mentor will only have a chat with them or help them but wouldn’t write anything down. Also another way to support the employees is buddying up. For example in ASDA a new employer will be partnered up with someone that is on the same level as them but has been working for a long period of time and knows their job very well, so the new employer can work with them for couple of days to get to know the job and the other person can help them if they get confused or stuck. This helps to develop staff because people get demotivated and getting support from other staff or the manager helps to improve their performance, because some people get stuck and are not sure how to do a job they’ve been given, and some help from the manager can sort that out, also just having a chat with them might also help because some people just need to know that someone cares about them and how they’re getting on. Occupational Health People are human beings and can get stressed when they are pushed to work hard, so the employers need to think about how to release that stress. For example they could put some plants in the office, because plants produce oxygen which helps people to relax. Also if the office is very warm think about putting an air con to cool it down, because when people are hot they tend to get very stressed out. For example all Tesco stores have air con, so all of their employees are cool and don’t get stressed out as much. This helps to develop staff because for example, if the working conditions in Tesco are very hot the employees might not work very well, and they will get very stressed, but if they install air conditioning and make the store cool, the staff will work a lot better and will be a lot happier, because they are not hot and they’re comfortable. Managing workloads People get very stressed out when they are under pressure and have a lot of things to do, so it is very important for a business to balance it out, and spread workload equally, for example Tesco will divide people into section and give the same amount of shelves to stock up, so it’s fair on everyone. This helps to develop staff because giving them a lot of workload will demotivated them and sometimes even push them into leaving the job because they are stressed and lose motivation, so by reducing workload and sharing the workload equally, this will release the stress and staff will have more motivation. Delegating authority and responsibility By giving more authority and responsibility can motivate employees but it is very important to monitor how it is working, in order to avoid errors and costly mistakes, which can affect employer in terms of money and reputation, also it might lead to dismissing the employee. For example Tesco manager will be responsible for hiring new people and they might hire someone that is not capable of doing the job which might cost Tesco money. This will help to develop staff because they will feel like they are trusted, so they will be more focussed and will try to prove to their employer that they are capable of doing the job. Capacity Capacity relates to the amount of work or products that can be produced or is being produced. Using as much capacity as possible should lead to lower costs for the business, so employers need to ensure that employees are performing well without putting them under so much pressure that they suffer with stress and then become ill. Linking rewards to performance Giving rewards to people for doing a good job or achieving or exceeding a target motivates people to work harder. For example Tesco manager will get a bonus for achieving or exceeding the stores targets. He then might share it with the team, to keep them motivated. This helps to develop the staff, because everyone loves getting a reward if they do a good job, because it shows that their employer cares about them and also gives them a sense of achievement, and makes themselves feel good, because they did a good job.

Explore The Meanings Of The I Am Sayings Religion Essay

Explore The Meanings Of The I Am Sayings Religion Essay Introduction For the children of Israel the term I am was very significant, for it was with this name that God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush encounter when He had commanded him to deliver the people of Israel, (Exodus 3:6,14 ). In this case God would be seen as a mighty deliverer or the one who brought salvation to His people from their bondage. In Johannine context, whether it is in the predicate or absolute form the I am sayings essentially were written to reveal God through Christ so that Israel and by extension the world could receive salvation. The purpose of this discourse is to explore the meanings of the I am sayings and their implication for salvation. To accomplish this, the work of various authors along with relevant scriptural passages will be examined and a balanced conclusion will be reached. To accomplish the above objective the writer will explore the two forms of the I am sayings, i.e. the predictive and absolute forms and explain their significance to salvation. The Significance of the I am Sayings The I am sayings are associated with the Greek word, egoeimi, which means, it is I, and this suggest that it is a way of identifying oneself.  [1]  The I am saying are two fold in nature, one is with the pronoun ego used for emphasis. This is essentially the I am sayings with predicates or those followed by a noun. Bauckham cited in Longenecker, argued the predicates were used by John to describe Jesus as the one through which people could receive salvation. The other set of I am sayings were characterized as the absolute which the author stated were used by John to reveal Jesus divinity or deity.  [2]   The predicated I am sayings include examples such as: I am the Bread of Life, I am the Light of the World, etc. These sayings represent descriptions of Jesus as the source of the eternal and the unity of the Godhead, for example, as in John 6:33.  [3]  Bauckham cited in Longenecker also pointed that the seven predicated I am sayings, were significant in Jewish culture. He concluded that seven represented completeness in Jewish culture, thus the seven I am sayings above represented completeness in Christ.  [4]  This point of view although debateable, speaks to the inadequacy of Judaism. Kysar examined the sayings from a cultural-historical context and argued that the, I am sayings was an essential part of Hellenistic religious thought, thus John may have intentionally written them in that way as a method of affirming Jesus identity in contrast to the claims of Hellenistic gods.  [5]  This probably means that John got the attention of the Hellenist because he wrote about something that they were familiar with but from a different perspective, which was to introduce Christ. The author concedes to this view when he argued that the I am sayings introduced Jesus as the divine revelation of God, for example, the use of predicates like the Good Shepherd, promoted Jesus in both the Hellenist and Jewish traditions. For followers of the Jewish tradition it meant that just as Yahweh is one True God, so is Jesus the one True Revealer, none other is comparable.  [6]  Mc Grath showed correlations of Johns I am sayings in Old Testament traditions. For example, he claims th at they allude to fundamental themes in the Old Testament, and apply them to Jesus. Thus when God revealed Himself as I am to Moses and Jesus uses the term, I am He is implying that He is God or He was declaring His divinity.  [7]   It would seem that there was a correlation between the I am sayings and some of Jesus miracles. The resurrection of Lazarus is an example, perhaps this miracle was used to allow the audience to see that He is truly Lord. This may be seen in the number of days for which Lazarus was had been dead. A similar view is proposed by Kaysar who conceded that the I am sayings were concurrent with the signs or miracles performed by Jesus for example, the feeding of the five thousand and Lazarus resurrection were both used to declare different aspects of the person of Christ.  [8]   From the above it is seen that the I am sayings, were essential in revealing Jesus in a descriptive way so that the audience could connect to His divinity. The degree to which this aim was achieved is sometimes questionable because a large section of the Jews appeared oblivious to Jesus declaration which culminated in hostility and eventually His crucifixion. At this juncture the predicted I am sayings will be discussed. The predicated I am Sayings 1) I am the Bread of Life- John 6:35 This saying refers to Jesus as the source of eternal life. It also implies that the human race is in a perpetual state of hunger, searching for food to satisfy the soul, this hunger refers to the emptiness that a person feels without Jesus in their lives. The above view is supported by Quast, who suggested that Jesus used this saying to make a comparison between Himself and Moses in terms of the temporal nature of the Manna which Moses offered. According to him Moses manner was used to satisfy the physical hunger, whilst Jesus as the Bread of Life satisfies spiritual hunger. Additionally Quast noted that Jesus used this saying to prove that He transcended Moses, perhaps hinting to His deity. The author also makes reference to other Old Testament links to this sayings, by proposing that it is related to the Wisdom tradition of Solomon, as seen in (Proverbs 9:5) and Isaiah, (Isaiah 55:1) where God is described as Bread.  [9]  This wisdom then can be seen as a way of giving life because much prominence is given to it in the Proverbs, for example, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 2:12 and many more. Quast added a different perspective to this view when he concluded that this is more evidence of Jesus deity which shows that He pre-dated the prop hets of old.  [10]  Perhaps this is indication that Jesus was ready to usher a new paradigm which the Jews were not ready for, which is, belief in Him would result in their salvation and satisfaction so that there would be no need to keep looking for salvation in the works of the Law. Some authors have theorized that Jesus used this saying to invite the Jews into an intimate relationship with Him. This is seen when He challenges them to eat the Bread of Life and drink His blood, (John 6:53).  [11]  This intimacy would result when the Jews came into a relationship with Jesus, but they clearly missed the point as in indicated in the negative reaction of some of the Jews, (John 6:66). This confirms that they had an ulterior motive for following Jesus who was seeking to address their error in thinking. This also shows that there was a lack of sync between Jesus proclamations and the understanding of what He meant, clearly, He was having a difficult time reaching them. This passage has been reinterpreted as communion for the Christian; however, this view has come under attack from Casey who contended that it was meant to focus on Christ and belief in Him.  [12]  Caseys criticism is weak because in communion the focus is on Christ, (1 Corinthians: 11). The main message of this saying is that anyone, who receives Jesus, will have eternal life. Thus there will be no need to search for alternative means of satisfying this spiritual hunger. 2) I am the Light of the World John 8:12 This saying suggests that Jesus is the only true Light, as indicated by use of the. The use of the word a light would have conveyed, something different, meaning one of many lights with no special significance. Thus it is this one True Light who is able to give salvation, the rest of the explanations below provides support for this viewpoint. When Jesus refers to Himself at the Light, He is indicating that He is the source who can bring illumination in the lives of people. This illumination means that He can bring profound spiritual understanding in the lives of men and women which can lead to salivation.  [13]  This is seen in the healing of the blind man in whom both physical healing and spiritual insight about Jesus deity was received. Furthermore it underscores that Jesus is seeking to cure the inner blindness of man which can lead to eternal death. Winstanley confirms this view by concluding that, Jesus is able to give deliverance from inner blindness, darkness and ignorance to the insight and vision of faith.  [14]  The idea of Jesus giving spiritual insight is testament of His deity. Ridderbos took a more critical view of this saying by signifying that it shows a contrast between day and night. Day in this context means opportunities for Jesus to work; presumably to bring the Jews toward Him as the Light, where as darkness refers to the limitations of time which constrained how much could be achieved.  [15]  This view is confirmed in John 12:35. Clarke also presented a pessimistic view by suggesting that Jesus intentions were to use His authority to bring condemnation and to expose all their iniquities and sins.  [16]  Clarkes idea shows a clear deficiency in understanding of Jesus motive. Jesus boldly stated that He does not pass judgment in John 8:15. Some of the Jews rejected Jesus attempt to bring illumination into their lives. Winstanley contended that despite the Light of the Gospel presented to people they may still fail to learn and understand.  [17]  This is probably because people may prefer to remain in bondage than to receive deliverance. 3) I am the Gate for the Sheep John 10:7 I am the gate for the sheep; this phrase parallels the mass exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus12:13). This deliverance was accompanied by the sprinkling of the blood of a spotless lamb on the door post of every Israelite (Exodus12:13). Keller postulated that everyone who went through this sprinkled door was guaranteed protection from Gods judgement. He further claims that a person went out through that door to liberty, freedom and a new dimension of life under Gods direction.  [18]  Kellers claim is synonymous with Jesus salvation, for example, the door way in Israels case is similar to Jesus as the way or gate to salvation. Similarly, the blood on the doorpost parallels the blood of Jesus which was shed. Consequently, when an individual comes through Jesus salvation is received, (John 10:19). Weaver conceded with the above analysis by stating that this saying implies that Jesus is the only way to salvation, He is the gateway to the Father.  [19]  This is probably because many others proclaimed another way, they are referred to as thieves, strangers because they cannot give salvation. Jesus thus had the task of correcting the falsehood associated with Jewish religious tradition but they fail to perceive His intentions. Weaver suggested that Jesus explanation may have been ambiguous because of the use of Greek terminology, paroimia which means proverb. He claims that this may have been deliberate on Jesus part because this saying was intended for His disciples.  [20]   4) I am the Good Shepherd John 10:11 Here Jesus is seen as the ultimate guide to the Father, the extraordinary love for the sheep or humanity led Him to become a lamb so that this guidance to the Father may be possible. Harris confirms the above by suggesting that for a literal shepherd with a literal flock, the shepherds death would have spelled disaster for the sheep; in this instance it spells life for them.  [21]  Tiat argued from a similar persuasion by noting that Jesus became a lamb to save the sheep.  [22]   OGrady proposed that Johns use of the word shepherd was to convey the reciprocal relationship between Jesus and the individual sheep. According to him this signifies intimacy in the Christian Jesus context and in the unity which is characteristic of the relationship between Jesus and the Father. This union is what leads to eternal life.  [23]  A similar idea is proposed by Brown who suggested that this intimacy qualifies the shepherd to perform duties on behalf of the sheep.  [24]  MacLaren added that these duties included; guidance, guardianship, companionship, sustenanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. He continued by stating that in response to these duties the sheep simply obeys and trusts the shepherd.  [25]  This idea suggests that Jesus is able to meet all the needs of the person who will trust in Him, Tait stated that this is because the Shepherd has intimate knowledge of the sheep,  [26]  this intimate knowledge is only possible with someone who is Omniscient, thus proving t hat divinity of Christ, as seen in the many instances where He was able to perceive what people thought, Luke 11:17. Jesus identified Himself as a true shepherd which denotes exclusivity, i.e. He is the only shepherd who can give eternal life, and all the others are false. Sanders cited in Barrett supported the above by noting that the Sheep referred to Israel who was bombarded with many false messiahs.  [27]  Thus it is seen that Jesus used this saying to set Him apart from the false messiahs so that Israel may believe on Him. This salvation is not only exclusive to Israel but is extended to the entire world. This is seen in John 10:16, the idea conveyed by use of the term, other sheep, is that salvation is extended to the Gentile world.  [28]   5) I am the Resurrection and the Life John 11:25 This saying was in conjunction with Lazarus resurrection. This showed that Jesus has authority over death and able to give life beyond the natural, which is basically eternal life. Guardinis work confirms the above when he stated that, mortality has no foothold on Jesus.  [29]  He extended his view by proposing that the person who is in Christ has a life which will transcend death. The authors view clearly confirms that the eternal life and resurrection of the Christian is only possible in Jesus. Clarke developed this argument by examining the concept of life, which he contended is the life of the soul which surpasses the thought of death and only attained in Jesus.  [30]  In response to this claim Micklem concluded that our redemption is completed beyond the grave, but it must begin in our hearts now.  [31]  Micklems view suggests that external life and the resurrection on the last day is only possible when a person has received Christ in this lifetime. This resurrection also infers the glorified body that the Christian will have when resurrected. Martini supports the above by noting that Christians will one day possess the physical and spiritual embodiment of a resurrected life just like Christ.  [32]  This is the culmination of eternal life for the Christian, escape from eternal damnation which is described in Matthew 25. 6) I am the Way the Truth and the Life John 14:6 In this saying Jesus points to Himself as the only path to salvation. Martini suggested that term I implies exclusiveness, meaning that Jesus is the only means to salvation, the only truth and the only life.  [33]  He went on to describe Way as the direction and process of salvation which involves acknowledgment of the Way and then repentance. Micklem agreed, by hinting to Jesus mediatory capacity in which He leads those who receive Him to the Father.  [34]   In addition Martini concluded that Jesus illustrated truth by making predictions which came to pass in other words, He substantiated everything He said about Himself.  [35]  Micklem added the saying means deliverance from falsehood, error, judgement and blindness from the truth. He continued by stating that Jesus exposes the truth of the soul in relation to the Truth of God.  [36]  This implies that He exposes the hopelessness of the soul without Him and His ability to give eternal life. This exposure of the Truth of soul sometimes produces hostility as in the case of the Pharisees, thus there must be a corresponding acceptance of Truth for salvation to occur. 7) I am the True Vine John 15:1 This imagery shows that Jesus as the Vine gives life to the branches, thus the Christian can only be sustained in Him.  [37]  Meyer makes a similar observation by noting that the use of the word True is used to make a distinction between the eternal and the temporal.  [38]  This is perhaps to contrast the temporal nature of Judaism or religion with the enduring nature of Jesus salvation. The branches or the Christians are also sustained by producing fruit. Talbert speculated that this refers to evangelism and manifesting all the fruits of the Christian life.  [39]  OGrady and Hylen reached a similar conclusion by noting that fruits refer to love which is a sign of Christianity. This love is able to sustain the Christian. He also noted that the Christian is able to bear fruit only if they remain faithful to Gods word.  [40]  This suggests that the bearing of Fruit has eternal implication which is if a Christian does not live a holy life the result is eternal damnation. The Christian is pruned to promote fruitfulness.  [41]  This pruning is necessary for salvation, John 15:2, 5-6. Thus, the only guarantee of salvation is to remain in Christ daily, not merely receiving Him and living carelessly. This is perhaps because God expects the Christian to make disciples as is commissioned in Matthew 28:19-20. 1) The Absolute Sayings The absolute sayings essentially relate to Jesus divinity. However some have ordinary meanings, for example, John 6:20, I am should be understood as Jesus identifying Himself to the disciples to calm their fears. This is in contrast to the reactions of the soldiers at Gethsemane who fell to the ground when Jesus used the term. I am.  [42]  The reaction of the soldiers clearly proves the deity of Jesus. The I am sayings in the absolute sense prove the deity of Christ as is seen in John 8:39, where Jesus established that He predate Abraham,  [43]  a statement which prompted the Jews to accuse Him of blasphemy. This reaction probably shows that they were clearly not prepared for the change which Jesus was ushering. Some authors have attacked the validity of the I am sayings by hinting to its absence in the other synoptic Gospels.  [44]  Casey noted that in some instances Jesus appeared to be ambiguous which probably led to a misinterpretation on the part of the Jews. From this view this misinterpretation informed their unbelief. Barrett also noted that some of the sayings lack clarification such as I am the Good Shepherd, which is difficult to understand. According to him this is because John combines several themes which do not express a clear thought.  [45]   Brown criticized this view by stating that the I am Sayings, are full of truth and of grace too. They are transparently clear and unfathomably deep.  [46]  Browns view holds relevance because the criticisms above do not apply to all the sayings which in many cases correlated with miracles to inspire the Jews to believe, so that if the sayings were ambiguous then the miracles would provide clarity; thus, it is the Jew who chose to disbelieve. Conclusion The main theme of the I am sayings is salvation through Christ. These sayings promote various aspects of Jesus character and deity and simultaneously show how people could resist the gospel because of religious traditions or ideology. In order words the pride produced by self righteousness can be a major hindrance to a persons salvation. This is because in such instances the individual defines themselves righteous; consequently, the gospel may be seen as an offense to them. Thus the method used to present the Gospel should be one where Christ is the central message and not an attack on religious ideology.

Software Piracy Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Software Piracy Nowadays, software became part of our everyday life, running everything in the digital world from our PCs to the internet. It is definitely the most valuable technology of the Information age. Software is also the victim of a big problem that exists in homes, schools, businesses and government: Piracy. Copyright laws protect the intellectual property software developers, but unfortunately, not only did new technologies enhanced ways to access and distribute copyrighted work legally but also illegally. Software piracy is an illegal and unethical behavior that should be understood by everyone. It is important for us to understand what software piracy is in its variety, then realize its importance in the US and the world, and examining its causes and consequences and finally identify ways of dealing with it. Software Piracy is the unauthorized copying of software. Buying software applications differs from everything else you buy: the software does not belong to you; you become a licensed user, â€Å"you purchase the right to use the software on a single computer† (â€Å"What is Software Piracy?†). It is vital to understand that you cannot copy the software to other machines or lend the software to friends, colleagues or family. The unauthorized copying of software is illegal, it does not matter whether you call it â€Å"borrowing, copying, sharing or fair use† (â€Å"Software Piracy: What You Should Know.†). You are only allowed to make copies of software for back up purposes. Most licenses only allow the program to be run by one user on only one machine (â€Å"Software Piracy.†). There are several kinds of software piracy: End User Piracy, Client-Server Overuse, Internet Piracy, Hard-Disk Loading, and Software Counterfeiting. End... ...ss Technology Network. March 20th, 2004 http://www.techweb.com/tech/opinion_mad/20021220_mad â€Å"Software piracy takes toll on global scale.† USA today website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/2001-08-01-software-piracy.htm â€Å"Focus on Software Piracy Problem.† Wired website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/linux/0,1411,58306,00.html â€Å"Legal Land Mines† By: Melymuka, Kathleen. Computerworld, 9/22/2003, Vol. 37 Issue 38, p37, 2p, 1c â€Å"Many Students Use Software Without Paying For It† By: Carlson, Scott. Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/3/2003, Vol. 50 Issue 6, pA30, 1/4p â€Å"Pay Now, or Pay Big Later† By: Kruger, Robert M. Design News, 12/1/2003, Vol. 58 Issue 18, p20, 2/3p â€Å"Pirate This Page† By: Erickson, Jonathan. Dr. Dobb's Journal: Software Tools for the Professional Programmer, Sep2003, Vol. 28 Issue 9, p8, 1p Software Piracy Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays Software Piracy Nowadays, software became part of our everyday life, running everything in the digital world from our PCs to the internet. It is definitely the most valuable technology of the Information age. Software is also the victim of a big problem that exists in homes, schools, businesses and government: Piracy. Copyright laws protect the intellectual property software developers, but unfortunately, not only did new technologies enhanced ways to access and distribute copyrighted work legally but also illegally. Software piracy is an illegal and unethical behavior that should be understood by everyone. It is important for us to understand what software piracy is in its variety, then realize its importance in the US and the world, and examining its causes and consequences and finally identify ways of dealing with it. Software Piracy is the unauthorized copying of software. Buying software applications differs from everything else you buy: the software does not belong to you; you become a licensed user, â€Å"you purchase the right to use the software on a single computer† (â€Å"What is Software Piracy?†). It is vital to understand that you cannot copy the software to other machines or lend the software to friends, colleagues or family. The unauthorized copying of software is illegal, it does not matter whether you call it â€Å"borrowing, copying, sharing or fair use† (â€Å"Software Piracy: What You Should Know.†). You are only allowed to make copies of software for back up purposes. Most licenses only allow the program to be run by one user on only one machine (â€Å"Software Piracy.†). There are several kinds of software piracy: End User Piracy, Client-Server Overuse, Internet Piracy, Hard-Disk Loading, and Software Counterfeiting. End... ...ss Technology Network. March 20th, 2004 http://www.techweb.com/tech/opinion_mad/20021220_mad â€Å"Software piracy takes toll on global scale.† USA today website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/2001-08-01-software-piracy.htm â€Å"Focus on Software Piracy Problem.† Wired website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/linux/0,1411,58306,00.html â€Å"Legal Land Mines† By: Melymuka, Kathleen. Computerworld, 9/22/2003, Vol. 37 Issue 38, p37, 2p, 1c â€Å"Many Students Use Software Without Paying For It† By: Carlson, Scott. Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/3/2003, Vol. 50 Issue 6, pA30, 1/4p â€Å"Pay Now, or Pay Big Later† By: Kruger, Robert M. Design News, 12/1/2003, Vol. 58 Issue 18, p20, 2/3p â€Å"Pirate This Page† By: Erickson, Jonathan. Dr. Dobb's Journal: Software Tools for the Professional Programmer, Sep2003, Vol. 28 Issue 9, p8, 1p

The Fashion Indistries Affect on Body Image

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and felt disappointed? Or thought to yourself, â€Å"l wish I looked like them? † We may sometimes have an idea in our mind of what we think we should look like, compared to how we actually look. This is called body image dissatisfaction, otherwise known as a negative view upon ourselves. Body image issues are relevant all around the world. They impact both men and women of varied ages. These negative thoughts about ourselves can be influenced by many things, including the fashion industry. But how does fashion media impact our body image issues?Celebrities in the media can impact us negatively, but they don't always have to be negative influences, they can be positive too, as well as different types of media may alter the opinions we have on ourselves. The image that individuals have of their body is largely determined by social influences. From an early age we are exposed to images and messages that reinforce the idea that to be happy and successful, we must be thin. Seeing celebrities that we admire ND aspire to look like can often make us feel dissatisfied with our physical appearance.Celebrities who are super skinny and always dressed nicely make us think twice about the way we look and might contribute to an eating disorder or low self-esteem. 97% of women admit to having at least one â€Å"l hate my body' moment each day (Media Influence, 2012). There are always stories of celebrities losing weight to fulfill what the media wants them to look like, because if they are not â€Å"perfect†, the criticism can be very harsh. They will go to the gym, diet, possibly even starve themselves to make these changes.Since we look up to these people, we think we need to do the same. We believe that we must also be slim, small-framed, and have wide hips but a tiny waist to be beautiful, which is unrealistic and very sad. â€Å"The fashion industry simply loves a skinny young girl. And for the average woman, fashion media continues to deliver a brutal, frustrating fantasy' (Giving, R. , 2012). But, fashion and media don't always have a negative impact, they can most definitely eve a positive one too. To some, certain celebrities may be an inspiration or a role model when it comes to body image issues.If you idealize a celebrity who doesn't give in to such pressures when dealing with weight, it has potential help you feel better about yourself knowing that they believe that we should all feel beautiful and comfortable in our own skin. It can also lead us to want to follow in their footsteps, which involves being true to you. Jennifer Lawrence says she refuses to ‘be hungry to aka other people happy' when discussing her weight (Watkins, J. , 2013). It's celebrities like her that send a positive message to the general public about body image and being confident.Stars like Kelly Clarion, Jessica Alba, and Mary Kate Olsen have all battled with eating disorders. They admit that the pre ssure to be skinny in the Hollywood world of fame led them to binge, purge and restrict themselves to a certain amount of calories. Although it is very unfortunate that people in our society feel they need to do these things, them coming out about with heir stories and seeking help to be healthy again can allow anyone in the general public to feel that they too should get help and become healthy, which demonstrates learning to be confident in who you are.Positive and negative impacts can also come from different types of media that are open to and shared with the public. Television advertisements, billboards, magazines, and interviews are all examples of ways we can see what is going on in the world of fashion and fame that can either leave us dissatisfied with ourselves, or feeling empowered. The positive side to these are that we are able to connect with celebrities on a personal level if they have experienced body image issues, but fashion's impact on us is seen to be far more ne gative. 0% of commercials aimed at women mention physical attractiveness, a People magazine survey showed that 80% of female respondents felt that women in movies and television programs made them feel insecure about their bodies (Media Influence, 2012) , and the more that teens think about the images they see in magazines and compare themselves radically to them, the more likely they are to have problems with body image and each disorders (Curious, 2011).A study showed that â€Å"sixty-nine percent of the girls reported that magazine pictures influence their idea of the perfect body shape, and 47 percent reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures† (Field, 2000). Many people would call the negative impact media has on us, â€Å"fashion's full figured failure† simply because we have failed to see that we do not need to look like the skinniest actress and we do not need to be a size O to be beautiful.Celebrities have a strong negative influence on us, b ut they also have a very comforting positive impact. The images and messages we see through different forms of media have the opportunity to corrupt our minds, or build us up to be confident individuals. You have to define your own type of beauty and ensure that you feel good about yourself, which is hard to do when you're in a world full of comparison. The struggle of body image issues is very important and is something to be discussed amongst everyone.

Weekâ€2 Quiz Essay Example

Week–2 Quiz Essay Example Week–2 Quiz Essay Week–2 Quiz Essay Cardiovascular System: Peripheral Circulation and Regulation Systemic blood vessels transport blood From the left ventricle through the body to the left atrium. From the left ventricle through the body to the right atrium. From the right ventricle through the body to the left atrium. From the right ventricle through the body to the right atrium. From the left ventricle to the lungs. Which of the following functions is associated with vessels that carry blood directly from arterioles to veins without passing through capillaries? thermoregulation nutrient supply to tissues removal of metabolic waste products from tissues oxygen supply to tissues pH regulation In the pulmonary circulation, the _____ carry blood to the lungs. carotid sinuses pulmonary arteries coronary arteries superior vena cava and inferior vena cava aorta The abdominal aorta divides at L5 to form the two Inferior mesenteric arteries. Common iliac arteries. Superior mesenteric arteries. Femoral arteries. Renal arteries. Blood from the posterior abdominal wall drains into the Hepatic portal vein. Inferior vena cava. Ascending lumbar vein. Mesenteric vein. Hepatic vein. A blood pressure reading of 120/80 would Indicate a diastolic pressure of 120 mm Hg. Have Korotkoff sounds at pressures above 120 mm Hg. Be considered normal for a young adult male. Indicate a systolic pressure of 80 mm Hg. Would be considered hypertensive. In the aorta, The blood pressure and blood velocity are both high. The velocity of blood flow is high, but blood pressure is low. The resistance to blood flow is high, but velocity of blood flow is low. The resistance to blood flow and the blood pressure are both low. Velocity is diminished because the total cross-sectional area is small. In capillary exchange, which of the following statements is true? Most fluid that leaves the arterial end of a capillary reenters the venous end of a capillary. Interstitial fluid normally has a higher osmotic pressure than plasma. Constriction of the precapillary sphincter will increase blood pressure in the capillary. Interstitial protein concentration is normally higher than plasma protein concentration. Most fluid that leaves the arterial end of a capillary enters the lymphatic system. Baron von Quacko, famous tag-team wrestler, has a famous sleeper hold that he uses on his opponents. Using only a single digit on each hand, he presses on his opponents neck until his opponent passes out. What are the structures on which he is pressing and what is the effect? subclavian arteries; blood flow to brain is stopped carotid chemoreceptors; blood pressure increases baroreceptors in carotid sinus; peripheral vasodilation and decreased heart rate vertebral arteries; blood flow to brain is increased jugular vein; blood flow back to heart is decreased Atrial natriuretic factor Is released in response to elevated atrial pressure. Stimulates the release of ADH. Decreases urine production. Stimulates release of aldosterone. Increases blood volume.

How Students Can Leverage Part-Time and Volunteer Work - Guest Post by Gary Ryan

How Students Can Leverage Part-Time and Volunteer Work - Guest Post by Gary Ryan The following is a guest post by Gary Ryan, founder of Organisations That Matter. Edited by Brenda Bernstein, The Essay Expert. Summer vacations (or â€Å"holiday seasons† as they say Down Under), are terrific for many reasons. They present an opportunity to catch up with friends and family as well as to relax. For many students, summer means a chance to earn money and/or volunteer (especially if you aren’t taking extra classes). Unfortunately, many students don’t take full advantage of their holiday work. Too often I hear things like, â€Å"I’m just a check-out operator,† or â€Å"I just work at a cafà ©,† or â€Å"I just provide meals to homeless people.† There is no such thing as â€Å"just† a part time job- not if you are prepared to consider the employability skills that you are developing while doing your work! Below is a short list of ten employability skills that part time / volunteer work develops: 1. Communication skills 2. Problem solving skills 3. Initiative 4. Teamwork 5. Technology skills 6. Planning and organizing skills 7. Service excellence skills 8. Leadership skills 9. Learning skills 10. Self-management skills Let’s look at some examples of how you might develop these skills: 1. Communication If you communicate with your boss, other team members and/or the general public, then you have the opportunity to develop communication skills. Here’s a tip: Good communicators are good listeners †¦ which also means that you are good at asking questions. So, develop your questioning skills and your communication skills will skyrocket! 2. Problem solving Problems occur all the time. In every job. A computer won’t work. Another staff member didn’t turn up for their shift. The delivery hasn’t arrived and customers are waiting for their orders. The list goes on. Each of these examples is a wonderful opportunity for you to consciously practice your problem solving skills. Not only that, but you can create a bank of stories about how you solve problems. Can you imagine any of your future employers not wanting a problem solver? Neither can I! 3. Initiative Showing initiative is doing something helpful without having been asked. Every time you see that something could go wrong (like someone slipping on a banana peel) and you take action to stop that from happening (like picking up the banana peel) you are showing initiative. Opportunities to demonstrate initiative are everywhere. Keep your eye out for them and grasp them with both hands when they pop up. They also create great stories that can be used in interviews. 4. Teamwork There is hardly a job that exists that does not involve teamwork. Even if you work alone, you are probably still part of a team. Imagine an interview when you are asked about your experience of working in teams. If you’ve covered a shift for a teammate, taught someone something, or helped out in some other way, you will have a great answer to this question! 5. Technology Technology skills don’t just include using electronic devices such as computers and scanners. Using technology can mean writing on whiteboards, driving forklifts (providing you have a license) and whatever else you have to use to do your job. If you volunteer planting trees, the shovels, picks and other tools that you use are all forms of technology. By having a range of stories about your technological capacity, you can demonstrate your adaptability and ability to learn quickly. Most students don’t even think about these things as being relevant to their future. But, they are! 6. Planning and organizing In whatever work you are doing, show up on time and meet your deadlines. Employers expect it. Practice it and practice it now. 7. Leadership For those of you who have responsibility for a team or other staff, how do you treat the people you lead? What are your mental models about leadership? How are your personal values reflected in how you lead? Conscious thought about these questions can create wonderful leadership experiences for you as well as the opportunity to make relatively â€Å"safe† mistakes. Think about your personal theory about formal leadership. Try it out. See if it works. Learn how to lead by doing it when the opportunity arises. 8. Learning Part time and volunteer work always involves learning one or more of the following: technical skills policies and procedures cash management processes customer service procedures people’s names how to work in a team how to communicate the company mission / vision This list could go on. The point is, notice what you have to learn to do your job. You’ll have a mountain of examples to share in an interview! 9. Service excellence No job is worth its salt if you aren’t able to practice developing your service excellence skills. Quite simply, service excellence is like oxygen. In any job, we can’t live without it. The simplest and best practice to adopt is, â€Å"Everyone is my customer: my boss, my colleagues and my customers.† If you wouldn’t choose to be a customer of yourself, then you need to improve your skills in this area or you will likely â€Å"suffocate† your career. 10. Self-management In order to consciously practice the above skills you have to practice self-management. You will have all had a challenging on-the-job experience. How did you handle it? How did you overcome any negative experiences? Challenges at work require a significant amount of positive self-talk, time management, problem solving and communication skills. Develop them now! Part-time and volunteer work are goldmines as far as developing your employability skills. Take full advantage of your opportunities. The gold in this sense will come in the future when you get the job that you really want. So, enjoy your time off this â€Å"holiday season†- and make it an even more valuable summer by developing yourself in the workplace! Gary Ryan is the Founder of Organisations That Matter, author of What Really Matters For Young Professionals! and creator of the Yes For Success online platform for creating and executing a life of balance and personal success!

Perspectives Of Homelessness And The Policy Responses Social Work Essay Essays

Perspectives Of Homelessness And The Policy Responses Social Work Essay Essays Perspectives Of Homelessness And The Policy Responses Social Work Essay Essay Perspectives Of Homelessness And The Policy Responses Social Work Essay Essay Essay Topic: Claim of Policy In this essay, the societal jobs I have chosen to compose approximately is Homelessness. I will besides be researching different position of Homelessness and the policy responses and the impact it have on the society. The groups I will concentrate my treatment on are immature people and unsmooth slumberers as the grounds indicates that immature stateless people experience unsmooth sleeping before procuring impermanent adjustment. There are broad scopes of definition Homelessness and it varies from state to state or among different establishments in the same state. Harmonizing to |Liddiard, M ( 2001:119 ) the immediate sense of the term as regularly employed by the mass media and politicians, simplistically equates homelessness with rooflessness or literally kiping rough on the street. This is can be a straightforward and easy to understand definition but this does non reflect the true range of the job so a broader definition of homeless peoples include those deficient lasting abode and life in a scope of unsatisfactory lodging conditions. They can include those populating in impermanent inns, bed and breakfast, dark shelters and homesteaders. However, the legal definition of person homeless is if they do non hold a legal right to busy adjustment or if their adjustment is unsuitable to populate in. They besides include households and peoples who do non kip rough and some are accommodated by friends and househo ld on impermanent footing. So from the above definition the societal building of homelessness are non the little sums of single that sleep on the street, looking dirty and odors of intoxicant and drugs but comprises of all person who do non hold a lasting nice topographic point of adjustment or without a regular home and are on a waiting list or takes lodging benefit and in impermanent adjustments. ( Giddens 2007 ) The cause of homelessness varies as many are of the position that homelessness is a consequence of personal weaknesss and see if the economic system is traveling on good, there is no alibi to be stateless. Shelter ( 2007 ) is of the position that homelessness is cause by a complex interplay between a individual A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s single fortunes and inauspicious structural factors outside their direct control. Among the single factors include societal exclusion, therefore when a individual deficiency of making because they did non hold entree to good instruction and nice occupation. Ones abuse of drugs and intoxicant which consequence in deficiency of personal control, deficiency of societal support and debts particularly mortgage or rent arrears. Having mental wellness jobs and acquiring involved in offense at an early age besides contribute to homelessness. Family dislocation and unsolved differences are a major factor of homelessness as a consequence of divorce and separat ion and a greater figure of work forces and adult females are affected. Peoples from institutional background like holding been in attention, the armed forces are likely to be affected. Ex-offenders who come out of prison and lose their friend and households can go stateless and the bulk from cultural minority or ex-asylum searchers who have the right to remain but have no adjustment. Structural causes of homelessness are largely societal and economical in nature frequently outside the control of single or household concerned. These may include poorness, deficiency of low-cost lodging, unemployment and the construction and disposal of lodging benefit. Harmonizing to the shelter ( 2007 ) the figure of families found to be homeless by local governments increased 31percent between 1997/98 and 2003/2004. Historically, homelessness had low promotion until the 1966 when the BBC screened Ken Loach A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s movie about homelessness Cathy Come Home. This was watch by 12million people and the movie alerted the populace, the media and the authorities to the graduated table of the lodging crises and so Shelter was formed. Another policy response was the 1977 Housing ( Homeless Persons ) Acts was the first step to topographic point duties on local governments to rehouse stateless households and persons for good. ( Liddiard, M.2001 ) The 1977 statute law had Priority Need which included adult females with kids or pregnant, vulnerable due to age, mental unwellness, disablement, and loss of place by natural catastrophes. This did non provide for everyone who was homeless and the standards by which local governments accepted pers on as homeless was complex and restricted. Hence the 1996 subdivision 177 amended to include domestic force as a precedence demand but rigorous eligibility remains ( Hill, M: 2000 ) . Young people were non covered under the bing statute law and the figure of immature homeless increased. Existing informations on young person homelessness has important restriction ; in peculiar it is merely possible to number immature people who are in contact with services. Harmonizing to ONS ( 2007 ) it can be estimated that at least 75,000 immature people experienced homelessness in the UK in 2006-07. This included 43,075 aged 16-24 of which 8,337 were 16 -17 twelvemonth old who were accepted as statutorily homeless in the UK and at least 31,000 non-statutorily homeless immature people utilizing back uping people services during 2006-2007. The Homelessness Act ( 2002 ) changes significantly the manner in which homeless in England and Wales is tackled. The precedence demand classs was extended to includes 16/17 old ages instead those who societal services are responsible for suiting, care- departers under the age of 21 who were looked after by societal services when they were 16/1 7 and ex- captives, former soldiers and immature people go forthing attention. This act besides introduces greater flexibleness with respects to societal lodging allotment giving more people the right to be considered for a council or lodging place. The local governments had a statutory responsibility to care for all the stateless people but no excess resources were added. This had a great impact on the figure of stateless people who were able to relocate for good at a given clip and particularly those under precedence demand. Young people sing break or injury during childhood who may be from socio-economic background are at increased hazard of homelessness. The chief trigger for young person homelessness is relationship breakdown normally parents or step-parent. Among the impact of homeless on immature people is hapless wellness as they can non take attention of their wellness being. They lack basic nutrient and shelter to assist them turn to go healthy grownups and they may endure from depression. Homelessness can take to increased degrees of non- engagement in formal instruction, preparation or employment. At times go forthing school early without a making and a nice occupation may take some immature people into the abuse of drugs and some have mental wellness jobs. Another homeless group of concern is the unsmooth slumberers who were in impermanent adjustment but some choose to roll the streets, kiping unsmooth free from the restraints of belongings and ownerships. But a big bulk has no such want at all but they have been pushed over the border into homelessness by factors beyond their control. Once they find themselves without a lasting home, their lives sometimes deteriorate into a spiral of adversity and want. ( Giddens 2009:503 ) The Homelessness Act 2002 extended the definition of the precedence need to include new groups of vulnerable people, and demand that all stateless people receive advice and aid. In add-on, Local Authorities are requires to sporadically develop homeless schemes, including an appraisal of degrees of homelessness and behavior an audit of those kiping unsmooth. In 1998 there were about 1,850 people kiping rough on the street of England on any one dark. This follows on from the authorities thrust to cut down rough sleeping by two-thirds in 2002. The Rough Sleeper Unit was set up in April 1999 to take the lead on presenting this disputing new mark and assist 1000s of people to get away fro good from the humiliation and wretchedness of life under a cover in a store room access. One of the cardinal principal of the scheme was to understand the cause of unsmooth sleeping, why people end up on the street and what could be done to halt this from happing in the hereafter. The scheme besides plac e the accent on promoting unsmooth slumberers to go active members of the community, to construct self esteem and convey on endowment every bit good as assisting the person to go prepared for the life off from the street. Positive consequence shortly follows as decreases in unsmooth sleeping were achieves around the state in December 2001 the mark set by the authorities was met in front of clip. The mark was met amid the contention about how unsmooth slumberers were counted and concern about the accent on street homelessness, which candidates claimed was merely tip of the homelessness iceberg. Harmonizing to BBC New Magazine, lodging curate Grant Shapps believes that the authorities figures on the count of unsmooth slumberer is low and the system of numeration is flawed. He argues that, under old authorities A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢s system, councils with fewer than 10 unsmooth slumberers were non obliged to number them, and that drifters sitting up in kiping bags were non counted as homeless. After Mr. Shapps insisted that councils provide estimations, the England broad figure rose to 1,247, this comprised 440 from 70 governments that count and 807 from 256 governments that provided estimations. Despite authorities investing in inns to suit unsmooth slumberers many are on waiting list as resources and funding is limited. Overcrowding, deficiency of bed infinite and sharing suites or limited installations with others are besides identified as a job particularly if you have a spouse or a Canis familiaris, your picks narrow well. Although the quality of inns has improved well, inns are frequently considered insecure. Over 57 per centum of those who stayed in inns mentioned jobs with other occupants, including drug and intoxicant usage, force, larceny, bulling, noise and statements. And some are of the position that it is non a topographic point to travel if you want to remain clean of drugs. Peoples are under the same statute law and the local governments are unable to for good house all in precedence demand. In add-on to the above, there are certain groups who are excluded from inns, such as people from the EU and refuge searchers from non-EU states who are stateless and destitute in the street of the UK. Their entitlement to benefits is restricted until they have lived and worked and paid into the UK system through national Insurance and revenue enhancement for one twelvemonth continuously. Such Torahs bring about societal exclusion as street homeless people have reduced entree to wellness attention and dental services. They face favoritism and general rejection from other people and may hold increased hazard to enduring from force and maltreatment. The impact of unsmooth sleeping is limited entree to instruction, non being seen as suited for employment and loss of usual relationship with the mainstream. Most of all, populating on the streets is unsafe as unsmooth slumberers die immature with the mean life anticipation at 42. Inequalities among the population still remain one factor of homelessness. Denationalization and residualisation of the council lodging meant that fewer houses are available for council renter. This imposes greater long term hazards on the former council renters while besides bring forthing considerable costs for the taxpayer. The procedure besides excludes the many renters who either reject transportation or are non given the pick and hence exacerbates inequalities. There are 1.4 million unfit place in England as the bulk of householders are in the private sector. The addition of lodging association rents and additions in house monetary values means most people can non afford a nice adjustment. Low income households are the most affected as 4 million people having lodging benefit. ( Quilgars D. et al 2008 ) In decision, the job of homelessness has been tackled by the authoritiess over the old ages through policies and statute law. However, the job require long term policy solutions such as alterations in the benefit system, the edifice of more low-cost places and guaranting that a wider cross- subdivision of society benefits from the fruits of economic growing. For many people, there is no individual event that consequences in sudden homelessness ; alternatively homelessness is due to a figure of unsolved jobs outlined above edifice up over clip. The accomplishment of one authorities policy on unsmooth slumberers indicates much could be done to cut down the impact of homelessness as the figure still rises. Curates are now concentrating on the bar of unsmooth slumberer and young person homelessness through a new authorities homelessness scheme.

Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide Lab Report

Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide - Lab Report Example Gravimetric analysis the use of mass measurement to determine the amount of the analyte.   Magnesium is a highly reactive metal, which is why it should be solid (Erdey, et al., 2013). It is paramount to limit the amount of oxygen to reduce the rate of reaction (Zumdahl & DeCoste, 2013). The use of magnesium strips ensures the whole surface of the metal is exposed to oxygen. A gravimetric analysis demands a step by step of measurement of mass before and after the reaction. The magnesium is weighed before the reaction and the final product after the reaction is also weighed. The weighing helps in determining the exact mass of oxygen that combines with Magnesium in the reaction.   Since both Magnesium (Mg2+) and Oxygen (O2-) have a valency of 2 the reaction will go as follows.Magnesium will react with Oxygen in 1:1 ratio. The resulting product should be white (Zumdahl & DeCoste, 2013).   Also, Magnesium will react with Nitrogen to produce a black substance. It is because Magnesium is a highly reactive metal. Health and Safety Tips:†¢Ã‚  Magnesium is highly flammable, which means it can easily burst into flames. Therefore, it is imperative to keep one’s eye very far from the crucible during the experiment.   In addition, Magnesium has a blinding glare when it burns, which is very harmful to the eyes. The ignition of the Magnesium can be prevented by closing the lid. †¢Ã‚  The Bunsen burner will produce so much heat during the experiment. One should keep a considerably safe distance from the Bunsen burner.

DNA Functions and Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

DNA Functions and Structure - Essay Example These are known as the nuclear DNA and the mitochondrial DNA, respectively. A very significant trait of the DNA is that it can very efficiently and easily â€Å"replicate, or make copies of itself. Each strand of DNA in the double helix can serve as a pattern for duplicating the sequence of bases. This is critical when cells divide because each new cell needs to have an exact copy of the DNA present in the old cell† (Genetics Home Reference, 2012). The DNA, regardless of its overly microscopic size, has many functions under its assigned responsibilities. The DNA normally exists in the form of either prokaryotes or eukaryotes, existing in a different chromosomal stage in either of the states. Under the biological functions that the DNA performs, there exists the storage of hereditary and genetic information by the genes which determine the traits and features of the future generations. Secondly, the DNA is responsible for the transcription and translation of the genetic codes t hat are matched with its matching RNA, in further course. Lastly, the DNA carries out the replication of cell, which means that the cells divide amongst themselves and create copies of their own selves, in order to grow, in number and size. This is considered to be the bases for the notion of biological inheritance. These functions of the DNA are carried out simultaneously. The efficiency of this is ensured by the structure of the DNA which is double helix in nature. Details of these functions will discussed in greater detail, in the following. A polymer is a composition and a collection of numerous monomers called mononucleotide units. The structure of this nucleotide unit is as simple as the concept of this unit itself. These nucleotide units are formed by bonds of phosphates, sugars and a heterocyclic base. The chemical reaction is sped up and catalyzed by specialist enzymes. As a result of the components of this structure of this type of nucleotide units, after intermolecular de hydration, they form phosphate ester bonds. In a situation where nitrogenous bases on the DNAs complementing each other are called as base pairs. There has been extensive research and there have been many conclusions to the question of the combinations of the base pairs that are formed. The conclusions, with respect to the researches have varied with time and so have the combinations that are formed, according to each research. â€Å"DNA replication  is a biological process that occurs in all  living organisms  and copies their  DNA; it is the basis for  biological inheritance. The process starts when one double-stranded DNA molecule produces two identical copies of the molecule. The cell cycle (mitosis) also pertains to the DNA replication/reproduction process. The cell cycle includes, interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Each strand of the original double-stranded DNA molecule serves as template for the production of the complementary strand, a proc ess referred to as  semiconservative replication. Cellularproofreading  and error toe-checking mechanisms ensure  near perfect  fidelity for DNA replication† (Berg, Tymozko, Stryer, & Clarke, 2002) The RNA, like the DNA, is an acronym for the Ribonucleic Acid and is made up of lengthy chains of micro structures called nucleotides, consisting of sugars and a nucleobase. The structure of

Design and Contemporary Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Design and Contemporary Culture - Essay Example In support of their ideologies, the authors present the case of the crisis of Victoria in British Columbia that saw the rise of teenage violence in the early 2000s. The authors explain how this violence and chaos were brought out as a social crisis in the state after years of hiding owing to the fear of tarnishing the city’s image. The authors also use other cases of youth violence and crime, as well as, the responses towards these situations, in support of their arguments regarding social construction of crises. In essence, the authors explain the role of the media in both, representing the real picture during crisis and its inability to grasp the intricacy of the truth of the crisis1. This first section of the article also explains what is to be covered in the next sections, and facilitates the comprehension of some of the ideas and concepts regarding social construction. Representation. Having introduced the story of youth violence in the first section of the article, Oâ₠¬â„¢Brien and Szeman examine the concept of representation as is relates to social construction. The term representation is defined as the social construction of meaning by use of sign systems2. ... Representation affects people’s thoughts and perceptions concerning certain events, hence its role in social construction. To, further, elucidate their ideas regarding representation, the authors also draw attention to the structuralist theories of representation, as well as, the rules of representation in social construction. As explained in the article, the structuralist theories of representation are focused on the indirect meanings of words and cultural practices, as opposed to, their direct meaning. Put simply, these theories put more emphasis on how words mean instead of what they mean4. O’Brien and Szeman provide the example of the semiotic theory in support of this, and they explain how this theory has had a major impact on culture. Essentially, the semiotics theory consists of two main elements including the langue and parole. The langue is what the authors refer to as the what the meaning is, where as the parole refers to how the meaning is presented. The lang ue is also associated with the system as a whole as existent on the abstract level, whereas, parole has been closely linked with individual utterances5. O’Brien and Szeman also discuss the rules of representation, and how their application in social construction. The authors explain the rules of representation are quite simple and they involve drawing the line between storytelling and the depiction of actual events. While these two principles may have a relation in social construction, the authors explain that the ability comprehend the role of these two elements in social construction is imperative. It provides individuals with the ability to draw out made up stories from actual realities. To support their argument, O’Brien and Szeman provide

Federalism and State Powers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Federalism and State Powers - Essay Example The original federal government not only had little authority over confederate states and their activities such as commerce, the system had no court system and taxation powers. Essentially, the confederation was a loose union of politically sovereign governments, with each state having a free hand in regulating own commercial activities and having independent courts structures. The hindrances of the fragmented nature of the government with respect to national political and economic growth soon dawned on many Americans. As such, a reevaluation was thus necessary and so a Constitutional Convention was called in 1787 to restructure the government and harmonize functioning of the national and state economies. Finally, the â€Å"Great Compromise† was struck paving the way for federalism as the basis for governmental control. In the spirit of the US Constitution, Federalism is a dual system of sovereignty in which power was to be split between the central government and state govern ments. The agreement set fourth the United States Constitution as the Supreme law of the land with elaborate federal power system of shared responsibilities. (U.S. Const., Art. VI, cl. 2). Both levels of governments were to have a direct influence over the US citizenry through officials and enacted laws in both levels of governance. Noteworthy, changes in the constitutions governing the conduct of both the federal and state governments had to be consultative to promote magnanimity referred to in the superior laws. Articles I to VI of the supreme law basically define powers of the national government putting restrictions on what states’ spheres of influence. Accordingly, only the national government has authority to coin money, govern Indian tribes, conduct foreign relations, raise armies and a navy and declare war whenever necessary. Concerning the court system hitherto a thorn before the ratification of the constitution, only the Supreme Court was elaborately named in the US Constitution. Establishment of other federal courts fell under the powers of Congress. Declared under Article VI of the Constitution, the US constitution is the supreme law governing every aspect of governance in the entire nation. It apportions certain distinct powers to the federal government (enumerated powers) effectively limiting state powers to avoid conflict of interest. However, it also reserved other powers to the respective states (literally known as reserved powers). While State governments derive their authority from the people as outlined in their respective constitutions, the ratification of the United States Constitution basically transferred certain powers to the federal government effectively limiting state powers with respect to certain areas of policy action. According to the Tenth Amendment, â€Å"all powers not delegated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states were retained by the states.† Accordingly, states retained â€Å"police power" to enact laws governing health and safety, and those required to enhance economic welfare of the citizenry. Both levels of governments hold overlapping powers in certain areas. In general, issues regarding public security in terms of crime control, education, public health services, transport systems, and the general infrastructure are primarily state responsibilities. Nevertheless, all of these

The Differences Between Microsoft IIS Server, Apache Web Server, and Research Paper

The Differences Between Microsoft IIS Server, Apache Web Server, and Other Web Server Hosting Applications - Research Paper Example Web server stores web pages (contain graphics, text, and multimedia) written using mark up language, and they serve static content across the network to a client’s computer web-browser program. The browser and the server communicate using HTTP. A web server provides essential services across the network to both the private users within organizations, or to public users through the internet, and manages network resources. This is usually based on client-server computing, whereby the client represents the user’s workstations, which acquire services from the server. Web servers contain the following components; platform (computer hardware, network operating system, and software), software (receives and processes requests for documents), and information. There is a variety of web servers; this includes Apache HTTP server, Internet Information Services, Lighttpd, Sun Java System Web Server, Apache Tomcat, Xitami, Zues, and Jigsaw server. They possess an IP address, and a dom ain name, both of which are used for request, retrieval, and sending of information to clients and other servers (Yeager, McGrath, 1996). Microsoft IIS Server IIS is Microsoft’s web server, which runs under versions of windows 2000, 2003, and 2008. IIS describes different servers and services responsible for transferring files, supporting user communication, and publishing information. IIS is composed of five components handled by a number of service hosts. It has HTTP capabilities added to the windows operating system and supports the worldwide publishing services, protocols such as FTP service, Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) service, and SMTP service for e-mail. Its operating system supports .NET applications, and it allows efficient addition of internet capabilities that weave directly into the organizations infrastructure (Jones, Brown, 2003). Advantages of IIS IIS improves the performance for both static and dynamic pages. Stability is guaranteed in terms of prote ction of individual processes so that problems with clients or third party application do not result in slowing down or crashing the entire system. IIS enables users to run different applications using the browser, without installation of special software. IIS applications are compatible with a variety of browser software and operating systems, and provide a familiar development environment and model. It provides reusability of components through the ease of access of web classes from subsequent web classes. IIS prevents non-malicious scripts from modifying files through its expanded set of authentication methods, hence guaranteeing security. The IIS has a variety of features including application health monitoring, dynamic content caching (reduces CPU overhead), process isolation (enables assigning applications to different pools), and improved logging. IIS is multithreaded. Disadvantages of IIS The IIS is designed to work under the windows environment only hence limiting its funct ionality, IIS limits users to HTTP only while using Windows XP and Windows server 2003. There are overhead costs incurred in terms of purchasing the product, and installation. Apache Web Server Apache is a program that runs under a suitable multitasking operating

'Love' Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

'Love' Marriage - Essay Example Arranged marriages are when the parents or the adults of the man or woman choose the spouse for them to whom they will marry; with consent or in severe societies without consent. Arranged marriage have been accepted almost everywhere throughout the history, but now as the trends have changed, they have eventually ceased to predominate the Western societies, even though it has been held that they had been persisted in the aristocratic society up to the 20th century. Now, the usual view of the arranged marriages comes from the eastern culture which was not always so. The history shows and proves how western culture had been following arranged marriages too, for example most of the kings and queens of England had gone through arranged marriages. Love marriages are the new and modern type of marriages that are being greatly followed now. The rise of love marriages have not dominated the arranged marriages but have definitely caused an issue on which marriages are usually talked about. The love marriages do not go to a history of culture and society, but has greatly influenced the societies since a few decades. Love marriages allow the man and a woman to choose their spouse themselves and marry them. Though there seems nothing wrong with this view, there still are many conflicts arising between the two marriages. These conflicts are usually based on the views of the societies and individuals rather on cultural differences or facts to justify them. As arranged marriages have a history that goes to the kings and queens of England, these historic events show some justification to the rise of love and arranged marriage conflicts. The arranged marriages tradition was strong in these western societies until King George V broke the tradition by marrying a commoner. Along with that, the more and more exposure of the generations to education and the urge to think beyond the traditional boundaries created the hook

Federalism and State Powers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Federalism and State Powers - Essay Example The original federal government not only had little authority over confederate states and their activities such as commerce, the system had no court system and taxation powers. Essentially, the confederation was a loose union of politically sovereign governments, with each state having a free hand in regulating own commercial activities and having independent courts structures. The hindrances of the fragmented nature of the government with respect to national political and economic growth soon dawned on many Americans. As such, a reevaluation was thus necessary and so a Constitutional Convention was called in 1787 to restructure the government and harmonize functioning of the national and state economies. Finally, the â€Å"Great Compromise† was struck paving the way for federalism as the basis for governmental control. In the spirit of the US Constitution, Federalism is a dual system of sovereignty in which power was to be split between the central government and state govern ments. The agreement set fourth the United States Constitution as the Supreme law of the land with elaborate federal power system of shared responsibilities. (U.S. Const., Art. VI, cl. 2). Both levels of governments were to have a direct influence over the US citizenry through officials and enacted laws in both levels of governance. Noteworthy, changes in the constitutions governing the conduct of both the federal and state governments had to be consultative to promote magnanimity referred to in the superior laws. Articles I to VI of the supreme law basically define powers of the national government putting restrictions on what states’ spheres of influence. Accordingly, only the national government has authority to coin money, govern Indian tribes, conduct foreign relations, raise armies and a navy and declare war whenever necessary. Concerning the court system hitherto a thorn before the ratification of the constitution, only the Supreme Court was elaborately named in the US Constitution. Establishment of other federal courts fell under the powers of Congress. Declared under Article VI of the Constitution, the US constitution is the supreme law governing every aspect of governance in the entire nation. It apportions certain distinct powers to the federal government (enumerated powers) effectively limiting state powers to avoid conflict of interest. However, it also reserved other powers to the respective states (literally known as reserved powers). While State governments derive their authority from the people as outlined in their respective constitutions, the ratification of the United States Constitution basically transferred certain powers to the federal government effectively limiting state powers with respect to certain areas of policy action. According to the Tenth Amendment, â€Å"all powers not delegated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states were retained by the states.† Accordingly, states retained â€Å"police power" to enact laws governing health and safety, and those required to enhance economic welfare of the citizenry. Both levels of governments hold overlapping powers in certain areas. In general, issues regarding public security in terms of crime control, education, public health services, transport systems, and the general infrastructure are primarily state responsibilities. Nevertheless, all of these

'Love' Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

'Love' Marriage - Essay Example Arranged marriages are when the parents or the adults of the man or woman choose the spouse for them to whom they will marry; with consent or in severe societies without consent. Arranged marriage have been accepted almost everywhere throughout the history, but now as the trends have changed, they have eventually ceased to predominate the Western societies, even though it has been held that they had been persisted in the aristocratic society up to the 20th century. Now, the usual view of the arranged marriages comes from the eastern culture which was not always so. The history shows and proves how western culture had been following arranged marriages too, for example most of the kings and queens of England had gone through arranged marriages. Love marriages are the new and modern type of marriages that are being greatly followed now. The rise of love marriages have not dominated the arranged marriages but have definitely caused an issue on which marriages are usually talked about. The love marriages do not go to a history of culture and society, but has greatly influenced the societies since a few decades. Love marriages allow the man and a woman to choose their spouse themselves and marry them. Though there seems nothing wrong with this view, there still are many conflicts arising between the two marriages. These conflicts are usually based on the views of the societies and individuals rather on cultural differences or facts to justify them. As arranged marriages have a history that goes to the kings and queens of England, these historic events show some justification to the rise of love and arranged marriage conflicts. The arranged marriages tradition was strong in these western societies until King George V broke the tradition by marrying a commoner. Along with that, the more and more exposure of the generations to education and the urge to think beyond the traditional boundaries created the hook

How Shakespeare Presents Helena Essay Example for Free

How Shakespeare Presents Helena Essay Helena is clearly longing for something to make her like Hermia in hope that Demetrius would see some of Hermia in her. She is also jealous of Hermia’s beauty. It also shows us that she is insecure about her own appearance. The audience would’ve felt sorry towards her at this point as she is clearly devastated about Demetrius. A bit more into the play Helena expresses her confusion and betrayal towards Demetrius. â€Å"For ere Demetrius looked on Hermia’s eyne, / He hail’d down oaths that he was only mine. / And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt,/ So he dissolv’d, and showers of oaths did melt. In this metaphor Helena is saying that Demetrius had made so many promises to her like balls of ice (hail stones) but when Hermia came along he made broke them causing Demetrius’s promises to have melted. We feel sympathetic towards Hermia as Demetrius led Helena on, making all of these promises when only later he would break all of them. Desperation is shown when Helena tells Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander’s plan to run away, betraying Hermia in the process. She is so desperate that she betrayed her best friend, Hermia. It was a bit hypocritical of her to betray Hermia and endangering their friendship like that when later on she accuses Hermia of throwing away their friendship when actually Hermia was stating the truth. â€Å"But herein mean I enrich my pain, / To have his slight thither, and back again. † In this quote it shows that Helena has come to the conclusion that Demetrius would never love her. So she would betray her best friend to just be pleased with by Demetrius but this doesn’t seem the case when you read later on in the play that Demetrius gets even more irritated with Helena. Helena is basically saying that even though it would pain her to see Demetrius chasing after Hermia she would still do it. At this moment the audience would’ve felt annoyed and sympathetic. The audience annoyed at Helena because she had ruined her best friend’s plan just to help her in her love life. This would be considered as selfish. However we would be sympathetic towards her as she has completely given up on being loved by Demetrius. However when her wishes are finally granted she doesn’t believe it creating a huge argument: â€Å"Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? † At this point Helena lets out all the insecurities, anger and sadness she’s ever been feeling. Her life for the last couple of months has been an emotional rollercoaster. â€Å"Is’t not enough, is’t enough, young man, / That I did never, no, nor never can/ Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius’ eye/ But you mu st flout my insufficiency? † The repetition that she uses suggests that she is so angry at Demetrius that she repeats her words; she’s so angry that she cannot think straight. The whole reason she’s angry is that she thinks that they are mocking her as Helena cannot believe anyone could possibly love her as she is so used to being rejected. If Demetrius couldn’t love her, who would? Her low self esteem also appears into her passage and her words. Helena feels confused at how anyone could ever like her and most of all outraged that her friends would mock and make fun of her. The audience feel humoured at this situation as Helena is claiming that Lysander and Demetrius don’t love her when actually they are in love with her to the point of madness. We also feel sorry towards her as she sees herself as a reject. At the end, when the confusion is solved and Helena finally has Demetrius she says some final words. â€Å"So methinks; / And I have found Demetrius, like a jewel, / Mine own, and not mine own. † In this metaphor she compares Demetrius to a jewel like she had been digging for a diamond and had finally found it. It shows how much Helena values Demetrius. At this point she finally realises that Demetrius actually does love her. At this point the udience would be feeling happy for Helena as she’s finally cheerful. However they might think that Demetrius doesn’t actually deserve Helena. In conclusion, Helena is showed as a heartbroken and desperate girl at the beginning then at the end she seems happy. The audience experience a range of emotions towards her, including sympathy, irritation and happiness. At the end of the play, we are likely to feel happy and satisfied because she finally has what she wan ts. Also throughout the whole play she is always depressed, sad or scolding herself.

Why Was the Batista Regime in Cuba Easily Overthrown?

Why Was the Batista Regime in Cuba Easily Overthrown? Why was the Batista regime in Cuba overthrown with such apparent ease? Fulgencio Batista was born in 1901 and during his life was twice to seize power in Cuba as well as once being cleanly elected before eventually fleeing Cuba in 1959 and dying in exile. This essay will explore some of the reasons why the Batista regime was overthrown with such apparent ease. The Cuban Revolution and overthrow of Batista must be seen in the context of Cuban history and it is with the rise and fall of the Machado regime that we will begin, before looking at political opposition to Batista and the rise of Castro. Following his popular election in 1924, it was thought that under the presidency of Gerardo Machado Cuban politics would be cleaned up (Williamson 1992, 441). However, unrest caused by falling sugar prices through the 1920s led to an increasingly repressive regime that fuelled terrorism and violence amongst students and middle-class intellectuals as well as opposition from labour unions. The ABC movement, formed in 1931, engaged in assassinations and shoot-outs with Machado’s police. In 1933 Machado went into exile but the government put in place by the army and the US ambassador was quickly ousted in September 1933 in the so-called Sergeant’s Revolt. Dr Ramon Grau San Martin of Havana University became president but after a four-month spell in office, Sergeant Fulgencio Batista overthrew his government in a coup (Williamson 1992, 442). Despite having the support of the US and Cuban business interests, Batista was a populist who sought the support of the unions, passed social welfare, provided housing for workers and promoted fuller employment through public works programmes (Williamson 1992, 442). The unpopular Platt Amendment, allowing US intervention in Cuban internal affairs, was annulled in 1934. In the late 1930s there were assembly elections and in 1940 a new constitution was passed, providing for universal suffrage, pensions, social welfare, a minimum wage and an eight hour day (Williamson 1992, 443). In 1940 Batista held free elections, in which he won power. However, in 1944, perhaps overconfident, he lost the election and retired to the US. Elected to the presidency in 1944 was none other than Dr Grau, of the Autentico Party, which was formed after the 1933 revolution and had led political opposition to Batista through the 1930s (Ameringa 1985, 328). It was hoped that the political atmosphere would become healthier and that further reforms would be enacted. After all, there had been US aid and an improved economic situation during the war and a sugar boom at its end. These hopes ‘were drowned in an orgy of corruption and violence by venal revolutionary gangs, which Grau looked upon with complaisance’ (Williamson 1992, 443). In fact violence and terrorism had never fully disappeared after 1933. It is in this context that the relief at the return of Batista, through a coup in 1952, must be seen. Continuing with a similar programme of public works and economic diversification Cuba’s situation seemed to improve with increased literacy, health and welfare (Williamson 1992, 444). On the other hand there remained significant seasonal unemployment amongst the rural majority due to the continued predominance of sugar as well as dependence on the US market and its quotas and the fluctuating world sugar price. The second Batista period had not been greeted with universal joy. Varona, of the Autenticos denounced him as a ‘usurper’ (Ameringa 1985, 328). Batista declared himself chief of state and suspended the 1940 constitution, dissolving all political parties. He cancelled the elections in 1952, detaining members of the opposition and suspending civil guarantees, and cancelled elections again in 1953 and won the election in 1954 while Varona, who had been detained in 1952 and 1953 denounced his regime and election victory as fraudulent (Ameringa 1985, 330-39). Fol lowing his election, Batista attempted some conciliation in a policy of amnesty (Ameringa 1985, 340). Despite this, there was an increased climate of violence in 1955-56 marked by the killing of Villasana, a crackdown on student demonstrations and a purge of the military (Ameringa 1985, 340, 342, 344). Fidel Castro had already appeared on the scene from Havans University in the early 1950s. Under his leadership 160 young people had attacked the Moncada barracks in Santiago, part of their plan to depose Batista (Williamson 1992, 444). Most were shot or arrested and treatment at the hands of the soldiers was brutal. Indeed the public outcry at this was what saved Castro from torture and murder, although the attack did provoke a further tightening of the regime. Following his release from prison in 1955 he went to Mexico, falling in with other exiles and Guevara. Returning to Cuba on the Granma, Castro with 82 men landed in Oriente but were given away to Batista’s men by locals and only 12 men survived the enounter. Fleeing into the Sierra Maestra, a guerrilla force began to take shape and to win small victories against Batista’s troops. There was also urban resistance led by Pais, the students’ Directorio Revolucionario, which almost managed to assassinate Batist a and the Communist Party, which mobilised labour against Batista (Williamson 1992, 445-46). An unsuccessful revolt of naval officers also took place at Cienfuegos in 1957. The failure of the general strike in 1958, according to Williamson, made Castro realise that it was military action that would decide the fate of Cuba (Williamson 1992, 446). Batista failed to defeat the guerrillas in his May 1958 offensive in Sierra Maestra and in August Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfugos’s forces took Las Villas, cutting Cuba in two and isolating much of Batista’s army in the east. On the 1st of January 1959, with the Rebel Army approaching Havana and having already lost the military aid of the US in 1958, Batista fled to the Dominican Republic, conceding defeat (Williamson 1992, 4446-47). Castro was immediately recognised by the US as the new Cuban prime minister. Vellinga comments that ‘From the abundant literature available on the Cuban revolution, it is difficult to arrive at a consensus on the question of whether or not the Rebel Army brought about the ultimate defeat of the Batista regime, and to determine exactly which segments of the population (and in what proportion) played a major part in the struggle on Fidel Castro’s side’ (Vellinga 1976, 246). Indeed, while the official line, that the Rebel Army was a peasant army conforming to theories of revolutionary warfare, that the Batista regime was defeated by a coalition of the workers, peasants and students and that the regime was defeated by successful applications of the doctrine of guerrilla warfare, we can see that the tradition of political change in Cuba is one in which dictators could, when forced to face up to their unpopularity and the impossibility of their situation, retire, rather than fight to the death (Vellinga 1976, 246). This had been the case with Ma chado as well as with Batista, at the end of his first regime. Batista’s position, facing opposition from all sides and without US backing was quite simply untenable. Furthermore, the US CIA had been trying to persuade Batista to step down voluntarily, in favour of others that he might designate, and had tried to engineer a situation in which Castro might be contained within a US friendly coalition in Havana (Morley 1982, 168). The post-1959 attempts by the US to shape events in Cuba were unsuccessful due to the ‘mobilized working-class constituency’ that was able to remake the social and political institutions of Cuba (Morley 1982, 169). This would seem to demonstrate the truth in the notion that the revolution did have a basis in the community at large and explain the apparent ease of the overthrow of Batista. However, the military success of the revolution needs to be seen in terms of the wider context of the constant political opposition of the Varona and the Autenticos from 1952-57, who in a spirit of abstentionism retained democratic ideals and the principle of the rule of law and consistently denied the legitimacy of the Batista regime, emphasising its violations and avoiding violence and collaboration. ‘They fostered the attitude that the Batista regime was abnormal, an aberration that would pass’ (Ameringer 1985, 350). In conclusion, we can see that the apparent ease with which Batista was overthrown owes itself to a variety of factors brought out by the discussion above. Firstly, in Cuba there was a tradition in which dictators could step down and flee from untenable positions, for example, Batista’s original financially beneficial retirement to the US. There also seems to be truth in the widespread involvement amongst the different social classes of Cuba in the revolution against Batista. The lack of continued support from the US probably played a major role in Batista’s decision to flee, not least following his military defeats at the hands of the Rebel Army and the withdrawal of military aid by the US. Finally, there was constant and consistent political opposition that maintained the illegitimacy of Batista’s regime and kept alive the possibility that something better could exist. Bibliography Ameringa, C.D. 1985. The Autentico Party and the Political Opposition in Cuba, 1952-57. The Hispanic American Historical Review Vol.65 No.2 (May): 327-51. Morley, M.H. 1982. The US Imperial State in Cuba 1952-1958: Policymaking and Capitalist Interests. Journal of Latin American Studies Vol.14 No.1 (May): 143-70. Vellinga, M.L. 1976. The Military and the Dynamics of the Cuban Revolutionary Process. Comparative Politics Vol.8 No.2 (Jan.): 245-71. Williamson, E. 1992. The Penguin History of Latin America. London: Penguin.